The Auction Ends, The Stakes Rise

After waiting a while longer, the black-haired girl took a more careful look at the two, Immortal Ugly East and Shaoyan Xiushui, before announcing in a loud voice, “Very well. Five million jin of Primordial Liquid. The Peacock Plume belongs to Daolord Ji Ning!”

With this declaration, the fate of the Peacock Plume was finally settled.

Shaoyan Xiushui let out a long breath.

He had hesitated just now, but reason had made him hold back.

Woodstream Immortal, who sat beside him, glanced at Shaoyan Xiushui, then picked up his wine cup and took a sip.

“Father, why didn’t you buy it?” Shaoyan Jun could not help but ask. “The Peacock Plume is of great use to you in your tribulation. Besides, this Ji Ning was deliberately competing with us. Whether it’s to vent our anger or to help you through your tribulation, you should have bought it.”

“You understand nothing. Five million jin of Primordial Liquid… do you know how much that is?” Shaoyan Xiushui looked at his son.

Shaoyan Jun was startled.

His status in the clan was far inferior to that of ‘Shaoyan Nong.’ Whether it was two million jin or five million jin, both were numbers far beyond his reach.

“With that much Primordial Liquid, I could buy a decent Immortal-ranked magic treasure,” Shaoyan Xiushui said. “There are many types of Immortal-ranked treasures that can help one survive the tribulation. Why must it be the Peacock Plume? Exceeding five million jin would not be worth it. That amount of wealth could affect my entire path of immortality. I cannot recklessly bid out of spite.”

Shaoyan Jun nodded obediently.

“This Ji Ning is also a fool,” Shaoyan Xiushui said coldly. “What use does a mere Wanxiang Adept have for the Peacock Plume?”

“If we kill Ji Ning, the Peacock Plume will still be ours,” Shaoyan Jun said, his eyes filled with eagerness.

“Who will do the killing?” Shaoyan Xiushui shook his head. “That is not for you to worry about.”

……

“Five million jin of Primordial Liquid.” Immortal Ugly East also shook his head. “That Wanxiang Adept brat really is quite mad.”

……

“Five million jin… my little brother truly is… remarkable.” Xiyue Commandery Princess looked from afar at Ji Ning, a smile on her face.

……

“Hmph. Even if you got the Peacock Plume, it won’t help your combat strength at all. Once you leave the Heavenly Treasures Mountain, that will be the moment of your death.” Floating Cloud Immortal sat there drinking in silence, watching from afar.

……

Ji Ning, however, was thrilled.

He had obtained it!

The Peacock Plume was in his hands. Screw Immortal-ranked treasures and other exotic curiosities! What his Primaltwin needed most was a large number of flying swords, while his true body walked the Fiendgod Body Refining path. For him, divine abilities were the most important!

“With this, the second and third stages of the Starseizing Hand divine ability will no longer be a problem,” Ji Ning thought, feeling extremely pleased.

Time passed.

Because there were over a thousand treasures in total, the Treasure Competition Assembly lasted an entire day. However, Ji Ning left after about three hours of the assembly, because it was during the third hour that the ‘Green Thread Divine Fire Lamp’ had been put up.

The Green Thread Divine Fire Lamp was an Immortal-ranked magic treasure.

Moreover, it was a finished product.

Immediately, a stir arose. The Green Thread Divine Fire Lamp was unlike the Peacock Plume; there were fewer people who needed the plume. Far more people wanted the lamp… because the Green Thread Divine Fire Lamp could nurture ‘Heavenly Fire’ up to the first grade. Although using it consumed a great deal and it required a long time to slowly recover, once it recovered, it could be used again.

It could be used again and again!

However, because each time the Green Thread Divine Fire Lamp absorbed the power of Heaven and Earth to recover, it took time, no major tribe or clan would ever complain about having too many of these lamps.

The starting bid was three million jin of Primordial Liquid, and the price quickly soared! It was finally bought at four million nine hundred thousand jin.

Immortal-ranked treasures like the Green Thread Divine Fire Lamp were relatively common, so their price was relatively stable; the rise was not too outrageous.

