Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San

Chapter 420: Spirit Essence

On the first day of the Ancestral Court’s grand auction, a series of climaxes erupted, not only setting records for the auction of spiritual items with numerous precious items but also featuring the appearance of several emperors, including the top-ranked Crystal Demon Emperor and the third-ranked yet true ruler of the Ancestral Court, the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor.

The first day's auction items were already so extraordinary, so what kind of marvelous treasures could be expected on the Rare Items Auction Day?

As dawn broke on the second day, all the bidders were already excited, hoping that even better treasures would appear today.

Tang San was probably the only exception; his thoughts had long since flown to Kali City. If not for the rational part of him insisting that he had to stay for the Rare Items Auction Day, he would have likely rushed off to Kali City already.

Naturally, he couldn't leave the auction entirely in his master’s hands. Tang San knew best when it came to identifying truly precious items and spending money wisely.

Among all the items from yesterday, the two Tang San liked most slipped through his fingers. One was the Stone of Shelter, made from what appeared to be the Heavenly Bloom's lotus seed—not only for its protective function itself but also because researching it would allow Tang San to understand quite a few things about this world.

Then, there was the Sunborne Flower. If he could obtain that, he was fairly sure he could gain the bloodline power of the Sunborne Nymph Emperor, one of the top four powerhouses.

Moreover, its energy could aid his cultivation. Although it was unlikely to allow him to grow to the twelfth order, reaching the peak of the ninth order was assured, making it a genuinely divine item for Tang San.

As the bloodline of a top Nymph Emperor, there was nothing to criticize about it. Unfortunately, the Earthshade Nymph Emperor had taken it away without even participating in the auction.

Therefore, it was easy to imagine that obtaining these valuable rare treasures through bidding would be exceedingly tricky. Today's auction offered the best chance to find a bargain.

Moreover, because the array disc had sold for a price even Tang San found astonishing, he now had considerable confidence to purchase items directly. Among the bidders present, those who could bring out thirty thousand naturae coins were rare indeed, definitely among the wealthiest.

Unfortunately, rare items derive their value precisely from scarcity. They lose their worth if they appear in large quantities. Thus, making this kind of money from bloodline array disks was out of the question. Additionally, the manufacturing process was genuinely tricky; otherwise, Tang San would be willing to put more effort into this. The money earned from these could be used to support the rise of humanity.

The sun gradually rose on the distant horizon, but the atmosphere over the grand auction remained gloomy. The aura of slaughter and bloodshed lingered, bringing a sense of doom that would not dissipate.

Dong!

The bell rang for the third time, signaling that today's auction was about to begin.

Tang San quickly washed up, ate a little, and prepared himself for the auction.

Half an hour later, the bell rang again. Ten minutes later, when the bell rang for the third time, an auctioneer from the Blue Fox clan stepped into the center of the Great Beast Fighting Arena.

"The Rare Items Auction Day is about to begin. Esteemed guests, please be prepared. We will now present the first item to save everyone's time and conclude the auction sooner."

A cart was pushed into the arena. The red cloth covering it was raised high, revealing that the item underneath had a tall, upright shape, somewhat resembling a bottle.

The Blue Fox Clan auctioneer smiled and said, "Today's first auction item is quite peculiar and extremely rare. Please take a look." As she spoke, she lifted the red cloth, revealing the item beneath.

Indeed, it was a bottle—an utterly transparent crystal bottle, seemingly crafted from top-quality white crystal.

However, at this moment, everyone’s attention was not on the bottle itself but on the light emanating from within. It was a mass of orange light; inside the crystal bottle, there appeared to be an orange orb. Moreover, this orb was not calm—it was darting back and forth within the crystal bottle, seemingly trying to break free yet trapped inside, making it very peculiar.

"I imagine many esteemed guests do not recognize this item. To be precise, it is a spirit essence. So, what is a spirit essence? It is an exceedingly rare item, originating from treasure plants that, over countless years, cultivated to the god level. At this stage, such plants undergo the baptism of celestial tribulation. If they survive this ordeal, they can transform and become god-level Spirit Kings. The Spirit Kings are powerful, but these plants’ chances of surviving the tribulation are slim. Most are directly destroyed by it, so there are very few Spirit Kings.

"In even rarer cases, while the tribulation destroys the plant's physical form, the intelligence born under the celestial power of the tribulation survives and successfully generates divine consciousness. Such an existence is called a spirit essence.

"What is the use of a spirit essence? Its function is straightforward—consuming a spirit essence can directly enhance divine consciousness. The stronger the essence, the greater the effect of enhancing divine consciousness when consumed. Of course, the prerequisite is that the consumer’s divine consciousness must be strong enough not to be overwhelmed by the essence. Plants that generate essences generally have considerable inherent power and fall just short of becoming Spirit Kings. The Ancestral Court collected the essence that we are auctioning today. All esteemed Demon and Nymph Kings need to enhance their divine consciousness, so we are waiting for you to place your bids. And with that, our bidding now begins. The starting price is five hundred naturae coins."

The number of demons or nymphs familiar with spirit essences was not very high, as the birth of a spirit essence was extremely rare. Moreover, due to its ability to enhance divine consciousness, those who obtained a spirit essence would almost always consume it immediately. If not stored correctly, a spirit essence would gradually dissipate without a physical body as support.

The essence before them appeared very robust, and it was in fact very fresh.

Because of this unfamiliarity, few strong individuals among the two major clans knew how much a spirit essence could enhance divine consciousness. Certain limitations to its enhancement existed; otherwise, it would not appear in an auction.

Those who truly understood the essence’s function knew there was a risk in consuming it. The essence's original intelligence could impact the consumer, and if mishandled, it could backfire. Thus, while it could enhance divine consciousness, it was a double-edged sword that could harm the user if not handled properly.

"Six hundred, bid from guest number 239."

"Seven hundred..."

The auction price for the essence began to rise. However, the increase was not very rapid. After all, this rare item started at five hundred naturae coins, and only bidders who truly understood its value bid with caution.

"One thousand two hundred, bid from number 336," the Blue Fox Clan auctioneer announced energetically.

Indeed, the bidder of 1200 naturae coins was none other than Tang San.

If someone could see him now, they would undoubtedly notice that Tang San's expression revealed an uncontrollable hint of delight. What was a spirit essence? It was the divine consciousness of a plant. Though its physical form was gone and weakened, it was still genuine divine consciousness. More importantly, the proper way to use a spirit essence was definitely not just plain old consumption.

One thousand two hundred naturae coins was certainly not a low price; it nearly matched the cost of the Golden Roc essence blood he had previously acquired. Yet, Tang San believed it was worth it.

"One thousand three hundred, bid from guest number 239."

"One thousand five hundred, bid from guest number 336."

Tang San's bids were as aggressive as ever. This was to demonstrate his determination and discourage his opponents.

Indeed, after the treasure reached the price of 1500 naturae coins, the entire auction arena fell silent.