Translator: AnubisTL
Strands of Dragon Qi!
The announcement stunned the auction attendees, their faces showing confusion.
Even many Nascent Soul cultivators seemed perplexed, unsure of what Dragon Qi was or its purpose.
True Monarch Wan He chuckled softly before explaining:
"Fellow Daoists familiar with Feng Shui and Geomancy will recognize this substance."
"In Feng Shui, there exists a rare and wondrous terrain known as the True Dragon Holding Pearl!"
"This is one of the most extraordinary and elusive terrains in the world. Legend has it that within such a terrain, a celestial treasure is invariably born—the 'pearl' of the True Dragon Holding Pearl."
"These strands of Dragon Qi are byproducts excavated from such a terrain."
Upon hearing this, everyone present, including Li Qing, adopted solemn expressions.
If True Monarch Wan He's words held true, these strands of Dragon Qi were indeed invaluable, their rarity rivaling that of precious millennial spirit herbs.
It was no surprise that the Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild would open the auction with such a breathtaking item—a true display of their grand scale.
Before the audience could fully digest this revelation, the Black Flood Dragon King's voice boomed through the hall.
"A gourd of three-thousand-year-old dragon marrow... I'm quite interested in these strands of Dragon Qi. I hope everyone will give me some face."
Dragon marrow!
Upon hearing those words, every core formation realm cultivator present revealed burning desire in their eyes.
This was a rare treasure of immense benefit to core formation realm cultivators, capable of enhancing their mana and advancing their cultivation.
As expected of the Black Flood Dragon King, a member of the Flood Dragon Clan—one of the sea's dominant powers—naturally possessing a dragon vein within the vast ocean.
His opening bid of three-thousand-year-old dragon marrow even drew surprised glances from some nascent soul realm cultivators. With such extraordinary age, it might even prove highly beneficial to those at the nascent soul stage.
Unfortunately for the Black Flood Dragon King, this was the Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild's territory. His attempt to intimidate others with his status was doomed to fail.
Soon, someone raised the bid:
"This old man offers a top-grade wood attribute spirit stone!"
The declaration immediately drew sideways glances. Someone actually dared to defy the Black Flood Dragon King's authority.
However, once the bidder's location was identified, understanding dawned.
"That seems to be someone from the Western Heaven Pavilion. No wonder they're so confident. Given the Western Heaven Pavilion's resources, it's hardly surprising."
"Rumor has it that the pavilion master of the Western Heaven Pavilion reached the mid-Nascent Soul stage centuries ago. Given their extraordinary cultivation talent, they might have already broken through to the late-stage Nascent Soul realm by now."
"In that case, the Western Heaven Pavilion truly has no reason to show the Black Flood Dragon King any respect."
"..."
As these discussions continued, Li Qing's brow furrowed slightly.
He already knew that the Western Heaven Pavilion was also collecting Flame Gold Marks to embed in the Black Furnace. The stronger the pavilion's forces, the worse the news for him.
A cultivator who might have already reached the late-stage Nascent Soul realm—that was a formidable pressure indeed!
In an era where Divine Transformation stage cultivators rarely appeared in the world, reaching the late-stage Nascent Soul realm would make one of the absolute apex beings in this realm.
The Black Flood Dragon King merely snorted coldly. "A jar of five-thousand-year-old Seven-Colored Dragon Marrow. As for that old man, send my regards to your pavilion master. If he hasn't kicked the bucket yet, I'll pay him a visit one day to see if his years of seclusion have truly brought him to the late-stage Nascent Soul realm."
The Black Flood Dragon King's unwavering determination sent a ripple of shock through the entire auction hall.
His aggressive stance made it clear that Dragon Qi held immense value for the Flood Dragon Clan.
A jar of five-thousand-year-old Seven-Colored Dragon Marrow was worth far more than a Top-Grade Spirit Stone!
With such a formidable bid, no one dared to challenge the Black Flood Dragon King for the remaining strands of Dragon Qi.
