Mortal: Starting by looting Han Laomo's entire herb garden

Tianxing City, Fengle Business Alliance.

When Lu Yan, who was wearing a mask, entered, there weren't many people in the lobby.

He glanced at it, walked straight to the counter, took out the golden spear from his storage bracelet, and placed it on the counter.

"Selling guns."

The waiter looked down and his eyes widened in surprise.

"This... please wait a moment, senior, I'll go and fetch the manager."

A short while later, a middle-aged man with a short beard came out from the back room, picked up the spear, and examined it carefully. After looking at it for a while, his brows gradually furrowed.

"How should I address you, fellow Daoist?"

"Nie Feng".

Lu Yan remained unfazed.

The shopkeeper nodded without asking any further questions, but pointed to the spear shaft and said, "This spear has been specially refined and is connected to its owner's mind. No one else can use it."

Lu Yan's heart stirred, but he didn't show it on his face.

The shopkeeper added, "However, the materials used in this spear are indeed of high quality. Several rare materials, which even I cannot identify, are mixed into the spear shaft. These materials alone are worth a considerable amount of spirit stones."

He pondered for a moment, then held up five fingers and added three more: "Eighty thousand spirit stones."

Lu Yan nodded: "Sold."

The shopkeeper was taken aback and looked up at him. He had been prepared to haggle when he quoted a price of 80,000 spirit stones for this gun, but he didn't expect the other party to agree to the price without even trying.

He glanced at the spear again and understood about 70-80% of what it meant.

This thing is of dubious origin. However, the Six-Linked Palace is in business, and not asking about the source is their rule. He put the gun away and handed over a bag of spirit stones.

"Fellow Daoist Nie, count them."

Lu Yan scanned the item with his divine sense, stored it in his storage bracelet, and prepared to leave.

"Fellow Daoist, please wait."

Lu Yan paused and turned to look at him.

The shopkeeper then took out a jade token from his pocket and handed it over: "In a month, our merchant alliance will be holding an auction with many good items. If you are interested, you are welcome to come and take a look."

Lu Yan accepted the jade token, but had no intention of going, guessing it probably didn't contain anything of value.

But with a sudden thought, he secretly performed a divination with his hand hidden in his sleeve.

"what?"

Lu Yan let out a soft exclamation. The divination indicated that there might be an opportunity at this auction.

He carefully put away the jade pendant, smiled, and said, "I'll definitely be there."

The shopkeeper cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and watched him leave.

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

Lu Yan was busy for the past month. He used the 80,000 spirit stones to craft the fragments dozens of times.

Relying on divination, he would consult the oracle before each trip, avoiding inauspicious or dangerous places, and thus he did not encounter any danger.

But I didn't find anything good.

I went to the spirit world twice, once in a desolate wilderness and once beside a monster's dung pit.

I went to Wulonghai three times; I fell into the sea twice and landed on a reef once.

Da Jin went there once and landed in a family's outhouse, scaring the old man who was using the toilet so much that he fainted on the spot.

I went to Tiansha Continent twice, and all I saw was sand.

Tiannan went there a few times, but didn't get anything, and even ran into Linghu.

After dozens of times, the storage bag contained a pile of junk.

A few pieces of unknown ore, a few half-dead medicinal herbs, a cracked bronze mirror, and a half-rolled book riddled with insects.

The only thing of any value was a few spirit stones found in an abandoned cave.

Lu Yan's divination skills did not apply to others; he only divined whether he himself was in danger.

In the original story, Gao Sheng was promoted because he plotted against others, and was subsequently punished by karma.

With precedents already set before him, he wouldn't risk taking that risk.

One last time, he consulted the oracle.

The hexagram indicates a mixed fortune.

Lu Yan stared at the divination chart for a long time, gritted his teeth, and pinched the fragment to activate his spiritual power.

Finally, I found a Thunder Soul Crystal in the Thunderstorm Ocean of the Northern Cold Immortal Realm.

He recalled the things destroyed in the Cleansing Pool: the Six Ding Heavenly Armor Talisman, the Mysterious Light Averting Calamity Cover, the Two Elements Gathering Yuan Ring, the Bodhi Pearl, the Soul Nourishing Hairpin, the Supreme Heart-Stabilizing Ring, the Supreme One Tranquilizing Pendant, the Ancient Copper Coin Treasure, the Azure Dragon Heart-Protecting Armor, and the pair of Ten Thousand Miles of Clouds and Mist Shoes.

