Chapter 103: A Fierce Bidding War!

Yet it seemed that Gong Tian had long anticipated Jin Quan’s attempt to cause trouble, so he took no offense at all and instead answered with a genial smile:

“Daoist Jin’s words are mistaken. Magical treasures at the Core Formation level are far more precious. Let alone the fellow Daoists here at the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages, even among Core Formation cultivators they are exceedingly rare. Unless one is driven to desperation, who would willingly divide the power of a magical treasure to create a talismanic treasure?”

Jin Quan frowned. How could Gong Tian possibly be agreeing with him?

“Could it be that the secret method recorded in the jade slips is not about dividing a magical treasure’s power, but some other way of refining talismanic treasures?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, however, he shook his head at once, clearly unwilling to believe such a possibility.

If there truly were a way to forge talismanic treasures without splitting a magical treasure, how could the Secret Market possibly put it up for auction?

“Daoist Jin is joking. If there were such a method, I fear the cultivation world of the Central Plains would already have descended into blood and fire. How could we still be sitting here in leisure?”

Gong Tian shook his head and denied Jin Quan’s claim, then went on before the other could speak again:

“Our Secret Market would never harm any of you fellow Daoists, so we would certainly not let these two jade slips go to waste. Fellow Daoists may as well look at it from another angle: if magical implements and spirit tools have defective pieces, why should magical treasures not have them as well?”

At these words, everyone in the great hall suddenly came to a realization, and the looks they cast toward the two jade slips immediately turned heated.

What Gong Tian said did make sense. The cultivators present were all people of considerable means, and many had tried their hand at crafting artifacts themselves, though most attempts ended in failure.

But such circumstances were the norm in the cultivation world. No matter how skilled one’s artifact-refining methods were, no one dared guarantee a one-hundred-percent success rate in forging whatever item was required.

On the contrary, in the cultivation world, whether one was refining artifacts, pills, or talismans, a success rate of fifty percent was already considered astonishingly good.

And the discarded remnants of such failed attempts had given rise to a peculiar sight in the cultivation world: any power, and even rogue cultivators, so long as they possessed some special skill, would inevitably have a certain amount of waste material in their hands.

Most of these discarded items ended up being destroyed after the usable spiritual materials were salvaged for reuse.

Now Gong Tian had opened up another path: using defective magical treasures to refine talismanic treasures. Though the number of such defective magical treasures was far smaller than that of magical implements or spirit tools, there was still a fair chance of obtaining them.

After all, which of those present had no backing of some sort? So after only a few breaths, the bidding in the hall rose once again in waves, and the many cultivators were soon contending with flushed faces and fierce expressions.

Seeing that his attempt to tarnish the Secret Market’s reputation had failed once more, Jin Quan’s expression merely changed slightly before he joined the bidding as well.

As a late-Foundation Establishment cultivator from one of the three great families of Haiyue City, Jin Quan naturally understood just how precious a secret method capable of refining talismanic treasures would be. If he could win it at auction, it would be one more means of strengthening Haiyue City’s foundation.

Though doing so would mean letting the Secret Market gain the upper hand, for the sake of the long term he could not afford to stand aside.

In less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the price of the two jade slips had already climbed to the astonishing sum of fourteen thousand spirit stones.

By then, only a scant few cultivators remained in the bidding. Aside from Jin Quan, there was only a petite woman who seemed to be a female cultivator, and another man with a burly build and a full head of white hair.

“Fourteen thousand five hundred spirit stones.”

The old man’s tone was edged with gritted teeth. He deliberately let out the unique baleful aura of a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, clearly hoping to use his cultivation to drive off the other competitors, since taking out so many spirit stones at once was painful even for him.

Unfortunately, neither the female cultivator nor Jin Quan paid any heed to the pressure he released. Instead, Gong Tian warned in a cold voice:

“Daoist Ma, this is the Secret Market. Some things should be taken only so far. Do not make things difficult for me.”

Upon hearing this, the old man surnamed Ma drew a deep breath, then nodded and withdrew his pressure, sinking somewhat dejectedly into his chair.

“Eighteen thousand spirit stones.”

Jin Quan suddenly spoke, then looked at the old man surnamed Ma with evident interest.

“Daoist Ma, if you are willing to join Haiyue City as a honored retainer, these two jade slips may be examined at your leisure. What do you say?”

Even now, Jin Quan still had the leisure to recruit a Foundation Establishment cultivator, as if the two jade slips were already in his pocket.

The old man surnamed Ma, however, shook his head without the slightest hesitation, seeming to fear that position of honored retainer as though it were a tiger.

This in turn piqued Shen Yan’s curiosity. Could there be some problem with becoming a retainer of one of the three great families? He had even considered whether he should become a retainer of Haiyue City himself.

“I say, Daoist Jin, the status of a Haiyue City retainer may make things convenient within Haiyue City, but the death rate is extremely high. If you were recruiting Daoist Ma outside, I would have nothing to say, but this is the Secret Market, so please mind your manners.”

Gong Tian immediately exposed the reason for the old man surnamed Ma’s refusal, while at the same time warning the cultivators present not to rashly become retainers of Haiyue City.

“Gong Tian, just because you have someone backing you does not mean you can slander Haiyue Immortal City without restraint. The three families have always spared no effort in cultivating the retainers who join us. This so-called extremely high death rate is nothing more than false rumors spread by those with ulterior motives.”

Jin Quan’s reply was equally cold, defending Haiyue Immortal City to the hilt.

Yet Gong Tian merely chuckled softly and said nothing further. That attitude, combined with the old man surnamed Ma’s response, immediately caused many cultivators who did not understand the truth to feel uneasy.

This was where Gong Tian’s methods surpassed Jin Quan’s. By simply using the matter of the old man surnamed Ma refusing Jin Quan’s invitation, he had directly caused the cultivators in the hall to distrust Haiyue Immortal City.

“Twenty thousand spirit stones.”

Just as the two were exchanging barbs, the petite female cultivator suddenly spoke, raising the price of the two jade slips to twenty thousand spirit stones.

At those words, many in the hall drew a sharp breath. A Foundation Establishment Pill, which could help Qi Refining cultivators break through into the Foundation Establishment stage, usually sold for only five or six thousand spirit stones at most, and even at auction it rarely fetched more than ten thousand.

Yet now these two jade slips recording an artifact-refining secret method were actually being bid up to such an unbelievable price.

“Fellow Daoist, they are only two jade slips. No matter how precious the secret method recorded inside may be, Daoist Gong Tian can simply copy it into other jade slips. If you are going to drive the price up so recklessly, could it be that you were arranged by the Secret Market to act as a shill?”

Jin Quan’s words toward the mysterious female cultivator were full of malice.

Gong Tian’s expression immediately changed. Jin Quan’s disgusting insinuation would not affect the female cultivator or make her abandon the bidding, but it could easily sow suspicion among the cultivators in the hall.