Reborn with a Space: Building a Fortune Amidst Famine

Chapter 1528: Chapter 1528: Tempering

The two brothers cleaned themselves up and transformed into middle-aged cultivators at the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment.

They exited the array and quickly left the area.

This time, they advanced without using the external spiritual power, so nobody paid attention to them.

Upon entering Qingshui City, it was much livelier than Haoran City.

“Seniors, you arrived just in time. Tomorrow night, there’s an auction here. It’s hosted by our City Lord and the Bai Family together. Do you see so many cultivators here?”

“So that’s the case? I thought it was something else.

How can we enter the auction?”

“You just pay Spirit Stones; fifty Spirit Stones per person, and it’s five hundred Spirit Stones for a private room.”

Qi Hao nodded. As long as Spirit Stones can solve it, it’s not a problem.

They didn’t want to stay too long because there were too many cultivators, and it wasn’t necessary to rent a cave dwelling, as it might not even be available.

Qingshui City indeed seemed wealthier than Haoran City.

After a round in the city, the overwhelming presence of cultivators was evident, indicating the auction’s significant scale.

After a round, they gave Xiao Tung two Spirit Stones to enter the Spiritual Food Pavilion.

They ordered simple meals and enjoyed them slowly. The gossip here was abundant.

The auction promised good items, but nobody knew what exactly, though it would definitely have Foundation Establishment Pills and Golden Core Pills.

For ordinary loose cultivators, elixirs were exceedingly precious.

The two heard no useful information but much gossip about the Haoran City Lord causing trouble.

However, time flew by listening to the gossip because many shared their thoughts, opting not to spend Spirit Stones on rooms but linger in the Spiritual Food Pavilion. But the business had to go on, and a steward politely hinted.

The two brothers ordered some snacks and a pot of Spiritual Tea.

This way, they wouldn’t be forced out.

Some loose cultivators couldn’t bear to spend, discussing going to the Free Market and finding a spot to meditate overnight, a good plan, reducing the number in the Spiritual Food Pavilion.

Hearing some transmission about the auction having inside stories and dangers,

the brothers thought that the danger was probably about the items being stolen, nothing more.

They decided to go despite potential dangers, not backing down.

The next morning, they left the Spiritual Food Pavilion, wandering outside with another day to spare.

The Free Market had numerous cultivators, and the brothers did find some rewards. Mainly Artifact Refining materials.

Their family barely collected these, as mostly, everyone had their Lifebound Artifact, and there was a lack of interest in Artifact Refining.

Their main purpose was to find ores suitable for their weapons.

Qi Hao suddenly squatted down before a stall filled with stones, nothing special. The seller was a young girl, about eight to nine years old at Qi Refining Second Level.

“Senior, do you need anything? These are collected by my dad; he said they’re precious, but nobody believes it.”

Qi Hao nodded, “Let me see.”

The brothers, raised well with little experience, were courteous even to low-level loose cultivators.

Qi Hao picked out three ores. “Young one, how much for these three?”

“Senior, I don’t know either. You can pay what you think is right.”

Qi Hao smiled as the little girl’s embarrassed head dropped, a clever one indeed.

After tossing her a Storage Bag, he left.

The little girl, finding sixty Spirit Stones inside, beamed with joy. The large-capacity Storage Bag alone couldn’t be bought for less than fifty Spirit Stones.

The two brothers transmitted, “I found what I wanted.”

“Haha, then I should look too. Maybe Qingshui City is our lucky place.”

Qi Xuan wandered for a long time but found nothing to his liking.

Time was running out. Cultivators began leaving the Free Market, the brothers in tow. They paid fifty Spirit Stones each and sat in a corner.

Just browsing for anything they might need without competing for elixirs.

An hour later, the auction began with the auctioned items scrolling on a water curtain, making Qi Xuan smile. He saw something he needed, making Qingshui City their lucky city indeed.

Being here was worthwhile. They patiently waited for the auction to start.

Watching the entrants, they seemed notable figures in Qingshui City, all imposing.

This way, it wasn’t boring, and time passed quickly.

The auctioneer was a beautiful female cultivator, with everyone loudly calling for the Duobao Fairy.

It was quite lively, akin to a craze for a star.

With beauties at home, they found nothing special.

On stage, Duobao Fairy enjoyed the adulation, yet peered over at the two unresponsive cultivators in the corner.

The time arrived, and the auction began. The first auction item was Foundation Establishment Pills, not one but three, quite a grand gesture.

The brothers witnessed the frenzy among ordinary cultivators, pushed to five thousand Spirit Stones under Duobao Fairy’s promotion.

The two thought of Alchemy as the wealthiest profession.

The second item was unexpectedly a hammer, intriguing Qi Xuan. He felt it was special, though he couldn’t say why.

The bidding for the hammer wasn’t intense, with modest increments.

Qi Xuan placed a bid near the end, raising it to one thousand eight Spirit Stones, stopping further bidding.

Duobao Fairy was not content. “Anyone else want to bid? Even if you don’t need it, gifting it to a junior could cultivate an Artifact Refining talent, a worthy investment.”

Her comment was followed by a late-stage Qi Cultivation cultivator’s bid of twenty Spirit Stones.

Qi Xuan chuckled internally; flattering a beauty? Not desperate, he stopped bidding.

It was awkward as Duobao Fairy eyed Qi Xuan, who had no intention to bid further.

Duobao Fairy rallied enthusiasts again, but nobody else bid. Artifact Refining consumed many Spirit Stones, out of reach for most loose cultivators.

Qi Hao observed Qi Xuan’s demeanor, realizing the item was dispensable, saying nothing.

The unfortunate cultivator won the hammer, his awkward expression amusing. Flattering beauty requires power too.