Chapter 1357: Small-Scale Exchange (Part Two)

As the two exchanged rapid voice transmissions, the young Daoist’s gaze on Shangguan Tianque suddenly turned into a smile, one filled with deep meaning.

“Fellow Daoist Shangguan, are you preparing for your final push to the Spirit Transformation realm? I hear that some of the materials at this auction are highly sought after. But now that the Broken Army Sect’s territory has expanded so much, your family’s foundation must be incredibly rich. This humble Daoist here would like to first wish you success in obtaining what you desire!”

As Liu Huaigu said this, his smile was rich with meaning. Shangguan Tianque’s face remained calm and steady. He even cupped his hands towards the other, as if in thanks. “That is none of your concern, Fellow Daoist Liu!”

But Li Yan knew that at this moment, Shangguan Tianque was definitely filled with anger. The Nascent Soul cultivators here could probably all guess the purpose of Shangguan Tianque’s trip to the market. Some of them might even have the same purpose, but they would usually keep it to themselves. For Liu Huaigu to say it out loud was to deliberately point out Shangguan Tianque’s objective, undoubtedly telling him that it would not be so easy for him to obtain those materials. At the same time, he was also implying to everyone here that Shangguan Tianque would spare no expense to buy them. He had the resources of two sects in his hands, so those who wanted to drive up the price shouldn’t hold back.

To say such things here, if he was intent on causing trouble for Shangguan Tianque, he would surely spread other rumors outside.

Liu Huaigu quickly shifted his gaze and it fell on Li Yan, who was sitting next to Shangguan Tianque. This was the only person here he didn’t know, and a look of surprise and doubt appeared in his eyes. “And this Fellow Daoist is?”

“Oh, this is Elder Li Yan, a new elder of the Broken Army Sect.”

Liu Huaigu had asked Li Yan himself, but it was Shentu Tianduan who answered him. As he said this, a glint also flickered in his eyes. He knew that these human cultivators were the most petty. Sure enough, as soon as he said this, he saw Liu Huaigu’s eyes narrow for an instant before quickly returning to normal, his gentle smile becoming even more pronounced.

“So you are that mysterious cultivator who appeared out of nowhere. It is a pleasure to meet you!”

He even gave Li Yan a Daoist salute. Li Yan, with a calm expression, cupped his fists in return without speaking. His attitude was neither servile nor overbearing, making it impossible for others to guess his thoughts.

“Everyone, since we are all here, Fellow Daoist Shentu, shall we begin?”

At this moment, Donglin Tingyue, who was sitting on the other side of Shangguan Tianque, suddenly spoke softly. Her words made Shentu Tianduan pause for a moment, then he laughed heartily.

“Hahaha… Of course, of course! Fellow Daoist Liu, please take a seat. Let’s begin!”

The other Nascent Soul cultivators also had various expressions. Some had disappointment in their eyes, while others had smiles on their faces. In their hearts, most of them still hoped to see some excitement. Especially the demonic cultivators, including the tall and beautiful woman. When they heard Donglin Tingyue speak, the gaze they cast her way had a hint of dissatisfaction in the depths of their eyes.

Apart from Li Yan, everyone here had a general understanding of each other’s cultivation, arts, and divine abilities. But to understand the latest strength of the Broken Army Sect, it would of course be better to know the strength of their new elder. But this was directly ruined by Donglin Tingyue, who had a good relationship with the Broken Army Sect.

Liu Huaigu nodded slightly and then walked to the opposite side of Shangguan Tianque and the others.

“Since it was I who gathered everyone here this time, then I will start by getting the ball rolling.”

Since Shentu Tianduan had announced the start, and seeing that Liu Huaigu had also chosen a large chair to sit in, he no longer delayed. He flicked a finger forward, and with a flash of red light, a crystal-clear red jade box appeared in the void a zhang in front of him. The jade box itself was extremely eye-catching, looking as if it was made of red, translucent coral. After it appeared, circles of red light continuously radiated from around the jade box, shockingly beautiful.

