anovelconsole Chapter 277 - 221: The Taste Isn’t Right
Chapter 277 - 221: The Taste Isn’t Right
That day at noon, Jiuye Square, on the edge of the Barbaric Wilderness, was bustling with people.
Suddenly, a group of cultivators riding enormous humpbacked rays appeared on the distant horizon.
When these cultivators arrived at the Jiuye Square docks, the entire dock immediately fell much quieter.
Among them, one cultivator was particularly eye-catching. He stood in the very center of the group, seemingly guarded by the others.
He was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator with a fair complexion and resolute features, clad in a crimson robe in the style of a Daoist.
But onlookers would not mistake him for an ordinary Daoist, for several Spirit Beasts were embroidered on his robe. As he walked, these creatures seemed to come alive, shaking their heads and wagging their tails with a ferocious air.
Following him was a group of cultivators in varied attire. Their clothing was a motley collection, yet it all exuded an air of uninhibited freedom.
In addition, a dozen or so birds and beasts mingled within their ranks. Wherever the group passed, onlookers hastily stepped aside.
Seeing the other cultivators scrambling to avoid them, Fang Qingyuan felt a surge of complicated emotions. He was, in fact, that very Foundation Establishment Cultivator in the crimson robe.
This was the Ten Directions Evil Spirit Exorcism Robe, a Tier Two High-Grade magical robe with the souls of five ferocious demon beasts sealed within.
A cultivator wearing this robe needed a powerful spiritual soul and an incredibly firm will to suppress the ferocious demon beast souls sealed within it.
The robe currently held only five such souls, and with Fang Qingyuan’s spiritual soul capacity, suppressing them was an easy task.
The robe’s other five slots had been emptied by its previous owner using a Secret Technique. If Fang Qingyuan wished to complete it, he would have to fill them himself.
Even so, the robe was incredibly valuable; Fang Qingyuan had purchased it last year for seventeen Top-grade Spirit Stones.
Over the past two years, Fang Qingyuan hadn’t focused solely on his cultivation. He had also spent a considerable amount of Spirit Stones to arm himself with various magical artifacts that caught his eye.
The Ten Directions Evil Spirit Exorcism Robe was one of his prize acquisitions. Now, he was making a move for another Spiritual Object, one that promised great benefits for his cultivation.
He had received news the day before that a Tier Three Middle Grade Spiritual Object had appeared in Jiuye Square. This particular object could enhance the intelligence of the Water Spirit associated with his primary cultivation technique, the *True Solution of Five Spirits Transformation and Form-Refining*, so he had become fixated on obtaining it.
Thus, Fang Qingyuan had brought his entourage and rushed to Jiuye Square, intent on acquiring the object.
However, the cultivator who first obtained the Spiritual Object knew he wouldn’t be able to hold onto it. He promptly sold it to the master of this place—the mastermind behind Jiuye Square, a Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator named Yuan Chujun.
Yuan Chujun, cunning in his old age, spread the word the very next day that an auction would be held. He invited cultivators from all corners, announcing the item would go to the highest bidder.
As a result, interested cultivators from White Mountain, the Artifact Talisman Alliance, Nanchu, and the Qi Yun Territory all began to arrive, dashing Fang Qingyuan’s hopes of acquiring it discreetly.
A Tier Three Middle Grade Spiritual Object was a rare treasure, enough to attract the attention of a Golden Core Cultivator. It was therefore possible that several of them might attend.
Although Fang Qingyuan was wealthy, he wasn’t arrogant enough to think he could outbid a Golden Core Cultivator.
This was the source of his complex feelings. On one hand, he worried he might not get the item. On the other, he feared that even if he did, the cost would severely deplete his Spirit Stone reserves, making the purchase questionable.
In the past two years, Fang Qingyuan had spent a fortune on magical artifacts and spiritual medicines for his body refining, using up much of the spirit stones he’d won in duels. If it weren’t for his position as the First Seat of the Miscellaneous Affairs Peak, which provided income from both legitimate and shady sources, his expenses would have long ago outstripped his earnings.
This impending battle in the auction house would likely force him to dig deep into his savings.
With all this on his mind, Fang Qingyuan’s expression was anything but relaxed. He slowed his pace for a few steps before finally arriving at the largest auction house in Jiuye Square: the Nine Spirits Pavilion.
The Magistrate at the entrance paled upon seeing Fang Qingyuan’s party and immediately rushed forward to attend to them with great eagerness.
Setting aside the incident from a few years ago when Fang Qingyuan led his men to forcibly breach the Li Family’s Mountain Gate, his fearsome reputation had spread throughout the entire Southern Border in just the last two years.
