Chapter 83: Flame-Rebirth Kirin
Chapter 83: Flame-Rebirth Kirin
The appearance of Spirit Honey had caused quite a stir at the auction. However, the entire event couldn’t rely on just one or two small highlights. While people were still reeling from the excitement and regretting not bidding more fiercely, another item appeared on the stage—an exquisite Top-grade Magical Artifact Flying Sword, forged from ten-thousand-year Profound Ice Essence.
“A Top-grade Magical Artifact Flying Sword!”
The auctioneer’s introduction was concise:
“Forged from ten-thousand-year Profound Ice Essence. Engraved with the ‘Annihilating Frost Formation.’ Activate it, and wherever the icy air passes, all living things will freeze solid, shattering upon touch! Ordinary times, it chills blood to frost. Injured by this sword, be they human or demon, will be severely affected. Truly top-tier among artifact flying swords. Interested friends, do not miss this.”
“Starting bid: one hundred Ninth-Grade Monster Cores. Each bid must be at least ten Ninth-Grade Monster Cores higher. Everyone…”
Even before he finished announcing, someone eagerly shouted, “Two hundred Monster Cores!” The price instantly doubled.
“Two hundred forty.”
“I offer three hundred!”
“It’s rare to successfully engrave the Annihilating Frost Formation. Its power is exceptional. Just for the formation alone, I’d pay three hundred. Moreover, the material is ten-thousand-year Profound Ice Essence. I bid four hundred Monster Cores.”
The price soared wildly!
Many Cultivators hadn’t even opened their mouths when they realized the bidding had already exceeded their limits. Only a few Cultivators were still competing fiercely, though their bidding increments also dropped drastically, nearing the final victor.
Alone in his private booth, Lu Hangzhi chewed different spirit fruits while sighing repeatedly at the fierce battle below.
Just one Top-grade Magical Artifact Flying Sword was enough to bankrupt him. Truly, the world of Spirit Coalescence Venerable Ones was beyond his comprehension.
Though initially quite drawn to that flying sword, he’d quickly abandoned the idea early in the bidding. He surrendered without a fight.
Finally, the closing price was six hundred fifty Ninth-Grade Monster Cores…
A few more items were presented and swiftly auctioned off. Then, something came up that truly stirred Lu Hangzhi’s heart—again.
“This item is a slightly flawed Magical Artifact.”
The entire auction hall abruptly quieted. All eyes focused on the lifelike, Kirin-shaped miniature object in the auctioneer’s hand.
“Its name is ‘Flame-Rebirth Kirin.’ It uses the root of a thousand-year-old Fire Tung Tree to seal and nurture the spirit essence of a Kirin. Originally meant to become a true Magical Artifact, a deviation occurred during the final refining process. The artifact became incomplete, retaining less than half its original power. Daily, a portion of the user’s magic power must be spent to nurture it, to enable its use twice per day.”
Many Spirit Coalescence Venerable Ones looked disappointed.
“What ‘deviation’? It’s clearly a defective item from a refining mistake! And you dare call it only ‘slightly flawed’?”
“Exactly! A root from an immature thousand-year Fire Tung alone couldn’t seal a Kirin spirit essence. I bet it contains at best a fragment of a Kirin spirit. Who knows how much power it even retains?”
“The scariest part is the need to waste personal magic power sustaining it! Who would dare bring such a thing to the Two Realms Mountain?”
The auction house had many experienced artifact crafters with sharp judgment—and sharper tongues.
“Ahem…”
The auctioneer was seasoned and kept his composure:
“Though flawed, this artifact still surpasses most Imitation Magical Artifacts in power. It can unleash Mid Soul-Concentrating Stage Heaven and Earth Power. The starting bid is one hundred Ninth-Grade Monster Cores.”
The price wasn’t too high.
However…
For the first time, silence fell over the auction hall.
No Spirit Coalescence Venerable responded.
They’d all been through much; they understood that a flawed artifact also meant instability. Worst of all, this thing required constant nurturing… It was a massive vortex—one that might start draining your magic power as soon as you got it, before you could even use it.
Cultivators at the Epiphany Stage felt tempted, but one hundred Ninth-Grade Monster Cores and the continuous upkeep represented significant trouble for them.
Just as it seemed this defective artifact was about to become the auction’s first unsold item, someone hesitantly stood up:
“I… I’ll pay one hundred Ninth-Grade Monster Cores.”
Struggle and a look of deep pain were written across his face.
He was actually a high-level Epiphany Stage Cultivator.
“There really is someone unafraid of death after all!”
The voice echoed from an unknown corner, followed by uproarious laughter throughout the auction hall.
“Ha ha…”
“Kid, you’re not the seller’s plant, are you?”
“Shh! The one who crafted the artifact must be a Venerable…”
The auctioneer was the only one smiling:
“This friend has foresight! Bid at one hundred Ninth-Grade Monster Cores. Are there any higher offers?”
“That’s enough. Don’t waste everyone’s time,” a Spirit Coalescence Venerable in a VIP booth urged impatiently.
A flicker passed over the auctioneer’s face. He took the hint:
“Very well! Congratulations to our friend here: one hundred Ninth-Grade Monster Cores!”
The Epiphany Stage Cultivator who had won the Flame-Rebirth Kirin quickly sat back down, pressing his hands to his forehead.
How embarrassing!
Lei Qun never imagined that the first item he bought at his long-awaited auction would make him infamous overnight—and definitely not in a good way.
“Lei Qun! What were you doing?!”
“A hundred Monster Cores for a money pit?!”
“Have you gone mad?!”
“Oh, what can we say? With that money, you might as well have bought that earlier, mid-tier Magical Artifact flying sword!” As the crowd shifted their gaze, Tong Zhan, Huang An, and others urgently transmitted their questions.
