Longevity starts with choosing Hextech enhancement

Chapter 440 Red Coral Island Grand Auction

Interestingly, a normal auction will usually give guests a list of important items before it begins.

This is intended to attract more cultivators to come from afar to participate.

However, only half of the auction list was released for this large-scale auction on Red Coral Island until the day before it was to be held.

The reason it was said to be only half a portion was because when Xiao Chen received it, he found that it was actually divided into two parts.

The first half looked much like a regular auction.

However, the crucial second half consisted only of a timetable, which listed the order in which the various sects provided the auction items.

In other words, the list only reveals the provider of the auctioned items.

However, what exactly it was will only be revealed during the second half of the auction.

Um, is it really necessary to keep this a secret?
Xiao Chen was puzzled. Since the participants were all on his side, why was there any need to hide it?
However, on the other hand, this auction was by invitation only, so the number of participants was extremely limited.

Aside from the fixed candidates selected at the peace conference, only a few spots were offered to outsiders at a small auction last month.

I heard that the last spot to participate was auctioned off for a whopping 300,000 low-grade spirit stones.

Those who didn't get a spot wouldn't be eligible to participate even if they wanted to, so there's no need to consider promoting the event in advance to increase its appeal.

In this way, revealing the auction items later can actually preserve some mystery and surprise.

Of course, if Xiao Chen asked them one by one, he should be able to find out the situation in advance.

However, he felt it was unnecessary, so he only chatted for a few minutes before returning to the garden to rest.

To be honest, this garden, which covers hundreds of acres, is not only exquisite on the outside, but also very well-built inside.

Although their overall styles differ slightly from those of the neighboring Gangyuan Zhenjun, they each have their own merits.

In fact, Xiao Chen felt that removing some of the features characteristic of the Tiangang Sect and emphasizing natural scenery made it more to his liking.

The only minor drawback is that, without his arrangement, this place currently only has a third-tier defensive formation.

It's not just that other sects are reluctant to part with their fourth-tier array plates; the key issue is that arrays are something that cultivators ultimately have to handle themselves to feel at ease.

"Master, there is a True Man named Yunya outside the door requesting an audience."

A maid who looked only eighteen or nineteen years old, dressed in a light blue silk robe, walked briskly through the corridor.

Approaching Xiao Chen, she gracefully bowed and said, "He claims to be a disciple of the Cangming Immortal Sect and says he has important clues to report."

"Seeing his serious tone, as if it were something important, I dared not delay and came to inform him."

Xiao Chen was admiring the scenery in the garden when he heard this, so he turned around and looked at the unfamiliar maid.

The other person had delicate features and could be described as a beauty.

However, judging from her aura, she should only have the cultivation level of the eighth level of Qi Refining. She was probably able to enter the garden thanks to the jade pendant tightly tied around her waist.

Curious, Xiao Chen asked, "Don't rush to talk about him, who are you...?"

Upon hearing this, the maid lowered her head immediately, her ears turning slightly red: "My humble name is Qinghe, and I was originally an outer disciple of the Mozhang Sect."

"Half a year ago, I followed the outer sect elders of my sect to this candidate site, and was fortunate enough to be selected by the sect leader to serve you, sir."

Oh, I got it.

No wonder the courtyard looks clean and tidy; it seems that Qinghe is in charge of taking care of it on a daily basis.

Since they were chosen by the Mozhang Sect, they should be quite reliable, saving him the trouble of looking for someone himself.

"Qinghe, a good name, I'll remember it."

Xiao Chen thought for a moment and instructed, "I don't usually live here, so you will still be in charge of taking care of the flowers, plants, mountains and rivers in the garden."

As he spoke, he casually took out a box of spiritual tea from his storage ring: "Take Yunya to the reception hall at the front, and while you're at it, brew her a cup of hot tea."

"Also, think about what other expenses the garden should have, make a list and bring it back to me tomorrow morning."

Since someone else can help, he's too lazy to worry about it himself.