“Inside this box is a two-thousand-seven-hundred-year-old ‘Ice Flame Fruit.’ I’m sure you fellow Daoists all know the effects of the ‘Ice Flame Fruit.’ It cannot be used in medicine, nor is it a raw material for artifact refining. However, after every ‘Ice Flame Fruit’ has grown for eight hundred years, a wisp of the power of the ice law will be born within the fruit. This is a rare treasure for the cultivation of fellow Daoists with water and ice spirit roots, a treasure for comprehension.”

After saying this, he flicked a finger again. The exquisite red jade box in the air opened with a crisp “click.” Li Yan’s Divine Sense immediately swept over, and he saw a walnut-sized ball of ice inside the jade box, emitting faint wisps of white air. And within the ball of ice, one could vaguely see a red thread, like a lamp wick, gently dancing.

In a daze, the Gui Water in Li Yan’s dantian actually began to surge on its own the moment he saw the red thread that looked like a lamp wick, as if it wanted to dance along with it.

‘Is that… the power of the ice law?’

Li Yan was shocked. This was the first time he had seen a fruit that contained some kind of law power. In his understanding, law power was something that was comprehended, formless and shapeless. But in the Immortal Spirit Realm, there was actually such a strange and precious fruit. Just a sweep of his Divine Sense had caused the magical power in his body to fluctuate. If he could carefully comprehend it, Li Yan felt that it would definitely improve his use of Gui Water a lot, and he might even be able to take it to the next level.

In an instant, other Divine Senses also appeared above the red jade box. After just half a breath, with another “click,” just as everyone’s Divine Senses had just swept over and seen clearly, the lid of the red jade box closed again. And at this time, a very faint, yet refreshingly cool fragrance drifted through the entire main hall.

“Looking at the length of that flame, it is indeed about nearly three thousand years old. The cultivation of this item is also extremely difficult. It is mainly valued by ice-attribute cultivators. Generally, even thousand-year-old fruits are highly sought after as soon as they appear.”

A male cultivator in his forties withdrew his Divine Sense and nodded. He first confirmed that there was no problem with the “Ice Flame Fruit” that Shentu Tianduan had taken out, and then confirmed the value of this fruit. Some special heaven and earth strange fruits were particularly useful for cultivators with variant spirit roots. Cultivators with variant spirit roots like wind, thunder, and ice had relatively few raw materials suitable for their cultivation, so this kind of strange fruit was particularly precious to them. Often, as soon as it appeared, it would be bought at a high price.

Li Yan glanced at the other party. He had briefly sensed this middle-aged male cultivator before. He wasn’t sure if he had a water spirit root, but if he guessed correctly, the other’s main spirit root should be an earth-attribute cultivation method. Therefore, although his words confirmed the value of the “Ice Flame Fruit,” he probably wouldn’t bid for it.

“This fruit is also very important for cultivators who mainly practice water-attribute cultivation methods. After comprehending that wisp of law within it, one might even be able to comprehend the deeper application of ice-attribute power…”

Another cultivator also began to speak, but before he could finish, someone had already begun to ask about the price.

“May I ask Fellow Daoist Shentu, how is this strange fruit priced?”

The cold young man from the “Netherworld Ghost Snake” clan asked. He cultivated an ice-attribute cultivation method and was very tempted by this item. But he didn’t want others to list the benefits of this fruit one by one. That would invisibly raise the price of this fruit even more. These old monsters were very skilled at playing the game of waiting for the highest bidder.

“Hahaha… The price I’m asking is four hundred thousand mid-grade Spirit Stones. Of course, if you have a treasure that can move me as well, bartering is also an option,” Shentu Tianduan said with a smile.

Hearing this, Li Yan was shocked. In the Immortal Spirit Realm, one mid-grade Spirit Stone could be exchanged for about a thousand low-grade Spirit Stones, and one high-grade Spirit Stone could be exchanged for a hundred mid-grade Spirit Stones. Transactions between Nascent Soul cultivators were usually mainly in mid-grade Spirit Stones. High-grade Spirit Stones were mostly used for cultivation or in auction houses.

For the other party to ask for so many Spirit Stones for this “Ice Flame Fruit,” although this was not an auction, it would undoubtedly go to the highest bidder in the end. The price would surely rise all the way.

After Shentu Tianduan finished speaking, the cold young man from the “Netherworld Ghost Snake” clan frowned, and the other Nascent Soul cultivators did not immediately speak either.

