Taichang Market, Auction Hall.

As several streaks of spiritual light shot out, a cyan mirror suddenly enlarged, suspended above the auction hall.

The cyan spiritual light, under the crimson sky, appeared particularly dazzling.

Inside the mirror, spiritual light surged, gradually forming images of spiritual shadows, clearly in the shape of treasures, causing all the cultivators to look up at the sky, stirring waves of exclamations.

"Foundation Establishment Pill, I hope there will be more this time."

"Purple Mansion Jade Liquid, as expected, it's here again!"

...

All cultivators in the entire Taichang Market could see the spiritual shadows in the sky, prompting many cultivators to rush towards the auction in frenzy.

At this moment, the group from the Ye Family was also in an alley, extremely excited as they watched the spiritual shadows in the sky.

"Indeed, it's a major sect's auction; even all the auction items can be projected across the whole city!" Ye Jingli expressed with admiration at this moment.

During this period, he had gathered another two thousand spirit stones, bringing his assets to twenty-five thousand spirit stones, so he appeared particularly enthusiastic at this moment.

"This auction is attended by a large number of Foundation Establishment Cultivators, with a few from the Purple Mansion. Other Qi Cultivation cultivators mainly participate for the Foundation Establishment Pill, making it naturally grand," Ye Jingcheng explained with a smile.

He and Ye Xingliu also saw the spiritual shadows in the sky, and even though they had seen it once, they still felt amazed.

Moreover, he knew that even if they couldn't enter the auction, they could watch it from the square outside.

Many loose cultivators even took pride in entering the auction, and it was known that entering the auction required at least twenty spirit stones. For the sect, every auction not only earned them commission from the auction items but also considerable revenue from the entrance fees.

The first floor of the auction hall could accommodate five thousand people, not including the private rooms on the second and third floors.

"Cloud Silver Iron Crystal!" At this moment, Ye Jingcheng and Ye Xingliu also spotted the Cloud Silver Iron Crystal, and their expressions immediately turned somewhat excited.

This indicated that the information Ye Xingliu received was true, and with this item, the teleportation array for the Ye Family would become more stable.

The group followed the crowd and quickly reached the auction hall, accompanied by cultivators from the Chu Family.

The Chu Family, as a newly-risen Purple Mansion Clan, was equally astounded by such a grand auction.

Passing through the southern alley and reaching the North City region, there was a vast array of plazas, with the Taiyi Sect's Taiyi Tower beside them.

It's said that the Taiyi Sect's guardian Golden Core resides in the Taiyi Tower all year round.

Looking at the majestic buildings and the dragon-and-phoenix-like aura, Ye Jingcheng suddenly felt a sense of insignificance.

Moreover, upon prolonged viewing, there was even a sense of spiritual pressure.

It frightened Ye Jingcheng into quickly turning his head away.

"Ye Daoist, what a coincidence!" said Wan Hongchang from the Wan Family as he approached with a smile from a distance.

Ye Jingcheng said nothing; instead, after Ye Xingliu beside him exchanged greetings, he nodded at Wan Hongchang.

When dealing with the clan outside, even with old acquaintances, one must understand the rules.

The Wan Family seemed unlucky in the Secret Realm, probably having to surrender most of the benefits gained.

Otherwise, discovering a concealed Bone Storage Ring under the Spirit Inquiry Talisman wouldn't be easy to explain away.

"Wan Daoist, Ye Daoist, let's put our reunion aside for now; the auction is about to start, and we must hurry to enter," Chu Xiyu from the Chu Family reminded.

Chu Family's patriarch Chu Xiyu, who had been frowning all along, took the initiative to speak at this point.

The three families, not being well-known Purple Mansion Clans, if they entered late, would leave an impression of not understanding the situation well.

The three families nodded and proceeded together towards another grand entrance.

As Purple Mansion Clans, they didn't need to enter through the main entrance like ordinary Foundation Establishment and Qi Cultivation cultivators, and they didn't even have to stay on the first floor, as there were special private rooms for them.

This time, the Ye Family and the others didn't plan on bidding for the Purple Mansion Jade Liquid, so there was no need to hide their identities.

