bookpower Chapter 300: The Gutian Auction
Chapter 300: The Gutian Auction
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lan chang'an stayed behind the scenes, supporting the star moon merchant association, influencing the power structure of the oasis, and cultivating quietly in peace.
how can one tolerate others snoring by one’s bedside?
if fang zhen were to target the descendants of master lihuo residing in this oasis, it would inevitably disrupt lan chang'an's cultivation plans.
the options were clear: either flee or eliminate the threat.
inside the manor, the black-clad youth was at a critical juncture in breaking through to the core formation realm. elder duan was serving as a protector, remaining unaware of any potential threats lurking nearby.
above the clouds, in the nine fiery heavens...
a middle-aged man clad in iron armor, with thick eyebrows and a square face, stood unmoving. his expression shifted between hesitation and resolution. the astral winds around him dared not approach, and the air seemed inexplicably heavy.
"the timing is not yet right."
"this large oasis houses formidable core formation experts. the descendants of master lihuo in this area might not only include the true dan duan zhengyu."
after some deliberation, fang zhen quietly left river source oasis without alerting anyone.
his true objective was not to exterminate master lihuo's descendants, but rather to seize the opportunities and resources that could aid him in advancing further in cultivation.
years ago, during the collapse of the flame departing palace, betrayal, the ambush of master lihuo's dao companion, offspring, and disciples, as well as the looting of treasures, had brought him significant benefits.
without those resources, fang zhen would not have been able to elevate his cultivation to the current level over the past sixty years.
flying several dozen li away from river source oasis, fang zhen suddenly sensed something. he glanced back at the layers of earth beneath the yellow sands, faintly detecting a trace of unusual demonic energy that quickly dissipated.
"could this be a contingency left behind by the supreme elder?"
frowning, a trace of wariness flickered in fang zhen's eyes as he hastened his departure from the oasis.
previously, fang zhen had discovered another dwelling place of master lihuo's descendants. however, due to similar concerns, he had refrained from taking any rash actions.
back at the mountain-water manor...
"he's gone?"
lan chang'an let out a small sigh of relief.
if it wasn't absolutely necessary, he had no intention of fighting a late-stage core formation cultivator.
a late-stage core formation expert was far superior to an average core formation cultivator. even mid-stage core formation cultivators, without exceptional magical treasures and divine abilities, would struggle to be a match.
not to mention that ordinary early- or mid-stage true dan cultivators were completely outclassed.
a peak core formation cultivator also fell into the late-stage category, having reached the pinnacle of that minor realm with no room for further advancement.
against such a formidable opponent, even with the assistance of formations, puppets, and his earth burrowing rat, lan chang'an could defeat him but not easily. there was even a chance the enemy could escape.
when fang zhen departed, lan chang'an had deliberately allowed the earth burrowing rat to release a faint trace of powerful demonic energy, causing fang zhen to hesitate and not act recklessly.
in a few years, once lan chang'an advanced to the mid-core formation stage, dealing with opponents like fang zhen would be far less troublesome—as long as they weren't late-stage core formation top-tier geniuses like the peacock saintess.
...
half a day later.
the core formation phenomenon over the mountain-water manor dissipated.
the black-clad youth brought by elder duan had merely formed a fake dan instead of a true dan.
lan chang'an was indifferent to this outcome, focusing instead on analyzing fang zhen's intentions. he had begun to form a rough understanding in his mind.
the descendants of master lihuo who remained in fengyuan kingdom had been left some treasured resources.
however, the core resources truly capable of nurturing a nascent soul cultivator were mostly located within the flame departing palace on the side of the seven kingdoms alliance territory.
of the treasures left behind on this side, there were only one or two that would help nascent soul breakthroughs, and they were not very attractive to lan chang'an.
one was master lihuo's detailed insights into breaking through to the nascent soul realm, which held no meaning for lan chang'an.
the second was an ordinary spiritual object, which was far less beneficial than an infant transformation pill or the taiyin jade essence.
by the time lan chang'an reached the late-stage core formation realm, with sufficient wealth, such an ordinary spiritual object could easily be purchased in the wangyue immortal city.
ten days later.
elder duan, along with the black-clad youth who was stabilizing his cultivation, bid farewell to lan chang'an.
as for the potential threat of fang zhen tracking them, lan chang'an chose not to warn them directly, not wishing to become too entangled in their affairs.
as the highest-ranking descendant of master lihuo in the fengyuan kingdom, elder duan had the life-saving cards left behind by his nascent soul ancestor. although he couldn’t match a late-stage core formation cultivator, he had the means to protect himself.
based on lan chang'an's calculations, elder duan was likely already aware of fang zhen's presence and had taken precautions.
during this core formation attempt, elder duan had not asked lan chang'an to avoid the area. perhaps he intended to pull lan chang'an into his faction, using him to share future risks and fight against powerful enemies together.
