Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension

Chapter 1507: Chapter 816: Shocking Turn of Events

The Great Sun hangs high, its sunlight blazing.

The pillar of light bursting from the depths of the vortex gradually dissipates, the enormous vortex slowly shrinking until it disappears completely, leaving the lake surface calm once more.

At this moment, beams of tunneling light from all directions converge, landing on the most grand and luxurious nine-story ship.

The tunneling light fades, as one Golden Core Master after another steps onto the nine-story platform, each selecting a Jade Couch to sit.

In no time, nearly a hundred Jade Couches have found their masters, while in the center of the platform, more than ten gorgeous maidens dressed in pink gauze danced gracefully to Immortal Music, their movements graceful and full of charm.

On one of the Jade Couches sat a tall, distinguished young warrior, none other than the invited Zhao Sheng.

On the adjacent Jade Couch, Zhao Yongxian strokes his beard, solemnly gazing at nearly a hundred Golden Core Dao fellows, his eyes bright with luster.

"Fellow Shouzhuo, you being here for the first time might not know, but the owner of this grand ship belongs to Wanyou Trading Company. The origins of Wanyou Trading Company are incredibly mysterious. It’s one of the most renowned super merchant groups in this region. It is rumored that the owner of Wanyou Trading Company once apprenticed under Red Cloud Venerable..."

Zhao Yongxian elaborates on various anecdotes and stories, not only detailing the personalities of the present Golden Core Masters but especially emphasizing the owner of this nine-story ship, fearing that their Guest Elder might be too arrogant and inadvertently offend the host here.

As Zhao Sheng listens in silence, he secretly expands his Divine Sense outward.

Currently, in this spacious hall, countless Divine Senses interweave densely in mid-air, exchanging vast amounts of information every moment.

Zhao Sheng activates the Star God Thousand Heart Technique, his Divine Sense splitting into thousands of threads, silently and seamlessly infiltrating every Divine Sense according to specific "frequencies."

He is like an invisible phantom, roaming the hall with no interaction escaping his keen ears and eyes.

In less than an hour, Zhao Sheng has developed a preliminary understanding of nearly a hundred Golden Core Masters present, as well as a clear recognition of the neighboring cultivation forces, even learning many secrets.

Zhao Yongxian, meanwhile, is oblivious to these actions and continues his endless discussion until a bell-like clear sound resonates, reluctantly pausing.

After the clear sound, the graceful maidens withdraw in succession, as a benevolent-looking, white-haired elder in a simple patterned Magic Robe calmly steps to the center of the hall, bowing and clasping his hands: "This old one, Su Zhao Bai, greets all Golden Core Dao fellows present."

His voice neither too loud nor too soft, carries an imposing aura, instantly silencing the hall, causing everyone’s expressions to turn respectful, swiftly dispelling any underestimation.

"You may not have heard my name before, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that all fellow Daoists must adhere to the rules of this establishment. There are only five rules here. One, after a transaction, there is no regret; two, every auction item, sold to the highest bidder; third... lastly, I have one piece of advice, and I hope all fellow Daoists remember it well: do not resort to violence during the auction, violators will be executed without mercy!"

Having said this, the white-haired elder smiles slightly, "Alright, let’s cut to the chase, the auction will now commence. As per the rules, anyone wishing to sell treasures can input the details into a Jade Scroll and submit them uniformly to me. During the auction, I will display them prominently."

As soon as his words ended, Jade Scrolls from all directions fly down, landing in front of the white-haired elder.

Zhao Sheng, witnessing this, also retrieves a milky-white Jade Scroll from his sleeve, and after a brief consideration, records some information into it and tosses it down.

A moment later, the auction officially begins.

"The first auction item: low-grade magical treasure Flowing Light Ruyi Shuttle! This treasure contains five Treasure Restrictions, capable of traveling ten thousand miles a day, or a hundred miles in an instant. It is an excellent tool for travel and escape. Starting bid: thirty top-grade Spirit Stones. Each raise must be no less than one top-grade Spirit Stone."

"Thirty-one!"

"I bid... thirty-five top-grade Spirit Stones," says an elder.

"Thirty-seven..."

In a brief period, the auction price quadrupled, with everyone displaying a wealth of arrogance. If seen by Lower Realm Golden Core cultivators, they would probably weep bitterly, cursing the Upper Realm cultivators as heartless.

Zhao Sheng found it quite amusing; in the Lower Realm, Golden Core cultivators often fought to the death over a few top-grade Spirit Stones, whereas in the Spirit Realm, the younger Golden Core cultivators clearly disregarded top-grade Spirit Stones, raising bids carelessly.

The abundance of cultivation resources in the Taiyi Spirit Realm is evident.

The first auction item quickly sold for a high price of forty-five.

Then came the second, third...

The auction progressed rapidly, with no unsold items, each smoothly transacted.

An hour passed quickly.

"The seventh treasure: Ten-thousand-year-old Sky Blue. It contains three drops of Ten-thousand-year Spiritual Milk. Each drop can extend life by ten years. Starting bid: one Top-grade Spirit Stone."

At these words, many cultivators were startled, their eyes fervently fixed on the white-haired elder, wishing to snatch the ordinary-looking stone from his hand.

"Three!"

With this shout, the other Golden Core Masters, just waking from a dream, immediately begin bidding frantically.

"Five!"

"Six!"

...

In an instant, the price soared to ten Top-grade Spirit Stones.

The spiritual energy of the Taiyi Spirit Realm is incredibly abundant, with high-grade Spiritual Veins not uncommon, nor is there a scarcity of Top-grade Spirit Stones, even Golden Core Masters can acquire quite a few.

It can be said that cultivators in the Spirit Realm typically do not lack resources like Spirit Stones; what usually hinders their cultivation are breakthrough barriers.