The private rooms on the second floor were even more luxurious, akin to entering the Zhong Family's restaurant. All the wood in the rooms was top-grade Spirit Cloud Wood, painted with red spiritual paint, set with arrays, and exuded a faint, pleasant fragrance.

The three families separated upon reaching the second floor, each entering a private room.

The private rooms were built around the hall, with one open side that allowed a clear view of the auction items on the stage.

The other three walls of the private room were decorated with spiritual mountain and water paintings, and beside them was a long white screen. If the cultivators in the private room didn't want to be seen, they could cover it with the screen.

Ye Jingcheng looked at Ye Xingliu and signaled whether or not to move the spirit screen.

But Ye Xingliu shook his head; they weren't intending to buy any precious finale treasures this time, merely purchasing Cloud Silver Iron Crystal. This material was often used for refining Tier Three Magical Treasures or Tier Three Defense Arrays, and few knew it could be used to set up teleportation arrays.

Ye Haicheng indeed needed to craft a Magical Treasure of his own.

So it's quite reasonable. With quite a few people keeping an eye on the Ye Family, overly concealing would not be beneficial.

"Third Uncle, the array in this compartment is even a Tier Two High-Grade Array!" Both Ye Jingli and Ye Jingyong seemed excited.

Ye Jingli was an Artifact Refiner; though he didn't understand arrays, he could barely distinguish the tiers of arrays. He looked at the second-floor private rooms, which numbered no less than thirty, meaning that the auction had over thirty Tier Two High-Grade arrays just on the second floor alone.

Aside from the excellent room furnishings, the table was set with a pot of Spirit Tea and several Spirit Fruits.

But these were all Tier One objects.

After all, even as a Purple Mansion Clan, it cost only twenty spirit stones per person to enter.

"Welcome, fellow Daoists and seniors, to the Taichang Market Auction. I am Qiuxianyun, and it is my honor to be the auctioneer for this event!" An elderly man with white hair stepped onto the high platform, drawing a burst of applause from the crowd below.

Ye Jingcheng immediately recognized this auctioneer as the same one from ten years ago.

However, ten years ago, he could only marvel at Qiuxianyun's strength and curiosity; today, he could see that Qiuxianyun's cultivation was only one level higher than his own.

This feeling of changing times and shifting identities was something he found quite peculiar.

While he was sighing, Qiuxianyun called over a few female cultivators carrying jade discs, and began the introductions.

"Alright, as usual, highest bidder wins. If you don't have enough Spirit Stones, you can use items as collateral...!"

"Enough talk, the first auction item today is the silk of the mid-stage Tier Two Celestial Snow Silkworm, which can be used to make Cold-Resistant Spiritual Artifacts. It's extremely sturdy and flexible, making it a great choice for crafting Tier Two Middle-grade Spiritual Artifacts. In daily cultivation, it can also help dispel agitation!"

This item starts at eight hundred Spirit Stones, with each bid increment no less than ten Spirit Stones!"

As Qiuxianyun spoke, Ye Jingcheng also saw on the jade disc a sizable bundle of Celestial Snow Silkworm silk, emitting an astonishing chill.

Clearly, it was an upper-grade Tier Two Middle Spirit Material, which made him a bit perplexed.

Ten years ago, the first auction item was a Tier One treasure, but today, it started directly with a Tier Two item, possibly indicating that this auction's scale would far exceed the previous one.

However, Ye Jingcheng soon understood that this could very likely be the result of a large flow of Spiritual Objects from the Chixia Ridge Secret Realm, aiming to fetch a high price through the auction.

"The situation might change," Ye Xingliu sighed.

His words left the crowd in a daze, as this was still the first auction item after all.

Ye Jingli and others didn't understand, but Ye Jingcheng somewhat grasped it.

The Corpse Daoist appeared within the Taiyi Sect's borders, yet the Nascent Soul of Taiyi Sect had not revealed itself for long. Added to this, members of the Zhong and Zhang families weren't present, indicating something had happened to both families.

All these signs suggested that Taiyi Sect was clearing the field, and the likelihood of major changes occurring in the future was great.

This is why so many clans were willing to spend all their Spirit Stones to vie for treasures that could enhance their strength.

