Chapter 1287: Avoiding the Death Penalty But Still Suffering Punishment
That man slammed into the ground at an alarming speed. Despite having a respectable cultivation, the impact was so strong that the wind was knocked out of him, almost joined by the contents of his stomach. He wanted to crawl away, but Emperor Wellspring was quick to respond.
With a swipe of the great emperor's sleeves, a flash of light flew across the man's face. As though drawn across by a sharp knife, the outer layer of the man's face peeled away, revealing his true identity.
The crowd's gaze fell upon his face. The man quickly covered his face with his hands, worried that someone might recognize him.
Emperor Wellspring picked him up. "Look closely everyone. Does anyone recognize him? Is there really such a person in our community?"
The man was ashen with fear when he was rendered immobile.
"No we don't!"
"It's obvious he isn't one of us just judging by his presence!"
"Young lord Zhen, that man isn't a wandering cultivator!"
"Even if he was, he'd be the scum of our world for disrupting the wandering cultivator gathering!"
"Agreed! He's liar and a cheat! If it wasn't for young lord Zhen's keen eyes, we would've been played for a fool!"
"He should be diced into a million pieces!"
"Yeah! If everyone follows his footsteps, the entire spirit herb market will be in shambles! At the end of the day, the ones who will suffer the most are laymen like us!"
"Young lord Zhen, what do you plan on doing with him?"
The truth held the most weight in the end. Even though the man was extremely cunning and eloquent with words, there was little he could do against the incontestable truth. The wandering cultivators who'd believed his words and grew suspicious of young lord Zhen felt like utter fools. Enraged, they yelled for blood and wanted to rip the fellow apart.
"This man's sins are unforgivable. He attempted to disrupt the wanderer gathering. Killing him would be as easy as slaying a dog, but spilling his blood might bring bad luck to the ongoing event. However, this evil-doer cannot be let off with a slap on the wrist, for he will definitely cause harm to others in the future. He shall be spared from death, but his sins cannot go unpunished." Jiang Chen announced blandly.
"Young lord Zhen! Let us kill him instead if you won't do it!"
"Agreed! This man deserves a million deaths for impersonating a wandering cultivator!"
"Emperor Wellspring, please help us administer justice!"
Emperor Wellspring flashed a tranquil smile. "Young lord Zhen, I trust that you already have a hunch about his identity. Let me slay him instead if you're worried about offending the other party."
"No need. I can't bear to implicate anyone else in Veluriyam Capital's matters." Jiang Chen answered blandly. While talking, he suddenly struck the man in the dantian.
A great force came bursting out, trashing the sea of qi in the man's dantian. He sagged to the ground like a pile of mud. Even an immortal would find it hard to stand after his cultivation had been completely destroyed.
"Men, throw him out of Veluriyam Capital!"
The wandering cultivators below cheered thunderously after seeing how Jiang Chen had handled the situation.
"Young lord Zhen, we apologize the misunderstanding earlier."
"Yeah! We all understand now that you're an honorable and upright person. If anyone else tries to defame or slander you, I won't believe a word of it!"
"That's right! We'd sooner die than believe a word of it! Young lord Zhen isn't a deceitful and unscrupulous man!" The crowd's trust in Jiang Chen had deepened by a quite a bit after that enormous commotion.
Steel doesn't fear the test of fire. Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "Everyone, I've made a fool of myself. I hope that I didn't dampen your spirits. The event will continue. Just in case anyone else tries to throw dirt at me again, Sacred Peafowl Mountain's trading district will from henceforth be revealed to the public."
"That's great! Young lord Zhen, you are truly the beacon of honor and trust!" Jiang Chen's actions had only made the crowd love him even more.
"Master Dong Ye, you've made a huge error this time." Emperor Peerless' voice was filled with a hint of frost as well as mockery. He could tell that that the Buddhist master was a co-conspirator.
Master Dong Ye didn't pay the words any heed and approached Jiang Chen with a righteous expression, his palms pressed together. "Young lord Zhen, I've erred. My Warrior Buddha's Eye still requires tempering. I apologize."
The monk was admitting to a mistake in appraisal only, and not that he'd been colluding with the imposter. Jiang Chen smiled blandly and chose not to expose the monk. It was better to take things one step at a time. Having a fall out with the Sublime Chord Temple right now would lead to nowhere.
"Master Dong Ye, there's nothing wrong with making mistakes, but you should really improve your Warrior Buddha's Eye, or unscrupulous people might take advantage of your sect's sacred grounds." It was obvious what he was insinuating.
Master Dong Ye answered emotionlessly. "Young lord Zhen's words are difficult to fathom. This monk will ruminate upon it when I return home."
The monk's face was thick beyond measure. Jiang Chen couldn't help but be impressed by how well the Buddhist master was maintaining his facade.
Long Baxiang burst into an odd cackle. "To think that there's such an advanced counterfeiting technique in this world! Young lord Zhen, you've truly widened my horizons! I sure hope that Sacred Peafowl Mountain will avoid using it on us!"
Jiang Chen's expression sank. "Emperor Dragontyrant, you're shown respect because you're a guest from far away. However, you're sorely mistaken if you think that this gives you the right to run your mouth and engage in meaningless slander."
Emperor Dragontyrant burst into laughter. "Relax! I'm just joking!"
This group of people had incredibly thick skin. They were capable of saying anything as long as it fit their narrative. They had been incredibly fierce and condescending at beginning, but they quickly put on a smile as soon as the situation soured. Who'd harassed the young lord just now? Surely not them!
"Alright, let's return to our stations and continue with the event. I'm sure there are some of you out there who still harbor malicious intent. I don't care what plans or schemes you have in store. If you continue to test my patience, be prepared to taste my wrath. Don't think for a second that I'm not capable of killing!"
"Agreed! Anyone who tries to stir up trouble will be going up against millions of us! We'll drown him in our spit!"
"We'll attack the next troublemaker together!" The wandering cultivators were furious as rabble rousers would disrupt the proceedings.
After order was restored, Jiang Chen opened his trading district to all wandering cultivators. Unfortunately, this made the Jiao brothers' job much harder.
Emperor Coiling Dragon and Emperor Void left their own trading districts to help the young lord as they realized that their business wouldn't be as great. Young lord Zhen was now the core figure of Veluriyam Capital.
What Jiang Chen hadn't counted on was that the prior commotion resulted in many unexpected benefits. The public's perception of him had improved immensely and trust in him had grown by a marked magnitude. Wandering cultivators visited him in endless waves, bringing forth all kinds of great treasures. Three treasures of equal worth to the Heavencloud Ganoderma appeared in just one day.
However, Jiang Chen didn't buy a single one as he didn't need any of them. He had a fair amount of wealth, but it wasn't unlimited. Good steel should only be used on a sword's edge.
He turned them down, but he gave the wandering cultivators a measure of reassurance and encouraged them to participate in the auction later. These items would be worth more for those that actually need them. The wandering cultivators agreed with his analysis.
On the second day, a significant transaction knocked on Jiang Chen's door.
A small party of four, consisting of one half-step emperor and three sage realm cultivators, came to him with a careful air. Their cultivation actually counted as top tier in the wandering world. The leader of the group was a middle-aged man with a blind eye. His pupil had been clouded over by a white substance. However, he seemed to prefer flaunting it instead of hiding it with an eye-patch. It gave him an eccentric air.
"The Four Elites of Peach Mountain greets the young lord." The leader bowed respectfully.
Jiao Yun murmured words of introduction by Jiang Chen's ears. "Young lord, the Four Elites of Peach Mountain are seasoned veterans of the wandering world. They're an upright group, but they are very wary of strangers and prefer solidarity."
Jiang Chen had a rough understanding after Jiao Yun's introduction. "Please, there's no need to be ceremonious. Are you looking to trade or do you seek an appraisal?"
The white-eyed leader nodded gently. "We look to trade with the young lord."
"Oh? What is it that you wish to trade?" Jiang Chen asked with a smile.
"Eight Treasure Cordyceps," the leader answered.
"Mm? May I please have a look?" Jiang Chen's heart skipped a beat when he heard their goods.
"Be my guest." The herb-like parasite appeared in front of Jiang Chen with a fling of his sleeves.
Jiang Chen furrowed his brows and looked at it in detail. "Mm! A fine treasure indeed! It has aged very well!"
"Friend, please state your asking price." Jiang Chen could immediately tell that it was of good quality.
"Young lord Zhen, we have more than just one."
"Oh? How many?" Jiang Chen was elated. The Eight Treasure Cordyceps was extremely useful to him. To think that the seller had more than one!
"Twenty-six."
Twenty-six?! The young lord almost spat out his tea. "Are you certain?"
"Extremely." The white-eyed leader was an interesting character. He took out all of them to show Jiang Chen.
Chapter 1288: A Lavish Affair
The visual impact of the twenty-six Eight Treasure Cordyceps was quite intense. The herb wasn't as rare as the Heavencloud Ganoderma, but it was almost impossible to find so many in one place.
Just like the Radiant Celestial Grass that Liu Zhen had produced a while back, the sheer volume of the herb awed Jiang Chen. In some respects, the Eight Treasure Cordyceps was more valuable than the Radiant Celestial Grass, not to mention harder to cultivate.
