The starting bid of 800 spirit stones was undoubtedly much higher than the previous auction items. However, unlike the seeds, this time many booths were eager to bid.
While it was hard to predict how much spiritual grain could be harvested from those so-called premium seeds, the two little spirit piglets in front of them were tangible and real sources of spirit beast meat!
In the mortal realm, where spiritual energy was scarce, it was rare to even encounter wild, untamed spirit beasts, let alone properly bred and tamed ones that could provide a steady supply of spirit meat.
The two spirit piglets, white, plump, and adorable, were calmly enclosed in the bamboo cage. Their spiritual energy was stable, without any trace of the wild nature seen in untamed beasts, clearly indicating they had been well domesticated.
If raised carefully, these spirit pigs could provide a steady supply of spirit meat for the sect. While it wouldn't be a daily meal, they could definitely enjoy spirit pork at least once or twice a year.
Thus, the bidding quickly became fierce.
"One thousand!"
"One thousand one hundred!"
"One thousand two hundred!"
"One thousand two hundred fifty!"
...
The price continued to climb until it hit two thousand.
By then, even Yunyan Sect, which had previously splurged two thousand spirit stones on the spirit absorption pills, found it hard to bid another two thousand so easily.
Once the bidding reached two thousand, the pace slowed down considerably.
"Two thousand and ten!"
"Two thousand and twenty!"
"Two thousand and fifty!"
"Two thousand and fifty-five!"
...
Finally, someone couldn't help but speak up:
"Hey, fellow cultivators in Booth Five, we all know times are tough, but adding ten spirit stones at a time was fine. Why are you bidding in increments of five now?"
The person in Booth Five immediately retorted:
"What's wrong with five spirit stones? Isn't five spirit stones still spirit stones? Elder Liu never said we couldn't bid in increments of five!"
And so it continued.
"Two thousand and fifty-six!"
"Two thousand and fifty-seven!"
"Two thousand and fifty-eight!"
...
In Booth Nine, Sect Leader Han Shangyi and Elder Lü calculated their sect's remaining spirit stones after their previous purchases and realized they still had enough to continue bidding.
"But if more good items appear later, we might not have enough spirit stones to bid on them," Elder Lü worried.
Han Shangyi waved his hand confidently, "No problem. The large orders we completed last month will be delivered in two days. Once they're paid for, we'll have plenty of spirit stones again. If there are any more valuable items, we can bid for them. Worst case, we can stay in the city for a couple of days until the spirit stones arrive and settle the bill before leaving."
Elder Lü suddenly remembered, "Oh, right! We have those orders! Haha, it's great to have income!"
With a smile, he called out confidently, "Two thousand one hundred!"
The price was just a hundred more than the spirit absorption pills.
But most of the other sects were already out of spirit stones.
It wasn't that they couldn't scrape together enough, but they hesitated to drain their sect's reserves just for two piglets.
After all, they had an entire sect to take care of, with many disciples to feed and manage.
Even many of the royal families faced the same dilemma.
Compared to the larger sects, royal families were generally poorer, with fewer resources and fewer people capable of producing wealth.
They simply couldn't justify spending such a large amount on two spirit piglets.
In the end, after much consideration, no one else raised the bid.
The pair of spirit piglets, one male and one female, were sold to Booth Three for two thousand two hundred spirit stones, to the disappointment of many.
After the piglets, a few more items were auctioned, but none matched the value of the spirit absorption pills or the spirit piglets.
At that point, Lin Xiao sent a voice transmission to Liu Yunan, instructing him not to bring out any more items for auction.
From observing the previous rounds, Lin Xiao had gauged the financial limits of the sects and royal families. The remaining items were likely too expensive for them to afford at the moment, so there was no need to continue.
There would be future opportunities—no need to rush.
After all, the goal wasn't to drain these sects' pockets completely.
"This concludes today's auction," Liu Yunan announced.
As his words echoed through the hall, the sects and royal families let out a collective sigh of relief.
Many sects and families hadn't placed any bids, not because they weren't interested, but because their finances simply couldn't handle it.
Not every sect had enough spirit stones on hand at any given moment. Some might have had elders or key disciples in the middle of breakthroughs, or they might have been engaged in other significant transactions, leaving them with fewer resources.
When the auction finally ended, they felt a sense of relief.
To be honest, this auction was an event unlike anything they had ever seen. While auctions weren't unheard of in the mortal realm, none had ever featured such a wide variety of valuable items.
They had come eager to see what treasures might be offered, but also anxious about not having enough resources to compete for the best items. Some even wished for fewer valuable items to be auctioned, just so they wouldn't have to experience the frustration of seeing treasures go to someone else.
Hearing that the auction was over was a comfort. At least now they wouldn't have to watch more coveted items slip through their fingers.
Still, there was a sense of regret. Would they ever have the chance to experience something like this again?
Just as they were about to leave, Liu Yunan delivered two bombshell announcements.
"Even if you didn't get your desired item today, don't worry. From now on, auctions at Venue One will be held once every six months. Additionally, Venues Two and Three will start hosting monthly auctions next month, featuring items more suitable for Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators."
"We look forward to seeing you again."
"Moreover, considering the large-scale operations of your sects and royal families, we have a long-term business proposal. If anyone is interested, feel free to meet us at the Trading Affairs Center after the event."
Hearing this, the attendees were both surprised and delighted.
Surprised that there would be more auctions! After all, in the past, auctions in the mortal realm were rare, often one-time events. Even when they did occur, they never offered the variety or quality seen today.
Such auctions were usually just opportunities for sects to exchange a few surplus items.
But the idea that Shuishui City planned to make these auctions a regular occurrence was truly shocking.
They were delighted because if the future auctions maintained the same level of quality, it would provide them with a reliable source of cultivation resources. While gathering spirit stones was difficult, they could eventually accumulate enough. Rare resources, however, were often much harder to come by.