With that, Tong Tianyun clapped his hands. Immediately, several Qi Refining female cultivators came forward carrying trays covered with red cloth.
Remembering the rules Qin Xi had mentioned, Mo Tiange did not use her divine sense, so she didn't know what was under the red cloth. Presumably, the others were the same, all staring silently at the red cloth.
After the Qi Refining female cultivators set down the trays and withdrew, Tong Tianyun said, "Esteemed guests, enough idle talk. Everyone knows the convention of our trade meet. These few treasures are from the collection of Wanbao Pavilion, the largest shop in Kunzhong City. Please see if you are interested."
Unlike a typical auction where items are introduced one by one, Tong Tianyun directly lifted all the red cloths at once, immediately exposing the items on the three trays to everyone's view.
There was a small golden ring, a piece of jade with a fiery, flame-like color, and a jade box. Tong Tianyun opened the jade box to reveal a Snow Gall Grass several thousand years old.
"This is the Magical Treasure, the Diamond Ring. Esteemed guests, do not underestimate it. Wanbao Pavilion's collection is naturally extraordinary. This ring is a high-grade Magical Treasure. It can enlarge or shrink. If mastered, it can even split mountains and shatter rocks."
Mo Tiange merely glanced at it before looking away. Although this Magical Treasure was decent, it was slightly inferior to the three Magical Treasures bestowed upon her by Dao Lord Jinghe. Most of the Core Formation Cultivators present showed little interest, while the Foundation Establishment cultivators all had gleaming eyes.
"This is Fire-Pattern Jade. Fellow Daoists who know its value require no introduction from me."
Mo Tiange had also seen this item mentioned in ancient texts. Adding it when refining fire-attribute Magical Treasures could significantly increase their power. Remembering that Qin Xi cultivated a fire-attribute technique, she turned to look at him, only to see him looking utterly bored, not even glancing at the three items. After a moment's thought, she understood: no matter how good the Fire-Pattern Jade was, it would be useless to him once he formed his Nascent Soul.
"This Snow Gall Grass is already three thousand years old. You are all knowledgeable and know its price, so I won't say more."
This was the item Mo Tiange was least interested in. Three-thousand-year spirit herbs were everywhere in the Void Heaven Realm.
After looking them over, Tong Tianyun swept his gaze across the room, immediately discerning who was interested and who was not. He smiled and said, "Our trade meet does not have open bidding. Even those attending for the first time should know the rules. You have the time it takes for one incense stick to burn to think carefully about what price to offer. Remember, if you make an offer, you are not allowed to exchange information. If information is exchanged, only one person may make an offer! Begin now!"
Tong Tianyun waved his hand, and several other Qi Refining female cultivators came forward, handing Jade Tokens to everyone. Each person received three tokens, each marked with one of the three items.
Mo Tiange was puzzled, but then she heard Qin Xi's voice by her ear: "The rule of this trade meet is sealed bidding. Everyone writes their bid on the Jade Token, and the highest bidder wins."
This was novel. This way, there were many variables, less malicious bidding, and no price inflation. Presumably, ordinary cultivators would support this, as price inflation only harmed the bidders' interests.
She looked up and scanned the room. Among the twenty or so cultivators at the round table, some were scratching their heads, some were deep in thought, and some seemed completely indifferent.
Mo Tiange noticed someone opposite them who, like them, wasn't even looking at the items on the table. The Jade Tokens given to him were also placed on the table untouched. He was bowing his head, seemingly meditating. 'Seemingly' because he was also one of those wearing black robes and a bamboo hat, so his expression couldn't be seen. Apart from Qin Xi, this person had the highest cultivation level present, already at the late Core Formation stage. Judging by the faint, sharp aura surrounding him, his combat ability was also not weak.
She glanced at Qin Xi and saw that he was also focusing his gaze on this person.
Mo Tiange sent a voice transmission: "Senior Brother Shoujing, is there something wrong with this person?"
Qin Xi shook his head slightly: "It's just a bit strange, that's all."
Just as she was about to ask what was strange, the time for one incense stick had passed. Tong Tianyun announced loudly, "Esteemed guests, stop writing your bids."
