bookbashuk Chapter 139 Houtu Xuangui
Chapter 139 Houtu Xuangui
Zhang Lin's face remained calm, but he was making plans in his mind.
He has over 1,100 mid-grade spirit stones and over 18,000 low-grade spirit stones.
In total, it amounts to about 128,000 low-grade spirit stones.
This amount would be considered wealthy during the Qi Refining stage, but during the Foundation Establishment stage, it would be nothing more than a minor figure.
However, the starting bid for the Thick Earth Mystic Jade is only three thousand low-grade spirit stones, so he should be able to win it.
Unless someone challenges him.
"The thirty-seventh item, and also the last item in this auction." The auctioneer's voice rose a few decibels, and his smile deepened.
"The 105th year Earth-type Spiritual Object - Thick Earth Mystic Jade, an essential spiritual object for those who have reached the Foundation Establishment stage!"
He lifted the red silk on the tray, revealing a palm-sized, earth-yellow jade tablet.
The jade tablet is rectangular, yellowish-brown in color, with fine lines on its surface and a faint, shimmering light, like the veins of the earth.
"The Thick Earth Mystic Jade, produced deep within the earth's veins of Hunyuan Continent, is formed from the essence of the earth and is an excellent spiritual object for foundation building," the auctioneer said with a smile.
"Starting bid: 3,000 low-grade spirit stones. Each bid must increase by at least 100 spirit stones. Bidding begins now!"
"Three thousand one hundred!" shouted a rogue cultivator in the back row.
"Three thousand two hundred!" Someone in the regular seats raised the price.
"Three thousand five hundred!"
"four thousand!"
The price climbed steadily and soon broke through five thousand.
Zhang Lin remained silent, waiting quietly like a hunter hidden in the grass.
Five thousand, six thousand, seven thousand...
When the price rose to eight thousand, fewer and fewer people were bidding, until only two remained.
"Eight thousand five hundred!" shouted a cultivator in a blue robe sitting in the front row of the ordinary seats. He was at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining and had a calm expression.
"Nine thousand!" A middle-aged man in the VIP section raised the price. He was in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, dressed in luxurious clothes, and had a jade pendant with the character "Zhou" engraved on it hanging from his waist.
Zhang Lin's gaze sharpened slightly.
People from the Zhou family.
Is it the Zhou family of Qingxuan City, or the main branch of the Zhou family of Shenzhou?
Zhang Lin suppressed his doubts and continued to observe.
"Nine thousand five hundred!" The cultivator in the blue robe gritted his teeth and raised the price.
"Ten thousand," the middle-aged man from the Zhou family said calmly.
The monk in the green robe turned pale, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately did not raise the price, dejectedly sitting back down in his seat.
"Ten thousand spirit stones, for the first time!" the auctioneer shouted.
"Ten thousand spirit stones, for the second time!"
Zhang Lin knew the time had come.
"Eleven thousand," he said, his voice not loud, but it was heard throughout the entire hall.
All eyes were on him.
In an inconspicuous corner of the ordinary seating area sat an unremarkable young man.
The middle-aged man from the Zhou family turned around and glanced at Zhang Lin, frowning.
"Twelve thousand," he added.
"Thirteen thousand," Zhang Lin said calmly.
Fourteen thousand.
"Fifteen thousand."
The middle-aged man in the Zhou family's face darkened, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.
He stared at Zhang Lin for a moment, as if trying to identify something, but Zhang Lin's face was covered with a thin layer of spiritual light, making his features blurry and indistinct.
"Sixteen thousand," the middle-aged man said through gritted teeth.
Zhang Lin remained silent for two breaths.
He was weighing his options.
Although the Thick Earth Black Jade is a spiritual object that has been around for a hundred years, its market price is only around ten thousand spirit stones.
The price of 16,000 is already 60% overpriced; adding any more would be a waste of money.
But rare and precious artifacts are hard to come by, and he needs this one.
Of the nine spiritual items needed for the Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, he already possesses the Azure Lotus of the water element. If he can acquire the Thick Earth Jade Tablet of the earth element, he will only be missing seven more.
If you miss it, who knows when you'll get the next century-old earth-type spiritual item.
"Sixteen thousand, for the first time!" came the auctioneer's voice.
Zhang Lin looked up at the middle-aged man from the Zhou family.
The man's face turned ashen; clearly, 16,000 spirit stones had exceeded his expectations.
But he persisted, clearly determined to obtain the Thick Earth Mystic Jade, which was probably the work of a younger member of the clan planning the foundation building for the underground passage.
"Seventeen thousand," Zhang Lin bid again.
