One by one, exquisite auction items were continuously presented by attendants of the underground black market.
...
A white bone spur spear, a top-tier magical artifact with considerable offensive power, was brought up. Its terrifying cold glare far surpassed that of the other offensive magical artifacts auctioned previously.
"Heavenly Wolf Slaughter Spear!"
"The Heavenly Wolf Slaughter Spear, forged from the essence of the Slaughtering Heavenly Wolf. Upon using it, one can summon a Slaughtering Heavenly Wolf to fight alongside. Whoever buys it effectively gains a powerful helper."
"A good item!"
"This is a top-grade, ultimate magical artifact!"
"A truly exquisite magical artifact!"
"One thousand spirit stones!"
"One thousand three hundred and ninety spirit stones!"
"One thousand five hundred and eighty spirit stones!"
"Two thousand one hundred and eighty spirit stones!"
"Two thousand five hundred spirit stones!"
This Heavenly Wolf Slaughter Spear was finally auctioned for the price of two thousand six hundred and thirty-nine spirit stones, purchased by a burly man.
...
Among the subsequent auction items, Wu Tao spent over two thousand seven hundred spirit stones on a set of fine blue needles. Though each needle was only about an inch long, they were a deep azure and faintly shimmered with spiritual light.
While the attack power of needle-based magical artifacts was generally lower than other types, their small size and rapid flight speed made them ideal for surprise attacks and ambushes, earning them considerable renown in the cultivation world.
Their crafting materials were special, and the difficulty in their creation was several times that of other artifacts. Such magical artifacts were extremely rare in the cultivation world, and those who possessed them often regarded them as their trump cards, rarely revealing them to outsiders.
Then, Wu Tao had a brief exchange with the负责人 (person in charge) of the underground black market and spent over five hundred spirit stones to acquire several Spirit Seeking Mice, which could aid in treasure hunting and pathfinding in secret realms and perilous lands.
At the trade fair, the next auction item was an ancient relic from antiquity, the "Myriad Spirit Flying Butterfly Pot."
This Myriad Spirit Flying Butterfly Pot appeared worn and ancient, its ceramic body a deep red with patches of rust along the edges. The entire pot was inscribed with countless images of dancing, flying butterflies.
The Myriad Spirit Flying Butterfly Pot faintly emanated extremely potent spiritual energy fluctuations, appearing quite extraordinary...
After the auctioneer infused sufficient spiritual energy into the Myriad Spirit Flying Butterfly Pot, the cramped space of the underground black market was instantly filled with fist-sized, fiery butterflies.
As thousands upon thousands of fiery butterflies appeared, the surrounding temperature grew increasingly intense.
The auctioneer glanced at the eager crowd below, coughed, and began, "Heh heh, this ancient relic, the Myriad Spirit Flying Butterfly Pot, was obtained by a senior of our black market from an ancient ruin and cave dwelling."
"Due to the pot being damaged and incomplete, its power greatly diminished, rendering it of little use to cultivators above the Core Formation stage. Thus, this senior entrusted it to our black market for auction."
"Later, our black market found a master artifact refiner who, with considerable effort, used deep purple gold mother from beneath a volcano and other rare materials to partially repair its critical damaged parts."
"However, these repairs were not entirely successful, and the Myriad Spirit Flying Butterfly Pot itself possesses certain flaws..."
...
"We are not concerned with its origin; we only wish to know its specific abilities and the extent of its flaws." After the auctioneer finished speaking, a chorus of voices rose from the crowd, asking one after another.
The auctioneer nodded and spoke again, "As everyone has likely observed, this ancient relic can instantly unleash formidable fire attribute attacks. However, its abilities are very singular, capable of only this one method of use. Furthermore, it requires a mid-grade spirit stone to be placed at its base to provide spiritual energy when used."
Upon hearing the auctioneer's words, a considerable portion of the crowd's interest in the item immediately vanished.
This was not for any other reason than that the item's utility was simply too meager.
Generally, offensive magical artifacts and treasures typically possessed diverse offensive capabilities, with versatile items being more valuable. Artifacts and treasures with single offensive functions were usually not worth many spirit stones.
After all, magical artifacts and treasures served as cultivators' primary means of combat, with three main objectives: defeating enemies, defending oneself, and escaping. In all three aspects, a diverse offensive capability was more practical.
...
Despite this, the ancient relic – the Myriad Spirit Flying Butterfly Pot – still triggered a scramble among many cultivators present, and Wu Tao was no exception.
Since Wu Tao embarked on the path of ancient sword cultivation, his methods had become rather singular. Lacking a hidden ultimate technique left him feeling somewhat unconfident.
Even after obtaining the Buddhist inheritance from the desolate antiquity era following his journey to Liangzhou, the situation had only slightly improved.
Due to the limitations of his own cultivation, Wu Tao could not fully unleash the true power of the many inheritances he possessed.
