A daily divination, from family tortoise shells to immortal clans.

The attraction was extremely weak; Chen Qingmo could only barely detect it after careful observation.

"After all these years, it's finally reacting."

He felt a surge of excitement; the stone slab had previously been indistinguishable from an inanimate object.

If it weren't for the tortoise shell displaying the divination results, and only the stone piece looking somewhat special, he would have considered it an ordinary object under normal circumstances.

Chen Qingmo observed for a while, then put away the bluish-gray stone slab.

What exactly is the purpose of this item? Perhaps we can only find out once we reach the Three Realms Forbidden Land.

It should be placed in a storage bag and should not be taken out to be shown to others.

Having done all this, he sat cross-legged on the bed to cultivate.

About an incense stick later, there was a knock on the door.

When Chen Qingmo went out, he saw that it was his master, Master Tiejian.

"Master." He bowed respectfully.

Master Tiejian nodded slightly: "When I was chatting with an old friend, he mentioned that there are a few Breakthrough Pills at this auction."

"This pill can help cultivators break through to the Great Perfection of Qi Refining. Although the success rate is only 40%, it is still very rare."

"If you want one, I'll buy one for you later."

Breakthrough Pills can help cultivators at the ninth level of Qi Refining accelerate the liquefaction of gaseous spiritual energy within their bodies; normally, one pill is worth several hundred spirit stones.

The spiritual energy within Chen Qingmo's body had liquefied into a lake, with extremely thin mist.

With the help of the Breakthrough Pill, it is indeed possible to attempt to break through to the Great Perfection of Qi Refining.

"Thank you for your kindness, Master. I also have some spirit stones on me, so I can buy them myself."

"It's alright, I'll take the picture, then no one else will target you."

Most of the people attending the auction were treasure hunters, and there were at least dozens, if not hundreds, of people like Chen Qingmo who were at the ninth level of Qi Refining.

One of their goals is the Breakthrough Pill, so naturally they will bid for it.

If he were captured by a cultivator of the same level, it would be inevitable that some resentful individuals would try to kill him in secret.

Upon hearing this, Chen Qingmo no longer refused.

His master had considered everything carefully; a few hundred spirit stones were not a lot for him.

If you keep refusing, it would seem like you don't know what's good for you.

After a brief conversation, Master Tiejian returned to his room.

Six days later.

The auction was about to begin, and many cultivators headed towards the market early in the morning.

The already bustling street became even more vibrant, and some vendors even saw a significant increase in business.

Chen Qingmo followed his master at a leisurely pace.

At midnight, a hexagram appeared in his mind.

[Today's Divination - Auspicious]: You participated in an auction and won a mutated night-walking rat, which can continue to mutate into the rare spirit beast, the Treasure-Seeking Rat.

He was somewhat delighted. He thought that getting a Breakthrough Pill would be good enough, but he didn't expect to have an extra gain.

Upon arriving at the auction venue, Master Tiejian led Chen Qingmo into a private room.

As a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, he was entitled to this treatment.

At noon, the auction officially began.

The person in charge of hosting was a beautiful female cultivator.

The voice is clear, melodious, and very pleasant to listen to.

"Fellow Daoists, enough of the small talk, let me reveal the first item for auction."

"One Breakthrough Pill!"

Immediately, many cultivators at the ninth level of Qi Refining in the arena became eager to learn.

First-grade high-quality pills are even more precious than Spirit Gathering Pills, and their price is several times higher.

"I'm sure you all know the effects of this pill, so I won't go into too much detail."

"The starting bid for this Breakthrough Pill is 200 spirit stones, with each bid increasing by at least 10 spirit stones."

As soon as he finished speaking, many cultivators began to bid.

In a few breaths, the price of the pill reached three hundred spirit stones.

"Three hundred and fifty spirit stones."

The venue fell silent immediately, as the sound was coming from a private room on the second floor.

That was where Foundation Establishment cultivators were located, and they dared not offend them for the sake of a single pill.

"Please don't be angry, everyone. I only bid on this one Breakthrough Pill, which I bought for my disciple."

"If there are any more pills like this in the future, I will not use them."

The voice of Master Tiejian came from above, reassuring the cultivators in the venue.

The crowd relaxed at first, then looked up with some envy, wondering which prodigy was up there.

However, there was a protective array outside the private room, which they couldn't see through.

