Elderly Martial Saint: Sixty Times the Cultivation Speed ​​at the Start

Second-floor private rooms.

Xie Tinglan watched through the crystal window as the maid carefully carried away the Heart-Searching Pill. She turned and tugged at Han Ji's sleeve, her voice softer than usual: "Brother Han, congratulations, you have two hundred and forty-five spirit crystals."

She leaned closer to Han Ji, her tone slightly ingratiating: "Tianxin Sect truly lives up to its reputation as the number one sect in Qingzhou. They can sell a single pill for such a high price. Our Zhuxi Sect wouldn't even dare to dream of that."

Han Ji held his teacup, not denying the claim that they were "the number one sect in Qingzhou".

He took a sip of tea, a reserved smile on his lips. In front of outsiders, Xie Tinglan was a cold and aloof elder of the Zhuxi Sect, known for being difficult to get along with, and everyone had to treat her with respect.

Yet, even after all these years, she still reveals this girlish demeanor in front of him, her coquettishness no different from when they first met. Even after more than a hundred years, she still prefers the way the aloof fairy in other people's eyes sits humbly before her.

Han Ji put down his teacup and said in a nonchalant tone, "The Heart-Questioning Pill is not considered particularly rare within our Heavenly Heart Sect. Our Alchemy Peak, one of the seven peaks of our sect, produces quite a few every year. As an elder of the sect, I naturally have no shortage of these little things."

He paused, turned his head to look at Xie Tinglan, and said with a hint of arrogance, "As for you, didn't you keep saying you wanted a True Essence Lotus Seed? If there's a suitable one in the final auction item, I'll get it for you."

Hearing the promise from the man beside her, Xie Tinglan's eyes lit up. She gripped Han Ji's arm tightly, and a smile spread from the corners of her mouth to her eyebrows. Wasn't the reason she was willing to follow this man who was over a hundred years old because he was so generous?

It should be known that the True Essence Lotus Seed can increase the chance of breaking through from the True Qi Realm to the Profound Realm. One of them appeared in Hengyue Town before and was even bought by an ordinary martial artist. However, it is said that the martial artist's body was later found outside Hengyue Town.

There were rumors circulating that the lotus seeds that weren't auctioned were fake, that someone had set a trap. But this time it's different. This is the largest auction ever held by Qizhen Pavilion, so naturally the price manipulation that happened last time won't happen again.

What Xie Tinglan didn't notice was that the moment Han Ji turned his head to face the window, the smile that had just appeared on his face disappeared, and at the same time, the muscles on his face twitched a few times.

He was right when he said that the Heart-Questioning Pill was not the top-tier pill in the Heavenly Heart Sect.

But the phrase "not exactly rare" was purely something Han Ji made up.

The Alchemy Peak does produce quite a few pills of this level every year, but even for an elder like Han Ji in the Dharma Body Realm, the three-year quota is only two.

He sold one of the spirit crystals to a familiar buyer before leaving Qingzhou, earning 180 spirit crystals. He brought the remaining one all the way to this chaotic and powerful town of Hengyue.

There are many martial artists from outside the area, but few who know their stuff. As soon as they're put on stage, those people will drive up the price.

The facts are clear: 245 spirit crystals. This represents a premium of over 30% compared to the price in Qingzhou.

A very profitable deal.

Han Ji thought of the spirit crystals he had just acquired, and the wrinkles between his brows relaxed. He picked up the porcelain cup and drank the last sip of tea.

Xie Tinglan was still smiling and chattering beside him. Han Ji hummed twice, but his mind had already drifted to the final few items to be auctioned. He had heard that one of them was a damaged spiritual artifact.

He was determined to obtain that incomplete spiritual artifact, and naturally, the more spirit crystals the better.

……

In a private room on the first floor, Yi Yang sat cross-legged on a soft couch, showing no interest in the pills that had just been auctioned.

He asked Xin Dan if it had anything to do with him.

He still had seven petals left on the Golden Thread Yang Flower in his hand, enough for him to continue cultivating the three killing moves of the "Mind Monkey Guarding Intent Technique: Movement Image Chapter". Besides, his divine sense had already reached the second realm, "Breaking Illusion", so this pill was not even icing on the cake for him.

But he was not idle either.

