Cultivation Starting from Choosing Augments-Chapter 77 - 75: Repairing the Cyan Gourd and Starting the Bidding

Chapter 77: Chapter 75: Repairing the Cyan Gourd and Starting the Bidding

As expected, Xiao Chen found two more Spirit-Imbued Snow Lotuses in the Storage Bag.

Along with them were five full bottles of Cyan Wood Spirit Liquid and a Four-leaf Golden Peach.

This type of Golden Peach grew one leaf every hundred years, so four leaves represented four hundred years of efficacy.

Xiao Chen felt a pang of regret. ’What a shame. If this were a five-leaf Golden Peach, it could have served as a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object.’

However, these items also showed that One-Eyed had been deliberately collecting Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects.

Perhaps because he was planning to bid on a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object, there were very few other items in the two Storage Bags.

Aside from the few Spiritual Objects, there were only three bottles of Fasting Pills, a dagger used for prying open doors, a Secret Manual, a Jade Pendant, a Wine Gourd, a set of Night Clothes, and some miscellaneous items like leftover beef from lunch.

In contrast, the two Storage Bags contained a grand total of 2,123 Spirit Stones.

He flipped open the Secret Manual and saw that it was the *Luotian Soul-Slaying Divine Saber*, the very technique One-Eyed had used before. Moreover, it was a Profound-rank Magic.

’No wonder it sliced through my thorns so easily.’

Xiao Chen put away the Demon Technique and picked up the Jade Pendant.

’What is this? Some kind of Token?’

He curiously examined the Jade Pendant. It was made of Xiu Jade and was a deep, dark red.

The front was engraved with a strange pattern he didn’t recognize, while the back was a smooth, cut surface.

The Jade Pendant wasn’t a Magical Artifact; its material was quite brittle.

But the cut was exceptionally smooth. Judging by the pattern and its size, he was likely holding only half of the Jade Pendant.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

A series of knocks at the door interrupted Xiao Chen’s thoughts.

He put the Jade Pendant away, opened the main gate, and saw the manager from whom he had rented the courtyard yesterday.

The man seemed to let out a sigh of relief upon seeing him open the gate. "Xiao, someone reported hearing the sounds of a fight coming from your courtyard last night."

"Did someone cause trouble? Are you all right?"

Xiao Chen looked astonished. "Huh? Was there? I had no idea."

Then he frowned. "Oh dear, I fell asleep early last night. I thought this place was supposed to be very safe."

"Of course it’s safe." The manager immediately put on a smile and explained, "We have a special night patrol team specifically to ensure all you fellow cultivators can rest peacefully."

"It must have been a mistake. Since you’re fine, Xiao, I’ll be on my way."

’A night patrol team?’

Xiao Chen watched the manager walk away, feeling a bit speechless.

He hadn’t seen a single sign of a patrol team last night.

He then closed the gate again and returned to his room to take out the Cyan Gourd.

Since he had obtained more Cyan Wood Spirit Liquid from One-Eyed, he could use it to repair the Cyan Gourd.

He spent six days performing Refinement on three streams of Cyan Wood Spirit Liquid, infusing them into the gourd.

The Cyan Gourd, which had originally degraded into a Low-Grade Magical Artifact, finally returned to the ranks of Middle-Grade Magical Artifacts.

The single stream of Cyan Wood Spiritual Qi inside it was finally restored to its full strength and successfully split into two.

’Huh, two streams of Cyan Wood Spiritual Qi?’

Xiao Chen tried to infuse his Magical Power. This time, it took four full units of Magical Power to successfully activate the Cyan Gourd.

Two streams of Cyan Wood Spiritual Qi surged out and transformed into two nine-foot-tall Cyan Wood Divine Generals upon hitting the ground.

Not only that, but one of them was holding a great saber, while the other held a large, round-headed war hammer with both hands.

’Their weapons are different? Interesting.’

Xiao Chen guessed that, given this development, the Cyan Gourd might be able to generate even more Cyan Wood Divine Generals.

He tried adding another stream of Cyan Wood Spirit Liquid and, just as before, he could continue the Refinement process.

This time, however, the two existing streams of Cyan Wood Spiritual Qi were simultaneously strengthened just a little.

