Cultivation Starts from Farming-Chapter 565 - 285: Auction (Part 2)
Xu Ping’s brow furrowed tightly, involuntarily sinking into thought.
After many years of navigating the cultivation realm, his intuition told him that this matter was not so simple.
Moreover, now that he calmed his mind and recalled in detail, that divine sense aura gave him a subtle feeling of déjà vu.
He was certain that he had sensed this aura somewhere before, but at the moment, his memory seemed shrouded in mist, making it difficult to recall clearly.
"Where have I felt it?"
Xu Ping began to ponder deeply.
He sat at the table, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the surface, trying to dig up clues from the depths of his memory related to this.
"Hongyi!!"
Suddenly, a flash of insight struck Xu Ping’s mind, like a dazzling lightning bolt tearing through the night, and he couldn’t help but blurt it out.
That’s it!
It was on Hongyi that he had sensed this aura.
It’s just that, at that time, the aura emanating from Hongyi was extremely faint, barely perceptible. Compared to the powerful and clear divine sense aura from just now, it was a world of difference.
"Could it be that the one who just probed me was a Nascent Soul cultivator beside Hongyi?"
Thinking of this, Xu Ping’s eyes narrowed slightly.
With his experience, he knew that the aura of divine sense was something that would only linger on someone after long-term close interaction.
By this reasoning, Hongyi and this mysterious Nascent Soul cultivator must have been associating for years.
This way, many things that were puzzling before seemed to make sense.
Since the other party didn’t pursue him persistently, perhaps at the moment, they indeed did not harbor much malice towards him.
"However, this also doesn’t mean absolute safety."
"Now that my fortune has skyrocketed, any slight carelessness might be detected by a Nascent Soul cultivator."
A skyrocketing fortune often signified a great fortuitous opportunity, which could easily attract others’ covetous gazes.
If Hongyi’s Nascent Soul cultivator harbored ill intentions and thought of seizing the opportunity, he would be in extreme danger.
"It’s best to find an ally."
Xu Ping began to ponder a foolproof plan,
"I wonder if Gu Yuntao has come to Hundred Bamboo City. If he has, teaming up with him should enable us to retreat safely even against a Nascent Soul cultivator."
The only pity is that although he had a sound transmission talisman for long distances, Hundred Bamboo City was shrouded by a fourth-rank array, rendering these ordinary transmission talismans useless.
Unless it’s a cross-country sound transmission talisman, no messages can be sent out.
"It seems wise not to go out in the next few days, and to wait peacefully to attend the auction."
Xu Ping calculated silently in his heart, "If Gu Yuntao comes to Hundred Bamboo City, based on his nature, he is likely to attend this auction."
"At that time, I might be able to spot him at the venue."
As long as I find Gu Yuntao at the auction, it should be foolproof.
...
...
Time flew by, and five days passed in the blink of an eye.
The long-awaited auction finally commenced.
The location for this auction was still set inside that grandiose hall.
With an incense stick’s time before the auction started, Xu Ping arrived at the hall’s entrance.
This hall soared into the sky, with its flying eaves and dougong exuding luxuriousness.
The area in front of the hall was crowded with people, with cultivators from all sides dressed in their finest, their faces brimming with excitement and anticipation.
At this moment, Xu Ping’s cultivation visibly displayed was at the early stage of Golden Core. With this level of cultivation, he was naturally led to a box seat on the third floor.
Before long.
The auction officially began amidst a melodious sound of immortal music.
The immortal music seemed to carry traces of spiritual power fluctuations, lingering throughout the auction hall, stirring the hearts of everyone present.
It must be said that it lived up to being the grand auction held every ten years in Hundred Bamboo City. Those treasures like magical artifacts, pills, cultivation technique manuals, which were usually hard to come by, were coming on stage as if in bulk.
They held immense attraction for Golden Core cultivators, yet Xu Ping showed little interest in these dazzling lots.
He sat quietly in his box seat on the third floor, watching the reactions of the crowd below with a calm demeanor.
During the earlier bidding process, he only occasionally intervened, purchasing a third-rank sword technique and an extension-life spiritual object.
"The next item—Celestial Marrow Stone."
Accompanied by the auctioneer’s high-pitched and enthusiastic voice, a graceful attendant walked lightly onto the stage, holding a meticulously crafted tray that bore a mineral emitting a faint blue glow.
"Celestial Marrow Stone?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Ping, originally in a somewhat lazy posture, immediately sat up straight, his eyes flashing with intense interest.
This Celestial Marrow Stone was a valuable item; when refined into a puppet, it could significantly enhance the puppet’s quality and defensive power. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦
In his mind, the image of his third-rank top-grade puppet, inscribed with the original "Divine Puppet Spirit-Enhancing Talisman," immediately appeared.
If the Celestial Marrow Stone could be refined into it, perhaps the puppet could shoot a few more arrows in battle.
"The wondrous effects of the Celestial Marrow Stone, I’m sure all fellow cultivators present are well aware, and there’s no need for me to elaborate."
"Now, starting the bid at eighty thousand spirit stones, with each increment no less than five thousand spirit stones!"
The auctioneer was full of confidence, his loud and clear voice echoing throughout the spacious auction hall, instantly igniting the already lively atmosphere.
As soon as he finished speaking, the bidding erupted like wildfire.
"Eighty-five thousand spirit stones!"
"Ninety-five thousand spirit stones!"
"One hundred thousand spirit stones!"
...
The price soared all the way up, and the atmosphere on site became increasingly intense.
Observing the frenzied bidding cultivators, and prices surpassing one hundred thousand spirit stones in such a short time, Xu Ping’s interest in the Celestial Marrow Stone quickly dissipated.