Shentu Tianduan, on the other hand, picked up his teacup, gently blew on the floating green leaves on top, and took a sip before continuing to speak.

“When Yin is at its peak, Yang is born. The name of this fruit has the character ‘flame’ in it, which means that in its law, there is a possibility of an additional law of fire, although the probability is extremely small, it is indeed possible!”

After saying this, he stopped.

The power of law was of course best when it was most compatible with one’s own spirit root. But often, the coexistence of opposite law powers had an enhancing effect. Extreme cold could produce yang fire, and extreme yang could also produce yin. That was a deeper understanding of the power of law. If a wisp of the law of fire appeared in an “Ice Flame Fruit,” then this kind of law of water and fire coexistence would definitely be a great fortune for a cultivator. However, this kind of situation could only be known after trying to slowly comprehend it. An eight-hundred-year-old “Ice Flame Fruit” could only be comprehended by one cultivator for about half a year before the law power inside would disappear. This was another reason why Shentu Tianduan had quickly closed the jade box. That jade box had the function of preserving and sealing the “Ice Flame Fruit.”

“Four hundred thousand mid-grade Spirit Stones, I think that’s no problem!”

Just as Shentu Tianduan’s voice fell, Donglin Tingyue’s eyes flickered a few times, and then her cherry lips parted slightly.

“Hmph! Fellow Daoist Donglin, there is still a first-come, first-served rule for this matter,”

The cold young man from the “Netherworld Ghost Snake” clan reacted very quickly this time and immediately became a little displeased. He had originally wanted to suppress the price.

“I’m just expressing my opinion!” Donglin Tingyue said nonchalantly.

And Shentu Tianduan was also extremely satisfied in his heart. He was afraid that after he took out this item, if only one person wanted it, then the price would not be easy to raise. Sure enough, next, Donglin Tingyue and the cold young man from the “Netherworld Ghost Snake” clan, without changing their expressions, gave their own prices to each other. Then, the tall woman from the “Ice Cloud Crane” also joined in. She also had an ice-attribute spirit root. The others just watched quietly, their eyes flickering, their thoughts unknown.

But after the cold young man from the “Netherworld Ghost Snake” clan raised the price twice, the third time he directly shouted out a price that surprised everyone. This time, Donglin Tingyue immediately closed her mouth and said no more. She cultivated a water-attribute cultivation method, but it was clear that the cold young man from the “Netherworld Ghost Snake” clan wanted this fruit more. It was an ice-attribute law that was very useful to him. After thinking for a moment, she gave up.

The other party’s third bid had already reached seven hundred and thirty thousand mid-grade Spirit Stones. She felt that comprehending the “Ice Flame Fruit” might not necessarily give her the power she wanted. Any more Spirit Stones would be a gamble, and this was just the beginning of the exchange meeting. And the tall and beautiful woman from the “Ice Cloud Crane,” after hesitating for a moment, offered a price of seven hundred and fifty thousand.

Li Yan was speechless as he listened in his heart. If calculated, the Spirit Stones he felt were almost inexhaustible in the lower realm were really nothing here and couldn’t buy much. Of course, things couldn’t really be calculated this way. This was a transaction between Nascent Soul cultivators, not for normal daily cultivation needs. This kind of transaction, even for these native cultivators of the Immortal Spirit Realm, probably if a person’s entire fortune was spent here without any income, they wouldn’t be able to buy much either.

Li Yan had originally wanted to compete for the “Ice Flame Fruit,” but after hearing the three of them raising the price, he simply closed his mouth. Although he also wanted this item, it was not the kind that he absolutely had to have.

“Seven hundred and seventy thousand!”

The coldness in the eyes and on the body of the cold young man from the “Netherworld Ghost Snake” clan grew stronger, and he once again called out a price…

In the end, the “Ice Flame Fruit” was obtained by the cold young man from the “Netherworld Ghost Snake” clan, but his expression was not too good either. After all, with the participation of Donglin Tingyue and the other woman, the price had increased by a lot of Spirit Stones. However, since he had come here, he had already prepared for a major bleeding. Even if he was not happy, he could only keep it in his heart.