Upon hearing this, Qinghe stepped forward, accepted the spirit tea with both hands, and then respectfully withdrew.

Soon, he led Master Yunya to the reception hall.

"This junior pays respects to the True Lord!"

Although the two were actually acquaintances, the other party still greeted them formally from the start.

Following Xiao Chen's habit, he got straight to the point: "Half a month ago, I received a secret report that there were reliable clues about the Star Sand Wave Shield."

"The one who accepted the challenge was none other than my brother-in-law."

According to his confession, he had previously seen a special fragment in the hands of Bibo Sanren by chance.

"The other party also boasted to him that the thing was indestructible and would not be damaged even if it was directly attacked by the magic of a Golden Core cultivator. It must be an extraordinary treasure."

"As long as we can find the right way to use it, we might be able to turn things around in the future."

“Alas, my brother-in-law is naturally dull-witted and initially even overlooked this matter.”

"Until I heard that the Cheng family had offered up the fragment and received a reward of a million spirit stones, becoming rich overnight, and I even saw the latest promotional portrait."

"He suddenly remembered that the fragment he had seen earlier was remarkably similar in shape to the one presented by the Cheng family."

At this point, Master Yunya's tone turned serious: "After realizing this, this fool originally intended to search for the fragments on his own, so he secretly delayed for several months."

"After failing to find anything, they turned to me for help."

"After receiving the intelligence, I dared not be careless and immediately led people to verify the situation."

"According to the investigation of the disciples and vendors in the market, there was indeed a rogue cultivator in the early stage of the Golden Core realm named Bibo Sanren in Cangming Market a few years ago."

"However, they never appeared in the market again after the second year of the sea creature invasion."

"After investigating, I learned that someone had seen Bibo Sanren on the spirit ship that was fleeing to the Storm Sea, and I guess he must have already escaped there."

"This matter is of great importance, and I dare not delay any longer, so I came to report it immediately."

In fact, before Master Yunya arrived, many clansmen, including his brother-in-law, had suggested that the news be kept secret for the time being.

They would secretly send people or go to the Storm Sea to find the Azure Wave Hermit, and then bring back the fragments to claim the reward.

However, Master Yunya did not heed their advice.

They insisted on arriving at Hongshan Island as soon as they verified the situation.

"Has it been verified?"

Xiao Chen pressed further, "Since the other party enjoys showing off, has anyone else seen the fragments?"

Master Yunya respectfully replied, "Reporting to the True Lord, there are indeed two vendors and a shopkeeper in the market who claim to have personally heard Master Bibo boast about it."

"In addition, two other shop assistants and appraisers at the religious artifact shops testified that they had personally seen him bring a strange fragment to the shop, attempting to sell it at a high price, but it failed to pass the appraisal."

"This is a drawing meticulously created by the painters in the building based on their own descriptions. Please take a look, Your Majesty."

As he spoke, he took out two portraits from his sleeve and presented them with both hands.

It has to be said that the person in charge of Cangming Tower is quite well prepared.

"In that case, there is indeed some truth to it."

Xiao Chen looked at the portrait and it seemed to be a fragment of the Star Sand Wave Shield: "Very good, it is indeed an important clue."

"If we do find the fragments from Bibo Sanren later, you should be credited with three-tenths of the credit."

Master Yunya repeatedly said he dared not, indicating that he was only speculating and did not dare to be completely certain that the clues were true.

He then stood up and took his leave.

"Hey, where's my tea?"

Xiao Chen didn't see Qinghe bring the spiritual tea until he saw Yunya Zhenren to the gate.

Although he wasn't a tea connoisseur, it was still best to have something like this to serve guests.

With a sweep of his divine sense, he saw Qinghe diligently urging the spiritual fire to brew tea in the side hall.

The other person's face was now flushed red, and they were panting heavily.

However, the spiritual tea inside the pot did not react to her weak magical power.

Xiao Chen then suddenly realized that what he had just given the other party was the Six-Leaf Nourishing Tea that he had previously seized, which was a fourth-order spiritual item.

