“Forty thousand Spirit Stones.” Qi Condensation Cultivators made up the largest percent of participants, and after that was the Foundation Establishment stage. The number of people who made bids previous hadn’t been very large, but for this item, many people began to call out prices.
“Fifty thousand Spirit Stones!”
“I’ll bid eighty thousand Spirit Stones. I need those Refined Establishment Pills. Please, Fellow Daoists, for the sake of the Cloud Peak Sect, allow me to take them.”
“One hundred thousand!” said Meng Hao, his eyes flashing. He also needed these medicinal pills. The instant he opened his mouth, the Cultivator who had just spoken turned around. His eyes flicked back and forth; there were too many people present, so it was impossible for him to determine who had spoken.
“One hundred ten thousand!” he said coldly.
“One hundred fifty thousand!” Meng Hao didn’t care a bit about the other Cultivator trying to figure out who he was. As soon as he spoke, the man’s gaze fell upon him.
This Cultivator from the Cloud Peak Sect was also at the early Foundation Establishment stage. He stared murderously at Meng Hao, clenching his teeth. “Two hundred thousand!” he said. No one else was willing to bid further. The pill was extraordinary, but two hundred thousand Spirit Stones was more than most of them could afford.
Meng Hao frowned. He needed this type of pill, but in actuality, only needed one. Also, he had no way to know how high the price for the Spring and Autumn tree would reach. Compared to that, the pill wasn’t very important. Therefore, he decided to give up.
“Lot 39 is a Spring and Autumn tree. This type of wood is not very common. It can suppress ten thousand types of poison, and can be refined into the primary ingredient required to make a variety of magical items. This is the first time I’ve personally auctioned off this item. As such, I would like to share some classified information with all of you Fellow Daoists.
“Spring and Autumn tree is created when normal wood is struck by Spring and Autumn Lightning. It cannot be produced by people, and only appears in accordance with the luck of the Heavens. Many of you probably know this already. This tree has no root, so if you place it into the earth, it will not grow. However, according to legend, this tree has a parent tree in the yellow springs of the underworld, the World Tree!” His words caused an uproar in the auction square. Hearing the word World Tree even caused the Cultivators in the private booths to look down in shock.
“Sir Qiao,” rang out a voice from one of the private books, “is this World Tree you mention the one from the legends, which leads to beyond the Heavens?”
“Correct,” said Sir Qiao, his expression calm. “Its shape is like that of an ox, its bark is easily peeled off, and when this happens, the ribbon-like strand looks like a yellow snake. Its leaves are like a net. Its fruit is like that of a golden rain tree and its trunk is like an elm tree. Its name is the World Tree.
“In ancient times there was a legend of an almighty power which had the potential to replace the stars within the sky. The sky was above it, and the stars outside of it. But the World Tree did not agree to be subservient to the Heavens. It exploded, and its body disseminated amongst the stars. However, its will remained within the earth. During the seasons of Spring and Autumn, Heavenly lightning will fall to destroy it; to protect itself, it creates the Spring and Autumn tree.
“Dark green leaves, a purple trunk. Black flowers and yellow fruit. There is no sound beneath its canopy, nor are shadows cast. Of course, these are just rumours that I’ve heard, I’m not sure if they are true or false. The opening bid for the Spring and Autumn tree will begin at one hundred thousand Spirit Stones.” Sir Qiao’s words made many who hadn’t previously been interested in the Spring and Autumn tree to suddenly be very interested.
Meng Hao frowned. Before, he was confident in being able to control the price of the tree, but now, with so many people interested in it, he would surely have to pay a much higher price.
He looked up at Sir Qiao standing there on the auction stage. His face was expressionless, but Meng Hao could clearly sense how shrewd and ruthless he was.
Also frowning was Chu Yuyan, up in the top level of private booths. Her delicate brow furrowed, and she sighed inwardly. She realized she had been a bit rash. The Hundred Treasures Pavilion had intentionally done this after she made her inquiries. Presumably, they also knew why she needed this particular tree.
In the auction square, multiple people began calling out bids.
“One-hundred fifty thousand!”
“Two-hundred thousand!”
“Two-hundred thirty thousand!”
As for Meng Hao, he sat there watching as the price went up; he held his hand.
“Two-hundred sixty thousand! That’s as far as I can go. It might be able to suppress poisons, but it’s a consumable item. I don’t need it because of some so-called