Chapter 154: Prelude Before Immortal Gu
Things progressed steadily as time passed.
The number of Gu Immortals entering Bai Sheng blessed land became fewer and fewer. Those who should come had mostly arrived. Those who had not arrived would either not come or had already entered through secret channels.
After waiting a while longer, Qin Bai Sheng finally closed the entrance of his blessed land.
The faint spatial fluctuation vanished.
The auction hall quieted slightly.
Qin Bai Sheng walked onto the raised platform in front of the main hall. His bearing was calm and heroic. Although he was only a lone cultivator, at this moment, he stood before rank sixes, rank sevens, and even rank eights without showing weakness.
He cupped his fists and spoke briefly.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the time has arrived. The auction will officially begin."
The main hall became silent.
In one of the secret rooms, Fang Yuan's gaze shifted slightly.
"Strange," Tai Bai Yun Sheng transmitted. "Fairy Li Shan and Hei Lou Lan have not arrived."
Fang Yuan's expression did not change, but his eyes became thoughtful.
"With Fairy Li Shan's nature, even if she entered secretly, she should have greeted us. And there are no Hei tribe Gu Immortals present either."
The two exchanged a few more words quietly, but the auction had already begun. For now, they could only suppress the doubt.
On the platform, Qin Bai Sheng waved his sleeve.
The first auction item appeared.
A mass of white clouds floated above the platform, expanding and shrinking slowly like breathing mist. The clouds were pure and thick, carrying traces of ancient sky aura.
"Everyone, the first auction item is sky chief clouds. Once spread out, they can cover over one thousand three hundred square kilometres. Such a quantity is rare even in treasure yellow heaven. Starting price: twenty immortal essence stones. Each bid must increase by at least five."
Tai Bai Yun Sheng's attention was immediately drawn.
"Sky chief clouds," he muttered.
He did not hesitate for long before activating the bidding Gu in his secret room.
"Thirty immortal essence stones from the eleventh secret room," Qin Bai Sheng announced.
A cloud path Gu Immortal in the main hall quickly raised the bid.
"Thirty-five."
Tai Bai Yun Sheng smiled faintly and directly increased it.
"Forty-five."
The cloud path Gu Immortal hesitated. His brows tightened, but he did not continue.
Just as Qin Bai Sheng was about to close the bid, another voice came from a single room.
"Fifty-five."
Tai Bai Yun Sheng's smile faded slightly.
He raised again.
"Sixty."
This price finally ended the competition.
The first item was won by Tai Bai Yun Sheng.
The opening bid had not caused too much commotion, but it let everyone understand one thing clearly: even the first item of this auction was not ordinary.
Soon, the second item was brought out.
This time, what appeared on the platform was not a cloud resource, but a beast group sealed inside a temporary beast storage formation.
Sharp eagle cries echoed faintly through the hall.
Qin Bai Sheng introduced, "The second item is a large group of iron claw eagles. The group contains five beast emperors and many lower-ranked eagles. Their claws are naturally hard like refined iron, suitable for battle, scouting, and aerial beast group development. Starting price: twelve immortal essence stones. Each bid must increase by at least three."
The item was not enough to move rank seven Gu Immortals, but several enslavement path and beast-raising Gu Immortals in the main hall showed interest.
Iron claw eagles were not extremely rare, but a complete group with five beast emperors was still valuable. If placed into a suitable environment and raised properly, the group could reproduce and become a stable aerial beast resource.
Inside his secret room, Fang Ming looked at the eagle group calmly.
This was useful.
Not because the iron claw eagles were strong enough to change his battle strength immediately, but because they were a different eagle species.
His enslavement path foundation was centered on eagles. Increasing only the number of existing eagle types would eventually limit development. Different eagle species meant different bloodlines, different battle styles, and different possibilities for future enhancement.
The five beast emperors were especially useful.
With them as the core, he could later build another eagle formation branch around this species.
Fang Ming activated the bidding Gu.
"Fifteen immortal essence stones."
Another Gu Immortal immediately followed.
"Eighteen."
Fang Ming raised calmly.
"Twenty-one."
The other bidder paused.
Iron claw eagles were useful, but not worth fighting too hard over. At twenty-one immortal essence stones, the price was already slightly high for this group.
