Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 16 The Mystery of the Black Banner
As the old man knocked the hammer in his hand on the table, there was a crisp sound of metal hitting stone. Then a figure jumped down from private room No. 5 upstairs and landed on the circular platform. It was a middle-aged man.

"It's him." George Lam exclaimed in a low voice when he saw this person.

"What's wrong? Senior Brother Lin, do you know this person?"

"He's Qin Yang, the head of Yuanyi Sect. I didn't expect him to be here." Lin Zixiang glanced at the private room on the second floor. "The upstairs is almost completely occupied. This auction is definitely not ordinary. It seems that all the important people in Pingyuan County have come here. They must have heard the news and flocked here for some treasure."

"He is the headmaster of Yuanyi Sect." Song Xian looked at the man carefully. He saw that he had a strong build, bright eyes, an expressionless face, and a look of majesty without anger. It was obvious that he was a powerful figure who never showed his emotions.

"Congratulations, it was definitely a wise move for you to buy this item." The old man wrapped the ginseng with a smile on his face and spoke festive and flattering words.

After the transaction was completed, Qin Yang put the wooden box back into the high-level storage bag on his waist, and with a flash of his figure, he returned to private room number five upstairs.

"Now, please welcome the second item for this auction." As the old man finished speaking, another woman came in holding a jade plate.

"Our second item is a piece of silver essence, weighing five pounds and seven ounces..."

As each item was brought into the auction, it aroused enthusiastic bidding from the crowd and the auction became increasingly lively. Of course, some items were sold at the reserve price or even failed to sell.

After about half an hour, the two finally saw Mo Shijian appear.

"Next up is a top-grade flying sword." The old man lifted the red cloth, opened the stone box, and took out a long sword. "This is called the Mo Shi Sword, and it's quite powerful. You all know that a flying sword as a magical weapon must be extremely hard and sharp. Our professional appraisal has confirmed that this sword is primarily made of iron ore, supplemented by copper. It's of a very high level of refinement, containing thirty layers of restrictions. It was forged by Senior Zhang Ye, a renowned master in Pingyuan County."

"If there are any Qi-refining experts here, they should be familiar with Senior Zhang. Many magical instruments in Pingyuan County were created by him, and all of them are top-notch. He has refined many top-grade magical instruments."

"This Mo Shi Sword is a top-grade magical sword, with thirty layers of restrictions. Due to its age, the internal restrictions have worn away, and it is only about 70% to 80% new. However, this does not affect its power in the slightest."

"Now, the bidding price starts at 1,900 spirit stones, and each increase in price must not be less than 50 spirit stones."

After the old man finished speaking, no one in the venue said anything. Song Xian and Lin Zixiang were both waiting anxiously below. Seeing that the incense had burned a quarter and no one had bid, Lin Zixiang could no longer sit still. He raised his sign and shouted, "One thousand nine hundred spirit stones."

"Fellow Daoist number sixty-seven is offering one thousand nine hundred. Is there anyone who wants to raise the price?"

After a while, someone slowly raised a sign: "One thousand nine hundred and fifty."

"Daoist No. 21 bids one thousand nine hundred and fifty. This thirty-story, top-grade flying sword is suitable for cultivators in the late stage of Qi Refining. If it were in a market attic, this level of magical weapon would sell for at least two thousand five hundred spirit stones. You'll make a profit if you buy it."

When the old man saw someone bidding, he began to flatter him even more.

His words really had some effect. Immediately, someone raised a sign and offered a price of two thousand spirit stones.

After several rounds of bidding, the price of the flying sword rose directly to nearly two thousand two hundred spirit stones.

At this moment, a voice came from the treasure room on the second floor: "Two thousand and four."

Surprisingly, a foundation-building cultivator took action and added two hundred spirit stones, raising the price to two thousand four.

The venue was silent and no one raised the price. It was obvious that the price had exceeded the psychological expectations of several bidders.

So, after the incense burned out, this top-grade flying sword was bought by a foundation-building cultivator for two thousand four hundred.

Lin Zixiang showed a look of joy. Two thousand four hundred spirit stones definitely exceeded his expectations. He was also lucky today. With so many foundation-building cultivators coming to participate in the auction, he had the chance to be noticed by a foundation-building cultivator and was directly bought at a price higher than everyone's expectations.

Otherwise, it would definitely not reach 2,400 spirit stones. 2,200 spirit stones was already the limit because after this price was announced, no one bid for a long time until the foundation-building cultivator raised the price by another 200.

As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he naturally disdains to compete with these Qi Refining cultivators at a fifty-fifty price, as this would be a loss of face.

Presumably, the Foundation Establishment cultivator wanted to give this item to his nephews and grandchildren, so after several Qi Refining cultivators below had bid several times and no one else made an offer, he finally raised the price and bought it directly.