The Radiant Celestial Grass was only a plant. In ancient times, a fair number knew how to cultivate it. However, the Eight Treasure Cordyceps required eight different types of parasitic bugs in order to flourish. It was extremely difficult to cultivate as a result, and as rare as sky rank herbs.
Strangely, it seemed like Divine Abyss Continent hadn't discovered the best use for these spirit herbs yet. Its spirit herb classification ranked the Cordyceps as quasi-sky rank, rather than sky rank outright.
For Jiang Chen, the sight of twenty-six Cordyceps arrayed together was almost stupefying.
"This is great. All of these are real, quality Cordyceps specimens. You've struck gold, my friends!" Jiang Chen praised, unafraid to reveal his appreciation for the goods. His actions reassured the four wandering cultivators he was speaking to.
They hadn't come to find Jiang Chen until now out of worry for potential malicious price-cutting. Thankfully, the resolution of the Heavencloud Ganoderma crisis had satisfactorily assuaged their fears.
"Young lord Zhen. Do you like these spirit herbs?" The white-eyed leader scrutinized Jiang Chen closely.
"Are you planning to trade all of these to me, friend?" Jiang Chen asked.
"There's no need for us to sell the same product to several different buyers. The reason we're here is because we trust you, young lord Zhen. Please give us a price."
"Why don't you give me the price you have in mind instead? As long as it's reasonable, I'll buy all of them at that price without another word." Jiang Chen was very straightforward.
The Four Elites of Peach Mountain looked at each other, anxiety clear upon their faces.
It took a long while for the white-eyed leader to shake himself free of awkwardness. "To tell you the truth, young lord Zhen… we took these Eight Treasure Cordyceps to Pillfire City before. They forced the price way down. They would only offer the equivalent of an earth rank spirit herb's price for it, but it's an herb that's on par with sky rank! We heard that you were buying these at a good price, so…"
Jiang Chen knew their concerns. "Don't worry," he smiled. "I won't push down the price. I'll pay you the price of sky rank spirit herbs for these Eight Treasure Cordyceps."
"Really?" The Four Elites of Peach Mountain were stunned. They didn't think the young lord would be so easy to reason with.
"The normal market price for a sky rank spirit herb is between fifty to a hundred twenty million. At an auction house, really valuable ones can reach two to three hundred." Laughing, the young lord glanced at the twenty-six Cordyceps once more. "But since you have so many, I doubt it would reach such a high price. Would you be willing to accept an offer of a hundred million per stalk?"
The Four Elites of Peach Mountain were universally taken aback at the offered sum. Incredulity dawned in their expressions.
One Cordyceps for a hundred million? That was a gift from the heavens. A normal sky rank spirit herb went for as low as thirty million sometimes. The Eight Treasure Cordyceps was only equal to quasi-sky rank, so they'd estimated a price of twenty million per at most.
Most importantly, the price that Pillfire City had named had been an alarmingly low ten million per. That was the main reason they hadn't sold these herbs yet. Their target price was twenty million, after all; though if young lord Zhen was a nice enough person, they wouldn't have minded fifteen.
But young lord Zhen had immediately given them a hundred million per stalk instead – several times their hypothetical target price!
"Are you… serious, young lord Zhen?" The white-eyed leader was an experienced man, but even so, his head buzzed at the pleasant surprise.
"We can cut the deal as long as all of you agree. I think my price is very fair. There is no one else anywhere that will give you fifty, much less a hundred." Jiang Chen hadn't investigated the market himself, but he knew the approximate attitudes of the world. The inhabitants of Divine Abyss Continent hadn't discovered the true purpose of the Eight Treasure Cordyceps yet.
"Yes, yes, young lord Zhen. Actually, our target price isn't nearly as high as your quote. Your price has scared us." The white-eyed leader was a bit flustered. "You are too kind, young lord Zhen. Since your price is so fair, we're not so money-grubbing that we can't return the favor. Give us two billion and all twenty-six Cordyceps will be yours."
The other three men of the Four Elites of Peach Mountain nodded in agreement.
"Yes, we cannot take young lord Zhen's sincerity for granted."
"We've been to many places in the Upper Eight Regions, young lord Zhen, but a buyer as equitable as you is a first."
"We will definitely come to any future events that Veluriyam Capital holds, just to support you."
Jiang Chen understood the psychology of these men. If he wanted to lowball them, he could have easily done so. He was giving a fair price to them solely for the sake of building up his reputation. The Four Elites of Peach Mountain weren't exactly the most elite of cultivators, but reputation was based on hearsay and rumor. The intangible value of his investment couldn't be ignored.
"Wonderful. You gentlemen have shown me your sincerity. Two billion it is!" Jiang Chen laughed heartily. "I can't pay you in full with stones I currently have on hand, but I'll auction a batch of items in a few days' time. Shall we conclude the deal after?"
"Not a problem." The white-eyed leader agreed readily. They had no worries at all about Jiang Chen's financial solvency. Even a single Pinecrane Pill from the young lord's hands would fetch a fortune. "Then, we will wait for your good news, young lord Zhen."
Before Jiang Chen could reply, Emperor Peerless approached them. "If you don't have enough stones on hand, young lord Zhen, take a few from me. I should be able to rustle up the two billion pretty easily through a few contacts."
"No worries. There's nothing wrong with waiting for a few days." Jiang Chen had plenty of spirit stones with him, but he had even more uses for them. He couldn't spend them all in one place like this.
The Four Elites of Peach Mountain all saluted respectfully to Emperor Peerless upon seeing the prestigious senior.
Emperor Peerless didn't take Jiang Chen's response seriously. He turned to the four wandering cultivators. "If you leave the herbs here, I'll pay one billion upfront. The rest, I'll send for from my acquaintances. You'll get it very shortly. Surely my reputation is sufficient to serve as temporary credit for a few days?"
"You are our senior, Emperor Peerless. Of course we trust you. Let it be as you say, sir." The Four Elites of Peach Mountain were sharp. How could they turn down a request from Mo Wushuang? Furthermore, the emperor did have a very solid reputation among wandering cultivator circles. They weren't worried that he'd refuse to pay the rest.
Emperor Peerless was about to leave to gather the stones, but Jiang Chen stopped him. "Never mind. Old Brother Mo, I can pay the other billion. Don't bother reaching out to your contacts. Put the billion you're paying on my tab, too. I'll return it as soon as possible."
Mo Wushuang laughed. "Young lord Zhen, why stand on ceremony with me? Don't worry about the billion. Take it as a gesture of thanks. The favors you've done me are more precious than stones could ever measure. I can't hope to repay you with wealth alone."
That was absolutely true. Jiang Chen had saved his wife's life and moreover, given him the kunpeng bloodline. Neither was particularly purchasable by spirit stones alone. The Four Elites of Peach Mountain looked on with mouths agape. One billion was nothing to either the young lord or the emperor. No wonder they were big shots; they certainly acted like it with their finances. The four wandering cultivators aspired even more to become like their senior one day.
Despite the spirit stones physically present within their possession, now, it still felt like they were in a dream. If they'd made the alternative decision to sell to Pillfire City, they would only have received two to three hundred million stones. Instead, they had two whole billion on hand!
Jiang Chen appreciated the twenty-six Eight Treasure Cordyceps specimens so much that he couldn't keep his hands off them.
"Old Brother Mo, if these herbs were sold at Pillfire City, the most one'd get for them would be ten to twenty million. Do you know why I'm giving them this price?"
Mo Wushuang was perplexed. "How come?"
"With the two billion worth of Cordyceps in my hands, I'll produce product with them that's more than ten times their worth!"
"Ten times? Twenty billion?" Mo Wushuang clucked his tongue. This second number was almost too large to comprehend. Even a great emperor of his caliber couldn't produce a sum anywhere near that amount.
Only great emperors belonging to large factions could pool their faction's resources together to produce such an amount. Alternatively, some ancient hermits also had that much wealth stashed.
"Isn't twenty billion too much of an exaggeration?" After some consideration, even the great emperor found the sum incredible.
"None whatsoever." Jiang Chen laughed. "No one has discovered the true value of the Eight Treasure Cordyceps yet. If they had, then they would know it is only slightly less valuable than the Heavencloud Ganoderma."
"Oho, then what is their true value, young lord Zhen? What is their purpose?" Mo Wushuang was curious.
"The Heavencloud Ganoderma can be used to refine the Emperor Supremacy Pill. But the Eight Treasure Cordyceps, on the other hand, is the main material for the Emperor Ascension Pill!"
"What?" Mo Wushuang had heard of the Emperor Ascension Pill before. He'd seen the name in an ancient text.
"The Emperor Ascension Pill… isn't that the miracle pill, able to unconditionally increase an emperor realm cultivator's level by one?" The Emperor Ascension Pill was the same kind of pill as its different-realmed peers: the Origin Doubling Pill, the Sage Smile Pill, and the Emperor Supremacy Pill.
However, the Upper Eight Regions was capped at the level of the Sage Smile Pill. Though the Emperor Ascension Pill had records about it in various books, there was no consensus about its recipe. There were rumors that Pillfire City had the recipe, but according to the city itself, the pill's materials were difficult to acquire. Therefore, it had trouble refining the pill in bulk.
Jiang Chen smiled with a nod. "The Origin Doubling Pill, the Sage Smile Pill, the Emperor Supremacy Pill, and the Emperor Ascension Pill. The world of martial dao has a place for all of these, and the marvel of its treasures is far beyond mortal imagination."
