Translator: AnubisTL
Crack!s
Upon hearing the words "five-hundred-year-old spirit wood main trunk," Li Qing's hand tightened unconsciously, crushing a corner of the stone stool beneath him into powder.
There was no help for it—the item's value was simply too precious. It was no wonder Li Qing couldn't remain calm.
This spirit wood would be immensely useful to him, whether for artifact refinement or cultivating the Precious Wood Body Refinement Manual.
He had already reached the second layer of this body refinement secret technique, with only the final layer remaining to achieve mastery.
Combined with his existing Martial Dao cultivation and his already formidable Grandmaster physique, Li Qing's current body refinement realm was equivalent to a Late Qi Refining Realm cultivator, even rivaling a Late-Stage Tier 1 Demon beast.
If he obtained this section of five-hundred-year-old Treasure Origin Tree main trunk, he could undoubtedly bring the Precious Wood Body Refinement Manual to perfection.
What level of terrifying strength would his physical body reach then?
Just the thought of it made Li Qing's heart race, a fiery gleam igniting in his eyes.
This spirit wood—he had to compete for it!
"Although I have a Jade Locust Tree planted in the secret realm, it will take at least another thirty years for it to mature."
"Even if it matures by then, it will only be a fifty-year-old spirit wood. That's not necessarily enough to perfect the Precious Wood Body Refinement Manual."
"I can't just sit here doing nothing, waiting in this secret realm for hundreds of years, can I?"
Li Qing was deeply conflicted, constantly muttering to himself and weighing the pros and cons.
Judging from the reactions of the Foundation Establishment cultivators ahead, this spirit wood was clearly valuable, and they were all clearly interested.
If he joined the bidding, he'd have to outbid these Foundation Establishment cultivators, which would draw far too much attention.
They might hold back from causing a scene in public to save face, but there was no guarantee they wouldn't come looking for him later—perhaps to reclaim the spirit wood, or perhaps to covet his considerable wealth.
The thought sent a chill through Li Qing's heart.
"Forget it," he sighed. "My current wealth might allow me to compete with Foundation Establishment cultivators, but what if I don't live long enough to use it?"
In a flash of insight, Li Qing made his decision: he would follow his heart.
These thoughts had flashed through his mind like sparks, all in a single instant.
Soon after Daoist Qingyang finished introducing the spirit wood on stage, someone finally made a bid.
"One thousand one hundred spirit stones!"
"I happen to know an artifact refiner who's been searching for this kind of material to refine a top-grade Flying sword. I'll buy it for him today to repay a favor. One thousand three hundred spirit stones!"
"One thousand four hundred spirit stones!"
"One thousand five hundred spirit stones!"
As the bids continued, the increments grew smaller and smaller, as the price approached its limit. Any higher would make it no longer worth the cost.
After all, a relatively inexpensive top-grade magical artifact typically sold for just over two thousand spirit stones.
While top-grade magical artifacts rarely appeared on the market and were often unavailable even at high prices, none of the cultivators present would be foolish enough to spend that much on an artifact refining material.
In the end, the main trunk of the Treasure Origin Tree sold for just over one thousand six hundred spirit stones. The buyer was an unremarkable Foundation Establishment rogue cultivator, neither a resident of the Azure Radiance Pool nor an Elder of the Heavenly River Sect.
Li Qing sighed, reflecting on the unpredictable nature of life. Not everything could go as planned.
He could only console himself, reminding himself that the path of cultivation was long, and encountering setbacks was inevitable.
As Li Qing was pondering this, the Foundation Establishment cultivator who had purchased the spirit wood let out a soft "Hmm?" and spoke. "Daoist Qingyang, aren't you being a bit unfair? You took a complete trunk and split it in half to sell?"
At these words, many eyes turned to the spirit wood's cross-section, where it did indeed appear to have been recently cut, the surface still fresh.
Daoist Qingyang, however, could only smile wryly. "Fellow Daoist, you've misunderstood me. I did indeed cut off a portion of this Treasure Origin Tree trunk, but it wasn't to sell half and keep half."
"When I obtained this trunk, it was already riddled with wormholes. A section of it had been hollowed out by spirit insects, rendering it unusable as a material for refining Magic Artifacts."
