The Long Journey to Immortality

Although this is somewhat superficial.

However, both human and non-human cultivators are willing to maintain this situation so that they can coexist in the vast but resource-poor East Sea.

Several more items were put up for auction, and Yi Qiyan and Wen Erya also tried to bid on Lü Zhi's recommendation.

While Yi Qiyan was bidding, the crowd cheered and joked, saying that Lü Zhi should be the "boss" and treat everyone to the bidding as a gift.

But Lü Zhi smiled without saying a word, sticking to his original plan, while saying, "I'll leave everything to Qi Yan."

Yi Qiyan would naturally not ask for such a precious gift of several thousand spirit stones at this time.

Since Lü Zhi's words were so agreeable to her, she naturally wouldn't say anything too "harsh" that would ruin the atmosphere.

She took the initiative to hold Lü Zhi's hand, praising his plan and arrangements with her actions.

Yi Qiyan's actions in front of her friend made Lü Zhi overjoyed.

He was certain that his relationship with Yi Qiyan was progressing rapidly, and that through their efforts over the past few days, they had already entered a more intimate stage.

The so-called stage of discussing marriage is probably not far off.

Han Lu and Wen Erya knew Yi Qiyan's personality; they were just making a fuss for fun.

Since Yi Qiyan had expressed this opinion, they naturally wouldn't force her to do anything against her will.

Kong Qiaosheng was originally Lü Zhi's advisor, and his commotion was solely to give Lü Zhi a suitable opportunity to express his stance, thus preventing an awkward situation.

This item is a spiritual plant used to refine toxins, produced only in the East China Sea region.

Although the Five Poisons Sect possesses them, their quantity is limited, and they are obtained through various channels, either through artificial cultivation or by purchasing small quantities sporadically from the East China Sea.

Therefore, Yi Qiyan was determined to obtain these twenty withered and flourishing grasses, all of which were over fifty years old.

Chapter 836 The Five Poisons Token Makes its Appearance

Compared to sinister magical artifacts and spells, cultivators in the East Sea are more accepting of using poison or other methods considered "low-class".

Therefore, although the withered and flourishing grass can be found in various parts of the East Sea, some larger cultivator sects also try to cultivate it in their herb gardens.

However, the competition for these twenty withered and flourishing plants was still quite fierce.

Initially, a single withered and flourishing grass was worth only twenty-five spirit stones, and even twenty withered and flourishing grasses together would only have a starting bid of five hundred spirit stones, which is roughly equivalent to the value of a grass that is one and a half years old.

However, with several cultivators vying for the prize, the price naturally soared. Finally, when only Yi Qiyan and another cultivator sitting in the hall were left to compete, the price of these twenty withered and flourishing grasses had been raised to a high of eight hundred spirit stones.

Neither Yi Qiyan nor the cultivator sitting in the hall had spirit stones in their storage bags that grew from the ground or were blown in by the wind.

Such prices made them feel a slight pang of pain, and as this feeling arose, the speed at which they bid and the magnitude of their price increases slowed down and decreased.

After two more rounds of bidding, the cultivator sitting in the hall, who was only at the late Foundation Establishment stage, finally couldn't resist the relatively high price of 850 spirit stones.

Compared to these twenty withered and flourishing grasses that he could use to cultivate poison techniques, exchanging these 850 spirit stones for a suitable mid-grade magic weapon would significantly enhance his combat power.

Not to mention, every cultivator prefers to spend spirit stones on magic treasures, which are "preservative" external items, rather than consumables.

They voluntarily raised their hands to declare their withdrawal.

The auctioneer swiftly skipped the final three-countdown step and sold the spiritual plant, which was being contested by only two people in the final stage, to Yi Qiyan, who was sitting in a private box and whose identity was unknown to the outside cultivators.

Despite acquiring an item at such a high price, Yi Qiyan was not particularly happy.

The other four people in the private room simply offered a few perfunctory congratulations and then remained silent on the matter.

Lü Zhi, in particular, was deeply distressed by Yi Qiyan's "foolishness."