……

“He’s left?” Floating Cloud Immortal saw Ji Ning leave and frowned. He immediately began to depart as well.

Soon.

Floating Cloud Daoist arrived on the streets outside the Heavenly Treasures Mountain headquarters. It was early morning, and the Golden Crow had just risen, casting rays of light in all directions.

“Senior.” As soon as Floating Cloud Immortal came out, one of the Shaoyan clansmen who had been waiting nearby immediately approached him.

“Ji Ning should be out soon. Keep watch inside the Heavenly Treasures Mountain and report to me at any time,” Floating Cloud Immortal ordered. He then waited silently. He was waiting for the final battle of his life. This time, he would do everything in his power to kill a peerless genius, a Wanxiang Adept, within the Grand Xia Imperial Capital.

……

“He’s gone?” Xiyue Commandery Princess saw Ji Ning leave the assembly and immediately stood up. A trace of anxiety appeared in her eyes; she could feel her heartbeat quicken. She immediately said to the Greenwillow Immortal beside her, “Greenwillow, please arrange things for me. I want to meet Ji Ning in private.”

“Meet Ji Ning?” Greenwillow Immortal was startled, then nodded. “I’ll arrange it right away.”

“Thank you.” Xiyue Commandery Princess had not been this nervous while watching Ji Ning earlier, but now that she thought of meeting him, she became extremely tense.

“Whoosh.”

Xiyue Commandery Princess let out a long breath and silently said to herself, “Little brother, we’re about to meet soon.”

Xiyue Commandery Princess also left the assembly.

In fact, the Treasure Competition Assembly lasted an entire day, so people were constantly coming and going.

……

Ji Ning paid the remaining Primordial Liquid and received both the formation diagram and the Peacock Plume.

“Daolord Ji Ning, if you have any other treasures in the future, you are welcome to sell them to the Heavenly Treasures Mountain. Whether it is a direct sale or at a Treasure Competition Assembly.” The white-robed, bald woman Yichen smiled.

“Treasures don’t just fall from the sky,” Ji Ning said with a sigh. “I’ve already given you my Green Thread Divine Fire Lamp.”

Yichen smiled and withdrew.

Ji Ning, the Whitewater Hound, and Qingqing all looked at the purple-robed Yu Qi.

“Daolord Yu Qi, I would like to buy some flying swords,” Ji Ning said.

“Flying swords?” Yu Qi was immediately delighted. He knew that Ji Ning still had over two hundred thousand jin of Primordial Liquid on him, making him a major customer. He quickly said, “What kind of flying swords do you want? Go ahead and say it. We have precious flying swords refined by Celestial Immortals, and even flying swords containing powerful formations.”

Ji Ning shook his head. “Standard-issue flying swords will do.”

“Standard-issue…” Yu Qi’s face stiffened. Standard-issue flying swords had the lowest profit margins, since Ji Ning could buy them at a forty percent discount.

“I need seven hundred and twenty top-grade Heaven-ranked flying swords,” Ji Ning said.

Yu Qi’s facial muscles twitched. My god, Heaven-ranked flying swords? Seven hundred and twenty? Was he joking? Many Loose Immortals and Earth Immortals only used Heaven-ranked magic treasures, and usually just a few powerful ones. Even those who pursued quantity would consider a few dozen Heaven-ranked treasures to be impressive.

Seven hundred and twenty Heaven-ranked treasures?

Just the sheer number would be terrifying, but the price was equally astronomical.

“Daolord Ji Ning, are you sure about seven hundred and twenty? Can you afford it?” Yu Qi could not help but ask. “Top-grade Heaven-ranked flying swords generally cost ten thousand jin of Primordial Liquid each. Seven hundred and twenty would be over seven million jin of Primordial Liquid!”

Ji Ning frowned.

Alas.

He had just felt wealthy, but thinking about buying over seven hundred Heaven-ranked flying swords made his heart ache.

“Bring me the catalogue of standard-issue Heaven-ranked flying swords,” Ji Ning said.

