Time flew by, and in a blink, two months passed.
Barren Ancient City was even livelier than usual, as Wanbao Pavilion's Auction was about to commence, drawing heroes from all corners, flocking in to attend this grand Auction feast.
At Ten Thousand Flowers Manor, Lin Baoqing called again, presenting Li Mu with an Auction participation token, inviting him to the Auction.
"Let me see! If I have time, I'll go," Li Mu said with a smile as he accepted the token.
"Master Li, this Auction is different from previous ones. Xuantian Sword Sect and Taiyi Zong have also contributed many valuable Spirit Treasures for Auction…" Lin Baoqing enthusiastically recommended to Li Mu.
"Yes, yes, just recently, several esteemed guests consigned some Spirit Treasures that Master Li might need. Here is the catalog, please take a look!" Lin Baoqing nodded joyfully and respectfully presented a white Jade Slip. This Jade Slip was no ordinary item; it contained the complete list of all Auction items from Wanbao Pavilion's Auction, including detailed information such as the name, attributes, Rank, and current bid of each item.
Li Mu took the Jade Slip and, with a sweep of his Divine Sense, felt a slight ripple in his heart. This Auction actually featured a sixth-tier Spirit Medicine—Nine Yang Spirit Grass, a sixth-tier Spiritual Plant—Purple Void Spirit Bamboo, and a seventh-tier Spirit Material—Liu Jin Boundary Crystal… The appearance of these High Grade Spirit Treasures was indeed beyond his expectations.
"How is it? Does it catch Master Li's eye?" Lin Baoqing asked, looking at Li Mu with concern.
"Hmm! There are a few Spirit Treasures I want. Manager Lin, could you communicate with the consignor? Let's conduct a private transaction!" Li Mu nodded, signaling to Lin Baoqing.
Private transactions before an Auction were not uncommon. Many times, to protect certain special items from falling into outsiders' hands or to avoid some troubles during the Auction process, both parties, after some communication, would often choose private transactions.
"Master Li, please rest assured, I will communicate with the consigning guest as soon as possible to try and secure these Spirit Treasures for you, but…" Lin Baoqing paused slightly, a hesitant expression on his face.
"But what?" Li Mu asked, looking at Lin Baoqing.
"These Spirit Treasures are rare items, and the consignor will certainly not sell them easily. Moreover, major forces are participating in this Auction, so the competition is bound to be fierce," Lin Baoqing slowly expressed his concerns to Li Mu.
"I understand what you mean," Li Mu nodded and said, "Just do your best. You can be more generous with the bidding. If it really doesn't work out, then we'll find another way!"
"Understood!" Lin Baoqing breathed a sigh of relief, nodding cheerfully.
"Master Li, if there's nothing else, Li will not disturb you any further," Lin Baoqing bid farewell to Li Mu.
"Manager Lin, wait a moment!" Li Mu remembered something and called out to the other party.
Lin Baoqing turned his head, looking at Li Mu with confusion, waiting for him to continue.
"What were the results of the investigation into that 'Senior Zhuang'?" Li Mu asked with a smile, looking at Lin Baoqing.
Upon hearing this, Lin Baoqing frowned tightly, revealing a strange expression, and said helplessly, "This person acts discreetly. I had people watch him and investigated him for two months, but I didn't get any useful information. I really can't figure out his intention behind his previous actions of spreading powder!"
Li Mu nodded understandingly and said calmly, "If I'm not mistaken, this person should have intricate connections with Nine Demon Sect. Let's drop the matter of discussing taking your esteemed pavilion's merchant ship to the Central Continent Domain last time, Manager Lin! Could Manager Lin provide me with a sea chart to the Central Continent Domain? Li will find another way."
Upon hearing this, Lin Baoqing was greatly shocked and asked in astonishment, "Master Li, do you mean that Nine Demon Sect will make a move on our pavilion's merchant ship?"