"The Eight Treasure Cordyceps… is the main material for the Emperor Ascension Pill?" Mo Wushuang inhaled sharply, a bit quizzical.
Chapter 1289: Controversy Over the Auction List
Mo Wushuang was awestruck; he couldn't speak for the longest time. The young man before him had time and again overturned everything he knew. He was blown out of his element.
"You're going to turn the world upside down, young lord Zhen." Emperor Peerless sighed after a long while. "The Emperor Supremacy Pill, the Emperor Ascension Pill, the Pinecrane Pill… any one of these appearing in the world would consume the entire human domain. But you…"
Jiang Chen smiled slightly. "Old Brother Mo, the Divine Abyss Continent is a big place. The heritage of the ancients is an amazing thing. Why should we be limited to what's feasible in the human domain? If a martial cultivator can't even see beyond the boundaries of the human domain, what else is there left for him?"
Any normal youth professing such boastful words would be summarily dismissed by the emperor. However, a declaration from Veluriyam's young lord was nothing short from thought provoking.
He was right. Why should one's scope be limited to the human domain? The Divine Abyss Continent was tremendously large. The human domain was just a small corner of that immense space.
Young lord Zhen has lofty ambitions!
Thinking to this point, Emperor Peerless laughed broadly. "Young lord Zhen, I used to feel satisfied at having come so far in my life. If you hadn't pointed out my error, I would no longer have any pursuits left. After hearing your opinion, I am somewhat ashamed. From now on, I'll be right behind you. I'd like to see just how far you can lead us!"
The emperor's own pride was ignited. He felt young once again.
Jiang Chen put away the twenty-six Eight Treasure Cordyceps carefully, then smiled. "These Cordyceps can be used to refine over a hundred Emperor Ascension Pills. What do you think a single pill should be valued at, Old Brother Mo?"
Advancing one emperor realm level for free was a priceless proposition!
"Emperor realm experts are obviously less wealthy than their greater peers. Even so, a price of two to three hundred million would sell like hotcakes. There's plenty of emperor realm wandering cultivators with that kind of purchasing power, and you can definitely add many more sect-affiliated experts to that list!"
"What about the Emperor Supremacy Pill?" Jiang Chen asked smilingly.
"The Emperor Supremacy Pill, huh…" Mo Wushuang sighed. "The Emperor Supremacy Pill is probably the highest rank pill beneath the heavens. I can't attach a price to it. Personally speaking, if I had a hard time breaking through within the great emperor realm and found out the help that this pill could offer, I would spend everything I had for a single pill."
The draw of the Emperor Supremacy Pill was quite different from that of the Emperor Ascension Pill. Its target audience was the most elite stratum of the human domain. Experts at this level commanded the most wealth everywhere in the world of martial dao. Correspondingly, their purchasing power was equally astonishing.
When men reached this level of cultivation, they held an almost incomprehensible fixation for progressing ever forward. In the world of martial dao, the breaking through of levels and realms was the tireless goal of almost every cultivator. Many experts placed themselves in dangerous situations constantly in order to chase the truth of dao between life and death.
Such 'martial madmen' were never in short supply.
Both True Heavensfall Iron and Eight Treasure Cordyceps had appeared in the trading segment of the meet. Unfortunately, there was still no news whatsoever of the Goldencrown Cloudcrane.
"Is the Cloudcrane really this rare?" Jiang Chen was a little perplexed.
The three days concluded with nary a fowl in sight. Veluriyam's young lord was a little depressed. He'd thought that the Goldencrown Cloudcrane was the most likely to appear. Reality was quite the opposite.
He didn't have a fervent desire for the Goldencrown Cloudcrane. It stayed on his mind because of his transaction with the group of wandering great emperors. The Goldencrown Cloudcrane was one of the keys to refining the Pinecrane Pill.
Ten wandering cultivators had participated in Emperor Shura's encirclement. Aside from Emperor Wellspring, no one else had received their reward yet.
It appeared though, that many benefited a great deal through the three-day trading segment. Even the wandering cultivator great emperors were well pleased. It seemed that they were extremely satisfied.
Standing in their midst, Jiang Chen performed a cupped fist salute. "Everyone, I'm sure you've benefited a good deal from the three-day trading segment. And now, please register if there's a treasure you'd like Veluriyam Capital to auction off. Don't miss out the right timing! Any treasures lower than sky rank will be eliminated from the list, and even treasures that are sky rank will not necessarily make it. For the attendees, absolutely the best and most valuable will be chosen from among sky rank and higher treasures."
There was only a single day for the auction. Not many treasures would pass through the auction process. Therefore, the details required Jiang Chen's personal attention.
Sign-ups concluded in two hours. The list of treasures submitted for auction was fifty-six items long.
"Young lord, all these treasures are from wandering cultivators. Neither sects nor wandering cultivator titans signed up."
"That's understandable. Sects, factions, and wandering cultivator giants hardly want for money. Instead, they seek treasure to an almost obsessive degree." Jiang Chen found nothing strange about this.
Analyzing the list a bit more, he estimated that only four things could be auctioned off in a single two-hour slot. If the auction was allowed to continue for sixteen, only thirty-two treasures were eligible. Of course, an excessive number of items auctioned reduced its quality.
Jiang Chen carefully examined the list's details. With a broad pen stroke, he removed any treasure that was either insufficient or common. It took no time at all for the list to reach the final sixteen.
"I think these sixteen will be fine. Twelve will be listed earlier on, and four will be sold at the end." Finally finalizing the list, the young lord handed it to his subordinates.
Pill King Bu was the one responsible for breaking the news to the registrants that only sixteen had been chosen. When the forty wandering cultivators heard that their treasures hadn't made the cut, they were all very upset indeed. All of them requested a meeting with young lord Zhen.
The pill king wasn't in a position to make decisions on the young lord's behalf, so he sought the latter's advice once more. Jiang Chen thought about it for a moment before waving his hand. "Take me to them."
The young man walked over, the Jiao brothers and Emperor Peerless trailing closely behind.
"You're finally here, young lord Zhen!"
"You must help us, young lord Zhen. We came to the Dragon and Tiger Meet because of your reputation alone. Why are we barred from selling our goods?"
"Isn't that right? There's nothing wrong with our stuff. Auctions elsewhere would move really quickly to snatch it up. How come it didn't make it past the selection process with you guys?"
Jiang Chen listened to their pleas with a smile.
"Gentlemen, I picked out a list of items to sell myself. Your stuff is perfectly fine, but time for the auction is limited. Everything being sold is extremely valuable. The only reason your things didn't make the cut is that pricier things edged you out." The young man patiently explained.
"Young lord Zhen, your words hurt us a great deal."
"I agree. Just how high rank are the selected treasures? I don't believe that my treasure is possibly worse!"
"We would like transparency, young lord Zhen!"
"I can't announce the selected treasures right now," Jiang Chen retorted coolly. "You'll see them soon enough – tomorrow at the auction. These are the rules. There's no need for argument."
The wandering cultivators wanted to protest further, but was stopped by a frowning Jiao Yun behind Jiang Chen's back. "What? Is young lord Zhen's kindness being taken advantage of here? You'd better not take a mile for a given inch."
"Young lord Zhen is the organizer of the event. It's his freedom to pick whatever treasures he likes. Do you intend to force him differently?"
The Jiao brothers of Mt. Huai were reasonably famous seniors in the world of martial dao. Moreover, they were rumored to be pretty fierce. The wandering cultivators were cowed as soon as they opened their mouths.
"It's not easy for us either, young lord Zhen. It's rare to find someone that thinks on our behalf. If we miss this chance, next time… ah!"
"That's it exactly. Please, young lord Zhen, add another day to the auction."
"Shut up!" Jiao Yun barked angrily.
Jiang Chen waved a hand. "Please, please. Gentlemen, I admit that your treasures were indeed sky rank. I've even publicly identified some of them myself. There's a very good reason they didn't make the cut. Your treasures aren't better than the ones selected for the auction, and more importantly, they're not rare in the world of cultivation. As they say, rare things fetch a higher price. The level of tomorrow's auction is particularly high. When your treasures are compared to the others there, they'll seem quite plain. You won't fetch an ideal price for your goods, nor will you actualize the value of your treasure."
He was speaking nothing but the truth. If there were two treasures of the same level, with one rarer than the other, then the first would command a higher following. Supply and demand dictated this to be the case.
The treasures that had failed to make the cut weren't gutter trash, but they were treasures that could be found elsewhere. In an auction setting, the attendees' wealth was generally focused upon the rare treasures available for sale. It was unlikely for relatively common treasures to fetch commanding prices. Far more likely was the opposite. It wasn't unreasonable to expect some items to be left with no bidders.
This more detailed explanation injected moroseness into the wandering cultivators.
"I'd like to add a few words, my friends." Emperor Peerless spoke up. "If the rules aren't followed, then standards wouldn't exist. Young lord Zhen has spent a lot of time and effort on the gathering, so he has to take responsibility for its operations. There's no question that he selected the treasures fairly for the auction. Your treasures' removal from the list was hardly out of selfishness. In fact, he did so partially for your benefit. It's not often that a wandering cultivator gets his hands on a valuable treasure. Ending an auction without any bids is a potential hit to the value of any treasure. Plus, are you really worried about not being able to sell something expensive you own? Are you taking the wandering cultivator meet as an opportunity to get rich quick? If something isn't impossible to find worldwide, then it cannot be sold for much higher or lower than its real price."
