The Dao Sect’s Immortal Artifact Appreciation Assembly was a grand event renowned across the Nine Provinces. It was held once every hundred years, open to all cultivators. For the powers that possessed Immortal Artifacts, this was a rare chance to exchange experiences.
Though it was called an “appreciation,” in truth, it was a contest of arts using Immortal Artifacts. For all other cultivators, it was a place to watch artifact duels, buy and sell treasures, and display their own. Each merchant guild was eager, having long settled into the venue in advance, setting up temporary branches sanctioned by the Dao Sect.
They came to trade, auction, and make grand profits. With the Dao Sect’s endorsement, no one dared suppress others with force or cultivation base, nor would anyone dare rob or murder after an auction ended. It had been over eighty years since the last Immortal Artifact Assembly.
This time, because of the self-refinement of the Yin-Yang Heavenly Seal, the Dao Sect held the event earlier than usual.
“Are you going to the merchant street?”
Jiang Li asked as they left the Sealed Abode Cave.
“Eh?”
The Holy Maiden Jing Xin didn’t expect Jiang Li to ask such a question. She had actually wanted to go. She didn’t necessarily have to buy anything, but she definitely wanted to take a look.
But thinking of what happened during the Skyboat Appraisal, and knowing Jiang Li’s personality, if she said yes, he’d probably respond with something like, “Then you go, I’ll leave first.” So against her own heart, she replied, “No, what’s so interesting about the merchant street?
Not going.”
“Oh. Then you go on ahead, I’m going to take a look around.”
Jiang Li said casually, and walked away, leaving Holy Maiden Jing Xin completely stunned in the wind. She stomped her foot in frustration and still followed him. As Jiang Li had resolved earlier, he came to attend the assembly purely for rest.
He had no real objectives, simply wanting to wander about and visit some friends.
“Didn’t you just say it wasn’t interesting?”
Jiang Li asked when he noticed she had caught up again.
“Eh, this flower is so pretty.”
Unable to answer, Holy Maiden Jing Xin knelt down, pretending to be fascinated by some flowers and plants on a street stall. And indeed, that flower was beautiful. Its petals and stem were pure white, with a thin layer of ice frost clinging to the petals.
Under sunlight, the frost shimmered with faint seven-colored glints.
“Good eye, Fairy. This is an Ice Crystal Flower I found after squatting in the Extreme Frost Land for an entire month. It’s extremely beneficial to those with Ice Spiritual Roots—helps one comprehend the intent of extreme frost!” the stall keeper eagerly promoted.
Ice Spiritual Roots, being a mutated single spiritual root, were extremely rare. He had long struggled to sell this flower, so he came to try his luck at the Immortal Artifact Assembly. He assumed Holy Maiden Jing Xin was an Ice Spiritual Root cultivator.
She asked the price, didn’t even haggle, and bought it right away. She actually had a Wood Spiritual Root. The flower was useless to her, but that was fine—so long as it looked nice.
The wealthy Holy Maiden Jing Xin bought whatever she fancied, regardless of whether it was real or fake, useful or useless, with only one criterion in mind—it had to be pretty. Her beauty and lavish spending quickly drew attention from all around. Jiang Li, on the other hand, wore a mask—no one paid him any attention.
The mask’s design was of himself, the beloved Human Emperor Jiang mask adored by children, sold for one low-grade spirit stone each.
“What a beautiful woman. Bring her to me! I’ll take her as my eighth consort!” ordered the youngest son of the Emperor of Great Wei.
His subordinate hesitated.
“Your Highness, the Noble Consort warned before leaving that you mustn’t cause trouble within the Dao Sect.”
At this time, the Emperor of Great Wei was still drowning in the grief of never seeing the Red Dust Fairy again. He cared nothing for state affairs or for this assembly, and sent his youngest son as his representative. The prince’s glare silenced his subordinates.
Everyone knew he acted recklessly across the Great Wei Empire, abusing power, bullying men and women, his methods utterly cruel. None of his attendants served willingly.
“We’ve received a report you’re causing trouble here. Come with us.”
Two Dao Sect disciples arrived, expressionless, and moved to take the prince away when he didn’t cooperate.
“How dare you! I am the Prince of Great Wei!”
He grew furious. The Six Great Sects held positions equal to the Nine Great Imperial Dynasties, which meant his status as a prince was equivalent to that of a Dao Sect core disciple. How could they treat him like this!
The two Dao Sect disciples only curled their lips. To cause trouble beside Jiang the Human Emperor’s likeness—prince or not, even if his father came, it would be useless. His subordinates feebly resisted, then simply watched as the prince was taken away.
I’m only at the Spirit Transformation Stage, getting beaten by Dao Sect Nascent Soul disciples is perfectly normal, the attendant told himself bitterly.
“What did I even do for you to take me away!”
The young prince, seeing that his people wouldn’t intervene and Dao Sect wasn’t afraid of him, panicked.
“I didn’t even do anything bad yet!”
“Talking is forbidden on the merchant street.”
The young prince looked around the bustling, noisy street, utterly dumbfounded. What kind of nonsense reason was that! If they’d said he stepped into the merchant street with his left foot first, he could’ve accepted—no, even that he couldn’t!
The Dao Sect disciples ignored his protests and dragged him away.
From Jiang Li’s eyes, however, the merchant street was full of hidden treasures: blades of grass carved with peerless sword techniques, a Dew Collecting Plate that was actually the key to some mystic realm, the leg bone of a spirit beast that concealed a drop of true blood from a Union Stage beast…
If Jiang Li wished to hunt for treasures, he could pick out ninety-nine percent of the true good items here. But to him, such things were useless. He preferred leaving these opportunities to the younger generation.
Then he noticed the auction house’s announcement. They were publicizing items up for bid, even boasting about a mysterious finale treasure. Intrigued, he went inside to take a look.
“A supreme-grade spirit treasure, the Demon-Slaying Flying Sword! It increases power by thirty percent against demon races! Starting bid—five hundred low-grade spirit stones!”
“Five hundred twelve!”
“One thousand twenty-four!”
“Two thousand forty-eight!”
“Four thousand ninety-six!”
Jiang Li was the first to call out a bid. To everyone’s surprise, every bidder after him simply doubled the previous amount, creating a chain of exponential increases that made the auctioneer’s face twitch. In thirty years of running auctions, he had never seen anyone bid like this.
Couldn’t anyone just use whole numbers? Even more curiously, the ones most interested in the sword were demon race cultivators. They were the ones who kept raising the price, and ultimately, one of them bought it.
“Why did it end up like that?”
Holy Maiden Jing Xin couldn’t understand. She had thought the sword would go to human buyers from around the Baize Imperial Dynasty, since they constantly faced attacks from beasts and demons.
“It increases power against demons. Wouldn’t that make beating one’s own kind easier? That’s their logic,” Jiang Li explained helplessly.
“Among them, the strong devour the weak, the bloodline reigns supreme—there’s no unity, no uplift.”
The ensuing auctions showcased superior Longevity Pills, Dragon-Tiger Mighty Strength Pills, the Celestial Jade Bronze Mirror, Buddhist Beads, and more. The cultivators below were fervent with excitement. To Jiang Li and Holy Maiden Jing Xin, though, such things were mediocre.
Even if given for free, they wouldn’t bother picking them up. Finally came the mysterious finale treasure—a Dao Artifact. A heavy hammer imbued with the Dao of Dreams, capable of knocking people unconscious and plunging them into dream realms.
Jiang Li thought for a long while but couldn’t figure out what the use of such a hammer could be.
(End of Chapter)