At his words, the room fell silent. Some showed a look of determination and quickly wrote their bids. Then, the Qi Refining female cultivators stepped forward, collected all the Jade Tokens, and delivered them to Tong Tianyun.
As Tong Tianyun sorted the Jade Tokens one by one, most of those present stared intently at his movements.
After a while, Tong Tianyun smiled and announced the results: "The Diamond Ring is won by Fellow Daoist number five with a bid of eight thousand Spirit Stones. The Fire-Pattern Jade is won by Fellow Daoist number eighteen with a bid of five thousand Spirit Stones. The three-thousand-year Snow Gall Grass is won by Fellow Daoist number eleven with a bid of fifteen thousand Spirit Stones."
Hearing these prices, Mo Tiange was taken aback. Although she rarely visited markets, she knew the general prices. The Diamond Ring was, after all, a Magical Treasure. Eight thousand Spirit Stones was really quite cheap. As for the Fire-Pattern Jade, she wasn't familiar with it, but for a not-too-rare material, five thousand Spirit Stones seemed about right. But fifteen thousand Spirit Stones for a three-thousand-year Snow Gall Grass was far too expensive. After all, Kunwu bordered the forest. With enough courage to venture south, spirit herbs weren't too rare. Besides, Snow Gall Grass was an ordinary medicinal herb, just with a higher age.
Seeming to notice her confusion, Qin Xi said softly, "Since the last beast tide, the various sects of Kunwu have yet to fully recover their vitality, so the price of spirit herbs has risen significantly. Moreover, sealed bidding is like this. You might buy something for an extremely cheap price, or you might pay far above the market price."
Mo Tiange said no more. In her view, these three so-called treasures from Wanbao Pavilion's collection weren't that impressive. Among Foundation Establishment cultivators, they would naturally cause a scramble, but among Core Formation Cultivators, they were just ordinary goods. Many didn't even feel like bidding. It seemed the main event of this trade meet was still the 'trade' part. This sealed-bid auction was merely a warm-up.
However, she kept feeling a gaze directed at her from ahead, making her uneasy. When she looked up, she couldn't find its source.
After the bidding ended, Tong Tianyun had the maidservants collect the Spirit Stones from the successful bidders and complete the transactions. Then, he sat down himself and said with a smile, "Alright, the bidding is over. Our trade meet should officially begin now. Esteemed Fellow Daoists, shall I start?"
Although phrased as a question, it was merely a formality. After speaking, Tong Tianyun took a cloth bag from his robe, poured it out, and a pile of colorful, sparkling crystal stones clattered onto the table.
Seeing these things, the previously uninterested Core Formation Cultivators finally had a gleam in their eyes, while the Foundation Establishment cultivators looked bewildered, clearly not recognizing the items.
Mo Tiange shamefully realized she didn't recognize them either. She hadn't been a Core Formation Cultivator for long. Most of her knowledge came from ancient texts. If she hadn't read about something, she naturally wouldn't know.
Qin Xi whispered again, "This is Crystal Soul Jade. I really wonder where Old Man Tong got so much of it."
Seeing a flicker of interest in his eyes, Mo Tiange couldn't help but ask curiously, "Senior Brother Shoujing, what is this used for?"
Qin Xi said, "Crystal Soul Jade is extremely rare. It's generally used on Magical Treasures. This material can automatically gather spiritual energy. If a Magical Treasure is inlaid with Crystal Soul Jade, it will automatically absorb spiritual energy. Therefore, Magical Treasures with Crystal Soul Jade are more powerful than ordinary ones."
Mo Tiange pondered for a moment and said, "This... sounds like the property of Primordial Crystal Jade..."
"Correct. So-called Crystal Soul Stone is actually flawed Crystal Jade. In ancient times, Crystal Jade was found everywhere in the world. Inferior quality was called Crystal Stone, and flawed pieces were called Crystal Soul Jade. Nowadays, Crystal Jade has long since disappeared from the world, and Crystal Soul Jade is also extremely hard to come by."
Mo Tiange's heart stirred. Crystal Stone? Could it be the Crystal Stone used by the puppet automatons she had read about in the Void Heaven Realm's ancient texts? So that was just inferior Crystal Jade? If so, no wonder the art of automatons was lost. Crystal Jade couldn't be found now, and neither could Crystal Stone. She just didn't know if this Crystal Soul Jade was useful or not.
