Chapter 138: Tier-Two Spiritual Beast Pouch

Qingye City was located east of the Water Dragon Sect.

If one traveled by water, departing from Yunyu Marshlands and passing through the vast marshes of the Water Dragon Sect, they would reach the Falling Star River, and following the river downstream—

they could arrive directly.

Because it was situated on the banks of the Falling Star River, it was one of the river's important ports.

It was said that sometimes, even a Golden Core Real Person from the Water Dragon Sect would be stationed there.

Previously, a tier-three water beast in the Falling Star River once came ashore with the intention of destroying Qingye City, but was ultimately slain by that Golden Core Real Person wielding a sword.

All in all, Qingye City could be considered quite safe.

Very few cultivators dared to cause trouble here.

Ji Yuan arrived feeling at ease. He obediently disembarked from his flying boat under the city gates and looked up at the seventy to eighty-meter-high city wall. Not only was the stone used in the wall noteworthy, but upon closer inspection, he could even see the formation patterns engraved upon it.

As an alchemist, talisman master, and formation master, Ji Yuan could naturally make out some of the intricacies.

If he wasn’t mistaken, the formation of Qingye City should be a tier-three formation. Ji Yuan had seen tier-two formation disks in the Hundred Treasure Pavilion, and they weren’t this complex.

Damn, if my Misty Island had a tier-three formation, I’d definitely turtle inside until I reached the Golden Core stage before stepping out.

Once I reach the Golden Core stage, I probably won’t get hunted down and forced to flee, right?

With such fantasies in mind, Ji Yuan followed the crowd into the city. He had visited several large cities before—like the pig-rearing Heishan City or Hongye City—but none were as grand or as beautiful as Qingye City.

One glance made it clear Qingye City was well-planned. Not only were the streets orderly, even the numerous shops were uniformly arranged. There were none of the chaotic, mismatched styles.

As for cultivators—there were many.

More than Ji Yuan had ever seen in any other city.

Though the streets weren’t quite shoulder-to-shoulder packed, they were still densely crowded.

Walking among them, Ji Yuan saw all kinds of bizarre cultivators.

For example, a cute little girl, not very tall, with an enormous wine gourd strapped to her back.

There was also a red-robed female cultivator with a Scarlet Chain Snake coiled on her shoulder.

And a tall man with two heads. His cultivation had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, and he swaggered down the street, occasionally startling nearby cultivators with his two heads.

Yet no one actually made a move.

When cultivators got scared and fell to the ground, his two heads would simply burst out laughing.

There were all kinds of strange sights.

No wonder Du Wanyi could earn so many Spirit Stones here. With such heavy foot traffic, making a killing was inevitable. Ji Yuan sighed inwardly.

He even felt a rare tinge of temptation.

But he figured it was because the auction was imminent, and cultivators had gathered here for it. Normally, it wouldn’t be this crowded.

Following the crowd, Ji Yuan soon arrived at a tall building in the city center. It had nine stories and was circular in structure, occupying a vast area.

Above the door hung a plaque: "Qingye Auction House", and on that plaque was engraved the emblem of the Water Dragon Sect.

It signified that this was an official auction house operated by the Water Dragon Sect.

It represented both credibility and authority.

Ji Yuan paused at the entrance for a glance before entering the auction house.

Compared to the bustle outside, it was much quieter within. First, because the auction hadn’t yet started. Second, because there were fewer people. Most were in the rooms, appraising the items intended for sale, determining whether they were valuable enough to qualify for the auction.

There were still six days before the auction would officially begin. The final three days would be a lockdown period.

By then, no more items would be accepted for auction.

Qingye Auction House would also need time to make final preparations.

Under the guidance of a staff member, Ji Yuan entered a room to the right. Inside sat a Foundation Establishment cultivator responsible for verifying cultivation credentials.

Understandable. For an auction of this scale, consignors were very likely to be Foundation Establishment cultivators.

If they placed a mere Qi Refining cultivator here, it would both disrespect the guests and reflect poorly on their judgment, unable to properly assess the value of some items.

"Greetings, senior."

Ji Yuan cupped his hands in salute upon entering.

The blue-robed man with graying hair smiled warmly, completely free of any oppressive air. "Sit, have a seat."

"Hehe, what does the young friend intend to sell?"

Once Ji Yuan was seated, the blue-robed cultivator asked with a grin.

"Foundation Establishment Pill."

Ji Yuan didn’t waste a single word.

"Oh?"

Hearing this, the blue-robed cultivator immediately perked up, his interest clearly piqued.

"The young friend possesses such a treasure?"

