Rising from Small Cloud Rain Technique

The maid turned around, slightly bowed, and said:

”Honored guests can learn more about the auction items. Senior, you may inquire with me at any time.

If you prefer, I can stand outside the room instead of staying inside.”

Ji An glanced over the auction items and nodded slightly:

”Stay here then.”

He performed a spell to open the Spirit Beast Bag, summoning Golden Fur, and then closed his eyes to rest his mind.

Soon after, a cultivator, with white hair and a youthful face, approached the auction stage carrying a cyan Jade Bell mounted on a red copper stand.

The Jade Bell was covered with talismanic script, and the spirit light emanating from it was gentle and abundant, clearly marking it as a magical artifact.

He set the Jade Bell on the table, took out a white jade hammer, and tapped it lightly.

The ethereal bell sound spread immediately, echoing throughout every corner of the auction house.

Ji An felt a refreshing jolt to his spirit, as though drinking from a cool spring on a blazing summer day, with every pore in his body relishing in comfort.

He opened his eyes and scrutinized the cultivator on the stage.

After three bell tolls, the cultivator discarded the jade hammer and exclaimed loudly:

”Welcome, esteemed guests, to the Red Rock Auction House. I am Yue Qingyun, honored to be the chief auctioneer here.

Let us dispense with formalities; the auction officially begins now. Our first item is the Tier Two Top-grade Spiritual Artifact, the Black Dragon Soul-Breaking Sword...”

Whether attack spiritual artifacts or defensive ones, Ji An had no interest; he had already determined his combat style.

By wielding the Five Elements Spirit Banner to overwhelm opponents, he could harness the powerful spirit soul integration and the vigorous Primordial Life Fire brought by the Stone Turtle.

Coupled with his strong ultimate magic techniques, he was confident of holding his own in the same realm, possibly even defeating opponents across small realms.

As cultivation continuously improved, battles between cultivators with even a slight realm gap could become one-sided.

The higher the tier of the cultivator, the more apparent this becomes.

Time is fair to everyone. Those who reach high levels have had opportunities and fortunes bestowed upon them.

Unmoved, Ji An continued to rest with his eyes closed, as if all this had nothing to do with him.

Spiritual artifacts, pills, and the like held little usefulness to him at this stage.

Each item at the auction was a selected piece of excellence, creating a vibrant atmosphere, with only one item remaining unsold.

Yue Qingyun shouted:

”The next auction item is the Soul Tempering Pill. A rarity in pills that enhance spirit soul power requires no further embellishment from me. Chao Origin Stage friends, feel free to bid without restraint.

There are ten bottles, ten pills per bottle, auctioned individually, with a starting price of twenty top-grade Spirit Stones. Now the first bottle bidding begins!”

Ji An opened his eyes, sat upright, and focused on the auction stage. This was his primary target.

Hearing the starting price, Ji An felt the value of his Soul Stones was high. Of course, his current need for Spirit Stones wasn’t urgent; selling Soul Stones was unnecessary.

The bored maid immediately perked up; if the clients in the suite participated in the bidding and won, she could earn a reward too.

She had been standing idle for over half an hour, yet the senior inside seemed to be here for a nap.

”Twenty-two top-grade Spirit Stones.”

”Twenty-four.”

”Twenty-five.”

”Twenty-eight.”

”Thirty.”

Ji An was dumbfounded. Was it that attractive?!

Feeling this way without personal need was easy without understanding the struggle of cultivators with ordinary spiritual strength.

For instance, in alchemy, a strong spirit soul enables more precise control, making it easier to refine the divine essence of a pill and manage other details effectively.

This was why, despite not having many alchemy sessions, his abilities surpassed the majority of alchemists.

The price rose a bit more, and no one else continued bidding.

Yue Qingyun maintained a courteous smile, though inwardly, he was overjoyed, calculating the profit this batch of Soul Tempering Pills could bring based on the price.

He discreetly coughed and raised his voice:

”Lot Twenty-six bids thirty-two top-grade Spirit Stones. Is there a higher offer?”

”Thirty-four stones,” Ji An directly raised the bid by two top-grade Spirit Stones, knowing that waiting to compete later was unwise.

Raising the bid by two showed his determination, reducing the risk of others adding to the bid.

If others did bid higher, he would need to reconsider whether to increase his offer.

”Box Seventeen bids thirty-four stones. Any higher bids?

