Chapter 102: Talisman Treasure!

Shen Yan jolted with excitement. The auction hosted by Gong Tian had already reached nearly the halfway point, and at last the thing he had been waiting for had appeared.

“The opening bid is five hundred spirit stones.”

No sooner had Gong Tian spoken than bids rose one after another through the grand hall.

“Eight hundred spirit stones.”

“I bid one thousand spirit stones.”

“One thousand spirit stones and you want both jade slips? I offer one thousand five hundred!”

Gong Tian smiled and added fuel to the fire. “Fellow cultivators, do pay close attention. These two jade slips came from the dwelling of a Core Formation cultivator. I cannot guarantee anything else, but they certainly contain special methods for refining spirit artifacts. And beyond that, one of the slips records a secret art capable of producing talisman treasures!”

At those words, the many cultivators in the hall all fell silent at once, afraid of missing even a single word.

“I imagine some of the fellow cultivators here are not very familiar with talisman treasures, so allow me to explain.”

After a slight pause, Gong Tian swept his gaze across the hall. Seeing Jin Quan, who had caused trouble earlier, turn somewhat grim, he grew even happier and said, “As everyone knows, Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators can only control magic tools and spirit artifacts. But for a Qi Refining cultivator to use a spirit artifact, most of his mana must be drawn away; with a single strike, he may be completely drained. As for a Foundation Establishment cultivator, even if he uses a magic tool and can bring out its full power, he still cannot threaten a cultivator of the same rank, which is why most Foundation Establishment cultivators use spirit artifacts.”

As he spoke, Gong Tian took out a small jet-black seal.

“Those of you familiar with me know that my spirit artifact is this mid-grade spirit artifact, the Radiant Rock Seal. And as a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, I already find that its power is no longer enough to deal with cultivators of the same rank. I, too, have long been seeking a spirit artifact of greater might and higher grade.”

Shaking his head, Gong Tian deliberately put on an expression of regret.

“Unfortunately, top-grade and supreme-grade spirit artifacts are hard to obtain. As for the magic treasures of Core Formation cultivators, although defective examples sometimes appear in secret markets, bazaars, or immortal cities, they are not something we Foundation Establishment cultivators can wield.”

Though he continued speaking, many of the cultivators in the hall nodded silently in agreement.

Qi Refining cultivators might yearn for the power of spirit artifacts, but such mana-consuming methods were far beyond their ability to handle. Even a Qi Refining cultivator at the peak of perfection could only manage a few uses at most.

As for Foundation Establishment cultivators, Gong Tian’s words struck even closer to home. Unlike Qi Refining cultivators, they might dominate a corner of some remote backwater, but their hunger for cultivation resources was even greater.

Especially when it came to life-bound spirit artifacts: as a cultivator’s cultivation advanced, their own artifact was no longer sufficient to contend with peers of the same rank.

And if one wished to replace a spirit artifact, there were two problems. First, the price was exorbitant. Second, it would need to be refined and nurtured all over again. It was simply too time-consuming. Unless absolutely necessary, no cultivator was willing to change their spirit artifact. Most would instead seek the help of an artifact refiner to raise the grade of their life-bound spirit artifact.

As for the magic treasures used by Core Formation cultivators, Foundation Establishment cultivators naturally coveted them as well. Unfortunately, there seemed to be a natural barrier between the Foundation Establishment and Core Formation realms. Even if one used true essence to activate a magic treasure, it was like a child trying to swing a sledgehammer—utterly exhausting.

Seeing that he had successfully stirred the cultivators in the hall, Gong Tian was secretly delighted and went on, “I imagine all fellow cultivators have suffered from troubles concerning their life-bound artifacts. But rest assured: within these two jade slips lies a way to solve that problem...”

Someone in the hall could no longer hold back and asked, “What way?”

As soon as he spoke, many cultivators turned to look at him, as if trying to remember his face.

Shen Yan watched this and understood that once this fellow left the secret market, there was a very good chance he would die at the hands of some cultivators in the hall.

After all, anyone who could ask such a question was clearly a newcomer to the world of cultivation.

Such cultivators were precisely the sort that bandit cultivators loved to target. Of course, there was also the possibility that this man was concealing his strength and playing the fool; in the world of cultivation, anything could happen.

“That fellow cultivator asks an excellent question. In the cultivation world, besides magic tools, spirit artifacts, and magic treasures, there is another kind of object that lies between spirit artifacts and magic treasures. It is called a talisman treasure!”

“A talisman treasure? What is that?”

Another cultivator suddenly spoke up.

Gong Tian cupped his hands toward the speaker in thanks for helping him along, then said, “A talisman treasure is a special object created by splitting a Core Formation cultivator’s magic treasure through unique methods. The treasure’s power is permanently reduced as the price, but what is produced is an item whose might surpasses that of a supreme-grade spirit artifact, yet can still be wielded by a Foundation Establishment cultivator, or even a Qi Refining cultivator!”

At those words, the cultivators who knew of talisman treasures remained silent, while those who had never heard of them all drew sharp breaths.

An extraordinary item usable by Qi Refining cultivators, with power exceeding even a supreme-grade spirit artifact—if one could possess such a thing...

In an instant, many cultivators began to daydream, their gazes toward the two jade slips beside Gong Tian growing feverishly hot.

And after hearing the name talisman treasure, Shen Yan’s heart suddenly stirred.

Could the strange talisman-like object he had obtained from Han Yin after emerging from the Water Moon Gate secret realm be a talisman treasure?

The reason he made such a guess was, first, that he had tried to use it back when he was still in the Qi Refining stage, only to find that the talisman-like artifact seemed damaged. Aside from allowing his mana to flow freely through its interior, it showed no other reaction.

Moreover, though he could not claim to be an artifact-refining master, he now had enough skill to tell that the talisman-like object was neither a magic tool nor a spirit artifact. Combined with the fact that his mana had once circulated within it, he now dared conclude that the strange object was indeed a talisman treasure.

Thinking of this, Shen Yan also felt a surge of excitement. He had never imagined that the odd object he had failed to understand for so long would actually be such a precious talisman treasure.

“Brother Gong, there is no need to go on at length. Talisman treasures are indeed rare, but everyone here is at most a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Obtaining one is pure fantasy. Even if the jade slips record the method of refining a talisman treasure, where are we supposed to find a magic treasure?”

Seeing many cultivators stirred to action, Jin Quan grew somewhat anxious. The secret market had always been one of the three great clans’ fiercest rivals in Seajoy City.

Most of the cultivators present were also among the wealthiest in Seajoy City; otherwise, they would never have received invitations to the auction. If Gong Tian’s words led them to believe that the secret market’s auction house was superior to the three great clans, then things would be disastrous.

So he immediately spoke up, directly pointing out the useless flaw in the secret art recorded in the two jade slips.