Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension

Zhao Sheng's eyes narrowed, and he continued to look down. There were over a dozen items listed below the Golden Ring Spirit Earthworm.

In his heart, he sneered, knowing that apart from the Golden Ring Spirit Earthworm, which was a must-have for the Zhou family, the rest were merely for show.

The Zhou family had truly taken the bait. His plan to release the Golden Ring Spirit Earthworm as bait had not been in vain.

After reading through the list, Zhao Sheng closed the paper and asked, "Do we need to win all the items listed above?"

Zhou Zhongyu nodded seriously and said, "Yes! No matter the cost, we must acquire the first three treasures. As for the rest, Brother Zhao can deal with them as he sees fit. Just try to secure them if it doesn't exceed ten thousand Spirit Stones."

"Mm, since the family shouldn't make an appearance, I shall make a move on their behalf this time."

"Brother Zhao, I'm counting on you!"

With that, Zhou Zhongyu handed over a Storage Bag. Discover exclusive tales on empire

Zhao Sheng took it, didn't even look at it, and placed it directly into his bosom as he nodded solemnly.

...

Three days later, in a quiet room, Zhao Sheng was sitting with his eyes closed, regulating his breath.

Suddenly, there came a knock at the door, followed by a tender voice outside,

"Senior, the auction is about to begin."

"I know!"

Zhao Sheng stood up, walked to the door, opened it, and saw a scantily clad, pure-looking maid standing respectfully to the side.

"Lead the way!"

"Yes."

The maid bowed and then led Zhao Sheng outside.

He was currently located near Wanbao Square in Yongjing.

Because the Ten Thousand Treasures Auction was so large, in addition to the main venue, there were hundreds of smaller auction events.

Aside from the public auctions, there were also secret auctions, exchange meets, and treasure appraisal gatherings, among various other forms of trading.

Zhao Sheng was going to participate in one of these smaller auctions.

Passing through a corridor, the two arrived in front of a stone wall.

The maid reached out and lightly pressed against the stone wall, and after a ripple of white light, a Light Gate appeared out of nowhere.

"Senior, please enter," said the girl, stepping back respectfully.

Zhao Sheng nodded and without saying anything, stepped through. The girl followed closely behind.

Once they were in, the Light Gate disappeared automatically, with the wall outside returning to its stone form.

The passageway wasn't long, with a faint white light flickering at the end,

Zhao Sheng walked forward quietly, turning a corner, and suddenly a stone gate appeared before him.

Standing outside the stone gate was a dignified middle-aged man dressed in sky-blue scholar's attire.

As soon as this man saw Zhao Sheng appear, he immediately greeted him with a beaming smile, "My name is Mo Yunji. Welcome, Fellow Daoist, to this auction.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Xiao Li, make sure to treat the senior well. If there is any negligence, you'll answer to me afterwards!"

The Mo surname middle-aged man was exceptionally polite to Zhao Sheng and then gave a serious instruction to the maid.

"As you command, Master."

The maid seemed extremely afraid of this person, her face paling with fear, quickly replying obediently.

A flash of something different passed through Zhao Sheng's eyes, but he said nothing, nodded to Mo Yunji, and then entered through the stone gate.

Inside the gate was a hall that glittered with gold and jade. In the center was a high platform surrounded by tables and chairs, most of which were already occupied.

However, as Zhao Sheng observed the situation inside the hall, his face revealed a strange expression.

Aside from two female cultivators sitting alone, by all other male cultivators' sides, there clung a female servant.

Although these female servants were mortals, not a single one lacked youth or beauty, with charms surpassing the ordinary.

As Zhao Sheng was lost in thought, a fragrant breeze suddenly arose, and a soft, trembling body pressed gently against his side.

Zhao Sheng frowned slightly and, with a flash, he dodged the woman's attempt to lean against him.

Seeing this, the maid bit her lip lightly, looking pitiful and forlorn.

Zhao Sheng paid no mind to what she might be thinking, for he was quietly observing the other attendees at that moment.

A majority of the cultivators present had auras that flickered in and out of perception, elusive to the eye, a sure sign they were Foundation Establishment Cultivators. The rest were at least at the Qi Refining Great Perfection Realm.

Noticing this, a hint of interest flashed in Zhao Sheng's eyes, but he soon found an empty seat and sat down with an air of command and authority.

The female servant followed him and stood timidly behind him; she seemed to want to approach several times, yet dared not to move.

Most of the people in the room were indifferent to Zhao Sheng's arrival, but a few showed him obsequious smiles.

Without mentioning anything else, his profound and inscrutable presence alone warranted their courteous treatment.

Zhao Sheng remained calm and unresponsive to the flattery of those around him, silently waiting instead.

A short while later, another five or six cultivators with distinctly different demeanors entered the hall, each accompanied by a young and beautiful maid.

Seeing all this, Zhao Sheng's expression did not change, but he felt a slight surprise in his heart.

The scale of this auction was not large, but among the participants, he could not discern the realms of more than half, indicating that this auction promised some intrigue.

Soon, the hall was filled.

At that moment, Mo Yunji, with a beaming smile, climbed onto the high platform and, after nodding to the cultivators below, announced in a clear voice,

"I am honored to preside over today's Chenyi Auction. It is indeed an honor for Mo to have nearly a hundred Fellow Daoists participating."

Following his opening remarks, he immediately got to the point, "Let's not waste any time on idle chatter. Let the auction begin."

After a burst of light, several items suddenly appeared in front of Mo Yunji.

"A bottle of Second Order Yunling Pills, a Da Yong Purple Gold Coin, ten sticks of Heart Building Incense"

With each item he picked up, Mo Yunji gave a thorough introduction, eliciting a stir among the cultivators present. The items clearly held rare value, and the cultivators showed signs of amazement.

Zhao Sheng, however, had no interest in these treasures. While they might indeed be valuable to others, they were utterly useless to him.

Because he did not have many years left to live.

Mo Yunji was a competent auctioneer; he skilfully heightened the atmosphere of the auction, warming it to greater excitement.

Every item he presented for auction spurred a frenzied competition among a throng of bidders.

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, the auction was nearing its end.

After a seven-hundred-year-old Alien Bee Fruit was auctioned off,

Mo Yunji composed himself and announced loudly, "Fellow Daoists, please pay attention. The ordinary items have all been auctioned off. Now it is time for the three final treasures to be presented."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the atmosphere in the hall turned solemn, with every cultivator sitting upright, their gazes fixed on Mo Yunji like burning torches.

Zhao Sheng glanced around and nodded inwardly, knowing that among those present were individuals who had come specifically for the Golden Ring Spirit Earthworm and others like him with "missions to fulfill."

At that moment, Mo Yunji suddenly held a yellow spirit worm bag in his hand.

"The next treasure is a spiritual insect rarely seen in the world, known as the Golden Ring Spirit Earthworm.

When mentioning the Golden Ring Spirit Earthworm, one cannot help but speak of an ancient dragon species that has long since gone extinct.

Have any of you heard of the Mountain Dragon?"

Mo Yunji asked confidently, looking toward the people below.

As soon as his words fell, an exclamation erupted from below, "The Mountain Dragon? Is that not the Longevity Dragon Descendant, said to live for tens of thousands of years, capable of rivaling a Nascent Soul?"

Zhao Sheng looked at the person who had spoken with an odd expression on his face, and he was not the only cultivator to react in such a manner.

Noticing this response, the corners of Zhao Sheng's mouth couldn't help but curve into a slight smile.