Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Perhaps as if to truly verify the words of the Ancestral Monster’s remnant soul and Undying – that it wouldn’t be easy to have a supreme treasure of the heavens and earth recognize someone as master – time quietly passed with no news related to the precelestial wood at all. During this time, Qin Yu underwent a range of emotions. From hope to anticipation, from anticipation to unwillingness, now he was forced to accept the reality of the situation and his heart was filled with helplessness.

“Hah –”

After letting out a long breath, Qin Yu stood up. His heart was worried and restless and even his cultivation was affected. He decided to take some time to restore his mood.

The scenery within the Dao Arena’s top training room was undoubtedly good. He sat beneath the shade of a tree, his fingers gently tapping against the tabletop. He couldn’t help but continue contemplating the situation. For this last period of time, he had been constantly raising the price for finding precelestial wood. He had gone through every shop in Four Seasons City and even asked Kang Mingqiao for help. However, in the end he didn’t find anything.

Could it be that even though he had worked so hard up until now, he still couldn’t avoid the fate of losing the purpleback bluewing ants?

Puff –

A light sound woke Qin Yu up. He drew his fingers away from the beautiful tabletop. Looking at the crisscross of markings he had left behind in his anxious thinking, he couldn’t help but wryly smile.

Fortunately for him, he had found some harvests in this period of time. His path of metal had reached infinitely close to perfection and he could have a breakthrough at any moment. At this time, Qin Yu’s eyes flashed. He grasped his hand forward and pulled a message jade slip out from the air. His divine sense searched it and then his eyes widened with pleasant surprise.

He stood up and hurried towards the door of the training room. With a flick of his sleeve he opened it and found Kang Mingqiao standing outside. Kang Mingqiao saw Qin Yu and smiled, “It seems that this thing is extremely important to fellow daoist Qin Yu. This is an album guide sent over by the auction house. The thing you’re interested in is on the 62nd page.”

As he spoke, he took out a jade slip.

After pouring his magic power into it, the clear projection of an image appeared in the air. Qin Yu turned directly to the 62nd page. In the dense number of objects, he found something that was extremely black and looked like withered wood. There was a brief description recorded below: Serial Number 137. This withered branch was obtained from an unknown place. Its attributes are unknown and its effects are unknown. Placed in the light it is black and in the dark it blooms with light.

The image was small and the introduction was brief. It was clear that the auction house didn’t place much value on this object. Qin Yu stared at it for a long time before he looked up.

Kang Mingqiao smiled. “There’s something else hidden inside.”

These words dispelled Qin Yu’s final doubts. Ecstatic joy surged up from his heart and he cupped his hands. “Thank you, Arena Steward Kang!” He didn’t know where Kang Mingqiao had obtained this information but he didn’t think he had any reason to deceive him. Moreover, ‘Placed in the light it is black and in the dark it blooms with light’ was already extremely strong evidence.

Precelestial wood!

This was precelestial wood!

He thought back to the invitation he had casually tossed into his status token and smiled. He had inadvertently obtained this auction invitation half a year ago and at the time he had sighed about how it was useless to him. Who would have expected that things would be like they were today?

Perhaps this was the mystery of life. It was so strange and fantastical that person could never imagine just where life took them or what the future would hold for them.

Five days later, the auction was held as scheduled.

As the steward of a Dao Arena, Kang Mingqiao naturally also received an invitation. But, Qin Yu didn’t go with him. Rather, he put on a black robe and entered the auction house with the status of a wandering tourist. But, it was clear that his initial heroic vigor and actions had left a strong impression on the auction house. His seat was arranged near the front. The soft was wide and comfortable. Qin Yu leaned back on it and began to meditate.

An hour later, the crowd began to quiet down. A silver-haired auctioneer stepped onto the platform and greeted everyone. He clapped his hands, “Turn off the lights.”

Suddenly, all that was left on the giant auction stage was the central auction platform and the three crystal lamps up above. The bright lights gathered together, making it seem particularly eye-catching. The well-dressed auctioneer didn’t talk much. He dove straight into the main subject for everyone’s presence. “According to custom, the first item sold during the auction night is bound to be something good. It’s a little appetizer to whet everyone’s appetite as well as help our auction house earn some commission.”

There was a burst of laughter from the crowd. The first auction was actually quite good. It was a treasure found in an ancient ruin. Although it was a bit broken, its power was still incredibly tyrannical.

Many cultivators bid on it and the atmosphere of the auction house soon heated up.

