Chapter 194: Friendly Fire
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Following the Book of Nations in the auction was a small black seal.
Song Fu held the black seal in his hands and said slowly, "The name of this magic treasure was the Seal of Closure. One could store mana prior to usage and could be fed into the user afterwards. The mana stored within the seal will not be lost in the process."
"One could withdraw mana from the seal in batches, or all at once." Song Fu paused, and added, "From my own tests, the volume of storage within the magic treasure is enough to replenish the mana of a cultivator in the Nascent Soul Stage from zero to full."
There was a commotion amongst the audience in the holy abode.
Many thoughts mingled and intertwined, especially from the elders of the Nascent Soul Stage. It was evident that they had finally met something they liked.
The whole wide world abounded with herbs and elixirs with the ability to regenerate mana, and the only difference lay in the strength of its effect.
Under normal circumstances, the general consensus was that the best item to regenerate mana was the Cosmos Celestial Elixir. The effectiveness of the item could replenish the mana of a cultivator from the Nascent Soul Stage instantly, even if it were empty.
Under special circumstances, this meant one had an extra life if he were participating in a magic battle.
Its usefulness was not limited to battles. When the cultivator had reached a bottleneck, large amounts of mana were required to sustain the breakthrough to the next level. Thus, when the cultivator’s mana was no longer enough, he could consume a Cosmos Celestial Elixir and instantly replenish his mana pool to break through the bottleneck in one execution.
When manufacturing and refining elixirs or magic items, one could consume similar elixirs to sustain his or her mana pool until the process was complete.
The Pavilion of Heavenly Trade once auctioned Cosmos Celestial Elixirs. One such elixir was ultimately auctioned off for four purple Talisman-Dollars; this was the significance of its value.
Even though it was a valuable item, the Cosmos Celestial Elixir was ultimately an exhaustible item. Its volume reduced with every instance of usage.
The Seal of Closure, however, could be reused to replenish mana repeatedly.
Song Fu looked around and gradually said, "The opening price of the Seal of Closure is four purple Talisman-Dollars. Every bid had to be at least eight amber Talisman-Dollars."
Just as he finished his sentence, bidding began to start all around the holy abode
This round of bidding escalated from the very beginning. In the blink of an eye, the price of the Seal of Closure skyrocketed to eight purple Talisman-Dollars.
The bidding slowed down as Aurous Core Stage cultivators pulled out. All that was left were the Nascent Soul Stage cultivators.
The purple talisman, also known as the original talisman, was not like other talismans. Even the Nascent Soul Stage cultivators could not simply just produce them.
Every piece of purple talisman was the product of the creator’s mana and effort.
A certain number of purple talismans could even match that of the Seal of Closure in battle.
The speed of bidding significantly slowed down as the price reached around twenty purple Talisman-Dollars. Finally, the bidding stopped entirely as the price hit twenty-two purple Talisman-Dollars.
All of a sudden, Yu Wanfeng said, "Twenty-five purple Talisman-Dollars."
Once this was said, everyone in the holy abode began to get excited.
Twenty-five purple Talisman-Dollars could be considered the entirety of one’s holdings from the perspective of independent cultivators - sometimes even to the grandmasters of the Nascent Soul Stage.
Only a person like Yu Wanfeng, who had the backing of the Yu Family of the Great Qin Dynasty, could make such a bid without hesitation.
Yu Wanfeng smiled as he beheld the Seal of Closure. This item was his main target in this auction. He would have given up every other item he bid for just to get this item.
The Xuanming Primordial Water was of the world’s coldest quality. Only the talented demons of the Xuanming Tribe, which coexisted with the Primordial Water, could control the primordial water with ease.
The Yu Family ancestors could be said to be extremely brilliant and talented for creating the authentic Xuanming Mantra. This allowed human cultivators to be able to control this primordial water. However, the strength of the physical bodies of human cultivators paled in comparisons to the beasts of Xuanming, and this created a dilemma.
Cultivators who were training with the Xuanming Mantra could attain a certain level of Xuanming Primordial Water but the total volume had a limit. If one exceeded this limit, he or she was at risk of being frozen to death by the primordial water.
Since ancient times, the Yu Family had two solutions to this problem. One must put in effort to raise the level of one’s mana to enjoy dominion over the Xuanming Primordial Water. The other was to train one’s physical body to a point where one’s physical body could resist the extreme cold brought about by the primordial water.
Yu WanFeng had no talent in training his physical body.
Therefore, he had to find other ways to increase his power and strengthen his control of the Xuanming Primordial Water.
The Seal of Closure thus became his target. Elder Yu was bound to obtain this item today.
"Thirty purple Talisman-Dollars."
Just as he was feeling the glory and about to show off, a sharp and child-like voice rang out from within the holy abode.
Yu Wanfeng nearly fell off his seat. He searched carefully for the origin of the voice and discovered it came from the seat that belonged to Lin Feng.
"Thirty-two purple Talisman-Dollars." Even though Yu Wanfeng was furious, he followed the bid without hesitation.
Xiao Budian glanced at Lin Feng on the seat.
Lin Feng smiled and said, "Decide for yourself."
Xiao Budian laughed and nodded. He called out another bid immediately, "Thirty-five pieces!"
"His desire for the Seal of Closure could match mine." As he was thinking, another bid sounded out. "Thirty-six purple Talisman-Dollars."
Yu Wanfeng was stunned. He looked towards the origin of the voice and was instantly dumbfounded.
F*ck, it was the Mount Shu Sword Sect!
