I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

"Seventh item: Wind Spirit Feather"

As soon as Steward Gu finished speaking, everyone's eyes turned to him.

"This item is a supreme treasure of the wind attribute, which can be used to refine wind-type magic weapons, cultivate wind-type techniques, and improve movement speed. Starting bid: 200,000 high-grade spirit stones."

Two hundred thousand.

Qin Yuan frowned slightly.

He only had 80,000 high-grade spirit stones on him. This was just the "start-up capital" for his status as a Daoist disciple of the Taiyi Sect. He couldn't come up with 200,000.

But he was prepared.

"Two hundred and fifty thousand."

A hoarse voice rang out.

Qin Yuan looked in the direction of the voice and saw one of the three rogue cultivators, with a sinister face and greedy eyes staring at Feng Lingzhi.

"Three hundred thousand."

The woman in the fiery red dress spoke, her voice languid yet carrying an undeniable air of authority.

"Three hundred and fifty thousand."

The ruthless, unaffiliated cultivator gritted his teeth and demanded a higher price.

"Four hundred thousand."

The woman in the red dress remained calm and composed.

The gloomy rogue cultivator looked uneasy and ultimately did not raise the price further.

The woman in the red dress smiled slightly, about to speak, when suddenly a voice rang out.

"Five hundred thousand."

Everyone was stunned.

This sound—

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Qin Yuan in the corner.

The early stage of refining the void.

His breathing was ordinary.

Their attire and appearance didn't resemble that of a direct descendant of any powerful family.

How could someone like this dare to offer 500,000?

The woman in the red dress frowned slightly as she looked Qin Yuan up and down.

"Fellow Daoist, 500,000 spirit stones is no small sum. Can you afford it?"

Qin Yuan did not answer.

He simply took out a token from his pocket and placed it on the small table beside him.

The token is jet black, neither gold nor jade, with an ancient-style character for "war" engraved on the front.

—Fragment of the War God's Decree.

Although it was only one-ninth, everyone present could clearly sense the ancient aura it contained.

Steward Gu's expression changed slightly.

The woman in the red dress slightly constricted her pupils.

The two Heavenly Sword Sect disciples exchanged a glance, their expressions turning serious.

The gray-robed old man who had been resting with his eyes closed in the corner opened his eyes at this moment, his gaze falling on the War God Token, a thoughtful look flashing across his face.

"Young friend," Steward Gu said cautiously, "how much are you asking for this token?"

Qin Yuan said calmly, "Is exchanging them for Wind Spirit Feathers enough?"

Is it enough?

Of course it's enough.

The War God's Token is rumored to be the key to unlocking the Nine Heavens Palace. Although it is only a fragment, its value far exceeds hundreds of thousands of spirit stones.

Steward Gu took a deep breath and was about to speak when a voice suddenly interrupted him.

"Five hundred thousand spirit stones, plus this token, in exchange for the Wind Spirit Feather."

Everyone was stunned again.

The speaker was one of the two Heavenly Sword Sect disciples, handsome and with a cold, arrogant air. He stood up, looked directly at Qin Yuan, and a playful smile played on his lips.

"Fellow Daoist, my Heavenly Sword Sect needs this token for research. Name your price; spirit stones, cultivation techniques, and even personal favors are all negotiable."

Qin Yuan looked at him.

"No change."

The handsome disciple's smile remained unchanged, but his eyes turned colder.

"Fellow Daoist, think it through. The Heavenly Sword Sect's reputation is still worth some spirit stones in Wind Spirit City."

Qin Yuan picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"What does it have to do with me?"

The room fell silent.

The handsome disciple's face darkened visibly.

The woman in the red dress burst out laughing.

"Interesting." She looked at Qin Yuan with great interest. "Little brother, which family are you from? How dare you speak to someone from the Heavenly Sword Sect like that?"

Qin Yuan did not answer.

He simply looked at Steward Gu.

"Manager Gu, the rules of the auction are that the highest bidder wins. Did anyone surpass my bid?"

Manager Gu coughed lightly, glanced at the handsome disciple, then at Qin Yuan, and finally said, "According to the rules... this young friend did indeed offer the highest price."

"Wait!"

The handsome disciple said in a deep voice, "I offer 600,000 spirit stones, plus one Rank 8 Breakthrough Pill!"

Breakthrough Pill, a treasure for those in the Void Refining stage to break through to a minor realm, is worth at least 300,000 spirit stones.

Everyone was moved.

This is already a huge investment.

Qin Yuan frowned slightly.

He hadn't expected the people from the Heavenly Sword Sect to be so persistent.

While the Wind Spirit Feather is precious, it's not enough to drive the direct disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect to such desperate measures. Their true target is the War God Token.

Qin Yuan remained silent for a moment, just about to speak, when suddenly an old voice rang out.

That's enough.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw the old man in gray slowly getting up in the corner.

He was still wearing that unremarkable gray cloth coat, but when he stood up, the air in the entire hall seemed to freeze.

The oppressive aura of the Dao Integration stage cultivator was as deep and vast as the ocean, silently enveloping the entire area.

The handsome disciple's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly bowed, saying, "Junior Ye Wuhen of the Heavenly Sword Sect greets Senior. May I ask your name?"

The old man in gray ignored him.

He simply looked at Qin Yuan, his gaze calm.

"Young man, may I take a look at your token, please?"

Qin Yuan met his gaze.

He couldn't discern the old man's true nature, but he could sense that the other party meant him no harm.

He nodded, picked up the token, and handed it over.

The old man in gray took the token, examined it for a moment, and a complex emotion flashed in his eyes.

He then returned the token to Qin Yuan.

"Keep it safe," he said. "This is more important than you think."

He turned around and looked at Steward Gu.

"I'll buy the Wind Spirit Feather for him."

Steward Gu was stunned.

Everyone present was stunned.

The old man in gray took out a storage ring from his sleeve and casually tossed it to Steward Gu.

"There are two million spirit stones inside. As for the token, let's pretend it never happened."

Steward Gu took the storage ring, probed it with his divine sense, and his expression changed drastically.

He bowed deeply, his voice trembling slightly: "I will obey your instructions, senior."

The old man in gray stopped talking and walked outside.

He stopped when he reached Qin Yuan's side.

"Young man, Nanzhou is not like Qingzhou, so be discreet. Don't show this token to just anyone."

Qin Yuan stood up and clasped his hands in a salute.

"Thank you for the reminder, senior. May I ask your name?"

The old man in gray glanced at him, but did not answer, and continued walking outside.

His figure quickly disappeared into the teleportation array.

The hall was deathly silent.

The handsome disciple, Ye Wuhen, stared intently at Qin Yuan, his face ashen.

But he dared not say anything more.

Even if the Heavenly Sword Sect is arrogant, it wouldn't dare to make things difficult for someone personally protected by a Dao Integration stage expert.

"Let's go!"

He gave a cold shout and left with his companions.

The woman in the red dress looked at Qin Yuan, a hint of amusement flashing in her eyes.

"Little brother, you're lucky. But being targeted by the Heavenly Sword Sect isn't a good thing. How about your big sister protects you?"

Qin Yuan glanced at her.

"Thank you for your kindness, but no need."

The woman in the red dress wasn't annoyed. She chuckled lightly, got up, and left.

The rest of the people also dispersed one after another.

Soon, only Qin Yuan and Steward Gu remained in the hall.

Steward Gu presented the Wind Spirit Feather and the storage ring with both hands.

"Young master, please accept the Wind Spirit Feather. The two million spirit stones were a gift from that senior; please accept them as well."

Qin Yuan accepted the Wind Spirit Feather and the storage ring, his gaze shifting slightly.