The Programmer Cultivator

Upon hearing this, Guann Zhenzhen smiled. ”I was just curious about the person who bought my item,” she said. ”Just a casual question.”

Wu Lei heard this and said, ”Why don’t I have my clan members ask around? We could use it as an opportunity to meet them.”

Guann Zhenzhen shook her head. ”Forget it. Don’t go to the trouble. It was just a passing curiosity.”

Wu Lei glanced at Guann Zhenzhen. Seeing that she had turned her attention back to the auction, he didn’t press the matter.

But just a moment after they stopped talking, Guann Zhenzhen’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, and she once again glanced in the direction of private room 121.

...

A moment later, the Infant Spirit Hollow Jade was delivered. Inside a Jade Box resembling pure white jade lay a peculiar jade stone.

It was a blood-red, fist-sized, round stone that was hollow inside. The hollowed-out section resembled a womb, and within it, a strange infant slept, its knees hugged to its chest.

Looking at the item, the pain Zhang Deming felt over spending so many Spirit Stones instantly vanished.

With this item, gathering the ingredients for the Duality Formula was more than half done. The other supplementary materials, while also valuable, could eventually be found.

But the main ingredient... one might not find a single piece in decades.

The jade stone had clearly been handled with great care. Not only was it presented in a top-grade Jade Box, but the entire container was also filled with a strange, fragrant aroma.

It was a very pleasant scent, likely from a high-grade fragrance, because after Zhang Deming touched the jade stone, the aroma clung to his hand, refusing to dissipate.

This would normally be unremarkable, but after calming his excitement, Zhang Deming smelled the fragrance and frowned slightly.

The scent wasn’t pungent and seemed perfectly ordinary, but its ability to cling so strongly made Zhang Deming, who was always suspicious when he was out, furrow his brow.

He stored the item in the new storage pouch he’d acquired—one capable of blocking special detection methods. Then, with a flip of his hand, he produced a bottle of a special liquid.

This was something Zhang Deming had prepared after learning a hard lesson. It had a very plain name: Clearing Spirit Water.

Despite being just a palm-sized bottle, it was a Two-Star potion that cost nearly a thousand Spirit Stones—it was deadly expensive.

Zhang Deming opened the small vial. After carefully squeezing out a single drop, he raised his other hand and conjured a ball of water.

He dripped the potion into the water ball and meticulously washed his hands until not a trace of the fragrance remained. Only then did he put the vial away.

’It never hurts to be careful. After all, in my past life, I read plenty of stories about shady auction houses. Huayue United Auction has a solid reputation, so they probably wouldn’t stoop to such tricks, but it’s still better to be safe than sorry.’

He glanced down at the auction below, which was now nearing its end, and resumed watching.

The Huayue United Auction was a three-day event. On this first day, most of the items were of One and Two-Star grade.

So, while the bidding was fierce, only the penultimate highlight—a special Three-Star Flying Sword—managed to sell for over ten thousand Spirit Stones.

Most of the occupants in the auction’s private rooms, aside from those with special status, also had high-value items of their own up for auction.

Therefore, most guests received the items they won shortly after the bidding for them concluded, but the final settlement of accounts was typically handled at the end of the event.

Thus, just as the final item was sold and the auction ended, someone arrived at Zhang Deming’s room.

A middle-aged man entered, bowed to Zhang Deming, and said, ”Greetings, Fellow Daoist Zhang. My surname is Wu, and my given name is Jing. I serve as a Steward for the Huayue Auction House.”

Zhang Deming looked him over. ”Fellow Daoist Wu.”

After the introductions, Wu Jing began, ”Fellow Daoist Zhang, the item you consigned sold for 6,600 Spirit Stones. After deducting the ten percent auction fee, you are due 5,940 Spirit Stones.

”We’ve rounded that up to an even 6,000 Spirit Stones for you.

”You won two items in this auction, for a total cost of 9,500 Spirit Stones. Therefore, you just need to pay the difference of 3,500 Spirit Stones.”

The four shops he had established over the last six months brought him an income of over 4,000 Spirit Stones each month.

Combined with the nearly 30,000 he had earned from previous jobs, Zhang Deming’s net worth should have been around 50,000 Spirit Stones.

However, he hadn’t held onto it. He had spent most of it, leaving himself with 10,000 Spirit Stones and converting the rest into 400,000 Experience Points.

When he learned about the auction, Zhang Deming, fearing unforeseen circumstances, not only brought all 10,000 of his Spirit Stones but also a good number of Spirit Nurturing Beads.

Adding to that the 4,000 Spirit Stones he had unexpectedly acquired a few days ago, he now had 14,000 Spirit Stones on his person—a considerable fortune.

Three thousand-some Spirit Stones was not a problem for Zhang Deming.

Zhang Deming nodded and used the windfall he had received a few days prior to settle the payment.

Once the transaction was complete, Wu Jing smiled and said, ”Our auction will continue for two more days, and they promise to be even more exciting than today.

”If you, Fellow Daoist Zhang, have any items of sufficient value that you wish to consign during the event, please don’t hesitate to find us.”

Zhang Deming replied, ”Yes, I will.”

Wu Jing exchanged a few more pleasantries with Zhang Deming before turning to leave the room.

Zhang Deming tidied up briefly, then also rose and left the auction house, returning to his room in the Huayue Spirit Tower.

Now, he had to consider whether to stay or leave immediately.

If he were to leave, the next two days would be the best time. If he were to stay, he would have to wait at least a month before departing.

This was because once the auction ended, the areas surrounding Huayue City would descend into chaos due to the region’s unique environment. After a long moment of thought, Zhang Deming decided to leave at once.