Uh, it's okay then, I understand.

"Don't bother, it won't do any good even if you cook like this until next year."

Xiao Chen directly transmitted his thoughts: "How about this, later you add a few spiritual items to the list that will help you cultivate, and try to establish your foundation as soon as possible."

"By the way, you don't need to consider the Foundation Establishment Pill. I can give you one that's even more effective."

"I'll go to the back garden to rest first, and then I'll deliver the order here after I finish writing it."

Qinghe was already extremely anxious, worried that she might mess things up and upset Xiao Chen.

Being kicked out would be a good outcome; if you offended a guest and caused them to lose face, they might kill you in a fit of rage, and you'd have nowhere to seek justice.

Upon suddenly hearing the telepathic message, he couldn't help but tremble slightly.

However, after hearing the contents, she was stunned for a moment, then immediately knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly towards the direction of the reception hall: "This servant thanks the True Lord for his generous gift!"

The ups and downs of her life came so quickly that she was so excited that she bumped her head on the ground.

However, Qinghe could no longer feel the pain; only four words remained in her mind—"Establish the foundation as soon as possible."

This matter is not only something that needs to be discussed outside, but even within the major sects, it is the lifelong wish of many outer disciples.

However, on the very first day she came to Xiao Chen's side, she had already achieved more than half of what she wanted, it was almost like a dream.

The subsequent delivery list, which included setting aside an extra 100,000 spirit stones for garden expenses and bestowing the Clear Dew Foundation Building Pill, goes without saying.

the next morning.

Xiao Chen arrived at the spacious auction hall in the center of Red Coral Island early in the morning.

This place was built in an extremely grand manner, with just one floor being enough to accommodate tens of thousands of cultivators.

However, it is not open to the public today; only a few maids are lined up in front of the cubicles on the second floor.

Because the venue is large enough, even the individual cubicles are built to be very spacious.

Xiao Chen slowly walked into his private room, number eight, and was greeted by a layout that resembled a palace.

The middle section alone is tens of feet deep and more than ten feet wide.

There were screens separating the left and right sides, and one end was filled with fine wine and delicacies, with dancers and musicians waiting.

The other end was decorated like a palace, with a giant sandalwood bed that could comfortably fit a hundred people at the same time.

"Well, the place is quite spacious."

Xiao Chen suddenly thought of Chu Tianze: "It's a pity he hasn't returned from the Earth Dragon Ruins yet, so I can't bring him to the auction."

There's nothing we can do about it. Since the other party couldn't come out before October, we can only wait until next time.

Before long, the other True Monarchs also arrived at the auction hall one after another. It is worth mentioning that most of the Golden Core cultivators who had obtained the qualification to participate through bidding had arrived early.

They all received tokens for Class B VIP boxes, which were significantly inferior to Class A boxes in both location and size.

However, they didn't care about that. Instead, they all stood with the door open at the entrance of the private room, curiously looking outside.

They greeted each other to expand their network, while also hoping to become familiar to the True Lords.

Only in this way can we make better use of this opportunity and be worthy of the expensive ticket price.

However, there was one exception: Box No. 12, which was also the last box.

With the agreed auction time fast approaching, a maid was still standing there, indicating that no one had arrived yet.

This is rather strange.

We spent so many spirit stones, we can't just let them go to waste, can we?

As the sky gradually approached noon.

The members of Class B had all taken their seats, and the cultivators guarding the entrance to the auction hall were preparing to close the door.

Two figures entered the hall one after the other, just before the final deadline.

Leading the group was a young man in brocade robes, holding a bright yellow battle flag.

Xiao Chen looked down and saw that it was Zhang Shouquan.

Clearly, although he did not directly qualify to participate in the auction, he obtained a spot through a smaller auction.

However, the other person accompanying him was wearing an exceptionally large black robe and a straw hat, which completely concealed his face.

The black robe and bamboo hat were not ordinary items either.

