Within a radius of millions of miles, almost all the prominent Golden Core and Fake Pill cultivators have arrived here, which is the venue of the Black Water Auction.

Chen Sheng flew in on an ordinary orange-red flame, concealing all his mana and aura, looking just like an average cultivator.

A hazy mist swirled around him, a small technique he activated using his Sword Intent, effectively blocking others' Divine Sense exploration, clearly intending to conceal his identity.

Many cultivators around were dressed similarly, and some wore wide-brimmed hats or black veils, looking like mysterious Tribulation Cultivators, making it hard to see their faces.

At the entrance of the venue, four cultivators were responsible for greeting guests, all with Foundation Establishment Cultivation. Among them, one had a calm aura, having reached Late-stage Foundation Establishment, evidently the leader of the welcoming team.

Beside them stood many young attendants, all dressed neatly, with smiles on their faces, ready to serve the arriving cultivators at any moment.

The Divine Sense of the welcoming cultivators swept over Chen Sheng, only to feel that his cultivation was unfathomable, as if shrouded in a layer of mist, impossible to discern, and they quickly spoke respectfully:

"Welcome, Senior."

Chen Sheng did not present an invitation, and the Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator understood that this senior obviously did not wish to reveal their identity.

He hurriedly took out a black token engraved with the number "97" and respectfully handed it to Chen Sheng, then called over a clever attendant:

"Take this senior to Box 97!"

The attendant respectfully took the token, slightly bowed to Chen Sheng:

"Senior, please follow me."

Then led Chen Sheng through the bustling hall, along a corridor lined with a red carpet, arriving at the door of a luxurious box.

Chen Sheng's Divine Sense instinctively swept around, only to see the walls of the box flickering with the light of various Restrictions.

These Restrictions were arranged extremely ingeniously, not only isolating sound but also blocking Divine Sense exploration, clearly intended to protect the privacy of bidders.

He waved his hand, dismissing the attendant, then gently swiped the token in a groove on the door of the box.

With a soft "click", the Restriction on the door was quietly lifted, and Chen Sheng pushed the door open and walked in.

The interior of the box was extremely luxurious and splendid, with a soft animal-skin carpet laid on the floor.

Several paintings with distant meanings hung on the walls, and in the corner stood an ancient tea table with a delicate tea set and top-quality Spirit Tea on it.

The entire box was silent, the Restrictions on the walls perfectly blocking all kinds of noise from outside, allowing one to calm their mind.

After an unknown amount of time, a light suddenly shone in the center of the box, and a magic of a flowing water curtain appeared out of thin air, clearly reflecting the scenes of the auction venue.

Chen Sheng opened his eyes and saw within the water curtain.

Below the stage, the cultivators sat upright, all Foundation Establishment cultivators, all with their eyes tightly fixed on the high platform ahead.

On the auction platform, a middle-aged cultivator in a red robe stepped up slowly.

His face was lean, his eyes sharp, exuding a Golden Core Early-stage mana fluctuation, evidently the chairman of the Black Water Commerce Association here—Master Withered Wood!

"I will be hosting this conference!"

Master Withered Wood's voice was neither high nor low, yet carried a special penetrative power, ensuring that every cultivator below could clearly hear it.

For the Golden Core and Fake Pill cultivators in the boxes, his Golden Core Early-stage cultivation might not hold the scene.

But for the Foundation Establishment cultivators below, it was like a Stabilizing Needle, giving them much reassurance.

Chen Sheng was moved and thought to himself:

"Even Master Withered Wood is personally hosting, it seems the specification of this auction is not low, I wonder who else is backing it up."

"It's unlikely that a Nascent Soul True Monarch would lower themselves, it's likely a Late-stage or Perfected Golden Core cultivator."

Master Withered Wood wasted no time on pleasantries and quickly spoke:

"Let's cut the chatter and proceed with the first auction item!"

With a gentle wave of his hand, a group of female attendants in bright attire walked up the stage holding trays, their steps light.

On each tray rested an exquisite Jade Bottle, containing a pale-yellow pill, with three faint Pill Patterns visible on the surface.

Master Withered Wood pointed at the Jade Bottle and slowly introduced:

"These are Tier Two High Grade Yunzhen Pills, suitable for Foundation Establishment cultivators to enhance mana, all crafted by Tier Three Alchemy Masters hired by our Commerce Association, each engraved with three Pill Patterns, a top-grade creation."

