Xu Yang's fingers gently tapped the oval-shaped object in a special rhythm.
As soon as he saw the object earlier, Xu Yang recognized it immediately.
It was a divine egg, a method used by powerful demon beasts with strong bloodlines to seal their young during a critical moment.
He recognized it because seventy thousand years ago, Xu Yang had a demon beast mount that had hatched from a divine egg.
This mount accompanied Xu Yang for thousands of years, only to eventually die of old age right before him.
The moment Xu Yang saw the divine egg brought to the auction stage, he thought of his old mount.
Thus, he instructed Ling Qingshu to bid on the divine egg.
As Xu Yang infused his true qi into the egg, a halo began to emerge from the surface, flickering in sync with the rhythm of his fingers.
Gradually, a movement began inside the divine egg.
A sound similar to a heartbeat came from within the egg, resonating with the rhythmic tapping of Xu Yang's fingers.
Upon hearing the sound, Xu Yang smiled slightly. He knew that the divine egg had been awakened.
Sure enough, in the next moment, a small paw emerged from the egg, followed by a fuzzy little head.
Once the little beast pierced through the shell with its paw, the divine egg in Xu Yang's hand turned into a liquid and flowed entirely into the little beast's body.
Xu Yang wasn't surprised by this. The outer shell of the divine egg was not only a protection for the demon beast inside but also a form of inheritance.
Once the liquid formed from the shell completely entered the little beast's body, Xu Yang lifted the creature up in front of him.
"So it's a Cloud Beast. I wonder how many years it's been in that divine egg, its life force nearly fading away just now."
Upon hearing Xu Yang's words, Ling Qingshu caught an important piece of information.
A Cloud Beast. In Ling Qingshu's memory, there seemed to be a record of such a demon beast in the sect's ancient texts.
The Cloud Beast had the ability to ride on the clouds and mist, feeding on the clouds and fog...
This was one of the few pieces of information Ling Qingshu remembered, though the most striking description from the book about the Cloud Beast was simply "terrifying."
Once fully grown, these demon beasts were said to have combat power at the Nascent Soul stage.
Nascent Soul stage. Even though Ling Qingshu had broken through to the Golden Core stage, the Nascent Soul stage still felt far beyond her reach.
Currently, she couldn't even see a trace of Nascent Soul power in herself, and her path ahead seemed like a blank slate.
Now, the Cloud Beast in Xu Yang's hands would naturally possess Nascent Soul-level combat strength once it reached adulthood.
How could Ling Qingshu not feel that this was unfair? At the same time, she was amazed at Xu Yang's insight—he was able to purchase a Cloud Beast at such an auction.
After teasing the Cloud Beast a bit, Xu Yang took a spirit stone and placed it in the beast's mouth.
This demon beast was not just for show, conjuring clouds and mist—it also relied heavily on spiritual energy.
The auction of the final item had reached its conclusion. The last item on the block was a magical weapon—a large sword.
Many factions had competed fiercely for the sword, and the bidding had grown heated.
Xu Yang and Ling Qingshu watched the arguments unfold but did not engage in the bidding themselves.
This was because Xu Yang's personal life-protecting sword was already one of the top spiritual treasures in the world.
As for Ling Qingshu, she was a sword user, and although her sword was of decent quality, it was unlikely she would abandon her current weapon to purchase a large sword.
In the end, the long sword was purchased by the Fang family of Qi State City. When Xu Yang heard the bidding price, he couldn't help but find it amusing.
He recognized the voice—it was from the young man who had tried to steal his spiritual herb earlier on the second floor.
Normally, after the final item in the auction was sold, the event would conclude, but this time it was different.
The Foundation Establishment cultivator returned to the stage and spoke.
"Today's auction is coming to an end, but our Spirit Treasure Auction House has one more matter to discuss with everyone. We hope you can bear with us."
Hearing this, some people cursed, complaining about the time wasted by the auction house, while others directly asked the Foundation Establishment cultivator what the matter was.
However, everyone was curious about what the Spirit Treasure Auction House was up to—why was there another announcement after the auction had concluded?
When the auction house representatives returned to the stage, it was no longer the Foundation Establishment cultivator, but a middle-aged cultivator whose aura indicated he was at the Mid Golden Core stage.
The appearance of a Mid Golden Core cultivator immediately silenced the crowd.
The Golden Core cultivator scanned the room, briefly meeting the gaze of the people in the private boxes, before speaking.
"Everyone here today, by virtue of attending this auction, must be individuals of considerable strength in the Qi State region."
His words elevated the audience, making them feel important.
"This time, our Spirit Treasure Auction House has another purpose for this auction, a purpose that is directly related to all of you."
The mention of a "purpose" piqued the audience's interest.
"A few days ago, we discovered a new secret realm on the outskirts of Qi State."
The moment the words "secret realm" were spoken, a wave of excitement swept through the crowd.
A new secret realm meant so many possibilities—inheritances, cultivation techniques, elixirs, magical weapons, and spirit stones could all be found within.
Throughout the history of the cultivation world, many had risen to great heights after obtaining incredible fortunes in secret realms.
Thus, every new secret realm would attract cultivators eager to seize opportunities and improve their cultivation.
"Our Spirit Treasure Auction House believes that this new secret realm is likely the remains of an ancient sect. However, due to our branch's limited strength, we are not capable of exploring this secret realm on our own, so we have decided to share it with all of you."
"Where is this secret realm? The Spirit Treasure Auction House wouldn't be so kind, would they?"
Some cultivators, not completely mesmerized by the allure of the secret realm, immediately asked pointed questions.
"We only want one thing from the secret realm. Once we obtain it, our Spirit Treasure Auction House will withdraw from the exploration and will not interfere with your activities."
The Golden Core cultivator had clearly anticipated these questions and laid the Auction House's intentions on the table.
"We will be responsible for guiding everyone into the secret realm and will share basic information about its contents. Once you return, if any of you wish to exchange what you've found within the secret realm, you may bring it to our Spirit Treasure Auction House."
With the terms laid out clearly, the situation was simple to understand.
The Spirit Treasure Auction House intended to use the power of the cultivators to help retrieve one specific item from the secret realm, after which they would back off.
Everyone understood the logic behind this, but under the lure of a secret realm, most cultivators seemed willing to let the Auction House use them.
After all, a secret realm was a rare opportunity.