Chapter 33: This Artifact Master Understands Men
"Twenty-one billion high-grade spirit stones."
"Twenty-two billion high-grade spirit stones."
"Thirty billion high-grade spirit stones."
Gu Qing's eyes flickered as he made his bid.
Moments earlier, out of boredom, he had released the restriction on the Universe Sword to chat with He Ni.
Unexpectedly, when He Ni saw the Soul Infant Fruit, even her ethereal voice wavered as she insisted he must buy it.
Gu Qing was deeply puzzled. At her level, she should not need a Soul Infant Fruit.
"Thirty billion high-grade spirit stones—any higher bids?"
Chu Yao tapped her gavel, smiling as she asked.
"Thirty-one billion high-grade spirit stones."
"Thirty-five billion high-grade spirit stones."
"Thirty-six billion high-grade spirit stones." From inside a private room, Xu Tiefu's gritted voice rang out.
That was already his limit.
"Thirty-seven billion high-grade spirit stones."
Gu Qing spoke.
"You—"
A terrifying murderous aura burst from Xu Tiefu's body, strands of bloody killing intent filling his room.
He had just spoken one word before forcing himself to swallow the rest.
This auction was being presided over by the Pavilion President's daughter. He dared not risk being thrown out and blacklisted.
Xu Tiefu glared venomously at Gu Qing's room, vowing silently that no matter who was inside—even a holy land master—he would seize it from them.
"Thirty-seven billion, first call, second call, third call—sold."
Chu Yao struck her gavel, ordering the Soul Infant Fruit to be delivered.
"Damn it…"
A holy land heir who had been determined to win slammed his fist on the table.
It was not that they did not want to bid; they simply lacked the spirit stones.
Over thirty billion spirit stones was an astronomical sum. Even wealthy holy lands felt the pain.
"The second item is Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron Heart. Starting bid, fifty million high-grade spirit stones, with increments no less than one million."
This was exactly the piece Gu Qing had obtained, sufficient for forging an Earth-grade artifact.
In terms of value, it was far inferior to the Soul Infant Fruit, so there were fewer bidders.
The following dozens of items were also not particularly precious, with prices in the range of a few billion.
This was normal.
No auction could be filled entirely with heavenly treasures.
"This is an Earth-grade supreme artifact, the Celestial Streamer Dress."
Chu Yao presented a long gown of white silk woven with golden threads, radiating colorful light, dazzling in its beauty.
"Hmm?" Gu Qing fixed his gaze. Something seemed off about this Celestial Streamer Dress.
It was somewhat translucent.
It looked… impressive.
His eyes could not help but drift toward the cold, breathtakingly beautiful Su Qingyue.
If she were to wear it—the fairy-like features, her temperament, paired with the Celestial Streamer Dress…
Hiss…
That would be stunning.
"Such a beautiful Celestial Streamer Dress—surely no girl could dislike it.
"If you have someone you admire, buy it for her, and perhaps you'll win her heart…"
"And the Celestial Streamer Dress is not limited to this style. It can transform into countless designs, changing at will.
"Its defense is among the finest of Earth-grade artifacts, and it can manifest streams of light and illusions to confuse the enemy…"
Chu Yao introduced the dress in glowing terms.
She infused it with true essence, making it shift through many styles—even sprouting fluffy tails and ears.
Wherever one wanted light to stream, it streamed. Wherever one wanted exposure, it exposed.
Without a doubt, the master who forged this artifact understood men.
"Vixen, shameless."
Su Qingyue's face flushed red, her heartbeat quickening. She covered her face, unable to watch, and muttered a rebuke.
Gu Qing: "…"
He had not intended to buy it. But seeing Su Qingyue so shy, he decided he must.
After all, the cultivation world was too dangerous. A junior martial sister being overly shy was no good.
What if an enemy used such tactics against her?
As her senior brother, it was his duty to guide her.
He was acting for justice.
He would uphold righteousness.
Yes—exactly so.
With that justification, Gu Qing spent a staggering sixteen billion high-grade spirit stones to purchase it.
Chu Yao was surprised, then her fox-like eyes brimmed with scornful allure.
So much for acting lofty—yet beneath it all, he was the same, bewitched by a little enchantress.
Clearly, Chu Yao misunderstood, believing Su Qingyue had coaxed Gu Qing to buy it for her.
"Senior brother, you…" Su Qingyue's cheeks turned crimson, her clear eyes misty with shyness.
"Junior sister, don't be deceived by that little enchantress. Beyond its changing form, it is a powerful Earth-grade artifact…"
Gu Qing lectured with solemn seriousness.
"R-really…?"
"Of course…"
"Then…"
"It's yours."
"I don't want it."
Su Qingyue shook her head and waved her hands repeatedly, her rejection obvious.
But once bought, how could it be returned simply because she said no?
Gu Qing quietly put it away, planning to gift it to her later.