This Thunder Soul Crystal, which can be used to resist inner demons, has made up for all those losses.

-----

The scene at the auction.

When Lu Yan entered, there were already thirty or forty people sitting inside, all of them masked, so their faces were not visible.

Led by a maid, he found his seat and sat down, his gaze sweeping over the room discreetly.

The place was very quiet; no one whispered to each other, each person looked at the person next to them, and then looked away.

A moment later, an elderly man in brocade robes stepped onto the stage, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Fellow Daoists, most of you probably know me. I will be hosting today's auction. As you all know, the highest bidder wins. If anyone tries to cause trouble, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Someone in the audience chimed in, "So it's Elder Fu! I didn't expect the Six-Linked Palace to have even invited you. It seems the items at this auction must be extraordinary!"

Elder Fu smiled and said, "So it's Fellow Daoist Luo from the Red Light Sect. How is Senior Jinxia from your sect?"

Just as the cultivator surnamed Luo was about to speak, an impatient voice came from the audience: "Alright, hurry up and start. We're not here to watch you make jokes."

Elder Fu's expression stiffened for a moment, but he quickly recovered and smiled, "In that case, let's begin."

He clapped his hands, and a maid came up with a tray covered with a red cloth.

"The first item up for auction is the Xuan Turtle Shield. Forged from the shell of a level-five Xuan Turtle, it can withstand a blow from a late-stage Core Formation cultivator. Starting price is five thousand spirit stones, with each bid increment no less than one hundred."

The red cloth was lifted, revealing a dark blue shield with ancient patterns on its surface, from which a faint spiritual light seemed to flow.

"Five thousand five." A masked old man in the corner said in a hoarse voice.

"Six thousand." An old woman's voice came from the other side.

"Six thousand five." The old man raised the price, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes.

"Seven thousand."

"Eight thousand."

"Nine thousand."

The old man remained silent for a while, then shook his head and said nothing more.

Elder Fu tapped the gavel: "This fellow Daoist has bid nine thousand. Is there anyone higher? Nine thousand spirit stones, first time; nine thousand spirit stones, second time; nine thousand..."

"Wait a minute," a young man's voice rang out, "I'll offer twenty thousand."

"Hiss!" A low gasp rippled through the crowd as everyone turned to look.

The person was completely shrouded in a black robe, even their eyes were covered, so their face could not be seen.

Elder Fu's face lit up with a smile, and his voice rose several decibels: "Twenty thousand! Any fellow Daoists willing to bid?"

The old woman reluctantly put down the sign in her hand and fell silent.

Elder Fu called out three times, but there was no response. He then made the final decision: "This Xuan Turtle Shield belongs to this fellow Daoist!"

Lu Yan sat in his seat, watching the auction items being brought up and taken away one by one, feeling somewhat drowsy.

After the Xuan Turtle Shield, several other items were presented, including magical artifacts, pills, and materials, all of which were of decent quality, but he didn't find any of them appealing.

Silver Moon's voice echoed in his mind, tinged with boredom: "Brother Lu, isn't there anything you like?"

Lu Yan thought to himself, "There's really nothing worth buying. Maybe my standards are too high."

Silver Moon muttered, "I think the first shield was pretty good; it could block attacks from late-stage Core Formation cultivators."

Lu Yan laughed and said, "The so-called ability to withstand a late-stage Core Formation cultivator means that he was instantly defeated by a late-stage Core Formation cultivator. Moreover, he was only dealing with an ordinary late-stage Core Formation cultivator, who would be no match for those Core Formation cultivators who possessed powerful treasures."

"That's really not good."

Just then, Elder Fu's voice suddenly rose eight octaves: "Next up is one of the three highlight items of this auction."

Everyone's attention was immediately drawn to him. Old Fu reached out and lifted the red cloth on the tray, deliberately slowing down his movements, as if to whet people's appetites.

Beneath the red cloth, a scroll lay quietly on the tray.

The reel was yellowed and the edges were curled, making it look quite old.

Many people in the audience looked disappointed, and some muttered under their breath, "That's it?"

Lu Yan's pupils contracted slightly.

The scroll was covered with densely packed characters, the shapes of which were strange and crooked, unlike any kind of writing in the human world.

But he recognized it as the script of the Wan Gu tribe.

If he hadn't been constantly traveling between different platforms, I really wouldn't have recognized him.

But it's a bit outrageous that this thing would actually appear in the human world.