Chapter 89
Translator: penny
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Excursion (5)
'Of all people, Nascent Soul old monsters whose cultivation has stagnated had to butt in.'
Cultivators stuck at a bottleneck in their realm will try anything to break through. It looks like those two Nascent Soul old freaks intend to solve their problem by purifying their spirit power.
Since they've even staked their reputations on it, they've probably exhausted every other method and are now clinging to spirit power purity...
'This means they won't back down easily.'
Even if I bid extra for the Sun-Moon Star Alignment Great Harmony Scripture, I'd probably get ambushed and robbed right after the auction ends.
"That technique is definitely going to one of those two old freaks."
Pyeong Yu-ran nodded in agreement with my words.
"Fastest case, right after this deal wraps up. Latest, right after the entire auction ends—they'll definitely clash then."
"Exactly... Can we snatch it?"
Sorry, but we're in a pretty tough spot ourselves with the spirit power purity issue. Now that a potential solution has appeared, I had no intention of meekly handing it over just because a couple of Nascent Soul Perfected experts were interfering.
"It'd be nice if they fought each other to death."
"With Nascent Soul Perfected bigshots eyeing it, the other folks around will probably go after that technique too... So playing the fisherman catching both won't be easy."
"If we want it, we'll have to work for it."
I turned to the courtesan.
"Can you tell me about those two cultivators?"
"Ah, no. Guest information is confidential."
That means she does know it.
Until now, she'd been diligently keeping silent no matter what we said, but her quick response showed she was well-trained.
I glanced at my women for a moment, then stood from my seat and gently backed the courtesan against the wall.
I propped my arm next to her face to block any escape, then brought my face close to hers.
"Eek... Ah, ahh...!"
As my face drew near, the courtesan's eyes widened and her face flushed bright red, like it might burst.
I pressed my body snugly against hers and lightly caressed her as I spoke.
"You really can't tell me?"
"Eek... Ah... Th-that's..."
I smoothly extracted information on the two Nascent Soul cultivators, then returned to my chair and relayed what I'd heard to the others.
For reference, as a token of gratitude, she gave me a light peck on the cheek—and promptly fainted, unable to handle it.
"...What do we do about her?"
"Doesn't that mean all your charm is used up from now on?"
"Well... A Nascent Soul expert could probably shrug it off."
Ignoring the women murmuring pityingly at the courtesan, I organized the info she'd given me and observed the two Nascent Soul Perfected cultivators.
Perhaps because overexerting here would draw the auction host's intervention, they weren't trading blows beyond pressuring their surroundings—they were just bickering verbally.
The old man who'd first invoked face to scare off the others was named Gong Ga-jin.
He was a Nascent Soul Perfected cultivator serving as a guest elder for multiple sects.
If a sect is powerful, even a guest elder is treated like a regular elder at best—a slightly favored guest. That's because many such guests seek the sect's backing.
But if the sect is weak, that's what happens.
Someone like Gong Ga-jin, nominally a guest elder but lingering without contributing while leeching off sect resources, turns into a parasite.
Since the sect can't handle or defeat such a powerful parasite, they can only helplessly let it drain them while praying it leaves someday.
Mountain hermit Gong Ga-jin must have amassed wealth unattainable for ordinary mountain hermits by serving as guest elder in multiple sects that way.
He wielded the mighty dharma treasure Heavenly Sword Formation and the powerful sword divine ability Serial Sword Piercing. He had a strong obsession with extending his lifespan.
Thus, in pursuit of all sorts of heavenly treasures and earthly boons to prolong his life, he'd lived 1,200 years despite being at Nascent Soul.
Next, the woman clashing with him was Gyeol Ja-yeon.
A perfect male-female pair—ideally, they'd skip the bickering, one grabs the jade slip, and they dual cultivate together... But the reason they don't is pure mutual distrust.
Dual cultivation techniques allow the partner to interfere with your internal spirit power, carrying great risk.
Thus, those who dual cultivate typically share immense trust or one side holds overwhelmingly superior power, preventing any tricks.
As fellow Nascent Soul Perfected cultivators who've clashed multiple times over similar heavenly treasures or fortuitous encounters, there's no way these two trust each other enough for dual cultivation. Hence their current standoff.
'If they clash... Gyeol Ja-yeon has the edge.'
Gyeol Ja-yeon was a Nascent Soul Perfected cultivator who'd reached 800 years old, having attained the realm far earlier than Gong Ga-jin with superior talent.
A 1,200-year-old stagnated Nascent Soul old freak was fearsome enough, but one who'd reached perfection faster was even scarier.
Plus, according to the courtesan, Gyeol Ja-yeon possessed an extremely powerful innate divine ability and excelled in escape arts—so no cultivator below Nascent Soul could ever flee her.
Five fellow Nascent Soul Perfected cultivators had died by her hand, underscoring her danger.
