Chapter 81: Joint Appraisal
Chapter 81: Joint Appraisal
The next day.
In the Southern City Market of Two Realms Mountain, the auction event was held as scheduled.
The streets outside the auction venue were crowded with a huge crowd;
Lei Qun, Tong Zhan, and a group of others dragged Lu Hangzhi over early to queue for numbers. Standing in the line, they were so excited they could hardly contain themselves:
“Hangzhi, did you know? I heard yesterday that the Seven Great Sects released many good treasures this time. There were dozens of Artifact Flying Swords alone, with a starting bid of five Ninth-Grade Monster Cores. I’ve decided, no matter what, I must replace my old flying sword this time.”
As soon as Lei Qun finished speaking, Tong Zhan immediately agreed: “Right! To save up enough demon beast inner cores, I went without food and drinks for over two months, all to upgrade my gear… Hehe, next month during the rotation, Lei Qun, I definitely won’t be worse than you.”
“We’ll see about that.”
The two started bickering.
Then, others chimed in with their own opinions.
Huang An, also at Peak Eighth Grade, had his eye on a Defensive Magical Device:
“I’ll pass on the Artifact Flying Sword; I’ll support you guys. Later, I’m bidding on that ‘Magma Fire Armor.’ They say this magical device has a formation that releases high heat, making it an excellent defensive item against the Demon Beast Mist. Many people want to get their hands on it.”
“Magma Fire Armor?”
“Come on, the Demon Beast Mist has already receded. Who knows when it’ll appear next? Isn’t that too bulky?” The group poured cold water on his idea, trying to dissuade him.
“You never know.”
Huang An stuck to his own view, firm in his stance.
“Hangzhi, what do you want to buy?”
“Me?”
Suddenly called out, Lu Hangzhi snapped out of his thoughts and smiled: “Let’s wait and see. If there’s an Imitation Magical Treasure, I’d like to get one to play with.”
“Imitation Magical Treasure?”
“That’s pretty useless.”
“True, your set of artifact flying swords is already very powerful. Is there any need to add an imitation magical treasure?”
“Yeah.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to get a defensive magical device instead?”
Opinions varied.
Lu Hangzhi smiled and looked toward the other end of the street, just in time to see Elder Honglian leading several dozen Spirit Coalescence Elders, whom he had briefly met in Sector 112, entering the auction venue through another passage.
“Honglian, I was still in seclusion. Why did you drag all of us out this time?”
“Did you hear some news? Is there something special at this auction?”
“Stop nagging. I definitely won’t let you down.”
Elder Honglian still wore her usual aloof expression, expressionlessly glanced at a certain nobody in the crowd, and hurried into the venue without stopping.
“Are you serious?”
“Then I’ll have to take a good look.”
“Honglian’s words are quite trustworthy.” The group of elders all showed thoughtful expressions, then followed behind, filing in one by one.
These words reached the ears of other cultivators at the entrance, causing an uproar:
“Did you hear that? Elder Honglian from the Reinforcement Department is the right-hand assistant of the Inspector Envoy. She never lacks ordinary magical artifacts or elixirs. For her to specially attend the auction this time, there must be something really good!”
“But yesterday’s auction list didn’t seem to have anything particularly noteworthy… Could it have been added last minute?”
“Never mind, we’ll know once we go in.”
The crowd became even more overwhelming.
Among the crowd, Lei Qun and the others didn’t pay much attention or care about this; they just felt that Lu Hangzhi was acting unusually cold:
He didn’t even bother to greet Elder Honglian when he saw her.
“Let’s go in.”
“The Venerable One told me before that if you come across something you need, I can provide some appropriate support. Here are some Ninth-Grade Monster Cores; each of you take two. Any more than that, and I don’t have any.”
“Haha, thanks, Hangzhi.”
“Great! With these two monster cores, that magical device is definitely mine.”
Everyone was thrilled, their enthusiasm even higher, but they completely failed to notice that after Lu Hangzhi entered the auction hall with the group, he went off on his own toward another passage.
Several staff members of the auction house were waiting anxiously here, looking forward eagerly.
Seeing Lu Hangzhi approach, their eyes lit up, and they immediately came forward:
“Are you Lu Hangzhi, Fellow Daoist Lu?”
“Yes.”
Lu Hangzhi nodded.
“Excellent!”
The group looked delighted: “We received a message from Elder Honglian yesterday, strongly recommending that you have some items for us to appraise and put up for auction. Have you brought them? We’d like to appraise them in advance.”
“Of course.”
Lu Hangzhi replied but did not immediately take out the Spirit Honey.
No one asked him to do so.
“Please follow us.”
“Alright.”
Inside the auction house, Lu Hangzhi wasn’t worried about his safety at all.
This was a place jointly managed by the Seven Great Sects and the Two Realms Mountain Reinforcement Department. Probably no one in the entire Barbarian Continent would dare to cause trouble here.
Led by the group, Lu Hangzhi quickly arrived in a private room.
“Please invite the three elixir masters to help with the appraisal.”
The staff treated the matter very seriously, not daring to slack off in the slightest.
Although Elder Honglian was only at the ordinary late Spirit Condensation Stage, she was one of the influential figures in the Southern City Reinforcement Department, the right-hand assistant of Chang Baimei. The Seven Great Sects had to show her respect.
The three elixir masters reluctantly came before Lu Hangzhi, sizing him up and down:
“What kind of elixir requires all three of us old men to appraise together?”