No one else continued.
Qin Bai Sheng looked around and announced, "Twenty-one immortal essence stones, going once. Going twice. Going thrice. Sold."
The iron claw eagle group became Fang Ming's first purchase of the auction.
His expression did not change.
This was only a small gain.
Useful, but not important enough to attract attention.
The auction continued.
Several items passed one after another.
There were immortal materials from Northern Plains' deep lakes, beast bones from ancient battlefields, a batch of rare earth path Gu recipes, and a few resource points suitable for small blessed lands. Some sold quickly. Some received only a few bids. Some caused brief arguments before being settled by price.
Fang Ming watched broadly.
He did not enter with a narrow shopping list.
Relic Gu appeared once, but he did not bid. Mortal Gu could be obtained through other channels. Even if he needed more rank four Gu Masters for his dream formation, it was not worth shaping his auction strategy around such goods.
A few strange materials carried faint dream-like qualities, but they were too low in quality and not true dream path resources. Fang Ming only observed, then let them pass.
Formation resources appeared too. Some were good, but none were urgent.
The auction had only just begun.
Spending too eagerly at the start was unwise.
Then Qin Bai Sheng waved his hand again.
A sharp silver cry rang out.
The formation on the platform opened, revealing a proud eagle with a body like polished silver. Its feathers shimmered with cold light, and on its head was a crown-shaped crest, brilliant like moonlit metal. Its eyes were fierce and clear, filled with the wild arrogance of a desolate beast.
Many Gu Immortals in the main hall turned their eyes toward it.
Qin Bai Sheng said, "The next item is a silver crown eagle desolate beast. Its speed is excellent, its claws are sharp, and its crown feathers are natural Gu refinement materials. It is suitable for enslavement path, transformation path, and beast-raising Gu Immortals. Starting price: eighty immortal essence stones. Each bid must increase by at least ten."
The hall became livelier.
A desolate beast was not a small item.
Especially a flying desolate beast.
Flying desolate beasts were useful for transportation, scouting, aerial combat, and guarding territory. Even if a Gu Immortal did not cultivate enslavement path, raising one could still be useful.
Inside his secret room, Fang Ming's gaze became focused.
Silver crown eagle.
This suited him far more than the iron claw eagle group.
A desolate beast eagle could become a central pillar of his eagle system. It could serve as a combat force, a breeding foundation, and a future formation core. If combined with his eagle gene enhancement methods, the value could grow further.
This was worth fighting for.
A Gu Immortal in the main hall bid first.
"Ninety."
Another voice from a single room followed.
"One hundred."
Fang Ming activated the bidding Gu.
"One hundred and twenty."
Several gazes turned toward the secret room area.
A jump of twenty immortal essence stones was not shocking, but it showed clear interest.
The main hall bidder frowned and stopped.
The single room bidder continued.
"One hundred and thirty."
Fang Ming raised again.
"One hundred and fifty."
This time, the hall stirred slightly.
For an ordinary silver crown eagle desolate beast, this price was already high. Unless someone had a specific use for it, continuing was not worthwhile.
The single room went silent for a few breaths.
Then the voice sounded again.
"One hundred and sixty."
Fang Ming's expression remained calm.
"One hundred and seventy."
The hall quieted.
One hundred and seventy immortal essence stones.
This had exceeded the normal price.
The other bidder did not continue.
Qin Bai Sheng waited briefly, then announced, "One hundred and seventy immortal essence stones, going once. Going twice. Going thrice. Sold."
The silver crown eagle desolate beast was won by Fang Ming.
In the secret room, Fang Ming leaned back slightly.
This purchase was expensive.
But worthwhile.
Immortal essence stones spent on ordinary goods were consumption. Stones spent on a suitable foundation were transformation.
The silver crown eagle would not merely sit inside his aperture. It would enter his eagle system, interact with his formations, receive enhancement, and eventually produce more value than its purchase price.
The auction continued.
During one later item, Tai Bai Yun Sheng and Fang Yuan cooperated briefly from their separate secret rooms, joining funds to win a resource useful to their own arrangements. The matter passed quickly and did not attract much attention.
More goods appeared.
More bids rose and fell.