In the end, the Sun-Moon Star Alignment Great Harmony Scripture went to Gong Ga-jin. Gyeol Ja-yeon, not having leeched off sects like a parasite, apparently lacked the funds.
With the scripture as the turning point, precious treasures began appearing in the auction house.
Had Gong Ga-jin left immediately after securing the technique, we'd have played it safe and exited too. But since he seemed intent on staying until the end, we focused quietly on the auction.
"This is a pill made from seven-layered lotus leaves grown on spirit crystals' primal energy! For water-affinity cultivators, consuming it boosts cultivation equivalent to 30 years of training!"
"Oh. Hyang Mae, want it?"
"...!"
"Already hooked."
Several pills usable by Core Formation or Nascent Soul cultivators appeared, so I bought two for Hyang Mae and A-han. I also snagged a dharma treasure shaped like a five-spoked dharma wheel of fire precepts.
This Microcosm Sumeru Dharma Wheel, true to its name, created a tiny Sumeru space the size of a small bowl.
Pills plus a Sumeru space dharma treasure. Both rarities cost a fortune.
Money's a pain to earn but vanishes in a flash. Especially considering ours came from decades of High Heaven Sect stipends.
'Guess I should take on some sect missions going forward. Excursions like this need serious cash.'
Not excursions per se, but buying fortuitous encounters at auctions—same difference.
"How much left?"
"220 superior spirit stones."
Just three items had burned through nearly a third of our 350-stone stash.
'Auction markup over true value, too.'
Dropping over 100 superior spirit stones at once drew stares toward our room.
Some second-floor guests had competed for the same items, and they now radiated overt hostility our way.
'Perfect.'
If they planned to rob us, we'd use them gratefully. Let them all swarm Gong Ga-jin and Gyeol Ja-yeon together.
I ordered more drinks and snacks, then eyed the continuing auction items.
More tantalizing treasures followed.
But tempting as they were, jumping into bids felt iffy, so I'd call once or twice and pass if we lost. I focused mainly on claiming the Microcosm Sumeru Dharma Wheel.
By the time I completed ownership rites for the dharma wheel, the auction host emerged to introduce the final treasure.
"The treasure crowning this auction is a feather from the Qi Baek-ran. As you know, that extinct bird from thousands of years ago."
"Qi Baek-ran?"
Not knowing the name, I turned, but the others shook their heads too, unfamiliar with it.
Yet plenty of auction guests seemed to know.
"Qi Baek-ran! That Qi Baek-ran?"
"No way...!"
"They say using that makes the world's fastest flying dharma treasure!"
"Waste a Qi Baek-ran feather on a flight treasure?! Are you insane?!"
"Even without wind spiritual root, absorbing the feather lets any cultivator, no matter how untalented, reach Nascent Soul!"
"Without wind root, you only absorb half its power! Better to make a flight treasure for escaping any danger! The wind-controlling, wind-creating Qi Baek-ran reads heavenly mechanisms too—you could stroll out of even the mightiest formations or prohibitions!"
"Absorbing its power lets you use wind escape arts even without wind root, right?"
The auction hadn't even started, but cultivators clamored, spilling what they knew about the Qi Baek-ran.
Noticing something odd, I watched closely and realized they shouted only when their voices carried clearly and distinctly to everyone.
"Shills."
"Huh?"
"Dunno what a Qi Baek-ran is, but it's rarer than what we could easily access in High Heaven Sect. Even if mountain hermits snag unique info often, would that many know about it?"
The host must've planted shills beforehand or asked friendly guests to hype the Qi Baek-ran feather and stoke bidding frenzy.
I explained as I looked at A-han.
Unlike her usual calm composure, A-han hadn't taken her eyes off the feather since it appeared.
As a wind spiritual root cultivator, did she feel drawn to it? She kept unconsciously reaching out toward it, then catching herself.
But in the end, A-han silently lowered her hand and sat back down.
"...!"
I watched her, thought for a moment, then signaled Hyang Mae with my eyes. She glanced at A-han and nodded.
Pyeong Yu-ran nodded too, saying it was fine.
Especially after bonding with A-han over the past half-year of training, Pyeong Yu-ran pitied her—we three all knew A-han pretended not to care while fretting over her own talent.
If the shills weren't exaggerating and the Qi Baek-ran feather's effects were real, it'd be a huge boon for A-han.
But snagging it wouldn't be easy.
Gyeol Ja-yeon, who'd lost the scripture to Gong Ga-jin earlier, and other cultivators showed far stronger desire now.
"Qi Baek-ran feather. Starting bid: 100 superior. Let's begin."
"120!"
"130!!"
"133!"
"140!"
Prices rocketed as if by prior agreement.
I listened quietly, then spoke.
"200."
My sudden jump silenced the auction house.
Then, a chilling aura swept over our room.