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

Lin Qi pinched the edge of the brocade with his fingers and lifted it up.

The black brocade slipped down.

On the cart was a jade lotus platform, and in the center of the platform lay a True Essence Lotus with intact roots and snow-white petals.

The lotus pods, enveloped by lotus flowers, were plump and lush, their vibrant green color almost dripping with moisture.

Three True Essence Lotus Seeds were embedded on the surface of the lotus pod, each radiating an extremely pure emerald green starlight that swirled endlessly under the lamplight, dyeing the air within a few feet in the distance a pale green.

The entire venue fell silent the moment the green light appeared.

Yi Yang paused for a moment on the rim of the teacup.

He recognizes it, he recognizes it all too well.

A dozen days ago, in the heart of the lake in the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains, he personally dug out an identical True Essence Lotus, roots and all, stuffed the whole thing into a jade box, and stored it in his storage ring.

Inside that lotus seedpod, there were exactly five lotus seeds, no more, no less.

There are two more than the one on the stage.

Yi Yang put down his teacup and leaned back on the soft couch.

He hadn't expected that this would be one of the six final items, but upon further reflection, it seemed perfectly reasonable.

There is a vast chasm between the True Qi Realm and the Profound Realm.

Of the ten martial artists at the peak of True Qi, no more than two could cross that threshold. But this lotus seed could increase that probability by a full 30%.

For those old guys in the audience who have been struggling with bottlenecks for decades, this thing is a second life.

Thirty percent doesn't sound like much.

But for someone who has struggled for thirty, fifty, or even a lifetime without ever getting close to the threshold, 30% of them go from "no chance in this lifetime" to "maybe there's still a chance."

Yi Yang then remembered something else.

Previously, rumors circulated in Hengyue Town about an auction of True Essence Lotus Seeds, which were sold to a rogue cultivator at a high price. After that, the rogue cultivator disappeared without a trace. Outside the city, a corpse drained of its essence and blood was discovered, and people outside were saying that the lotus seeds were fake and that the buyer had been tricked.

Just as he was thinking about this, Lin Qi on the stage spoke:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sure many of you still have lingering fears about the True Essence Lotus Seed incident from last time."

Lin Qi did not avoid the topic; his voice was calm and measured, carrying the certainty that only someone who had spent their entire life in business possessed.

"Today, in front of all of you distinguished guests, I will explain the situation clearly."

Lin Qi explained that the lotus seed auctioned at the Treasure Pavilion was consigned by a group of martial artists from the Witch Kingdom. They used a special technique to coat the surface of the fake with a layer of pure vital energy, deceiving the eyes of the Treasure Pavilion's initial appraiser. After the transaction, the Witch Kingdom warriors ambushed the buyer outside the city, killing him to silence him, leaving no witnesses.

"After the incident, Lin was furious and personally captured and killed all of them."

As he said this, the businessman's smile vanished from his face, and his eyes revealed the coldness befitting a fourth-level Transcendent Realm expert.

The audience was silent.

Lin Qi paused for a moment, then changed the subject, bowing deeply to the entire audience: "Qizhen Pavilion bears responsibility for oversight in this matter, and I, Lin, am ashamed before everyone."

He straightened up, pointed to the True Essence Lotus behind him, and his tone became solemn.

"To restore his reputation, Lin paid a high price to acquire this whole True Essence Lotus with three lotus seeds."

"Three lotus seeds, auctioned off separately. The top three bidders will each receive one seed."

Starting bid: eighty spirit crystals.

"This auction will be conducted via blind auction."

After the last sentence was spoken, several rapid breaths came from the private room.

Yi Yang leaned back on the soft couch, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. This Boss Lin was truly a shrewd businessman, easily turning the tide of their previous disadvantageous situation.

First, he packaged the incident as "a setup by the Wu people, and Qizhen Pavilion was also a victim," completely absolving himself of responsibility.

Secondly, the starting price is set at eighty coins. The last fake also sold for around eighty coins, which is like using an old scar as a price anchor, implying that "the last eighty was fake, this time eighty is just the starting price, and the real thing should be more expensive."

Third, the three lotus seeds were distributed among the top three bidders. This was the most ruthless move.

It's not about who pays the highest bid. It's about having three spots and three winners.

It sounds like the entry barrier has been lowered, but in reality, it's forcing everyone to raise prices to the extreme—because everyone is afraid of being squeezed out if they're ranked fourth.

The fear of "I bid 300, but what if three other people bid 310?" will unconsciously cause each bidder to put down their entire fortune when bidding.

Lynch truly deserves his reputation as someone who has spent his entire life in business.

Even apologies can be turned into a business.

Yi Yang put down his teacup, showing no intention of raising his sign.

He had five lotus seeds lying in his storage ring, so there was no need to waste money on this.

The moment he finished speaking, the private rooms on the first floor erupted in chaos.

The sounds of chairs being moved came from the next few rooms, and the dull thud of someone slamming a fist on a table could be clearly heard even through the walls.

Yi Yang scanned the room with his divine sense, and without exception, everyone in the adjacent private rooms had red eyes.

The top 100 experts on the Heroes List all have at least the late True Qi Realm cultivation level. Many of them have been stuck at the Perfection Realm for many years, some for ten, some for twenty, and some for half their lives.