He realized that Yi Qiyan, who had grown up as a saintess in the Five Poisons Sect, clearly did not understand the business rules of auctions.

"This seems like a great opportunity for me to show my skills."

After a moment's thought, Lü Zhi abandoned the rigid, direct approach that would make Yi Qiyan uncomfortable with his lectures, and instead tried to set an example for Yi Qiyan through his own actions.

In the time that followed, he kept looking for an opportunity, ready to make his move at any moment.

Fortunately, within a short half-hour period, quite a few of the items that appeared next to the auctioneer were indeed resources that he could use.

He made two attempts and won both times, and the two low-grade spiritual artifacts fell into Lü Zhi's hands at a relatively low price at the auction.

During the auction, Lü Zhi used both fast and slow methods.

By offering a quick quote, you reduce the time your competitors have to think, while simultaneously projecting an image of determination to win.

By employing a slow and deliberate approach followed by a decisive strike, they intimidate their opponents while simultaneously demonstrating their substantial financial resources.

For him, the young master from the Immortal Pavilion, this method was the most basic skill, but it was indeed enough to teach Yi Qiyan, Han Lu, and Wen Erya a lesson.

He acted without any pretense, even appearing remarkably natural. Even Kong Qiaosheng didn't realize that Lü Zhi was deliberately demonstrating this basic skill to the three female cultivators beside him.

He was just wondering why his friend, who had everything he needed, would suddenly make a bid at the auction.

Their actions were discreet yet highly effective. Naturally, Yi Qiyan and the other two actively tried to understand the techniques Lu Zhi used during the auction, attempting to imitate them and incorporate them into their own practice, so that they could waste fewer spirit stones during the bidding and spend them more effectively.

During the remaining five and a half hours of the auction that day, Han Lu and her two companions made several bids and occasionally achieved some success.

In the end, including the array flag obtained by Han Lu, the withered and flourishing grass that Yi Qiyan bought, and the two magic treasures in Lü Zhi's hands, a total of fifteen items were delivered to the private box where the five people were sitting that day.

By optimizing their bidding techniques, Yi Qiyan and her companions indeed saved themselves a lot of money.

Unfortunately, this technique was too common; many of the cultivators present knew it, and quite a few, like Lü Zhi, used it with ease.

This meant that some resources and magical treasures were still acquired at high prices, or missed out on by a few people in various ways.

Finally, under the deliberate arrangement of Lü Zhi, the young master of the Immortal Pavilion, the Five Poisons Token appeared as the last item to be auctioned that day.

It was just the last item to be auctioned, not the grand finale. Lü Zhi didn't want her lover's prized possession to be driven up in price by others, leading to an unpleasant ending.

Since there are arrangements, they should be made properly.

When introducing the Five Poisons Token, the auctioneer was very concise, only briefly describing its origin and its "possible" functions before announcing the starting price and the start of the auction.

This approach did indeed have some effect.

Many monks who were quite curious about the last item suddenly lost their desire to buy it, and only wanted to watch the excitement from the audience and wait for the auction to end.

Some cultivators even left early to enjoy the relatively vibrant nightlife of the Dragon Head Islands compared to other parts of the East China Sea.

This arrangement naturally pleased Yi Qiyan and the other four.

It's a must-have, but it would be great to acquire it at a relatively low price.

Yi Qiyan didn't want to resolve the sect's troubles smoothly, but instead ended up owing her friends thousands or tens of thousands of spirit stones.

"Lu Zhi, you take the photos." Looking at her beloved beside her, Yi Qiyan placed her absolute trust in Lu Zhi.

This plot development surprised Lü Zhi, and he felt the pressure, but he did not back down. Instead, he bravely took on the responsibility.

"Don't worry," Lü Zhi said confidently, "Leave it to me."

After casually asking two questions and figuring out Yi Qiyan's bottom line, he began to ponder, using the business skills he had learned over the years to devise a bidding plan.

The Five Poisons Token wasn't particularly popular; after the auctioneer called out "Start," only a handful of people bid.

