Chapter Ten: The Grand Auction
Here’s a good book recommendation: “Record of Cultivating Truth Against the Heavens.”
Tang Yi had received numerous invitations, so he shambled back to his secluded residence in tattered clothes, already planning his journey in his mind. He intended to visit every sect and family, but only after the Talent Selection Conference concluded. Rumor had it that a three-day auction would soon be held; now that he had spirit stones, he could afford to indulge a little. Still, the most pressing concern was to find a way to improve his own strength.
After the martial contest, Tang Yi had discovered a serious problem—he was utterly incapable of prolonged combat. His superpowers were impressive, but he simply couldn’t sustain them. It was as though he owned a multitude of appliances, but his supply of electricity was woefully inadequate; having appliances was no better than having none at all. Thus, his first priority was to resolve the issue of energy.
For the next three days, Tang Yi persistently sought a solution to his energy deficiency.
“Tang, it’s time for dinner. Stop tinkering and eat first!” Zhang Qiang called from outside the room.
“Ah! Another failure. Well, nothing is more important than eating. Let’s eat!” Tang Yi’s experiment ended in disappointment once again.
After the meal, Tang Yi decided to consult Old Lu for advice.
“Old Lu, that’s the situation. Do you have any suggestions?” Tang Yi asked.
“To be honest, I’ve never encountered such a thing myself. But you could cultivate other techniques. With your perception, Tang, you should soon reach the same realm as us,” Old Lu said, trying to placate him.
“Stop, Old Lu, don’t try to placate me. I’m not joining any sect or family for now. Even if I were a prodigy, starting from scratch would take hundreds of years. If I solve this problem, I’ll save myself centuries of cultivation—and make a fortune in spirit stones, top-grade ones at that,” Tang Yi replied, having heard Old Lu’s platitudes more than once.
“Alright, let’s leave it at that. Don’t be too anxious; every problem has its solution. Let’s talk about something else. By the way, you mentioned superpowers before—our Divine Sword Sect’s Lin Jiang has one as well. But I still don’t know what his superpower is, and I’m curious. How about you tell me?” Old Lu shifted the conversation to his long-held curiosity.
“Alright. I’m curious too, since Lin Jiang’s superpower seems to have regressed. Let’s call him here and examine it,” Tang Yi said, treating Lin Jiang as a guinea pig.
Old Lu summoned Lin Jiang, who entered the room. “Lin Jiang greets the sect master and Senior Tang!”
“Call me Tang, or I’ll be upset,” Tang Yi said, annoyed.
“Yes, Senior—Tang!” Lin Jiang corrected himself.
“See? ‘Tang’ sounds so much better. All those ‘senior’ titles just make me feel old,” Tang Yi said, feeling refreshed.
“Have a seat,” Old Lu gestured for Lin Jiang to sit opposite him.
Tang Yi closed his eyes and entered his consciousness, carefully observing the source of Lin Jiang’s superpower. After comparison, he confirmed that Lin Jiang’s ability was ice-water. In its early stages, it could generate extreme cold and instantly freeze objects, causing them to shatter. Upon upgrading, it would allow his body to liquefy, making him immune to physical attacks.
“Let me ask you, when you were emotionally agitated, did you ever freeze things—living or dead?” Tang Yi questioned.
Lin Jiang’s shoulders visibly trembled at the question. After some awkward silence, he finally spoke: “When I was a child, I was playing outside and got chased by a vicious dog. At seven, I couldn’t outrun it. The beast bit my hem, and I was terrified. Desperate to escape, I pressed my hands on its head—and suddenly, the dog froze. I pushed it away, and it shattered into pieces. When I told my family, they thought I was possessed and decided to send me to cultivate. Though cultivators usually part from their families, they wanted me healed. During testing, it turned out I had an innate water affinity.”
“What technique are you cultivating now?”
“Because of my innate water affinity, the sect master had me learn the Azure Water Sword Technique.”
“Did you notice anything different from others during cultivation?” Tang Yi wanted to understand how superpowers affected cultivation.
“Different? Yes. My master said that once, I lost focus during training and nearly suffered qi deviation. My emotions were erratic, but the power of the Azure Water Sword Technique surged, accompanied by intense cold. That cold calmed me, preventing disaster. Since then, my sword energy always carries that chill.”
“Oh, I see! Wait—of course! Haha, I’ve got it!” Tang Yi leapt up in excitement and dashed out, leaving Old Lu and Lin Jiang bewildered. Suddenly, Tang Yi bounded back, startling them.
“By the way, Lin Jiang, I suggest you consciously train your chill—it’ll benefit you,” Tang Yi said, and with a gust of wind, vanished, leaving Old Lu and Lin Jiang disheveled.
Listening to Lin Jiang, Tang Yi realized that superpowers could be integrated into cultivation techniques, so the reverse should also be true. Cultivation techniques and superpowers were essentially variations of the same principle—different methods, similar results. If this theory held, then spiritual power could be used as energy for superpowers. All he needed was to discover how to channel spiritual power to fuel his abilities, thus overcoming their limitations. For cultivators, spiritual power was foundational and plentiful, increasing with their realm.
But how to implement this solution was up to Tang Yi. For now, he needed to increase his spiritual power, so he returned to his room.
Three days later, the auction began. In those three days, aside from eating, sleeping, and chatting with Old Lu over tea to learn about cultivation, Tang Yi focused on solving his energy issue. Though he hadn’t found a method yet, he had replenished his spiritual power to the brim. Remarkably, despite being at the late Qi Refinement stage, he had the spiritual capacity of a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator, having absorbed nearly a hundred top-grade spirit stones.
Tang Yi arrived at the auction, which, being a spontaneous event, was held in the martial arena rather than a dedicated venue. Seated in the VIP section, he was constantly greeted by others, greatly satisfying his vanity—he grinned from ear to ear.
