At the summit of the mountain, there was a raised platform opposite to which various white jade seats were arranged, about thirty zhang away.

In the front, there were prepared tables, all set with fragrant tea, clearly intended for the use of Great Golden Core cultivators. Ordinary Foundation Building cultivators could only sit in the back.

However, to Chen Xun, this auction seemed a bit crude, even somewhat imposing. He was someone who had seen the world.

Without dwelling on it further, he followed the woman in palace attire.

Leading Chen Xun and the big black ox to a seat, she smiled and asked, "Does my friend here need a maid to accompany?"

"No need; I prefer tranquility."

"Here's the list of auction items, please have a look." The woman took out a piece of paper from her storage ring and placed it on the table. "Then I won't disturb anymore. The auction will begin in an hour."

"Thank you." Chen Xun calmly nodded.

The woman nodded gently and turned away. Both of them seemed quite shrewd, as nothing could be discerned from their faces.

The big black ox pushed a chair aside and sat directly next to Chen Xun, resting its head on the table as they both looked at the list of items.

They began communicating mentally:

"Wow, Old Ox, although this place is a bit crude, the goods are good."

"Moo!"

"Eight Treasures Red Gold, wow, I didn't expect to see genuine stuff, but it seems useless now."

As Chen Xun spoke, he sighed lightly and continued looking down, "Qingyu Stone! Isn't that..."

The big black ox's pupils were slightly dilated. They seemed to have seen it in a book.

"Seven Treasures Crystal, Golden Elm Profound Iron, darn it! Three bottles of Low-Grade True Yuan Pills." Chen Xun's pupils contracted. There was someone big behind this. Such things were being auctioned.

"Old Ox, it's probably the organizers who put them up."

"Moo moo~" The big black ox looked serious; its eyes were completely fixed.

"Yuan Chen Ginseng is indeed here."

"Moo~"

They breathed a sigh of relief in their hearts as they saw it on the auction list. But they didn't really care if it was available here. With their long lifespans, they would eventually come across it.

What they cared about was the news they paid two hundred spirit stones for. If it turned out to be false, Chen Xun and the big black ox would probably be unhappy for at least two days.

More and more cultivators had taken their seats. The seats of the Golden Core cultivators were somewhat distant from each other, and some of them who were acquainted would exchange greetings.

However, judging from their robes, several Golden Core cultivators were definitely not from the Qian Nation. They also noticed Chen Xun, their gazes sweeping over him slightly, their expressions deep and inscrutable.

Golden Core cultivators didn't dare to casually probe with their spiritual senses. That would be quite offensive.

If they offended someone like Chen Xun, they would probably just flip the table, grab their axes, and start lecturing you. Why dont you give me, a Golden Core cultivator, a face?!

Meanwhile, Chen Xun smiled faintly, his eyes calm, not touching the tea on the table at all, just picking up his own cup and taking a sip, appearing quite amiable.

The big black ox simply stared blankly at the raised platform, not giving anyone else a chance for eye contact.

As everyone settled down, a middle-aged man in the late Foundation Building stage appeared on the platform. He had a round face, and beneath his wide eyebrows flickered a pair of sharp and deep eyes.

Around him was a group of glamorous female attendants, each holding various treasures.

The entire scene suddenly fell silent. Everyone stopped talking and looked towards the platform, their hearts slightly excited.

Chen Xun calmly took another sip of his tea, his eyes calm, exuding confidence. With over a hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones, can't we handle you all?

The big black ox also snorted silently, its eyes fixed tightly on the platform. It seemed that everyone present were just junior brothers.

"Welcome, fellow cultivators and seniors, to this auction."

The middle-aged man stood on the platform and bowed.

"The auction officially begins now. The bidding increment for each item shall not be less than five hundred low-grade spirit stones. I hope everyone will bid within their means."

As soon as the words fell, a maid stepped forward, and a stream of spiritual energy emerged from the middle-aged man's hand, illuminating the treasure.

