It appeared as though the Blackiron Shards were among the last of the crafting materials on auction today, and only a few more lots followed before the auctioneer brought the show to a halt. There was a short intermission as the men shuffled below, taking things away and bringing new items to the stage.

  They moved along quickly, and Yu Chen hardly noticed the time pass before the auctioneer returned, having seemingly found a burst of energy during the break. He had been bubbly before, but now he was practically exuberant, bouncing on his toes as he stood there.

  “Honored guests!” He yelled out, and Yu Chen noticed the way his gaze had shifted towards the boxes up above, ignoring those on the lowest floor now that the more mundane goods had been sold. “Now the true auction can begin in earnest!”

  “I have a special treat for you today,” the auctioneer continued as he stalked across the stage. The man turned his head, looking over the crowd as he touched the corner of his nose and tossed them a wink. “A rare beast egg, discovered by some intrepid explorers in the endless jungles south of the river!”

  “Huh.”

  Yu Chen looked up at the noise.

  Serbo au Serbo had appeared at some point, staring out the window in interest at the large egg the man was holding up. It was large, and crooked black lines shot through the off-white shell. The auctioneer had to use both hands to hold it above his head.

  “Strong beast!” The barbarian grunted as he scratched his chin.

  Yu Chen had to agree. Even from here he could feel the aura radiating off of it.

  “Why don’t you cast a bid?” Yu Chen asked the barbaric man. “Perhaps you could tame it.

  The barbarian gave him a snort. “Serbo hunt beasts.” was all he said in response before turning away to fetch another drink.

  Yu Chen shook his head at the strange boy before turning his attention back to the auction below.

  “I wish I could tell you what beast lies within this egg, but even the ones who found it couldn’t say.” The auctioneer continued to speak down below. “But what I can tell you, is that it’s nearly at the peak of Stage 1, and it hasn’t even hatched yet. It will undoubtedly prove to be a powerful companion for the right cultivator!”

  Serbo gave a grunt of agreement as he appeared once more, drink in hand.

  The auctioneer looked around, eyeing the boxes at the top.

  “Bidding begins at 1,000 spirit stones!”

  Yu Chen’s eyes almost bugged out of his head. Was an unknown spirit beast worth so much? He reached a hand into his robes, absently patting Lan She. She twisted as he petted her, and he could feel the slow rhythmic flicks of her tongue as it brushed against him.

  Perhaps it was a cheap price. The small snake had been by his side for so long he sometimes took her presence for granted, but he’d never forgotten how she’d saved his life against Feng Wu. Without her he would have been beaten to an inch of his life and left for dead in the woods long ago.

  Since then, she’d helped to protect him again and again, whether it was against the Reavers in the secret realm or the wolves on the island they’d recently left. A thousand spirit stones didn’t begin to cover the value she’d brought to his life.

  It seemed as though the other cultivators shared the sentiment, nearly every box around him lit up green. Even a few on the second lit up, but for the most part only a Golden Core cultivator could hope to acquire such a powerful beast.

  “1500 spirit stones!” The auctioneer called out, but no room changed color. His eyes flashed at this sight, and he began increasing the number with intensity. “2000, no 3000 spirit stones!”

  This at last caused some boxes to flicker, as some on the lower levels dropped out at this outrageous price, although a large number still remained. It must be said for a beast to be born at the peak of Stage 1 was truly outrageous, and there was little doubt that a beast with a powerful bloodline lay within, even if they didn’t know what it was. It meant that the third, or even the fourth, stage was not out of the question.

  It sold for a price Yu Chen found truly outrageous, but he didn’t have time to reflect on it as the auctioneer never stopped, bringing out more and more items, although they weren’t at the level of the spirit beast egg. Perhaps he’d kicked the auction off with a powerful item to get the crowd interested.

  If that was the case, then it worked. Every item that appeared received a flurry of bids.

  Almost immediately after the egg a variety of spirit forged weapons crossed the stage, apparently made by the same craftsman. Yu Chen cast a glance towards the boy beside him, but none of them seemed to catch Yan Ziqi’s attention. The artifacts were well made and sold for quite a bit, but they didn’t meet the artificer’s exacting standard.

  A variety of pills were sold as well, sometimes in large lots that Yu Chen imagined only a sect leader could bid on. Collections that contained dozens of pills for low level cultivators, such as Qi Condensation pills, Foundation Establishment pills and more.

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  The rarer pills were sold in single lots and elicited as much, if not more, interest than the larger ones. Three separate Foundation Consolidation pills, useful for those who’d established a shaky foundation, sold for a high premium across the second floor, while a Golden Marrow pill, useful only for someone in a higher realm caused a furious bidding war.

  “It’s the ship!” Yu Chen yelled in excitement as the pirate ship they’d seized appeared next on the auction block.

  Through some means a three-dimensional image of the ship floated above the stage, although Yu Chen couldn’t tell how it was done.

  “Next up we have an unnamed spirit vessel, fully functional and in working order. It’s a mid-sized ship, more than capable of holding fifteen to twenty cultivators in relative comfort. It features a solid-core mast, a working spatial storage and a complement of spiritual artillery! Eight cannons to a side, engraved with standard inscriptions for fire and ice.”

