An invasion from the Abyss? I, a demonic cultivator, laughed.

Chapter 266 Three Materials
"Brother Jiang, it seems there are still some hours before the auction begins," Chu Xiu said, somewhat surprised.

Jiang Lingfu said, "As I said before, our families will communicate with each other about our needs in order to avoid bidding against each other."

"The purpose was to go there in advance for a small gathering."

Chu Xiu understood and immediately stood up.

Following Jiang Lingfu, the two soon arrived at the main venue of the auction.

Compared to the bustling scene at the public auction a few days ago, the venue was much quieter at this time, with less than a tenth of the seats occupied.

However, this quietness did not mean desolation. Although there were far fewer guests participating in the auction, each one was clearly a powerful and high-ranking Awakened One. Some were accompanied by their younger relatives, while others, though alone, were accompanied by seven or eight servants.

Overall, the scale of the event was quite impressive, and more awakened individuals continued to enter.

"Brother Qin, this way." Jiang Lingfu smiled and led him to the No. 1 private room.

This top-tier private room is like a magnificent lobby, as if a new exhibition hall has been opened upstairs from an auction house. Countless beautiful waiters carry exquisite snacks and fine wines and move around in it. Famous paintings worth hundreds of millions can be seen everywhere.

At the end of the private box was a row of huge transparent glass windows, directly facing the auction site.

At this moment, more than a dozen people were already sitting in the nearby seats, each of them exuding an extremely powerful aura; they were all heroic spirits!
There were also quite a few people standing behind them, presumably their juniors or confidants.

As Chu Xiu and his companion arrived, all the heroic spirits rose to greet them.

The man with a thick beard, who was leading the group, laughed loudly: "Brother Jiang, we've been waiting for you. This must be Brother Qin, right?"

Jiang Lingfu smiled and pulled Chu Xiu over: "Come here, Brother Qin, let me introduce you. This is Brother Sun Shangwu, the fourth leader of the Martial Arts Guild, known as 'The Furious Vajra.' And this is..."

Jiang Lingfu introduced them one by one in order, and Chu Xiu also greeted them in a friendly manner.

Throughout China, there are 40,000 King-level beings, but fewer than 500 Heroic Spirits. Given the extremely high difficulty of the Heroic Spirit Trial, almost every Heroic Spirit wields immense power. The dozen or so Heroic Spirits here can each command a power of hundreds of billions at will.

This was the first time Chu Xiu had ever seen so many heroic spirits, and it would certainly do him no harm to befriend them.

“This is Zhao Jie from the Zhao family, one of the four great families of Kyoto. He is the youngest heroic spirit in the history of the Zhao family,” Jiang Lingfu pointed to a young man wearing gold-rimmed glasses and said with a smile, “Brother Qin, don’t let his refined appearance fool you. He is actually quite ferocious when he fights. Recently, he joined the Investigation Bureau and ranked third on the Dragon and Phoenix List. He is currently riding high.”

The man named Zhao Jie pushed up his glasses: "Senior Jiang, you flatter me."

Chu Xiu also glanced at this person a few more times. He had heard of the Dragon and Phoenix Ranking, a list published by Shanwailou that ranked the potential of awakened individuals under the age of thirty. Those who made the list were all top geniuses of the younger generation.

After the introductions were completed, everyone started chatting. Some talked about the recent developments in their families, some discussed the potential and risks of the newly discovered world and whether it was worth investing in, and others introduced their younger relatives to everyone. The atmosphere was quite pleasant.

Chu Xiu became the center of attention, with people constantly approaching him out of curiosity, one after another.

There was no way around it; a heroic spirit that suddenly appeared and hadn't yet joined any major power was bound to pique everyone's curiosity.

Upon hearing that Chu Xiu was still single and had a normal sexual orientation, the group of heroic spirits were all surprised and immediately surrounded him, expressing their desire to introduce Chu Xiu to the women of their clan.

Even more outspoken ones offered to send Chu Xiu several beautiful women, allowing him to choose freely from their rooms after the trade fair.

This left Chu Xiu both amused and exasperated.

"Alright, alright, we don't need to worry about Brother Qin's marriage. There's less than a quarter of an hour until the trade fair starts, so let's discuss what we need first," Jiang Lingfu interrupted impatiently.

Just yesterday, the Jiang family patriarch stated that he would have one of the family's female spirits and two of the most outstanding young women contact Chu Xiu.

Jiang Lingfu, that heroic spirit, seems unlikely to succeed. While he is indeed powerful, his temperament is too fiery, and ordinary people simply cannot handle him. As for the other two, they are both stunningly beautiful and exceptionally talented, so they do have a real chance of succeeding.

Since the clan chief had given the order, he naturally couldn't allow Chu Xiu to be abducted halfway.

Since he had spoken, no one else would dare to disobey him.

