Three days passed quickly, and Lu Tiandu left Baixianju, the second-most upscale inn in the Yanyue Sect's market, and headed for Tianyue Tower.
As for why he didn't stay in the best-rated Miaoyue Tower, it was because he'd heard that several Jindan-stage masters were already staying there. Lu Tiandu feared these masters, with their powerful spiritual senses, might accidentally notice something unusual about him. Even after entering the market, he hadn't visited the Stone Pearl World again. He soon arrived in front of Tianyue Tower. It was already packed, with long lines of cultivators slowly moving forward.
Although it was Yue Country's five-year auction, not everyone was eligible.
Those above the Foundation Establishment stage had a dedicated passage, allowing easy entry. The large number of Qi Refining cultivators required a qualification test—a requirement of 300 spirit stones before they were allowed in, and a five-spirit-stone entrance fee was also required.
Lu Tiandu casually displayed the token ring he'd received when he consigned the Dingyan Pill and entered Tianyue Tower.
After passing through a passage guarded by several cultivators, Lu Tiandu officially entered the Tianyue Tower.
Before entering the hall, the monks from the Moon-Shattering Sect thoughtfully asked Lu Tiandu if he needed a mask or something similar. These were provided free of charge by the auctioneer to the consignor, who could receive them with a ring token. The mask also had a barrier that blocked spiritual consciousness, acting as a sort of protection for the consignor.
Naturally, he didn't need it.
Upon entering the hall, Lu Tiandu realized that the Moon-Shattering Tower was not what he had imagined.
The hundreds-foot-tall attic revealed itself to be a single, undivided structure, with no apparent divisions.
The walls were inlaid with large slabs of moonstone and other jades of various colors, creating a bright and magnificent space that felt unusually grand and spacious.
On the lowest floor, Lu Tiandu's gaze was filled with densely packed ordinary chairs. He roughly calculated that there were tens of thousands of them, but only a thousand or so were currently seated.
Watching the Qi Refining cultivators gradually arrive, he realized that this floor was essentially reserved for them. Perhaps many of them would bid on one or two items, but he suspected that most were simply there to see the world and broaden their horizons.
Naturally, Lu Tiandu wouldn't sit here. He went to the area above, reserved for Foundation Establishment cultivators. After verifying his status with a storage bag containing a thousand low-level spirit stones, he was seated.
This area, roughly ten feet above the tens of thousands of seats reserved for Qi Refining cultivators, wasn't occupied by individual seats like those in the Qi Refining area, but rather by long benches resembling the three-person sofas of his past life.
Lu Tiandu found a secluded spot and took a quick look around the area. Of the roughly a thousand long benches, hundreds were already occupied.
Of course, not all of these seats were occupied by Foundation Establishment cultivators; a significant number were also present.
This was precisely the benefit offered by the Tianyue Tower auction to these Foundation Establishment cultivators: each Foundation Establishment cultivator could bring two Qi Refining disciples or relatives to sit in this area free of charge.
Although Lu Tiandu hadn't been aware of this benefit, he quickly grasped it.
Much like the "free cabin upgrade" offered to Qi Refining cultivators who could demonstrate their wealth of over a thousand spirit stones, this was intended to provide some hidden benefits to those with deep pockets and advanced cultivation, giving them both a good reputation and a good reputation.
"No wonder so many people attend their five-year auction!" Lu Tiandu secretly praised.
As for the nearly one hundred private rooms floating above the Foundation Establishment stage, they were clearly reserved for Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators. Whether anyone was occupying them wasn't something Lu Tian could tell!
It's said that even higher up in the sky there's a higher-end private trading space, only open during the grand auctions held every twenty years.
Regarding Lu Tiandu's arrival, the Foundation Establishment seniors who had already taken their seats occasionally glanced at him briefly, and nothing more was said.
The Qi Refining cultivators who could reach this area at this time either possessed spirit stones or had connections, but that wasn't going to be elaborated.
An hour later, with the toll of a bell, the auction officially began.
By this time, over two thousand people were already seated in the Qi Refining Stage area, and two to three hundred seats in the Foundation Establishment Stage area were also reserved, totaling around four to five hundred people.
"Welcome fellow cultivators to our Yanyue Sect's Tianyue Tower's five-yearly Yue Kingdom Cultivation Auction. I am the host of this auction..."
At this moment, the beautiful voice of a sexy and charming female Foundation Establishment cultivator in a bright red dress echoed from the tall jade platform in front of the building.
"This auction follows the same rules as before. I'm sure all of you newcomers are already familiar with them, so I won't elaborate further... Thank you all again for participating. I hope you find something great at this auction... Now, let's move on to the first lot..." "
A Liuyun Sword, a top-tier, exquisite wood-attributed flying sword. Crafted by a Jindan-stage veteran, it's composed primarily of Qingyun wood and infused with a small amount of Yunyuan Stone. It boasts powerful attack power and boasts a speed exceeding that of ordinary flying swords..."
"Starting price: 400 Spiritual Stones. Each bid must be in increments of at least 10 Spiritual Stones..."
As the voluptuous female cultivator finished her words, bids began to rise from all sections.
"450!"
"480!"
"520!"...
This wood-attributed flying sword was indeed quite impressive, and it also possessed a rare speed bonus. Within moments, the atmosphere heated up.
In the end, the flying sword was purchased by a Qi Refining cultivator for 750 spirit stones. The cloaked and masked cultivator quickly handed over the spirit stones to a cultivator from the Yanyue Sect on the side of the platform and took his own flying sword.
This gesture naturally drew the gazes of many fellow Qi Refining cultivators, filled with envy.
Meanwhile, the auction continued.
"Earth-Breaking Hammer..."
"Golden Light Bowl..."
"Farewell Hook..."
"Rock Turtle Shield..."
One after another, top-tier magical artifacts, at least of the exquisite grade, were brought out, truly opening Lu Tiandu's eyes.
Normally, any of these top-tier magical artifacts would be treasures in ordinary shops, but now, they were just ordinary items. It was clear that the Yanyue Sect had been preparing for this auction for a long time.
This only intensified Lu Tiandu's anticipation. After all, he had previously visited many shops but hadn't found the auxiliary magical artifact he desired.
He now possessed a good number of offensive and defensive magical weapons, but lacked some with special functions, like the magical Ningguang Mirror Talisman that had once established its miraculous effects...
Dozens of items had already been sold, but nothing Lu Tian had hoped for had appeared. He wasn't in a hurry; the ones that had appeared so far were just appetizers.
After a rare demonic beast egg was auctioned off by a Foundation Establishment cultivator for over a thousand spirit stones, the beautiful host standing on the jade stage looked at the jade bottle in her hand, her smile even more radiant.
"A Beautifying Pill! Miraculous beautifying effect, eternal youth! Starting price, one thousand spirit stones, with each bid no less than thirty spirit stones!"
After this brief introduction, whispers broke out in the Qi Refining area below. What kind of pill had a starting price of over a thousand spirit stones? It was shocking!
(End of Chapter)