Emperor Peerless was a respectable and moral man. His words were far more convincing than the Jiao brothers' intimidation.
Chapter 1290: Realizing Ones Rich
The wandering cultivators couldn't help but agree with Emperor Peerless. His words had a lot of merit. If a treasure didn't distinguish itself in an auction and was let go without any bids, its value would be diminished. For the owner, that would be thoroughly counterproductive.
"We know you have a track record of fairness, young lord Zhen. It's rare for someone to be so considerate of wandering cultivators like you. We would like to humbly ask for any ideas you might have."
"That's right. Anywhere else would try to undervalue our assets. There's no one fair beneath the sun. Young lord Zhen, you're the only one we trust. Why not buy everything off our hands?"
These words won a sympathetic response from the rest.
"We can't trust anyone else, young lord Zhen. We will only sell these treasures to you. It's fine if we lose out a bit for your benefit!"
"Exactly. As long as the deals aren't too unfavorable, we'll take whatever you can give."
"You guys are fools. When has young lord Zhen given a wandering cultivator an unfavorable deal?"
These wandering cultivators were highly calculative men. Everything they said was out of hopes that Jiang Chen would buy the treasures off them for a reasonable price.
The young man looked at the list of items again. All of them were decent enough finds. Since there was only forty, he saw no reason he couldn't buy out the whole batch.
Unfortunately, he clearly didn't have enough spirit stones on hand. Plus, many of these items were far from necessary. A glance reminded him that these treasures were all sky rank. A normal sky rank spirit herb was valued minimally at thirty million.
Jiang Chen had named the exorbitant price of a hundred million for the Eight Treasure Cordyceps because that particular spirit herb could generate profit many times that. The most he could do with these treasures was wait for them to naturally appreciate in value. Unfortunately, there really wasn't much room for them to grow. And in fact, many were consumables. To buy all of them here would cost a billion and some change.
The wandering cultivators' bright eyes told him that these treasures were their most important asset. These valuable items constituted their owners' entire livelihoods. Most of them here were sage realm, though there were a few emperor realm experts as well. The emperor realm cultivators were comparatively more relaxed. The sage realm cultivators didn't have very much that was worth anything at all. Their single possession was also their most prized. All of their hopes were wrapped up in it.
"My friends, I know what these treasures mean to you. I must make it clear that I don't particularly need any of them. Honestly, they don't mean very much to someone like me. However, each of these treasures represents your fate and future."
Jiang Chen's touching words sent a warm current through the wandering cultivators' hearts. As wandering cultivators adrift in the world, they lived on a knife's edge. Their environment was totally incomparable to that of a large sect's disciples. A treasure was more than enough to change their entire fortunes for the better.
"How about this. I'll give you a price according to what I feel is right. Each estimate will be accompanied with a promise of integrity. As for whether you'll sell, well, that's entirely up to you. I can only guarantee that I won't intentionally name a lower price than appropriate. I'm not here to exploit you by any means. I'll actually give you a slightly higher price than is typical." Jiang Chen picked up the list once more as he said this, looking down it carefully.
It took a few more moments before he was done labeling each of the excluded treasures with a price. "Here are my quotes. Take a look. There's no need to haggle. Every quote here has been evaluated partially to your advantage."
Jiang Chen spoke in a sincere tone. "Also, there's another caveat. I can only buy the treasures off your hands at some point in the near future."
At this time, Cloudsoar Monarch walked up. "May I have a moment, young lord?"
Jiang Chen followed his trusted subordinate. "What is it, Cloudsoar?"
"You're the young lord of Sacred Peafowl Mountain now. The riches and vaults of the mountain are yours to command. His Majesty put you into your current position with full acknowledgment of your right to use our resources, there's no doubt about that at all." Cloudsoar Monarch had noticed by now that Jiang Chen was having some problems with wealth liquidity.
The young man had been continually making contributions since the day he'd been made young lord. He had never taken anything from Sacred Peafowl Mountain in return.
Jiang Chen was stunned at the monarch's suggestion. He hadn't considered that possibility at all. Sacred Peafowl Mountain's vaults?
"Don't worry, young lord. The four monarchs unconditionally respect your leadership, and so does the entirety of Sacred Peafowl Mountain. Please, make use of the vault as you see fit. We four monarchs once followed His Majesty. From now on, we do the same for you. Don't forget, you're the lord of Sacred Peafowl Mountain. There's no need to seek our permission for any edicts or expenditures." The monarch's position was quite clear.
"Cloudsoar, how much is there in the vaults?" Jiang Chen had no idea at all.
"We hold allegiance from countless factions and own innumerable businesses. Our profits are high, and we take a cut of all of the vassals' annual profits. There's also large income from taxes. Plus, we're also the foremost faction in Veluriyam Capital, so our wealth is naturally quite stunning."
"So how much is there in total?" Jiang Chen couldn't help but ask.
"We have a few dozen billion spirit stones in storage alone. Our vault holds countless other resources, treasures, and other assets. I can say with confidence that 'far more than a hundred billion' is a conservative estimate."
"What?" Jiang Chen was shocked.
"Young lord, Veluriyam Capital is one of the strongest factions in the Upper Eight Regions. Our riches are a result of accumulation since the ancient times. If not for Emperor Peafowl's dislike for money-making, we would own several times this wealth. Our assets were largely gathered through mundane channels! This is just normal income." Cloudsoar Monarch's explanation sent the young man reeling.
He knew that large sects and factions tended to hoard astonishing wealth. However, the abundant Sacred Peafowl Mountain vaults stupefied him.
And these were only the vaults. What did the vaults hold? Public funds!
Private wealth was intentionally excluded. Experts like Emperor Peafowl were sure to be disturbingly wealthy. The comparison gave Jiang Chen some perspective about just how damn poor the wandering cultivator emperors were – Emperor Peerless among them, of course.
Suddenly remembering something, the youth slapped his thigh. "I hear that Emperor Shura was very good at making money. Doesn't that mean he must've been absurdly affluent?"
"Hmph! No question about it. Shura's faction was tremendously well-off. I suspect that his faction's fortune far surpassed ours. After all, the emperor was shrewd beyond comprehension! What a shame that he took all of that money with him. His hoarding benefited others in the end."
Cloudsoar Monarch's words upset Jiang Chen a great deal.
"Blast Pillfire City! They've gotten away with it again!" Without needing to think about it, he knew that Pillfire City had to have taken the money already. Emperor Shura had died with no valuables left on him, not even a single storage ring.
That wouldn't do. His money belonged to Veluriyam Capital. Jiang Chen wasn't going to let Pillfire City snap it up so easily without a fight! Just the thought of it incensed him.
If Shura's wealth outstripped Emperor Peafowl's, then Pillfire had received a real windfall.
"Go, seek out Emperor Vastsea. Tell him not to leave yet. I want to talk to him!" Jiang Chen instructed.
"Yes, young lord," replied Cloudsoar Monarch.
"Mm. Cloudsoar, could you go retrieve three billion spirit stones from the vault for me? As I'm sure you've heard already, I have an important use for them," the young man added.
"As you wish."
Jiang Chen returned to the forty wandering cultivators. "So, gentlemen, have you come to a decision?"
"Indeed we have, young lord Zhen." There was a mass of unified shouts. "Your price quotes are very fair. We've decided to sell to you!"
Of course Jiang Chen's quotes were fair. He wanted reputation above all, not fleecing unwitting idiots for a quick buck.
"We can wait a few days. For this price, a decade or more is more than worthwhile!"
"Quite so! Waiting isn't a problem for any of us."
"Actually, I managed to get my hands on sufficient capital. There's no longer a need to wait. I do have a separate request for you, however. If you hear any news about a Goldencrown Cloudcrane anywhere, or know anyone who has one of these spirit beasts, then please let me know. I'm willing to pay a high price for one."
"A Goldencrown Cloudcrane? Alright, Zhang Ole Seventh will remember this."
"Deng's got it as well. I'll certainly keep an eye out for you, young lord Zhen."
These people were tremendously pleased to have received such offers from Jiang Chen. They felt that the young lord was a bit different from others from large factions. He was cordial, obliging, and genuine. Someone like that was able to win their affection quite easily.
Cloudsoar Monarch gathered up the necessary three billion in no time at all. The sum was rather insignificant to collect from Sacred Peafowl Mountain's vault.
The forty treasures cost sixteen hundred million spirit stones in all. It wasn't an enormous amount, but every wandering cultivator was satisfied.
To these drifters, a few dozen million was already nothing short of astronomical. The sage realm wandering cultivators were especially appreciative of the scale of their payout. It was a staggering sum of stones! It couldn't compare to what the Four Elites of Peach Mountain had, but not everyone could enjoy that kind of serendipity.
In the wandering cultivator world, true treasures were possessed only by the very few. Hundreds of thousands of them had come to the event – perhaps one million or more – but only a handful had actually been fortunate.
Emperor Peerless sighed at the wandering cultivators' satisfaction. "Young lord Zhen, the wandering cultivator world is a cruel place. A few dozen million spirit stones… that's probably nothing in the eyes of sect disciples."
