Chapter 33 – The Grand Auction

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Translated by Frog in the Well

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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Swish!

Shaking off the ink-stained brush, he folded the letter neatly and stored it in his sub-space.

Writing and submitting a report like this every month would complete the mission.

‘Now, let’s cultivate.’

Although the headquarters of the Blue Flood Dragon Gang established by Cheong Hwa-ran was in the distance, he did not pay attention to it in the first place.

This was because he had no intention of monitoring it diligently at all.

In the middle of the crowded market street.

Sitting cross-legged on the roof, Jin So-myeong closed his eyes.

While still maintaining the concealment technique, he did not use spiritual Qi and mobilized only his pure senses.

He focused on the blood-red energy that was faintly felt.

‘Mmm…’

His focus, which had sharpened like a knife, reached its peak, and as his spirit became elevated, something began to be detected.

It felt as if red stars were rising in the deep darkness.

‘Twenty people… no, is it twenty-two?’

The presence of all living creatures existing within a ten-meter radius of his surroundings was faintly felt.

It was all thanks to the Five Viscera Hundred Tempering Art.

Since the Five Viscera Hundred Tempering Art was a body tempering cultivation method that awakened the potential possessed by living creatures, there were several related divine abilities or secret techniques.

The detection of nearby living creatures just now was one of those secret techniques, called the Vital Energy Detection Web.

After a short while.

Quietly opening his eyes, he counted the number of people around him one by one.

‘…Twenty-one people?’

Contrary to his expectation, it was one person fewer.

He had judged it to be twenty-two, but looking with his eyes, there were twenty-one.

If he had missed a few people, he could have just assumed his senses were lacking, but since it was actually fewer, it was puzzling.

To make sure, he even mobilized spiritual Qi. He strengthened his senses and counted again.

‘Ah.’

It was not his senses that were wrong, but his eyes.

There was a person walking around with a tamed transparent demonic beast on their shoulder.

Once he learned the reason, a smile naturally formed on his face.

‘The effect of detecting vital energy is better than I thought. If someone approaches within ten meters, I will be able to notice it immediately.’

As the realm of the Five Viscera Hundred Tempering Art became higher, the detection range would also grow much larger.

Just as he smiled with satisfaction, he froze.

‘…Hmm?’

What a coincidence. Someone was captured by his senses, which had become highly sensitive while cultivating the Five Viscera Hundred Tempering Art.

Like a gust of wind, an afterimage leaving only a faint trace secretly slipped out of the Blue Flood Dragon Gang and headed somewhere.

‘Is it a cultivator belonging to the Blue Flood Dragon Gang? Quite impressive.’

It was a fairly good concealment technique.

At the very least, it was the most outstanding among the Qi Condensation cultivators Jin So-myeong had seen so far. It was even more so than the spy, Wang Shin.

It was to the extent that it would have been difficult to notice if one’s divine soul were not strong enough.

‘Should I find out where they are going?’

Stroking his chin, he brushed himself off and stood up.

Merely to satisfy his pure curiosity, he intended to just watch from a distance.

This was because, in the Inner City of the market, there was almost no danger to him since he was a disciple of the Red Yang Sect.

How long did he tail the cultivator who came out of the Blue Flood Dragon Gang while maintaining his concealment technique?

‘What?’

The opponent’s path was strange.

They took a grand loop around the outskirts of the Inner City and then returned to the market.

To think the destination they arrived at secretly, even using a concealment technique, was the market right next to the Blue Flood Dragon Gang.

It was suspicious beyond measure.

‘Who is it that acts so cautiously when merely going to the market?’

He recalled the information about the Blue Flood Dragon Gang received from the Red Yang Sect.

Comparing the opponent’s build, focusing on attributes difficult to disguise such as shoulder width and leg length, he could guess who it was.

‘Is it the second-in-command of the Blue Flood Dragon Gang?’

The probability was very high that it was the man right below Cheong Hwa-ran, who was called Big Brother.

He wondered what they were trying to do by being so cautious, but the subsequent action was quite unexpected.

All he did was set up a street stall like an ordinary rogue cultivator.

‘…Selling pills?’

However, the items being sold were special, if they could be called special.

It was full of high-quality pills, starting from Qi Condensing Pills, Inedia Pills, Detoxification Pills, and so on.

‘Strange…’

Concentrating his vision to examine closely, almost all the pills were of consistently high quality.

It was to the extent that they were not lacking even compared to the pills sold at the high-end shop, the Thousand Treasures Pavilion.

If only one or two were good, he would have let it go, but for most of them to be of high quality?

This meant that instead of selling a small amount of pills obtained by chance somewhere, he was selling ones made by a highly skilled elixir master.

‘Is there an elixir master in the Blue Flood Dragon Gang?’

According to the information Jin So-myeong received from the Red Yang Sect, there was none.

Narrowing his eyes after contemplating for a moment, he thought.

‘…Could it be Cheong Hwa-ran? Was the secret to her rapid growth to the late Qi Condensation stage because she is an elixir master?’

