The Gate Of Good Fortune

As the suspense continued to increase, Shui Wuchang raised a jade box and said, “This jade box contains a jade card. That is to say, the jade card inside is not something ordinary, but a Dao Confirming Perception Jade Card….”

Shui Wuchang’s voice immediately caused a flurry of noise, even the owners of booths situated in the front felt quite excited at this information. A jade card with the understanding of a Dao Confirming cultivator, one could consider it as a priceless treasure. This time, no one in the audience felt anything wrong with Shui Wuchang’s previous words. This item truly could take the position as the closing item of this auction.

Only after the excitement subsided, did Shui Wuchang continue. “This Dao Confirming Perception Jade Card comes from the Crow Star and something left behind by Daoist Crow after he reached the Dao Confirming Realm.”

Hearing Shui Wuchang’s words, most people immediately understood and made a few connections. Daoist Crow had left this plane after reaching Dao Confirming Realm, everyone already knew about this and wasn’t a secret. However, people did not expect Daoist Crow to leave behind his inheritance in the form of a Dao Confirming Perception Jade Card. But regardless of the envy and greed in people’s heart, most people understood that they couldn’t compete for this item. Only Eternal cultivators had the right to contest for this thing.

However, Eternal cultivators didn’t sit in the hall, but in the individual booths placed in front. It also meant that only those occupying those booths had the privilege to contest for the jade card.

Shui Wuchang gently placed the jade box on the table in front of her. “This Dao Confirming Perception Jade Card has a base price of 10 million Permanent Essence Pills. At least 1 million Permanent Essence Pills per increase. The auction starts now….”

A starting price of 10 million Permanent Essence Pills for a Dao Confirming Perception Jade Card wasn’t high at all, nor was it too low. If one could successfully understand the Dao Confirming sentiment inside it then not to mention 10 million Permanent Essence Pills even a 100 million Permanent Essence Pills wouldn’t be considered expensive. But if you use it and fail to understand the Dao Confirming sentiment in it, it might severely affect one’s Dao. At that point, even if you gave it up for free, it would still be too expensive.

Ning Cheng didn’t need Daoist Crow’s Dao Confirming Perception Jade Card. In any case, he walked his unique path, so he didn’t need to prove someone else’s Dao.

But after Shui Wuchang finished her words, the auction hall remained silent. No one placed a bid for a long time.

Ning Cheng felt a little depressed with such a reaction. He had planned to use this Dao Confirming Perception Jade Card to gather some Permanent Essence Pills, which he could then spend on the Starry Sky Radish Grass. But he never expected that no one would try to buy this item. Don’t tell me that no one wants it?

If no one participated in the auction, he would have to sell it to the auction house for 10% of its initial price. It meant that Ning Cheng would have to take the initiative to bid first to rile up the crowd. But if he placed a bid and no one put forth a counteroffer, wouldn’t it also mean that he shot himself in his foot?

As a few minutes passed, Shui Wuchang smiled and spoke up. “It looks like everyone here feels confident in reaching the Dao Confirming Realm by themselves and don’t care much about Daoist Crow’s Dao Confirming Perception Jade Card. I will make an announcement one last time, but if no one makes an offer, we will take off the Dao Confirming Perception Jade Card permanently.”

“I bid 11 million Permanent Essence Pills.” Shui Wuchang had just ended her words when a sudden voice rang out in the hall.

The screen within the hall only displayed the highest bid for an item, but now only one person made an offer. Seeing this, everyone thought that the auction house would mark it sold immediately.

But before Shui Wuchang could speak, someone immediately placed another bid, “12 million Permanent Essence Pills.”

With two competing prices coming out, the venue almost exploded with excitement and more bids kept appearing on the screen.

“15 million Permanent Essence Pills.”

“16 million …”

……

“21 million Permanent Essence Pills.”

The bid prices rose quickly, and for a short period, the large screen continuously changed prices at blinding speed. New quotes kept overwriting the previous bids before people could even read off of it.