The auction conditions for the ancient relic – the Myriad Spirit Flying Butterfly Pot – were based on bartering for items of equivalent value, or exchanging rare and precious spiritual materials, with spirit stones to cover any price difference.
Due to the treasure's rarity and for the sake of secrecy and safety, everyone present had uniformly used sound transmission talismans.
At this moment, the auctioneer held dozens of sound transmission talismans, reviewing them one by one, occasionally replying to a few. A moment later, Wu Tao received a reply: "If Your Excellency is willing to offer more spirit stones, I can prioritize the exchange with you."
Wu Tao shook his head, glanced at the other cultivators nearby, and then sneered. This person was beginning to dictate prices.
He was willing to exchange his own ancient relic, the "Bronze Divine Blade," for the ancient relic "Myriad Spirit Flying Butterfly Pot," which was already a fair trade. Moreover, he had offered an additional three hundred spirit stones. He felt any further payment would be unreasonable.
Indeed, as the auctioneer temporarily tried to inflate the price with an exorbitant demand, the Myriad Spirit Flying Butterfly Pot soon attracted no further interest and appeared to be facing an unsold fate.
Seeing a highly sought-after treasure becoming unmarketable due to his actions, the auctioneer became somewhat anxious. He took out a few sound transmission talismans and replied, and Wu Tao received one. This time, it stated a one-for-one exchange, plus three hundred spirit stones, would suffice.
Wu Tao received the sound transmission talisman, sneered, and ignored it, thinking to himself that it was likely time for other cultivators to settle their debts. As expected, only a scant two or three of the talismans the auctioneer had sent out were returned.
The auctioneer's expression was quite varied. After another moment, he replied with a few more sound transmission talismans.
Wu Tao received one, opened it, and read: "Final offer, I am willing to exchange one item for one item, plus two hundred spirit stones."
Wu Tao pondered for a moment and sent back a sound transmission talisman, indicating his agreement.
After handing the Bronze Divine Blade and two hundred spirit stones to an attendant of the black market, and once the black market's appraisal personnel had examined the Bronze Divine Blade...
A moment later, a cultivator delivered the ancient relic "Myriad Spirit Flying Butterfly Pot" to Wu Tao.
Of course, Wu Tao had already handed over the "hot potato," the ancient relic "Bronze Divine Blade," to the person in charge of the underground black market.
...
At the trade fair, the next auction item was the inner core of a Core Formation stage demonic beast, the Azure Flood Dragon.
This inner core, the size of a human head, was a vibrant azure, resembling a top-grade jade, with streaks of dark red blood woven through its surface. This was the inner core of the Core Formation stage demonic beast, the Azure Flood Dragon.
The inner core of the Core Formation stage Azure Flood Dragon faintly emitted extremely potent spiritual energy fluctuations, appearing very extraordinary.
Inner cores of Core Formation stage demonic beasts like the Azure Flood Dragon could be used to forge magical treasures or refine pills, thus possessing extremely high value.
The auctioneer looked at the eager crowd below, coughed, and began, "Heh heh, this inner core of the Core Formation stage Azure Flood Dragon was entrusted to us for auction by a senior."
"The starting bid is five thousand spirit stones. Bidding is now open, please present your offers."
In the cultivation world, items as rare as the inner cores of Core Formation stage demonic beasts were typically priced very highly.
This was because Core Formation stage demonic beasts possessed high intelligence and would usually choose to self-destruct their inner cores to perish with their enemies.
Given this situation, the value of a Core Formation stage demonic beast's inner core was naturally exceptionally high, especially when it was an Azure Flood Dragon's.
"Five thousand spirit stones!"
"Five thousand six hundred spirit stones!"
"Six thousand spirit stones."
"Six thousand eight hundred spirit stones."
"Seven thousand five hundred spirit stones."
"Eight thousand nine hundred spirit stones."
"Nine thousand spirit stones."
...
Finally, this inner core of the Core Formation stage Azure Flood Dragon was sold for the high price of nine thousand spirit stones.
At the trade fair, the final压轴 (grand finale) auction item was a true magical treasure of the current era, named the Azure Water North Pole Banner.
The banner itself was a deep azure, while the flagpole was a golden-purple hue. The entire banner was enveloped in a thin, veil-like layer of faint blue energy.
Through this blue mist, the deep azure banner appeared as if condensed from flowing water, its form constantly shifting and undulating in mid-air, exuding an aura of profound mystery.
As the auctioneer moved the Azure Water North Pole Banner and infused it with spiritual energy, the golden-purple flagpole instantly expanded several times its original size.
The palm-sized banner, with its deep blue watery radiance, surged and expanded hundreds of times.
The blue mist above became denser, coiling and entwining around it. The banner, formed from solidified deep blue water, seemed to possess a life of its own, constantly dancing.
...
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