Chapter 25: Jiang Lin's Spiritual Perception Field!
The bidding for the Tier 3 pill formula was intense, but in the end, it was claimed with ease by a mysterious, middle-aged man wearing a conical hat.
After the auction ended, Jiang Lin and the others said goodbye to Xiao Yan and Xiao Xun'er, then headed backstage at the Miteer Auction House to speak with a staff member.
Ya Fei personally greeted them, smiling brightly. "Honored guests, after deducting fees, your total earnings come to 17,000 gold coins. Please accept this."
Jiang Lin took the wooden box containing the magic core fossil, and Mr. Yao accepted the gold card that Ya Fei handed him.
Mr. Yao suddenly asked, "Miss Ya Fei, does your family sell spatial rings?"
Spatial rings? Jiang Lin's eyes lit up. He had coveted such a treasure for a long time. Unfortunately, his mother had not left him one, and his current strength wasn't enough to access such items on his own.
Ya Fei chuckled. "Mr. Yao asked the right person. The imperial auction house under our main family does occasionally auction spatial rings, though they're extremely rare and quite expensive. The cheapest one—with only a cubic meter of space—starts at 100,000 gold coins, and most of the time, they're traded via barter rather than coin."
In short, the Miteer Family had limited access to spatial rings, but they were both rare and costly.
By rights, spatial rings—high-level Dou Artifacts of at least Profound Rank—were well beyond the reach of low-ranking Dou Qi cultivators. Usually, only Dou Kings and up possessed them. Some might get lucky and obtain one at the Dou Spirit level.
Still, just as high-tier weapons typically outpriced pills of the same grade, part of a spatial ring's value came from its long lifespan. A single ring could last for decades or even centuries. That longevity gave low-level cultivators a chance to acquire them secondhand. Profound-ranked forgemasters might take ages to craft a ring, but the supply kept increasing with time as older generations passed them down.
"I see. Thank you, Miss Ya Fei, for your insight." Mr. Yao nodded politely, then took Jiang Lin and left the auction house, returning to their inn.
As they departed, a few people cast glances at the box in Jiang Lin's hands—but no one dared act.
Because Mr. Yao and Jiang Lin hadn't worn cloaks or masks, everyone knew what they'd won: a magic core fossil. To most, such a thing was useless. Stealing it would only get you a glorified paperweight—or you'd have to resell it again. Besides, Mr. Yao's aura was at least that of a Great Fighter. No one in their right mind would ambush a mysterious expert for a mere 10,000-coin fossil.
Now, if it were a pill? That would be a different story entirely.
"When you're strong and your goal is minor, act openly—it'll save you a lot of trouble. If you're weak and your ambition is large, then keep a low profile. You'll live longer that way," Mr. Yao said as they walked, imparting another survival lesson to Jiang Lin.
"I understand, Mr. Yao," Jiang Lin nodded.
Back at the inn, Jiang Lin took out the magic core fossil and examined it again and again—but he still couldn't figure out its secret. Under the light, its blue crystal shimmered like starlight, but through Jiang Lin's spiritual sense, it appeared as a soft blue flame.
Jiang Lin had always had an incredibly powerful spiritual perception. Within three meters, he could see the color and strength of others' Dou Qi. He could also perceive how various materials reacted to intense heat. Beyond that range, he could vaguely sense unusual things, though his accuracy faded quickly. At ten meters, he was just like everyone else.
Still, he noticed his perception radius was gradually increasing. Slowly—but it was something.
For example, even from afar, Xiao Xun'er had stood out to him. Her presence had a different color than everyone else.
And when he encountered her again up close, she appeared to him like a lotus blossom of golden flame.
As for Xiao Yan, who was closely tied to her, Jiang Lin saw him as a somewhat dim red flame—stronger than most, but still overshadowed by Xun'er's brilliance.
That ring on Xiao Yan's hand… it gives off a cold, chilling feeling. What's with this little city? Why is everything so troublesome all of a sudden?
Seeing that he couldn't make progress with the fossil, Jiang Lin set it down beside Mr. Yao, who was meditating on the wooden bed.
For safety, Jiang Lin shared a room with him.
Then Jiang Lin pulled out the rusted iron fragment he had picked up at the market earlier.
This iron piece gives me a strange feeling. No glow, no color… it's like it's made of nothing at all.
He held it under the lamp, studying it closely, but came up with nothing.
On the bed, Mr. Yao turned his head and looked at Jiang Lin staring blankly at the iron shard like a fool. He sighed internally.
"Stop wasting your energy. Get some rest. We're heading home tomorrow morning."
"…Alright." Jiang Lin rubbed his eyes and set the shard aside before lying down next to Mr. Yao.
But just as he was about to fall asleep, he remembered something. He pulled the iron piece back out and placed it on his forehead.
…Other than a slight itch, nothing happened.
"Any results?" Mr. Yao asked.
"…No." Jiang Lin replied meekly.
"Sleep." With a wave of his hand, Mr. Yao extinguished the candle using external Dou Qi. Darkness filled the room.
In the dark, drowsiness quickly overcame Jiang Lin. He didn't even remove the iron shard from his forehead before drifting off.
Across the room, Mr. Yao looked at the boy who had fallen asleep so quickly and thought: Ah, to be young—out like a light.
He said no more and quietly resumed his meditation, using it in place of sleep.
Most Dou Qi cultivation methods allowed one to meditate in lieu of rest. Jiang Lin's Forging Fire Art, however, didn't—it was more physically intense and made more sense as a foundation for Dou Qi apprentices.
The next morning, Jiang Lin awoke with an inflamed forehead and a dumb, vacant look in his eyes.
(END CHAPTER)
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