Item after item was sent up to the auction stage. After a round of contention these items found new masters. During this process, time slowly flowed.

The auction house took a scattered approach to auctioning off items. They mixed in a number of common treasures between the precious ones in order to sell them at the highest possible price.

The bidding for serial number 137 began four hours after the auction started. The auctioneer was all smiles as he looked at the withered wood that was placed on the crystal platform. With a look of acclaim, he said, “Dear guests, there is something I need to tell you about this item in order to better estimate its value and avoid any unnecessary confusion.”

After a pause he continued to say, “Two days ago, my auction house received an honored guest. Although they hid their status, I was still able to determine that this person was an extremely revered existence. This mysterious honored guest put forth an extremely exaggerated price in order to purchase this piece of wood with unknown attributes and unknown effects ahead of time. But in the end, in order to maintain the principle of fairness, we refused this honored guest and put it up for auction so that all guests will have the chance to fight for it.

“Just because it is unknown doesn’t mean it is useless. Perhaps beneath this ordinary surface there is a hidden beauty and splendor that none of us can imagine. This mysterious withered wood is dark beneath the light and shines with light in the dark. This item has a starting price of 80,000 spirit stones and each increase can be no less than 1000. Let the bidding begin!”

One couldn’t help but acknowledge that this auctioneer was skilled in stirring up the attention of others. Many guests that had no interest to begin with suddenly straightened themselves, their eyes flashing with light.

This auction house had always had a good reputation and they wouldn’t make up a story like this. If someone was willing to pay a massive sum for this item before the auction began, there was sure to be something extraordinary about it. 80,000 spirit stones couldn’t be considered too little, but to those who had the qualifications to join this auction, it wasn’t anything at all. It could be interesting to give things a try.

“80,000 spirit stones!” The one who spoke was a female cultivator who sat near the front of the individual guests. Her face was young and naïve and there was still baby fat on her cheeks. Her eyes were lively and smart. Although she didn’t display any arrogance, she revealed a sense of natural elegance. She clearly didn’t have a common background,

Of course, if one couldn’t make these things out, the two icy cold guards with intimidating auras that flanked her were the best evidence.

But as mentioned before, those that were eligible to participate in today’s auction were all rich, and the rich usually had considerable backgrounds. Although this female cultivator’s background wasn’t average, she couldn’t frighten anyone here either.

“100,000.” The person who spoke this time was also a female cultivator. Except, this person was in a specially formed, semi-enclosed VIP box seat.

The young female cultivator tapped her face. “200,000. I want that branch.”

“You want? Just what do you want? This big sister isn’t a man, and even if I was, I couldn’t bear your bold style. I want that thing too. 300,000.” There was a charming laugh from the VIP box seat. Such arrogant words had many men gulping.

The young female cultivator blushed red. She opened her mouth and wanted to argue back but she simply couldn’t find the words to say and she almost cried out loud. The eyes of the two guards beside her flashed with an ominous light and they started to stand up. However, as soon as they tried, they both stuffily coughed and revealed shocked expressions. They looked towards the VIP box seat with a deep sense of dread in their eyes.

A guard lowered his head and whispered something. The young female cultivator bit her lip and said, “500,000.”

A hearty laughter rang out, filled with a carefree attitude. “Why should two beautiful women come to blows over a mere withered branch? Wouldn’t it be better if I take it away instead?”

After a short pause he put forth a bid, “600,000.”

The auction house fell silent. Many people stared at these three sides, a strange look in their eyes. Although this withered branch was strange, 600,000 spirit stones was no longer a small amount. If it was just to satisfy their own curiosity, this didn’t make any sense.

As for that last fellow who put forth a bid of 600,000, his goal clearly wasn’t the withered branch itself. Rather, he just wanted to arouse the interest of those two young misses. To spend money in the face of beauty, such behavior couldn’t be considered fresh in any auction house. Those people that did such a thing were often profligate young masters with great backgrounds.

But today, there were far more profligate young masters in the crowd than expected. Another voice rang out from a VIP box seat. “Brother Zhang, how can you obtain a treasure that two beautiful women are competing over with a mere 600,000 spirit stones? How about we round out the number – one million.”

“Just a million spirit stones, how far can you possibly go?” A third profligate young master chimed in. “Two million; if you want to play then let’s double up and have fun!”

Beneath his black robes, Qin Yu’s face darkened. This sudden competition had ruined his plans. He originally wanted to win the bid on the precelestial wood without standing out at all. Before this, he had even purchased two minor items at prices that were neither too low nor too high.