“Elder Honglian said this item has never been seen before. She wants us to carefully evaluate its effects while also using it with the Imperial Wine Sect’s Nectar Immortal Elixir. I’ve never heard of such a thing. I hope, young friend, you don’t disappoint us.”
“Alright, the immortal liquid is ready. Young friend, please take out your treasure.”
Lu Hangzhi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He hadn’t expected Elder Honglian to be more thorough than he was, even persuading the auction organizers to send three senior masters for a comprehensive evaluation. No wonder the three masters’ words carried such obvious dissatisfaction.
Lu Hangzhi didn’t dare to delay. He took out a small porcelain bottle and rather stingily poured out three drops of Spirit Honey each, letting them roll onto three snow-white jade plates.
The three masters were quite disdainful of Lu Hangzhi’s affected manner:
“Who goes first?”
The three politely deferred to each other about the order.
Lu Hangzhi ignored this, quietly put away the porcelain bottle, and stepped aside without a word.
Seeing this, the three exchanged glances. The elixir master with mixed black and white hair stepped forward, picked up the Spirit Honey on the jade plate, gently sniffed it, frowned slightly, and gave Lu Hangzhi a strange look.
Nothing special.
It seemed to be just the natural scent of honey.
A prank?
The black-and-white-haired master was very displeased. He opened his mouth and threw the Spirit Honey onto his tongue.
The next second!
The master’s expression changed dramatically.
His dissatisfied, disdainful, and mocking expressions vanished in an instant. Like an award-winning actor, his eyes widened in extreme disbelief, and under the astonished gazes of the other two masters, he nervously closed his eyes, adopting a serious, contemplative expression.
The other two immediately realized that the Spirit Honey might be truly extraordinary. Not daring to make a sound, they cautiously stepped forward, carefully picked up the Spirit Honey, and examined it closely, both visually and by sniffing it. They then exchanged puzzled glances, moving their lips silently to discuss their thoughts.
No result!
One after another, the two placed the Spirit Honey into their mouths.
The Spirit Honey melted instantly upon entering their mouths!
Afterwards, just like the black-and-white-haired master, they could not detect any traces of elixir ingredients in the Spirit Honey. All they tasted was pure Magic Power, and very gentle Magic Power at that.
A long time later, the three opened their eyes one by one.
They were drenched in sweat.
“How is it?”
“Sigh… it’s hard to explain.”
“No wonder that girl Honglian insisted that all three of us come to evaluate it. This matter is indeed tricky.”
After exchanging opinions, the three turned to Lu Hangzhi:
“How much of this Spirit Honey do you have?”
Lu Hangzhi had long understood the principle of “rarity increases value” back on Earth. Naturally, he would not tell them that this thing was cheap to produce and available in unlimited quantities—that would be utterly foolish. Calmly, he replied with just two words:
“Not much.”
“…”
The three Elixir Masters were deeply irritated by Lu Hangzhi’s unwillingness to reveal more information, but they also understood the kind of sensation such an item would cause if it appeared at the Auction House.
“Please proceed quickly with the second round of evaluation…”
At this moment, the staff member, noticing how seriously the three regarded the Spirit Honey, quietly reminded them, “The auction has already begun.”
“Understood, understood.”
The three grew even more agitated.
Lu Hangzhi calmly walked to the table and sparingly poured out three more pieces of Spirit Honey.
Then the staff member poured three cups of Immortal Liquid, and the aroma of wine immediately filled the air.
The three Elixir Masters relaxed, picked up the Immortal Liquid, savored the aroma with pleasure, and drank it all in one go. Their faces flushed slightly as they said,
“As expected of the Imperial Wine Sect… no matter how many times we drink it, it packs a punch.”
“Of course.”
But when their eyes fell upon the Spirit Honey, their gazes grew even more intense.
If it were truly confirmed that Spirit Honey had the effect of counteracting intoxication, the Imperial Wine Sect’s wines would sell even better, potentially triggering a frenzy of competition among countless Venerable Ones.
Ten minutes later, the three masters, their faces red, surrounded Lu Hangzhi:
“How much Spirit Honey did your superior give you? I want to buy some at a high price. Don’t misunderstand—it won’t affect the auction. I just wish to purchase a portion privately, even if it’s at the auction’s highest price!”
“Ahem… young man, I have two high-grade Beast Essence Pills here. How about exchanging them for the remaining Spirit Honey in that small bottle? After all, this was brought for our evaluation, right?”
“You two are utterly shameless! You’re disgracing the reputation of the Seven Great Sects!” The black-and-white-haired master gritted his teeth angrily but then turned to Lu Hangzhi. “Your name is Lu Hangzhi, right? If you ever need anything related to elixirs in the future, feel free to come to me. I also have some knowledge in Artifact Refining. As long as you trade with Spirit Honey, I can give you a thirty percent discount.”
The staff member stood by, dumbfounded. He had never expected these three usually dignified—no, esteemed—masters to disregard their image so completely in front of a mere Epiphany Stage Cultivator, scrambling for advantage so brazenly. It was truly mind-boggling.
The staff member quickly reported the situation to his superiors.
Very soon!
The person in charge of the Auction House arrived in person. After consulting Lu Hangzhi and the three masters, he set a price for the Spirit Honey: a small bottle of one hundred pieces of Spirit Honey would start at one Ninth-Grade Monster Core.
Lu Hangzhi also obtained an Identity Tablet for the Revered Qin, granting access to one of the few VIP boxes—number 25.