"this grandson has a cunning heart."
lan chang'an pondered his next steps, planning to leave after advancing to the mid-stage core formation realm.
he would relocate to a place with a better spiritual vein and cultivation resources.
as a third-rank alchemist, his status was highly sought after and revered all over fengyuan kingdom.
...
two years later, the river source oasis remained tranquil.
the star moon merchant association had steadily expanded, not only clearing all of lan chang'an's debts but even managing to hire a true dan cultivator as a patron.
on this day, lan chang'an, now 232 years old, was in peak condition as he finally began refining the crystal condensation pill.
inside the alchemy room, lan chang'an sat cross-legged, his eyes closed as he communicated with the nine seal stele. he summoned the soul shadow of his peak core formation second life.
in an instant, the robes on his body began to stir despite the absence of wind. his soul power surged dramatically, momentarily exceeding the limits of the core formation realm.
seven days later.
the alchemy room was bathed in radiant light. the pill furnace opened, and three pills resembling glass-like snow jade shot out, faintly exuding spiritual pressure.
“three pills formed! two genuine and one inferior with only minor flaws,” lan chang'an assessed, his face lighting up with satisfaction.
it was worth noting that back in the day, even "morning pill immortal", a mid-grade third-rank alchemist from the jin yun valley, could only produce two crystal condensation pills at most when giving his all.
however, it wasn’t that lan chang'an’s alchemy skills surpassed morning pill’s.
he simply wasn’t in a rush. he waited until his condition was at its peak and deliberately summoned the soul of his second life to significantly enhance his spiritual sense control.
with a bit of luck, he managed to produce three pills.
as the large auction approached, gutian immortal city saw a surge in visitors.
floating in the air outside the city were numerous pavilions, carriages, spirit beast mounts, and magical treasures, exuding streams of light as they carried cultivators from various regions.
one particular flying palace, designed in a classical style, emitted melodious music that captivated nearby onlookers.
“i heard that the owner of the xuan yin pavilion, fairy ni yue, has personally arrived to attend this grand auction. i wonder which auction item has caught her eye?”
“ah, it’s a pity that my cultivation is too shallow. i have no chance to enter her palace and witness fairy ni yue’s celestial beauty. only well-known core formation experts might receive such an invitation.”
“well, we lowly ones can only spend spirit stones to visit the city’s xuan yin hall, the branch of the xuan yin pavilion. there, we can admire the graceful female cultivators of the pavilion, listen to their ethereal music, and cleanse our minds.”
cultivators from all over discussed and gazed longingly at the dreamlike flying palace.
lan chang'an, with his powerful spiritual sense, probed the situation briefly but wasn’t surprised by the xuan yin pavilion’s presence.
the pavilion had moved to the outer sect alliance territory many years ago, with branches like xuan yin hall established in most nearby immortal cities.
most of their new disciples were recruited locally.
controlling the flying carpet, lan chang'an guided it into gutian immortal city.
granny yun had a kind face and opened her mouth to test the waters. “i’ve heard that mister xu has some ties with a true dan elder from the xuan yin pavilion. why not take the opportunity to visit and reconnect? we wouldn’t mind if you left us for a while.”
“oh no, madam yun is mistaken,” lan chang'an replied calmly. “my connection with the pavilion is purely transactional—mostly related to alchemy transactions.”
granny yun smiled knowingly but did not comment further.
she had heard from yun ling that this mister xu had once flirted with fairy jiang from the xuan yin pavilion and even hosted her overnight at his manor.
in truth, before the downfall of the flame departing palace, granny yun had been acquainted with the previous master of the xuan yin pavilion and even with fairy ni yue.
she was well aware of the pavilion’s reputation: its female cultivators were renowned for their beauty, elegance, and talent in music, making them irresistibly attractive to male cultivators.