His meteoric rise, the ruthless elimination of his own senior brother, the confrontation he led against the Spirit Wood Alliance—incident after incident had made Fang Qingyuan a name to be feared outside the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect.
The Magistrate at the door of the Nine Spirits Pavilion was a Foundation Establishment cultivator himself. With the major event at the pavilion, he was personally greeting and seeing off important guests.
Fang Qingyuan swept his gaze over the Magistrate without any sign of acknowledgment. He had seen plenty of Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the Southern Border; now, only those at the late stage were worthy of his serious consideration.
Between his victory over Qu Jianyan and his status as the First Seat of the Miscellaneous Affairs Peak, an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator couldn’t even get near him without a compelling reason.
The Nine Spirits Pavilion’s Magistrate was left speechless by Fang Qingyuan’s dismissive glance. It was only after Fang Qingyuan and his whole party had gone inside that the Magistrate belatedly muttered:
"You... you’re supposed to register."
...
Once inside the auction hall, Fang Qingyuan didn’t request a private room. His mind was completely fixed on the Tier Three Middle Grade Spiritual Object, and he figured he would get a clearer view from the main hall.
Besides, he had brought too many people to fit into a private room.
Fang Qingyuan had not arrived late, but there was still a long wait before the auction officially began. The one who stepped up to preside over the auction was an old acquaintance of Fang Qingyuan’s: Yuan Chujun.
It had been four or five years, and Yuan Chujun looked much more ancient now, as if he didn’t have many years left to live.
The moment he stepped onto the stage, his eyes landed on Fang Qingyuan. Yuan Chujun gave a dry laugh, and after a brief greeting to the crowd, he cut to the chase and declared the auction officially open.
Fang Qingyuan listened as magical artifacts and spiritual objects sold for prices far higher than usual. ’It’s just the natural premium that comes with having more powerful cultivators in attendance,’ he thought to himself.
Fang Qingyuan closed his eyes and remained silent, and the dozen or so cultivators at his side followed suit. The area around them instantly became a zone of oppressive silence in the otherwise buzzing auction hall.
Fang Qingyuan currently had three Foundation Establishment Cultivators at his side—two at the early stage and one at the mid-stage. Their sole duty was to ensure his safety.
In addition, ten Late-stage Qi Refining cultivators were on standby for his orders. In the entire Southern Border, only Fang Qingyuan could command such a grand entourage.
Not even Lechuan could compare, for he had no need of such an escort to highlight his status.
Within the auction hall, Fang Qingyuan’s group occupied their own distinct section. Many of the nearby cultivators subconsciously kept their distance from this intimidating-looking group of Beast Taming Cultivators.
As the auction drew to a close, Fang Qingyuan had yet to bid on a single item. He was waiting only for the final, show-stopping Spiritual Object.
"Our final item is a Tier Three Middle Grade Transparent Seven-Aperture Spirit Turtle Shell! The starting bid is fifty Top-grade Spirit Stones, with a minimum increment of one Top-grade Spirit Stone. Let the bidding begin!"
Yuan Chujun pointed to a shimmering, rainbow-colored turtle shell, his voice full of vigor. The moment he finished speaking, Fang Qingyuan made the first bid:
"Eighty Top-grade Spirit Stones."
However, the price only stunned the crowd for a moment. A few breaths later, a higher bid rang out from a private room on the second floor:
"One hundred!"
Fang Qingyuan shut his eyes in anguish at the bid. ’One hundred Top-grade Spirit Stones... I can’t afford that. This damned Five Elements Undying Body is draining all my spirit stones!’
Even at the Qi Refining Realm, cultivating the Five Elements Undying Body was a bottomless pit. As long as his physical body could endure it, he could endlessly temper his resistance to the five elements, even without advancing its cultivation to the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Furthermore, as his five-element resistance grew, every subsequent point of improvement required consuming even more spiritual herbs and materials.
Each cultivation session now cost him nearly a thousand spirit stones.
All Fang Qingyuan could spare at the moment was a surplus of eighty Top-grade Spirit Stones. The rest were allocated to other inviolable expenses. ’It’s not worth throwing my entire fortune at this Transparent Seven-Aperture Spirit Turtle Shell,’ he concluded.
Besides, one hundred Top-grade Spirit Stones was clearly not going to be the final price.
After a bidding war among several cultivators on the second floor, the Transparent Seven-Aperture Spirit Turtle Shell was finally sold for the staggering price of one hundred and thirty-seven Top-grade Spirit Stones.
Fang Qingyuan could only shoot it a regretful look before rising to his feet and signaling for his party to leave. Just as they were about to, however, the cultivator who had won the bid—and had just handed over the spirit stones—suddenly cried out:
"You! This item... its aura is all wrong!"