"Gifted by an elder of my clan. Originally meant for my Foundation Establishment, but I’ve racked up too many gambling debts, and have no choice but to sell it to cover my losses."

Ji Yuan sighed sorrowfully.

Upon hearing this, the blue-robed cultivator's smile became even more sincere.

An elder capable of gifting a Foundation Establishment Pill, and a wastrel who had accumulated massive gambling debts—how logical it all sounded.

Given that, this transaction was practically guaranteed.

Moreover, if the Foundation Establishment Pill happened to be of high quality—say, a Two-Pattern Foundation Establishment Pill—it could even be a highlight of the auction.

And since it came through his hands, he’d get a higher commission cut from the proceeds.

"Is the young friend not afraid that selling the Foundation Establishment Pill might anger the elder upon your return?"

Just to be cautious, the blue-robed cultivator asked with a smile.

"No worries. Worst case, I get a beating. It’s not like the elder would actually beat me to death, right?"

Ji Yuan spoke indifferently as he took out the Foundation Establishment Pill gifted by "Ancestor Jian Zong".

As soon as the pill appeared, the blue-robed cultivator fell silent. He carefully received the bottle with both hands and gently uncorked it. Instantly, a rich medicinal fragrance filled the entire room.

Smelling this long-lost aroma, the blue-robed cultivator was already ninety percent certain.

This was indeed a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Still, per professional practice, he used artifact manipulation to extract the pill and examined it closely.

Goodness, it really was a Two-Pattern Foundation Establishment Pill. With such quality, this auction's grand finale was bound to become even livelier. The blue-robed cultivator returned the Foundation Establishment Pill to its bottle.

"Well?" Ji Yuan asked.

"Excellent quality. It can definitely make it into the grand finale of this auction."

As the blue-robed cultivator spoke, he placed the jade bottle back on the table. Then, he took out a contract covered in restrictive seals and laid it on the table.

"If the young friend has confirmed the intention to auction this Foundation Establishment Pill, then sign your name and leave a trace of your aura on this contract. Upon successful auction, our auction house will only take a small portion as the cost of this auction."

"How much?" Ji Yuan looked at the contract but didn’t rush to sign it.

"One-fifth."

That meant 5%. This service fee was comparable to that of other auction houses, within expectations. Even so, Ji Yuan carefully inspected the contract. After confirming there was no issue, he signed it.

He didn’t trust the contract itself, but rather the credibility of the auction house and, by extension, the Water Dragon Sect behind it.

When it came to scamming rogue cultivators, the Water Dragon Sect wasn’t trustworthy.

But in auction matters, the Six Immortal Sects of Eastern Shang were all highly reputable.

They understood that one full meal was better than eating a single good dish. Even if they scammed Ji Yuan this one time, it wouldn’t sustain them.

After signing the contract, the blue-robed cultivator stored the Foundation Establishment Pill.

Then, he handed Ji Yuan a token—his "entry pass" for the auction.

Since Ji Yuan’s pill would be part of the grand finale, he received treatment reserved for Foundation Establishment cultivators. He wouldn’t have to sit in the first-floor hall but could go to a room upstairs.

Seeing that Ji Yuan had stored the token and no other guests were coming in, the blue-robed cultivator chuckled and said, "I just saw the young friend’s real name—Qiu. That doesn’t seem like a surname from the southern region."

Eastern Shang was divided into northern and southern regions by the Falling Star River.

The blue-robed cultivator had previously seen Ji Yuan’s real name: Qiu Qianhai. He considered himself knowledgeable but had never heard of any major clan bearing the surname Qiu within the Water Dragon Sect's domain.

"No, I’m from the north," Ji Yuan said as if it were only natural. "I wouldn’t dare auction a Foundation Establishment Pill in the north. Many of those auction houses know my clan’s elder. If word got out, I’d be in serious trouble."

The blue-robed cultivator burst into hearty laughter.

"The young friend is quite the cautious type."

"Alright, I’m not going to waste time chatting with you. I’ve been in Qingye City a few days now. Time to see what good places there are to have some fun."

Ji Yuan impatiently waved his hand and walked out, as if selling a Foundation Establishment Pill was no more than offloading a low-grade magical artifact.

The blue-robed cultivator watched Ji Yuan leave. Only after he exited the building did the Foundation Establishment cultivator’s smile fade.

"With that kind of bearing, he’s probably the son of some Golden Core family. Qiu Clan—haven’t heard of any Golden Core Real Person with the surname Qiu in the north either."

"Well, whatever. Cangluo is vast and full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Who cares? As long as I get the Spirit Stones."