A single lotus seed that can increase the chance of a breakthrough by 30% is the greatest opportunity that can be bought with spirit crystals.

Even if it means losing everything, it's worth it.

The blind auction begins.

The maids distributed specially made spirit paper and writing materials to each private room.

Yi Yang didn't touch that pen.

He held his teacup, looking down at the half-person-high bronze box downstairs—one after another, folded spirit papers slid into the secret passages of each private room, the paper pieces stacked on top of each other, quickly forming a thick stack.

The second floor is also being invested in.

The top management also voted.

Yi Yang counted them and found that more than forty sheets of spirit paper had fallen into the copper box.

The wait wasn't long.

Lin Qi opened the bronze box himself, unfolding all the spirit papers one by one and arranging them according to their value. His movements were slow and his expression was calm, but the curve of his eyebrows betrayed his feelings.

"Third place—321 spirit crystals!"

A suppressed sigh echoed through the hall.

"Second place—358 spirit crystals!"

In a private room, someone leaned back in their chair, their hand pressed against their chest. It was someone who had written down their entire fortune, yet it still wasn't enough.

Upon hearing the price, Yi Yang raised an eyebrow. Three hundred and fifty-eight spirit crystals was definitely a high price, but they still hadn't bought it?

Just then, Lin Qi on the stage unfolded the last piece of spiritual paper. He looked at it for a couple of breaths, and then he couldn't hold back his smile any longer.

He turned the memorial paper over and held it up so everyone could see it, announcing:

"First place—580 spirit crystals!"

"Congratulations... Senior Lu Zui!"

Five hundred and eighty.

When the number was announced, all sound fell silent for three breaths, from the main hall to the top floor. No one expected that a powerful expert at the peak of the Profound Realm would actually bid for this item.

Yi Yang tapped his finger twice on the rim of the teacup, thinking to himself, "Five hundred and eighty spirit crystals for one lotus seed."

"Is it too expensive?"

"expensive."

But he can understand.

Lu Zui is an old monster at the Transformation Realm; he himself has long since outgrown this item. There's only one reason he'd spend this much—to pave the way for his granddaughter, Lu Qinglan.

Inside the VIP suite on the top floor.

Lu Qinglan frowned deeply the moment she heard the transaction price.

She turned to the side, tugged at Lu Zui's sleeve, and whispered, "Grandpa, we shouldn't have spent so much. At my current level of cultivation, breaking through to the Profound Realm is a certainty; there's no need—"

Lu Zui didn't look at her.

He picked up the teacup in front of him and interrupted her in a tone as if coaxing a child.

"A sure thing is good, but wouldn't a 100% success rate be even better?"

He took a sip of tea, his tone devoid of any concern.

"This little bit of spirit crystal is worth it to ensure my granddaughter's safety. It's a good deal."

Lu Qinglan pursed her lips.

She didn't argue anymore, but just lowered her head, staring at her hands clenched tightly on her knees. Her knuckles were so tight that the bones bulged out.

The three lotus seeds have been distributed.

The auction continues.

The fifth and final item is a profound spiritual cultivation technique, of a high grade. According to Lin Qi, it was a fragment unearthed from a ruin, and after restoration, its quality rivals the secret techniques passed down by major sects.

As soon as Lin Qi announced his name, the second-floor private room erupted in chaos.

The twelve experts at the Profound Realm had been lying low for a whole day, and finally they got what they wanted. The bidding in the open auction was fierce, and the price exceeded 300 after three rounds, 400 after five rounds, and jumped up after the eighth round.

Yi Yang watched the fight from the sidelines, with no intention of participating.

His "Mind Monkey Guarding the Mind Technique" static image chapter has reached perfection, and he has also mastered the three forms of the dynamic image chapter. An external spiritual consciousness technique can only provide limited improvement for him.

Moreover, he also possessed the original animated version of the book, a gift from Jiang Zhongtian. This was the true treasure; the fragments sold outside were nothing compared to it.

In the end, that divine sense cultivation technique was won by a hoarse-voiced expert at the Tongxuan Realm on the second floor for 670 spirit crystals.

A chorus of gasps and murmurs filled the room.

Yi Yang silently did some calculations in his mind.

Six hundred and seventy spirit crystals, plus the five hundred and eighty that Lu Zui had previously given. The first and fifth items alone consumed one thousand two hundred and fifty spirit crystals.

The purchasing power of this important town of Hengyue was even more exaggerated than he had imagined.

Before the fourth and final item was brought to the stage, Lin Qi paused for a rare moment.

He glanced upwards in a specific direction.

That direction led to the VIP suite on the top floor, and he seemed to be seeking permission from someone.

After a moment, he looked away and faced the audience again:

"The next item to be auctioned—"

He spoke, but his speech was a beat slower than before.

"These are items consigned by Deputy Inspector Jiang Zhongtian."

Jiang Zhongtian.

The three words fell.

From the lobby to the top floor, all the whispers vanished.

Yi Yang leaned forward, his eyes fixed on the red cloth. Several deductions flashed through his mind, but he quickly dismissed them.

Even someone like Jiang Zhongtian, who has reached a certain level, still needs to rely on auctions to exchange for things?

What kind of things will he consign?