After being jilted by the saintess at the beginning, why is she crying?

He was able to use spiritual artifacts during the Qi Refining stage because he had five spiritual roots, and his total spiritual power and level of solidification far exceeded those of his peers. He had also taken pills that increased spiritual awareness.

But ordinary Qi Refining cultivators don't have such conditions.

This Jiangshan Yiqi Crossbow was, to them, a divine weapon they had always dreamed of.

Lin Fengmian's gaze fell on the dark gold crossbow, and suddenly a thought struck him.

He turned his head and looked at Yun Caiyue beside him.

The little girl remained obediently leaning on his shoulder.

He seemed completely uninterested in the bidding on stage, simply playing with his fingers quietly.

Lin Fengmian felt a slight warmth in his heart.

Yun Caiyue helped him a lot this time.

She gave away the Foundation Establishment Elixir formula, such a precious item, without hesitation.

They brought him to this auction, showing him many things he wouldn't normally encounter.

He kept this kindness in his heart.

This crossbow that symbolizes the entire nation... is perfect for her.

Yun Caiyue is also in the Qi Refining stage, although she has a noble status.

There's no shortage of good things around us, but having an extra magical artifact for self-defense is never a bad thing.

Lin Fengmian withdrew his gaze and looked downstairs.

At this moment, the bidding has entered a fierce stage.

"Seventeen thousand!"

"Seventeen thousand five hundred!"

"Eighteen thousand!"

A young cultivator dressed in brocade robes gritted his teeth and announced the price.

Sweat was already beading on his forehead.

This price is the limit he can afford.

however--

"Twenty thousand spirit stones."

A calm voice came from a private room on the second floor.

The hall fell silent immediately.

Everyone's eyes instinctively turned to the second floor.

Twenty thousand spirit stones!

This price far exceeds the actual value of the Jiangshan Yiqi Crossbow!

The young cultivator's face turned pale. He opened his mouth, but ultimately slumped down.

He couldn't afford a higher price.

After a brief silence, another, slightly aged voice came from another private room:

"Twenty-one thousand."

Lin Fengmian raised an eyebrow.

Is anyone else following?

He glanced at the private room, then spoke again, his voice still calm:

"Twenty-two thousand."

There was a moment of silence on the other end, and ultimately no further bids were made.

"Twenty-two thousand spirit stones per attempt!"

Hongluan's voice rang out on the stage, tinged with laughter.

"Twenty-two thousand spirit stones twice!"

"22,000 spirit stones in three transactions! Sold!"

She brought down the gavel, her gaze sweeping towards the private room where Lin Fengmian was, a smile playing on her lips.

"Congratulations to this senior for successfully bidding on the Jiangshan Yiqi Nu!"

Inside the private room.

Lin Fengmian withdrew his gaze and turned to look at the transmission barrier in the corner.

A moment later, a flash of light appeared on the barrier.

An exquisite jade box appeared out of thin air.

Lin Fengmian walked over, picked up the jade box, and opened it.

Inside lay the dark gold crossbow, lying quietly.

There were also three spare mid-grade spirit stones next to it, obviously a bonus from the auction house.

He took out the crossbow, held it in his hand, and examined it closely.

The crossbow body was warm to the touch, heavy, and had a very high-quality feel.

The runes on it are engraved with great detail and shimmer with spiritual light, clearly the work of a master.

Lin Fengmian examined it for a while and quickly discovered its secret.

A mid-grade spirit stone was already embedded in the slot on the side of the crossbow.

It was emitting a faint spiritual light.

The spiritual light flowed slowly along the runes, providing a stable source of spiritual power to the entire crossbow.

"I see."

Lin Fengmian understood.

The reason why the Jiangshan One-Qi Crossbow can be used by Qi Refining stage cultivators is...

The key lies in these mid-grade spirit stones.

Ordinary spiritual artifacts require cultivators to activate them with their own spiritual power.

This crossbow, however, uses spirit stones instead of the cultivator's spiritual power, essentially making it self-powered.

A Qi Refining cultivator can activate the spiritual power within the spirit stone and turn it into an attack simply by pulling the trigger.

Although it consumes a lot of energy, it can be life-saving in critical moments.

He nodded and turned to walk towards Yun Caiyue.

Yun Caiyue remained seated on the soft couch. When she saw him approaching, she looked up, her eyes filled with curiosity.

Lin Fengmian sat down beside her, handed her the Jiangshan Yiqi Crossbow, and smiled:

"Caiyue, this is for you. Keep it with you in case of danger."

Yun Caiyue was stunned.

...Is this a gift for myself?

A warm feeling welled up in Yun Caiyue's heart, sweet as if she had eaten honey.

She opened her mouth, her voice trembling slightly:

"Brother Fengmian... is this for Caiyue?"

Lin Fengmian nodded, seeing her like this,

Thinking she wouldn't like it, I awkwardly touched my nose.

After all, Yun Caiyue has a noble status, and there must be many cultivators pursuing her on a daily basis.

The gifts they give must be of high quality.

Will she think the things I bought with 20,000 spirit stones are too shabby?

He coughed lightly and said:

"Caiyue, don't be put off. This thing isn't worth much, but I think it suits you quite well..."

Before she could finish speaking, Yun Caiyue shook her head violently.

"No, no!"

She quickly waved her hand, her face slightly flushed, and said incoherently:

"Caiyue, Caiyue doesn't mind! Caiyue just... just didn't expect that Brother Fengmian would give it to Caiyue... This, this is too precious..."

As she spoke, she took the crossbow with both hands and hugged it tightly to her chest, as if she were holding some rare treasure.

Her eyes were slightly red, but the corners of her lips couldn't help but turn up.

That feeling of being cared for and cherished.

It filled her with a sense of happiness.

Seeing this, Lin Fengmian finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He reached out and ruffled her hair, smiling as he said:

"As long as you like it."

Yun Caiyue nodded vigorously, looked up at him, her eyes filled with tenderness:

"Yes! Ayatsuki likes it very much! She likes it very much!"

After saying that, she leaned closer again, gently resting her head on his shoulder, her hands still tightly clutching the crossbow, her heart fluttering with longing.

Lin Fengmian looked down at her; a captivating blush graced her fair cheeks.

Her eyelashes fluttered slightly, and a sweet smile graced her lips.

His heart fluttered slightly, and he reached out to put his arm around her waist, pulling her closer.

……

The auction continues.

The next few items were mostly elixirs, magical artifacts, and cultivation techniques.

Although its quality was good, it didn't hold much appeal for Lin Fengmian.

He would occasionally bid and buy a few useful materials, then stop making purchases.

Yun Yue remained obediently by his side throughout.

He didn't care about the auction items at all; it was as if having him by his side was the greatest satisfaction.

Several more rounds passed.

Hongluan on the stage suddenly stopped speaking, her gaze sweeping across the entire audience, and she coughed lightly.

That soft cough clearly reached everyone's ears.

The somewhat noisy discussions in the hall instantly fell silent.

Everyone knows that—

The main event is about to begin.

A smile curved Hongluan's lips as she slowly spoke:

"Ladies and gentlemen, the next item to be auctioned is sure to excite many of you."

Next, this item will likely be of great interest to alchemists and will be the final item in this auction.