Seeing the awkward silence, the female cultivator in charge quickly said, "Fellow Daoists, there is more than one Breakthrough Pill, so you still have a chance."

"Since no one else is bidding, this Breakthrough Pill will be won by the senior above."

After the female cultivator finished speaking, she instructed her servant to bring over a second Breakthrough Pill.

This time, no Foundation Establishment cultivators spoke, and the atmosphere in the hall became heated again.

Ultimately, the second pill was auctioned off for 540 spirit stones.

"The third item for auction, a Xunfeng talisman, starting bid..."

Chen Qingmo heard this and looked up.

He didn't expect that Xunfeng Talismans would be auctioned here, and at such a high price.

"Interested? I'll take a picture for you?"

Master Tiejian thought his disciple wanted the item, so he asked.

Chen Qingmo shook his head and took out a talisman that glowed with a blue light from his storage bag.

"No wonder you reacted this way; it turns out you can refine it yourself."

Master Tiejian chuckled lightly, knowing that Chen Qingmo's talisman-making skills were quite good.

The auction then proceeded to sell many more items, including two treasures that had reached the Foundation Establishment stage.

However, Master Tiejian did not make a bid, clearly indicating that he was not interested.

"The next item up for auction is a mythical beast."

After the female cultivator finished speaking, she did not continue her explanation.

Instead, they had someone bring over animal cages, and then uncovered the red cloth covering them.

The group, who had been somewhat hopeful, were immediately disappointed; the spirit beast in the cage was clearly a nocturnal rat.

Although the colors are slightly different, they look the same.

"Fellow Daoists, according to the examination conducted at the venue, this is a mutated nocturnal rat with golden fur, which is quite similar to a treasure-hunting rat."

The female cultivator wanted to say more, but seeing that everyone was not very interested, she went straight to the price.

"Starting bid is 100 spirit stones, with each bid increment being no less than 5 spirit stones."

An ordinary night-walking rat is a first-tier spirit beast, and this cub is only worth this price.

"One hundred spirit stones."

Someone offered their bottom price.

"One hundred and twenty spirit stones."

A cultivator, seeing its adorable appearance, wanted to take it as a spirit pet.

"One hundred and thirty spirit stones."

Chen Qingmo's voice came from the private room.

The people in the room were taken aback at first, then understood.

This voice is different from the one from the Foundation Establishment cultivator earlier; it must be that disciple.

Two more people then raised the price, and Chen Qingmo quoted 170 spirit stones.

This price exceeds 20% of the cost of a night-walking mouse; no matter how good-looking it is, people don't want to waste their money.

"One hundred and seventy spirit stones, sold!"

The female cultivator sounded pleased; she hadn't expected the night rat to fetch such a good price.

The highest estimated price given at the auction was 150 spirit stones, and that was due to the mutation.

Inside the private room, Master Iron Sword raised an eyebrow, somewhat puzzled: "Disciple, why did you spend such a high price to buy this night-walking rat?"

After careful observation, he found nothing unusual about the rat.

Unfortunately, Chen Qingmo bid several times, spending a lot more spirit stones than he should have.

"Master, I think this little mouse is quite good. Maybe it can really be like the treasure-hunting mouse."

Chen Qingmo didn't know how to answer, so he could only give a vague reply.

"Never mind, it didn't cost too many spirit stones. I can't be so careless in the future."

Master Tiejian offered a warning.

"Your disciple will remember this."

Before long, the Breakthrough Pill and the Night-Walking Rat were escorted into the private room.

Beside the night-walking rat was a leather bag, which the servant told him could be used to store spirit beasts.

"The spirit beast pouch wasn't cheap; it was probably a gift from the auction house because of Master's influence."

Chen Qingmo sighed, realizing that the influence of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator was indeed effective.

Master Tiejian smiled, then looked at the auction stage, staring at the new items for auction below.

At this point, only a few items remained in the venue, and most of the Foundation Establishment cultivators had come specifically for this purpose.

"Esteemed Foundation Establishment seniors have come for the last few items, so I won't keep you in suspense any longer."

"Crimson Phoenix Blade, a top-grade magic weapon, starting bid is five thousand spirit stones, with each bid increment no less than one hundred spirit stones."

After the female cultivator finished speaking, the several cultivators wielding swords began bidding.