Chapter 1291: The Auction Begins
Emperor Vastsea had lied low the past several days after his defection. He knew that it wouldn't be that easy to win forgiveness and acknowledgment from Veluriyam's other great emperors. He'd spent his recent days in unease and misery. The other great emperors of the city were either knowingly or unknowingly, distancing themselves from him. It was as if he was infected with some infectious disease.
It wasn't the others fault, though. Almost all of the blame could be assigned to his past self. His current situation made him feel uneasy about the young lord's request to see him. Is young lord Zhen looking to criticize me? Is he reneging on our agreement?
Jiang Chen arrived in the middle of one of his conflicted deliberations.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Vastsea." Jiang Chen was the image of politeness.
"Oh, not at all. I wasn't busy or anything. If young lord Zhen wants to see me, waiting a few moments is nothing." Emperor Vastsea adopted a very humble position.
"There's no need for such excessive courtesy, Vastsea," Jiang Chen waved a hand. "I said already that I'm looking for actual actions rather than groveling. It's to be expected that everyone isn't going to accept you so quickly back into the fold. Don't think too much about it. Instead, make some substantial contributions. As long as you speak with your actions and properly atone, you'll eventually become a respected great emperor of the city once more."
"Yes, yes." Emperor Vastsea had spent much of his efforts prior upon buttering up to Emperor Shura. Now in new circumstances, he didn't have any ideas about how to contribute.
"Don't worry. This isn't something that can be rushed. Question: when Shura departed from Veluriyam Capital, did he bring all his wealth to Pillfire City?" Jiang Chen cut to the chase straightaway.
Emperor Vastsea was rather embarrassed. "Both his and mine are at Pillfire City, yes. When we left the city, Emperor Pillzenith forced us to leave our belongings behind under pretense of 'safekeeping'. In actuality, he was probably preparing for our indefinite absence."
Jiang Chen was greatly dismayed when he heard the expected conclusion. "I knew that old bastard would embezzle it all. How absurd Emperor Shura's actions were! He hoarded wealth all his life, but that old bastard Pillzenith was the one to benefit!"
Emperor Vastsea didn't know how to respond. He hadn't played a pleasant part in the matter, so he didn't have a right to complain. Now that the assets were in Emperor Pillzenith's hands, it wasn't going to be easy to force him to cough it up.
Seeing the young man gnash his teeth, the emperor suddenly added, "Young lord Zhen, I doubt Emperor Pillzenith will be able to get into Shura's things."
"How so?"
"Emperor Shura realized towards the end that it was hard for him to maintain any prominence in Pillfire City. Emperor Pillzenith didn't seem to care about him much. Because of this, he took the preventative measure of placing his Shura Bloodcurse upon his storage ring. If he wasn't able to return, the Bloodcurse would serve as an unbreakable seal. If Emperor Pillzenith was to recklessly open up the storage ring, he would be irrevocably cursed."
"Oh?" This development soothed Jiang Chen's emotions over somewhat. The wealth hadn't returned to Veluriyam Capital yet, but Pillfire City couldn't use it either.
"What about your own possessions?"
"Mine… I don't know any such curses, so I put my things inside Shura's storage ring. Ah…" Emperor Vastsea had been living a pretty frugal lifestyle as of late. He hadn't brought back any of his wealth and his original subordinates had all but deserted him. Though he was still a great emperor in name, he had no followers.
"Young lord Zhen." A resolute light shone from the emperor's eyes. "I've decided. My crimes yet weigh down on me. It's hard for me to make my way alone here in Veluriyam Capital. I think it almost impossible for me to return to my former status. Therefore, I'd like to join up with you, young lord Zhen. I'll serve you just like Emperor Peerless and the Jiao brothers. You can count on me to be your champion… or I suppose guard isn't bad, either."
"Hmm? Why the change of mind?" Jiang Chen blinked.
"I've thought it through. Even someone like Emperor Peerless is willing to follow you. The Jiao brothers have been with you only a few days, yet their loyalty is as strong as steel. And someone as ambitious as Shura… he was arguably quite competent, but lost every match with you. All these things show the genius behind your leadership, young lord Zhen. Following you all but assures a bright future." Emperor Vastsea was extremely serious. His speech was the result of careful consideration.
"If you're set on it," Jiang Chen smiled faintly, "then I don't mind. A word of advance warning, though: if you ever become half-hearted or duplicitous, I'll be able to see that over time. I advise you not to cut your last path of escape off. I've given you a chance already, and I won't give a second."
"Young lord Zhen," Emperor Vastsea swore hurriedly, "if I change my mind henceforth, let heaven and earth destroy me, and let the five thunders annihilate my form."
"Alright. Come with me, then. I've been pretty short on manpower recently, and someone has to do the dirty work."
"Yes, young lord. Come hell or high water, I shall do as you command!" There was undeniable joy upon Emperor Vastsea's face. He knew that young lord Zhen had finally accepted him.
...
Three days of trading having concluded, Jiang Chen returned to his residence. During this time, Palace Head Dan Chi and Elder Yun Nie had been almost inseparable. As the former's understanding of past events deepened, so too did his fascination with Jiang Chen's achievements.
At the young lord residence proper, Jiang Chen suddenly remembered something and went to find Palace Head Dan Chi and Elder Yun Nie.
"I've been too busy these past few days, my friends. I almost forgot to something." Smiling, Jiang Chen retrieved five cauldrons from his storage ring one by one. These five cauldrons were part of Regal Pill Palace's heritage: its five strongest legacy treasures.
Back in the Great Scarlet Mid Region, Jiang Chen had chanced upon four of the cauldrons at an auction. He'd purchased them with Wei Xing'er's assistance. His winning bid at the time was thirty-five million saint spirit stones. Jiang Chen had given his helper fifty million in return.
The sight of the five treasure cauldrons surprised both Palace Head Dan Chi and Elder Yun Nie. The two men widened their eyes, gazing upon the cauldrons in sheer disbelief. Many years ago, Palace Head Dan Chi had passed the Skyweave Cauldron onto Jiang Chen.
After the Myriad Domain's invasion and Regal Pill Palace's destruction, the other four fell into the hands of the Great Scarlet Mid Region, whence they eventually found themselves at an auction house. Palace Head Dan Chi and Elder Yun Nie had thought the other cauldrons lost to the four winds. It was a truly welcome surprise that Jiang Chen was able to produce them so readily today.
"This… young lord Zhen, where did you get them?" Elder Yun Nie was the picture of astonishment.
"I passed by Great Scarlet Mid Region once, and came upon an auction there. They were auctioning off four of the five cauldrons. I spent fifty million saint spirit stones to wrest them from their unlawful owners so that I could unify them with the Skyweave Cauldron I have. Regal Pill Palace's treasures should not be so easily lost."
"Jiang Chen, Jiang Chen..." Palace Head Dan Chi couldn't stop himself from sighing. "The Palace owes you a great deal and more."
"Hardly so, Palace Head. I too am one of the Palace's disciples. Doing this was part of my duty. Now that the five treasure cauldrons are together again, the time for Regal Pill Palace's resurgence is at hand. After recent events are over, let's discuss in more detail about how to retake the Myriad Domain!"
Palace Head Dan Chi slapped his thigh. "Perfect! I've dreamed day and night for years about this, but I didn't think that the day would come so quickly!"
"If Regal Pill Palace's resurrection is backed by young lord Zhen, its fortunes are sure to last a hundred million years!" Elder Yun Nie was excited as well.
...
After extensive buildup of anticipation, the high-profile auction was underway at last.
Jiang Chen set the auction hall up in a central area. Any guest interested in participating had to pay a princely sum as a security deposit. Those without security deposits had only the right to observe; they couldn't bid.
Everyone knew that the items at this auction were very high level. Several dozen sky rank treasures had been eliminated from the auction list, which only increased the hopes of the attendees. Therefore, every guest of at least reasonable status had paid the security deposit in order to participate.
Even Master Dong Ye of the Sublime Chord Temple and the elder from the Empyrean River Palace shamelessly threw their chips in. Jiang Chen wasn't about to stop them. He'd allowed their presence in the first place, and he had more than enough courtesy to spare for such an unimportant gesture.
"Everyone, I have an announcement. To ensure the justice and fairness of this auction, I've decided to oversee the proceedings and the hammer personally. There will be no cheating involved." Jiang Chen declared to an attentive audience.
"Hold on!" Someone called out suddenly. It was the Heavenly Dragon Sect's Long Baxiang. "Young lord Zhen," he chortled, "so you're serving as the auctioneer, eh? I suppose that's a good thing. But if someone from Sacred Peafowl Mountain decides to make a bid… heh, no one would notice if you were to tap that hammer slightly faster."
"Who told you Sacred Peafowl Mountain was going to make any bids today?" Jiang Chen smiled faintly.
"Oh? You're not participating?" Long Baxiang narrowed his eyes.
Jiang Chen ignored him altogether. "Gentlemen, I've chosen sixteen treasures from the wandering cultivators' possessions, adding one more to their ranks. The added item is Sacred Peafowl Mountain's very own Pinecrane Pill! There are seventeen items auctioned today in all. The Pinecrane Pill will be offered last. If you're interested, feel free to hold back those stones.
"Furthermore, no member of Sacred Peafowl Mountain will make a bid today. There is nothing to be concerned." Jiang Chen looked around in a circle. The wandering cultivators had some very nice items, but none of them particularly appealed to him.