Dear alchemists, talisman makers, and array masters should be well aware of the benefits of a strong spirit soul. Any more bids?”

Yue Qingyun became excited; when auctioning similar items multiple times, the price of the first item was critical and would influence subsequent sales.

If the first item’s price was high, the rest wouldn’t dip much lower. This price had already exceeded his expectations by a significant margin.

Initially, he estimated that thirty top-grade Spirit Stones would be a threshold.

Though Soul Tempering Pills are very important, they’re not indispensable.

”Thirty-four Spirit Stones, first call... Thirty-four Spirit Stones, third call, sold! Congratulations to the customer in Box Seven; we will deliver the pills shortly.”

Yue Qingyun showed no intention of pausing, ”Now we begin the auction of the second bottle of Soul Tempering Pills.”

Striking while the enthusiasm remained, conducting auctions while the excitement hadn’t waned could yield higher returns, a small technique he perfected over years of experience as an auctioneer.

Do not underestimate this seemingly insignificant trick; it brought immense profits to both the auction house and himself.

In the suite, the maid beamed with joy:

”Congratulations, Senior, on successfully acquiring a satisfactory item.”

With this transaction, she could earn a varying reward of Spirit Stones, a decent income for her.

Soon, a cultivator from the auction house brought a bottle of pills:

”Daoist friend, please verify.”

The person was a female cultivator, also with Chao Origin stage cultivation.

Ji An didn’t extend his divine sense to carefully probe her specific cultivation level, as that would be impolite. He received the jade bottle, finding no top-grade ones among the ten pills, indicating they were intended for internal use.

He randomly selected three pills, scraped off a little powder, and tasted it, instantly feeling a cool sensation in his sea of consciousness which was immensely comfortable.

He nodded slightly, knowing the pills were effective, though the specific efficacy required consuming whole pills for a detailed comparison.

This type of pill had unknown tolerance levels; if high, ten pills might not be needed.

He gladly fetched the Spirit Stones to complete the transaction, the female cultivator smiling and bowing:

”Daoist friend, I take my leave. May you win more satisfactory goods in future bids.”

Subsequently, each bottle of Soul Tempering Pills was auctioned at impressive prices, with the lowest price at thirty-two top-grade Spirit Stones and the final bottle fetching as much as thirty-seven.

After another half hour, Yue Qingyun cheerfully announced:

”Now we present our final auction item, the one-thousand-five-hundred-year-old Tier Three Middle Grade Spirit Fruit, the Dark Night Purple Fruit, starting at three hundred fifty top-grade Spirit Stones.”

He offered no further introduction; Tier Three Spirit Fruits were items aimed at Golden Core cultivators, understood by those in the know.

As he finished speaking, a female cultivator carried a tray lined with red silk to the stage, presenting a purple spirit fruit the size of a fist.

The fruit’s smooth skin was dotted with numerous silver spots, resembling bright stars in the night sky.

Ji An displayed an interested expression, not because he planned to bid; he couldn’t afford the starting price.

The Dark Night Purple Fruit thrived in dark environments, leaning more towards the Earth element.

It was also a spirit fruit that enhanced spirit soul power, and when refined into a pill, its effects rivaled that of a Tier Three Top-grade Soul Nourishing Wood magical artifact.

It’s a spirit plant with very harsh growing conditions, with low success rates for artificial cultivation.

The scene fell silent, with the cultivators present holding their breath, awaiting the outcome of the experts’ competition.

”Hehe,” a soft laughter broke the quiet atmosphere, followed by a cold voice saying:

”You are all very reserved. Let me liven things up a bit—five hundred top-grade Spirit Stones.”

There was a collective intake of breath from the crowd; such a significant leap in price was a determination to win at all costs.

Ji An slightly raised his eyebrows, recognizing the voice as belonging to Cold Qilin True Man from the Law Enforcement Team.

”Five hundred twenty stones.”

Cold Qilin True Man’s tone remained calm, ”Six hundred stones.”

He was an alchemist, with a furnace of pill materials needing the Dark Night Purple Fruit as a primary ingredient.

The scene fell into silence again, with no further bids, and ultimately, Cold Qilin True Man succeeded in his bid.

Ji An stroked his chin, thinking he should find an opportunity to visit him.

The pit of the Dark Night Purple Fruit could be planted; under the special conditions of the Gourd World, there was a chance of successfully growing a Dark Night Tree.