Ning Cheng breathed in a sigh of relief. It looks like I can rake in some money. Apart from the 20 Starry Sky Essence Qi Veins from Duan Gantai, he now would have a few million Permanent Essence Pills to use on the following items.

Glancing around the hall, Ning Cheng understood that the venue had too many wealthy cultivators. No wonder that Yan Xishuang could easily take out 10 million Permanent Essence Pills. Within the vast starry skies, everyone had a relatively similar chance to strike it rich.

“20 million Permanent Essence Pills plus a complete high-rank star vein.”

A new offer once again erased the previous price. A star vein was just another name for Starry Sky Essence Qi Spirit Vein. But a Starry Sky Essence Qi Spirit Vein’s Starry Sky Spirit Qi wasn’t as pure as Permanent Essence Pills. However, a Starry Sky Essence Qi Spirit Vein, even a low-grade one, contained enough Spirit Qi comparable to that of ten million Permanent Essence Pills.

Once this quote appeared, no one else tried to increase the price. Even Ning Cheng felt satisfied with the price, as he currently lacked Permanent Essence Pills.

With this many Permanent Essence Pills, as long as he obtained the Starry Sky Radish Grass, he would certainly advance to the Eternal Realm.

The third and fourth items for auction were the Parting Flame Silver Wing and Heaven Seizing Flying Sand. Both things were top-grade artefact-crafting materials needed to craft top-ranked Dao Artefacts.

Ning Cheng didn’t place any bids, but the two quickly changed hands for over ten million Perpetual Moon Pills each.

“The next item is an attack-type weapon….”

Shui Wuchang hadn’t finished her words when Ning Cheng lost interest. He was a top-grade artefact-crafting master. So, even if he wanted a top-ranked weapon, he could craft it as long as he had the required materials.

“This weapon is a long spear, and I’m sure many people already know about it. That’s right; this is one of the three Spirit Artefacts in this auction, the Celestial Rainbow Purgatory Spear. The Celestial Rainbow Purgatory Spear is, without a doubt, a Spirit Artefact. Moreover, after undergoing numerous evaluations by our seniors, they determined that this long spear’s grade exceeds that of pseudo-Spirit Artefacts. According to the evaluations, it reaches the level of peak low-ranked Spirit Artefacts. If you wield this Celestial Rainbow Purgatory Spear as your main attack-type weapon, you’ll be able to show a level of strength beyond your peers….”

As Shui Wuchang put it, many cultivators here came explicitly for the Celestial Rainbow Purgatory Spear. They all focussed every bit of attention on her words and wanted to know if they could afford this kind of treasure.

Even Ning Cheng snapped back to attention on hearing those words. He wasn’t surprised about a long-spear appearing in the auction as he could easily craft any type of long-spear. However, a long spear at the level of a low-rank Spirit Artefact, it was a different story. Let alone the fact that he couldn’t currently craft a low-rank Spirit Artefact, even if Ning Cheng could do it. He simply had none of the required materials. Moreover, the materials needed to craft the low-rank Spirit Artefacts weren’t easy to find either.

Thinking about how he didn’t have a weapon suitable for him, Ning Cheng quickly made up his mind to buy this Celestial Rainbow Purgatory Spear. If he had to face Chuan Xinlou in the future, he needed a good weapon first.

Seeing people turn even more excited, Shui Wuchang showed a bright smile before speaking. “The Celestial Rainbow Purgatory Spear has a base price of 1 million Permanent Essence Pills, with a minimum increase of one hundred thousand Permanent Essence Pills.”

Before Ning Cheng could even put in a bid, the price on the screen had already jumped to 3.7 million Permanent Essence Pills with no indications of stopping.

Ning Cheng, who wanted to bid on the Celestial Rainbow Purgatory Spear using Perpetual Moon Pills, immediately dropped the idea. Although he had a lot of Perpetual Moon Pills, he had earmarked it for the sect, which also meant that he didn’t have too many Perpetual Moon Pills to spend.

“Better not rob me of it, I will give 5 million Permanent Essence Pills.” A booming voice filled the hall. The quote on the screen also changed to 5 million Permanent Essence Pills.