But no matter how great his plans were, they were completely torn apart in the face of this bunch of competing young bastards. He couldn’t help but glance at the young and naïve female cultivator sitting up front. Although he knew he had no right to complain about her actions, if it weren’t for this little girl speaking up, the situation wouldn’t have devolved into such a state.

Today, it would be difficult not to attract attention!

From that half-concealed VIP box seat, an extremely pretty face appeared. She covered her mouth and laughed, her eyes seeming to have countless tiny hooks hidden within them. “Fellow young masters are so appreciative that I really am finding it hard to keep my heart at peace. I really want that thing, hah, so what do I do?”

“Haha! Simple, I will win the bid and give it to Miss Zhou!” A fourth profligate young master joined the fray. “I will double it again to 4 million. I’ve been playing this kind of game ever since I was young, and not once have I ever been defeated.”

His tone was aggressive and overbearing!

Qin Yu cursed this person inwardly. As he expected, with his appearance, the first three profligates were angered.

“To make something so vulgar like randomly doubling the bid seem like something righteous, you really are a rare and wonderful creature.” A person suddenly said, his face full of smiles. “5 million spirit stones. Miss Mu, I will win this item for you.”

The young female cultivator’s face immediately blushed a rosy red and her eyes filled with shyness. She turned and glanced at the VIP box seat the voice just came from, her timid and bashful appearance causing the hearts of those who looked at her to itch.

Qin Yu’s face darkened. Wait, how was this timid and bashful? She was clearly a little enchantress with a well-honed skill set. It was only that her outer appearance and demeanor was entirely different from that of Miss Zhou. Although they seemed different, their hearts were actually the same.

Today, these two enchantresses must have intentionally colluded to cause this mess. It’s fine if you want to stir up some contest, but why choose my item to do it with? Qin Yu’s eyes were ice cold. If looks could kill, he would have already dismembered these two enchantresses and their group of overly emotional peacocks!

As Qin Yu developed murderous thoughts, the price of the precelestial wood broke through the 10 million mark. To these profligates, spirit stones didn’t matter too much. Moreover, in today’s situation no one was willing to lower their head first.

Qin Yu took a deep breath and suppressed the growing rage in his heart. He indifferently watched their competition.

This was not the time to make his move. These types of young masters cared about face the most. It would be fine for him to wait for their battle to come to an end before he started competing.

Because at that time, he would only need to face one person.

Everyone was left dumbfounded. They watched on with wide eyes as the bidding price of this withered branch of unknown origin and effect suddenly inflated like a balloon. Even those people who originally had some interest had completely suppressed their thoughts of bidding for it.

This group of bastard profligates, they were just fighting out of jealousy now. Anyone that tried to compete with them in such a state would just be an idiot!

“88 million spirit stones!” That fellow with the heroic demeanor who liked to double the price suddenly spoke up. The entire auction house fell silent.

At this moment, anyone who dared to double it again would really be formidable.

The other three profligates seemed to fall quiet. Although they wanted to use this chance to obtain more attention from these beautiful women, with the price approaching 100 million spirit stones, even for them this was an amount that they couldn’t easily use.

Moreover, what they wanted to do today was to only get acquainted with Zhou Fenghuang and Mu Qingluan and express their sincerity with their actions. If they really wanted to marry these two enchantresses and bring them back home, that would depend entirely on their performance in the Demon Ascension Gate as well as the efforts of their families.

“The Sun Family is worthy of being known as undefeatable in terms of wealth. As a means of expressing my admiration, I will give that withered wood to you.”

“When it comes to spirit stones, I really cannot compare to Brother Sun. I only hope that during the Demon Ascension Gate, you can also have the same energy and bravado as you’ve shown today.”

“I heard that during this selection of the Demon Ascension Gate, many dazzling characters have appeared, even those with a powerful demonic bloodline. Sun Zifu, I hope you aren’t beaten into the ground by others and ruin the honor and dignity of juniors from noble families.”

Sun Zifu was that profligate young master who liked to double up and had declared he had never lost in a bidding war before. He laughed loudly and said, “The three of you don’t need to worry about me. I naturally have the confidence that I can smoothly enter the Demonic Path. Today, I must thank you three for allowing me to obtain this treasure. I will arrange a banquet at the Drunken Fairy Winehouse tonight. Fellow brothers must surely attend.”

The three young masters coughed once before no longer speaking.