Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Harvesting the Talents of Demonic Beasts

Chapter 87 Green Leaves Falling on Cold Branches (Second Update, Seeking First Subscription)

After a moment of unanimous silence, people began to make scattered bids:
"Two hundred and ten spirit stones."

Two hundred and thirty.

"I'll offer two hundred and forty."

……

Lin Changheng felt a slight sense of relief. The fact that the bid increase was already below the minimum requirement meant that no one had a strong desire to own this item.

There wasn't even a single bid that crossed the line.

This put his mind at ease.

"Two hundred and eighty low-grade spirit stones."

"Two hundred and ninety!"

"I'll offer three hundred. If anyone offers more, I'll gladly give it to them."

Bidding prices continued to grow weakly, and many of the already limited bidders gave up.

At this moment, Lin Changheng spoke:

"Three hundred and fifty spirit stones."

He made a sharp leap, intending to intimidate his already conflicted competitors.

As soon as the price was announced, many eyes turned to him, and those who saw Lin Changheng in his black robe and bamboo hat were filled with surprise.

Could this person be a consignor or a shill hired by the auction house?

They raised the price by 50 right off the bat.

They're either shills or just rich fools!

This idea popped into the minds of many people.

Therefore, they naturally wouldn't follow suit.

Lin Changheng was secretly delighted. After waiting a moment, just as the old man was about to conclude the bidding:

"A fellow Daoist has bid 350 low-grade spirit stones, 351st bid! 352nd bid! 353rd bid..."

"Wait a minute."

But the next moment, a rather clear female voice rang out, echoing throughout the room:

"This humble woman offers three hundred and sixty."

The old man stopped speaking and continued with a smile, "Another fellow Daoist has offered a new price of three hundred and sixty spirit stones. Does anyone else wish to make a bid?"

As he spoke, he looked encouragingly in the direction where Lin Changheng was.

At this moment, many eyes, including Lin Changheng's, were scrutinizing the female cultivator who had intervened at the last minute.

She was positioned towards the back of the field, wearing a loose, moon-white robe that couldn't conceal her impressive curves, which were so heavy they gave off a suffocating sense of oppression.

The wide hood partially concealed her chin, revealing glimpses of her snow-white chin.

Could it be that this woman also has her eye on this item and is planning the same thing as him?

Lin Changheng's gaze darkened slightly.

If that's the case, it might be really difficult to win.

Then, continuing with a cold and indifferent quote, devoid of any emotion, he said, "Three hundred and ninety pieces."

"Four hundred."

The female cultivator continued calmly, pressing her advantage without yielding an inch.

"Four hundred and thirty."

The price quickly approached Lin Changheng's bottom line.

"Hmm, I'll put up four hundred and forty."

The female cultivator's face was concealed, and the waves beneath her moon-white robe rose and fell normally without any ripples. This behavior made Lin Changheng unable to figure out her true nature for a while.

But this tense scene was something the elderly host was delighted to see, and even the wrinkles around his eyes curled up with pleasure.

That's it.

Lin Changheng sighed inwardly. Who would have thought he would encounter a competitor who seemed to have plenty of money? He was quite helpless, knowing that continuing the competition would be too costly and unbearable.

"Four hundred and seventy!"

He announced another price, stating that if the female cultivator exceeded it again, he would simply give up. "Four hundred..."

The female cultivator's voice, as if acting on a conditioned reflex, rang out again. Lin Changheng immediately shook his head slightly, deciding to give up, but the voice abruptly stopped the next moment.

Because she heard a solemn, aged voice reminding her: "Don't get carried away, save the spirit stones for last!"

"Ok?"

She gave up on the offer? An unexpected surprise welled up inside me.

Lin Changheng immediately turned his head to look, only to see the female cultivator sitting in the same spot, her body motionless, her expression unseen, but the curve of her chest bounced violently a few times.

Clearly, he was in a bad mood, but his anger was immediately suppressed.

Looking around, I couldn't make out who it was; they must have used a [sound transmission technique].

Next, the female cultivator indeed stopped speaking, focusing her gaze on her nose and her mind as if in deep meditation, completely ignoring the encouraging look from the elderly abbot.

"...Four hundred and seventy pieces in three rounds! Congratulations to this fellow Daoist for winning the item."

The elderly host finished the chorus, confirming the winner.

Throughout the entire process, from feeling certain of victory to being forced to give up, and then to finding a way out, the rollercoaster-like experience amplified Lin Changheng's emotions. Realizing this, he immediately forced himself to concentrate and calm down.

Many eyes turned to Lin Changheng, who had ultimately emerged victorious, scrutinizing him closely. Lin Changheng, however, sat upright and composed, seemingly oblivious to everything, like a wooden sculpture, revealing no information whatsoever.

At the same time, many eyes turned to the white-robed female cultivator, some with ill intentions, scrutinizing her from head to toe as if trying to figure something out.

The fact that these two appeared to be without any companions and that they possessed a large number of spirit stones made it hard not to arouse some malicious thoughts.

It's not scary to be a traitor; what's scary is... a passerby who might suddenly become a traitor at any moment.

After it was all over, he became a normal cultivator again, making it impossible to tell the difference.

……

The auction continued, and Lin Changheng did not bid again.

Midway through the transaction, a waitress guided me to a side booth to complete the transaction, after which I returned to the auction site.

One after another, rare and unique items were brought out for auction, sparking fierce competition.

It was as if the cultivators, who had suppressed and restrained their emotions all day, were about to unleash them at this moment.

As dusk approached, the excitement finally reached its peak.

The old man clapped his hands, and a tray was brought to the stage by a waitress.

Two cultivators stood with their hands behind their backs beside him, escorting him on the left and right.

"hiss!"

The two individuals' cultivation levels were not concealed, revealing their immense power. Their aura surged like waves, indicating that they were Foundation Establishment cultivators.

It immediately stunned the entire audience, causing a collective gasp to rise in unison.

At this point, how could the cultivators below not know what was on the tray?
Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object!

That's why they are so cautious, and why they have the treatment of being guarded by two Foundation Establishment cultivators.

As expected, the old man suddenly lifted the red silk on the tray, and a bright blue light burst forth, casting a hazy glow over the entire auction hall.

"Green leaves fall on cold branches!"

The room fell silent for a moment, then erupted into an uncontrollable commotion.

Even Lin Changheng, who had been lazily leaning back in his chair, straightened up slightly, and his eyes under his bamboo hat were filled with eagerness.

"So this is a Foundation Establishment spiritual object?"

Lin Changheng's fingertips unconsciously traced the edge of the chair, but his eyes were unable to leave the tray.

This three-inch-long jade branch is carved entirely like jade, with two translucent tender leaves at the tip, and spiritual liquid seems to flow in the veins of the leaves.

Legend has it that this creature grows in extremely cold places such as cold pools, dark caves, and glaciers, taking a hundred years to grow to only an inch. It contains an extremely vast and pure spiritual energy, as well as a unique spiritual energy that can help cultivators break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Direct refining can increase the success rate of a Qi Refining Level 9 cultivator breaking through the bottleneck by 10%!
"I suppose this item needs no further introduction from me?"

"Starting bid: three thousand spirit stones!"

"Each increase in price is no less than one hundred."

The elderly host stopped wasting time with introductions and began speaking loudly, thus initiating the competition for the Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object.

(End of this chapter)