Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 110

The first auction item was a top-grade magical artifact with decent power. The skinny man introducing the artifact exaggerated so much, claiming it was a unique weapon never to be seen again, that even Han Li felt the urge to throw spirit stones and buy it. One could only imagine how those cultivators who desperately needed a top-grade magical artifact felt.

As expected, the auction started at 200 spirit stones, and impatient people immediately began raising the price. The auction price for the Fire Cloud Sword quickly surpassed 300 spirit stones. Those with some sense immediately gave up on buying it.

The Fire Cloud Sword’s flame cloud attack seemed useful, but it wasn’t particularly outstanding among top-grade magical artifacts.

Still, there were plenty of people willing to buy it. Even if better items appeared later, they weren’t confident they could afford them, so they didn’t want to miss out on a usable top-grade magical artifact right in front of them.

The Fire Cloud Sword was sold smoothly for 400 spirit stones after a few Qi Refining cultivators competed for it.

The person wearing a mask took the sword with great excitement, paying the offered spirit stones, and returned to their seat, acting as if they were going to treasure the sword as a family heirloom. It was only natural that they were ridiculed by the other cultivators watching them.

The skinny man cleared his throat again and shouted,

“The second auction item is something that anyone who refines magical artifacts would covet! It is the top-grade furnace, the Crimson Heaven Furnace. It has already passed through the hands of many Qi Refining cultivators and has been used to create famous top-grade magical artifacts. For example, the Phantom Sound Sword, the Azure Dragon Flag, and the Black Flame Pearl. It is rumored to increase the success rate of magical artifact refinement, but our shop has not confirmed whether the rumor is true or not. Let’s start with a base price of 400 spirit stones!”

As he began his explanation, the man took out a red pill-refining furnace from the counter and placed it on the table so everyone could examine it closely.

No one spoke, but the atmosphere was clearly heating up. Many were staring at it with fervent eyes.

Han Li watched the situation from the side with a cold gaze. He was amazed that his Azure Dragon Flag had been refined using that furnace, but that was all.

He knew nothing about magical artifact refinement, so he naturally didn’t know how great the furnace was.

However, there was no need to covet something he couldn’t use, no matter how great it was.

He had quite a few spirit stones, but he still had to wait for the right moment when he truly needed them.

“450!”

“470!”

“I’ll offer 500!”

Regardless of his thoughts, the price of the Crimson Heaven Furnace was already rising rapidly.

“780!”

A plump man offered the price through gritted teeth.

“800.”

However, a female cultivator not far from him quietly raised the price, causing the plump man to clench his fists.

An astronomical price had already been reached, and most had long given up on the auction.

They simply watched the two wealthy Foundation Establishment cultivators still raising the price, wondering who would take the item.

“850! If you can offer even one more spirit stone, this furnace is yours!”

The man raised his head and shouted in anger.

“851!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the woman sneered and raised the price. The man wearing a bamboo hat felt his face flush and his body tremble, but he simply kept his mouth shut.

It was unknown whether the furnace was worth such an astronomical price to the Foundation Establishment female cultivator.

Perhaps some were impulsively raising the price due to the fierce competition. Especially after this furnace, the cold atmosphere of the hall exploded, and every time a top-grade magical artifact was placed on the table, it disappeared as cultivators called out exorbitant prices.

However, after twenty auction items had passed, Han Li was losing his patience as there were still no formation-related magical artifacts he was looking for.

If the item he wanted didn’t appear in this auction, he was thinking of going back to the Starfall Pavilion and buying several basic items.

While he was having these thoughts, a strange name came out of the auctioneer’s mouth.

“A pair of puppet demonic beasts from the Upper Realm, the Puppet Mechanical Beasts! Wouldn’t you like to have two loyal and fearless guards who have almost reached the peak of their construction? The base price is only 100 spirit stones!”

‘Puppet Mechanical Beasts? That name is similar to my magical artifact, the Puppet Archer. Are they the same kind of thing?’

Intrigued, Han Li straightened his back and looked at the man. The skinny man had already placed two black puppets on the table. They were about the size of a fist and resembled lions or tigers, but upon closer inspection, they were neither lions nor tigers.

“Many of you may not have heard of puppet mechanical arts. It operates on a different principle than ordinary magical artifacts and is not widely known here, but it is a very prosperous field in the western regions. There is even a sect called the Thousand Bamboo Sect that was founded based on this technique. It is said that even a top-grade puppet mechanism can exhibit power comparable to a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Moreover, the term ‘Upper Realm magical artifact’ is a designation arbitrarily given by our shop to aid understanding. Locally, they are called second-grade puppet demonic beasts.”

The man quickly rattled off information based on pre-memorized data, hoping to pique the interest of the attendees who didn’t seem particularly interested in this auction item. He was hoping the cultivators would show some interest.

However, even after the skinny man finished speaking, almost no one showed interest in the unfamiliar Puppet Mechanical Beasts, and the hall remained quiet.

