Translator: AnubisTL
Li Qing's spirit stone reserves were neither meager nor abundant, but certainly substantial.
After securing an additional 50,000 spirit stones from the sect's surplus, Li Qing's personal wealth was already considerable. Years of traveling across the continent and plundering storage bags had amassed over 100,000 spirit stones.
The decisive blow came with the defeat of Patriarch Xiaoyao. Sifting through the patriarch's storage bag yielded a massive cache of spirit stones, all of which Li Qing claimed as his own.
Furthermore, his recent sales of Third-tier Fire Origin Nectar at various small trade fairs had brought in another substantial sum.
In truth, Li Qing's current spirit stone wealth was staggering, far surpassing that of the core formation realm cultivators below.
As expected, when the bid reached 120,000 spirit stones, the core formation realm cultivators in the audience fell silent.
Some wore bitter expressions, realizing they had lost all hope of competing for the Geng Metal. The stage was now set for the nascent soul realm powerhouses to take center stage.
As expected, immediately after Li Qing shouted out the price of 120,000 spirit stones, someone countered:
"150,000 spirit stones, payable in mid-grade spirit stones."
This fragment of Geng Metal was undoubtedly a true peerless treasure, so securing it through auction wouldn't be easy.
Li Qing wasn't surprised. He calmly waited as the crowd drove the price up to 200,000 spirit stones before raising his bid again:
"250,000 spirit stones!"
This declaration even made the nascent soul realm cultivators raise their eyebrows, realizing they needed to proceed with more caution and composure.
After all, even nascent soul realm cultivators couldn't casually produce hundreds of thousands of spirit stones. They had to carefully weigh the pros and cons, considering whether the treasure was truly worth the investment.
While Geng Metal was priceless, everything had its limits. Emptying one's entire fortune to acquire it wasn't a decision anyone could make lightly.
Moreover, Li Qing's confident bidding suggested he would continue to raise the price even if challenged.
Li Qing's palms tightened involuntarily. His total spirit stones amounted to just over 300,000. If the bidding exceeded that, he would need to find another way.
For a long moment, the auction hall fell into silence.
True Monarch Wan He, standing on the auction platform, chuckled softly and raised his small wooden hammer. If no further bids were made, he would bring it down to seal the deal.
But just then, a rough, cold laugh echoed through the hall:
"Heh, I bid 300,000 spirit stones!"
The Golden Bear King!
Li Qing immediately recognized the voice.
As expected, the old bear king wouldn't let things go smoothly.
This development was entirely within Li Qing's expectations. Since they had forged an irreconcilable enmity, the Golden Bear King would naturally try to thwart Li Qing's acquisition of the Geng Metal.
Li Qing sighed and called out, "350,000 spirit stones!"
This was his absolute limit. Any higher, and he would have to arrange a payment plan with the Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild, with True Monarch Tianbao collecting the debt from Lingyun Sect later.
Given Li Qing's current reputation and his connection to True Monarch Tianbao, there should have been room for negotiation.
The staggering sum of spirit stones caused even some nascent soul realm cultivators to flinch inwardly, ultimately withdrawing from the bidding war.
But the Golden Bear King merely sneered. He sensed Li Qing's determination to obtain the Geng Metal and saw an opportunity to exploit it.
"I can see how badly you want this Geng Metal," the Golden Bear King roared, raising the bid again. "Four hundred thousand spirit stones!"
This was excessive. Even considering the Geng Metal's immeasurable value, raising the price to four hundred thousand spirit stones was absurd. Such a sum could cripple even a thriving cultivation sect.
Seated in his private chamber, Li Qing couldn't help but sigh inwardly. It's always best to avoid making enemies, he thought. Now I've created unnecessary trouble.
Finally, Li Qing chose to concede. He calmly announced, "You win."
The Golden Bear King froze, his expression darkening with anger. "Are you mocking me?!" he snarled.
Li Qing casually remarked, "An auction is an auction—the highest bidder wins. Fellow Daoist Golden Bear offered more than I did, so why shouldn't I concede?"
"At least, I can't afford 400,000 spirit stones. This Geng Metal is yours."
His words were perfectly reasonable, leaving no room for criticism. Yet the Golden Bear King's expression darkened further.
"Could it be you can't actually afford 400,000 spirit stones?" Li Qing taunted.
Below on the auction stage, True Monarch Wan He's smile vanished, replaced by a stern expression.
"Golden Bear King, I respect you as a demon king, but you must consider the consequences of deceiving the Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild."
"As I stated earlier, anyone who disrupts this auction will bear the consequences themselves!"
True Monarch Wan He spoke on behalf of the entire Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild, his words carrying immense weight. Even the Golden Bear King dared not ignore them.
"Hmph, I'm not trying to disrupt anything. I can still afford 400,000 spirit stones," the Golden Bear King retorted, though anyone could hear the pain in his voice.
The demon race traditionally relied on their fleshly bodies, rarely using external materials to refine magic treasures.
It wasn't that the demon race was completely ignorant of Artifact Refinement, but they preferred to focus on refining specific parts of their own bodies, believing this path to be more suitable for their nature.
Afterward, the Golden Bear King humbly conferred with True Monarch Wan He in secret. As if reaching some agreement, the auction resumed.
"The next item up for auction is..."
As the auction proceeded, several more rare treasures appeared, each claimed by nascent soul realm cultivators.
One particularly noteworthy item was an ancient pill formula known as the Reversion Essence Pill!
This pill had two primary effects:
First, when one's spiritual energy was depleted, consuming a single pill would cause spiritual energy to surge forth continuously, restoring it to full capacity—an effect comparable to pure millennial spirit milk.
Second, when one's spiritual energy and true essence were already abundant, taking a pill would refine and purify their mana, allowing them to unleash combat power far exceeding their current cultivation realm for a short period.
In essence, this was a medicinal pill meant to be taken during combat.
Li Qing showed little interest, maintaining a detached observer's stance.
Finally, True Monarch Wan He produced a straight, pale golden bamboo segment, from which faint thunderous sounds emanated.
There it is—the Thunder Sound Bamboo!
The moment Li Qing saw the golden bamboo segment in True Monarch Wan He's hand, his fists clenched instantly, and his breathing quickened involuntarily.
For the first time, Li Qing could no longer maintain his composure. This Thunder Sound Bamboo was the primary objective of his journey.
It was the final spirit material needed for the heaven-piercing spirit treasure, the Wind-Thunder Silver Wings. If he could obtain it, he could immediately begin refining his first heaven-piercing spirit treasure—a milestone in his cultivation journey!
No matter the cost, he would secure it today!
"This is a segment of Thunder Sound Bamboo, over three thousand years old. It contains the power of Heavenly Thunder, and thunderous sounds occasionally emanate from it."
(End of the Chapter)
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