SWDnovel Chapter 9 The Nascent Soul Stage Auction Ends
Chapter 9 The Nascent Soul Stage Auction Ends
This time, what the waiter brought up was not a physical object, but a jade token that emitted a soft white light and had faint mountain shadows flowing on its front. There were ten tokens in total, neatly arranged on the brocade.
Qingxiao Sanren took a deep breath, and his voice, loud and clear, resounded throughout the entire venue:
"Fellow Daoists, what follows is the ultimate opportunity of this Nascent Soul stage auction! This item is not a magic elixir, yet it surpasses countless rare treasures in the world!"
He pointed to the jade plaques and said, slowly and deliberately:
"Ten cultivation spots available at Kunwu Mountain! To be auctioned separately in ten separate sessions!"
"hiss--!"
"Kunwu Mountain?! A cultivation spot?!"
The entire auction hall fell silent for a moment, then erupted in a tremor stronger than ever before! Countless cultivators stood up abruptly, their eyes fixed on the seemingly ordinary jade tablets, their eyes blazing with extreme desire and fervor!
Kunwu Mountain!
These three words carry immense weight in the hearts of cultivators in the human realm, especially for those at the Nascent Soul stage! It is the legendary number one spiritual vein in the human realm, a sacred cultivation ground! It is jointly managed by the "Kunwu Alliance," a coalition of forces belonging to all powerful cultivators at the Divine Transformation stage in the human realm. Ordinary sects have no say in it; only the most elite forces can obtain extremely limited recommendation slots to send their most core disciples there for cultivation.
There, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is far more concentrated and pure than outside, and the cultivation speed is at least several times faster! More importantly, it is said that the special spiritual vein environment and Daoist charm of Kunwu Mountain have a subtle boost to breaking through the bottleneck of the Nascent Soul stage. Although the chance is not high, even if it only increases the hope by a sliver, it is enough to drive countless late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators crazy!
Furthermore, Kunwu Mountain regularly hosts rotating Nascent Soul cultivators who publicly preach and expound the Dao, open to all cultivators practicing on the mountain. This is an opportunity that is the dream come true for independent cultivators lacking systematic lineage and guidance, as well as Nascent Soul cultivators from small sects and families! A single word of guidance from a Nascent Soul cultivator could save decades of arduous practice, or even dispel their illusions!
Ten spots available! To be auctioned separately!
This means that even a rogue cultivator without a powerful background, as long as they are wealthy enough, has the opportunity to break into the highest cultivation hall in the human realm and obtain that breathtaking opportunity!
The atmosphere in the entire "Treasure Pavilion" was instantly ignited to an unprecedented peak! The air itself seemed to distort slightly due to countless burning thoughts. All cultivators aspiring to the Nascent Soul stage or hoping to pave the way for future generations, regardless of their origin, held their breath, clenched their fists, and waited with burning eyes for the bidding to begin for the first token.
While the outside world was in an uproar over the "Kunwu Mountain cultivation quota," with bidding so fiercely it nearly lifted the dome of the "Treasure Pavilion," Wang Tianlong's private room was a scene of utter tranquility, a stark contrast to the frenzied atmosphere outside.
He had absolutely no interest in this opportunity, which was enough to make any Nascent Soul cultivator fight tooth and nail.
If he wished, hundreds of years ago, when he first entered the Nascent Soul stage and rose to fame (or rather, became infamous), Kunwu Mountain sent an envoy to formally invite him to join the "Kunwu Alliance" and grant him an elder's seat. This would have meant that he could not only freely enter and leave the core area of Kunwu Mountain to cultivate, but also share some management authority and resources.
At the time, Wang Tianlong had carefully considered it. As the number one spiritual vein in the human realm, Kunwu Mountain's cultivation environment was indeed quite beneficial to Nascent Soul cultivators, especially when stabilizing their realm, nurturing their magical treasures, and comprehending certain great supernatural abilities that required abundant spiritual energy. It was much better than the outside world.
However, it is only "somewhat helpful". For a cultivator like him who practices the "Wind-Treading Technique", focuses more on comprehension and escape techniques, and is burdened with the "One-Hit Kill" system mission, requiring him to "move around" everywhere, the effect of long-term seclusion in a fixed spiritual vein may not be greater than seeking opportunities while traveling and honing his skills in "real combat".
Most importantly, accepting an elder's seat means being bound by the rules of the Kunwu Alliance. He will be required to assume certain responsibilities (such as regular shifts and handling affairs), and in matters involving the overall interests of the human realm (or the interests of major powers within the alliance), he will need to express his opinion or even take action. This will undoubtedly severely restrict his freedom, seriously conflicting with his "free and unfettered" and "disappearing after accomplishing his task" style, and will seriously affect his ability to complete the "cutting a blow" mission that requires him to stir up trouble.
After weighing the options, he politely declined. Freedom was more important to him than the limited acceleration of his cultivation.
