great-warnovel Chapter 22 The Auction Begins
Chapter 22 The Auction Begins
It wasn't until late afternoon that Chen Chunan, carrying a bamboo basket, staggered toward the house rented by the clan elder.
...
When Chen Chunan arrived near the "pigeon cage," he straightened his posture, cleared his eyes, and used his Yin Spirit to probe the room. After confirming that the elder was inside, he stepped forward and pushed open the door.
"Squeak~"
The elder clan leader turned his head and looked over, then exclaimed in surprise, "Oh ho, Chu Nan, why do you reek of alcohol?"
Chen Chunan chuckled: "Today I made friends with a member of the Lin family named Lin Jing. She helped me out of a predicament and said she liked me, so she treated me to drinks."
"A member of the Lin family? What can I do to help you out of this predicament?"
The old clansman showed no surprise; instead, he frowned repeatedly.
Chen Chunan recounted in detail the incident of his falling out with Sun Yanling, a disciple of the Lieyang Sect.
The elder pondered for a moment before saying, "You mean you sensed a trace of the Earth's spiritual energy within this magical treasure box?"
Chen Chunan nodded: "Exactly. If I didn't sense anything, I might have sold it. That woman from the Blazing Sun Sect is willing to offer 300 spirit stones."
The elder clan leader said with a solemn expression: "The spiritual energy of the Earth Guardian usually only appears in Earth Guardian spiritual objects. It is possible that an Earth Guardian spiritual object is sealed inside. If that is the case, it is worth more than a thousand spirit stones. Selling it for 300 spirit stones is a bargain."
Chen Chunan was unsure how to open it, so he put it in the elder's storage ring and would figure it out when he got back.
...
The two of them didn't go anywhere the next day.
Chen Chunan successfully transformed his cultivation technique into the Five Elements Spiritual Technique, and under the guidance of the clan elder, he also initially refined the magical artifact, the Five Elements Shield.
The two waited quietly until the auction began on the third day.
Chen Chunan had just finished his midnight cultivation and had barely fallen asleep for a quarter of an hour when the clan elder woke him up: "Chunan, get up! There's an auction today!"
Chen Chunan jumped up in a flash: "Isn't it only the fourth watch of the night?"
"You wouldn't know if you haven't been here before, but after three days of build-up, the market is already packed with people! Those of us who can only participate in the auction in the main hall, if we don't get there early, we won't even get a good spot! Hurry!"
Upon hearing what the elder said, Chen Chunan didn't waste any more time and quickly got dressed and got out of bed.
Just before he left, the elder handed him a face towel: "Take this!"
Chen Chunan was stunned for a moment, and then realized that the old patriarch's face was now completely covered up, with only his eyes showing.
"This is?"
"The face mask woven from Xuan Yin silkworm silk can block the divine sense of a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator. This is specifically to prevent the Liu family from recognizing it."
Chen Chunan understood and quickly took it, also following the example of the elder and covering his head so that only his eyes were visible.
The two sneaked out of the pigeon coop and, under the cover of night, hurried towards the Wanfang Chamber of Commerce.
Along the way, Chen Chunan discovered many people who shared the same thoughts as them.
Seeing this, the two quickened their pace.
When the two arrived at the entrance of the venue, it was already packed with people.
The elder couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "Damn it, the auction doesn't open until dawn, and we all left before 1 AM, but we still weren't as early as these bastards!"
Chen Chunan had a strange expression on his face. He felt that these people might have been waiting at the door since yesterday.
The two found a suitable spot and waited quietly.
At dawn, a melodious bell rang out.
The gate that had been blocking everyone's way suddenly swung open.
"It's starting! It's starting!"
"Hurry up! Hurry up or you'll miss out on a good spot!"
"Don't push! Ugh~ Which bastard reached out and touched me? Why don't you go back and touch your own mother!"
"Hehehe, it's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding."
"You've got your hands on my mother! You just wait!"
"Tch, you'd better recognize me first! This is Chanel-style~"
...
Thanks to the elder's strength and experience, the two pushed many people to the back and managed to grab numbers 376 and 382 at the numbering station.
I was seated in the middle of the third row after entering, which was pretty good.
The Wanfang Chamber of Commerce made good preparations; although the auction was held in the main hall, small stone benches were provided for everyone to sit on in the lower hall.
Chen Chunan and the clan elder found the stone benches marked with their numbers, but they were five seats apart and couldn't sit together.
Before long, a beautiful woman in red, with a perfect figure and excellent temperament, walked to the auction stage.