“Fine. Follow me.” Yu Qi quickly said. For Ji Ning, the Heavenly Treasures Mountain’s standard-issue treasures were purchased at a forty percent discount and sold at a forty percent discount. On paper, they made no profit. However, in reality, these standard-issue treasures were mass-produced by the Grand Xia royal clan behind the Heavenly Treasures Mountain. The production cost was actually much less than forty percent—maybe thirty or twenty percent.

The public policy of buying at forty percent and selling at forty percent was just to attract more customers. After all, cultivators who bought life-saving treasures rarely sold them again.

So even for standard-issue treasures, Yu Qi could still get a decent bonus from selling seven hundred and twenty Heaven-ranked flying swords.

……

Ji Ning sat beneath a pavilion, watching the rising morning sun. He was in a very good mood. He had no idea that on the streets outside, a Loose Immortal named ‘Floating Cloud Immortal’ was waiting bitterly.

“This is the summary of standard-issue Heaven-ranked flying swords.” Yu Qi handed Ji Ning a thick leather-bound book.

Ji Ning opened it and read.

The Whitewater Hound and Qingqing helped look as well.

Standard-issue flying swords were relatively cheap because they only met the basic standards of sharpness and toughness; other aspects were quite poor.

“Low-grade Heaven-ranked flying swords, one thousand jin of Primordial Liquid each? With a forty percent discount, that’s only six hundred jin.” Ji Ning muttered as he read. “Mid-grade is more expensive, three thousand jin each.”

There were nearly a hundred types of low-grade Heaven-ranked flying swords.

Nearly two hundred types of mid-grade Heaven-ranked flying swords.

Top-grade Heaven-ranked flying swords were far fewer, only eighteen types.

As for supreme-grade Heaven-ranked flying swords? Standard-issue flying swords did not include supreme-grade. Top-grade was already the limit for standard-issue.

“Top-grade Heaven-ranked are all around ten thousand jin each.” Ji Ning frowned. What should he do?

These flying swords were for his Primaltwin. The ‘Lesser Thousand Sword Formation’ grew more powerful with higher-quality swords and a greater number. However, controlling a large number of flying swords placed a heavy burden on one’s divine sense. Over the past year or more in the aquatic manor, his soul had improved tremendously, especially his Primaltwin, which was nourished by the Primal and the Nuwa Visualization Technique.

Now, he could fully control seven hundred and twenty-nine Earth-ranked flying swords.

If he switched to Heaven-ranked flying swords?

He estimated that he would not be able to control too many for a short time.

“One hundred and ninety-eight of these Crimson Sun Swords!” Ji Ning pointed at the catalogue, “and one hundred and ninety-eight of these Azure Firmament Swords!”

“Crimson Sun Swords are eleven thousand jin each, and Azure Firmament Swords are nine thousand jin each.” Yu Qi smiled beside him. “Altogether, that’s three million nine hundred and sixty thousand jin of Primordial Liquid. At a forty percent discount, it’s two million three hundred and seventy-six thousand jin.”

Ji Ning felt helpless.

After factoring in all expenses, his previous two million six hundred thousand jin of Primordial Liquid would be completely used up, and he would still be a bit short. Moreover, his Primaltwin still needed Primordial Liquid for cultivation.

“Fine!” Ji Ning waved his hand, and the Black Dragon carriage appeared on the ground beside him.

“Sell this carriage to your Heavenly Treasures Mountain,” Ji Ning said boldly.

……

This Black Dragon puppet possessed combat power at the Primal Daoist level. Shaoyan Nong had frequently ridden it in the Imperial Capital, so its value was naturally considerable. In the end, Ji Ning obtained three hundred and ninety-six top-grade Heaven-ranked flying swords and an additional one hundred and twenty thousand jin of Primordial Liquid.

“Daolord Ji Ning, there is one more matter.” Yu Qi, who had just completed the transaction, said with a beaming smile, “Xiyue Commandery Princess wishes to meet with you.”

“The Commandery Princess wants to see me?” Ji Ning was taken aback.