In times of turmoil, power is key.

And for the Ye Family at present, the smoother Taiyi Sect runs, the better.

But matters involving major nations and great sects are not something Ye Jingcheng, Ye Xingliu, and other Foundation Establishment cultivators could get involved in.

"One thousand six hundred Spirit Stones!"

"One thousand seven hundred and ten Spirit Stones!"

...

The Celestial Snow Silkworm silk was eventually sold for as high as one thousand seven hundred and ten Spirit Stones, acquired by a cultivator from a Foundation Establishment clan.

"Alright, next up is the second auction item. Practitioners at the Qi Cultivation stage, take note: this is the Earth Spirit Fruit, which can enhance the strength of Ninth-level Qi Cultivation cultivators and condense Spiritual Energy more effectively!" Qiuxianyun took out a Spirit Fruit resembling white jade.

This item starts at four hundred Spirit Stones, with each bid increment no less than ten Spirit Stones!" As soon as this item appeared...

Ye Jingli and Ye Xingyi were thrilled.

Ye Jingyong was also tempted but was held back by his limited funds.

To them, their time to break through to the Ninth-level Qi Cultivation wasn't too early, so having the Earth Spirit Fruit to help refine their Spiritual Power would significantly increase their chances of breaking through to Foundation Establishment.

So the Ye family members excitedly began bidding.

Ye Jingcheng, witnessing this scene from the side, strangely felt nostalgic.

After all, a decade ago, if he'd seen such treasures, he would have been just as eager.

Ye Jingcheng scanned the cultivators on the first floor, and in an instant, he found two figures particularly familiar.

One figure resembled Chen Ya; the other resembled Xu Xiuqing.

However, the figure resembling Chen Ya was clearly a Foundation Establishment cultivator too, and she soon sensed Ye Jingcheng, causing him to quickly turn his head away.

Xu Xiuqing, on the other hand, didn't notice Ye Jingcheng.

She was wearing a Spirit-Blocking Robe, obscuring her face, but her figure was identical to the one Ye Jingcheng had seen before.

The latter was sitting in her seat, quietly feigning sleep, ignoring all the treasures.

Such cultivators were common on the first floor; they were all determined to purchase Foundation Establishment Pills.

Until they secured the Foundation Establishment Pills, they wouldn't spend a single Spirit Stone on anything else.

While Ye Jingcheng observed, Ye Jingli successfully acquired the Earth Spirit Fruit.

Although he still had seven or eight years, this was his last chance to bid for Foundation Establishment Pills. He had ample Spirit Stones and was confident that he could purchase both the Earth Spirit Fruit and the Foundation Establishment Pills.

This would allow him to break through quickly, and he had longed for Foundation Establishment for some time.

The next five items were consecutively Tier One treasures.

Ye Jingcheng was even less concerned about these. Currently, only his Spirit Beasts, the Thunder Rhinoceros Insect and Five Poison Bee, were Tier One.

No matter how enticing the Tier One treasures sounded, he wouldn't buy them.

It was only upon reaching the eighth item that Ye Jingcheng's spirit instantly rose.

"Foundation Establishment Daoists and seniors, this treasure was originally set as the highlight item but is being brought forward due to certain reasons!" Qiuxianyun announced.

He then took out a jade box.

The jade box was wrapped in golden brocade cloth, and as the cloth was unveiled, the box revealed a slit from which a Spirit Fruit with a half bite mark was visible.

This item is the Wisdom Fruit, a Tier Two High-grade Spirit Fruit, usable by most Spirit Beasts and Wood Demons to stimulate their Spiritual Wisdom, with effects far surpassing the market Spirit Transformation Pills and Spirit Awakening Pills. Its only flaw is that the cultivator obtaining the fruit was a tad too late, leading to a Spirit Rat biting it, potentially leaving some residual rat poison!"

This Tier Two High-grade Spirit Fruit starts at two thousand Spirit Stones, with each bid increment no less than ten Spirit Stones!" Qiuxianyun said, excited beyond measure.

Most cultivators went somewhat crazy upon hearing this. For a treasure worthy of being a highlight item, a two thousand Spirit Stone base price was not expensive, so the price soared instantly.

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