These sword cultivators seemed to have something against Lin Feng. If Lin Feng did not say anything, they were also silent, and when Lin Feng made a bid they immediately raised their own bid.
It seemed as if Bai Zhen and the others observed that Lin Feng definitely really wanted the Seal of Closure. They were not afraid of Lin Feng putting them in a spot; it was their turn to force Lin Feng into a corner.
"The problem is, I also want this Seal of Closure!"
Yu Wanfeng cried out on the inside. This time, it was infighting.
"Thirty-seven pieces… No, thirty-eight purple Talisman-Dollars!"
Yu Wanfeng immediately raised the bid.
Xiao Budian was even more outrageous and shouted, "Forty pieces!"
Yu Wanfeng was getting anxious and restless. Before Xiao
Budian’s voice dropped, Bai Zhen followed up the bid, "Forty-one purple Talisman-Dollars."
Yu Wanfeng leant back on his seat. He was not so worried anymore as forty-one purple Talisman-Dollars was getting close to his limit.
He glared at Lin Feng and Mount Shu Sword Sect, and muttered with a tone of indignation, "Go and fight among yourselves. If you were to force me, I will rob it from you in the outskirts of Shazhou City."
Once the price was raised above forty-one purple Talisman-Dollars, Xiao Budian became more serious and solemn. He re-raised the bid after a long while, "Forty-two pieces." It was clear that his bidding momentum had slowed down.
The four Aurous Core Stage elders of the Mount Shu Sword Sect were also having a heated discussion on their side.
"Should we continue bidding?" Bai Zhen asked doubtfully.
The tall and lanky Elder that practiced the Shaoyang Sword said angrily, "Lin Feng looks like he’s already reaching his limit. If we raise the bid any more we will be taking the Seal of Closure home."
The short and stocky Elder pouted and said, "That’s not a big deal. When we engage in battles, we often find ourselves short in reserves despite the sharpness of our radiance. With such an item to replenish our mana would offset our weaknesses and immensely improve our combat effectiveness."
The tall and lanky Elder retorted, "Since you’re aware that we are sword cultivators, individuals of our generation do not require any other item besides our swords. We’ve only achieved today’s success by cultivating the art of swordplay to the ultimate level. If we begin to rely on other items and repeatedly look for a way out, our standards in the art of swordplay will only degenerate."
The oldest of the four, and also the most senior Elder suddenly spoke, "There is one last anchoring item that has yet to appear."
As he finished his sentence, the other three of them quietened down. Bai Zhen asked, "So, do we stop here?"
The old man answered, "We can raise the bid one last time. From where I’m sitting, Lin Feng really desires this Seal of Closure."
Bai Zhen nodded, and immediately raised the bid another time.
"Forty-three purple Talisman-Dollars!"
Xiao Budian was silent for a long time before replying, "Forty-four purple Talisman-Dollars."
"I bid forty-five pieces!"
Xiao Budian had barely finished his sentence when Yu Wanfeng, who had been quiet for a long time, voiced his bid all of a sudden.
The holy abode quietened down as everyone waited for Lin Feng’s response. However, Xiao Budian finally stopped raising the bid. Yu Wanfeng heaved a sigh of relief even though forty-five purple Talisman-Dollars had exceeded his upper limit. If Lin Feng raised the bid again, he would have had to consider robbing the item afterwards.
The company from the Mount Shu Sword Sect were frustrated. "****, this old hag got it in the end!"
The holy abode came alive as everyone began to discuss what just happened.
"The owner of the Celestial Door is but so. Why did he withdraw so easily?"
"Maybe there’s a better item to end the auction later."
"That’s quite possible. If that’s the case, then there’s definitely going to be more drama to watch."
"Everyone, the following item is the final item if the action." Song Fu beamed. The previous item, the Seal of Closure, fetched such an outrageous price. How could he not be happy?
"This is a special item. It is an avatar!"
Song Fu clapped his hands, and a flickering shadow radiating golden light drifted out from the sphere of light behind him. It was actually a platinum tiger lying down on the ground, except it was a lot smaller.
The tiger’s eyes sparkled with chilling brilliance, as if it was a living thing. Its field of vision had no focal point however, and its pupils were much alike that of an infant. It was quite apparent that it did not have its own consciousness and was incapable of reason.
Yet, its body was emanating an aura of strength and power, displaying the power of the pinnacle of the Aurous Core Stage. The golden energy around it was so thick it almost seemed as if they solidified into sharp blades.
"This Golden Tiger Avatar has been cleared out completely. Anybody can use it as an avatar after cultivation and mediation."
Everyone, including the cultivators of the Nascent Soul Stage, was astonished.
To the cultivators below the level of the Nascent Soul, possessing the power of an avatar with the power of the Aurous Core stage could potentially exceed the individual’s original self in terms of power and combat ability.
To the cultivators of the Nascent Soul stage, the Golden Tiger Avatar was clearly powerful and robust and was a good choice in the event that they need to perform reincarnation in another body.
Cultivators of the Aurous Core stage could live for thousands of years, and the life expectancy of Nascent Soul stage cultivators was even longer, but without reaching the level of the Immortal Soul their lifespans were ultimately limited. Towards the end of their mortal life, flesh began to decay and their bodies would be fraught with frailty and ravaged by old age. At this point, many cultivators of the Nascent Soul stage would choose an avatar for rebirth and continue their lives in another body.
This Golden Tiger Avatar was an optimal choice for many of them. If they could gather enough materials and put in effort to cultivate and make sacrifices they could potentially obtain an avatar with the power of the Nascent Soul stage. How could this not excite them?
Lin Feng smiled as he witnessed the uproar in the auction.