After laying out the Crystal Soul Jade, Tong Tianyun fell silent. Among the Core Formation Cultivators, someone finally couldn't resist speaking up: "Fellow Daoist Tong, what exactly do you want to exchange for this Crystal Soul Jade?"
Tong Tianyun smiled, the skin on his face wrinkling like a skeleton's: "Fellow Daoist, don't be impatient. I, Tong, wish to exchange for some spirit herbs. However, they must be over ten thousand years old."
As soon as these words were spoken, the Core Formation Cultivators present who weren't wearing hats all changed expression. One burly man immediately stood up and shouted, "Ten Thousand Year Spirit Herbs? Old Man Tong, why don't you just drop dead? Can you even find spirit herbs over five thousand years old nowadays? Let alone ten thousand!"
It was no wonder for this cultivator to react this way. Three-thousand-year spirit herbs were already hard to find, let alone ten-thousand-year ones. In this world today, five-thousand-year spirit herbs were probably extinct!
Tong Tianyun remained smiling, baring his sinister-looking teeth as he grinned at the man: "It's a trade meet. Mutual willingness is key. If you can't produce it, Fellow Daoist, that doesn't mean others don't have it, right?"
The burly man had no retort and could only snort heavily before sitting back down.
Another person said, "Fellow Daoist Tong, isn't your demand excessive? What is the value of a Ten Thousand Year Spirit Herb? Would it even be available to us Core Formation Cultivators? I'm afraid Nascent Soul cultivators would have snatched them all up long ago."
Tong Tianyun still smiled: "Fellow Daoist, my Crystal Soul Jade is also hard to find in this world, not much easier to come by than Ten Thousand Year Spirit Herbs."
So another person fell silent.
"Fellow Daoist Tong," it was Qin Xi who spoke now. He said calmly, "I don't have Ten Thousand Year Spirit Herbs. However, I can exchange one hundred thousand Spirit Stones and a five-thousand-year spirit herb with you."
These words caused not only Mo Tiange but everyone to look at Qin Xi. One hundred thousand Spirit Stones was no small sum, even for Nascent Soul cultivators. Moreover, someone had just said five-thousand-year spirit herbs couldn't be found now, and yet he produced one.
But he wasn't covering his face and wore the Xuanqing Sect's Daoist robe, displaying his superior cultivation level. Therefore, no one dared to question him, and even Tong Tianyun was momentarily speechless.
Suddenly, a light chuckle was heard. It came from that Core Formation Cultivator with the highest cultivation besides Qin Xi, whom Mo Tiange had noticed earlier. His voice was low and hoarse: "The Xuanqing Sect is indeed wealthy and powerful. One hundred thousand Spirit Stones and a five-thousand-year spirit herb—you can actually afford to offer them."
Qin Xi's expression remained unchanged, still calm and composed: "If you, sir, can offer better terms, please do."
The man frankly admitted: "I truly can't match your price. However, whether you can obtain the Crystal Soul Jade still depends on whether Fellow Daoist Tong agrees."
Everyone's gaze turned back to Tong Tianyun. They saw Tong Tianyun once again bare his sinister teeth in a grin at Qin Xi: "Fellow Daoist Shoujing, I truly apologize. I only wish to exchange for Ten Thousand Year Spirit Herbs. I don't want anything else."
"..." Qin Xi's expression shifted slightly, helpless. "In that case, there's nothing I can do either."
Tong Tianyun sighed and asked again, "Is there any Fellow Daoist who can exchange a Ten Thousand Year Spirit Herb?"
Mo Tiange glanced sideways and sent a voice transmission: "Senior Brother Shoujing, is this Crystal Soul Jade really worth that much?"
Qin Xi replied softly, "This much should be worth it. But Ten Thousand Year Spirit Herbs are too rare. I'm afraid apart from a few old monsters, no one in this world can produce one."
Mo Tiange pondered for a moment. Just as Tong Tianyun was about to give up, she suddenly spoke: "Fellow Daoist Tong, I do have a Ten Thousand Year Spirit Herb. However..."