...
on that day, lan chang'an and the yun trio checked into a local inn.
late at night, under the cover of darkness, lan chang'an released his mid-grade third-rank puppet clone.
in order to differentiate it from the assassin avatar code-named “black lord,” this puppet clone had been given a completely new appearance.
it now resembled a wandering daoist merchant, wearing a bamboo hat. its outfit bore a 60–70% resemblance to that of "daoist tianshu," a mysterious figure lan chang'an had encountered in his earlier years.
of course, this was only one of the puppet clone’s many disguises. it could take on various forms to blend into the city.
with ten days remaining until the auction, lan chang'an and his puppet clone split their efforts into two fronts: the public side and the hidden side.
while lan chang'an publicly purchased and sold ordinary resources to maintain his cover, the puppet clone worked in the shadows, engaging in transactions and even venturing into the black market.
several days passed.
the puppet clone visited several major shops within the city and even attended underground black markets, liquidating a large amount of spirit stones.
the spirit beast cubs and eggs obtained from huang lang immortal were particularly popular in the city. the prices they fetched exceeded lan chang'an’s expectations, as many of these species were unavailable in the desert regions of fengyuan kingdom and could only be brought in by outsiders.
so long as lan chang'an avoided overselling, he had no concerns about exposing himself.
the outer sect alliance region was a melting pot of cultivators from various factions and regions, including loose cultivators and those from other kingdoms. it was not uncommon to see puppeteers, poison masters, body cultivators, and beast tamers mingling, making it difficult to trace origins.
in addition to the spirit beasts, the puppet clone also sold various rare materials brought from the liang kingdom. these fetched high prices due to their scarcity in the region.
meanwhile, lan chang'an himself sold low-grade third-rank pills that were inconspicuous and aligned with his alchemist identity.
in just a few days, lan chang'an and his puppet clone amassed over 100,000 spirit stones.
the resources sold, including the spirit beasts, accounted for less than half of his inventory, leaving much to be used in the future.
the bulk of the spirit stones was spent on materials for third-rank puppets and more advanced puppet technique inheritances.
with limited connections in gutian immortal city, lan chang'an often had to pay high prices or rely on the puppet clone to make purchases in the black market.
by two days before the auction, he had gathered nearly all the materials needed for crafting another mid-grade third-rank puppet, using some items from his own stockpile.
the remaining rare materials could potentially be obtained at the auction.
additionally, lan chang'an acquired a puppet inheritance from the thousand mechanisms sect, albeit only of quasi-third rank level.
"the thousand mechanisms sect’s puppet inheritances truly stand apart," lan chang'an mused as he delved into the techniques.
even studying this lower-rank inheritance provided him with considerable insight and inspiration.
compared to the puppet techniques he had obtained from the righteous dao alliance, the depth of the thousand mechanisms sect’s inheritances was far superior.
this only deepened his desire to obtain higher-level puppet inheritances to further refine his puppet clone.
the puppet clone, cautious in its dealings, kept interactions brief and used strong spiritual sense barriers to prevent others from probing its true nature.
...
the night before the auction.
suddenly, shocking news spread throughout gutian immortal city.
“mister xu, have you heard? they’ve added a new item to the grand auction’s finale!”
the yun siblings hurriedly came to inform lan chang'an of the latest development.
“what is it?” lan chang'an asked with a calm expression.
“it’s a crystal condensation pill!”
“a genuine crystal condensation pill is something rarely seen in auctions across gutian immortal city. it’s a treasure that only appears once in a century!”
the yun siblings were visibly excited, their expressions full of awe.
according to the initial auction announcements, the finale items were supposed to include a third-rank puppet, a third-rank water spirit pearl, and a mid-grade magical treasure. the addition of a crystal condensation pill was completely unexpected.
seeing their reactions, lan chang'an gained an even deeper appreciation for how scarce high-ranked pills were in this barren fengyuan kingdom.
not to mention the crystal condensation pill that increased the probability of forming a core. it was practically unheard of in local auctions. every time one appeared, it would spark a frenzy of competition and potentially even deadly conflict.
that's right!
that crystal condensation pill that was featured in the finale actually came from lan chang'an.
through his puppet clone, disguised as a mysterious individual, lan chang'an had consigned the pill to the auction.
his goal wasn’t just to liquidate assets but to prioritize trading for third-rank life extension pills or thousand mechanisms sect puppet inheritances.
as for whether the auction of this pill would trigger chaos or bloodshed in this barren desert had little to do with old lan.