"Hahaha, congratulations, Fellow Daoist Black Flood Dragon King, on acquiring these strands of Dragon Qi," True Monarch Wan He chuckled from the auction platform. "However, given the gravity of this transaction, we must verify the authenticity of the Seven-Colored Dragon Marrow."
Moments later, a pitch-black jar, roughly the size of a human head, shot out from the Black Flood Dragon King's private chamber. It soared over the heads of the core formation cultivators, landing in True Monarch Wan He's hand under the watchful eyes of the crowd.
The jar of dragon marrow had passed within arm's reach of the core formation cultivators, their hearts pounding wildly.
Obtaining it would have spared them years of arduous cultivation, allowing them to reach the pinnacle of the core formation realm in record time!
Yet, despite the overwhelming temptation, none dared to make a move that would invite certain disaster upon themselves.
Neither the Black Flood Dragon King nor the Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild were entities they could afford to provoke. Reaching out rashly would be akin to courting death.
The Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild's appraisal process was remarkably professional and efficient. They quickly confirmed that the jar contained five-thousand-year-old rare dragon marrow!
Thus, the crystal containing strands of Dragon Qi fell into the Black Flood Dragon King's hands.
After securing the Dragon Qi, the Black Flood Dragon King immediately cast a restriction, completely isolating the private chamber from the outside world.
Only then did the Black Flood Dragon King reveal his burning gaze, stroking the crystal with his hand. His breathing gradually grew heavy.
"True Dragon Qi... To think such a thing truly exists in the lower realm! My clan will rise to greatness!"
The Black Flood Dragon King's voice trembled slightly. Even a being of his stature struggled to contain his inner joy.
Clearly, these strands of True Dragon Qi held immeasurable value for him and the Flood Dragon Clan, potentially even refining their bloodline to greater purity!
The commotion caused by the True Dragon Qi didn't last long. Soon, the crowd's attention shifted to the next auction item.
Unfortunately, the following items proved unremarkable. They were mostly low-tier offerings: pills to enhance core formation realm cultivation or spirit materials suitable for refining natal magic treasures.
The most valuable item among them was a millennial spirit herb, prized as a medicinal catalyst for certain spirit pills, which sparked a brief bidding war.
Everyone understood that since core formation realm cultivators had been invited to this auction, they couldn't be expected to leave empty-handed. Some level of participation was necessary.
Li Qing remained patient, savoring his spirit wine while keeping a close eye on the auction items.
Finally, the next item piqued his interest.
True Monarch Wan He, still smiling, unveiled the next offering.
"Heh, this is a piece of Geng Metal. Though the quantity is small, if used sparingly, it's more than enough to refine a remarkably fine natal magic treasure."
"The starting bid is one spirit stone, with minimum increments of one thousand spirit stones!"
"Fellow daoists, if any of you possess a natal magic treasure known for its sharpness, such as a flying sword, you can incorporate this Geng Metal into its refinement. This will elevate the treasure's power to new heights!"
Li Qing, seated in his private room, immediately felt his eyes light up with excitement.
Such a precious treasure being auctioned for spirit stones?!
He had been planning to refine the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation Diagram, which required various rare spirit golds. This Geng Metal seemed unexpectedly perfect for the task.
Li Qing wasn't the only one who swallowed hard. The other cultivators also recognized the extraordinary value of the metal. Normally, such a treasure would be traded for rare items, but the Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild had surprisingly put it up for auction using spirit stones.
Even the core formation realm cultivators couldn't contain their excitement and immediately began bidding fiercely.
"Ten thousand spirit stones!"
"Twenty thousand spirit stones!"
"Forty thousand spirit stones!"
In contrast to the core formation realm cultivators' frenzy, the Nascent Soul cultivators seated in the upper tiers remained remarkably calm. They knew that the final victor in this bidding war would never be one of these core formation realm cultivators.
Finally, Li Qing spoke:
"One hundred and twenty thousand spirit stones!"
(End of the Chapter)
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