The new price floated above the auction stage.
This time, even Ming Qi was startled.
Ten thousand high-grade spirit stones.
The first Qingming Command had actually been driven all the way up to ten thousand.
After a moment, the low murmurs among the crowd could no longer be contained.
“Which family does this distinguished guest belong to?”
“Are they crazy? Bidding ten thousand right on the first one?”
“In previous years, didn't the Qingming Commands usually sell for around eight thousand?”
“With the first one going for ten thousand, the starting bid for the next nine will start at ten thousand!”
“This is going to be troublesome.”
“Who's in that private room? Making such a ruthless bid!”
Ming Qi raised her hand, and the noise in the hall gradually subsided.
Her smile remained, but a trace of caution crept into her eyes.
“A distinguished guest on the second floor bids ten thousand high-grade spirit stones.”
“Ten thousand high-grade spirit stones, going once.”
At the same time, inside a certain private room.
A young man sat by the window, holding his bidding token in hand, but he did not press down on it again.
He wore deep purple brocade robes, with a jade pendant hanging at his waist carved with royal patterns. His features were remarkably fine, the outer corners of his eyes tilted slightly upward, his expression cold and distant, which toned down the sense of ostentation.
Behind him stood two guards, both remaining silent.
An attendant at his side asked in a low voice, “Your Highness, shall we raise?”
The young man did not answer immediately.
He was the Fifth Prince of the Eastern Region's imperial family, Xiao Jingheng.
For the upcoming opening of the Qingming Secret Realm, the imperial family had obtained five tokens in total. But there were too many imperial descendants, and with all his brothers and sisters competing for them, by the time it came to his turn, the five tokens had long been divided up.
If he wanted to enter the Qingming Secret Realm, he could only come to Wanbao Pavilion to bid for one.
Originally, he thought he could secure one for around eight thousand.
Who could have expected that the very first token would be driven up to ten thousand?
Xiao Jingheng looked at the floating price below, his brows knitting slightly as his thumb lightly rubbed the edge of his bidding token.
He did not know who was sitting in that second-floor private room, but for someone to raise the bid like this, they had to possess ample spirit stones and no simple background.
If he forced a counterbid now, the price of the first Qingming Command would only continue to climb.
There were still nine tokens remaining. Having the first one driven so high was indeed a headache, but the more it was like this, the less he could act recklessly on the very first item.
Xiao Jingheng set down his jade token.
“We won't follow.”
“Ten thousand high-grade spirit stones, going once.”
Ming Qi paused for a moment before continuing, “Ten thousand high-grade spirit stones, going twice.”
No one in the hall raised the bid.
The first Qingming Command being driven to this price had already exceeded many people's expectations, not to mention that there were nine more to come.
“Ten thousand high-grade spirit stones, going thrice.”
The small wooden gavel in her hand fell.
“Congratulations to the distinguished guest on the second floor for winning the first Qingming Command!”
Yun Heng looked at the teal token on the auction stage, the corners of her lips curving up slightly. This trip had not been in vain.
Before long, a knock sounded at her door.
“Miss Yun, the Qingming Command has arrived.”
A Wanbao Pavilion attendant entered carrying a jade tray covered in dark velvet, upon which the teal token rested quietly.
The attendant bowed his head and said, “Please inspect it, Miss.”
Yun Heng reached out and picked up the Qingming Command.
The token felt cool to the touch, its teal body tinged with gray as if soaked in mountain mist. Fine cloud patterns were engraved along its edges, and when she probed it with spiritual power, she could only feel a faint ripple of spatial fluctuation.
Yun Heng lightly rubbed her fingertips across the surface of the token.
The secret realm insignia lit up for a brief moment before fading back down.
The attendant said, “If you find everything in order, Miss, please imprint your bid token onto it to finalize the transaction.”
Yun Heng handed over ten thousand high-grade spirit stones and pressed down her bidding token.
The array patterns lit up, and a golden marking emerged along the rim of the jade tray before fading away.
The attendant bowed. “The transaction is complete. Should you have any further requests, Miss, feel free to call the attendant outside at any time.”
Yun Heng nodded, and the attendant withdrew.
She stored the token away safely inside her Qiankun Spirit-Storing Bag.
Below, the auction continued.
The second token was ultimately sold for ten thousand five hundred.
The third for ten thousand eight hundred.
The remaining tokens all sold for under eleven thousand high-grade spirit stones.
The next item happened to be the Immaculate Spirit Liquid that Yun Heng had given Wanbao Pavilion. Starting at three thousand high-grade spirit stones, it eventually sold for six thousand six hundred.