Most of these cultivators shared the same idea as Baihu Sanren: to use this precious token to join the Five Poisons Sect and find a safe place to cultivate.

These cultivators' storage bags usually don't contain many spirit stones, so the price increase is very limited.

The quotes were almost perfectly timed, climbing up step by step.

Lü Zhi observed this situation.

Without hesitation, he immediately sent out the paper sword and quoted a price of five thousand spirit stones.

The price is just right, not so much so that it makes people think that this slightly mysterious thing has some kind of magical effect, and it can also dispel the idea of ​​"poor monks" bidding.

After two consecutive bids, when Lü Zhi raised the price to 5,500 spirit stones, only he and another mysterious cultivator sitting in another private room remained, both harboring their own thoughts about the Five Poisons Token.

There was still some distance to go before reaching Yi Qiyan's psychological limit of 10,000 spirit stones. Lü Zhi was full of confidence and felt that it was a sure thing to secure this treasure for Yi Qiyan.

[Author's Note] The stock market crashed, yet still gained 4000 points. It's disheartening.

Chapter 837 Nemesis

Knowing the rhythm, Lü Zhi called out the price twice more.

As the auction price of the Five Poisons Token was raised to six thousand spirit stones, the cultivator who had been bidding against Lü Zhi became hesitant, raising his bids much smaller, and only calling out a bid or releasing a paper sword offer at the last moment before the hammer fell.

All signs convinced Lü Zhi that the opponent would surrender in three rounds at most, allowing him to acquire the Five Poisons Token at a relatively low price.

In this way, he could show off his power in front of Yi Qiyan and win her favor.

Without giving the other party much time to think, Lü Zhi, who knew his bottom line and how much he desired the Five Poisons Token, triggered the restrictions in the private room the moment the auctioneer unfolded the paper sword the other party had presented and announced the price. His voice rang out loudly in the auction hall.

"Six thousand three hundred spirit stones."

Lu Zhi offered his price in this way partly to expedite the process, and partly to showcase his status and persuade his competitors to give him face and back down.

He was confident that he had some reputation in the Dragon Head Islands. Even cultivators from the East China Sea who only visited the Dragon Head Islands once every few decades would give way to him on this commodity, which was not important to them.

The cultivator who was competing with Lü Zhi for the Five Poisons Token, whether caught in Lü Zhi's "blitzkrieg" tactics or genuinely recognizing Lü Zhi's voice, indeed stopped bidding, clearly intending to hand over the Five Poisons Token.

This approach proved effective.

Suppressing his elation, Lü Zhi kept glancing at the Five Poisons Token beside the auctioneer in the center of the auction hall, while also keeping a close eye on Yi Qiyan's expression.

Looking at his female companion's smiling face, Lü Zhi laughed heartily in his heart, knowing full well that this performance was a complete success.

But his joy was short-lived. Just as the auctioneer was about to bring down the hammer according to their "tacit agreement," someone suddenly appeared from another private room and snatched the prize away.

A paper sword, like a white lightning bolt, flew swiftly out of a small window of a private room and landed on the small square platform where the auctioneer was about to strike the gavel, somewhat like "blocking the hammer's fall."

This is a paper sword submitted by another bidder.

Upon seeing this, Lü Zhi's expression changed slightly, and an ominous premonition arose in his heart.

The paper sword was practically about to smash into his face. Even though the auctioneer had been given prior notice, he couldn't ignore it and forcefully brought down the hammer.

Unfolding the paper sword with trepidation, the auctioneer's voice trembled slightly as he announced the price written on the paper sword.

"Ten thousand spirit stones. The current bidding price for the Five Poisons Token is ten thousand spirit stones."

The idle monks in the auction hall were in an uproar.

The crowd was abuzz with speculation, wondering if the seemingly ordinary Five Poisons Token, which was just a token, might contain something worth at least 20,000, 30,000, or even hundreds of thousands of spirit stones.

Many cultivators who had already left stopped halfway through their journey, wanting to linger in the hall a little longer, hoping to witness a grand spectacle.