From the hands of a little girl?
Zeng Qiyan watched Tan Yunao laughing triumphantly, his brow furrowed with a hint of disgust.
As the Vice Dean of the academy, he was a role model, possessing basic decorum. He couldn't stand seeing someone shamelessly snatch something from a young girl and then, instead of feeling ashamed, reveling in their arrogance.
However, he dared not say anything. Instead, he shamelessly praised, "Holy Son, what a stroke of good fortune!"
The world was inherently a place where the strong preyed on the weak. Weakness was the original sin; one could not blame anyone for being bullied due to their lack of strength.
Even a major sect like the Lingxu Sword Sect dared not offend Tan Yunao, which showed the immense deterrence of Floating Cloud Mountain. This further solidified Zeng Qiyan's resolve to cling to Tan Yunao and strive to be accepted into Floating Cloud Mountain.
Once he became a member of Floating Cloud Mountain, he would likely be able to walk sideways in the Southern Domain. The thought alone was exciting.
The auction of the Qinglai Qin continued.
All the cultivators present desired the Qinglai Qin, but few possessed treasures that could extend life. Only a small number presented some items, none of which were particularly valuable enough to exchange for the Qinglai Qin.
"It seems people in the cultivation world are truly foolish and wealthy, easily tricked and manipulated."
Ji Mo sighed, finding the people present to be rather dim-witted, clamoring to exchange life-extending items for a mere broken zither.
In his eyes, the Qinglai he had made, apart from its stylish and unique design and slightly better sound quality, had nothing special about it. Yet, it was now being hyped as a miraculous artifact, a testament to the auction house's shrewd tactics.
He was no stranger to such tricks. In the past, old men on construction sites would wrap a few broken porcelain shards stained with yellow mud in newspapers and fool people into buying them for tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands.
The art of deception, it seemed, was universal across all worlds.
Ji Mo felt it was imperative to find out who was auctioning the Qinglai Qin and stop this unhealthy trend. Otherwise, if the truth were to be revealed later, his reputation would also be tarnished.
He tried to inquire about the seller from the auctioneer, but received no answer.
Auction houses generally did not disclose the identities of their consignors.
Fortunately, the Qinglai Qin ultimately failed to sell, as no one present could offer a sufficiently valuable item that could extend life.
"Pah, as expected of a barbaric land, truly trashy, unable to produce anything decent."
Tan Yunao grumbled, his face filled with disappointment.
He had hoped to acquire some good items to extend his ancestor's life, but the outcome was far from it.
Alas, it seemed he would have to try his luck in other regions some time later.
Zeng Qiyan lowered his gaze, a sheepish smile on his face. As a member of the Southern Domain, he should have defended his homeland's dignity, but he did not.
It was precisely because of people like him that the Southern Domain was increasingly looked down upon by outsiders.
The auction continued.
Ji Mo managed to acquire some practical items.
He spent over three million taels of gold to purchase three excellent spatial rings.
He planned to give one to each of his three students as a reward for their good performance in the competition.
As for himself, he dared not wear one.
A mortal wearing an expensive spatial ring would only attract misfortune.
Adhering to the principle of keeping a low profile, he did not buy one for himself.
Tang Heng was also a nuisance, constantly provoking Ji Mo and engaging in malicious bidding, causing him to spend a lot of unnecessary money.
"Hiss, hiss, hiss..."
The Treasure Snake hissed again, signaling the appearance of something valuable.
It was a bronze tripod with three legs and two ears, ancient and majestic, its entire body shimmering with an extraordinary aura.
All eyes in the hall were immediately drawn to it.
Ji Mo gazed at it for a while, but felt no particular interest.
Aside from emitting a dazzling light that was quite blinding, it seemed no better than the iron cauldron he had forged at home.
Of course, this was merely his subjective feeling. He believed that a mortal body could not discern the quality of items in the cultivation world.
"Hiss!"
The Treasure Snake reminded him again that this bronze tripod was a good item.
This time, Ji Mo did not dare to trust it blindly, especially since the snake had also made quite a racket when his Qinglai Qin appeared.
Therefore, he felt that the Treasure Snake could also be unreliable and should not be fully trusted.
The auctioneer introduced, "The origin of this bronze tripod is no ordinary one. It comes from the Human-Demon Battlefield ruins over ten thousand years ago and is an extraordinary alchemy furnace. Using this furnace for alchemy not only increases the success rate by ten percent but also has a certain chance of refining top-grade elixirs. For an alchemist, this is truly a sacred artifact!"
The crowd was moved. A ten percent increase in alchemy success rate was incredibly precious, and the chance of refining top-grade elixirs was an excellent attribute.
Who among cultivators did not consume pills? Alchemists were the most sought-after profession. An alchemy furnace with such excellent attributes was a rare find; buying it was akin to striking gold.
Tang Heng immediately took out his communication jade pendant and contacted the Tang family patriarch, Tang Qian, to relay this information.
The Tang family had long been seeking a good alchemy furnace, and now they had found one.
Upon receiving the news, Tang Qian declared that he would acquire it at any cost.
The competition was fierce, with many determined to obtain it, but ultimately, money spoke louder.
"This bronze tripod is excellent. If I can use it as a reward, perhaps I can persuade a grandmaster of alchemy to refine a lifespan-extending elixir for my ancestor."
Tan Yunao's eyes showed a look of longing.
This fellow, upon seeing something good, always wanted to claim it as his own. Da Feng Novel Network.
"Holy Son, I will definitely find a way to bid for this bronze tripod for you."
Zeng Qiyan immediately said.
If he could present this furnace to Tan Yunao, his chances of entering Floating Cloud Mountain would be absolutely secured.
The starting price of the bronze tripod was fifty million taels of gold. The crowd vied fiercely for it, with bids rapidly exceeding the one hundred million mark.
Ji Mo clicked his tongue. He had thought he was quite wealthy, but it seemed he was still poor.
After the price surpassed one hundred million, Zeng Qiyan, finding his pockets too shallow, had to give up bidding.
He looked at Tan Yunao with some embarrassment.
"It's alright. This furnace and I are fated to be, and it will eventually fall into my hands."
Tan Yunao looked at Tang Heng, who was bidding most enthusiastically, with a meaningful smile.
He recognized this person. While visiting the Tang family these past few days, this fellow had fawned over him like a dog. Once he bought the bronze tripod, he could probably get it with just a word.
Indeed, the Tang family was wealthy and powerful. Tang Heng ultimately outbid all his competitors and acquired the bronze tripod for two hundred and fifty million.
The bronze tripod was quickly handed over to Tang Heng, and the Tang family sent someone with sufficient gold notes to complete the transaction on the spot.
"Fellow Daoists, if you wish to purchase good elixirs in the future, you may visit our Tang Family Elixir Workshop."
Tang Heng placed the bronze tripod on the ground for everyone to admire, using the opportunity to advertise.
Although he had paid an exorbitant price for the furnace, he believed it was worth it and that he would quickly recoup his investment.
Ji Mo also squeezed his way forward to examine it, wanting to see why this furnace could command such a high price.
Suddenly, his pupils contracted, and a faint azure light flashed in the depths of his irises.
Under one of the tripod's feet, a faint blue glow flickered past.
"Could this be... Manzhushahua!"