Primordial Treasure Mirror

This applies to independent cultivators and cultivators from small families.

Even if their spiritual root aptitude is no worse than that of sect cultivators, their cultivation techniques and resources are far inferior.

A complete and systematic inheritance of cultivation techniques is something that is extremely rare and hard to come by for independent cultivators and cultivators from small families.

Not to mention independent cultivators, many small family cultivators' cultivation techniques and spells are mismatched, completely cobbled together from different sources.

Under such conditions, cultivators are naturally weaker than sect cultivators in all aspects.

Su Yang made a silent assessment in his mind.

Among the people present.

Even those few cultivators in the late stage of Qi Refining might not be stronger than him.

If things really come to a head...

With his improved spells and spiritual energy quality far exceeding that of ordinary Qi Refining Level 6 cultivators, he was confident in his ability to contend with the late-stage Qi Refining cultivators present.

There's even a chance of a surprise attack and a counterattack.

However, these thoughts only briefly crossed his mind.

Su Yang had no intention of causing trouble here.

He came here only for the auction. Regardless of whether he buys anything he wants, he will immediately head to Jinsha Market and will not linger here.

Su Yang entered Qingyang Pavilion and followed the flow of people to the second floor.

There were already many waiters waiting on the second floor of Qingyang Pavilion.

He showed his token, and the shop assistant led him into the auction hall on the second floor.

The second floor is truly a hidden gem.

The entire floor was opened up into a spacious lobby.

A wooden platform about half a person's height was set up directly in front of them, covered with dark cloth.

There was a long table on the stage, and nothing else.

The other three directions were filled with seats, rows of seats neatly arranged.

From near to far, it can accommodate about two to three hundred people.

The guide led Su Yang to a relatively forward position and respectfully said:

"Immortal Master, this is number twenty-eight."

Su Yang nodded slightly. After the waiter left, he sat down in his seat and calmly looked around.

At this point, nearly half the people in the auction hall were already seated.

These people seemed to have a clear sense of awe and respect.

Those with high cultivation levels and family members were mostly in the front positions.

Those with low cultivation levels could only sit in the back.

Those at the front were clearly quite familiar with each other, sitting in twos and threes, talking in hushed tones.

Some people close their eyes and rest alone, ignoring the noise around them.

Su Yang's location was surrounded by cultivators at the Qi Refining or Middle Qi Refining stage.

They were a little curious to see Su Yang, a stranger, but seeing his indifferent demeanor, no one came up to talk to him.

Su Yang then turned his gaze to the three groups of people in the row of seats closest to the stage.

The three groups occupied three different positions and sat at the very front, clearly indicating that they were the three groups with the highest status among the people present.

Each of these three groups has a leader.

Their auras were noticeably more robust than those of the other cultivators; they were all cultivators in the late stage of Qi Refining.

In terms of clothing and appearance, they are much more particular than others around them.

One was an elderly man with a sharp and capable appearance; another was a slightly overweight middle-aged man with a smiling face who looked quite amiable; and the third was a young man with an arrogant face who looked down on everyone else.

"These three groups should be from the Zhang, Wang, and Zhao families."

Su Yang instantly identified them.

Soon, the discussions of several independent cultivators nearby corroborated his judgment.

"I didn't expect that the fourth elder of the Zhao family would come in person. He rarely goes out, so it seems that he has something he is determined to get today."

"The eldest son of the Zhang family has also arrived. He is the next heir of the Zhang family. I heard that he broke through to the late stage of Qi Refining a few months ago. He is not even forty years old yet, and he may have a chance to establish his foundation!"

"Old Master Wang is here too. He's a smiling tiger. Don't be fooled by his cheerful face; he's swindled countless people over the years."

"It seems there are some good items at this auction. All three auction houses are really serious. I'm afraid we won't have a chance today."

"Who cares? They're fighting over good stuff. We're not here to snatch it from them. I'll be content as long as I can get a couple of useful items."

"Exactly, even if these three don't come, we still can't afford the really good stuff."

......

Su Yang listened to the discussions of the crowd without showing any emotion, piecing together the scattered information in his mind and making a general judgment about the three businesses in Tianyun Market.

Tianyun Market is jointly managed by three entities, which both cooperate and compete with each other.

Because they share common interests, they maintain a facade of harmony and mutual benefit.

Behind the scenes, they've been constantly making various underhanded moves.

After all, wherever there are interests, there will be disputes. If one side takes a bigger bite, the other two sides will take a smaller bite. It is obviously impossible to achieve true harmony.

"A market town is divided among three families; this is the helplessness of small families."

"Unlike the Qingyang Sect, they don't have to pay anything; they can gain more benefits than these small families just by making a name for themselves."

"This is the rule of the cultivation world: the strong can possess everything."

Su Yang shook his head:

"I imagine the situation in Jinshafang City is not much different from here; the two Foundation Establishment families are unlikely to be very harmonious."

He withdrew his gaze, no longer looking at the three families, and closed his eyes to rest, waiting for the auction to begin.

The hall became increasingly crowded.

The seats were gradually filled.

The discussions grew increasingly noisy, with some people talking and laughing loudly, others discussing in hushed tones, and still others pacing back and forth, greeting acquaintances.

Although Su Yang didn't open his eyes, his ears were constantly working, and he managed to pick up quite a few pieces of information from the noise.

He learned that the highlight of today's auction at Qingyang Pavilion might be a top-grade magical artifact.

He also confirmed that there were indeed high-quality pills for cultivators in the mid-to-late stages of Qi Refining at today's auction.

This filled him with anticipation.

At the same time, there were also many outrageous reports.

For example, there might be Foundation Building Pills at this auction.

Su Yang almost laughed when he heard the news.

Even within the Qingyang Sect, the Foundation Establishment Pill is a rare and precious item.

No cultivator who obtains it would put it up for auction.

Besides, even if someone obtains the Foundation Establishment Pill, it will inevitably be intercepted by Qingyang Pavilion once it reaches them.

An auction of a Foundation Establishment Pill is nowhere near as valuable as its use within the Qingyang Sect.

Su Yang even suspected that, if necessary, the people of Qingyang Pavilion would also transform into Tribulation Cultivators.

I've heard a lot of true and false news.

About fifteen minutes passed.

when!

The bell rang.

Su Yang opened his eyes.

A familiar-looking person walked out from the side of the wooden platform.

It was Manager Zhao from yesterday.

Today he changed into a more formal dark blue long gown and stood on the stage with a calm expression.

After looking around, he spoke slowly and deliberately:

"Fellow Daoists, you have been waiting for a long time."

"Today's auction will be presided over by Mr. Zhao. As usual, the highest bidder wins. The auction will be concluded after three bids and if no one raises the price, the auction will be completed."

"Do any of you fellow Daoists have any questions?"