Once they returned to the cave dwelling, when it was just the two of them, she would likely not resist as much.
"Next up for auction is the leg of a treasure cauldron. We don't know exactly what artifact it came from, but it's definitely not ordinary."
"Even royal artifacts can't scratch it. It might be a Supreme Artifact, a Saint Artifact, or maybe even a Divine Artifact."
"If a genius manages to bond with it, they might gain a great inheritance."
Chu Yao spoke with a serious face.
But most people in the hall scoffed.
A cauldron leg—what inheritance could that possibly give? If it really had something like that, would the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion even sell it?
"It's the leg of the Solar Divine Furnace. No doubt about it."
The old man in Xiao Yi's ring spoke with excitement, then quickly sighed.
"If only it were the cauldron's body. That's the core. It might contain techniques or divine arts."
"So… should we still buy it?"
Xiao Yi's excitement faded fast.
"It's not useless. Buy it. Once your strength grows, you can smelt it into an artifact."
"This was forged with Solar Divine Gold—it's still a divine artifact."
Hearing this, Xiao Yi's eyes lit up again.
"This is a remnant of a divine artifact. You should buy it," He Ni's voice echoed.
"I know," Gu Qing said with a nod.
"You know?"
"Yes. Because I have the cauldron body."
Gu Qing wasn't fond of the Solar Divine Furnace.
It was too damaged—its divinity gone. Without that, it wasn't really a divine artifact.
The material and formation lines were also badly worn.
It was nearly a dead item, unable to hold power.
Restoring it would be harder than forging a new divine artifact.
And refining it for use? Impossible.
The restrictions on a divine artifact were too complex: nine layers, each with eighty-one cycles.
Even a King Realm expert would need centuries to refine only the first few layers.
On top of that, the Solar Divine Furnace drained too much energy and had weak output.
For Gu Qing, refining the Cycle Divine Halberd was a better use of time.
"So you don't like the Solar Divine Furnace?" He Ni asked.
"It feels useless but wasteful to throw away. Maybe later I can extract some Solar Divine Gold from it. Whatever's left is better than nothing."
Gu Qing sighed.
The furnace was so worn that even the Solar Divine Gold inside was likely almost gone.
"Then why not become my disciple? I'll pass you an ultimate method to strengthen your Minor Thousand Sword Art."
"No." Gu Qing shook his head.
He was tempted, but only a little.
He had his own beliefs. There were countless divine arts in the world; he wouldn't crave each one he saw.
If he got to learn them, good. If not, that was fine too.
With his adoptive father backing him, what he lacked now, he would have in the future.
"Fine, this is your last chance. Refuse me, and don't blame me later."
He Ni ground her teeth in anger.
She had cultivated for countless years and had never met someone like Gu Qing.
People had knelt for thousands of years begging for her secret arts, and she ignored them.
But Gu Qing tossed them aside without a thought.
"Then listen. This is my greatest secret technique. It cannot be passed to outsiders."
Her voice was ethereal, like music.
"What technique? Is it powerful?" Gu Qing asked curiously.
A skill stronger than the Minor Thousand Sword Art—he wanted to know, even just to broaden his perspective.
"It's the Refining and Nurturing Method. It can refine divine metals, forge peerless swords, and temper an unmatched body."
This was the foundation of her swordsmanship.
It decided its true power.
"Refining and nurturing…"
Gu Qing's eyes lit up.
Didn't his Chaos Bottle Seal already let him smelt things for his own use?
It couldn't yet smelt divine metals, but his Golden Gourd could.
Excited, he realized: vision shapes achievement.
If not for He Ni, who knew when he would have thought of smelting divine metals into his three thousand acupoint grottoes.
He should talk with her more often.
"Three hundred million high-grade spirit stones, first call."
"Any more bids?"
"This item cannot be damaged even by royal artifacts. Before it was broken, it was definitely above Supreme Artifact grade."
Chu Yao, unhappy with the low price, hyped it further.
"Damn enchantress, bid now!"
Xiao Yi grew frantic. If someone else joined in, he couldn't compete.
"Four hundred million high-grade spirit stones."
Gu Qing raised the bid.
"Four hundred million, first call."
"Four hundred million, second call. Third call—sold."
Chu Yao dropped the gavel.
"You—"
Xiao Yi almost exploded in rage.
He had planned to bid, but slowly, so no one would suspect anything.
But Chu Yao had closed it too fast, leaving him no chance.
Losing a divine artifact remnant like this, Xiao Yi's eyes burned as he accused,
"Chu Yao, why did you close so quickly? Is there some hidden scheme in this auction?"
At the word "scheme," Chu Yao's expression turned ice cold.
For a business, nothing was worse than being accused of cheating. A single rumor could destroy their reputation built over countless years.
Xiao Yi had touched the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion's reverse scale.
Chu Yao's gaze sharpened like blades.
"Danmaster Xiao, if you cannot explain yourself today, you will leave your life here."
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