Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 279

Jang Han, his voice tinged with surprise, asked, “If those are demon beasts of the eighth level or higher, aren’t they comparable to Nascent Soul cultivators? Are you saying such powerful demon beasts actually appear here?”

“I haven’t seen them myself, so I can’t say for sure,” Heo Woon replied. “However, it’s confirmed that seventh-level demon beasts have been captured before. A seventh-level demon core was sold for an astronomical price at this auction house to a certain Nascent Soul senior.”

Han Li, who had been listening quietly, narrowed his brows and asked, “Does what Fellow Heo said mean that demon beasts appear more frequently in the Sea Abyss [Haeyeon] than in other sea areas?”

“That’s definitely the case,” Heo Woon confirmed. “But as often as high-level demon beasts appear, there are also many who suffer harm. It’s a place where opportunity and danger go hand in hand.”

The mortal woman who had been guiding them then asked politely, “Would you like to go to the Appraisal Hall first, or shall I take you directly to the Auction Hall?”

“The Appraisal Hall is just where appraisers look at items and exchange them for spirit stones or give them the qualification to be auctioned, so there’s nothing much to see. Let’s go straight to the Auction Hall. That’s where everyone can broaden their horizons,” Heo Woon said, seemingly very familiar with the place. He took the lead and headed towards the right main hall before the mortal woman could guide them. Jang Han and the others naturally followed behind him.

Han Li, being polite, glanced at the woman standing outside the door. “Aren’t you coming in?”

“We mortals cannot enter the Auction Hall. I will wait outside,” she replied.

Han Li nodded slightly and immediately entered the blue curtain.

The inside was rather plain, with nothing but wooden chairs and a stage a few yards wide. On the stage, an old man was holding a blue, sparkling stone and talking about it. In front of him, dozens of cultivators of the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages were sitting or standing and listening, but no high-level cultivators above the Core Formation stage were visible.

The old man’s voice echoed through the main hall again. “This blue light stone is the most suitable material for refining water-attribute magical artifacts. The original owner has put it up for auction with a minimum price of 500 spirit stones, and according to the long-standing rules, you can bid at least 30 more at a time. The auction begins.”

“530!”

“570!”

“600!”

As soon as the old man finished his explanation, many cultivators began to call out prices. The price competition wasn’t fierce, but it rose to 700 spirit stones, and a young Foundation Establishment cultivator won the bid. He paid the price on the spot and took the item. The introduction of the next item began without a break. “This item is an earth-attribute magical artifact…”

Han Li wasn’t interested in magical artifacts, so he approached Heo Woon, who was talking in a corner.

Among Jang Han’s group, Madam Ryu had a question. “It doesn’t seem much different from other auction houses. What kind of item did Fellow Heo intend to show us by guiding us here?”

“There are always a few special items that appear at auctions. Although they are not extremely expensive, they are types that are hard to see in the inner sea,” Heo Woon answered with a strange expression, then smiled with goodwill as he saw Han Li approaching. Han Li, after nodding roughly, asked, “Fellow Heo, how many cultivators stay in Heukseok Fortress [Black Stone Fortress]? There don’t seem to be many.”

“Brother Gok has sharp eyes. There are only those who stay temporarily in Heukseok Fortress, and there are hardly any long-term residents. The high-level cultivators have all set up residences on other islands, and the low-level cultivators live with the mortals in small villages. The cultivators in Heukseok Fortress are all those who come to trade items, and the lower-level cultivators visit more often.”

After a moment of silence, Jang Han brought up a question that everyone was curious about. “Didn’t you say that only cultivators above the Foundation Establishment stage can survive in the outer sea? How are there so many mortals and Qi Refining cultivators here?”

“Brother Yeok has asked the most important question. That is what distinguishes Giyeon Island from other demon beast islands,” Heo Woon explained. “On other demon beast islands, high-level cultivators come to hunt demon beasts, and when they have enough harvest, they return to the inner sea. However, here, after discovering the Sea Abyss, they have discovered spirit stone mines and various raw material production sites on nearby islands.

Once the basic conditions for self-sufficiency were met, people began to move here with their entire families. I heard that the various forces managing Heukseok Fortress are bringing in core personnel, including low-level cultivators and mortals, so perhaps in tens of thousands of years, this place may become the second inner sea.

However, except for Heukseok Fortress, the villages on other islands cannot be called safe zones. It is common for some islands that had small formations set up to be wiped out by sudden appearances of demon beasts or disasters.”

The group’s eyes widened. Jang Han sighed softly and asked in a low voice, “Are the Sacred Palace and other forces really not involved in this matter?”

“It’s still a long way from becoming like the inner sea, and it’s hard enough to manage the vast sea area of the inner sea, so how can they have time to pay attention to this place?” Heo Woon replied. “They may even want more major forces to move here. If that weren’t the case, the inner sea would have become even more chaotic than it is now.”

It seemed that he was resentful about the fact that the Sacred Palace had suddenly blocked the teleportation formation. Even to the others, Heo Woon’s answer made sense.

On the stage, a few more magical artifacts and raw materials were auctioned off, and a middle-aged man in blue clothes appeared behind the stage, holding a red box. Inside it was a white bead with a purple aura.

