Chapter 74: Sheathing the Blade, Biding One’s Time
But soon, he dismissed the idea himself.
That day, when the Mountain-Sealing Seal sank beneath the swamp, he was severely injured and had no mind to search for it. The seal had already been buried deep within the mire.
“It must just be a coincidence...”
“I trust everyone here is familiar with the renowned Mountain-Sealing Seal,” Luo Sheng said with ease. “Today’s first auction item is a replica of this very seal.”
Replicas offer excellent value. They possess a weakened, simplified version of the genuine effect, yet can be wielded by cultivators at lower realms. Moreover, their price is not too steep.
“If you aren’t familiar, that’s perfectly fine. Allow me to briefly introduce it...” His explanation was concise and clear, echoing what Song Yan had witnessed when Wang Xi used the seal within the secret realm.
Luo Sheng’s words were captivating, stirring even Song Yan’s interest.
“Well then, the starting price is sixty spirit stones, with each bid no less than ten.”
“Let us begin.”
He tapped the jade hammer lightly, signaling the official start of the bidding.
“Seventy.”
Someone made an offer, their voice calm and succinct.
“I’ll bid eighty spirit stones!”
The replica could be wielded by cultivators in the late Qi Refining stage, making it a worthy purchase for the young lords who weren’t short on spirit stones—one or two hundred for such an item was reasonable.
Thus, bids rang out one after another.
The starting price was kept low to encourage enthusiastic bidding.
“One hundred spirit stones.”
“Two hundred.”
The person who had first bid now doubled the price, and the hall fell silent.
Two hundred spirit stones was fair, slightly overpriced, but any higher would be less worthwhile.
“Dong... Dong... Dong...”
“Congratulations to this fellow cultivator for winning today’s first auction item.”
“You may leave your seat at any time and proceed to the side hall. After paying the spirit stones, you may collect your item.”
“The second item: Green Spirit Pills.”
“These pills should be familiar to those cultivating wood-element techniques.”
“They contain pure spiritual energy and, when taken, can temporarily increase the efficiency of absorbing wood-element spiritual energy.”
“There are three bottles in this auction, seven pills per bottle. Only this set is available today.”
“Starting price is one hundred spirit stones, with each bid no less than five.”
...
Voices offering bids filled the hall.
All manner of treasures and spiritual items came to the stage, one after another, and were auctioned off.
Song Yan watched the lively scene for entertainment and to broaden his horizons.
Sometimes, from the surrounding private rooms, outrageous bids would be called, leaving the audience in shock.
“No wonder those in the luxury boxes are true VIPs...”
He paid little attention to the later items; having listened to Luo Sheng’s persuasive speech for some time, his heart was unmoved.
He had come for the Qi Supplement Pills and the Ren Water Conversion Talisman.
Now, Song Yan felt quite confident. Although he had spent most of his spirit stones before exploring the Foundation Establishment cave mansion, the trip to the world within the painting had netted him eight mid-grade spirit stones.
He had sold two at almost the highest price on the black market, exchanging them for nearly two hundred ninety low-grade spirit stones.
As long as these two items weren’t outrageously priced, he could easily secure them. If necessary, he could use mid-grade spirit stones to offset the cost.
While he pondered, a graceful female cultivator brought forth a watery blue talisman.
“This next item is quite interesting,” Luo Sheng added.
Song Yan’s heart skipped a beat—whenever this man spoke, he suspected he’d have to spend more spirit stones.
His heart bled.
“A first-tier, high-grade talisman: Ren Water Conversion Talisman.”
“The talisman paper is made from Cold Pond Spirit Algae, blended with the blood of a first-tier beast, the Water-Cold Toad, and Moonlit Spirit Dew to create the ink for the talisman’s markings.”
“In the center, water-combining patterns are drawn, flanked by Fire-Sealing and Spirit-Dispersing spells.”
“Once activated, it can suppress approximately forty percent of fire-element spiritual energy within a radius of fifteen zhang, lasting thirty breaths.”
Forty percent?
Song Yan was intrigued.
