Guests started leaving after the end of the auction. A few big shots came and talked to Li Qiye.

Though they didn’t know about his background and identity and his cultivation wasn’t impressive, the fact that he was recognized by the auction house showed that he was somehow special.

Thus, they wanted to befriend him and introduced themselves before leaving.

“I’m from Wutong Mountain, our jade tree’s flowers blossom once every five hundred years. The fermented wine made out of them is wonderful so when you have time, Fellow Daoist Li, come for a drink.” A big shot elegantly invited.

“Sky Mountain always welcomes visitors. Visit us when you have time, Fellow Daoist Li.” Another invited directly.

“Ancient Sword wants to befriend someone like you, your presence will brighten our humble abode.” Others also invited him.

The majority tried to talk to him but some also stayed far away from him. After all, he had offended both True Immortal and Three Thousand Dao - the two strongest lineages in the contemporary. It would be hard for him to stay in Sky Border.

Some thought that the feud with True Immortal was especially serious. He had humiliated them enough to warrant revenge. This was a serious consequence, potentially life-threatening.

Therefore, they preferred to stay away instead of getting involved in this mess.

“Young Noble, Archipelago remembers your kindness. If you ever need assistance, every member of Archipelago will be of service.” Turtle-seeker said as he was about to leave.

The fire dragon pills were too generous. He kept on bowing repeatedly before waving from a distance.

Eventually, only Li Qiye’s group and members of the auction house were left.

“Alright, time to pay up.” Li Qiye told one of them.

The old man from the auction house immediately bowed and answered: “It is an honor to have you here, Young Noble. These are just minor gifts, please accept.” Having said that, he handed over the paperwork, meaning that Li Qiye didn’t need to pay for the prior auctions.

He stared at the old man and smiled: “A bit clever. Very well, let’s not dwell on formalities and vulgar things such as money. However, I won’t take advantage of you. Bring pen and paper over, I will leave behind one character for your grotto.”

“Thank you, Young Noble, thank you!” The old man was overwhelmed with excitement. One character from Li Qiye was worth countless times more than the payments.

It didn’t take long before workers brought everything necessary over for Li Qiye to write.

“Wow, wonderful items.” The daoist commented while looking at the prepared objects: “Iron stone-bamboo as the shaft, fur of a heavenly fire fox as the brush. Ink made from celestial smoke grass, inkstone carved from seven-star dao rock. And the paper, let’s see here, a total of eighteen layers embedded together…”

He stared at the old man and said: “These are perfect materials for a master to write a talisman, not just simple calligraphy.”

These items were extremely valuable and could be considered treasures for making talismans. They were never used for regular writing.

Normal cultivators would never have the chance to see them. In fact, just holding the brush was virtually impossible due to its weight, let alone writing.

The auction house intended to have the perfect items for Li Qiye to leave behind a peerless dao.

In fact, anyone capable of writing with this brush would leave behind a part of the dao regardless of the content.

“How crafty.” Jian Ming said: “This is wanting our young noble to leave behind a dao affinity.”

The old man chuckled awkwardly and said: “The young noble is a marvelous existence. Regular pen and paper aren’t worthy of his touch. He must have the best materials possible for writing. Only these things are worthy of being containers for his calligraphy.”

“Can’t argue with that.” Jian Ming was impressed by the old man’s choice of words. Yes, it would be insulting to let Li Qiye write on regular pen and paper after knowing his identity. Moreover, they would help preserve the embedded dao for eras to come.

Whether they did it out of respect or for their own gains, there was nothing improper about the act.

Li Qiye only smiled and casually wrote, never removing the pen from the paper.

Once the character was finished, everyone saw that it was the character, “lake”. The first impression was that it was written clumsily. 

Upon closer inspection, there was something archaic about it. After enough time, they would then appreciate the sharp strokes akin to the swings of a blade. Instead of being carved onto a rock, this dao was embedded onto the paper.

Eventually, while reading from a dao comprehension perspective, they saw that this was a natural character with no gaps and breaks. It was as if he had taken out a heavenly dao and imprinted it here. This dao was as vast as an ocean with runic dragons soaring within.

“Thank you for your gift, Young Noble.” The old man bowed again.

Li Qiye glanced at the auctioneer with the goatee and said: “Though your auction house is not the primary branch, this character will give you legitimacy and bless you with good luck to live on while not shaming the ancestors.”

“We will remember your teachings, Young Noble.” The auctioneer and the old man kneeled. The former continued: “We descendants find it glorious to be in your presence and earning your grace. This is a momentous event that we won’t ever forget.”

“I know that there are inconveniences so I’ll forgive you this time.” Li Qiye smiled.

The auctioneer smiled wryly and said: “I am weak and have let down the ancestors. Plus, my true appearance is very ugly, that’s why I do not wish to show it to you, Young Noble.”

“There’s nothing ugly about an octopus. Plus, you’re occupied so it’s fine.” Li Qiye waved his hand.

“What?!” Jian Ming and the daoist felt their scalp tingling.

“You, you’re Seal Ancestor?!” Jian Ming stared with his eyes wide open.

“How different from what I saw.” The daoist murmured.

He had snuck into the grotto to steal some treasures but was scared away. He only caught a glimpse of Seal Ancestor’s true form during that time.

Wise Ancestor smiled as well, not expecting the auctioneer to be the famous Seal Ancestor.

Rumor has it that Seal was the strongest and oldest ancestor of the grotto. He had lived for many years but few have seen his true form. Moreover, he was apparently omnipresent in the grotto. His tentacles could sense every inch and corner of this place.

The appearance of this auctioneer didn’t make anyone think that he was Seal Ancestor in the slightest.