For the next few items, Yi Yang circulated the "Yi Mu Zhen Yang Jing" while scanning the items on the table with his divine sense, evaluating them one by one.

The incomplete manual is unnecessary.

A True Qi Realm Elixir Gift Box is too low-grade.

A top-quality magic weapon spear in excellent condition, but it doesn't suit his style.

Each time he rejected an item, the progress on the panel jumped by several more 600s.

Time passed just like that.

It wasn't until the seventeenth item was brought to the stage by a maid that Yi Yang's eyes finally showed a change.

It was an exquisite sandalwood box. Inside, lying side by side, were a pair of boots. The boots were made of soft, silver-gray animal hide with a metallic sheen. The patterns on the soles were as winding as the wind, and at the end of each pattern was inlaid a small, turquoise stone the size of a grain of rice.

Lin Qi's voice rang out: "A top-grade magic weapon, the Cloud-Stepping Wind-Chasing Boots! The outer layer is made of Silver-Maned Leopard King hide, and the bottom is inlaid with a Wind Spirit Demon Core. The wearer's speed can be increased by 15% to 20% when using movement techniques!"

"For martial artists who aren't skilled in movement techniques or need to engage in close combat, these boots are a life-saving weapon!"

"Starting bid: Fifty spirit crystals!"

Upon seeing the item, Yi Yang sat up straight.

He kept his finger on the bidding paddle, not in a hurry to raise it.

Speed ​​has always been a significant weakness in his combat system. Currently, he has mastered the True Skill level movement technique "Flowing Crane Soaring Clouds," which is sufficient for daily use, but it doesn't offer much advantage when facing opponents at the same Transcendent Realm.

In the previous fierce battles against experts at the Tongxuan Realm, he made up for the speed gap by relying on his physical strength and the power of his spiritual weapon, Xuan Yuan.

However, this approach is ultimately not a long-term solution.

With the aid of these boots, even if it only increases his strength by 15%, in those few breaths of a life-or-death confrontation, it would be enough for him to strike an extra blow or dodge an extra step.

This is worth buying.

"Fifty-five pieces!" someone in the hall shouted first.

"Sixty pieces!"

"Sixty-eight pieces!"

Yi Yang didn't move.

The bidding in the hall lasted less than ten breaths before it stopped, with the price settling at seventy-five. Two voices from the first-floor VIP box took over, raising the price all the way up to ninety.

Yi Yang then spoke slowly and deliberately: "Ninety-one pieces."

Someone else chimed in, "Ninety-eight pieces."

Yiyang: "Ninety-nine."

The price was jumped from ninety-nine to one hundred and ten coins in one go. Another private room joined in and called out one hundred and twelve coins.

Yi Yang listened to the bidding going back and forth, tapping his fingers slowly on the bidding paddle, taking his time.

These two are very impatient; after several rounds, they've already called out 120.

One of the more impatient ones wanted to make a final decision, so he directly increased the number to one hundred and twenty-five.

Yi Yang's voice drifted from the private room, calm in tone but conveying an air of unwavering determination: "One hundred and twenty-six."

The court fell silent for a moment.

It's not a round number price increase. It's accurate to the last digit. It's just one more than yours.

This pricing method conveys the message—I'll go with whatever you offer, I want this.

The other private room, sensing Yi Yang's meaning, hesitated for a few moments before finally trying to catch up to 130 coins.

Yi Yang spoke almost without pausing: "One hundred and thirty-one."

Another one.

Both private rooms fell silent.

It's not that I can't afford a higher price. It's that this "you always have one more than me" bidding style indicates that the other person has already set a bottom price, and that bottom price is very high. Continuing to argue with this kind of person will result in a Pyrrhic victory, costing a lot of spirit crystals, which isn't worthwhile.

Lin Qi waited ten breaths, and after confirming that no one would raise the price further, he brought down the gavel and declared:

"One hundred and thirty-one spirit crystals, sold! Congratulations to the distinguished guest in the first-floor private room!"

Yi Yang nodded slightly.

The maid brought the boots into the private room. Yi Yang took them, took off his old boots that he had worn for quite some time, and put on the Cloud Chasing and Wind Boots.

The boots fit the shape of my feet perfectly and were incredibly light. A cool sensation came from my ankles as the Wind Spirit Stones were spinning on their own.

