Gasps erupted in unison.
Everyone stared, stunned, at the piece of silk in Ji Mo's hand.
When the auctioneer had claimed the Seven-Orifice Exquisite Ball contained a supreme secret manual, almost no one in the hall believed him.
Who would have thought that something truly valuable would actually be found inside?
The silk, half a foot square, was densely covered in tiny characters and several human figures.
Ji Mo made no attempt to hide it, generously allowing everyone to view it together.
The script was a peculiar form of pictographs. The cultivators present exchanged bewildered glances, unable to comprehend it. However, they understood the figures, recognizing them as depictions of some incredibly potent body-refining technique.
Immediately, someone couldn't contain their eagerness and began practicing according to the diagrams.
In an instant, they were ecstatic.
They felt their blood surge, their internal bloodlines and essence strengthening, their bodies emanating a terrifying aura of vital energy.
It was certain that this was a profound body-refining art, and one that humans could practice.
But then, a sudden change occurred.
The person secretly practicing the technique was suddenly struck as if by a heavy blow, spitting blood and becoming instantly listless, suffering considerable internal injuries.
Clearly, merely looking at the diagrams was insufficient; one had to cultivate in conjunction with the accompanying text, otherwise, they risked killing themselves.
Yet, they simply couldn't recognize the characters.
Someone, exceptionally clever, immediately memorized the characters on the silk, intending to find a great scholar to help translate them later.
Ji Mo gave them no such opportunity, pocketing the silk.
He actually recognized the pictographs on it; they indeed recorded a body-refining technique, and he couldn't help but secretly practice it.
However, for him, it seemed to have no effect. Apart from his heart beating a little faster, he felt nothing special.
Ji Mo looked disappointed, concluding that he was truly a waste, incapable of cultivation.
Tang Heng seemed to have lost his soul, appearing disoriented with vacant eyes.
He was in a daze, his mouth tasting bitter, but his heart felt even more so.
Just moments ago, he had smugly mocked Ji Mo for buying trash, believing he had gotten a great deal. Now, to think that Ji Mo had immediately unearthed something extraordinary from the Seven-Orifice Exquisite Ball.
He was filled with regret, wishing he could turn back time.
"This good-for-nothing actually stepped on dog excrement!"
In the VIP box, Tan Yun'ao, as if having eaten a lemon, was extremely envious of Ji Mo's luck.
With his knowledge, he naturally recognized the immense value of the item, though it wasn't an ancient secret manual.
Those characters seemed to be from the Wu tribe, suggesting the silk likely contained a Wu tribe divine ability.
Unfortunately, the Wu tribe was extinct, and those who understood Wu script were exceedingly rare. Deciphering the meaning of the characters on the silk wouldn't be easy, so he wasn't particularly interested.
Zeng Qiyan curled his lips, thinking to himself, was this merely a matter of good luck?
Even if you were given the Seven-Orifice Exquisite Ball, could you open it?
Ji Mo had actually found a treasure through his discerning eye, not just luck.
"Little brother, are you selling this piece of silk?"
Someone's heart pounded, wanting to purchase it.
"Selling, of course. How much are you willing to offer?"
Ji Mo had no intention of keeping it. He had already memorized everything on the silk and intended to sell it to recoup some losses.
He was still smarting from spending four million on what seemed like a useless scrap of cloth.
"Ten million taels of gold." The person made an offer.
It seemed they sensed Ji Mo's lack of discernment and wanted to buy it cheaply.
"Ten million taels? How dare you offer so little! I'll offer twenty million taels."
Someone else joined the bidding. This body-refining technique was extraordinary, and everyone wanted it.
Even if they didn't know what the characters on the silk were, there were so many great scholars in the world; surely, someone would know.
Most people present weren't short on cash, and the competition was fierce.
Soon, the price was driven up to over forty million taels of gold.
It was finally sold for fifty million.
The cultivator who bought the silk was overjoyed, feeling they had struck a bargain.
They believed that if they could successfully decipher the characters on the silk and obtain this body-refining technique, its value would be immeasurable.
And it wasn't over yet.
Someone else proposed buying the Seven-Orifice Exquisite Ball from Ji Mo, and at a high price.
An opened Seven-Orifice Exquisite Ball was entirely different in value from an unopened one. After opening it, the craftsman could understand its manufacturing process from the inside, perhaps even mastering this lost technology.
After another round of bidding, it was sold for twelve million taels of gold.
In an instant, Ji Mo had profited a net fifty-eight million taels of gold.
"Steward Tang, you truly are a great benefactor! Thank you for giving me so much money for free!"
Ji Mo greeted Tang Heng enthusiastically, his attitude incredibly cordial.
Tang Heng gritted his teeth, his lungs about to explode with anger.
If he had known the Seven-Orifice Exquisite Ball contained something valuable, worth so much, he would never have sold it.
He had thought he made a killing selling it for four million taels of gold, but now he felt he had lost immensely, and this scoundrel Ji Mo had benefited for nothing.
"Everyone, do you see? As long as you have a unique vision and decisively purchase items from our establishment, you can earn over ten times your investment by reselling them. The auction will now continue. Everyone, please bid enthusiastically, perhaps the next lucky person will be you."
The auctioneer used Ji Mo as a living advertisement, seizing the opportunity for another sales pitch.
At the same time, he steered the auction back to its proper course.
He felt that since Ji Mo could open the Seven-Orifice Exquisite Ball, he must be an extraordinary individual worth befriending, perhaps for future collaboration.
The auction continued. The Treasure-Seeking Serpent showed no reaction, clearly finding none of these items worthy of its attention.
Ji Mo, seeing some items he liked, also attempted to bid.
But a strange phenomenon occurred.
Whenever Ji Mo participated in a bidding war, the item was fiercely contested, fetching extremely high prices.
Tang Heng, in particular, acted like a rabid dog, relentlessly chasing Ji Mo's bids.
The auctioneer beamed, knowing that all this was thanks to Ji Mo. People assumed that whatever Ji Mo fancied must be a good item, so they all swarmed to compete for it.
Ji Mo saw through their intentions and felt a sense of helplessness.
He simply had a lot of money and wanted to buy some gifts for his three talented disciples, but these people had ruined his plans.
"Hiss hiss hiss..."
The Treasure-Seeking Serpent hissed again, clearly sensing another valuable item.
Moreover, this time, the serpent's reaction was even more intense than before. It even crawled onto Ji Mo's palm, wriggling restlessly.
This indicated that the item appearing was definitely extraordinary.
"The Treasure-Seeking Serpent!"
In the VIP box, Tan Yun'ao's pupils dilated as he stared intently at the Treasure-Seeking Serpent in Ji Mo's hand.
This was an exceptionally rare and precious exotic beast, possessing a unique talent for discerning all sorts of treasures in the world.
"No wonder this brat knew there was something good inside the Seven-Orifice Exquisite Ball; he has the Treasure-Seeking Serpent. How could such a beast belong to him? I must find a way to seize it."
Tan Yun'ao's face was filled with greed, already considering the Treasure-Seeking Serpent his own and plotting how to snatch it away.
"Is that the legendary Treasure-Seeking Serpent?"
Upon hearing this, Zeng Qiyan couldn't help but cast his gaze towards Ji Mo, then said in a fawning manner, "Holy Son, I will definitely find a way to get this serpent for you."
Tan Yun'ao smiled and nodded, quite pleased with Zeng Qiyan's attitude.
If Zeng Qiyan could truly acquire the Treasure-Seeking Serpent, he might consider taking him into Floating Sky Mountain.
Unaware that someone had set their sights on his serpent, Ji Mo was staring at the item on the auction stage, a look of confusion on his face.