Today, Tang Yi’s main goal was to help Zhang Qiang acquire a decent technique. The one bought from Wu’s General Store was merely a beginner’s method for Qi Refinement, not true cultivation. Having brought Zhang Qiang into the world of cultivation, he had to provide him with a means of self-preservation. Tang Yi’s mindset was shifting, but he remained compassionate.
The auction commenced, with Old Lu appearing on the platform. “Fellow Daoists, since this auction is an impromptu affair, the procedure is: item owners will introduce their goods and set the price themselves. For fairness, please draw numbers at the left platform to determine the order.”
After the numbers were drawn, the order was set. “Now, would item owner number one please come forward.” Old Lu returned to the stands, sitting beside Tang Yi.
The first seller, a middle-aged man, stepped onto the stage. “I am Qin Li. The item for auction is the Silver Radiant Profound Sword, a low-grade spiritual weapon, forged from refined iron, steel, and secret silver by the legendary craftsman Hu Geng. The starting price is three hundred top-grade spirit stones.”
“Three hundred fifty top-grade spirit stones!”
“Four hundred top-grade spirit stones!”
“Five hundred top-grade spirit stones!”
“Five hundred fifty top-grade spirit stones!”
“Six hundred top-grade spirit stones!”
“I bid six hundred ninety-nine top-grade spirit stones!” cried a man in luxurious robes.
...
Finally, no one raised the bid further.
“Very well, the Silver Radiant Profound Sword goes to this Daoist,” Qin Li confirmed, completing the transaction on stage.
Next, the second seller offered a medicinal herb: the Millennium Duqin Flower, used to refine Strengthening Divine Pills to enhance mental cultivation. Opening at five thousand mid-grade spirit stones, it ultimately sold for thirty thousand.
By day’s end, thirty items had been auctioned—weaponry, herbs, pills, materials—but no techniques. Of course, good techniques were rarely sold; those offered were generally mediocre.
Tang Yi felt somewhat disappointed, but there were still two days left—he hoped for better luck.
On the second day, the auction continued. At last, someone offered a technique.
“This method is of the Profound lineage, discovered by one of our sect’s ancestors during a journey to an ancient cultivator’s cave. As our sect never found a suitable candidate, we are auctioning it for fate to decide its owner, contributing to the cultivation world.” The seller explained that the Profound method could be cultivated directly to the Tribulation Crossing stage. Although only to that stage, it was still rare, since practitioners of Lightning, Yin, Yang, and Profound lineages were few, making such techniques scarce.
“The starting price is three hundred top-grade spirit stones.”
“Three hundred thirty top-grade spirit stones!”
“Three hundred fifty top-grade spirit stones!”
“Three hundred eighty top-grade spirit stones!”
...
Practitioners of the Profound lineage were indeed rare; the bidding was limited to a handful.
“Six hundred top-grade spirit stones!” Tang Yi counted his stones and bid.
“Tang, are you going to cultivate the Profound method? Same as me?” Zhang Qiang asked.
“Fool! This is for you!” Tang Yi laughed.
“But I already have one,” Zhang Qiang said, confused.
“Yours is just a basic method for Qi Refinement—it doesn't qualify as a true cultivation technique. The one being auctioned is the real deal, suitable for immortality and ascension.” Tang Yi explained, then handed Zhang Qiang the “Beginner’s Cultivation Guide,” saying, “Read this when you have time. It’s edited by Divine Sword Sect Master Lu Changsheng, specifically for newcomers.”
“Six hundred thirty top-grade spirit stones!” someone else bid.
“Damn it, I must have this Profound method!” Tang Yi, hearing the bid, exploded, shouting, “Eight hundred eighty-eight top-grade spirit stones, eight hundred eighty-eight mid-grade spirit stones, eight hundred eighty-eight low-grade spirit stones!”
...The entire hall fell silent...
“No more bids? Then it’s mine!” Tang Yi unceremoniously flew to the stage, tossed a storage pouch with the exact number of spirit stones to the seller, snatched the book, and returned to his seat with a swagger.
The seller was left stunned—he’d never seen such aggressive buying... but after counting the stones, he accepted it as a high price.
“Uh...” Old Lu started to say something, but decided there was nothing else to add. “Let’s continue. Next item.”
Tang Yi’s worry was resolved, and he lost interest in the afternoon auction, turning again to his energy problem. Zhang Qiang, meanwhile, earnestly studied the cultivation guide.
The next morning, Tang Yi, unable to find a solution, headed to the clearing on Talent Selection Peak, seeking inspiration.
“In theory, spiritual power, physical strength, mental energy, and calories are all forms of energy—they should be convertible. But how exactly? Let me think... conversion... Haha, of course, I have this superpower myself! Let’s try it.” Tang Yi wandered the edge of Talent Selection Peak, gazing at the misty sky and muttering to himself.
Ten minutes later, Tang Yi was stomping his feet. “Damn, converting like this would only get me killed. Wait, aren’t superpowers supposed to upgrade? If they upgrade, the conversion speed should increase. Ideally, the superpower would become automatic, so whenever I use it, spiritual power would convert to physical energy. That would be perfect. Haha... I’m a genius.”
Two hours later, Tang Yi was stomping again. “Damn it, I’ve spent days on this; my food stores are gone, and this stupid energy conversion is useless. Even upgraded, it’s slower than a turtle... Wait, reverse thinking—they say ballpoint pens came about this way. Reverse thinking, reverse thinking... I’ve got it, I’m such a pig; such a simple problem, only now I realize the solution. I ought to bash my head on some tofu and call it quits.” At last, Tang Yi had found a solution to his superpower energy issue.