A batch of rare ice path materials caused two Gu Immortals to argue openly. A fire path killer move drew fierce competition from several lone cultivators. A set of ancient beast bones was ignored at first, then suddenly pursued after one rank seven Gu Immortal bid, causing others to suspect hidden value.
The atmosphere grew hotter.
At the start, most Gu Immortals had maintained calm expressions. They bid with restraint, laughed when they lost, and spoke politely when they won.
But as item after item appeared, composure began to thin.
Some Gu Immortals stared fixedly at the platform, fingers tapping on armrests.
Some hesitated too long and missed chances, their faces turning ugly.
Some grew pale after paying high prices.
Some began sweating when a rival continued bidding.
Others lost patience and mocked competitors directly.
"What, you want this too? With your poor blessed land?"
"At least I dare bid openly. You only know how to hide in a single room."
"If you have stones, speak with stones. If not, shut up."
The main hall's noise rose and fell like waves.
This was not merely a competition of wealth.
It was also a psychological battle.
A Gu Immortal had to judge the item's value, the opponent's desire, the seller's hidden conditions, future usefulness, and their own remaining funds. Bid too low, and one lost the opportunity. Bid too high, and one injured their foundation.
Worse, showing too much desire could invite others to raise the price deliberately.
Fang Ming watched quietly from his secret room.
He had already made two purchases. One small, one expensive. He did not continue bidding casually.
The auction's pressure was becoming obvious.
Ordinary rank six Gu Immortals gradually became quiet. They might have a few hundred immortal essence stones saved after years of accumulation, but such savings could not withstand repeated competition. One or two serious purchases were enough to greatly weaken them.
Rank seven Gu Immortals were different.
Their foundations were deeper. Their apertures were better developed. Their resource points were richer. Many had thousands of immortal essence stones or more, and some old rank sevens had reserves that far surpassed ordinary expectations.
Rank eights stood at another level entirely.
Even when silent, their existence pressed down on the auction.
If they truly wanted something, most rank sixes would not even dare compete.
Fang Ming compared this to his own situation.
His finances were extremely strong for a rank six.
Food beast formations brought steady profit.
The Ironclad totem business brought terrifying income.
His formation improvements had increased production efficiency.
Trade channels in Eastern Sea and Northern Plains had begun stabilizing.
If he only accumulated wealth, his liquid reserves might already rival or even surpass many rank seven Gu Immortals.
But Fang Ming did not merely accumulate.
He spent.
Copy consumed resources.
Virtual Refinement consumed even more.
Recent dream path investment had been especially expensive. Dream Feather, dream path mortal Gu production, dream formation construction, repeated dream exploration, and the two Virtual Refinement uses inside Song Chi's formation dream had all devoured wealth.
His factories needed upgrades.
His apertures needed formations.
His Eagle Sect needed support.
His beast systems needed expansion.
His dream path foundation needed materials.
His wealth flowed in quickly, but it flowed out just as quickly.
This was not weakness.
This was his chosen path.
A stone kept in storage was only a stone.
A stone turned into formations, Gu, beasts, factories, attainment, and production became foundation.
Still, the auction reminded Fang Ming that even strong finances had limits.
Here, every participant had their own story, their own foundation, and their own desperation.
No one became a Gu Immortal by being simple.
The auction continued for a long while.
Treasures appeared one after another.
Some Fang Ming ignored.
Some he considered, then abandoned.
Some were won by main hall Gu Immortals.
Some disappeared into single rooms.
Some were swallowed silently by secret rooms, leaving everyone guessing who had bought them.
Gradually, the earlier excitement began to change.
Many Gu Immortals sensed it.
The opening portion was nearing its end.
What had been sold so far was precious, but still only the prelude.
The true core of the auction had not yet appeared.
Finally, Qin Bai Sheng stood on the platform and raised his hand.
The hall slowly quieted.
Even several rank seven Gu Immortals who had been speaking stopped.
Qin Bai Sheng's voice spread through the auction hall.
"Next, we shall begin the auction of Immortal Gu."
The atmosphere changed instantly.
In the main hall, many Gu Immortals sat straighter.
In the single rooms, gazes sharpened.
Inside the secret rooms, hidden thoughts stirred.
Fang Ming's fingers slowly stopped tapping the table.
The previous goods were valuable.
But from this moment on, the real auction began.