He recalled that day when Wan Songran summoned the Yi Wood Severing Talisman, which nearly cut off all earth-element spiritual energy within the swamp pool’s range.
From a Qi Refining cultivator’s perspective, the earth-element energy had been reduced by at least sixty to seventy percent. Moreover, the talisman’s area of effect seemed to exceed fifteen zhang.
If so, that talisman’s grade was likely higher than this Ren Water Conversion Talisman.
“This talisman does not directly attack, but if set in advance, it’s perfect for ambushing fire-element beasts,” Luo Sheng hinted at its utility.
He also subtly reminded the interested parties that, while the talisman was legitimate, its use was not the auction house’s concern.
“Starting price: fifty spirit stones. Each bid no less than five.”
“Dong.”
The jade hammer sounded; bidding began.
Song Yan immediately offered, “Fifty-five.”
---
“Sixty spirit stones.”
...
Song Yan made the first bid, then waited quietly.
“Two hundred seventy-five.”
...
Once that sum was called, most stopped bidding. The price was high—unless there was special need, few would consider it.
“Two hundred eighty.”
Without using mid-grade spirit stones, Song Yan had three hundred sixty-two low-grade spirit stones available.
The Qi Supplement Pills wouldn’t be expensive; at most forty or fifty per bottle.
If he could secure the talisman for under three hundred, he might even win a bottle of pills.
“Two hundred ninety.”
His competitor was a young man with sharp brows and bright eyes, sitting not far from Song Yan.
Seeing Song Yan glance his way, the youth smiled and nodded in friendly acknowledgment.
...
“Three hundred spirit stones.”
Song Yan was determined.
The youth showed slight regret, apparently not flush with resources, and finally gave up.
With no further bids, the deal was sealed.
“Excellent! Congratulations, fellow cultivator, for winning the precious talisman. You may collect it backstage at any time.”
With some time before the Qi Supplement Pills were auctioned, Song Yan decided to secure the talisman first, then return.
The auction house’s procedures were well-developed; the transaction went smoothly.
The precious talisman was in hand, its surface shimmering with rippling blue patterns.
Song Yan stored it away and returned to his seat.
The rest of the auction proceeded steadily. Unfortunately, the Qi Supplement Pills were sold three bottles per set, and only three sets were auctioned. Song Yan acquired a set for one hundred twenty-five spirit stones, paying with a mid-grade stone.
In just one day, his spending flowed like water.
Now, only five mid-grade and sixty-two low-grade spirit stones remained in his pouch.
“These spirit stones really don’t last.”
After leaving the Foundation Establishment cave mansion, he had thought himself wealthy.
Yet apparent riches could vanish in an instant.
The auction proceeded smoothly, with none of the disruptions Song Yan had imagined.
It made sense—this auction was backed by Cave Abyss Sect.
Whatever undercurrents flowed beneath the surface, Song Yan was unconcerned.
He only needed to acquire what he sought.
With his objectives met, Song Yan waited quietly for the auction to end, then left with the crowd.
He noticed two cultivators, seemingly itinerants, trailing another cultivator from a distance.
That cultivator wore standard attire, looked familiar—likely from a nearby small sect.
Song Yan snapped out of his thoughts; the group had vanished.
...
He sighed inwardly—someone was likely doomed.
He could not say whether it would be the one being followed or the two pursuers.
Cave Abyss Sect’s reputation was vast; it had protected its disciples exceedingly well.
Only now were the darker aspects of the cultivation world beginning to unfold before Song Yan’s eyes.
Yet he felt nothing amiss.
The dead never question right or wrong.
---
On this day,
Dan Zifeng strode toward the task hall.
His cultivation of the Fire Blessing Scripture had hit a minor bottleneck. He had seen Indigo Fire Flower at the auction, but failed to win it.
Remembering the bright, cheerful smile atop Demon-Slaying Peak, Dan Zifeng wished he could skin that person alive.
Alas, he had only schemes and cunning, not the strength.
Today marked the last day in three months to accept a task.
Inner sect disciples were exempt from menial chores.