Chen Chunan could tell from her clothes that she belonged to the Lieyang Sect.
After a few brief words of welcome, the auction officially began.
The beautiful woman on stage smiled warmly: "We know most of you are here for the Foundation Establishment Pills, so we'll stick to our usual practice: today's auction will be a special Foundation Establishment Pill auction! The first 150 items will all be Foundation Establishment Pills!"
Chen Chunan's expression shifted upon hearing the number: 150 pieces. Perhaps there really was a chance to auction off one this time.
But the sound around him immediately sank his slightly excited heart to the bottom of the sea.
"What? Only 150 Foundation Establishment Pills this year! The Blazing Sun Sect is getting more and more outrageous!"
"Yes, there are fewer every year! Last year there were 200! This year there are only 150, so what price will they fetch?"
"Damn it, I can't stay in Lingzhou anymore! Thousands of people are competing for 150 Foundation Establishment Pills, how the hell do we have a chance?"
Chen Chunan turned to look in the direction of the elder. Sure enough, the elder's eyes were downcast, and although he couldn't see his face, he must not be feeling well.
Soon, the first Foundation Establishment Pill was up for auction.
"Foundation Building Pill, starting price 800 spirit stones, minimum increment 50 spirit stones, bidding starts now!"
As the beautiful woman finished speaking.
The monks below began shouting out their bids.
"one thousand!"
"One thousand and two!"
"One thousand three hundred!"
"Damn it! Can you guys stop arguing with me? 1800!"
In the blink of an eye, the price had already reached a high of 1,800!
Chen Chunan felt that this time things might be hopeless.
After buying the magical artifacts and cultivation techniques, I only have 2200 spirit stones left after spending 3200. At this rate, I might not be able to win the bid.
Chen Chunan glanced at the clan elder with concern.
...
"Next up is the auction of the thirty-first Foundation Establishment Pill! The starting price remains 800 spirit stones. Each bid must be at least 50 spirit stones higher. Bids cannot be submitted if the required spirit stones are insufficient. Any further disruption to the auction will result in immediate expulsion!"
The middle-aged woman looked serious.
Just now, a cultivator named Red-Eyed clearly couldn't come up with 2700 spirit stones, yet he still called out a price. In the end, after the hammer fell, he couldn't pay and was thrown out of the market, and ordered not to enter the market again for a year.
In the end, the cultivator who offered the second-highest price made the deal for 2500 spirit stones.
According to the elder, the highest price last year was only 2000 spirit stones, and he thought that keeping 2200 spirit stones was a sure thing.
However, to everyone's surprise, the Lieyang Sect only offered 150 pieces this year. The fierce competition is now completely beyond the expectations of the elders!
Chen Chunan had also calculated the average transaction price, which reached 2250 spirit stones, even higher than the highest price last year!
Chen Chunan secretly shook his head: "Wealth, companions, methods, and land—no wonder wealth is the most important thing. Without money, how can you cultivate to become an immortal or achieve any kind of path? You can't even build a foundation!"
The first thirty clan elders didn't bid even once.
Now that the thirty-first item is up for auction, the elder clansman is invigorated.
The gavel had just fallen to start the auction.
Two companies immediately offered: "1800 spirit stones".
"1900 spirit stones!"
The clan elder immediately raised his sign: "2200 spirit stones!"
The clan elder has gone all in; now it's just a matter of whether he can scare others. If he can't, he's finished.
Unfortunately, the average transaction price this year has exceeded 2250 spirit stones, and no one reacted at all when they heard the price of 2200.
Soon, this price was drowned out by higher bids.
For the next ten coins, the elder bid four times, each time offering 2200, but it was still useless.
As for the last ten coins, the price competition became even more intense.
They even offered a price of 2800, and the big bosses completely gave up the competition.
However, he bid 2200 five times in a row, and those who were paying attention could naturally guess that the elder clan leader probably only brought 2200 spirit stones.
Many people secretly memorized the elder's figure and began to plot their own schemes.
The auction for the Foundation Building Pill ended quickly.
The elder clan leader led Chen Chunan out.
Chen Chunan, still somewhat unsatisfied, asked with a puzzled look, "Elder, aren't you going to continue watching? The auction is supposed to last for three days."
The elder lowered his voice and said, "My bidding has already revealed our wealth, and many people have noticed us. While those Foundation Establishment cultivators are still waiting for the later stages of the auction, when is a better time to leave?"
Chen Chunan suddenly realized what was going on, and without saying anything more, he followed the elder back to change his clothes and quietly left the market.