"The first item up for auction is a single fingerless glove. I'm not sure where it originates from, but it is a sky rank treasure. If worn, it increases its wearer's attack and defense by thirty percent! It is most compatible with emperor realm experts. A great emperor will enjoy a diminished ten percent benefit instead. The starting price is sixty million saint spirit stones."
Everyone went mad at the sight of merely the first item. Was there something as amazing as that? Was the seller mentally impaired? Why wasn't he keeping something this good for himself?
Chapter 1292: Display of Rare Goods
Such thoughts dissipated as quickly as they emerged. Many immediately scrambled for the item. Good treasures were desirable everywhere. Even the representatives of first rank sects participated in the scramble. The powerful experts didn't have any use for the treasure themselves, but disciples were aplenty in first rank sects.
The crowd roared to action, everyone trying to one up each other.
Jiang Chen was witnessing first hand the incredible wealth of the leading great sect figures. The 60 million starting price quickly rose to over 100 million. He didn't even have to fan the flames. The price soared through hype and momentum alone.
Utilizing his immense wealth, Shangguan Yianqing won the glove for 120 million in the end.
"Congratulations friend, the glove is now yours." The bidding had gone on for fifteen minutes. It had been incredibly fast paced with plenty of back and forths.
"Alright, the second item is an anti-poison sachet. It's extremely old and believed to hail from the ancient ages. It renders the wearer immune to over a hundred poisons except the extremely rare varieties. It's a must-have item for all explorers, and thus the starting bid will begin from 80 million saint spirit stones!"
Another fine item!
The anti-poison sachet was undoubtedly better than the glove. Although the latter was a fine item, its functions were a bit too simple. An anti-poison sachet that rendered the wearer immune to hundreds of poisons was simply too monstrous. Poison experts were aplenty in the martial dao world. Moreover, the world itself was filled with poison gas, mist, and more. Owning the amulet would make one's life so much easier.
"I bid 100 million!"
"110 million."
"120!" The price soared frantically, fully displaying the wealth of tycoons.
Jiang Chen held the auction hammer loosely. Even a child could host an auction like this one. He didn't need to rile up the crowd because of these opulent moguls. They were so wealthy that even he was taken aback.
Is an anti-poison sachet is worthy of such madness? Won't I be swimming in wealth if I make something even better with Golden Cicada blood?
Of course it was only a passing thought. Golden Cicada blood was too precious to be squandered like that. There were plenty of other ways to create wealth. However, it would make a good protective amulet for his subordinates. An idea immediately came to mind.
The bid for the anti-poison sachet actually rose all the way to 180 million before finally ending up in the hands of the Moon God Sect's third sectmaster. That faction seemed to value the amulet very much.
Jiang Chen shook his head with quiet disapproval. Money wasn't an issue for first rank sects, but spending 180 million for an amulet was clearly not worth it. But he naturally kept those words to himself.
A successful auction would only expand the Dragon and Tiger Meet's influence. Money wasn't an issue for the attendees. He would never feel heartache over how they spend their money.
The third item… the fourth item… One by one, the items went up for auction. They were all incredibly desirable, with every item being sold for at least 120 million and above.
Such an astonishing record left the audience flabbergasted. No wandering cultivator had ever taken part in such a prestigious auction. Auctions were normally held in private. Other than the participants, there was no other audience involved. And yet, Jiang Chen had gone against convention by setting up an auction in the middle of the arena, allowing wandering cultivators to watch from all sides.
Martial dao cultivators had clear vision from up to thousands of meters away. They were completely dumbfounded by the scale of the auction. A wealthy man's world was completely different from theirs! Some gasped in admiration, some hung their heads in depression, while others grit their teeth with envy.
Even the wandering great emperors were feeling extremely uncomfortable, let alone the common folks. A total of twenty-three wandering great emperors was in attendance, including a few titans like Emperor Wellspring. Unfortunately, they hadn't even acquired a single thing after so many rounds. Time and time again, they were defeated by the great sects' overwhelming wealth.
It wasn't that they couldn't afford these items, they just simply couldn't bear to spend their wealth like the great sects. Dissatisfaction started to appear on their faces. Meanwhile, the auction continued…
One by one, the items were snapped up by the great sects. Jiang Chen had finally gotten first hand experience of how big the wealth discrepancy was. Wandering cultivators simply couldn't compete with this pure abundance.
"The twelfth item on auction is the Thundernote Fruit. It's a fruit that always comes in pairs. It might not familiar to most of you, so allow me to introduce it. First of all, it can't be categorized. It isn't meant to be consumed by great emperor, emperor, sage, or even origin realm cultivators. Rather, it's meant to be consumed by those in the true qi and spirit realm.
"What?"
"Why's something like that on auction? Young lord Zhen, surely this is a joke?"
"Is this an item from Sacred Peafowl Mountain meant to make up the numbers?"
"Emperor Dragontyrant, do you have a feud with the young lord? Why does it seem like you're always looking to cause him trouble?"
"Hah! Why would I have a feud with a kid that's still wet behind the ears?"
The crowd speculated fiercely as they simply couldn't understand why such a thing had been chosen for the auction.
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "As expected, there aren't many that recognizes the fruit. The Thundernote Fruit is meant to be consumed when one is achieving a breakthrough to the spirit realm. It changes one's constitution to one that attracts and can condense heavenly thunder, allowing one to cultivate the dao of celestial thunder. Once the constitution has fully developed, one will be able to cultivate various ancient thunder techniques and call upon thunder during the cultivation process. Once the genius steps into the emperor realm, he'll be invincible against opponents of the same level."
The crowd instantly fell silent.
A thunder constitution? That was an extremely rare constitution!
Experts that cultivated the dao of thunder were few and far in between. The few that did had only a grasp of surface basics. They didn't truly walk on the dao of thunder. However, Jiang Chen was talking about a genuine thunder constitution!
"Also, once the cultivator reaches the sage realm, the fruit grants the user the ability to cultivate both the thunder and wind elements. The combination of speed and ferocity will decimate all same-tier opponents and maybe even a few levels above. Of course, that's assuming that the cultivator can breakthrough to the sage realm. The fruit will be a complete waste if it's given to someone with subpar talents in martial dao."
The leading figures of various sects brainstormed strategies amongst themselves to get their hands on the treasure. It'd be a sin to let an item of this caliber slip through their fingers! First rank sects like them had plenty of talented disciples. Breaking through to sage realm would be a cinch! Finding a suitable candidate to consume the fruit would be the least of their problems.
"The auction for the Thundernote Fruit fruit starts at 130 million!"
"150 million!" Someone immediately yelled after Jiang Chen declared the starting price.
"The Skysword Sect bids 180 million!"
"The Heavenly Dragon Sect bids 200 million! Sectmaster Han, we will not back down."
The competition was much fiercer this time. The price rose at an extremely exaggerating rate. 20 to 30 million raises were the norm.
The owner of the Thundernote Fruit was standing just a few meters away the arena. He didn't think that his treasure would be chosen when he'd initially registered. And to think that it was actually such a precious item!
He started to regret his decision. However, he quickly realized that he'd passed the opportunity to take it. Keep it for his descendants? He didn't even have a dao partner, let alone children. Moreover, there was no guarantee that his descendents would be able to reach sage or emperor realm.
The martial dao world was cruel and unrelenting. A wandering cultivator was always one step away from death. Exchanging the fruit for spirit stones was clearly the most logical choice.
The first rank sects were scrambling to cast their bids. Even Emperor Petalpluck could no longer keep his composure and joined the fray.
Emperor Dragontyrant immediately protested when Emperor Petalpluck placed a bid. "Young lord Zhen, didn't you say that your men will not join the auction? Why have you gone back on your words?"
"Emperor Dragontyrant, why go through so much trouble if all you wish to do is stir up trouble? Emperor Petalpluck is a great emperor from Veluriyam Capital true, but he has very little to do with Sacred Peafowl Mountain. Why are you so fervent on raising dissent? Any more nonsense and I'll expel you from the auction. I trust that none of the others will object." Jiang Chen remarked coldly.
Emperor Dragontyrant had offended a lot of people due to his overzealousness during the auction. The crowd immediately burst into laughter, clearly delighted by his misfortune.
The Heavenly Dragon Sect had always taken pride in their reputation as the greatest among the first rank sects, but not even Long Baxiang could afford to offend Jiang Chen despite his tendency to do whatever he wanted.
His face turned green and purple, but somehow, he managed to keep a hold on his anger. He glared at Jiang Chen hatefully, but said nothing else.
The crowd took great pleasure in Long Baxiang's misfortune, but at the same time, they couldn't help but fear Jiang Chen more and more. Young lord Zhen is already so dominating at such a young age. Even an overbearing person like Long Baxiang doesn't dare fool around in front of him. His influence is truly to be feared.
Chapter 1293: Fighting Over Supreme Treasures
The battle over the Thundernote Fruit was especially fierce. The entrance of Emperor Petalpluck's faction into the fray only intensified the conflict.
The wandering cultivators who'd had their treasures eliminated yesterday were thoroughly convinced by now. As young lord Zhen had said, there was an undeniable gap between the treasures chosen for auction and their own. To put the latter with the former would be out of place. Every item on sale today was far more excellent than theirs could ever be.
The Thundernote Fruit was the twelfth item, the last of the standard treasures. The remaining four were amazing enough to be classified as supreme rank, which meant their values far outpaced the Fruit's.