But within a certain period, they still needed to complete a task from the hall.
“Hm...”
Task summaries flickered across the jade wall in the main hall.
Dan Zifeng sought the simplest task to save time.
Ordinary spiritual resources he desired could be obtained through less legitimate means.
Saving time was most important.
Some tasks were time-consuming, such as collecting beast materials.
If he hadn’t gathered such things beforehand, he’d have to search far and wide.
However, among the resources he had embezzled, there were many miscellaneous materials.
If he could use this “garbage” to complete a task, it would be ideal.
Yet, the odds were slim; luck was required.
For efficiency, escorting items was often a common, easy task.
“Oh?”
A task summary suddenly appeared on the jade wall.
“Escort an artifact to the southern cliffs.”
“Requires a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.”
“The reward is...”
“Fire Tempering Pills!”
---
Dan Zifeng was startled.
A set of Fire Tempering Pills was not cheap.
He had earned plenty by embezzling spirit resources and selling spirit stones.
But these pills weren’t something he could take daily.
They were among the finer fire-elemental cultivation resources.
However...
Dan Zifeng frowned.
“How can it be such a coincidence...”
He happened to visit the task hall today.
A simple escort task appeared.
And the reward was exactly the pill he needed.
...
Dan Zifeng’s expression did not change; his spiritual sense swept the hall as if unintentionally.
He shouldn’t have offended any inner sect disciples.
As for the outer sect...
Most in the hall were unfamiliar, and their cultivation was only at the fourth or fifth layer of Qi Refining.
...
After some thought, he stepped forward and took the task.
The issuer was an outer sect cultivator named Tong Chuping.
The information provided was thorough and detailed.
“The price of Fire Tempering Pills is not trivial. With such a reward, the artifact to be escorted must be valuable.”
“For an outer sect cultivator, he’s quite well-off.”
Even Dan Zifeng himself failed to notice that, driven by sinister thoughts, his focus shifted from the task’s potential issues to the prospect of extracting resources from the issuer.
When accepting the task, the commissioner need not appear.
For escort tasks, the item could be deposited in the task hall in advance.
But upon completion, if the commissioner was a sect member, they would need to hand over the reward in person.
Task in hand, Dan Zifeng left the hall.
...
All was normal within the task hall.
About half a day passed.
Song Yan, wearing a human-skin mask, slowly emerged from the crowd, heading outside the sect.
With his Hidden Sword Spirit Suppression technique activated, his aura was that of a fourth-level Qi Refining cultivator.
When to complete the task was Dan Zifeng’s own decision; it wouldn’t be long.
Song Yan had many things to do.
The fastest route from the sect to the southern cliffs passed through several major towns.
According to his plan, he had arrived early near a small town.
Like the Linxi County, the area nearby forbade cultivators from flying.
Still, to prevent accidents, he had prepared a flight-suppression talisman array.
Even if Dan Zifeng chose another route for his return, he would pass through here.
“Whoosh—”
All preparations complete.
Song Yan hid among the forest foliage, took a deep breath, and quietly channeled his Hidden Sword Spirit Suppression technique.
He reduced his spiritual fluctuations to the absolute minimum.
Except for faint breathing, he appeared like a lifelike statue.
Spiritual power, sword aura, even life-force—
All were concealed to the utmost.
In this cultivation world, unknown techniques and powers were innumerable.
No matter what, it was impossible to be fully prepared.
He could only do his best and leave the rest to fate.
“Now, all that remains is to wait in ambush.”
---
A day.
Two days.
Song Yan sat motionless in this secluded spot.
Fortunately, it was quiet here.
No one approached; only a third-stage Qi Refining cultivator had passed by.
Their attire did not resemble that of a sect—likely a youth from a small clan.
Until the third day.
Finally, the person arrived.
Dan Zifeng’s spiritual power stirred as he hastened his pace.
He had likely already delivered the artifact to the lakeside hut as instructed by the task.
Closer.
Much closer...
He was on the verge of stepping into Song Yan’s ambush.
Dan Zifeng suddenly halted.
Frozen in place.
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