Li Mu nodded faintly and said, "If I'm not mistaken, this person should be coming for me. If I continue to take your esteemed pavilion's merchant ship, it wouldn't be surprising for Nine Demon Sect to attack your esteemed pavilion's merchant ship to deal with me!"
"This, how is this possible? Our pavilion's guards are not to be trifled with!" Lin Baoqing said incredulously.
"Manager Lin, don't forget, Nine Demon Sect doesn't even care about Xuantian Sword Sect or Taiyi Zong. How could Nine Demon Sect not dare to provoke a commercial organization like Wanbao Pavilion?" Li Mu chuckled. "Furthermore, has your esteemed pavilion provided few resources to the two great immortal sects? I'm afraid Nine Demon Sect is just waiting for this opportunity to cause trouble for Wanbao Pavilion!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Baoqing was momentarily speechless, his mind instantly in a chaotic mess. Li Mu's words were like a sharp sword, piercing through his illusions. Only then did he realize that Wanbao Pavilion was about to face a situation more dangerous than he had imagined.
Lin Baoqing took a deep breath, composed himself, and looked at Li Mu, saying, "Master Li is absolutely right. I will prepare a sea chart to the Central Continent Domain for you as soon as possible. In the meantime, is there anything you need my help with?"
Li Mu smiled and shook his head, saying, "Nothing for now. After this Auction ends, Li will find another way to go to the Central Continent. At that time, whether Nine Demon Sect will continue to attack Wanbao Pavilion's merchant ships is still uncertain, Manager Lin, you must make thorough preparations."
Lin Baoqing nodded in response, "Thank you, Master Li, for the reminder. I will inform the Pavilion Master about this and prepare to deal with Nine Demon Sect."
Li Mu smiled and said nothing more, watching Lin Baoqing leave.
Time flew by, three days passed, and Wanbao Pavilion's Auction arrived as scheduled.
During these three days, Li Mu stayed secluded, refining Alchemy in the Painting World Treasure Mansion Space, until the Wanbao Pavilion's Auction officially began, when he finally brought Xue'er to attend the Auction.
"Lord Li, I was auctioned off on a stage before; this Wanbao Pavilion is too hateful!"
In the VIP room, Xue'er was touched by the scene and couldn't help but recall the time she was imprisoned in a cage and put up for Auction at Wanbao Pavilion.
Upon hearing this, Li Mu laughed heartily, also recalling that time. Back then, when he participated in the Auction, he was just a small Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator. At that Auction, he even picked up a great bargain, acquiring the Star Cloud Contemplation Method, a Heaven-Grade High Grade Divine Sense Cultivation Technique.
"Lord Li, you're actually making fun of me! Were you also at that Auction?" Xue'er asked, looking at Li Mu with annoyance and questioning him.
"Indeed! Little Wa was bought by me at that Auction!" Li Mu chuckled and explained.
"So that's how it is. Why didn't you buy me back then? That way, we could have met earlier!" Xue'er suddenly understood and asked curiously.
"You! You were much more expensive than Little Wa! At that time, I couldn't compete," Li Mu laughed heartily, explaining with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Xue'er narrowed her eyes, revealing a satisfied expression.
Seeing Xue'er's expression, Li Mu laughed heartily, not knowing what she was proud of, and quickly struck back, "When Little Wa was bought, it was just an egg, not even Rank one. However, now, Little Wa has successfully passed the Transformation Lightning Tribulation, and its strength has reached sixth-tier Middle Stage. And you! At that time, you already had three tails and possessed third-tier Middle Stage strength. Now, you are still only fifth-tier. You still need to work hard!"
Upon hearing this, Xue'er's face fell, greatly disheartened, her heart filled with bitterness and helplessness.
The situation was indeed like this: when Little Wa and Little Jin followed Li Mu, their strength was far inferior to hers. However, as of today, they have successively passed the Transformation Lightning Tribulation, and their strength has entered the sixth tier.
