"Puppetry Technique is another one of those skills that lets you make money from home!"
Joy spread across Li Chang'an's face.
Among the Hundred Skills of Cultivation Immortality, Puppetry Technique was considered one of the most prominent.
When Cultivators explored ancient ruins or the cave residences of their predecessors, they would inevitably use Puppets to scout ahead.
In a fight, an extra Puppet could significantly increase one's chances of victory.
'Good Puppets are never hard to sell.'
Li Chang'an's eyes lit up as he stared at the results of the Divination.
What truly delighted him was the Tier of this Puppetry Technique inheritance.
Tier One Top Grade!
The Talismanic Inheritance he currently possessed was only Tier One Middle Grade.
Other than marrying into the Zheng Family, he had yet to find another way to obtain a Top Grade Talismanic Inheritance.
'I'll soon be able to craft high-quality Middle Grade Talismans. Once I do, my talisman-making skills will have reached their limit for the time being.'
Li Chang'an mused.
'Until I get a Top Grade Talismanic Inheritance, this is the perfect time to learn Puppetry Technique.'
'Besides, I have plenty of energy right now.'
'The reason I didn't learn the Fengshui Technique before was because its Tier was too low and it didn't align with my philosophy on Cultivation.'
...
「The next day.」
Early in the morning, the Marketplace was already buzzing with excitement.
Nearly everyone was discussing the upcoming auction.
At noon, the auction officially began.
The auction was hosted by an old man with a kindly expression.
"Esteemed friends, our first auction item is a Cloud-Breaking Pill."
Instantly, the breathing of many Cultivators in the audience quickened.
Countless gazes converged on the Pill Bottle.
The Cloud-Breaking Pill was a Tier One Top Grade Elixir made from incredibly precious ingredients. It had only one effect—to aid in a Realm Breakthrough!
The transition from the Sixth to the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining was the dividing line between the Middle and Late Stages of Qi Refining.
It was an extremely difficult threshold to cross, and many Cultivators found themselves stuck at this bottleneck for their entire lives, dying without ever managing a Realm Breakthrough.
The Cloud-Breaking Pill, however, could significantly reduce the difficulty of this Realm Breakthrough.
And it came with very few side effects.
"This Cloud-Breaking Pill was crafted by our Zheng Family's own Tier Two Alchemist. It is a high-quality specimen among Cloud-Breaking Pills!"
"The starting bid is three hundred Spirit Stones!"
"Each increment must be no less than ten!"
The words had barely left his lips.
Someone immediately called out a price of three hundred and fifty.
But soon after, another person shouted four hundred.
Bids came in one after another, each higher than the last, and the atmosphere in the auction hall grew increasingly fervent.
Li Chang'an sat silently in a corner, saying nothing.
'I shouldn't have any use for a Realm-breaking Elixir.'
He had heard that it was best not to use Elixir Pills to break through the bottleneck between the Sixth and Seventh Layers of Qi Refining.
Doing so would reduce one's own potential.
One might encounter problems in the future when trying to break through to Foundation Establishment.
However, many people never dreamed of reaching Foundation Establishment and only sought to attain a Cultivation in the Late Stage of Qi Refining.
In the end, this high-quality Cloud-Breaking Pill was sold for the high price of nine hundred and fifty Spirit Stones.
"Esteemed friends, the second auction item is a Tier One Low Grade Skill."
"A Gu Insect Inheritance!"
"The starting bid..."
Soon, one item after another was auctioned off.
Not all the items were so valuable; some were of lesser worth.
About half an hour later.
A Puppet was brought onto the stage.
'It's finally here.'
Li Chang'an's gaze sharpened as he carefully examined it.
It was a humanoid Puppet, pitch-black from head to toe.
It was unclear what material it was made from.
Its surface bore the marks of many sharp and blunt weapons. Only half of its head remained, and its limbs were mangled, as if it had been through an incredibly fierce battle.
The old man introduced it with a smile.
"This Puppet was discovered by us in a Secret Realm. After appraisal, its Tier was determined to be Tier One Top Grade."
"What? Tier One Top Grade?"
Upon hearing this, the eyes of many Cultivators lit up.
The previously released list of auction items had only indicated a Puppet was for sale, not that it was Tier One Top Grade.
A Puppet of this Tier, if controlled properly, would be powerful enough to fight a Cultivator in the Late Stage of Qi Refining!
But soon, someone raised a question.
"Senior, this Puppet is so damaged. Can it still exert the strength of a Tier One Top Grade?"
"You have a good eye, young friend!"
The old man chuckled and began to explain in detail.
"If this Puppet were intact, it would indeed count as Tier One Top Grade. But in its current, badly damaged state, it cannot be controlled normally. At best, it could be considered a Tier One Low Grade Puppet."
"However..."
The old man's tone shifted. "Our Zheng Family doesn't have any skilled Puppet Masters, so it's possible we've overlooked something. After all, this item was excavated from a Secret Realm. Who knows, it might be hiding some secret from Ancient Times."
"If any of you know a skilled Puppet Master, you could buy this Puppet and have them take a closer look."
His words were a clear hint that there might be a hidden treasure to be found.
It wasn't as if such things had never happened before.
Someone had once bought the fragment of a Magical Artifact from an Ancient Secret Realm at a low price, only to discover that the fragment concealed a storage space filled with a large number of extremely valuable Treasures!
But the crowd's interest immediately flagged. Few people were willing to take such a gamble.
The chances of finding such a hidden gem were simply too low!
After some more introduction, the old man announced the price.
"This Puppet has a starting price of thirty Spirit Stones. The minimum increment is one Spirit Stone."
Among the many items up for auction, this Puppet's starting price was quite low.
It was most likely just there to fill out the roster of items.
A few sparse bids echoed through the hall, the atmosphere lukewarm and nothing like the earlier fervor.
Eventually, Li Chang'an joined the bidding.
"Fifty-seven Spirit Stones!"
The moment he spoke, a surprised gaze shot down from a private room at the very top of the auction hall.
"Hm? What's he buying that for? Is he trying his luck?"
Zheng Qingqing was inside this very room, a hint of surprise on her pretty face.
Beside her sat a young woman in a long white dress.
The young woman was exquisitely beautiful, with lively eyes, and her gaze also drifted down toward Li Chang'an below.
"Sister Qingqing, is he the Li Chang'an you told me about?"
"He is."
Zheng Qingqing nodded slightly and asked the young woman.
"Ling'Er, what do you think of him?"
"He's rather handsome."
The young woman's name was Zheng Ling'Er.
She was sixteen, petite and charming, and was Zheng Qingqing's younger cousin.
She was also a Cultivator and possessed a Low Grade Spirit Root.
Zheng Qingqing intended to play matchmaker for her and Li Chang'an.
But Zheng Ling'Er frowned slightly, seemingly dissatisfied.
"Sister Qingqing, the only thing he has going for him is his looks. His aptitude is truly average."
The requirements for a partner in the Cultivation Realm were similar to those in the secular world, but with some slight differences.
Appearance was only a secondary concern.
What was truly important was one's personal aptitude and Cultivation.
Zheng Qingqing smiled gently and patiently tried to persuade her. "Ling'Er, Li Chang'an has a Low Grade Spirit Root, and so do you. Your talents for Cultivation are similar, which actually makes you very compatible."
"Sister Qingqing, how can you see it that way?"
Zheng Ling'Er pouted, looking slightly aggrieved.
"Even though I only have a Low Grade Spirit Root, shouldn't I at least try to find a Dao companion with a Middle Grade Spirit Root?"