Although the spiritual light is unlimited, it is enough to obscure the vision and divine sense of a Nascent Soul cultivator, preventing outsiders from probing.

In this way, people cannot directly determine the other party's cultivation level.

Nevertheless, one could still tell from the almost bursting black robe that the other person was robust and must be a big guy.

At the same time, he was walking almost side by side with Zhang Shouquan, so he should also be a Nascent Soul cultivator.

This is very strange.

Although there are only a handful of Nascent Soul cultivators in the Sea of ​​Compassion, how come there's one more?
At this moment, not only Xiao Chen, but also the gazes of the other True Monarchs all fell upon him.

However, Zhang Shouquan and the man in black robes paid no attention and went into room number 12, closing the door behind them.

Soon, the array inside the private room lit up, completely blocking outside prying eyes.

"Tsk tsk tsk, I feel like they're bound to fight sooner or later if this keeps up."

Xiao Chen noticed that Zhang Shouquan did not greet any of the True Lords present after entering.

You should know that everyone is on the second floor and the doors are not closed, so theoretically everyone should be able to see each other.

Meanwhile, none of the other True Lords took the initiative to speak, and simply watched as the other party walked into the private room.

It seems that both sides are still holding a grudge about what happened before.

"Boom~!"

Shortly after, a loud bell rang throughout the entire venue.

All the monks turned their attention to the auction stage in the center.

Immediately afterwards, a figure that Xiao Chen recognized very well stepped out; it was none other than Zen Master Jingchen.

He was the one who presided over the Compassionate Sea Peace Conference before, and it seems that he will also preside over the first Red Coral Island Auction Conference.

"Everyone should know this humble monk, so let's skip the self-introduction."

Zen Master Jingchen slowly spoke: "It is an honor to continue to be in charge of this auction. I would also like to thank all of you for your recognition of this humble monk."

"Enough with the small talk, I wish you all the best in purchasing your desired items."

After he finished speaking, he paused for a moment intentionally.

He then announced loudly, "The auction is now officially open."

"The first item up for auction is a bottle containing three True Essence Gathering Pills."

"It has two rings of Dan patterns, which can provide cultivators at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment with a success rate of up to 25% in forming their core,..."

This item doesn't actually hold much appeal for the major sects.

Or rather, the entire first half was just a warm-up process to fill the auction list and exchange some low-level spiritual items.

On the contrary, the people in the Earth-class private room immediately became excited upon seeing this.

If such good things appear right from the start, it's easy to imagine that even more precious treasures will appear later.

They made the right decision by paying a high price to secure a spot in this competition.

Xiao Chen had no need for the True Essence Gathering Pill; in fact, he had two more True Essence Gathering Pills left, though they lacked pill patterns.

Therefore, he didn't bother to participate in the bidding and quietly sat in the private room watching the cultivators of the Earth rank compete for the prize.

Next, in order, are various battle talismans, portable array plates, longevity pills, and other third-tier spiritual items.

There was not a single item of lower grade than the third rank, nor was there a single item priced below ten thousand spirit stones.

This continued for about half an hour.

Seeing too much of this kind of thing can easily become boring and tedious.

However, Xiao Chen was surprised to find that Box B12 had participated in the bidding multiple times.

They acquired numerous Tier 3 spiritual items that could help regulate qi and blood, recover from injuries, and strengthen the body—virtually everything related to body refinement.

Ok?
This is a bit strange, since Zhang Shouquan is not a body cultivator.

Even stranger things were yet to come.

As more and more fourth-tier spiritual items appeared in the latter half of the event, the bidding for Box B12 became increasingly frequent.

They not only participated in everything related to body refinement, but also competed for spiritual materials related to array formation.

What's even more outrageous is that they seem to be completely indiscriminate, bidding on anything related to body tempering and array formation with all their might.

In just one hour, more than eight million spirit stones were spent.

They're about to break the ten million mark, but there's not the slightest sign of them slowing down.

Xiao Chen became increasingly curious. What was going on?