Once Ji Yuan left the auction house, he put the matter out of mind. He’d come collect the Spirit Stones in a few days.

At that time, he’d also take a look to see if there was anything he needed and place a bid.

He wandered through the streets and eventually entered a shop named "Treasure Pavilion", where he sold the top-grade magical artifact-class flying boat given to him by Jian Zong.

He received 18 mid-grade Spirit Stones.

Now that he was in Qingye City, there was no way he wouldn’t visit Du Wanyi.

Ji Yuan turned this way and that, making sure no one was tailing him. Then, following the address Du Wanyi had given him previously, he arrived in front of a courtyard.

The courtyard was located on Fulou Street, an area with no shops—only residences. The environment was quite excellent.

Du Wanyi’s courtyard gate was tightly shut. She was likely on duty.

Ji Yuan wasn’t in a rush. He found a nearby teahouse and drank two pots of tea, waiting until sunset before seeing Du Wanyi return.

Seeing her return, Ji Yuan didn’t rush over immediately. Instead, he slowly finished the last pot of tea before heading to her door.

After all, she had just gotten off work. He should at least let her rest for a bit, right?

Ji Yuan stepped forward and knocked on the door. Very soon, footsteps came from within the courtyard.

"Who—Fourth Brother?! What are you doing here?!"

Du Wanyi, who had just opened the door, was initially irritated, but upon recognizing the person standing outside, her expression turned to delight.

"Second Sister came to this region, and I haven’t visited yet."

Ji Yuan smiled.

Once he entered the house, Du Wanyi said, "You must have come to attend this auction and thought to visit me while you were at it."

Ji Yuan wasn’t embarrassed about being exposed.

"Second Sister, just say whether I came or not."

"You did, you did."

Inside the house, Du Wanyi poured Ji Yuan some tea and served him fruits.

During this time, Ji Yuan didn’t say a word, because he noticed that Du Wanyi seemed to have something weighing on her mind.

She genuinely looked happy to see Ji Yuan, but her brows were tightly furrowed with worry.

After they sat down, Ji Yuan finally asked, "Second Sister, did something troubling happen?"

"Ah?"

Du Wanyi hadn’t expected Ji Yuan to ask that. She hesitated slightly before shaking her head.

"Nothing major. Just been busy with this auction lately. A lot of miscellaneous tasks, so I’m a bit stressed."

While she spoke, Ji Yuan kept his eyes on her.

Given his understanding of her, it wasn’t hard to tell she was lying. She wasn’t telling the truth.

But Du Wanyi must have her reasons for keeping quiet, and Ji Yuan wouldn’t force her to speak.

So for the next few days, Ji Yuan stayed at Du Wanyi’s place, waiting for the auction to begin.

Du Wanyi originally intended to take a day off and show Ji Yuan around Qingye City, but due to the overwhelming workload lately, she couldn’t take leave, and her mood grew more irritable.

Still, whenever she came home and spent time with Ji Yuan, she remained genuinely happy.

Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

Three days before the auction began, Qingye Auction House stopped accepting consignment items.

Two days before the opening, the auction house released the list of items to be auctioned.

The list was brought back by Du Wanyi at the first opportunity. After delivering it, she rushed off again. For the next three days, until the end of the auction, she wouldn’t be able to return.

When on duty at the First Water Hall, it could be either truly idle or incredibly busy.

Ji Yuan looked at the auction list in his hand.

"Item One: Two stalks of Millennium Qinghui Grass."

Ji Yuan: "???"

Goodness, it seemed coming to this auction had really paid off!

To think that the very first item to be auctioned was actually Millennium Qinghui Grass.

If he hadn’t offered up the Foundation Establishment Pill for auction, Ji Yuan wouldn’t have been able to afford the Millennium Qinghui Grass even if he saw it. But now—

Ji Yuan already considered it as good as his.

"Item Two: One low-grade Spiritual Artifact — Red Whisk Sword."

"Item Three: One tier-two formation — Spirit Earth Stability Array."

There were a total of five grand finale items.

But the auction house did not reveal the details. They left it as a mystery.

Ji Yuan only knew one of them. As for the remaining four, he was in the dark.

"I heard those with better connections can find out in advance what the grand finale items are and prepare their Spirit Stones accordingly..."

Ji Yuan clearly had no such connections, but even the regular auction items grew increasingly appealing the more he read.

If he had more Spirit Stones, he would have loved to buy everything in one go.

Reading from beginning to end, aside from the two stalks of Millennium Qinghui Grass at the top, Ji Yuan had his eye on two other items.

