Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension

Seven days later, the auction finally arrived.

Zhao Sheng left the guesthouse, and following the directions given by the elderly shop owner, he wound his way through the streets and alleys until he reached a magnificent palace in the southwest workshop area of Wind and Fire Island.

Zhao Sheng stood on a street corner and did not hurry to enter. Instead, he observed the auction venue.

As time drew near, cultivators began to arrive one after another, displaying various demeanors. Some were open and aboveboard, while others made a deliberate effort to conceal their features. However, as long as they presented a pledge letter, the guards at the door would check it and allow them through.

"It seems that this auction recognizes the letter over the person, and the security is quite strict. A few days ago, the shopkeeper mentioned that, for this auction, Dragon Turtle Island rarely dispatched a Golden Core Master to oversee this place. I presume it is both for safety reasons and because there are quite a few rare treasures at this auction," Zhao Sheng thought to himself with a serene expression.

"There are probably many people here today specifically for the Foundation Establishment Pill. This will be quite a competition."

With these thoughts in mind, Zhao Sheng, who had changed his appearance, walked around the corner of the street and strode toward the entrance.

Upon reaching the entrance of the venue, he presented his Jade Leaf guarantee letter to the guards.

Just as he was about to enter, Zhao Sheng suddenly changed his expression and turned his head to sweep a glance behind him.

He saw, not far off, three unusually tall figures in black robes, escorting a woman dressed in a blue skirt as they walked toward the venue.

The woman had a graceful figure and wore a hat with a white veil hanging down, concealing her face.

Even though Zhao Sheng couldn't clearly see the woman's features, he felt a stirring within him, as if there was some indistinct and secretive connection between him and her.

"Who is this woman…" Zhao Sheng wondered, somewhat surprised.

Just as he wanted to take another look, the guard grew impatient and urged him to enter quickly.

Zhao Sheng withdrew his gaze, his mind filled with thoughts as he walked into the venue.

Meanwhile, the veiled woman suddenly stopped in her tracks, her beautiful eyes fixed on the entrance to the auction house, gazing at the slowly disappearing figure of Zhao Sheng.

"Young Master, why have you stopped? Is there something amiss?"

Right then, an ancient voice emerged from the woman's sleeve, elusive, audible only to her.

"Did you see that person just now?" Wang Yingling flicked her sleeve, speaking softly.

"Which person? I was preoccupied with sensing the Ancestor's exuvia and didn't notice our surroundings," replied Elder Chong.

Wang Yingling licked her lips and, while continuing to walk forward, murmured to herself, "I feel like I've just seen someone of my own kind, and it seems that their bloodline is not of low purity."

"What?!"

…

…

"The auspicious time has come—the auction officially begins!"

In the grand venue, a deep and magnetic voice announced from the high platform at the front.

Originally filled with hushed conversations, the auction hall fell silent at once.

Then a middle-aged man in a bright red robe with a long face and large ears, his forehead marked with a Flame Totem, confidently walked onto the high platform in front of everyone.

In the venue below, over a hundred attendees occupied their own tables, scattered throughout the hall.

As for the cultivators of a special status or above the Foundation Establishment Realm, they were in the private rooms on the second floor, overlooking the hall below.

The number of people present at the auction was somewhat small, but Zhao Sheng didn't find this strange.
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After all, merely demanding guarantees from merchants and the submission of suitable auction items had already filtered out the majority of cultivators with less substantial fortunes.

Auctions in the Cultivation World always valued quality over quantity, whether regarding the items or the participants.

Situated in the venue, Zhao Sheng could not discern the depth of other people's Cultivation Realms. However, based on his extensive experience, he concluded that there were at least five Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the first-floor venue, not to mention those in the second-floor private rooms.

"It seems I need to be especially cautious this time," Zhao Sheng thought to himself.

"Welcome, Esteemed Fellow Daoists and Seniors, to this year's auction on Wind and Fire Island. I won't go into the rules, as I trust you are all familiar with them—higher bids take the treasure. If anyone has special requests, bartering is also permitted."

Finished speaking, the middle-aged man respectfully bowed toward the high platform to his left, then straightened his posture.

All eyes turned to that spot where a lone fiery-red chair sat beside the high platform. On it was a frail, gray-robed elderly man.

The old man sat in meditation, motionless with his eyes closed, and emanated an aura both deep and unfathomable.

This was the Golden Core Master presiding over the event.

After a brief pause, the middle-aged man scanned the crowd below and then announced:

"Enough talk! Please behold the first treasure up for auction!"

With that, he slapped his Storage Bag, and a palm-sized Jade Box appeared in his hand. The box was opened to reveal a golden-blue flying sword an inch long, lying quietly inside.

"Our first auction item is a top-grade magic tool, the Geng Metal Flying Sword. The sword is mixed with Geng Metal, indestructible and three times faster than other flying swords of the same tier, with nine Magic Prohibitions embedded within. The starting bid is seven thousand Spirit Stones, and each bid must increase by no less than a hundred Spirit Stones," declared the middle-aged man with a proud smile.

At these words, the venue burst into murmurs.

One must know that flying swords are one of the most demanding types of offensive magic artifacts when it comes to materials. Sword Cultivators are famously known for their creed, "The sword lives, the cultivator lives; the sword perishes, the cultivator perishes."

Geng Metal is a treasured material for refining flying swords.

Even if the quantity of Geng Metal mixed in this flying sword is unknown, and it might just be a selling point...