He walked a few steps in the private room and could feel his body become much lighter, and his feet were more sensitive to the ground. The shift in his center of gravity was smoother than before, and his whole body felt relaxed from the soles of his feet upwards.

satisfaction.

Yi Yang sat down cross-legged again, closed his eyes, and continued practicing his internal energy.

Over the next few hours, items were brought to the stage one after another. There were exquisite fragments of cultivation techniques that had been sold through secret auctions, several rare artifacts from the Witch Kingdom, and a couple of fine-aged spiritual herbs.

Yi Yang watched the whole process from the sidelines, keeping the bidding paddle by his side without touching it.

He needs to be careful with his spirit crystals, saving them for things that can truly transform his strength.

Time moved from afternoon to evening.

As darkness fell outside Tianyun Pavilion, maids filed in and lit the candles one by one. The flickering flames cast swaying shadows on the crystal windows.

After a full day of intensive auctions, most of the martial artists in the hall had left. Those who remained either still had goods in their pockets and were waiting to see the show, or they were just there to watch the spectacle without spending any money.

The first-floor private rooms were much quieter now. Many of the top experts on the Hero Ranking had lost their confidence to continue competing after spending a large amount of spirit crystals during the day.

Yi Yang opened his eyes.

He sensed a change.

The fluctuations in energy emanating from the second and top floors were significantly more intense than during the day, and those important figures who had been sitting silently all day began to stir.

In a sense, the entire day's auction was just an appetizer.

The real show is about to begin.

Lynch stepped onto the auction stage once again.

This time, he didn't strike the jade hammer, nor did he exchange pleasantries first. He simply stood in the center of the stage, surveying the entire audience, his shrewd eyes brighter than ever before.

After several moments of silence, he finally spoke.

The voice was slightly deeper than before, but each word was clear and resonated throughout every corner of the seven-story pavilion.

"Distinguished guests, thank you for your patronage throughout the day."

"Next up are the final six items of this auction."

"Each of these six items has been jointly appraised by three treasure appraisers from the Rare Treasures Pavilion, and they are all rare treasures in the world."

"After these six items are sold, tonight's auction will be over."

The words fell.

The entire venue was completely silent.

Yi Yang's divine sense clearly perceived that in the second-level private room above his head, the twelve auras of the Transcendent Realm simultaneously converged and condensed. The beasts, which had been lying in wait all day, finally smelled the scent of blood.

Even at the top level, the four unfathomable auras also showed extremely subtle fluctuations.

Yi Yang reduced the operating speed of the "Yi Mu Zhen Yang Jing" to the minimum, concentrating most of his mind on the perception of the "Breaking Illusion" state of consciousness.

He quickly mentally reviewed his ammunition.

After deducting the 131 spirit crystals spent today, I have about 860 spirit crystals left. I also have the complete True Essence Lotus and three Darkwinged Eggs, but these things are not suitable to be exposed in this situation.

In other words, the maximum amount of cash he can use is 860 spirit crystals.

Whether it's enough or not depends on what's on the stage next.

On the auction stage, Lin Qi raised his hand, signaling all the maids to step back.

He walked behind the side curtain and pushed out a small mahogany cart from behind an iron door reinforced with three layers of true qi.

The cart was covered with a thick layer of black brocade. The brocade covered everything completely, making it impossible to see what was inside, but at the edges, a glimmer of gold shone through, sometimes bright and sometimes dim.

All eyes in the room were focused on the cart.

Yi Yang narrowed his eyes slightly.

His "Breaking Through Illusions" realm divine sense had already penetrated the brocade, attempting to explore the specific form inside.

But to his surprise, he only sensed a blurry energy fluctuation, which was tightly concealed by some kind of restriction, making it impossible to see the substance inside.

The restriction that can block the divine sense of the "Breaking Illusion" realm is indeed extremely precious.

On the auction stage in the hall, Lin Qi, the owner of Qizhen Pavilion, placed his hand on a corner of the brocade.

~~~~~

First of all, I apologize to everyone. My writing skills are limited, and I couldn't do a very good job with this part of the story. So I can only make up for it with extra chapters. There will be three chapters today (about 10,000 words per day, 3,000 words per chapter).