Many cultivators seated in the back didn’t know this person. However, most of the people occupying the booths in the front knew about this person’s identity and background. Among the powerhouses who came here to participate in the auction, very few were like Ning Cheng. They would always look up and research the people attending the auction to avoid creating conflict and offending people who they couldn’t offend.

Ning Cheng hadn’t bothered to make such inquiries not entirely because of the confidence in his strength, but because he was a relatively new person in the cultivation world. Compared to the powerhouses in this place, who’ve been alive for thousands or even tens of thousands of years, he didn’t know many people. So, even if he wanted to make inquiries, he wouldn’t know where to start right away.

Some belonged to big starry sky clans, and others belonged to big sects. So, Ning Cheng couldn’t get the information required with just a few questions. Only by creating connections over a long time would one get such information. Moreover, although Ning Cheng had considerable fame and deterrence within Culmination Grand Starry Sky, not many people knew about him in the Devil and Demon Domains. That’s why the Ash Pagoda Chamber of Commerce tried to invite Chuan Xinlou and Spiritual Heaven Sect’s Chen Xingwen but not Ning Cheng.

Besides, Ning Cheng came here mainly for the Starry Sky Radish Grass and didn’t expect the auction house to put up the Celestial Rainbow Purgatory Spear.

Many people here already knew the background of the cultivator, who placed a bid of 5 million Permanent Essence Pills. They all knew that the Daoist family behind him always acted in arrogance. Besides, if one had the power to increase the bid by several hundred thousand Permanent Essence Pills in just one go, why would one not use it?

Even if one didn’t know that cultivator’s identity, no one would mess with the Daoist family behind him. Why would someone dare to shout their bid in this auction arrogantly if one didn’t have the necessary power? How could someone without any influence or power occupy the 19th booth in this auction? Everyone in the hall understood that the lower the number, the higher the status of the person holding it.

Shui Wuchang, seeing no one interested in increasing the price, spoke up in a loud voice. “Booth 19 offers 5 million Permanent Essence Pills. Is there anyone here who wants to offer a better price? Five million Permanent Essence Pills going once…”

Shui Wuchang knew the identity of the person in that booth, so she decided to call it in earlier.

But before she could call out the second time, the quote on the screen suddenly refreshed. The latest offer was a complete high-rank Starry Sky Essence Qi Spirit Vein.

Ning Cheng also felt helpless at this; he still hadn’t received the Permanent Essence Pills owed from the previous auction. So, he could only use Starry Sky Essence Qi Spirit Veins to bid.

When this quote appeared, the entire auction hall fell into a brief silence. A high-rank Starry Sky Essence Qi Spirit Vein against the previous quote of 5 million Permanent Essence Pills? Wasn’t this increase too much? But that wasn’t the reason for the silence.

The main reason for this silence was the conspicuous line in front of the quote of high-rank Starry Sky Essence Qi Spirit Vein ‘Row 39, Seat 139’.

In just a couple of breaths, several spiritual consciousnesses swept towards Ning Cheng. Everyone wanted to uncover the identity and the background of this second-generation idiot.

But when those powerful spiritual consciousnesses reached Ning Cheng, everyone felt startled. Many immediately recognised Ning Cheng. Realising it was Ning Cheng, everyone understood why he dared to quote.

However, some cultivators who did not know about Ning Cheng still kept probing at Ning Cheng with their spiritual consciousness for a long time.

Ning Cheng, however, remained calm and sat leisurely in his seat. He had no intention of hiding himself. However, just next to Ning Cheng sat a middle-aged female cultivator. It wasn’t until the several spiritual consciousnesses swept over did she realise that the cultivator sitting next to her had dared to bid and compete against Booth 19.

Although these spiritual consciousnesses did not target her, her face still turned pale. She cautiously whispered to Ning Cheng, “Friend, you should quickly withdraw your bid….”

She had only said half a sentence when she stopped. She suddenly recalled that her advice wouldn’t help much. In such an auction, suicide was a much better option compared to a bid recall.