Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery
Chapter 716 - 697: Underground Auction

Cultivation Knows No Years.

Three years had passed, and Jiang Ding had been accumulating mana through regular cultivation, studying to increase his foundation in the Immortal Path during classes, and following Yuan to learn and get in touch with the Cultivation Methods of the Nascent Soul Stage, preparing for the future.

Apart from these,

the refining of his Taiqing Flying Sword never ceased; he was now capable of cultivating while simultaneously refining the sword, the two processes not interfering with each other.

This was his Sword of Dao Foundation.

Even if the efficiency was relatively slow, even if he lacked secret techniques, even though advancing to the peak of Nascent Treasure would require more than five hundred years, he could not stop moving forward, placing his hopes in the future.

No matter what, he had to keep going, regardless of what happened.

However, the slow refining of the flying sword also had its advantages, it saved money.

He had originally estimated that he would spend seven hundred million low-grade Spirit Stones in a single year just on the Taiqing Flying Sword, purchasing once a year an item similar to a grade-four supreme material, the number ten Synthetic Gengjin.

Now, in three years, he hadn't even spent that much.

The financial situation, which had been expected to go bankrupt, could now last for several more decades, which was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

Although this kind of saving and thrift was not something he wanted.

To him, spending a lot of money was never the issue.

He could take out loans, he could collect from generous people, he could plan out and gain control over more territories through the Tushan maiden group; all of these could be solutions.

Only cultivation could not be delayed.

...

Tens of thousands of miles away from Great Sun Sword City,

Jiang Ding awoke from standby mode.

There was no surprise, and nothing would happen to someone who buried themselves deep underground and possessed excellent Concealment Spells.

Even coincidences were useless, unthinkable.

He was not a dead man anyway, and could always walk away in advance; there was no cause and effect, gratitude, grudges, sorrow, joy, separations, or reunions that could touch him without his permission.

"Three years have passed quickly..."

Jiang Ding took out an invitation that looked like a sheet of paper from his Storage Jade Pendant.

There was no reaction.

Is it broken?

Jiang Ding was taken aback.

"Oh!"

Upon reflection, he had an epiphany and released the Concealment around him, creating a passageway.

The third-rank top-tier Electromagnetic system magic "Magnetic Concealment Skills" was not just about hiding one's shape and breath; it could also shield information and Spirit Consciousness Messaging, cutting off internal and external communication.

Whir!

The invitation vibrated slightly, receiving some kind of message from the outside world, and lines of text emerged, spreading like thin snakes.

"Great Sun Sword City, Ash Soil Street, shabby wooden shack…"

Jiang Ding pocketed the invitation, concealed himself once again, and flew toward the distance.

It didn't take long before he re-entered the Sword City.

Following the crowd, Jiang Ding took out a cloak with a Concealment Spell on it and put it over his head, wandering around the city and arriving at a rather dilapidated district.

Great Sun Sword City did not have the exaggerated slums intended to destroy the self-esteem of Cultivators under the rule of the Hei Clan, but similar places were still widespread.

Most of those who came and went were Qi Practitioners, engaged in low-paying jobs daily such as Alchemy apprentices, laborers, Spirit Farmers, and Swordsmanship sparring partners.

Gangs, extortion for protection fees, chaotic security and robberies, prostitution, and secretly Cultivators from the Diabolism seeking Divine Souls from corpses, none was missing, all were abundantly present.

It was a case of survival of the fittest and the original sin of the weak.

Upon entering this area, with a sweep of his Divine Sense, three bandit robberies were happening nearby at the same time, one of which was a home invasion, a bandit Cultivator creating zombies, and twenty-nine Cultivators were engaged in theft, jumping off a cliff and the like.

"Life is suffering…"

Jiang Ding let out a soft sigh.

In his state of Concealment, he did nothing, as he had grown accustomed to.

His Divine Sense covered too large an area; in tens of kilometers of the city, something was constantly happening, and it was simply unrealistic to handle every single issue.

These matters were as omnipresent as breathing.

With no ability to lead and order, it was impossible to put an end to them; to remove one only for another to spawn, endlessly and without conclusion.

In the face of such a situation,

he only acted heroically when necessary, and anything more was beyond his abilities and increased the possibility of exposure.