Zhang Shouquan shouldn't be wealthy, so it's said that the black-robed Nascent Soul cultivator was the one who put in the effort.

Interesting, where did he find this helper?
Since the other party can produce so many spirit stones and still needs a fourth-tier body-refining spiritual item, they are obviously not simple. There is a 99% chance that they are also a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

However, since he was a Nascent Soul True Monarch, he bid on many third-tier body-refining items.

A reasonable guess is that since they were already there and the things here were so good, they decided to take some spiritual items back with them for the younger disciples.

In other words, he should not be a lone cultivator, but someone with connections.

If that's the case, where does he come from?
Is it over by the Storm Sea?

Or perhaps those isolated islands in the open sea that are almost completely cut off from the world?

Xiao Chen was curious, but the other True Monarchs were even more curious than he was.

For them, the appearance of a cultivator who is highly suspected of being a Nascent Soul cultivator is already a big deal.

The bigger problem now is that this guy seems to have a foundation and doesn't seem to be a rogue cultivator, which makes the issue even more complicated.

After all, not everyone is like Xiao Chen, who is almost indifferent to worldly affairs and can even be described as helpful.

The space in the Sea of ​​Compassion is limited and cannot accommodate too many Nascent Soul cultivators.

They couldn't help but start speculating.

What is the purpose of their visit?
Is it simply about participating in auctions to exchange for spiritual items?

Or are they planning to join forces with Zhang Shouquan to cause trouble?
Many True Lords even tentatively competed with Box B12, deliberately driving up the price of a certain spiritual item.

To their surprise, the other party seemed to be very wealthy and very willing to spend money.

Unless the premium exceeds 50% of the theoretical price, completely losing its cost-effectiveness, we will compete to the very end.

Some True Lords even instinctively glanced at the private room where Xiao Chen was.

It was confirmed that he was indeed in box number 8 of the Jia class.

The main reason was that the scene was too easy for them to recall the large-scale auction held at Tingtaohai last time.

Of course, this is mainly because they don't know Xiao Chen well enough.

If he really makes a move, a mere 50% premium won't stop him.

How could they possibly give up the auction over such a trivial matter?

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, do you recognize the black-robed Daoist who was following Fellow Daoist Zhang?"

Yunfeng Zhenjun directly asked via telepathy, "If you are all friends, why don't you introduce yourselves to each other?"

He simply asked the wrong person.

Xiao Chen immediately responded via telepathy: "Unfortunately, I don't know the other party."

Fortunately, they all kept their private room doors open and didn't activate any formations, which allowed them to speak in private.

Soon, Xiao Chen noticed a rapid increase in spiritual fluctuations within the Class A private rooms, with almost all True Monarchs or Zen Masters inquiring about the situation among themselves.
However, it quieted down again after a short while.

It seems that after discussing it with each other, they didn't come to any conclusions.

This is quite normal; they may not have actually seen as many Nascent Soul True Monarchs as Xiao Chen.

Even excluding the new cultivation world, the same applies to the Storm Sea alone.

After all, although the Nascent Soul cultivators on both sides could obtain general information about the other side through intelligence, the Kunpeng Sea separated them, making it quite difficult for them to actually meet.

The key point is that normally there is no such need.

Instead of spending several years making a trip back and forth, it would be better to use that time for seclusion and spiritual cultivation.

"Next item: Thousand Peaks Rock Marrow."

"This item requires a thousand years of earth pressure to form and is a unique product of the Thousand Peaks Secret Realm within the Ink Peak Sect."

"It can be added to the forging of almost all defensive magical artifacts to effectively improve their quality."

"It is also a rare and precious spiritual material for setting up earth-type arrays."

"The starting bid is one million spirit stones, and each bid should not be less than ten thousand spirit stones."

"Something good has arrived!" Upon hearing this, Xiao Chen's eyes lit up as he looked at the Thousand Peaks Rock Marrow in the center.

In the future, whenever he refines defensive magical artifacts, he will definitely be able to use this highly compatible earth-type magical artifact.

(End of this chapter)