The Secret Shop Auction

The scholar was taken aback by Han Li’s words at first, but then he immediately broke into a grin. “Senior, it’s a good thing you mentioned this, or you would have made a trip for nothing! Although the Starfall Sect’s formations are famous, that doesn’t mean the Star Dust Pavilion carries top-tier array flags and plates. As it is now, the pavilion does have a large quantity and variety of such items. But these are merely common goods sold to small cultivation families and rogue cultivators. The Starfall Sect never lets its true, refined formation tools leave the sect. Formations are, after all, the foundation of their sect. Letting high-quality array flags and plates fall into outside hands would allow others to see through their formation’s weaknesses. That would be a loss far greater than any profit.”

As he explained, the scholar stole glances at Han Li. But Han Li’s bamboo hat concealed everything, revealing nothing, which gave the scholar a frustrating sense of helplessness.

“From your tone, it sounds like you can find what I’m looking for,” Han Li said. Though he was greatly surprised by the scholar’s words, his voice remained calm and flat, betraying no shock or astonishment.

The scholar looked around cautiously, and only after confirming that no one was nearby did he lower his voice and speak conspiratorially. “Senior, if you trust this junior, I can indeed introduce you to a secret shop that very few know about. A small portion of the goods there might have slightly questionable origins, but the merchandise itself is absolutely top-tier, rarely seen in the outside world. I believe that Senior will surely find satisfying formation tools there.”

“A secret shop?” Han Li’s voice remained calm, but inside, he was genuinely startled.

He had heard rumors of such secret shops over the past few years, more or less. If what the scholar said was true, this was indeed a rare opportunity to broaden his horizons.

“It seems Senior has heard of such establishments. Hehe, even better! That saves me a great deal of explanation. In about two or three hours, this particular shop holds its monthly auction. If Senior wishes to attend, you’ll need to decide soon. I can lead the way immediately.” Seeing that Han Li had not shown any aversion to the idea of a secret shop, the scholar felt a surge of private delight, knowing that he had very likely won over this client.

“It’s not too far, is it?” Han Li suddenly asked.

“Not far at all. It’s right here in the market. Has Senior agreed?” The scholar was growing excited. Bringing a promising new customer to this secret shop would earn him a nice commission in spirit stones.

“Lead the way,” Han Li said with a light exhale, his voice turning cold.

“Right this way!” The scholar’s face lit up with joy as he took the lead.

After the scholar led him through a series of twisting turns, they arrived before a dilapidated, solitary little hut. The door was tightly shut, with no markings of any kind—utterly unremarkable.

However, after the scholar lightly tapped the wooden door in a rhythmic pattern, it opened. A woman of about thirty emerged. Her features were plain, and her cultivation was only at the sixth or seventh layer of Qi Condensation—truly unremarkable.

“Madam Zhang, I’ve brought a new guest. He wishes to attend today’s auction as well,” Wang Ziling said hurriedly, stepping aside to reveal Han Li before the woman could speak.

Upon hearing that he had brought a guest, Madam Zhang did not look pleased. Instead, she frowned slightly, as if somewhat reluctant. But then she saw clearly that the guest was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and her expression shifted, a faint smile appearing. “This guest is more like it—a Foundation Establishment senior. Not like the riffraff you’ve brought in before. Please, Senior, come in.” Despite her low cultivation, she showed no particular reverence toward Han Li, treating him like an ordinary visitor.

“Senior, I can only escort you this far. I shall take my leave now!” The scholar’s face reddened slightly at the woman’s blunt words, and he hurriedly bid Han Li farewell before vanishing.

Han Li glanced briefly at the scholar’s retreating figure, then, as the woman stepped aside, entered the hut.

Inside, the room was cluttered with various low-quality alchemy and tool-refining materials, giving the appearance of a common raw material shop.

As Han Li was carefully observing his surroundings, the woman, who had closed the door again, spoke with a solemn expression. “Sir, please follow me.”

