Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

Chapter 659 Mingyuan Auction

The last day before the auction.

Mingyuan Fairy City, residence.

Li Yuan sat cross-legged on the stone platform, circulating the Nascent Soul Returning to Origin Technique and the Dark Abyss Demonic Origin Technique in parallel.

The bloodline spirit pattern network continues to operate, with dozens of cultivation-accelerating spirit patterns distributed on key nodes of the bloodline throughout the body. Environmental spiritual energy is guided by the spirit pattern's binding structure and then flows into the body at an accelerated pace.

The quality of the Nascent Soul's spiritual power increases faster in each cycle than before, and the condensation and accumulation of demonic energy accelerates simultaneously.

His cultivation is progressing rapidly.

Collect power.

The next day, at noon.

Auction house in the center of Mingyuan Immortal City.

The auction house is a massive, stand-alone building that occupies the very center of the Immortal City's central axis. The entire building is constructed of dark cyan spirit stone, with fourth-order defensive array patterns embedded in its outer walls, through which spiritual energy continuously flows.

A large number of cultivators had already gathered in the plaza in front of the building. Most of them were Golden Core cultivators, but there were also quite a few Foundation Establishment cultivators, and every now and then, Nascent Soul cultivators' escape lights would fall directly into the top floor of the building from the sky.

There are two passages at the entrance.

A plaque hangs above the left-hand passage: Inner Area, Nascent Soul Stage and Above.

Above the right-hand passage: Outer area, Golden Core cultivators and below.

Li Yuan, with his disguise slightly altered, entered through the passage on the right.

The outer area is a huge circular hall with a dome about ten zhang high, capable of accommodating hundreds of people. Stone seats are arranged in a tiered pattern around the central auction stage, offering a wide view.

Above the main hall was a ring of enclosed private rooms. The windows of the private rooms were blocked by spiritual energy barriers, so the inside could not be seen from the outside, but the cultivators inside the private rooms could clearly see the auction stage.

Li Yuan found a seat in the middle of the hall and sat down.

The Golden Core cultivators around them chatted in small groups, their voices filled with anticipation.

About fifteen minutes later, a middle-aged cultivator dressed in a dark gold robe stepped out from the auction stage. He was at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, with a kind face and a loud voice.

"Fellow Daoists, the 37th Mingyuan Immortal City Auction is now officially open."

After the auctioneer briefly explained the rules, the first item was brought to the stage.

A high-grade third-tier spiritual herb, the variety of which is the Condensing Essence Grass, used to refine auxiliary pills for Golden Core cultivators.

Starting bid: 20 high-grade spirit stones.

After the bidding began, several Golden Core cultivators in the hall raised their paddles. The price quickly climbed from twenty to thirty-five before the gavel fell.

Li Yuan did not participate and observed quietly.

The first five items were all third-tier spiritual materials and magical artifacts, not of high quality, and the competition was not fierce. Li Yuan noticed a phenomenon.

When the sixth item was brought to the auction, the auctioneer's presentation method changed.

"The sixth item is a fourth-tier spiritual herb, the Azure Vine. It is of superior quality."

The auctioneer paused. "The owner's requirements are not only spirit stones, but also that the bidder promise to provide the owner with a fourth-order array setup service."

A murmur of discussion arose in the hall.

"The starting bid is eighty high-grade spirit stones, plus one service for setting up a fourth-order formation. Both conditions are mandatory."

After the bidding began, the number of people raising their paddles decreased significantly. Most Golden Core cultivators lacked the ability to set up fourth-order formations, and even if they could afford the spirit stones, they couldn't meet the additional conditions.

Ultimately, the item was won by a monk in an inner box.

The auction doesn't appear to be a pure bidding war for spirit stones. Owners can attach various conditions beyond the spirit stones, including services, promises, and exchanges of goods.

The subsequent lots confirmed this.

The bidding conditions for a fourth-tier elixir include the additional requirement of guarding the spiritual vein for two thousand years. The bidding conditions for a magic artifact require the provision of three specified fourth-tier spiritual materials.

The auction system in the upper realm is far more complex than that in the lower realm. Spirit stones are only one part of the value; connections, abilities, and promises can all be used as bargaining chips.

Li Yuan did not participate in the auction; he mostly observed the proceedings.

The fourteenth lot.

The auctioneer retrieved a dark cyan disc, about the size of a palm, from backstage. The disc's surface was covered with dense spiritual runes, but several of these runes showed obvious breaks and damage. A continuous crack ran along the edge of the disc, and its overall condition was poor.

"The fourteenth item is a fourth-order array plate. It is a relic of the now-extinct Xuanji Sect, and its exact date is unknown."