To think she learned elixir refining, which is praised as the foremost among the One Hundred Arts of Immortal Cultivation, despite not even having a proper master.

Her talent was far greater than what was shown on the surface!

If he reported this information to the Red Yang Sect, interest in Cheong Hwa-ran would become extremely high.

At first, they would try to win her over with good words, but…

If she refused, a Foundation Establishment old monster might step forward directly and force a contract.

This was because an elixir master with the potential to reach Foundation Establishment was an incredibly precious talent.

Even if they killed her, they could not hand her over to others.

Even so, if this news spread, Core Formation-grade forces might even come looking.

‘Being highly talented is not only a good thing. Since all kinds of giant forces covet you.’

If she met a decent master by luck, it would at least be fortunate.

Just imagining an eccentric monster coming for her was horrifying. From that day on, there would be no freedom in her life.

‘Anyway… this is ridiculous.’

It had barely been a few days since he took on the mission, and he had already produced results.

To think he found out such important information despite monitoring so half-heartedly.

He didn’t know if he was lucky or if the other party was unlucky.

‘An elixir master…’

There was certainly no harm in getting close.

Who knew if her skill was even greater than expected, enabling her to refine Rank 1 Longevity-Extending Pills or Foundation Establishment Pills.

Naturally, he had no intention of reporting to the Red Yang Sect. Information was more valuable the fewer people knew it.

Slide.

Wearing the Faceless Mask for the first time in a while, Jin So-myeong transformed into a man in his thirties with an ordinary impression.

Releasing his concealment, he walked leisurely and approached the other party.

“Daoist. Looking at the pills, you seem to be an elixir master, is that correct?”

“If you want to buy, buy; if not, just leave.”

The reaction was prickly as expected.

Being filled with alertness, he seemed displeased about being known as an elixir master.

Swish!

Pulling out a talisman from his bosom, Jin So-myeong immediately activated it.

The surrounding noise cut off abruptly.

The entire bustling market became quiet. This was because he used a soundproofing talisman that blocked sound.

“…What are you trying to do?”

He spread his palm to the other party, who was showing not only alertness but even a faint hostility.

“Calm down. An elixir master must have many friends. I came because I want to become one of them as well.”

“No need! I have no business, so just leave!”

“How prickly. Fine. If you dislike being friends, how about we just make a transaction.”

“A transaction?”

The second-in-command of the Blue Flood Dragon Gang paused and folded his arms.

Toward him, who tilted his head as if telling him to go ahead and speak, he opened his mouth.

“Foundation Establishment spiritual object.”

“…!”

Strangely, a Foundation Establishment spiritual object had a high probability of growing again in the place where it once grew.

Therefore, the locations where the Foundation Establishment spiritual objects were situated when the secret realm opened previously was highly useful information.

“Well, would you happen to covet information about the Foundation Establishment spiritual objects?”

He closely inspected the eyes of the other party, who kept his mouth shut.

Seeing his pupils dilating, it was clear that he had become interested.

“…How do I believe that the information you give is true?”

“There are many ways. Can’t we make a contract not to lie to each other just for this transaction?”

Since he did not intend to deceive in the first place, the cleaner the transaction, the better.

Jin So-myeong actually had the intention to trade.

This was because the locations of Foundation Establishment spiritual objects discovered by the giant force, the Red Yang Sect, by pouring in all their efforts were quite numerous.

Handing over one of them to the other party was not much of a blow.

The other party, who had been contemplating for a long time with folded arms, opened his mouth.

“Fine. Then what is it that you want? Do you need the pills I made?”

“Pills are fine too, but I need the Red Capture Fruit more. Ah! If you happen to have a Rank 1 Longevity-Extending Pill, I will trade immediately.”

“…Red Capture Fruit.”

Detecting the other party’s hesitation, Jin So-myeong’s eyes shone.

This was because it felt like he was hesitating because he didn’t know if it was okay to trade, not because it was an impossible task.

The hesitating party spoke.

“Surely you aren’t trying to receive the actual Red Capture Fruit in exchange for information on the Foundation Establishment spiritual objects?”

“Of course not. Wouldn’t it be best to exchange information we both need? If you can give me the actual Red Capture Fruit, I will pay an additional price.”

“…First, let’s start with a contract not to deceive each other.”

A few hours later.

A gentle smile settled on the corners of Jin So-myeong’s mouth after successfully finishing the trade.

He was very pleased because he had found out detailed information about the location of the Red Capture Fruit tree.

‘As expected, rogue cultivators shouldn’t be blindly ignored.’

More than half of the cultivators in this world were rogue cultivators. Who knew what kind of extraordinary talents might be among those many people.

Furthermore, the Blue Flood Dragon Gang was also one of the forces that had established themselves in Red Yang Market for over ten years.

It was not surprising that they had obtained information through a path different from the Red Yang Sect.