It seemed he would need to invest even more Cyan Wood Spirit Liquid to trigger the next transformation.

After a day of diligently reviewing his Cultivation Techniques, the day of the trade fair arrived.

Xiao Chen pushed open his gate and stepped out, just as an old man and a young woman, both Cultivators, emerged from the courtyard directly opposite his.

The old man had white hair, while the girl was only about sixteen. They had similar features and looked like a grandfather and his granddaughter.

The girl sized him up curiously. Over the past two days, more than two thousand Cultivators had gathered in Shattered Stone Valley, making it exceptionally lively.

She had gone out exploring for six days straight and had become familiar with several of her neighbors.

The only one she hadn’t seen was the Cultivator from the courtyard across the way; at first, she had thought it was empty.

She excitedly started to greet her new neighbor, but the old man yanked her to his side and shot her a harsh glare.

She asked, a little confused, "Grandpa, what’s wrong?"

The old man watched Xiao Chen walk away until his figure disappeared around the corner.

Only then did he turn back and whisper a warning, "Don’t go near that young man. He’s not like us, or any of the other neighbors."

The girl was curious. "He doesn’t look very powerful. He doesn’t even have a Flying Sword or a Magic Robe. How is he different?"

"A person of his caliber has a Storage Bag."

The old man’s tone was tinged with envy. "Today is the day of the auction. He arrived here early but hasn’t come out until today. He’s clearly here for the Treasures in the auction."

"Ah, the Treasures!"

the girl exclaimed, then quickly covered her mouth.

The old man nodded. "Let’s go. We’ll head into the valley to join the crowd. Grandpa will show you a thing or two."

"Fifty years ago, back when the Xiong Family’s old patriarch was still alive, they held a trade fair right here. I went with your great-grandfather..."

The girl cut him off. "...and got a good spot in the valley early. Grandpa, you’ve already told that story eight times in the last few days."

...

Inside Shattered Stone Valley, the Xiong Family had erected a high platform on a patch of elevated ground.

This was to ensure that during the public auction, the Loose Cultivators gathered from all directions could clearly see the items on stage without having to stand too close.

Ever since the Xiong Family’s old patriarch had passed away, Shattered Stone Valley hadn’t seen such a massive, bustling crowd in forty years.

As Noon approached, the Cultivators in the valley stood scattered about in small groups of two or three.

The entire valley was a sea of people, with heads bobbing as far as the eye could see.

On the high platform, Xiong Qiming, the current Patriarch of the Xiong Family, looked on with a mixture of satisfaction and anticipation. ’Restoring the Xiong Family’s prestige begins today.’

He turned his head to his younger brother beside him. "Qiliang, how many people from the other families have arrived?"

Xiong Qiliang reported, "The Ji, Du, and Guo Families have all sent members of their younger generation. No one from the Hong Family has arrived yet."

"In addition, that Tian Jianing from the Tian Family has also come, bringing two juniors with him."

"I heard he has already broken through to the third level of Foundation Establishment and taken over Gourd Lake."

Hearing this, Xiong Qiming fell silent for a moment. "No matter. As long as our family can get Shattered Stone Valley running properly again, it won’t be long before we take back Gourd Lake."

"By the way, has anyone been causing trouble recently?"

Xiong Qiliang shook his head. "We haven’t found any Tribulation Cultivators yet. The day before yesterday, three people engaged in Magical Combat at the valley entrance, but our men have already locked them up."

Xiong Qiming instructed, "Keep an eye on the men below. Don’t let them slack off."

"Murder and robbery are hard to avoid, but they absolutely must not happen within twenty li of Shattered Stone Valley and tarnish the reputation of our trade fair."

He went over a few more detailed arrangements with Xiong Qiliang.

It wasn’t until 11:15 AM that he walked to the front of the stage. "Fellow cultivators, you have all traveled far to be here today. I am immensely grateful for your support."

"Allow me to reiterate: for this public auction, payment and goods will be exchanged on the spot. Items won must be paid for and collected immediately."

"You’ve all been waiting for a long time, so I won’t waste any more of your time with pleasantries."

"Now, let the auction begin!"