The auctioneer's tone was flat.

"Starting bid: 120 high-grade spirit stones. Bidding only in spirit stones, no additional conditions."

Li Yuan's Array Dao Heavenly Pivot reacted the moment the array plate appeared.

The passive analysis of the purple permanent entry operates automatically, mapping the spiritual pattern structure on the surface of the array plate into the sea of ​​consciousness in real time.

The arrangement of the spirit runes is extremely unique.

The core circuit design of this fourth-order array is different from all the fourth-order arrays Li Yuan has encountered before. The circuits of conventional fourth-order arrays adopt a nested structure, with spiritual energy being transmitted step by step from the outer layer to the inner layer. The circuit design of this array plate is a spiral progression, with spiritual energy spreading outward from the center along the spiral path, and the density of spiritual energy increasing rather than decreasing with each spiral.

This design allows the array to utilize spiritual energy far more efficiently than conventional structures when activated.

"One hundred and fifty yuan." Li Yuan held up his sign.

No one in the hall bid.

There was no response from the private boxes inside.

After three hammer blows, the array plate was obtained.

The auction house staff delivered the array plate to Li Yuan's seat, and Li Yuan took it and touched the surface of the array plate with his fingers.

[Equipable item detected: Clarity Array Plate]

[Equipment Attribute Preview: Array Core Condensation (Blue)]

[Effect: Permanently increases cultivation speed by 50%; can absorb spirit stones, with an additional 10% increase in cultivation speed for every 100 high-grade spirit stones absorbed, up to a maximum of 100%]

[Preview of Permanentization Requirements: Mastery of Fourth-Order Array Formation]

The effect is very powerful.

The array plate generates income that can be carried around in a small world.

The auction continues.

The eighteenth lot.

The auctioneer's tone became more serious than before.

"The eighteenth lot is rather special."

A staff member presented a jade token, about the size of a palm, onto the auction stage. The token was milky white, with a complex spatial-like spiritual rune engraved on its surface. The spatial fluctuations contained within the rune were clearly visible to Li Yuan through his passive perception of spatial profundity.

"This is a pass," the auctioneer explained.

"The Tianheng Sect recently discovered a small world on the verge of collapse. The spatial structure inside the small world is extremely unstable and could collapse completely at any time. However, small worlds before collapse often contain a large number of rare and precious materials that have been condensed due to spatial compression."

"Pass holders may enter this small realm for exploration. The pass itself comes with a powerful spatial defense to maximize the safety of the holder, while also forcibly teleporting them back to the entrance."

The auctioneer paused.

"The risk lies in the fact that the collapse of the small world cannot be accurately predicted. How long you can explore after entering depends entirely on luck. At the same time, the spatial structure inside the small world is chaotic, and you may encounter dangers such as spatial rifts and spatial storms. The pass's defenses are only triggered when the small world completely collapses; you will have to deal with any spatial dangers you encounter along the way on your own."

"Starting bid: 150 high-grade spirit stones. Bidding in pure spirit stones."

A murmur of discussion arose in the hall.

"A collapsing mini-world? That's too risky."

"If it collapses the day after we go in, all 150 spirit stones will be wasted."

"Still thinking about spirit stones? He'd probably die on the spot."

"But if you're lucky, the items in the Collapsed Minion aren't things you can buy outside—"

Li Yuan didn't participate in the discussion; his gaze was fixed on the pass.

The collapsing little world.

One of the conditions for making the red entry permanent is to devour three naturally collapsed secret realm cores.

This pass offers a potential opportunity for advancement.

If a small world on the verge of collapse can reach its core area during the collapse process, it may meet the conditions for permanentization of the red-labeled term.

Although it's called a secret realm, this small world is clearly of a higher level than a secret realm, so it should be possible to succeed.

Of course, the risks are also clear. The timing of the minor world's collapse is uncertain, its internal spatial structure is chaotic, and ordinary cultivators face immense spatial dangers upon entering.

But for Li Yuan, spatial danger is almost non-existent.

Li Yuan pondered for a moment.

"One hundred and sixty yuan."

Two monks in the hall were bidding, and the price climbed to 190.

"Two hundred yuan," Li Yuan said, holding up his sign.

After a few breaths of silence, no one followed suit.

"Two hundred dollars once, two hundred dollars twice, two hundred dollars three times. Deal."

Pass obtained.

The staff brought over the pass, which Li Yuan took and scanned with his three-foot perception range.

There was no fluctuation in the number of entries.

The pass itself is merely a functional artifact and does not trigger the affix system.

Income is a personal microcosm.