I Cultivate Immortality With Scientific Thinking

Chapter 32: Underground Auction

At the end of the secret passage, two black-clad individuals stood motionless, guarding the door. They held a large knife-shaped Law Weapon in one hand, their eyes fixed on the approaching people.

There was a bloody and chilling aura emanating from them, as if they had been through many battles. They were quite different from the sect cultivators Lin Chen encountered in his previous life, resembling more like mercenaries.

As Lin Chen approached and glanced at them, one of them confirmed the secret password once again before opening the door. Then, he stood to the side without any further movement.

Without hesitation, Lin Chen walked in.

Behind the door was a spacious hall, with a red carpet laid on the aisle. Rows of chairs were placed in the hall, not connected to each other. There was about ten feet of distance between each chair, as if arranged in a certain order.

After entering the hall, Lin Chen noticed several doors similar to the one behind him around the hall. Cultivators were coming out from behind these doors one after another, indicating that there were several entrances to the auction.

Lin Chen calmly walked to the back row and casually chose a chair to sit on. Then, he pretended to look around aimlessly, observing the surroundings.

In addition to the first floor, the hall had several small staircases leading to private rooms on the second and third floors. Each room had a small window that allowed a view of the hall.

According to Lin Chen's knowledge, these rooms were used by consignors or regular attendees of the auction.

Although underground, the hall was very bright. Upon closer inspection, there were sparkling pearls embedded in the ceiling, emitting a soft white light.

At this moment, scattered cultivators were sitting on the chairs in the hall. Most of them were dressed in black, concealing their faces, quietly sitting on the chairs. The spacious hall, filled with people in black attire, gave off a feeling of a gang meeting.

At the same time, the hall was silent. Some closed their eyes to cultivate their spirit, while others looked around, but there was no conversation. Obviously, they didn't want to reveal their identities.

It seemed that Lin Chen arrived early, as there were still many seats available in the hall. It was not yet time for the auction to begin.

Lin Chen sat quietly on the chair, planning his next move in his mind.

"According to the information provided by Xu Mengyun, she has been attending this auction for five years and knows all the entrances and exits. Of course, these are only for us guests. The auction management cultivators must have a secret passage, but obviously, it won't be used by those buying Spirit Essence. So, this is my chance..."

There was no doubt that Lin Chen had no intention of buying; he planned to directly snatch the item.

Is this not a good idea?

What a joke. His moral bottom line was quite flexible, and besides, wasn't there a saying popular in this world? "Treasures belong to the virtuous!"

After about a quarter of an hour, the seats gradually filled up, and more people appeared. A rough estimate showed that there were about a hundred cultivators.

The hall resounded with three loud chimes, signaling the official start of the underground auction.

"Boom!"

Several doors closed with a loud noise.

Lin Chen focused his gaze and saw that all the doors were tightly shut, but there was no spiritual light flashing on them. Apparently, they were just ordinary doors that he could break open at any time if he wished.

After the doors closed, a black-clad person of average build, whose face was not visible, quickly walked out from behind the stage.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoists, for coming to this event. I am Zhao Ming, the host of this auction."

The black-clad person bowed to the surroundings, their voice hoarse and low, making it difficult to discern their gender.

"First of all, I want to declare that all forms of suppression and collusion are prohibited in this auction, as they would affect fair bidding. Violators will be punished by our auction, and those with serious offenses may even be captured and have their cultivation abolished on the spot!"

"The bidding will be based on Low Grade Spirit Stones, but if one does not have enough Spirit Stones, they can also trade with equivalent items."

"Finally, I reiterate that anyone who dares to violate the rules of the auction will be punished!"

Zhao Ming's tone was initially calm, but towards the end, it carried a hint of chilling killing intent. As soon as the words fell, a terrifying spiritual pressure emanated from the backstage of the auction.

A Foundation Building Stage cultivator!

Lin Chen's gaze narrowed, showing some surprise. However, upon careful consideration, he felt that it was only natural.

After all, in the Jiaqing Fang Market, being able to hold an underground auction under the control of the Azure Cloud Sect indicated that the force behind it was not simple. It was not strange to have a Foundation Building Stage cultivator.

As the cultivators in the hall heard these words, whether they were disdainful or fearful, no one spoke up.

"Alright, I announce that this auction is officially beginning!"

Zhao Ming said as he took out a small hammer and a small bell from his storage bag, lightly tapping the bell with the hammer.

After a sound rang out, a pretty servant girl dressed in gorgeous attire walked out from behind the stage, twisting her body.

She held a jade tray with nine jade bottles on it.

"The first item up for auction in this auction is the Yellow Bud Pill."

"The Yellow Bud Pill is one of the best pills in the Mid Qi Refining stage for increasing True Qi and advancing cultivation. This pill has a gentle power and is easy to absorb, allowing cultivators to complete the cultivation of the True Qi realm faster and have more time to condense the Qi Cyclone."

"There are six pills per bottle of the Yellow Bud Pill, with a total of nine bottles. They will be auctioned off in three groups, with three bottles per group."

"The starting price is thirty spiritual stones, and each bid must be at least three spiritual stones higher."

Zhao Ming pointed at the jade tray in the servant girl's hand and explained loudly.

"Thirty-five spiritual stones."

Immediately, a cultivator in the audience spoke up with a bid.

"Forty spiritual stones."

Lin Chen listened to the continuous bidding in the hall without any fluctuations in his heart.

He only took pills to replenish his own vitality and spirit. As for pills that could increase cultivation, he generally didn't take them. On one hand, it was unnecessary, and on the other hand, it would cause some impurities in his True Qi.

So, whenever possible, he would try to avoid taking them.

"Fifty-five spiritual stones!"

As the price was raised to this amount, the crowd in the hall quieted down, and no one made any more bids.

Although these three bottles of Yellow Bud Pills would normally only cost thirty spiritual stones, this kind of pill with gentle power and easy absorption was often in short supply. Once it was refined, it would be reserved early on, and there were very few circulating in the market.

Or perhaps it was because of a good start, Zhao Ming kindly said to the cultivator who had won the bid for the pills, "These three bottles of Yellow Bud Pills belong to Fellow Daoist. You can come to the side hall for delivery at any time."

As the auction continued, the three groups of Yellow Bud Pills were sold for sixty, sixty-five, and seventy-five spiritual stones respectively.

"Now, please welcome the second item up for auction."

Zhao Ming waved his hand, and the servant girl holding the Yellow Bud Pills stepped back, while another beautiful servant girl came forward with a jade tray.

"The Rank One Law Weapon, Golden Light Shield, is a top-quality Law Weapon painstakingly crafted by an artifact refining master over seven days. It can withstand the full force attack of a Late Qi Refining Stage cultivator for a period of time. It is an excellent life-saving Law Weapon."

"Fellow Daoists who are away from home must not miss this opportunity. With this item, it's like having an extra life!"

"The starting price is three hundred spiritual stones, and each bid must be at least ten spiritual stones higher."

...

Lin Chen had only come this time for the Hundred-Year Jade Marrow, and the other treasures did not catch his eye, so he had not made any bids.

However, the next item up for auction caught his attention.

"Now, please welcome the sixty-sixth item up for auction. The Body Refining technique - 'Blood Source Marrow Refining Manual'!"

(End of this chapter)