"The first item, a Xuan Grade Low-Grade spiritual weapon, the Mountain Spirit Sword, of Earth attribute, is quite suitable for friends with Earth spiritual roots, and exceedingly sturdy, slightly superior to items of the same grade." The middle-aged man's voice was steady, speaking neither hurriedly nor slowly, "Starting bid, 2000 low-grade spirit stones."

"2500 spirit stones."

"3000."

...

The Foundation Building cultivators in the back began to bid, and thus began a silent war. After all, spiritual weapons could be inherited. Even if they were expensive, they had to be bought.

These Foundation Building cultivators looked brazen, staring at whoever was bidding, as if staking out a spot. This was a major loophole in ordinary auctions, and true sellers couldn't really fetch the highest price.

Because most cultivators would hold back, lest they get shortchanged when leaving the city.

Chen Xun and the big black ox clicked their tongues secretly, sitting upright. Was the opening warm-up so fierce... but the next item probably wouldn't be so intense.

In the end, the Mountain Spirit Sword was bought by a Foundation Building cultivator for five thousand low-grade spirit stones. A maid approached from the side to collect the spirit stones.

"Next item, Eight Treasures Red Gold, two jin and two liang.[^1] Presumably, fellow cultivators also know that this item must be born in a place with a strong Gold attribute, truly a natural treasure."

"If added during refining, it can enhance the compatibility between internal energy and spiritual weapons, greatly increasing the power of the spiritual weapon."

"Starting bid, 3000 low-grade spirit stones."

The middle-aged man surveyed the audience, placing the Eight Treasures Red Gold on the table and shining brightly, making people salivate.

"Moo~" The big black ox looked somewhat excitedly at Chen Xun.

"3500 spirit stones!" Chen Xun added his spiritual energy to his voice and spoke decisively. Although not very necessary, having seen pictures before, he wanted to participate for the sake of it.

As soon as he spoke, the Foundation Building cultivators behind him immediately felt uneasy. It would be disrespectful to blatantly snatch things in front of seniors.

"5000 spirit stones." A woman in the Golden Core stage casually spoke, glancing at Chen Xun, who smiled and leaned back in his chair, no longer competing.

The big black ox snorted softly. Chen Xun chuckled and patted the big black ox, seeming unconcerned.

The auction proceeded calmly, with various treasures appearing on stage one after another, and even some items fetching prices of over ten thousand low-grade spirit stones.

Three bottles of True Yuan Pills were also taken by a certain Golden Core cultivator, who looked quite satisfied, seemingly not in vain.

Chen Xun and the big black ox also watched the excitement, sipping tea. Those people were arguing red-faced, and the gazes of vultures were flying everywhere, saying they might exchange cultivation experiences outside the city.

Finally, with each round of bidding, the objects of their anticipation arrived.

"500-year-old Yuan Chen Ginseng, but apart from the top ten sects of the Qian Nation, it's nearly extinct in the outside world. Obtaining this item was quite difficult." The middle-aged man's eyes, calm for half a day, also flashed with a trace of excitement. "The friend who brought this item also has other intentions, wanting to exchange it for thousand-year-old spiritual herbs."

The Yuan Chen Ginseng was placed in a medicine box, lying quietly on the high platform. Its surface was quite smooth, cylindrical in shape, petite, and exquisite, but its luster was somewhat dim, indicating its poor medicinal properties.

As soon as this was said, there was a murmur in the audience. Spirit stones were easy to come by, but thousand-year-old spiritual herbs were hard to find.

Once a spiritual herb reached a thousand years, its medicinal properties seemed to be vastly different from those of the same kind at 999 years, with a significant difference.

Several Golden Core cultivators also had a slight change in expression after hearing this. They also wanted to compete for this item, but it seemed inappropriate to use thousand-year-old spiritual herbs to exchange for it.

The entire venue fell into an awkward atmosphere, with no one speaking, as if they were all weighing the pros and cons.

**Notes:**

[^1]:

Unit of weight, one jin contains 10 liang; is equivalent to 0.5kg