‘I’ve found out information about the Red Capture Fruit too…’

Now, the remaining goals were to reach the 6th layer of Qi Condensation and to obtain dharma treasures.

For the former, he just had to do his best to cultivate for the remaining time, and for the dharma treasures, he could aim for the upcoming grand auction.

***

Half a year later.

Red Yang Market was filled with cultivators who flocked from all directions.

It was a given that all cave dwellings were rented out without a single one left, and disputes did not cease in all sorts of places.

Naturally, there was a good reason for it.

Today was precisely the day the grand auction for the soon-to-be-opened Red Cloud Secret Realm was being held.

Auctions hosted by giant merchant houses like the Thousand Treasures Pavilion were often held even normally, but the grand auction was different.

It was held only when there was a special event or opportunity.

Since they sold precious treasures that were usually hidden tightly, it was a golden opportunity to obtain dharma treasures.

‘It would be best if I could obtain one dharma treasure specialized in attack and one in defense.’

Jin So-myeong, who had gathered as many as 2,300 spirit stones for today, smacked his lips.

“Brother. If you are ready, shall we set off?”

“Let’s go.”

He left the Red Yang Sect with Beom Chang, who acted as politely as if greeting a family elder.

How long did they walk?

They arrived at a massive pavilion in the deepest part of the Inner City.

‘…It is incredibly large.’

He marveled at the super-large building that was over sixty meters in height alone.

It was a scale so massive that it reminded him of a World Cup stadium he had seen in his previous life.

Walking leisurely, he admired the surroundings, where numerous cultivators were lining up to enter this pavilion.

Beom Chang caught Jin So-myeong, who was habitually heading to the very end of the line.

“Brother Jin. We… no, we don’t need to line up. Just follow me.”

“Hmm?”

Just as Jin So-myeong nodded silently and approached a somewhat uncrowded entrance.

A woman with elegant beauty approached with a smile.

“Welcome. Do you happen to have an invitation?”

When Beom Chang extended a golden plaque with a confident attitude, her smile deepened.

“You were distinguished guests. I will guide you personally.”

Following the beautiful woman, who looked good in her palace robes, into the building, it was much emptier than expected.

The massive pavilion was empty.

It was a strange thing, since he had clearly seen a massive crowd entering.

“Since you two are distinguished guests, we will not charge an admission fee. If you stand on the formation over there, we will send you to the real auction house.”

The real auction house?

He was puzzled but just remained quiet. At times like this, silence was gold.

The moment he stepped onto the formation filled with geometric patterns under her guidance.

Flash!

Along with a brilliant flash, a slight dizziness was felt.

Rubbing his brow and looking around, he had already moved to an interior filled with luxurious decorations before he knew it.

‘Ha. Is this the transmission formation that I only heard about in stories?’

Experiencing spatial teleportation in person, he felt he could understand how deep the foundation of the Thousand Treasures Pavilion was.

“We sincerely thank you for visiting our Thousand Treasures Pavilion auction. I will guide you to the VIP room.”

He walked along a quiet corridor following the woman with an attractive beauty mark near her eye.

Soon they were guided to a spacious room on the second floor, and his field of vision opened up instantly.

This was because an entire wall was made of a transparent glass window, allowing a clear view of the outside.

‘I wondered where all the people went… they were all down there.’

The view looking down from the second floor was spectacular. Thousands of people packed the first floor.

Though they were all wearing masks or the like to hide their identities, it was too public a place.

In a place like that, participating in the auction was not an easy task either.

‘Fortunate.’

If he hadn’t possessed an invitation, he would have been down there, which sent a shiver down his spine.

“For your information, this interior cannot be seen from the outside. There is no worry about your VIP identity being exposed, so please participate in the auction comfortably.”

The guide, who greeted like an elegant noblewoman, continued.

“Do you happen to need an assistant to explain the auction items? There are many clever disciples in our Thousand Treasures Pavilion.”

“Uh…”

Beom Chang, who was about to say something, paused.

He glanced over and met Jin So-myeong’s gaze, and when Jin So-myeong shook his head slightly, Beom Chang immediately waved his hand.

“No need. We would like to participate in the auction comfortably by ourselves.”

“I understand. Then I hope you obtain good items.”

Once they were finally left alone, Jin So-myeong’s posture relaxed slightly. However, he continued to be cautious with his words.

This was because, with so many people, one didn’t know what kind of extraordinary talents might be present.

“Brother. How much do Rank 1 highest-grade dharma treasures usually cost?”

“Hmm… It varies widely depending on the function, but if it is an offensive dharma treasure, you can buy it for around one thousand spirit stones.”

“I see.”

Letting out a sigh of relief, Jin So-myeong harbored anticipation.

‘If all goes well, I might be able to obtain one offensive and one defensive dharma treasure of the Rank 1 highest-grade tier.’

He was delighted to start seeing the benefits of the mine he had diligently cultivated.

Although he was too anxious to stay still, he forced his eyes closed and meditated.

How long did he wait?

Finally, the auction began!