Luckily, You You's attention was soon drawn back to the commotion at the auction stage.
Lao Ge waved his hand gently, and two burly men carefully carried a massive, specially crafted jade tray onto the stage.
On the jade tray lay the relatively intact corpse of a gigantic beast. Even in death, it radiated a terrifying pressure that made hearts skip a beat. What drew the most attention was the fist-sized hole in its forehead, perfectly smooth around the edges, as if pierced instantly by some impossibly sharp force.
Its aura… it was unmistakably that of a peak Golden Core!
And not just that—it was the kind that had one foot already stepping into the Nascent Soul level. Terrifying.
A chorus of restrained gasps and exclamations rippled through the crowd instantly.
"Heavens! A peak Golden Core monster's intact corpse!"
"Look at that wound… killed with one strike! What kind of strength could do that?"
"Such a pity… the monster core's gone, that cuts the value big time."
Lao Ge smiled as he spoke loudly, introducing the piece:
"Daoyou, this lot requires little explanation," he said, pointing at the jade tray. "This is the intact corpse of the peak Golden Core monster, the Scarlet Flame Jiao Python!
Though the monster core is lost, its scales, bones, poison sacs, and other parts are top-tier materials for forging high-level treasures, pills, or puppets! Especially the piece of skull at the forehead—it's perfect for crafting defensive treasures!
Starting bid: twenty-five thousand high-grade spirit stones! Each raise must be at least one thousand!"
Twenty-five thousand high-grade spirit stones!
At that price, the lower-level cultivators in the hall who were still hesitant immediately fell silent.
This wasn't a game they could even enter anymore.
The real battle for bids instantly shifted to the box areas on the second floor.
"Twenty-eight thousand!" a deep voice called out first from Box Five.
"Thirty thousand!" Box Two immediately countered.
"Thirty-three thousand!" Box Two in the Heavenly section joined in.
The price climbed rapidly, each raise several thousand at a time. The crowd below gawked, whispering excitedly, their attention not just on the price, but also on the identities of the box owners:
"The one in Box Five… judging by that voice, isn't that Elder Tie from the Beast Taming Sect? I heard he arrived in Tianxing City just a few days ago, but now that the monster core's gone, what's the point?"
"I don't think so, Elder Tie's voice is hoarser. Sounds more like Box Two… so extravagant, could that be someone from the City Lord's Mansion?"
"You're all wrong! Look at Heaven Box Six!" someone with insider knowledge whispered. "I've got a distant cousin working at the auction house. They said even the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion sent someone! Heaven Box Two… almost certainly their people!"
"Wow… now this is a true clash of big shots!"
In Heaven Box Three, Xie Zhaolin watched the bidding calmly.
This corpse was the one she'd sold to the auction house earlier. Lao Ge's introduction was perfect, highlighting its value while concealing its origins—she was satisfied.
The gossip about the box owners' identities didn't stir her at all; it was none of her concern.
Meanwhile, Yu Xiaotang was also drawn in by the fierce bidding.
A peak Golden Core beast corpse… this was definitely rare and valuable.
Whether for forging puppets or treasures, it was top-tier material.
She instinctively wanted to check its value with the system, but the prompt came back:
[Ding! System currently in deep repair mode. Some auxiliary functions are limited. Detailed value assessment unavailable.]
Yu Xiaotang frowned. Sure enough, repairing the handscroll had limited other functions. But if that handscroll could really be restored, the ancient puppet techniques recorded inside would surely need top-tier materials to craft.
This corpse was undoubtedly an excellent choice. Her gaze shifted slightly to the side, landing on Yu Mingxi.
Even though the Tianyin Sect direct disciple remained composed, his eyes betrayed a flicker of interest when looking at the corpse below. The Tianyin Sect excelled in musical attacks, and top-tier materials were also in high demand for crafting advanced musical treasures.
An idea sparked in Yu Xiaotang's mind. She lowered her voice slightly and said to Yu Mingxi: "Senior Brother Yu, looks like you're interested in this piece too?"
Yu Mingxi withdrew his gaze and nodded lightly: "It's indeed rare. Especially the main tendon and skull—they're useful for crafting high-grade jade flutes."
Yu Xiaotang smiled faintly. "Then… I have a proposal. The bidding is fierce. If either of us tried alone, we'd pay a hefty price. Why not join forces?"
"Join forces?" Yu Mingxi raised an eyebrow.
"Exactly," she explained. "We pool our bids. After winning, we divide the materials based on contribution. You take the bones and skull for your treasures, I take the scales and skin—each gets what we need."
Yu Mingxi pondered briefly.
The idea made sense. It reduced personal cost while securing the treasure. A coalition between the Hehuan Sect and Tianyin Sect would also send a strong signal, making anyone think twice before interfering.
"Agreed," he said simply. "How shall we divide it?"
"You and I each put up half the funds. Materials split as needed, any disputes compensated at market price. Does that work for you, Senior Brother?" Yu Xiaotang proposed swiftly.
He nodded again, sealing the agreement.
At that moment, the price below had already risen to forty-three thousand spirit stones thanks to Heavenly Box Two.
Lao Ge was about to ask—
Box Three, Yu Xiaotang's crisp voice rang out again, tinged with an unmistakable authority:
"Forty-three thousand!"
She raised it by five thousand spirit stones at once.
The previously heated bidding came to a sudden halt.
Brows furrowed in several boxes.
The jump in price made it clear she was determined to win, and had deep pockets to back it.
More importantly, though not absurd, this raise forced others into a dilemma—how could they keep up? Adding a thousand at a time would be humiliating.
Silence fell over the hall.
Even Lao Ge on stage was slightly surprised. He scanned the room and asked loudly: "Box Three offers forty-eight thousand high-grade spirit stones! Any higher bids?"
In Heaven Box Three, Xie Zhaolin's brows lifted slightly under her cloak.
Yu Xiaotang's back at it?
And this huge raise… trying to scare off the competition?
Her desire for this corpse was even stronger than expected.
Because of that handscroll, perhaps? Already eager to gather top-tier materials?
Xie Zhaolin's lips curled into a faint, icy smile.
"Since you want it that badly…
How could I not "give you a hand"?"
Just as Lao Ge was about to start the countdown, Heaven Box Three's calm voice rang out slowly once more:
"Forty-four thousand."
===
I've also got a little "toy" to share, basically a YouTube song downloader. It's a simple .bat file, so you just copy and paste the link and it'll automatically download and convert the video you want. I'll include the installation steps too, since the .bat file needs another program to run properly.
Remember to read all the instructions before running any .bat or .sh files. There are seven tabs in total. Two of them cover installation for Windows and Mac, along with how to set up the script. The first tab is the final checklist of things you need to change before using it. Tabs four and five are the Windows scripts, and tabs six and seven are the Mac scripts.
You can find it in my Google Drive or Terabox under the "My – Mine" folder, inside "Youtube Audio." Both cloud links are on my Carrd: https://rikhi.carrd.co