Lei Qun’s reply was incredibly simple…
“Hangzhi asked me to bid for him.”
“Ah.”
“Oh?”
“That makes sense. I thought, how could you possibly have a hundred Ninth-Grade Monster Cores?” Relief washed over the group.
“But… why would Hangzhi want this damaged artifact?”
Just then, an attendant approached Lei Qun holding the Flame-Rebirth Kirin for the transaction.
“Deliver it to VIP Booth 25. Someone there will pay,” Lei Qun instructed.
Cultivators nearby gave him scornful looks:
Clearly a plant!
Though surprised, the attendant kept a straight face, deciding to try anyway. After all, such things had happened before in auctions. Sometimes, when an entrusted item faced failure, the owner had someone else bid to save face.
However, when the attendant arrived at Booth 25 and saw Lu Hangzhi—who looked unbelievably young—he couldn’t hide his astonishment.
This didn’t look like an artifact refiner.
After handing over one hundred Monster Cores, Lu Hangzhi took the Flame-Rebirth Kirin and started examining it.
Upon close inspection, he discovered, as many of the auction’s Venerables had pointed out, the artifact indeed posed a big problem:
The sealed Kirin spirit essence within looked limp and lifeless, utterly lacking energy. It couldn’t be activated at all…
“Another glutton demanding magic power,” he sighed, feeling weary just looking at it.
The Mirror Spirit Cat opened one eye, glanced at the wooden Kirin, then quickly lost interest. It fished out an Eighth-grade Demon Beast Core and began sucking on it, shooting Lu Hangzhi a defiant look before closing its eyes and dozing off again.
That was it!
He was raising this one like some lord it served.
A whole month of premium spirit food hadn’t made it grow an inch. All it did was sleep and sleep. The only consolation was its rapid rise in cultivation level—now already a Seventh-Grade Spirit Beast.
“Fine then.”
Since he was already taking care of one demanding ‘lord,’ what was one more?
Holding the Flame-Rebirth Kirin, Lu Hangzhi gently channeled magic power into its sealing formation, guided by the auctioneer’s instructions.
Silver-white magic power flowed in.
The sluggish Kirin spirit finally twitched. Like a fish gasping for water catching the scent of rain, it lifted its head within the artifact and fervently gulped down the silver-white magic power.
At that moment, Lu Hangzhi noticed… a silvery glow seemed to spread over the Kirin spirit’s form.
After absorbing the magic power, the Kirin visibly perked up. Its lethargic aura vanished. Its eyes grew brighter, limbs straightened proudly. Faint wisps of flame began to flicker across its surface.
Seeing this, Lu Hangzhi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Only a small amount of magic power had been needed to revive the Kirin. So the artifact’s flaw wasn’t crippling, requiring vast amounts of magic power to start.
As long as it didn’t demand constant, massive inputs, it actually held potential!
With this thought, Lu Hangzhi continued feeding magic power steadily into the artifact, wanting to test exactly how much was needed to restore it to a functional state.
Within moments, flames roared within the artifact space. The Kirin seemed reborn amidst fire—majestic, eyes flashing like lightning, radiating the commanding presence of a Soul-Concentrating Demon Beast. A faint, imposing aura seeped out from the artifact.
The magic power connection severed.
Lu Hangzhi instantly stopped and quickly checked himself internally. A long, relieved sigh escaped him afterwards.
Not bad at all.
Just one-fifth of his magic power reserves had sufficed to rejuvenate the Kirin to its peak state. A small amount of Spirit Honey would be enough to recover his magic power.
“One hundred Ninth-Grade Monster Cores… Plus daily expenditure of a little Spirit Honey to nurture the Kirin… In exchange for acquiring a formidable secret weapon?” he mused. “Definitely worth it.”
Lu Hangzhi felt highly satisfied with the deal he’d gotten.
Meanwhile, the auction continued.
When the second batch of Spirit Honey—bundled with Immortal Liquid—was released, it sparked another frenzy in the hall. Spirit Honey’s price soared to an astronomical ninety Ninth-Grade Monster Cores per bottle.
People were insane.
Lu Hangzhi marveled yet again at the wealth of the Venerables.
It also strengthened his resolve: under no circumstances could news of his Spirit Honey honeycomb leak out—those Venerables would tear him to pieces trying to grab it.
After staying a while longer, Lu Hangzhi decided to leave the auction midway. He headed for the local branch of the Reinforcement Department.
Elder Honglian had already returned ahead of him. She was waiting in her room, a bottle of Spirit Honey she’d privately purchased and a bottle of Immortal Liquid placed beside her.
“The Spirit Honey really is excellent,” she remarked casually.
Not daring to waste time, Lu Hangzhi immediately produced the ten bottles of Spirit Honey he’d promised, placing them neatly on the nearby tea table.
A pleased smile touched Elder Honglian’s lips. She offered him a Qiankun Pouch, saying:
“Per our prior agreement, I only owe you forty percent for these ten portions. This pouch contains four hundred Ninth-Grade Monster Cores.”
“My gratitude, Venerable Elder.”
“The thanks belong with me.” Elder Honglian chuckled gently. “I have already reported this matter to the Council. Their response was: we’d like you to convey a message to the Revered Qin. For anything like this Spirit Honey in the future… please prioritize offering it to the Reinforcement Department first. Rest assured, we will pay fair prices.”
An idea sparked in Lu Hangzhi’s mind. Looks like Spirit Honey will become an exclusive supply for the Two Realms Mountain Reinforcement Department from now on, he thought. Aloud, he answered crisply:
“Hangzhi will certainly relay the message to Revered Qin.”