"It's unfair! The reason Little Wa and Little Jin could grow so fast is all because Lord Li taught them Cultivation Techniques and provided a large amount of Spirit Pills and Spirit Medicine!" Xue'er argued, full of dissatisfaction.
Upon hearing this, Li Mu chuckled and shook his head, saying, "You can't blame me for this. The Cultivation Techniques I provided to Little Wa and Little Jin are suitable for their Bloodline and Physique. As for Spirit Pills and Spirit Medicine, I never lacked them for you, Xue'er. You should know that the Cultivation Technique inherited by your innate Bloodline is not at all weaker than the Cultivation Techniques I taught. Little Wa and Little Jin's achievements are not solely due to the Cultivation Techniques and resources I provided them. You should look for reasons within yourself."
Upon hearing this, Xue'er opened her mouth, wanting to argue again, but was speechless. Lord Li had always treated everyone equally, never lacking Spirit Pills, Spirit Medicine, or Spirit Treasures for her. In fact, the resources she received were considerably more than what Little Wa and Little Jin received.
This indirectly proved that Lord Li cared more about her.
Understanding this, Xue'er moved closer to Li Mu, lowering her head slightly, her bright eyes secretly glancing at him, with a hint of shame and apology, and whispered, "Lord Li, I know I was wrong. I will Cultivate twice as hard from now on!"
Looking at Xue'er's obedient appearance, Li Mu couldn't help but feel a softness in his heart and said with a smile, "Hmm! It's good that you know! Since you've realized your mistake, you must Cultivate even harder from now on and not disappoint me."
With that, Li Mu's gaze shifted to the window.
At this moment, Lin Baoqing was on the Auction stage, presiding over the Auction.
With a gentle wave of Lin Baoqing's hand, a dazzling green light flashed across the Auction stage, and a tall and majestic green wooden cauldron appeared on the stage.
This Dharma Cauldron was entirely emerald green, carved with various complex runes. Dragons and Phoenixes soared on the cauldron, Divine Beasts galloped, fully displaying an ancient charm. Its mere appearance changed the atmosphere of the entire Auction hall, as if wisps of mysterious power overflowed from the cauldron, captivating all the Nascent Soul cultivators and Transformation God cultivators present.
Lin Baoqing held the Dharma Cauldron with both hands, raising it high above his head. The Dharma Cauldron seemed to sense something, suddenly emitting a green light. Immediately after, streaks of green spirit patterns flew out from the cauldron, condensing into a giant green dragon in the air.
The green dragon let out a roar, circling and dancing in the hall. The green light it released instantly transformed into countless Yi Wood rejuvenation forces, nourishing and restoring the spiritual energy and bodies of the Cultivators present.
"This cauldron is named 'Green Wood Dharma Cauldron.' It is a sixth-tier Medium Grade Spirit Treasure, refined from sixth-tier Green Wood Profound Qi, sixth-tier Taiyin Wood, and sixth-tier Taixuan Boundary Stone using the Taiyi Rejuvenation Formation. It contains its own universe, capable of containing a mustard seed, and can nurture Spiritual Plants. At the same time, it possesses powerful spirit-restoring and body-rejuvenating effects, making it a rare treasure," Lin Baoqing's voice echoed through the hall.
Below the Auction stage, the eyes of all Cultivators lit up.
"How large is the Spiritual Plant nurturing space of this cauldron?" someone couldn't help but ask.
Lin Baoqing smiled and replied, "The Spiritual Plant nurturing space of this cauldron is approximately a thousand acres of spiritual fields. It can serve as a mobile medicine garden, and its attached spirit-restoring and rejuvenating effects are the most potent among many Yi Wood Spirit Treasures."
Upon hearing this, there was another stir in the hall.
Someone sighed, "This treasure is indeed good for rejuvenation, but its attack power is lacking!"
