Cultivating Disciples to Breakthrough

”Hehe, I see that everyone here is already looking forward to the last item for this auction?” As everyone’s attention focused on the Celestial Immortal Realm cultivator from the Explorer Union, the person in question chuckled a bit before saying this while looking up towards the third floor where the different Celestial Immortal Realm cultivators were seated. Clearly, he wasn’t expecting anyone other than those seven Celestial Immortal Realm to participate in the upcoming bidding for the final item.

Guess he will be rather surprised when Huo Fen ends up joining in...

Smiling a bit wryly to himself as he had already guessed what this old man sitting beside him was planning, Xuan Hao was just curious about how he planned to leave the auction safety with his little disciple in case he ended up winning the auction in the end.

Although... Even if he ended up losing the bid, his fate wouldn’t be much better going so directly against so many Celestial Immortal Realm cultivators.

Of course, considering that he was around, he doubted any of this would play out like Huo Fen was thinking it would...

Whoosh~

As he felt himself looking a bit forward to the reaction of these Celestial Immortal Realm cultivators when they discovered him, the one from the Explorer Union finally brought out the final item for the auction, a small vial filled with a pitch black liquid filled with thousands of small specks of light that made it look like a small piece of the night sky.

”This is...” Seeing this liquid, Xuan Hao couldn’t help showing a somewhat shocked expression on his face. Not because he understood what the liquid was, but instead because he clearly felt the terrifying energy contained inside it far surpassing the quality of the spiritual qi in his spiritual sea.

Even without knowing anything about this starry liquid, he inherently understood that consuming it would be incredibly useful for his cultivation and might even be able to directly help him break through to the Late Stage of the Sea Formation Realm!

If not for the fact that the one currently holding the vial had yet to explain what this liquid was and belonged to the Explorer Union, he would already have made a move to snatch away the strange liquid.

”I see that a few already knows the value of what I’m holding, but for the purpose of the auction. Allow me to explain what it is for everyone present.

This liquid is called Stardusk Essence, a special liquid that can only be created following the fall of a Profound Immortal in the Star Creation Realm. The formation of the Stardusk Essence being related to the collapse of the Star Creation Realm cultivator’s dantian, though... I don’t know much more than that, as that realm is ultimately something far beyond what a small Celestial Immortal like me can learn about.

Regardless, there are countless uses for this liquid, be it for alchemy, blacksmithing or even strengthening of a formation, but... The most well-known use is its ability to help Celestial Immortal Realm cultivators break through the bottleneck from the Middle Stage to the Late Stage of the Celestial Immortal Realm!”

”Stardusk Essence?”

”Huh? Star Creation Realm? What realm is that...?”

”This... Definitely not something intended for us...”

Following the words of the Celestial Immortal Realm cultivator from the Explorer Union, there was a brief silence before several confused voices emerged from the crowd below. Although some of them might have learnt about the Profound Immortal Realm since most of the people at the auction were from the Central Regions of the continent and some were already at the Dao Seed Realm. Only a single major realm from the Celestial Immortal Realm or the Profound Immortal Realm. Knowing about the Star Creation Realm was completely different.

After all, the Star Creation Realm could be considered the pinnacle of the Profound Immortal Realm, and it was unlikely for someone who had not even reached the Celestial Immortal Realm to know about it without being part of a major power... And most of the people present outside of the Celestial Immortal Realm cultivators were wandering cultivators who had merely been drawn to the auction because it had several useful things being auctioned off.

In a sense, the lack of Dao Seed Realm cultivators and the total number of Dao Seed Realm cultivators present at the auction had to do with this as well, as the items that had originally been announced to be auctioned off to those below the Celestial Immortal Realm were at most useful to someone in the Soul Ascension Realm and below. Not something that would draw much attention from someone in the Dao Seed Realm.

The few Dao Seed Realm cultivators that had shown up in the end had either managed to somehow learn about what was being auctioned off later or were attracted by the sudden gathering of Celestial Immortal Realm cultivators.

”The starting bid will be 500.000 top grade spirit stones. Increased by at least 10.000 with each bid.”

Of course, the Celestial Immortal Realm cultivator from the Explorer Union didn’t care the slightest bit about the reactions of the ones below the Celestial Immortal Realm and instead decided to go ahead and start the auction for the Stardusk Essence-

”1.000.000 top grade spirit stones!”

Earning an immediate response from one of the seven Celestial Immortal Realm cultivators, who directly doubled the initial bid without the slightest hint of hesitation.

”1.100.000 top grade spirit stones!”

”1.150.000 top grade spirit stones!”

”1.350.000 top grade spirit stones!”

But as the price continued increasing rapidly without showing any signs of stopping, it instantly became clear that the value of the Stardusk Essence was far beyond what had been the original bidding price.

Then again, Xuan Hao didn’t find this the slightest bit surprising, as something that could even help him break through to the Late Stage of the Sea Formation Realm was bound to be extremely valuable.

Of course, the one who fought the most aggressively for the Stardusk Essence was none other than the one who had shown up together with two others from the Southern Central Region, as he was already at the Peak of the Middle Stage of the Celestial Immortal Realm to break through to the Late Stage of the Celestial Immortal Realm.

Not that he cared about any of this, as he had already decided to seize the Stardusk Essence, as there was no way he would just give up on something that could potentially allow him to break through to the Late Stage of the Sea Formation Realm.

But... Looking at the nervous Huo Fen now standing up and staring directly down towards the Stardusk Essence below, he couldn’t help wondering if there was some other use for the Stardusk Essence that the one from the Explorer Union hadn’t talked about or didn’t know about.

After all, though the Stardusk Essence was an extremely useful cultivation resource from what he could tell, it was also clear that it wasn’t something anyone below the Celestial Immortal Realm could handle.

In fact, even someone in the Early Stage of the Celestial Immortal Realm might not be able to handle it. Meaning that someone like Huo Fen at the Middle Stage of the Dao Seed Realm could not use the Stardusk Essence.

An alternative use for the Stardusk Essence then? Alchemy... No, to use this kind of thing for something like alchemy, blacksmithing or other things, one would at least have to be in the Saint Realm for that profession... And this old man shouldn’t have reached the Saint Realm in any profession, or I should have sensed it...

Filled with questions as his attention shifted away from the Stardusk Essence and landed on Huo Fen, Xuan Hao could not help feeling curious about what it was Huo Fen intended to use the Stardusk Essence for, even going so far as to risk his and his disciple’s life for it. After all, he was far too weak to use it for himself.

Speaking of which, he only now realized that there shouldn’t be any reason for the old man to bring along his disciple if he intended on doing something this risky and offend so many Celestial Immortal Realm cultivators.

Unless... He was certain that he would be able to escape from his current situation safely or at the very least certain that his disciple would be able to escape safely.

”...”

Narrowing his eyes slightly as he thought this, he briefly used his divine sense to scan the master and disciple pair to look for any abnormalities that he might have missed in the past... And sure enough, he did find a small artifact hidden on one of Meng Jie’s fingers, its presence almost completely nonexistent to the point where even he had a hard time even realizing it was there with his full attention focused on it.

Spatial fluctuations...!

But that was not the most important thing. Instead, it was the fact that he sensed countless small and intricate spatial fluctuations from the small ring. Spatial fluctuations that he soon managed to decipher were on par with his own, maybe even slightly superior!