  The auctioneer paced around the image, pointing out features of the ship as he moved. Yu Chen had to admit the man was good at his job. He made the refurbished ship sound as though it was brand new, and not a ratty pirate ship missing more than half the features the Sleeping Lady held.

  “Do I hear 2,000 spirit stones?” Yu Chen’s eyes widened as the man yelled out. That was even higher than the beast egg had begun at. He was surprised but he really shouldn’t have been, the mast along could fetch that price.

  The boxes around them seemed to agree, and they lit up green all around him. This time however, it was the top row that was ambivalent. Golden Core cultivators had little use for such a poor ship, unless as an addition to their armada. But for a Foundation Establishment expert thinking about setting out on his own? Well, buying a secondhand ship was the best they could hope for.

  The price steadily increased until the commandeered ship eventually sold for the staggering price of 6,000 spirit stones. In truth, it was perhaps a bit under market value, but the ship wasn’t the greatest either. Yu Chen was more than satisfied in either case and felt a good deal more comfortable knowing they’d have the extra spirit stones on hand if they ever needed them.

  Sun Yuan was the most excited at the sudden windfall, and he licked his lips as he stared down at the stage. “Are we splitting it down the middle?”

  Yu Chen shrugged his shoulders. “We should make sure we keep some on hand, after all we burnt thousands of spirit stones when we fled the pirate’s haven.”

  Sun Yuan appeared greatly put out at the words, the wind leaving his sails, so Yu Chen hurried to add. “If you see something you need, it's fine, go ahead and bid on it.”

  Yu Chen’s words seemed to perk him up and he turned around to watch the auction again. Items continued to be brought forth, including the Moonroot crystals and the other items Yu Chen had put up for sale. The crystals added a few hundred spirit stones to his pockets, but it was the lotuses that really caused a stir as no less than three high level cultivators put in furious bids.

  In the end the items Yu Chen had put up sold for a few thousand spirit stones, far more than he’d ever possessed before. His body might have broken through to Foundation Establishment, but technically he was still in the Qi Condensation realm, with enough money to nearly buy a Spirit Vessel of his own.

  His thoughts trailed off as the next item arrived.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a special treat for you today!” The auctioneer called out, as two men carried out a spear bristling with energy. Yu Chen recognized it instantly, turning to stare at Yan Ziqi once more.

  The other boy gave him a slight shrug. “First I'll forge my hammer, then I'll forge a better spear.” He said simply.

  “Although this spear was forged by a journeyman artificer, it displays some truly brilliant features! It was crafted from refined steel and inlaid with thunderstone. A series of unique inscriptions have been carved into the spear, giving it a keen edge and homing properties, allowing it to unerringly find its target.”

  The auctioneer threw a dramatic hand out as he spoke.

  “Simply aim and watch as it destroys whatever you target! It will even return back to you once finished!”

  The spear seemed to attract some attention among the Foundation Establishment cultivators present, earning Yan Ziqi 1500 spirit stones of his own. Servants arrived shortly after this, bringing them their payments for the goods they’d put up for auction.

  Apparently artificing paid well, Yu Chen couldn’t help but think, as he turned and gave the other boy a considering look. Yan Ziqi looked back with a satisfied gleam in his eye.

  The rest of the auction was relatively normal, as the auctioneer brought forth the last items. Hidden techniques were trotted out, and more artifacts, some of them exceedingly peculiar.

  Two of them caught Yu Chen’s eye. The first was a soulguide lantern. The treasure not only helped one to refine their soul, but it was also useful for corralling wayward spirits. The second was a pair of voidwalk boots, an artifact that gave one the temporary ability to briefly walk on air or teleport short distances.

  Soul refining was something Yu Chen had been interested in ever since his weakness in that area had been exposed, while the boots seemed to contain some mysteries related to space, which might help him understand the Martial Forms he’d received from the Flowing Eternity sect.

  Unfortunately, both sold for sky high prices, and Yu Chen could only watch in discontent, despite his newfound wealth. In fact, besides the crafting materials Yan Ziqi had purchased, none of them had enough spirit stones to buy anything at the auction.

  They could only watch in desire as the powerful items danced before their eyes.

  “Honored Guests.”

  Yu Chen looked up as the auctioneer spoke, his voice suddenly becoming unusually solemn. His exuberance seemed to have faded, and his eyes were drawn tight, appearing serious as he stared at the cultivators above.

  He realized with a start that at some point nearly a dozen powerful experts had appeared, crowding the small space around the auctioneer. They filled the air with an overwhelming aura, and Yu Chen realized in shock that they were all Golden Core experts.

  “Today I have been blessed with something incredibly rare.” He began speaking as he looked around the room. He was a professional, and acted as such, but Yu Chen could see the hints of nervousness in his actions as he lifted a small box before him.

  “What I am about to reveal is something that rarely, if ever, comes up for auction.” He cracked the box open the slightest bit. Space seemed to warp around him, and a baleful aura spread forth, seeping throughout the auction ship.

  Even the Golden Core cultivators nearby were cowed, let alone Yu Chen, who shrunk back, his heart beating in palpitations. The aura emitting from within threatened to overwhelm him, and even Serbo au Serbo, the most powerful in the room, felt its effects.

  “A crystallized fragment of a True Domain,” The auctioneer said, his clear voice ringing through the dead silence that filled the air. “Useful for anyone aiming to establish or expand one of their own.”

  All hell broke loose at his words .