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

Lin Qi gestured to the side of the curtain, and two maids from the Qizhen Pavilion emerged from a hidden door, each carrying a translucent glass dome.

The cover was about half a person's height, and the base was a piece of black jade cut from a single piece. Three delicate spiritual patterns were engraved on it, and the patterns shone with a dark golden light, slowly flowing around.

The moment the glass dome was placed on the stage, the martial artists in the first three rows below the platform widened their eyes simultaneously, for it contained something they had never seen before.

Inside the cover was a hanging flower.

The flower looked to be the size of a fist. It was not planted in soil or supported by roots; it just floated in mid-air.

The petals of this plant are translucent, frosty white, with a very faint gold line around the edge, and three drops of dew cling to the base of the flower.

The dewdrops were amber in color, round and full, hanging without falling, each drop radiating a faint halo.

An indescribable, mysterious aura emanated from the flower, making the air in the entire venue seem extraordinary; with each breath, one could almost inhale some kind of pure energy.

Yi Yang sat cross-legged on the soft couch, and the "Yi Mu Zhen Yang Jing" circulating in his body inexplicably accelerated by half a beat.

The Xuan Guang Seed in the Qi Sea emitted a faint tremor.

This is resonance.

Yi Yang frowned, deliberately slowing down the speed of his cultivation technique and focusing his attention on the table.

Lin Qi stood beside the glass dome, his smile fading as he solemnly said:

"This flower is called 'Condensed Mysterious Flower'."

After the name was uttered by the other party, several teacups shattered in the second-floor private room where experts at the Profound Realm were gathered.

Ignoring the astonishment of the crowd, Lin Qi continued, "This flower grows deep within the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains, blooming only once every hundred years, with a flowering period of only ten days. After ten days, the petals wither, the medicinal properties dissipate, and to find a second one, one must wait another hundred years."

He pointed to the three amber-colored dewdrops: "The three drops of mysterious dew at the rootstock are the most concentrated part of the plant's medicinal power."

"The core efficacy of this flower—"

Lin Qi paused here, glancing over the private rooms on the second and top floors before continuing:

"It assists martial artists in the Profound Realm to condense their Dharma Body."

"It is of immeasurable benefit to powerful individuals who are breaking through to the third realm of 'Dharmakaya', or to martial artists whose Dharmakaya has been formed but still has flaws."

He glanced around the room, then turned his gaze upwards and announced:

"Starting bid: 1,000 spirit crystals."

This price was announced.

The lobby and the private rooms on the first floor were completely silent.

If the various treasures of the past could still give some martial artists at the peak of the True Qi Realm a glimmer of hope, then this "Condensed Image Mystic Flower" has absolutely nothing to do with them.

The threshold of one thousand spirit crystals was like an insurmountable barrier, keeping ninety-nine percent of people out of the door.

In the second-floor private room, several of the twelve auras of the Profound Realm cultivators showed obvious signs of violent fluctuation.

Zheng Qingci, who had previously lost the bid to Han Ji, was now sitting on the soft couch in the private room, his eyes fixed on the spirit flower on the stage. The fervor in his eyes almost melted the glass dome.

His eagerness for quick success led to a slight flaw when he broke through to the Dharma Body Realm. This flaw has prevented him from making any progress in his cultivation for five years.

Five years.

Every day when he circulated his internal energy, he could feel the flaws in the Dharma body in his dantian hindering his cultivation. He had taken the initiative to participate when the Trade Commission came to Qingzhou this time, because such precious treasures could only be found in dangerous places like the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains.

Unexpectedly, it has actually appeared now. This Condensed Essence is a life-saving medicine for him.

"One thousand one hundred pieces."

Zheng Qingci's voice came from the second-floor private room, steady but carrying an unquestionable tone.

The entire audience waited for five breaths.

No one bid in the other private rooms on the second floor.

This was expected. The audience for Condensing Profound Essence is even narrower than that for True Essence Lotus Seed. The Lotus Seed governs the hurdle from True Qi to Profound Understanding, and its audience is all those present who have reached the Perfection of True Qi Realm.

However, this flower can only assist in breaking through to the Dharma Body in the second stage of the Profound Realm. Among the dozen or so Profound Realm cultivators present, the number of those truly stuck at this bottleneck can be counted on one hand.

Yi Yang leaned back on the soft couch, placed the bidding paddle on the table, and picked up a teacup.

This has nothing to do with him. He is still in the first stage of the Profound Realm, "Enlightenment," and there is a whole second stage, "Manifestation," in between. He is far from condensing his Dharma Body. Spending more than a thousand spirit crystals to buy a flower that he can't use right now is not his style.

But instead of closing his eyes and continuing to practice his internal energy, he stood by and watched, holding his teacup.

He wanted to see the next scene.