Because of this, many slowly backed off from the fight for the Fruit as the price rose steadily.
Over by the wandering cultivators, Emperor Reliance sighed prettily. "These people are rich beyond words. Old Brother Hui, it seems that we wandering cultivator heavyweights can't compare at all to those sect-affiliated guys."
Emperor Wellspring was in the upper half of the six wandering cultivator titans. He was widely considered to be quite wealthy among his wanderer peers. Compared to these sect giants however, he couldn't do much more than lament. He wasn't able to spend stones nearly as readily as a sect member at the same level.
"I'm beginning to understand why Brother Peerless joined up with Sacred Peafowl Mountain." The emperor laughed self-deprecatingly.
Emperors Reliance and Inferno both glanced at Emperor Peerless, only to see the man in question the very image of serenity. He looked upon the bustling auction with a cool smile, as if he was some far-off impartial observer.
It gave off the impression that the emperor wasn't particularly interested in anything on auction today. No one from Sacred Peafowl Mountain was participating, after all. The comparison made the two onlooking wandering cultivator emperors feel a bit lost. Weren't they supposed to be on the same level, since they were equally famous and strong?
The Thundernote Fruit's current bid now exceeded three hundred million saint spirit stones.
Jiang Chen found the frenzied proceedings somewhat laughable. The Thundernote Fruit was rather precious, but the bid for it had exceeded its fair market value a while ago. These people were letting temper cloud their judgments.
In the end, three factions remained in the bidding war. One was the Heavenly Dragon Sect, one was the Great Yu Skysword Sect, and the last, Emperor Petalpluck's faction. All three parties were intent on nabbing the Fruit.
Jiang Chen didn't quite know why Emperor Petalpluck was so set on buying the fruit. In his opinion, any price higher than two hundred million was excessive. There was no reason whatsoever for the emperor to participate when the current bid was over three hundred.
"Cloudsoar," The young lord messaged the nearby monarch. "Go tell Emperor Petalpluck that the Thundernote Fruit isn't worth bidding on at a price of over three hundred million. It's high time to withdraw."
Cloudsoar Monarch walked toward Emperor Petalpluck, muttering a few phrases in the latter's ear. The kindly emperor looked thoughtful for a few moments, but dejectedly yielded in the end. There was no reason for him not to believe what Jiang Chen had said.
The monarch also looked at Han Qiansui half-deliberately, the Great Yu Skysword Sect head's brother. Han Qiansui had been paying attention to outside activity for quite a while.
Cloudsoar Monarch's meaningful glance made Han Qiansui thoughtful. "Big brother, that's enough," he muttered to Han Qianzhan beside him.
Han Qianzhan chuckled. "I bid three hundred fifty thousand."
"Bid, three hundred sixty thousand." The Heavenly Dragon Sect's Long Baxiang retorted thoughtlessly.
"Three hundred seventy."
"Three hundred eighty." Long Baxiang's eyes reddened.
"Alright, then. It's yours." Han Qianzhan suddenly changed the topic, ignoring any opportunities for further bids. The audience was collectively shocked.
Han Qianzhan had made several rapid-fire bids in a row. Why had he stopped so suddenly? Wasn't he determined to get it?
Long Baxiang adopted a proud expression. "Sect Head Han," he laughed, "Your Skysword Sect seems to be a bit… lacking in the end. Like I said earlier, no one will take this item from me."
Han Qianzhan shrugged. "I haven't wanted the fruit since after the two hundred million mark. I stuck around because I wanted to see how much extra money you had to burn, hahaha!"
Long Baxiang's disdainful expression froze. It was as if someone had choked his throat in the middle of a laugh. He felt like he'd been duped.
"Three hundred eighty million, going once, going twice… three times!" Jiang Chen's tone was highly pretentious. "Congratulations, Emperor Dragontyrant. The Thundernote Fruit is yours."
As the auctioneer, he desperately wanted to deride Long Baxiang right at that moment. Thankfully, he managed to suppress his urges successfully in the end.
Each lingering glance at Jiang Chen's odd smile made Long Baxiang's distaste stronger. He intuited that something was off somehow and he'd been played for a fool. It was as if he'd just swallowed a large fly.
"Alright, that concludes the twelve sky rank treasures. The four supreme rank treasures are next, and the Pinecrane Pill will come after that."
"The first supreme rank treasure is a sky rank fire source. What's a sky rank fire? It's a fire with spirit energy born out of the natural essence between heaven and earth. In the heavenly planes, there are many flavors of sky rank fires. But in the human domain of the Divine Abyss Continent, sky rank fires are exceptionally difficult to find. This fire source isn't exactly one of the strongest among its same-rank brethren, but it's still quite rare. Named Rakshasa Fire, its natural ferocity makes it very compatible with fire dao cultivators. One note, however. It can only be used for killing, not refining pills. It's a fire that brings only death.
"As for the starting price… once again, three million."
Rakshasa Fire? Sky rank fire sources received their classification by public agreement. Any fire that burned with pure unbridled wrath was eligible to some extent, but such sources were rare in the world of martial dao. In the human domain especially, sky rank fires were severely scarce.
Many hermit pill emperors refined sky rank fires during their cultivation. They then possessed the fire sources within them, allowing them to dominate most top rank pill kings in pill-refining methodology. Oftentimes, the difference between a top rank pill king and a pill emperor was a single sky rank fire source.
Unfortunately, the Rakshasa Fire was appropriate only for martial cultivation. More accurately, it had an affinity for killing. Everyone knew how precious a sky rank fire source was. Thus, many people engaged in a frantic contest for the spark.
This time, Emperor Skysplitter was one of those people.
Long Baxiang was silent this time. His recent purchase of the Thundernote Fruit meant he wasn't about to race for this item. His amount of capital on hand wasn't so abundant that he could bid on everything. Without Long Baxiang's deep pockets in the mix, the Rakshasa Fire's auction remained mostly civil.
Surprisingly, Emperor Inferno won in the end. The emperor staked everything he had on the bidding war, employing positively suicidal tactics against multiple sects. He managed to secure the desired item at a final price of five hundred twenty million.
It was a sum tremendous enough to tear a huge chunk out of his wallet. But the Rakshasa Fire was an unmissable opportunity for a fire attribute wandering cultivator like him. It was highly unlikely he'd get another like it.
Emperor Inferno's purchase marked the first time a wandering cultivator great emperor was able to obtain anything of worth at an auction.
"Haha, congratulations, Daoist Inferno! It's quite possible that we six titans will need to re-rank ourselves in a few years," Emperor Reliance grinned.
"Compliments to you, Brother Inferno," Emperor Wellspring applauded as well.
"Many thanks." Emperor Inferno welcomed the goodwill. Internally, he was extremely excited, not to mention thankful that he'd come to the Dragon and Tiger Meet. If he had decided otherwise out of meaningless restraint, he would've missed out on such a magnificent prize! He knew better than anyone what sky rank fire sources meant for a cultivator like him.
"Congratulations to Emperor Inferno. The second supreme rank treasure is something everyone has heard of already: the Seven Star Convergence Talisman. I've gone over its effects before, too. It defends against attacks from seven different attributes, making it a perfect defensive treasure. It has multiple usages, is easy to carry and activate. The starting price is three hundred million saint spirit stones."
Though this price was identical to the price that the Rakshasa Fire had finished at, the bidders were far more delirious in their competition for the talisman. Though the fire was valuable, not everyone found it useful. The talisman on the other hand, was a superbly effective defensive treasure. Almost everyone could use it, and it was able to safeguard someone's life at a crucial moment.
"I'll buy it for three hundred thirty million."
"Three hundred sixty."
"Four hundred."
The bids' rate of increase was noticeably faster than that of the Rakshasa Fire's. The price soared above four hundred million in only a few short exchanges, with no hint of slowing down.
Jiang Chen shook his head to himself at the bidders' eagerness. It seems that many fear death. The Seven Star Convergence Talisman is only a protective charm, yet people are vying for it without regard for practicality or prudence.
As he thought, even the likes of Long Baxiang could not ignore the Seven Star Convergence Talisman. He joined the bidding without a second thought.
"Should we make some bids on your behalf, young lord?" The Jiao brothers messaged.
"No, that's alright. The talisman is very good, but there's no need to spend so many stones on it." Jiang Chen didn't see the point of the treasure. He admired the talisman's craftsmanship and potency, but at the rate things were going, it was unlikely to go for anything below six hundred million.
It was absolute madness in here.
He felt the actual value of the talisman was three to four hundred million at most. Though it defended against every attribute with a great emperor rank defense, no talisman was perfect.
If its user used the talisman to defend against the first attack, he would be helpless against the second or third without a method of escape. Of course, in the world of martial dao, there was often a hair's difference between life and death. The defense of a talisman could quite literally save someone's life.
Jiang Chen understood the reasons for it, but that didn't mean he was going to pay out such a meaningless sum. He didn't want to spend the spirit stones on something as trivial as this.
Chapter 1294: An Astronomical Price
Just as Jiang Chen expected, the battle for the Seven Star Convergence Talisman was exceedingly fierce. Surprisingly, the elder from Empyrean River Palace was the one to win out in the end. A stupendously wild result, to be sure.
The elder was the lowest ranked of all the first rank representatives present today. He persisted in the end against so many of his betters and spent the exorbitant sum of six hundred million to wrest the talisman from the auction.