“Then I shall begin,” Jiang Lingfu said with a smile, seeing that no one objected. “Recently, a junior member of my clan has been promoted to [Heroic Spirit]. I have come here to try my luck and see if I can find a [Godhood Sequence].

"Hmm, it would be best if it were in the first thousand of the sequence."

As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of laughter erupted around him: "You old fool, you're really daydreaming. Items like the [Ascension to Godhood Sequence] have never appeared many times in the history of trade fairs. You're lucky if you come across one. And you actually want a sequence within the top 1000?"

Jiang Lingfu's childlike rosy face turned even redder: "Bah, mind your own business! How will you know if you don't try? I am destined for greatness, so it's not surprising that I encounter any kind of opportunity!"

After he finished speaking, another burst of laughter erupted around him.

However, Chu Xiu, who was standing next to Jiang Lingfu, had a sudden thought.

[The Ascension Sequence]?
Doesn't he already have one?

Moreover, the sequence is not low!

He had obtained this item back during the Fierce Rank Trial, but he couldn't find any relevant information online. Because he was unsure of its price, he didn't even mention it to anyone, let alone sell it.

But now it seems that, just as he guessed, even the Heroic Spirits are extremely interested in it!

Chu Xiu originally intended to trade the item using a forbidden object, but now he realized that not many people would dare to buy such a forbidden item, and it seemed more appropriate to sell it now.

As he pondered, the group of heroic spirits began to discuss the items they desired. Some were asking for high-ranking SS-level professions, while others were seeking various extreme and bizarre items, such as gender-changing potions, dragon-transforming elixirs, and tentacle fusion agents. Chu Xiu was truly amazed by what he heard.

When it was his turn, Chu Xiu readily stated his goal for the trip: "I need [Crimson Dragon True Fire], [Gengjin Meteorite Iron], [Shadow Core] or similar materials, as well as items containing a large amount of life energy."

These four items consist of the [Eight Desolate Netherfire Array], the [Four Symbols Yin-Yang Furnace], and the materials needed to forge mythical-grade equipment.

At the previous public auction, Chu Xiu had already spent nearly 100 billion to collect all the materials needed for the three [Legendary] equipment blueprints. He only had one more important and most valuable main material left for the [Mythical] equipment blueprint.

Once Chu Xiu has collected all three items, he can forge all the equipment shown on the blueprints in one go.

As for the last item, it was naturally prepared for the Blood Demon Avatar. Once this guy is fully recovered, he will also be a formidable force.

However, after hearing his description, all the heroic spirits were somewhat surprised.

"Brother Qin, could it be that you're actually a weapon refiner?"

"I dabble in it occasionally," Chu Xiu said.

Upon hearing his admission, the expressions on everyone's faces changed again, and many people looked at Chu Xiu with even more fervent eyes.

Support professions such as weapon crafting, formation making, and alchemy usually have a higher status than combat professions of the same level. The larger the family, the more importance they place on support professions.

A weapon refiner of the Heroic Spirit level—this is a talent that countless powerful families dream of but cannot obtain!
Perhaps only organizations at the level of the four major families could possess such a thing.

Immediately, the various heroic spirits began to spread the word, wondering if their own clans possessed such materials in order to curry favor with Chu Xiu. However, most of the heroic spirits soon frowned.

"Brother Qin, what are you trying to make? I've never even heard of these materials before."

Even when someone brought out several similar materials, Chu Xiu silently shook his head after looking at them.

This left him somewhat helpless. There was nothing he could do; there were too few cultivation worlds discovered so far, and the cultivation profession was not valued, naturally leading to a severe shortage of cultivation materials on the market. Even the treasure vaults of the four major families had not been collected.

However, this is actually quite reasonable. Righteous cultivators who practice low-level techniques have no advantage over other professions in terms of leveling speed or early-stage combat power. On the contrary, they consume a lot of resources.

Furthermore, advanced cultivation professions are extremely rare, and Chu Xiu even suspected that he was the only one on Blue Star.

The most talented cultivator he had ever heard of was someone who only practiced A-level cultivation techniques.

This has led to a severe shortage of resources in the fields related to cultivation.

When you're at a low level, it's not so bad; with so many materials, you can always find substitutes. But once you reach a higher level, it's not so easy to find materials with similar effects.

However, just as Chu Xiu was feeling somewhat disappointed, Zhao Jie suddenly said, "Senior Qin, do you think this item is necessary?"

He then sent me information about an item.

[Netherworld Flame: A legendary flame capable of corroding everything, used for crafting special items.]

"Ok?"

Chu Xiu's eyes lit up. After carefully comparing it with the information he had inherited, he was pleasantly surprised to find that this material could indeed replace the Crimson Dragon True Fire! And it was even better than he had expected!
Originally, his goal was only to refine the middle-grade Rank 4 Eight Desolate Netherfire Array, but if he had this item, combined with [Perfect Refinement], he might even be able to refine the upper-grade Rank 3!
Suppressing his excitement, Chu Xiu said, "This is indeed what I need. I wonder what Brother Zhao would be willing to exchange it for?"