Sure enough, after Zheng Qingci announced 1,100, the arena was quiet for more than ten breaths, and no one followed suit.

In another private room on the second floor, Han Ji sat upright, his right hand gripping the scabbard of the newly acquired, incomplete spiritual weapon "Hanxiao".

His gaze also fell on the spirit flower on the stage. His lips moved, but in the end, he did not speak.

Having spent 1,480 spirit crystals, he no longer had enough to support a second auction of this scale.

The bidding on the stage continued.

Soon, another expert at the Tongxuan Realm raised the price to 1,150 coins.

Without a second thought, Zheng Qingci immediately replied, "Twelve hundred."

He even turned to the side, facing the direction of Han Ji's private room, and retorted indifferently, "Elder Han was right just now. When it comes to spending money, one should not be stingy."

The sarcasm in those words was even more biting than Han Ji's previous statement.

Because he was certain that Han Ji had no money left to follow.

Han Ji's face darkened completely in the private room, and the hand on his knee clenched so tightly that his knuckles cracked.

Zheng Qingci ignored him. He thought the spiritual flower was already his, and he even started planning how to go into seclusion and break through the bottleneck in one fell swoop after he got it.

however.

Just as he was preparing to lock in the price completely.

On the top floor, in one of the four VIP rooms, a clear, cold male voice, like the sound of a sword, slowly descended from above.

"1,500 pieces."

The sound wasn't loud, but it was like an invisible sword, instantly silencing all the bidding noises in the room.

In the hall, on the first floor, on the second floor, all sounds vanished simultaneously.

Everyone knows that only those four people can sit on the top floor.

Deputy Inspector Jiang Zhongtian, Lu Zui of the Mountain and River Fist Sect, Chu Tiankuo of the Heavenly Heart Sect, and...

Although the voice did not introduce itself, its extremely sharp aura was like a drawn sword, causing goosebumps to rise on one's skin.

Ten Thousand Swords Valley, Bai Yuchen.

Ranked 259th on the Hidden Dragon List.

The name, along with the other person's ranking, simultaneously surfaced in everyone's minds.

Bai Yuchen's offer of 1,500 spirit crystals was 300 higher than Zheng Qingci's.

These three hundred coins are not a price increase, but a guarantee.

The private room where Zheng Qingci was was quiet for a long time. His chest heaved violently, and finally, he slumped back into his chair.

With top experts from the Hidden Dragon Ranking personally participating, it's no longer a matter of how many spirit crystals are involved.

Even though he represented the Imperial City Trade Bureau, and even though this treasure was related to his cultivation, he would not gain any advantage by going head-to-head with the top sword cultivators of Ten Thousand Swords Valley in this place.

"clang!"

Lin Qi waited for ten breaths, then brought the jade hammer in his hand down heavily.

"Fifteen hundred spirit crystals, sold!"

Congratulations to our VIP guest on the top floor!

……

Yi Yang watched the entire fight unfold from a private room on the first floor.

He tapped his fingers lightly twice on his knee; now, only one item remained to be auctioned.

This final, highlight lot won't have many real competitors.

It will only be those few truly strong individuals who, from beginning to end, barely made a move, or whose moves didn't even scratch the surface...

Yi Yang's gaze unconsciously swept upwards. Of the four VIP rooms, two remained untouched.

Deputy Inspector Jiang Zhongtian.

There's also Chu Tiankuo from the Tianxin Sect, whose ranking on the Hidden Dragon List is even higher than Jiang Zhongtian's.

The four strongest individuals at the top are the main contenders for the next treasure, or rather, they are here for this very reason.

……

The sacred flowers on the stage were carefully carried away by the maid.

The buzzing of discussion in the meeting room gradually subsided.

Lynch returned to the center of the auction stage.

This time, he did not strike the jade hammer, nor did he have the maid bring the items onto the stage first.

He simply stood there, his hands tucked into his sleeves, his gaze sweeping from the lobby to the first-floor private rooms, and then from the second floor to the top floor.

That silence lasted for a good dozen breaths.

It was longer than any before.

The restlessness in the audience was gradually suppressed, replaced by an almost suffocating silence.

Everyone realized it.

The last item is the real main course of tonight's auction.

Lin Qi spoke, his voice precisely amplified by his inner energy to every corner of the seven-story pavilion:

"Gentlemen."

"Tonight, the last item up for auction—"

at the same time.

Inside the four VIP rooms on the top floor.

Lu Zui, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them.

Bai Yuchen, who had just obtained the spirit flower, gripped the hilt of his sword.

Chu Tiankuo of the Tianxin Sect put down his teacup.

Jiang Zhongtian, who had been facing away from everyone and gazing at the night view outside the window, slowly turned around.

Four distinct yet equally unfathomable forces of energy all fluctuated at the same instant.

They all came for this reason!