With that, she walked to a corner of the room, reached down, and pressed her hand against the floor. A flash of yellow light, and a large hole split open in the ground. She called out to Han Li, then descended first down the stairs.

Han Li hesitated for a moment. After a brief pause of deliberation, he still walked to the entrance of the tunnel and cautiously followed her down. Naturally, he maintained his vigilance.

The tunnel was short. After walking about ten or so zhang, they arrived at an unremarkable stone door. Flanking the door were two men in black robes, each wearing a ferocious ghost mask.

Han Li cast a light glance over them, and his expression immediately grew serious. These two were Foundation Establishment cultivators just like him, and one of them appeared to be at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. This discovery sent a chill through his heart, filling him with a deep wariness of this secret shop’s strength.

The woman, however, acted as if the two black-robed men did not exist. She simply pushed open the stone door and stepped inside, with Han Li following. The two men remained motionless, offering no obstruction.

The moment he entered, Han Li was taken aback. A splendidly decorated大厅 appeared before him.

A crimson woolen carpet, pure white jade walls, and high-hanging palace lanterns—everything exuded an air of great wealth and nobility, as if from the mortal world. It seemed the owner of this establishment was quite an interesting character.

The hall was elliptical, several dozen zhang in diameter. Seven or eight rows of wooden chairs were arranged inside, occupied by dozens of cultivators of various appearances. Across from them sat a lone empty table, and a short distance from the table were three sandalwood chairs.

As Han Li and the woman entered, the seated cultivators all turned to look at him.

As those gazes swept over him, Han Li broke out in a cold sweat, his expression shifting drastically. The majority of these people are Foundation Establishment cultivators! Only then did he understand why the woman at his side had shown him no particular reverence. Here, he was merely a common member of the crowd.

“You’ve arrived just in time. The auction is about to begin. This humble woman will not accompany you further; I must return upstairs to attend to matters.” Having said this, the woman left him standing there and departed on her own.

With no other choice, Han Li swept his gaze across the many cultivators in the hall before silently finding a relatively secluded corner to sit down.

He had already noticed that, like him, the cultivators here were using masks, bamboo hats, and other methods to conceal their true identities. It seemed no one was foolish enough to risk being recognized.

Although the hall was not empty, everyone remained silent. The atmosphere was stifling, with a thin thread of tension hanging in the air.

Han Li, seeing this, remained perfectly still. Aside from idly speculating to himself whether any familiar faces might be present, he focused his attention on a wooden door behind the long table across the room. It seemed the host was preparing behind it.

After sitting silently for a full two or three hours, the wooden door behind the table finally opened. Three figures walked out.

Their attire was identical to the two black-robed men guarding the stone door, revealing nothing about who among them was the master.

They stood in a line behind the long table. The man on the right spoke first, his voice low and hoarse. “Welcome, fellow Daoists of the cultivation world, to our shop’s auction. Our guests today include both old customers and first-time participants. That makes no difference to us—we treat everyone equally.”

As soon as the man on the right finished, the man on the left immediately continued. “The rules for today’s auction remain the same. We will announce a base price in spirit stones, and you will bid. If you do not have enough spirit stones on hand, you may use equivalent items as collateral. The three of us will jointly assess their value. In short, the highest bidder wins the item.” This man’s voice was the complete opposite of the first—shrill and piercing, grating to the ear. He was most likely using a disguised voice.

“Finally, after our shop’s items have been auctioned, there will be a free trading period. If anyone has items to exchange or sell, they may come forward and conduct their own transactions. We will not interfere in the slightest, merely providing the venue. That will be all. Let the auction begin.”

The man in the middle spoke with a deep, resonant voice that carried clearly through the entire hall.

With those words, the three men stepped aside, yielding the space behind the table, and took their seats on the three sandalwood chairs. At the same time, a tall, gaunt middle-aged man with a shrewd look on his face emerged from the wooden doorway.

This man walked behind the table, cleared his throat a couple of times, and then began to speak. “For today’s auction, I will be the host. We will begin with a top-grade magical tool: the Blazing Cloud Sword. This item...”