The middle-aged man suddenly turned his head, his gaze sharp as a knife, staring intently at Zhang Lin.
Zhang Lin remained calm as he met his gaze.
"Eighteen thousand." The middle-aged man practically spat out those words through clenched teeth.
"Nineteen thousand," Zhang Lin replied calmly.
An uproar erupted in the hall.
A 105-year-old earth-elemental spiritual artifact sold for 19,000 spirit stones, a first in Qingluo City's auction history.
The middle-aged man's hands were trembling slightly, whether from anger or heartache, it was hard to tell.
He stared at Zhang Lin for a full five breaths, then finally snorted coldly, turned his head away, and stopped raising the price.
"Nineteen thousand, for the first time!" the auctioneer shouted, his voice tinged with excitement.
"Nineteen thousand, the second time!"
"Nineteen thousand, third time, sold!"
The auctioneer brought down the gavel, "Congratulations to this fellow Daoist for winning the Thick Earth Mystic Jade!"
Zhang Lin remained calm, but inwardly he breathed a sigh of relief.
Nineteen thousand low-grade spirit stones were almost twice as expensive as he had expected, but still within his budget.
He got up and went backstage.
After passing through a corridor, we arrived at the back hall of Tianbao Pavilion.
The back hall was much smaller than the front hall, but much more exquisitely decorated, with several spiritual paintings hanging on the walls and a thick carpet on the floor.
A steward in his fifties, with a Foundation Establishment stage cultivation level and a kind face, came forward and said with clasped hands, "Congratulations, fellow Daoist, on winning the Thick Earth Mystic Jade. Please follow me."
Zhang Lin followed him into a side room.
The room was already prepared with spiritual tea and fruits, and a white jade box was placed on the table.
The steward opened the box, revealing the thick, earthen jade tablet inside. The earthen-yellow jade tablet gleamed with a warm luster under the lamp.
"Please inspect the goods, fellow Daoist."
Zhang Lin took the jade tablet and probed it with his spiritual sense.
Inside the jade tablet, the earth elemental spiritual energy was as thick as a mountain and as dense as the earth itself. Its age was exactly as stated at the auction, and its quality was excellent, without any impurities or cracks.
He nodded, took out 19,000 low-grade spirit stones from his storage bag, and piled them on the table.
The spirit stones were piled up into a small mountain, shimmering with spiritual light, which made the side room a bit brighter.
The steward verified that everything was correct, then bowed and said, "Thank you, fellow Daoist. The Thick Earth Black Jade is now yours."
Zhang Lin put the jade tablet into his storage bag, changed his clothes, and turned to leave.
It was already evening when we left Tianbao Pavilion.
As the sun set, it bathed the rooftops of Qingluo City in a golden-red hue.
There were far fewer pedestrians on the street, with only a few rogue cultivators still standing at the entrance of Tianbao Pavilion, discussing today's auction.
"I heard that the Thick Earth Mystic Jade sold for 19,000 spirit stones. Tsk tsk, that's quite a price."
"Of course! It's just a hundred-year-old spiritual treasure, why spend so many spirit stones?"
"I wonder which family the buyer is from, to be so generous."
"I can't see his face clearly, but he has a different demeanor and doesn't seem to be a local."
Zhang Lin walked past them without stopping.
He turned into a small alley, making several turns before slowing down to make sure no one was following him.
I've got the Thick Earth Jade Tablet.
Including the century-old water-based spiritual artifact, the Azure Lotus, which he seized from Li Xiao's storage bag, he now possesses two of the nine spiritual artifacts.
Seven more items are needed.
Sun, Moon, Venus, Jupiter, Mars, Wind, Thunder.
Zhang Lin silently recited the words to himself, and continued walking towards the inn in the south of the city.
The Sunburst Seed and Moonflower Seed, nurtured by Yu Youwei with the Primordial Light, can mature into century-old spiritual creatures within three years.
This was Master's arrangement; he trusts him.
The three elemental spirit items of metal, wood, and fire can be seen occasionally on the market, and he also has the sect contribution points he obtained in White Stone Town this time, which he can exchange for one.
The probability of collecting the other two items within three years is still quite high.
As for the wind and thunder elements, they are the rarest and most difficult to find.
Especially lightning-type spiritual objects, which can only be conceived in places struck by lightning, and lightning-type spiritual objects that are over a hundred years old are extremely rare.
Wind-type spiritual items are not much better. They are mostly produced in the Arctic Ice Plains, are expensive, and are mostly monopolized by major sects, with very few appearing on the market.
The road ahead is still long, but the outer sect competition is just a month away. These two spiritual items may not be found elsewhere, but they are definitely within the Danxia Sect.