Someone else frowned and said, "Who refined this Spirit Treasure? This refining technique is somewhat useless!"
Even more directly, someone asked, "Manager Lin, how much will this cauldron be auctioned for?"
"This cauldron has a starting bid of fifty thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones! Time limit: 100 breaths," Lin Baoqing announced loudly.
As soon as his voice fell, people began to bid. In a short while, the Auction price displayed on the bidding platform broke through one hundred thousand, and the number of participants in the Auction immediately became sparse.
Li Mu frowned, hesitating whether to participate in this bid.
Li Mu was interested in this Dharma Cauldron because of its Spiritual Plant nurturing space. The Painting World Treasure Mansion's space was much larger than this Spirit Treasure's, however, it was currently in the ascension stage, making it inconvenient to plant too many Spiritual Plants inside.
Li Mu needed such a Spirit Treasure with a Spiritual Plant nurturing space that could continuously Cultivate Spiritual Plants as a backup.
If he had the corresponding Spirit Materials for this Spirit Cauldron, Li Mu could also refine one with much greater function and space. However, the several sixth-tier Spirit Materials used to refine this Spirit Cauldron were indeed difficult to gather in a short period of time.
Thinking of this, Li Mu unhesitatingly put his Divine Sense into the Auction token and entered his bid.
Lin Baoqing, who was constantly monitoring the bidding progress, was slightly stunned when he saw the VIP room number of the latest bid. A hint of doubt immediately arose in his heart: Why would Master Li be interested in this Spirit Treasure?
"One hundred twenty thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones, is there anyone else bidding?" Lin Baoqing snapped back to attention and hurriedly asked, preparing to bring down the hammer to confirm the transaction.
The Cultivators present did not respond much. Too many High Grade Spiritual Artifacts appeared at this Auction. The function of this Spirit Cauldron was too useless. Except for a few interested wood-attribute Cultivators, not many people participated in the competition.
At a price of one hundred twenty thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones, a little more would be enough to purchase a decent sixth-tier Spirit Sword.
Seeing this price, the previous bidders all gave up. It wasn't that they couldn't afford the price, but they felt that this Spirit Cauldron didn't have much value. Instead of spending this price on a useless Spiritual Artifact, it was better to invest the funds in more valuable items.
"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist No. 7, you have successfully bid for the sixth-tier Green Wood Dharma Cauldron for one hundred twenty thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones!" As soon as the time was up, Lin Baoqing brought down the hammer heavily and announced happily.
"Next, let's welcome the next Auction item," Lin Baoqing surveyed the entire hall and announced loudly.
As Lin Baoqing's voice fell, the Formation's spiritual light on the Auction stage flickered. Under everyone's gaze, the figure of the 'Green Wood Dharma Cauldron' disappeared, replaced by a dazzling purple lightning sword.
The moment this purple lightning bamboo sword appeared, all eyes fell on it.
Purple lightning snakes flowed on the blade of the purple lightning sword, as if alive. At the junction of the blade and the hilt, a blue gem was inlaid, containing violent lightning power. The blade was covered with lightning patterns, as if electric currents were flowing, giving people an extremely strong sense of shock.
At this moment on the Auction stage, Lin Baoqing's voice rang out again.
"Purple Jade Lightning Bamboo Sword, sword length: four feet three inches, refined from sixth-tier Purple Jade Lightning Bamboo, sixth-tier Heavenly Lightning Crystal, and sixth-tier Parasol Tree Lightning Wood. This sword comes from Taiyi Zong: Great Master Xuanzhen's hand…" Lin Baoqing eloquently introduced the details of the Purple Jade Lightning Bamboo Sword.
Listening to Lin Baoqing's introduction, the Cultivators in the hall whispered among themselves, discussing animatedly.
Li Mu narrowed his eyes, observing the sword body. He released a bit of Divine Sense to observe it from a distance, studying its refining technique. (End of Chapter)