After the transaction of Mo Shi Sword was completed, the auction of Yuan Lin Flag began immediately. The Yuan Lin Flag, which had a starting price of 1,400 spirit stones, was sold for 1,600 spirit stones after two rounds of bidding.

The two top-grade magic weapons were sold for a total of four thousand spirit stones, which far exceeded expectations.

After that, many auction items were brought to the front, and the atmosphere of the entire auction reached its climax only when the last item was brought to the circular podium.

It turned out to be a bottle of elixir that could improve the foundation-building cultivators. The whole bottle contained ten elixirs, which had been refined not long ago.

As soon as this item appeared, it immediately triggered an auction, and the foundation-building monks in the room on the second floor raised the price frantically.

.........

After the auction ended, the two went backstage, found the elderly official who had signed the document, and took out 3,790 spirit stones.

It was originally 4,000 spirit stones, but because of the premium, an additional 30% profit had to be paid, which means 210 spirit stones had to be deducted.

With this sum of spirit stones, plus the pills they had sold over the past few days, they had made up the remaining amount. They then went to Baoshen Pavilion, bought the foundation-building pills, and then boarded the spirit ship back to Changping City.

.........

Inside the grand mansion at the Qingyun Sect's mountain gate, Sect Leader Zhang Shilin looked at the Foundation Establishment Pill in his hand with a satisfied smile, and said three "good" words in a row.

"Godfather, there are still a few bottles of high-level elixirs left from this trip." Lin Zixiang took out a few wooden boxes from his storage bag and presented them.

"Please keep these! You have been traveling back and forth and have worked hard. It took you so long to come back. I guess your trip was not very smooth!" Zhang Shilin waved his hand.

George Lam then told him about his experiences on the trip.

"Xian'er, did you gain anything from going down the mountain this time?"

"This trip with Senior Brother Lin has broadened my horizons and yielded a lot. Not only did we spend many days running around the various attics in the market, but we also witnessed the auction, which was truly an eye-opener. I was delighted to see the treasure and even bought a low-grade magical weapon."

Zhang Shilin smiled faintly: "The reason why I ordered you to go is to broaden your horizons. Since you feel that you have gained a lot, then my good intentions have been worthwhile."

"With this foundation-building pill, I will attempt to build my foundation again in the near future. During this time, I will practice in seclusion to adjust my condition to the best possible state. You don't have to come to my house to pay your respects every time, but you must not neglect your practice, whether it's training, studying magic, or the art of talismans. Never slack off."

"Yes, disciple obeys your command, Master, don't worry. Disciple will practice diligently. I wonder when Master will be able to achieve the foundation-building stage?"

"Master has failed in his previous attempts to establish his foundation. This time, facing a do-or-die battle, I must be fully prepared. I am determined to perfect my technique before attempting to establish my foundation. As for whether I can succeed, everything depends on fate."

When talking about this, Zhang Shilin's originally smiling face became solemn.

He is old, and he has failed in his previous attempts to build his foundation, so he doesn't have much confidence this time.

But if you don’t try again, you won’t even have the chance to try in the future.

"Master, you are blessed by God, and you will definitely succeed this time." Song Xian naturally hoped very much that he could break through the Foundation Establishment Stage. The status of the two of them was already determined, and they had a relationship in which they would prosper and suffer together.

"I hope so. Please keep this a secret, just between us a few of you, to avoid any complications."

"Yes."

After chatting for a while, Song Xianfang said goodbye and left, returned to the backyard of the mansion, and took out the black flag.

Before this, he had been with George Lam, and it was not convenient for him to show unusual interest in the black banner for fear of arousing suspicion. Now he finally had the opportunity to study it carefully.

He held the black banner in his hand and poured the spiritual power in his body into it, breaking the restrictions inside.

In an instant, a ray of blood gushed out from inside and appeared on the banner. Song Xian's consciousness entered the black banner's restriction and drove the black banner to attack.

The blood light broke away from the banner and shot towards the stubborn stone in the distance.

The flash of blood passed by like a dagger stabbing into a hard stone. Without any sound, the blood light immediately dissipated and disappeared without a trace.

That's it?

Song Xian was very disappointed. After a flash of blood, the black flag stopped responding. No matter how he used his spiritual energy, it was useless.

With that kind of power, I might as well just throw a knife at it! At least you'd hear a sound.

The spiritual energy in his body flowed into his eyes, opening the eyes of true observation, and a line of data emerged in his mind.

Dharma Instruments: (Panners and Flags)

Ban???

Attack power: ???

Defense: ???

Completeness: ???

What does this mean?! What is this?
It is clearly a low-grade magic weapon with only one layer of restrictions, so why does my Eye of True Observation show so much unknown?

Song Xian was puzzled and put the black banner aside, ignoring it. He began to practice the Fireball Technique, which he had not yet mastered to the intermediate level and needed to intensify.

After performing two or three spells, his spiritual power was almost exhausted, so he went to the training room.

(End of this chapter)