"If you don't believe me, I can show you."
With that, Daoist Qingyang produced another section of Treasure Origin Tree spirit wood from his storage pouch.
This trunk segment was nearly a third shorter than the one just auctioned. It was clear to see that it was riddled with wormholes. Inside each hole, tiny white spirit insect eggs and fine wood dust had accumulated.
"I cut off this section of spirit wood simply to see if these insect eggs could still hatch," Daoist Qingyang said with a sigh. "At my age, I'm only interested in these strange and unusual things now."
He shook his head resignedly and openly displayed the remaining section of spirit wood in his hand.
"Ah, so that's it. I was wrong to suspect Daoist Qingyang. I hope you won't take offense, fellow cultivator!" The Foundation Establishment cultivator who had raised the question apologized.
Daoist Qingyang, however, was quite magnanimous and didn't hold it against him. "It's only natural to be suspicious, fellow cultivator. There's no need to feel guilty."
The other Foundation Establishment cultivators began to comment. "Hmm, if the spirit insects that hollowed out the Treasure Origin Tree could hatch, they might actually be a decent species."
But a more experienced cultivator shook his head. "Unlikely. Spirit insects that lay their eggs inside spirit trees rely on the tree's abundant vitality for hatching. Now that the tree's vitality is gone, the Spirit Wood Essence alone won't be enough to hatch the eggs."
"That makes sense. The insect eggs are at their most vulnerable during this stage. Without the constant nourishment of the spirit wood's vitality, they're unlikely to hatch."
"..."
Listening to the crowd's chatter, Li Qing's eyes suddenly lit up, and he couldn't help swallowing hard.
If that were the case, wouldn't the remaining section of the spirit wood trunk Daoist Qingyang held be worthless?
Li Qing's mind immediately became active again. He planned to visit Daoist Qingyang after the auction and see if he could privately purchase the section of spirit wood that had been hollowed out by woodworms.
Although it couldn't be refined into a Magic Artifact, it still contained a significant amount of Spirit Wood Essence, which he could devour entirely to cultivate the Precious Wood Body Refinement Manual!
Truly, when all hope seemed lost, a new path had suddenly appeared!
With the spirit wood auction concluded, Daoist Qingyang continued to auction off the final, most valuable items.
"A high-grade defensive magical artifact, the Azure Steel Flying Cloud Shield! Once activated, it can float around its user, deflecting attacks!"
"A complete Second-Tier Low-Grade talisman inheritance, covering everything from beginner talisman crafting to Second-Tier talisman masters, including the methods for drawing three Second-Tier Low-Grade talismans!"
"The Shi Clan's ancestral cultivation manual, the Prajna Life-Giving Water Sutra! And its accompanying secret technique, Heavy Water Transformation!"
Daoist Qingyang announced these three incredibly valuable items in one breath, causing everyone present to gasp in astonishment.
They realized Daoist Qingyang had truly come prepared this time. These were the Shi Clan's most prized treasures!
If all of these were sold, they could be used to rebuild a smaller cultivation clan!
But in the next moment, Daoist Qingyang spoke: "These three auction items will only be exchanged through barter, not for spirit stones. If any fellow daoists are interested in exchanging for these items, please write down your offer on a slip of paper and submit it to me privately. I will carefully consider each offer and ultimately decide with whom to trade. This transaction will be kept absolutely confidential!"
The crowd nodded in agreement, clearly accepting the proposal. This would ensure their safety after the exchange, as these were all precious treasures, and there was no guarantee someone wouldn't try to take advantage.
However, someone quickly spoke up again: "Senior Qingyang, how can we be sure you won't sell some of these items multiple times?"
As soon as the question was raised, many people nodded in belated realization. That's right!
These inheritances were incredibly valuable. If they were traded privately, who knew if Daoist Qingyang wouldn't sell the same inheritance to multiple people? After all, if he sold too many copies, wouldn't the inheritance's value plummet? The people present weren't fools.
Daoist Qingyang's expression turned solemn as he declared, "I swear on my life and The Dao itself, before my heart demon, that I will not sell any cultivation manuals or talisman inheritances more than once!"
The weight of this oath was considerable, and it left no loopholes. Only then did the crowd finally believe him.
(End of the Chapter)
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