Heo Woon, seeing it, finally spoke, “Everyone, please take a look at that. It’s one of the main items that are auctioned on Giyeon Island, a demon beast egg. Such items are worth a fortune in the inner sea, but they can be bought cheaply here.

Except for a few special spirit beast eggs, the rest cannot be taken to the inner sea through the teleportation formation. Once the rumor spreads that a rare demon beast egg has appeared, high-level cultivators who are familiar with the situation here will flock to participate in the auction. They wait for the egg to hatch, raise it a little more, and then use the teleportation formation to return to the inner sea.”

“A demon beast egg!” Jang Han’s eyes lit up. Raising a high-level demon beast was everyone’s dream. The others also looked curious.

The old man seemed confident in this demon beast egg and quickly began his introduction. “This is the egg of the demon beast Ziyun Eagle [Purple Cloud Eagle]. When it reaches adulthood, it becomes a fourth-level earth-attribute demon beast with steel-like feathers all over its body. Although it can only use simple protective magic, its flying speed is faster than that of high-grade flying magical artifacts. Its sharp claws can easily tear through the protective shields of Foundation Establishment cultivators, so it is a rare species that is not usually traded. The Ziyun Eagle is the perfect spirit beast for Foundation Establishment cultivators. The minimum price is 2,000 spirit stones, and you can raise the price by at least 100 each time. The auction begins.”

There were quite a few people who were interested in this item, and as soon as the old man finished speaking, the price began to rise. It was a fourth-level demon beast that was not worth mentioning to Core Formation cultivators, but it was a good spirit beast to raise for Foundation Establishment cultivators. High-level spirit beasts were expensive and took a long time to raise to adulthood, which they could not wait for with their lifespan.

“2,500!”

“2,700!”

“3,000!”

The Ziyun Eagle egg was eventually sold for 3,300 and disappeared into the arms of an excited female cultivator. A middle-aged man with a dark face muttered as he watched it, “It’s definitely much cheaper than in the inner sea. To trade such a flying demon beast egg in Cheonseong Fortress [Heavenly Citadel Fortress], at least 5,000 spirit stones would have been exchanged.”

Except for Han Li, the others were all focused with sparkling eyes. Heo Woon, satisfied with their reaction, smiled.

After that, eggs of third and fourth-level demon beasts were traded in succession. The expressions of Madam Ryu and the others changed at the next auction item that came onto the stage.

“That is…” Madam Ryu murmured.

What appeared on the stage were beautiful young women. Although they were only at the first or second level of Qi Refining, they were clearly cultivators, but they were obediently bowing their heads. It was clear that these female cultivators were the auction items this time.

Only Heo Woon, without any sign of surprise, gestured to the group to listen to the old man’s introduction. “This time, we will introduce Qi Refining cauldrons [cultivation partners]. Although they have only learned basic five elements cultivation techniques, they all have beautiful appearances and perfect bodies. According to their requirements, the cultivators who can participate in the auction are limited to those above the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. The auction begins with a minimum price of 2,000 spirit stones…”

As soon as the women appeared on the stage, the men’s gazes became heated, but even after the auction began, no one called out a price.

Two cultivators who were standing close to the group exchanged opinions in low voices. “What’s the point of getting a cauldron that’s only at the first or second level of Qi Refining for 2,000 spirit stones? If you’re looking for a maid to serve you, it’s better to get a mortal woman from somewhere else. When they get old, you can just pay them to leave. If it were a Foundation Establishment cauldron, I would try to bid on it.”

“Don’t dream, you’re not a Core Formation cultivator! According to the rules here, Foundation Establishment cauldrons cannot even participate in the auction. It’s lucky if you can get a decent spirit beast egg.”

Han Li was briefly surprised by their conversation. However, he had heard that some forces specialized in raising beautiful women as cultivation partners, and that even high-level cultivators exchanged them like gifts. It seemed that the cultivation partners who were traded in this way were called cauldrons, and it was somewhat shocking that such transactions were being conducted so openly.

Jang Han’s group soon recovered from their surprise. In any case, they knew that such things were commonplace, even if not publicly. However, Madam Ryu and the other young female cultivators could not shake off their discomfort at the fact that it was the same for women.

Seeing this, Heo Woon began to explain slowly as if it were nothing special. “These women have all come to the auction of their own free will, so there’s no need to be so surprised. They are usually those with poor spiritual roots who cannot reach high realms, and most of them do not have the support of their families. In a place like the outer sea, if they are not good at dealing with mortals and cannot go out to the sea to kill demon beasts, they would rather become cauldrons and rely on high-level cultivators. They contribute to their families with the high bid price, and they have a place to rely on, so it’s a win-win situation. If they can win the favor of a man and develop a relationship with him, they may have another opportunity. Of course, there are cases where women with good aptitude also come out as cauldrons, but they do not appear in these auctions and only appear in auctions for high-level cultivators.”

The rest of the group fell silent at Heo Woon’s words. There were two women in the group, so it was difficult to readily agree or disagree with his opinion.

Han Li also pretended not to know. To him, women were just a burden. Although he felt sorry for the women who had put themselves up as cauldrons to live, he could not afford to turn his attention to others when he could not even guarantee his own safety.

# 281