Zhao Jie paused for a moment, then said frankly, "Senior Qin, I'll be frank. This item is a material recorded in a [Mythical Equipment Blueprint] from my clan. Only one other main material is needed to gather all the materials."

"Brother Qin should know how precious a [Mythical] piece of equipment is, which is why the price he's asking for won't be low."

Upon hearing this, Chu Xiu's heart sank. He knew that since it involved [Mythical] equipment, the Zhao family would definitely ask for an extremely high price.

However, there's nothing that can be done about it. High-grade materials like this have so many uses that it's almost impossible for Chu Xiu to be the only one who needs them and end up picking them up.

"It doesn't matter if you say so."

Zhao Jie said, "I need a [Legendary] equipment of Heroic Spirit level that can withstand mental attacks."

Upon hearing this, Chu Xiu fell silent.

He does have this item, but the problem is that its rank isn't "Legendary" but "Mythical"!

Of course, Zhao Jie had no way of knowing this. Seeing the troubled look in his eyes, he assumed that the man did not have a similar item and comforted him, "Senior, don't be discouraged. Perhaps someone else will have the item you need in the future."

Chu Xiu nodded slightly and hummed in agreement.

After everyone finished stating their needs, some people started trading on the spot, while others with similar goals began to make agreements. As everyone was talking, the time finally came for the private trading session to begin.

After the host gave a brief introduction, Wang Jie soon stepped onto the stage.

"Gentlemen, the item I brought for auction is a [Legendary] General-level item. It can be exchanged for [Causal Points], Legendary equipment of the same level, or equipment that enhances Divine Soul strength."

People went up on stage in order of their numbers, announcing their exhibits and needs, and the huge venue immediately became lively.

Since everyone present was a high-level awakened individual, the process of passing through the checkpoints was very fast.

Chu Xiu watched with great interest, but unfortunately the materials he needed did not appear for a long time.

During the event, Jiang Lingfu also went on stage to express his needs, but unsurprisingly, he did not get anything in return.

Several of the heroic spirits who were on good terms with him started to laugh again, as if Jiang Lingfu was doing something out of the blue.

"Is the path to godhood really that difficult?" Chu Xiu asked, stroking his chin.

He remembered that he had even had the chance to possess the God of Gamblers sequence, let alone the more advanced Boundless Blood Pool sequence.

However, Chu Xiu eventually gave up and transformed this opportunity into a Blood Demon incarnation.

As soon as he said this, everyone looked at him with surprise.
"Brother Qin, you didn't know? Wait, you said before that you've been buried in the abyss exploring and rarely interact with people, is that true?" one of the heroic spirits asked in shock.

Chu Xiu nodded: "That is indeed the case."

The others exchanged glances, then their gazes toward him became even more intense.

They had actually been a little worried that Chu Xiu might be some old fox in disguise, that someone could have multiple identities and receive benefits from several different places at the same time, and that this wasn't something that hadn't been done before.

But the fact that he could ask this question so calmly, coupled with the fact that the skills and supernatural abilities he used were not similar to anyone else's, suggests that he is probably a lone wolf.

“Then I will answer for Senior Qin.” Zhao Jie adjusted his glasses. “The so-called [Ascension to Godhood Sequence] is a path for the cultivation of heroic spirits.”

"There are two methods for the training of our heroic spirits."

"The first is naturally the same as always: kill monsters to gain experience and level up. However, after entering the Heroic Spirit realm, the required experience will suddenly increase to an unbelievable and almost unattainable level. Many Heroic Spirit powerhouses have risked their lives to explore the abyss for more than ten years, but they are only at level 3 or 4."

"Scholars speculate that this is probably because, after becoming a Heroic Spirit, in addition to the increase in power and the evolution of the essence of life, there is another extremely important aspect: the comprehension of the laws of heaven and earth!"

"The Abyss materializes this abstract concept into experience points, naturally causing its amount to reach an incredible level."

"But the difficulty in leveling up Heroic Spirits goes far beyond just gaining a large amount of experience points!"

"As everyone should know, to become a Heroic Spirit, you need at least an S-rank class, to become a demigod, you need an SS-rank, and to become a god, you must reach SSS-rank!"

Zhao Jie's words made Chu Xiu gasp.

He never imagined that advancing to the Heroic Spirit level would be so difficult, even requiring a specific class level!

You should know that SS-rank professions are even rarer than Heroic Spirits! As for SSS-rank professions, you can count them on one hand in the entire China!
Zhao Jie continued, "The difficulty of leveling up alone is simply too high. This is a path from mortal to god, so the difficulty is naturally unbelievably great."

"Fortunately, a senior colleague discovered a second way to upgrade."

"That is the [Ascension to Godhood Sequence]!"

(End of this chapter)