He didn't ask for directions, Divine Sense swept over the area, and after crossing dozens of steps, he arrived in front of a dilapidated wooden hut that had seen better days.

Inside lived a couple who were Qi Practitioners, oblivious to his arrival.

Jiang Ding glanced around and noticed that there were no Golden Pill Monks or Foundation-building cultivators travelling with him.

"There must be multiple entrances, distributed according to the invitations, connected by the teleportation Formation," he mused.

"The concealment aspect is well-handled," he nodded in approval.

He activated the invitation.

Hum!

The invitation emitted a strand of Spiritual Light that landed on the decrepit wooden hut, and in an instant, the environment changed, revealing a small teleportation Formation before Jiang Ding's eyes.

Jiang Ding's Divine Sense swept over it, determining it was a micro teleportation Formation within a hundred kilometers' range.

Yet, it was still very dangerous...

If someone set the destination on a deadly ground, it would mean instant death.

If his true body were here, he would never enter any unfamiliar teleportation Formation; he did not trust the guarantee of any force, preferring to walk on his own or simply abandon the objective.

After all, there was plenty of time and opportunity ahead.

Even if there weren't, he wouldn't take the risk; staying safe was the greatest opportunity of all.

"That Old Man,"

"Sigh, I truly am born to toil..."

Jiang Ding sighed, performed a brief check, then stepped into the teleportation Formation and activated it.

White light flickered, the space altered.

Jiang Ding didn't feel any discomfort as such a level of spatial change couldn't affect him.

Looking around,

He found himself in a vast, dimly-lit underground space, shaped like an upside-down bowl, with a stone platform in the center.

Above, there were individual chambers, each with its own space Formation Method, as well as escape Formation Methods, Concealment Formation Methods.

One by one, Cultivators began to appear, most of them concealing their appearances and auras with Magic; only a few were open and candid.

The one thing they had in common was that they all possessed a keen sharpness about them.

More and more people arrived.

Soon there were tens of thousands present, mostly Foundation-building cultivators, with a few Golden Pill Monks. The Immortal of Nascent Soul didn't appear, or had concealed their presence.

Jiang Ding casually chose a seat, sat down, and closed his eyes to rest his mind.

Indeed, Jiuhes Commerce Association had given him the qualification for a private chamber.

But he did not trust the various Formation Methods and Concealment arrangements within, believing that the more extraneous things there were, the more he exposed himself to Jiuhes Commerce Association.

As for promises of reputation and credibility, Jiuhes Commerce Association's own survival depended on others, so it was unlikely they could guarantee much.

"Thump!"

"Fellow Daoists, I am Long Nianzhi, and I will be presiding over this underground auction...the rules..."

Several hours later,

A refined old man appeared on the stone platform; with a cultivation base at the peak of the Golden Pill Stage, he introduced himself with a pleasant demeanor.

This was customary, and the auction formally began right afterwards.

"The first item on offer, Flesh and Blood Reunion Golden Core Pill."

"This item can enhance the success rate of Foundation Establishment by twenty percent."

"Starting bid is eighty-two high-grade Spirit Stones, third-tier Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure also accepted. If a Golden Pill Stage Sword Dao Cultivator's Divine Soul is offered, only four stones are needed. If a Sword Intent Sword Cultivator's Divine Soul is provided, the seller is willing to compensate with an additional Golden Core Pill..."

After a bit of warming up the crowd, Long Nianzhi declared aloud.

The first item, a notoriety-tinged Flesh and Blood Reunion Golden Core Pill, immediately set off a ripple of excitement among all the Foundation-building cultivators present, and the atmosphere heated up, as bids were called out one after another.

"I'm not pleased."

"There really are many people who deserve to be beaten to death."

Jiang Ding glanced momentarily at the pill that faintly emanated the wailings of a mother and eighteen Vital Souls filled with resentment.

Finding it irritating, he decided to close his eyes and rest his mind.

He was uninterested in the auction items, quietly waiting for the time to pass.

Meanwhile, in a private chamber,

The dashing Immortal Fufeng overlooked the entire auction space with a sweeping gaze, carefully scanning over every individual and sparing no one, comparing them with images in his memory, discerning.