"Starting at two thousand Spirit Stones, bidding begins now!"

As soon as he finished, someone eagerly called out a bid: "Two thousand five hundred Spirit Stones!"

"Three thousand Spirit Stones!"

"Three thousand two hundred Spirit Stones!"

Below the stage, most were Foundation Establishment cultivators, and these Yunzhen Pills greatly benefited their cultivation, especially being top-grade elixirs, naturally, the more the better.

For a moment, the bidding was lively and continuous.

...

In the box, Chen Sheng watched as the Yunzhen Pills generally fetched a price of three thousand Spirit Stones each, and his heart stirred:

"It seems being an Alchemist in Yue Country is quite profitable!"

A Tier Two High Grade Elixir Yunzhen Pill costs only a few hundred Spirit Stones to produce, yet can fetch nearly ten times the price, leaving a considerable profit margin.

For Chen Sheng, a Tier Three Middle Grade Alchemist, crafting these pills was no problem at all.

Soon, after the Yunzhen Pills were auctioned off, a batch of Tier Two Talismans and Magical Artifacts took the stage one after another, each considered a fine item of the same tier, prompting frequent bidding from the cultivators below.

There were even a hundred Foundation Establishment Pills that made an appearance!

For every power, such pills were indispensable resources, crucial for future development, even attracting bids from some of the cultivators in the boxes.

Ultimately, these Foundation Establishment Pills were generally auctioned off for around thirty-five thousand Spirit Stones each.

Chen Sheng lightly nodded, comparing in his mind:

"They are cheaper than in Chu Country, clearly, Yue Country has abundant Foundation Establishment resources."

In Chu Country, these Foundation Establishment Pills would usually fetch forty to fifty thousand Spirit Stones, and if several powers competed, sixty thousand Spirit Stones or more was also possible.

By this point, although the previous items were all rare quality gems outside, and the atmosphere below was very lively, clearly the preliminary play was very successful.

Unfortunately, for Chen Sheng, a Fake Pill cultivator, these things were already passé, unable to significantly boost his power.

Following that, third-tier items began to appear successively, ranging from Spiritual Materials to Elixir Pills, and some Tier Three Lower Grade Magical Treasures, with more frequent bids emerging from the cultivators in the boxes.

A while later, a male cultivator at Foundation Establishment Cultivation entered the stage holding a tray covered with a red cloth.

Master Withered Wood lifted the red cloth, revealing a fist-sized mass of deep blue Golden Material, the surface smooth as a mirror, with the luster unique to metal.

Master Withered Wood's voice rose:

"Tier Three High Grade Spiritual Material—Antarctic Gui Gold!"

"This piece of Spiritual Material was excavated from the core area of a Tier Three Ore Vein, refined and purified by our Commerce Association's Artifact Refining Masters, weighing seven thousand catties, ranking among the top in sturdiness among same-level materials, most suitable for crafting Magical Treasures."

He paused, announcing the price:

"Starting bid twenty thousand Spirit Stones!"

As soon as this item appeared, Chen Sheng's eyes lit up; this Antarctic Gui Gold was highly compatible with his Tingyu Sword, perfect for further refining it.

He immediately transmitted a bid through his token:

"Twenty-one thousand Spirit Stones!"

"Twenty-two thousand!"

"Twenty-five thousand!"

Bids came successively from several boxes, quickly pushing the price to thirty-three thousand Spirit Stones.

Chen Sheng's gaze sharpened, and with a determined air, he transmitted another bid:

"Forty thousand Spirit Stones!"

Upon hearing the price, the Golden Core cultivators in the other boxes shook their heads and gave up on the bidding.

Evidently, the price had exceeded their budget, as the market value of Tier Three High Grade Spiritual Materials was around thirty thousand Spirit Stones.

The price offered by Chen Sheng was a third higher, a premium they could not afford.

Seeing no one else bid, Master Withered Wood called out loudly:

"Forty thousand Spirit Stones once! Forty thousand Spirit Stones twice! Forty thousand Spirit Stones thrice! Sold! Congratulations to the friend in Box 97 for winning this piece of Antarctic Gui Gold!"

Chen Sheng breathed a sigh of relief, having finally secured his desired Spiritual Material; with this Antarctic Gui Gold, his Tingyu Sword's advancement to Tier Three Middle Grade was imminent.

At that time, his combat power would see a significant boost!

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