However, Yun Heng did not leave.
An auction like Wanbao Pavilion's was not something one encountered every day. Having just arrived in Tianque City, watching a bit more would help her understand what the cultivators of this world valued most.
On the auction stage, Ming Qi raised her hand to signal the maids forward.
Two maids together carried up an elongated jade basin. The exterior of the basin was wrapped in pale green array light, within which a hint of silver-white flickered subtly.
Ming Qi walked over to the basin, her voice softening slightly.
“Our next item: a Moon Breath Spirit Tree sapling.”
The moment those words were spoken, many people in the hall raised their heads.
“A Moon Breath Spirit Tree?”
“They're actually auctioning one of those?”
“If it's truly a living specimen, it won't be cheap.”
Ming Qi waited for the murmurs to subside slightly before reaching out to remove the array light surrounding the jade basin.
A half-foot-tall young tree appeared before everyone's eyes.
The young tree had slender branches and pale silver bark. It bore only a dozen or so leaves, each looking as if it had been soaked in moonlight, their edges glowing with a faint white aura. It stood in the jade basin, its roots wrapped in a clump of grayish-white spirit soil, its vitality exceedingly faint.
When the lamps at the four corners of the auction stage shone upon it, those leaves stirred gently.
“I am sure you have all heard of the Moon Breath Spirit Tree. If raised to maturity, it condenses Moon Breath Dew on moonlight nights. Moon Breath Dew can nourish the soul, nurture spiritual plants, and stabilize the spiritual energy of an abode. If one possesses a spiritual herb garden, this tree is truly invaluable.”
The chatter below grew noticeably warmer.
Spiritual herbs, pill cultivators, dwelling spirit veins—none could do without such nourishing spiritual items. Prominent families and sects in particular placed the highest value on things capable of long-term yields.
Yun Heng's gaze also landed on the sapling.
The Moon Breath Spirit Tree.
It sounded far more interesting than the artifacts and pills earlier.
Ming Qi's tone shifted slightly.
“However, there is one matter that Wanbao Pavilion must clarify in advance.”
The murmurs in the hall dimmed down.
“This sapling came from an ancient ruin. Having been separated from the soil for too long, its vitality is severely damaged. Though Wanbao Pavilion used spirit soil and Spirit-Gathering Arrays to nourish it for several months, we were only able to keep its root system alive—we cannot make it grow anew.”
The hall quieted down considerably.
Someone frowned.
“Even Wanbao Pavilion couldn't keep it alive?”
“Then wouldn't buying it back just mean getting stuck with a dead weight?”
“Moon Breath Spirit Trees are picky about spirit soil, picky about moonlight, and picky about an abode's aura. If its vitality is already damaged, it will probably be hard to save.”
“But if it actually is brought back to life...”
“Of course it would be worth it if saved, but pouring spirit stones into this might yield no return at all.”
As if expecting everyone's reaction, Ming Qi's expression remained unchanged.
“The Moon Breath Spirit Tree sapling. Starting bid: three thousand high-grade spirit stones.”
It was a Moon Breath Spirit Tree, after all; even with damaged vitality, there were still those willing to take a gamble.
“Three thousand five hundred.”
“Four thousand.”
“Four thousand eight hundred.”
“Five thousand.”
Most of the bids came from the second-floor private rooms, alongside a few impressively dressed cultivators below. Clearly, ordinary rogue cultivators could neither afford to raise such a thing nor dare to try.
Once the price reached six thousand, the pace slowed down.
“Six thousand three hundred.”
After this bid, a brief silence settled over the hall.
Ming Qi looked around. “Six thousand three hundred high-grade spirit stones. Are there any further bids?”
No one answered.
Yun Heng had originally just been watching.
Just then, the broken jade at her waist suddenly stirred gently. Had she not remained alert, she almost would have thought it was merely her clothing brushing against its surface.
She lowered her eyes and glanced down at her waist.
The broken jade rested against the side of her robe. Its greenish-white surface did not light up, yet at that precise moment, she had genuinely felt a slight tug.
It felt as though something, across the auction stage and through the arrays, had lightly touched the broken jade.
Yun Heng looked up, casting her gaze back down at the Moon Breath Spirit Tree sapling.
Was it because of it?
On the auction stage, Ming Qi had already begun calling the bid.
“Six thousand three hundred high-grade spirit stones, going once.”
“Six thousand three hundred high-grade spirit stones, going twice.”
Yun Heng stared at the silver-white sapling.
The next moment, she raised her hand and channeled her spiritual energy into the bid token.
“Seven thousand.”
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