At this moment, as Qingxiao Sanren announced outside, "The starting price for each spot is fifty high-grade spirit stones," followed by a frenzy of almost irrational bidding, Wang Tianlong simply smiled calmly and shook his head.
"The great opportunities are something everyone yearns for. Unfortunately, they are not my path," he murmured to himself. These ten spots were destined to fetch unimaginable prices, enough to shape or change the fate of ten Nascent Soul cultivators, but to him, they were nothing more than fleeting clouds.
He knew that the Nascent Soul auction was about to conclude successfully with the climax brought about by this final major item. There might be a few more transactions or wrap-up events, but it wasn't worth his time.
Amidst the clamor and anticipation of the room, Wang Tianlong quietly rose and straightened his perfectly wrinkle-free robes. Without disturbing the maids outside, he casually removed the few small soundproofing barriers he had set up in the room, and then, like an ordinary cultivator who had lost interest in the upcoming auction, calmly pushed open the door and walked along the quiet passage towards the exit.
He left behind all the fervor, competition, desire, and scheming. His goal was clear and unambiguous—to recuperate for a few days, and then, to prepare for the special auction for Nascent Soul cultivators, a true event for his level that could determine his ascension.
As for who ultimately won the Kunwu Mountain spot and what kind of subsequent ripples it would cause, it was no longer of much concern to the soon-to-be-departed "Divine Wind Immortal".
After leaving the bustling auction venue, Wang Tianlong quickly returned to his quiet temporary cave dwelling, "Yunyaju".
The cave's protective barriers were intact, and spiritual energy flowed peacefully. He immediately checked the purple-haired rat in the spirit beast pouch.
Probing with divine sense, I saw that the little creature was still curled up in a ball, surrounded by a faint purple-blue halo. Its breathing was steady and long, and the power of the Nascent Soul stage demon core was being slowly and steadily absorbed and refined by it. Judging from its condition, the digestion process was going even more smoothly than expected.
Wang Tianlong nodded slightly, gently taking the little creature out of the spirit beast pouch and placing it in the center of a small spirit-gathering array in the cave, which was covered with soft spirit grass. Seemingly startled by the movement, or perhaps sensing something, the purple-haired rat twitched its small nose a few times, its eyelids struggling to open a crack. Its small, beady eyes still held a hint of drowsiness, but it had already instinctively turned its head towards the jade bottle in Wang Tianlong's hand.
"Hehe, you greedy little fellow, you have quite the keen sense of smell." Wang Tianlong chuckled, flicking the increasingly prominent tuft of purple fur on its forehead with his finger. "You just swallowed a demon core, and you woke up as soon as you smelled the medicine? Here, this was specially prepared for you."
As he spoke, he opened the jade bottle he had won at the auction and poured out two Beast Essence Tempering Pills and a small drop of Purple Mansion Nourishing Liquid. The pills were round and smooth, radiating pure demonic energy fluctuations; the liquid was crystal clear, exuding a refreshing fragrance that nourished the soul.
The purple-furred rat instantly perked up, all lingering sleepiness vanishing. It squeaked joyfully, its little paws eagerly reaching for the pills, first swallowing them whole, then carefully licking away the drop of spiritual liquid. After swallowing, it rolled over contentedly, its purple-blue aura suddenly intensifying. Its previously steady aura began to fluctuate wildly, sometimes surging, sometimes receding, as a much stronger demonic power brewed and surged within its body.
Seeing this, Wang Tianlong knew that the combined power of the medicine and the demon core had triggered a breakthrough. The purple-haired rat had been stuck at the mid-Nascent Soul stage for a long time, with a solid foundation. This time, its accumulated strength was finally unleashed, making it a crucial moment to break through to the late stage.
He showed no sign of panic, but rather a sense of satisfaction at his old friend's impending progress. With a wave of his hand, several streams of pure spiritual energy were released, creating a more stable protective and spirit-gathering barrier around the purple-haired rat. This barrier not only isolated it from external interference and prevented excessive leakage of its aura from attracting unnecessary attention, but also gathered the spiritual energy of the cave to aid it.
Having done all this, Wang Tianlong stepped aside and sat down comfortably on a nearby futon. He didn't choose to retreat to a quiet chamber, but instead stayed here. Silence returned to the cave, broken only by the rhythmic fluctuations of demonic energy emanating from the purple-haired rat and the subtle sounds of spiritual energy being slowly absorbed.
Wang Tianlong calmly watched the small figure enveloped in purple-blue light, like a patient protector. He wasn't in a hurry; breakthroughs required time, as well as opportunity and accumulation. He believed that this clever and loyal little fellow, who had been with him for nearly a thousand years, could overcome this hurdle.
"Focus on your breakthrough, I'm here." He murmured to himself, then closed his eyes, protecting the purple-haired rat while slowly circulating the "Wind-Treading Technique" to regulate his own breathing. He took out the "Four Flames Fan" he had won at the auction, placed it on his lap, and slowly nurtured and connected it with his pure wind spirit power, making final preparations for the upcoming Nascent Soul auction.