One was a spiritual material named Scarlet Marrow Thunder Jade.

To upgrade the Talisman Room to level 2, he needed exactly this item.

Ji Yuan hadn’t been familiar with it before, and to now see it at this auction — the Scarlet Marrow Thunder Jade was clearly rare.

Since that was the case, he had to get it.

There was no guarantee the Hundred Treasure Pavilion of the Water Dragon Sect would have it. If he missed this chance, who knew when the next one would come? The other item Ji Yuan had his eye on came from the northern Beast Taming Sect.

Its name was "Spiritual Beast Pouch," a signature creation of the Beast Taming Sect.

The one at this auction was a Tier-Two Spiritual Beast Pouch, as the name implied, capable of storing tier-two spiritual beasts.

Ji Yuan planned to buy it for the Great Toad.

If he ever had to enter a dangerous place again, or hunt a Foundation Establishment stage opponent, he could bring the Great Toad along.

At a critical moment, he could release it for a surprise attack—

to deal a decisive blow.

Of course, that was what Ji Yuan hoped for. Whether he could actually buy it remained uncertain.

The remaining two days flew by.

Ji Yuan did a bit of cultivation, and soon the day of the auction arrived.

The auction was scheduled to start at the hour of Chen. Ji Yuan set off at the hour of Mao.

When he arrived at the auction house, he found he was already considered late — the entrance was nearly deserted.

He stepped forward and presented his token. Only a female cultivator came to lead him inside, guiding him to the third floor.

Ji Yuan had previously done his research. The first-floor hall was for Qi Refining stage cultivators.

The rooms on the second and third floors were mostly for Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, or Qi Refining cultivators with connections like Ji Yuan.

As for the eight compartments on the fourth floor, those were said to be reserved for Golden Core Real Persons.

But for an auction of this level, it clearly wasn’t enough to draw any Golden Core Real Person’s interest. The highest cultivation stage among attendees was likely Foundation Establishment.

Ji Yuan was assigned to Room 306. Inside, tea, wine, fruits — everything had already been prepared.

From the third-floor window, one could directly see the scene in the first-floor auction hall, but those outside could not see what was happening inside the rooms.

Everything was arranged with meticulous care.

To Ji Yuan, attending this auction was no different from shopping on Everything Island. If he fancied something, he would bid on it.

If it exceeded his expectations, he would give it up. If it was within range, he would go for it.

This time, he hadn’t brought Spirit Stones. His only resource was the Two-Pattern Foundation Establishment Pill.

At this auction, 500 mid-grade Spirit Stones was not a rare price. Based on previous data, Ji Yuan estimated the final transaction value might reach around 800 mid-grade Spirit Stones.

So he set his spending limit for this auction at 700 mid-grade Spirit Stones.

Any more, and he feared he wouldn’t be able to afford it.

The first auction item, the two stalks of Millennium Qinghui Grass, were ultimately won by Ji Yuan at a price of 160 mid-grade Spirit Stones.

The Scarlet Marrow Thunder Jade he had his eye on was also successfully obtained — it cost him 49 mid-grade Spirit Stones.

Fortunately, not many competed for it. The starting price had been just 40 mid-grade Spirit Stones.

Ji Yuan was satisfied with the result.

As for the Tier-Two Spiritual Beast Pouch, many were after it — naturally so, since it could store living creatures, even tier-two spiritual beasts.

Its starting price was set at 100 mid-grade Spirit Stones.

Within moments, the price shot up to 300.

After that, bidding gradually slowed. Only then did Ji Yuan enter the fray. Once the price reached 350, only Ji Yuan and two Foundation Establishment cultivators remained in the competition.

Ji Yuan’s total assets were only 700. After purchasing the previous two items, he had 490 left, so he bid with confidence.

Since the grand finale hadn’t started yet, the other two Foundation Establishment cultivators were also cautious not to bid too aggressively.

In the end, Ji Yuan successfully secured the Spiritual Beast Pouch at a price of 385 mid-grade Spirit Stones.

It was his first time truly understanding what it meant to spend money like water. Those 385 Spirit Stones — well, they were considered an investment in the Great Toad. Once back, he would make it go out and hunt monsters.

Until its contract was paid off, no more Spiritual Pigs!

Ji Yuan had already acquired everything he wanted, so now he simply watched the show.

As the Tier-Two Spiritual Beast Pouch was auctioned off, the event finally entered the grand finale phase.

What Ji Yuan hadn’t expected was that the first grand finale item — was actually a talisman!

(This story won’t drag out the auction details. Everything will be wrapped up concisely, so no need to worry.)

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