"They're all fabulously rich without question." Jiang Chen sighed. First rank sects controlled entire upper regions, after all. It was obvious they would accumulate a king's ransom in the process.
A fourth rank sect like Regal Pill Palace wouldn't come close to being worth six hundred million even if every member's wealth was added together. It was a perfect illustration of the gap between rich and poor. Of course, Jiang Chen was all but numb by now with regards to these fellows' purchasing powers.
"The third supreme rank treasure…"
...
"The fourth supreme rank treasure…"
The auction went on, and the third and fourth supreme rank treasures were fought and spoken for. In the end, the winning bids were as jaw-dropping as the others.
The fourth supreme rank treasure was a mysterious image meant for meditation. It contained a method for cultivating one's consciousness, and its owner ended up being a rather forceful Emperor Petalpluck.
The four supreme rank treasures' auctions were finally complete. Rather than the winning bidders, the wandering cultivators behind these treasures were the happiest ones today. They were overjoyed from the bottom of their hearts as the price of their treasures had soared into the stratosphere.
They'd attempted to appraise their treasures elsewhere before now, but some had been completely unidentifiable while others were intentionally vastly undervalued. At the Dragon and Tiger Meet, young lord Zhen hadn't only determined the treasures' true prices; he'd maximized their values for the owners as well. How could they not be thankful and elated in light of this?
The sum their treasures had fetched was beyond their wildest dreams. The frenetic bidding of the well-to-do taught them what a large sect's affluence and style really meant. It was a kind of magnificence that even the wandering cultivator great emperors were depressed by. Compared to sect giants, they barely broke the poverty line.
The conclusion of the fourth supreme rank treasure's bid marked an emotional lull for the attendees. After a brief reprieve however, their nerves snapped taut once more. There was something exciting that was soon to come!
The Pinecrane Pill!
With a collected look, Jiang Chen swept the whole crowd. "My honored guests. After an intense series of auctions, this is the moment you've all been waiting for. May I present: the Pinecrane Pill!
"I do have one comment. The Pinecrane Pill can't be mass-produced. Sacred Peafowl Mountain will not sell it to the outside world. Only those on good relations with myself are eligible to seek me out for its purchase. Therefore, the opportunity you have before you is a rare one indeed."
As he said this, Jiang Chen produced a jade box. Within was a single Pinecrane Pill, exuding an alluring scent and hue. As soon as the box was opened, a vigorous aura burst forth from within. It was as if time had been stopped right at this moment, and it was even being turned backward somewhat.
"The Pinecrane Pill is able to extend the lives of emperor and great emperor realm cultivators for eight hundred to a thousand years. The starting bid is five hundred million saint spirit stones!" Jiang Chen's voice was as clanging steel. He lifted up the box with the pill high into the air.
Five hundred million saint spirit stones was the highest starting bid among all auction items today. Every wandering cultivator great emperor that had participated in the hunting down of Emperor Shura beforehand was both amazed and relieved.
They were truly grateful for having been smart enough to agree to Jiang Chen's trade. They didn't have nearly enough stones to spend on something like this otherwise!
Even though the Pinecrane Pill wasn't necessarily worth this much, its scarcity meant that its price would be artificially inflated. And no one save for Sacred Peafowl Mountain knew how to refine the pill in the first place.
Even Emperor Wellspring was surprised by the price. Hindsight told him exactly how advantageous the earlier deal had been.
Emperors Inferno and Reliance traded a look, grateful relief evident in their eyes. They could afford five hundred million, but that was the starting bid. The pill was liable to end at a price of a billion or more. A sect giant wouldn't bat an eyelash at spending that much, but wandering cultivator great emperors would be heartbroken at the expense.
"I will pay six hundred million!"
"Six hundred fifty million."
"Seven hundred."
"Eight hundred for me!"
...
The auction became a pot of boiling oil with the introduction of the Pinecrane Pill. There were clamoring voices everywhere, each desperate to make a higher bid than the last. The first rank sect heavyweights were especially enthusiastic.
"Eight hundred sixty million."
"Nine hundred million."
Remarkably, there were some wandering great emperors among the bidders. They were the ones that hadn't participated in the hunt against Emperor Shura, and they desired the pill just as much as everyone else.
Alas, a wandering great emperor's purchasing power could not compare to a first rank sect's. They were forced out of the bidding wars extremely quickly.
The bidding war between first rank sects waged ever on. The Great Yu Skysword Sect's Han Qianzhan and the Celestial Cicada Court's Su Huanzhen had also joined the increasingly fierce conflict.
Though they were on good terms with Jiang Chen and therefore didn't need the pill right then, they'd done so in order to drive up demand and price. In other words, they were doing Jiang Chen and Sacred Peafowl Mountain an indirect favor.
Jiang Chen noted their intentions and was pleased with the rapid uptick in bid prices. Both the Empyrean River Palace and the Sublime Chord Temple were relentless bidders, despite their relative allegiances to Pillfire City. They also selectively ignored their recent animosity with the pill's owner.
Over at Veluriyam Capital's side, the city's other great emperors had received notice from Jiang Chen not to participate. There was no reason to offer their opponents any ammunition. Their absence didn't lessen the crazed atmosphere around the Pinecrane Pill one bit.
The price of the pill shot past a billion in the blink of an eye.
Once it did so, several factions slowly retreated from the fray. A price as lofty as that was beyond the reasonable grasp of many. The factions that remained went at it with renewed intensity.
The Empyrean River Palace, Sublime Chord Temple, Heavenly Dragon Sect, Skysword Sect, Celestial Cicada Court, and Moon God Sect… These were the factions that remained.
Jiang Chen knew what these people were thinking. They wanted to take the pill home with them to research it. If the research was successful, there was the potential to refine reasonably good imitations. However, the Pinecrane Pill wouldn't deserve its name and reputation if it was easy to duplicate.
Even if the winning sect did successfully analyze its components, the pill was impossible to refine without Jiang Chen's personal recipe and tips.
The art of refining pills wasn't a textbook process. Each step required meticulous care. One error at any point would result in thorough failure. A hair's difference meant total divergence. If this weren't so, there wouldn't be so many exclusive pills in the marketplace today.
Why the exclusivity? Because most technically intensive pills couldn't be replicated through simple analysis alone.
The bidding continued until the price reached twelve hundred million, at which point several factions were driven out of the match. The factions that remained were the Heavenly Dragon Sect, Sublime Chord Temple, Empyrean River Palace, and Moon God Sect, who still bid against each other incessantly.
The margin increase in their bids was much smaller, however.
"Twelve hundred eighty million!" Long Baxiang punched out a crazy price viciously.
Master Dong Ye of the Sublime Chord Temple didn't move an eyelid. "Thirteen hundred million."
"Does the Sublime Chord Temple have to foil us at every turn, Master Dong Ye?" An agitated Long Baxiang affixed Master Dong Ye with a savage stare.
The Buddhist master closed his eyes. He didn't want to bother with a retort.
Emperor Peerless, who'd been tasked with keeping order at the scene, intervened in his stead. "Emperor Dragontyrant, each and every party has the right to bid here at the auction. Please maintain some decorum."
Long Baxiang exhaled angrily, but uttered no comeback. He poured all of his fury into the ensuing bidding. "Thirteen hundred twenty million."
Master Dong Ye remained impassive. "Thirteen hundred thirty million."
"Fourteen hundred million!"
"Fourteen hundred ten million."
"You…" Long Baxiang was getting starting to lose his temper now. "Fourteen hundred, sixty million."
"Fourteen hundred seventy million."
"Fifteen hundred million!"
"Fifteen hundred ten million." Master Dong Ye had a strong grasp on the rhythm of the auction. He only ever added ten million at a time, no matter how much Long Baxiang pushed the price up.
Moreover, he did so with a blank face the entire time. It was as if he was buying a head of cabbage in a common marketplace, so deadpan was his manner. No hint of emotion was visible on his face whatsoever.
In terms of self-restraint, Long Baxiang was solidly at a disadvantage. He glared at Master Dong Ye in a deadlock stare. He almost wanted to pierce his opponent with his look alone. Master Dong Ye's face, on the other hand, was as inscrutable as ever.
"You win!" Long Baxiang slammed a fist into his chair. "I'll remember you, Sublime Chord Temple!"
It seemed that the expert from the Heavenly Dragon Sect was giving up at last. Master Dong Ye was uncontested.
"Fifteen hundred ten million, going once. Is there any higher price?"
"The Celestial Cicada Court bids sixteen hundred million," Su Huanzhen suddenly interjected from the side.
The woman hadn't bid for a long time now. Her abrupt assertion made Master Dong Ye blink. The Buddhist master's droopy eyelids flipped upward, his eyes glancing toward the head of the Celestial Cicada Court. He glared with his Buddha Warrior's Eye, attempting to judge Su Huanzhen's true intentions.
Su Huanzhen disregarded him entirely, a faint smile hanging upon her lips.
Having read absolutely nothing from the sect head, Master Dong Ye emotionlessly intoned, "Sixteen hundred ten million."
Su Huanzhen giggled. "Young lord Zhen, I owed Emperor Peafowl a favor from long ago. I think this hundred million windfall should be enough to barely cover it, hmm?"
The entire audience burst into laughter, looking at Master Dong Ye with eyes that considered him a fool.