The first item at the auction was a pill that could instantly boost a cultivator's combat power by fifty percent.
It was incredibly practical when facing insurmountable dangers, capable of saving a life at a critical moment.
Despite having some side effects after its efficacy wore off, it still sparked a fierce bidding war among all the attending cultivators.
The starting bid of 100 spirit stones was quickly driven up to 800 before being secured by a young master from a prominent family.
Xiao Fei had bid a few times, but he stopped when the price reached 300. His personal supply of spirit stones was limited, unlike these scions of wealthy families. He could only focus his resources on acquiring one or two desired items.
Each subsequent item was a rare treasure, seldom seen in ordinary times, with no single item starting below 500 spirit stones.
Outside, a common low-grade magical artifact cost only thirty to fifty spirit stones, while a mid-grade artifact typically cost just over a hundred.
However, it was like the difference between someone spending a mere penny on a meal and another spending tens of spirit stones – they were simply not operating in the same economic sphere.
It wasn't until the auction was nearly halfway through that the auctioneer presented a large saber, over three feet long.
Xiao Fei's eyes lit up. This was one of the magical artifacts he had planned to purchase. Its full name was the "Golden Silk Great Ring Saber," a high-grade first-tier artifact.
The saber's spine featured nine large golden rings. When the saber was unleashed, these nine golden rings would fly out to ensnare and impede enemies. Coupled with the saber's unparalleled ferocity, it was a formidable weapon for slaying foes.
"High-grade first-tier magical artifact, the Golden Silk Great Ring Saber. Starting bid: 200 spirit stones. Minimum increment: 10 spirit stones."
"I bid 250!"
"I bid 260!"
As soon as the auctioneer finished speaking, bids began to pour in.
Xiao Fei took a sip of spirit tea to moisten his throat, then shouted,
"I bid 600!"
At this, everyone couldn't help but turn their gaze towards him. While others were bidding in increments of ten or twenty, his sudden jump to 600 was truly attention-grabbing.
"I bid 510."
A cultivator tentatively added ten spirit stones.
"I bid 1000!"
Xiao Fei directly pushed the price from 500 to 1000. When the crowd looked at him, he was still calmly sipping his spirit tea, his true intentions unreadable.
In reality, this price had reached everyone's psychological limit, even exceeding it slightly for some.
There was no point in bidding further.
Thus, everyone abandoned the competition, and Xiao Fei successfully acquired the Golden Silk Great Ring Saber for 1000 spirit stones.
In fact, Xiao Fei had made his bid based on the situation with the previous items, estimating the artifact's value.
He had directly driven the price slightly above everyone's perceived fair value.
In a real auction, however, when people become fully immersed and heated, they often push prices much higher.
The final transaction price frequently exceeds the original psychological limit.
After acquiring this high-grade artifact, Xiao Fei felt much calmer. His previous biggest weakness had been the low grade of his magical artifacts; that had now been rectified.
With over a thousand spirit stones remaining, he would take things as they came. If he could buy something, he would; if not, it wouldn't be a significant issue.
Xiao Fei continued to bid on a few more items during the auction, but he only made token bids, withdrawing when the prices were driven up.
As the auction approached its final few items, everyone's attention was focused on the highly anticipated treasures.
Consequently, there were very few bidders for a flying artifact currently being auctioned, as most showed little interest, saving their spirit stones for the final few items.
This flying artifact was crafted from the wings of a colorful butterfly, named the "Phantom Butterfly."
When activated with spiritual energy, it would manifest a pair of colorful wings on the user's back, granting even Qi Refining cultivators the ability to fly.
However, its drawbacks were also apparent: it consumed spiritual energy quite rapidly and could only sustain flight for a short duration, making it far less attractive than the items to follow.
Furthermore, this artifact was clearly more suited for female cultivators. For a man to have such gaudy wings on his back looked awkward no matter how you viewed it.
Xiao Fei placed a bid of 1200 spirit stones and waited for a long time, but surprisingly, no one else bid.
Flying artifacts were generally rarer than high-grade combat artifacts, and this price was not considered expensive.
Thus, Xiao Fei spent another 1200 spirit stones to purchase this flying artifact.
With this, his remaining two thousand-plus spirit stones were nearly all spent.
Spirit stones were always difficult to earn, yet they flowed away like water.
"The next item is a Wind-Chasing Flying Boat, inscribed with the Wind-Chasing formation, the Levitation formation, and the Spirit Stone Conversion formation.
It can be powered by spiritual energy or spirit stones, saving time and effort, and it flies at high speeds.
Starting bid: 1000 spirit stones!"
Many cultivators who had passed on the Phantom Butterfly had been waiting for this Wind-Chasing Flying Boat. At this moment, they surged forward, bidding enthusiastically.
Ultimately, the flying boat was sold for 2800 spirit stones.
Following this flying boat was a Thunder Spirit Seed, capable of releasing the might of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, which fetched an even higher price of 3500 spirit stones.
An item like this was almost an instant kill against any Qi Refining cultivator.
Even against a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it could deliver a powerful blow.
After the Thunder Spirit Seed came an even more terrifying item: a Talisman Treasure.
This item was both a talisman and a magical treasure.
It was refined from the natal magical treasure of a Golden Core cultivator. Each magical treasure could only yield three Talisman Treasures, and each Talisman Treasure could possess at least ten percent, and at most thirty percent, of the original magical treasure's power.
Such items were exceedingly rare throughout the entire cultivation world, impossible to find by chance.
Talisman Treasures were not only useful for Qi Refining cultivators but also invaluable for Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Foundation Establishment cultivators could leverage them to unleash power far exceeding their own capabilities.
Therefore, the competition for this Talisman Treasure was even more intense, shifting from individual Qi Refining cultivators to the bidding representatives of entire families.
As for the price, it was no longer something cultivators like Xiao Fei could participate in; he could only watch the spectacle.
The price quickly climbed past ten thousand spirit stones.
But this was only the beginning; the price continued to ascend, eventually being purchased by a family cultivator for 36,000 spirit stones.
Participating in this auction made Xiao Fei truly witness the power of family cultivators, further intensifying his desire to join one of the four major sects.
Upon returning to his cave dwelling, he found Huang Feifei repeatedly practicing a spell. Sweat had already soaked through her thin clothes, clinging to her body, yet she remained engrossed in her practice.
For her, the upcoming Dragonfall Abyss mission assessment was even more perilous, potentially a one-way journey with no return.
Since she had embarked on the path of cultivation, there was only the way forward. Joining a sect was an opportunity to leap over the dragon gate, one not to be missed.
"Feifei! Stop for a moment!"
"Young Master! What is it?"
Huang Feifei wiped the sweat from her face and forehead with her sleeve, only then realizing her clothes were completely soaked. She blushed slightly but walked towards Xiao Fei as if nothing had happened.
"The upcoming trip to Dragonfall Abyss will be fraught with danger. I'll give you two magical artifacts for self-defense."
As Xiao Fei spoke, he produced the Phantom Butterfly he had just bought, along with the peach wood sword he had used previously.
"Wow! It's so beautiful! Thank you, Young Master!" Huang Feifei exclaimed, picking up the pair of butterfly wings with delight.
Female cultivators often focused on aesthetics first before understanding the functionality.
"Don't thank me just yet. These were bought with the money from your robes."