Although they were curious after hearing the explanation, what use would they have for such a toy for 100 spirit stones? How many cultivators here, mostly at the Foundation Establishment stage, would need a Qi Refining stage guard?

“100 spirit stones!”

A voice came from a corner, and everyone’s attention turned to the unexpected person who wanted to buy the item.

It wasn’t Han Li, but a masked person sitting in another corner, a strange figure with a ridiculous appearance, completely covering their face with a large gray pouch.

“150.”

Everyone was looking at the masked person with strange expressions when another bizarre voice, with a peculiar pronunciation, called out a new price. Everyone’s gaze shifted to him.

A burly man wearing a dark green bamboo hat was sitting in the back row with his arms crossed. He was staring coldly at those who were looking at him, showing no signs of unease.

“200 spirit stones!”

The strange person with a pouch covering their face immediately shouted, as if determined to have the item.

“300.”

However, the burly man didn’t back down either.

“400!”

“600!”

As the two people took turns raising the price, the price of the Puppet Mechanical Beasts had already soared to an unbelievable level. Now, the other cultivators were also showing signs that something was amiss.

‘Could there be some hidden secret in those puppet demonic beasts?’

They couldn’t help but think such thoughts. A new battle of wits began, and people’s hearts started to race with the anxiety of missing out on a treasure.

Even those who were impatient and wealthy jumped into the price competition without hesitation. Some of the older cultivators were suspicious of other aspects.

Those two might be people planted by the secret shop to deliberately raise the price.

There were quite a few people with such suspicions, and Han Li, who was second to none in being suspicious, naturally maintained a cold gaze and remained completely unfazed.

“900 spirit stones and this item!”

The burly man, seeing more people joining the competition, became impatient and brought out an item he had taken from the counter.

“This item is worth thousands of spirit stones, so it’s more than enough to take the puppet demonic beasts. Hand over the item now!”

As the situation spiraled out of control, the burly man threw down a dark, rusty lump of metal and demanded the auction item, which had already reached an astronomical price, while glaring and shouting fiercely.

“Please calm down! We need to appraise the item you presented, so please return to your seat and sit down! If you intend to cause trouble, our shop will not stand idly by!”

The threat made the burly man furious. What was his status? He had lived a life where everything went his way with a single word from his sect. How could he have ever been insulted like this?

He clenched his fist, ready to deal with the man in front of him. But then, the strange person with a pouch covering their face was staring intently at his hand, waiting for him to cause trouble.

Startled, the man suppressed his anger and reluctantly returned to his seat.

Naturally, the other cultivators, who had been looking forward to a good show, were extremely disappointed. Who would have expected such a situation to arise because of those puppet demonic beasts?

The dark, rusty item that the man had left behind was already being examined by the three people sitting on the sandalwood chairs.

They were whispering among themselves, and their cautious attitude, even though they were masked, caught the attention of the other cultivators.

The three of them repeatedly appraised the fist-sized lump of metal, discussed its value, and finally, as if they had reached an agreement, the black-clad man in the middle stood up.

“A piece of high-grade Iron Essence, worth 2,000 spirit stones!”

And with those necessary words, he sat back down.

“Iron Essence?”

Everyone was shocked by the words ‘Iron Essence.’ Those who had been about to call out a price immediately closed their mouths.

It was highly likely that the man who had just stepped forward was a Core Formation cultivator. How else could he have obtained something like Iron Essence if he wasn’t of that status?

Iron Essence was a raw material for magical treasures refined by Core Formation cultivators or higher using the fire of their dantian [a center of energy in the body].

Generally, as soon as Iron Essence was refined, it was immediately fused into one’s own magical treasure to enhance its power. There was no way they would leave such a precious item lying around.

Moreover, if even a small amount of a raw material like Iron Essence was mixed into an ordinary magical artifact, its power would increase exponentially. Its grade could rise, and its value would completely change.

If the burly man was a Core Formation cultivator who had deliberately hidden his magical power to appear as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, there was no way for cultivators of lower realms to recognize him. Now, many were wary of him and making all sorts of speculations.

At that moment, the skinny auctioneer opened his mouth again.

“Is there anyone who will offer more than 2,900 spirit stones? If not, the Puppet Mechanical Beasts will go to that gentleman!”

He was deliberately stalling for time, as if he still thought he could raise the price.

However, everyone kept their mouths shut, and no one dared to call out a price. Those who participated in this auction were not ordinary people. Each had their own unique background.

Some were key figures from cultivation families, while others were successful Foundation Establishment cultivators. Their backgrounds varied.

However, no matter what, there was no one who would want to provoke a Core Formation cultivator.

Moreover, even if they themselves had not reached the Core Formation stage, it was clear that they had at least a Core Formation cultivator behind them.

Under these circumstances, no matter how curious they were about the secret of the auction item, they had no choice but to let it go.

The strange person with a pouch covering their face, who had been fiercely competing from the beginning, also remained silent in their seat. It wasn’t because they were shocked by the Iron Essence, but simply because their pouch was not in good condition.

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