vstars Chapter 10: The Nascent Soul Auction Begins
Chapter 10: The Nascent Soul Auction Begins
The two days passed quickly in the tranquility of cultivation.
Wang Tianlong was slowly nurturing the newly acquired "Four Flames Fan" on his lap with his pure wind spiritual power, trying to make this fire-attribute imitation spiritual treasure better adapt to his spiritual power attribute and seek the point of "wind aiding fire". Suddenly, his mind stirred and he sensed a strong and unstable spiritual power fluctuation coming from the restriction set up for the purple-haired rat next to him.
He immediately stopped what he was doing and opened his eyes to look.
At the center of the barrier, the small body of the purple-haired rat was enveloped by a dazzling white light that kept flashing. The demonic power within its body was like boiling water, violently churning and colliding. Its aura was repeatedly tug-of-war between the peak of the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm and a certain critical point, causing the surrounding barriers to tremble slightly.
"He's about to break through." Wang Tianlong's gaze was focused, but he didn't intervene. Breakthroughs must rely on one's own strength; too much external force would be detrimental. The restrictions he had set up were enough to provide a stable environment.
The white light flashed faster and faster, its radiance growing ever brighter, as if a miniature sun was being nurtured within. The purple-haired rat's aura, after reaching its peak, suddenly receded inwards!
Immediately afterwards—
"Buzz!"
A barely audible hum emanated from the center of the white light. The blinding white light suddenly stabilized and became more concentrated. Then, a late-stage Nascent Soul demonic power, far stronger, more solid, and full of vitality than before, rippled out like water, filling the entire restricted space before slowly receding back into the purple-haired rat's body.
The white light gradually dissipated, revealing the purple-haired rat once more. Its size seemed largely unchanged, but the tuft of distinctive purple fur on its head was now a deeper, brighter shade, like fine amethyst. Its silver-gray fur also had a jade-like luster, and its eyes were more lively, with a glint of intelligence in their gaze.
The purple-haired rat, having successfully broken through the barrier, immediately sensed its master's presence. It squeaked excitedly and affectionately, transforming into a swift purple shadow as it darted out of the barrier and plunged into Wang Tianlong's arms, nuzzling his palm affectionately with its little head.
"Hehe, not bad, the little guy has finally advanced." Wang Tianlong smiled sincerely, gently stroking its smooth, warm fur, feeling the stable and powerful new aura emanating from it, and felt quite gratified. Nearly a thousand years of companionship and support, seeing his partner break through, brought a unique sense of satisfaction, just as his own cultivation had improved.
He flipped his hand and took out several vibrant crimson spiritual fruits, handing them to the purple-haired rat: "Here, this is your reward."
The purple-haired mouse squealed with delight, clutching the spirit fruit in its tiny paws and crunching away happily. After finishing, it licked its paws with lingering satisfaction, gazing longingly at Wang Tianlong.
Seeing its current state, Wang Tianlong's smile faded slightly, a barely perceptible hint of regret flashing in his eyes. Ordinary demonic beasts, upon reaching the Nascent Soul stage, could attempt to transform into human form, unlocking faster intellectual growth and cultivation. However, the Purple-haired Rat possessed the rather rare Treasure-hunting Rat bloodline. This bloodline endowed it with a keen talent for treasure hunting, but because its bloodline was not a pure ancient species, transforming into human form was extremely difficult. Even now, having reached the late Nascent Soul stage, it still hadn't shed its beastly form.
"If you could transform into human form, with your spirituality, your cultivation speed would be even faster..." Wang Tianlong thought to himself. He had cultivated immortality for a thousand years, read extensively, and had heard of some rare elixirs that could promote the transformation of spirit beasts or purify their bloodlines, such as "Transformation Grass" and "Bloodline Spirit Fruit." Unfortunately, such treasures were legendary in the human realm, and despite his many years of "stirring up trouble," he had never had the chance to see one.
"However, just because it doesn't exist in the human realm doesn't mean it doesn't exist in the upper realm." This thought flashed through his mind, giving him an extra expectation for his life after ascending to the spirit realm, in addition to completing that troublesome system task—to find an opportunity for his old friend to transform into human form.
"Alright, you've just broken through, your realm still needs to be stabilized." Wang Tianlong collected his thoughts, gently patted the purple-furred rat, and said, "Go back and cultivate diligently to consolidate your cultivation."
The purple-haired rat nodded its little head as if it understood, obediently letting Wang Tianlong put it back into the specially designed safe space in the spirit beast bag, and continued to immerse itself in cultivation.
After settling the purple-haired rat, Wang Tianlong stood up, his aura deep and his eyes gleaming. He looked out of the cave towards the center of Jinjing City, where several subtle yet powerful spiritual pressures, which only Nascent Soul cultivators could clearly perceive, were gathering and rising.
"The auction for Nascent Soul stage cultivators... is finally about to begin."
Wang Tianlong returned to his quiet room. With a slight thought, the moon-white scholar's robe he wore, designed to blend into the crowd, rippled away like water, revealing his usual attire—a finely crafted yet understated dark blue robe, cinched at the waist with a black silk sash, and his long hair casually tied back with an antique wooden hairpin. The facade of tranquility on his face vanished completely, replaced by the profound, sea-like, yet ethereal spiritual pressure characteristic of a peak mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. Though not deliberately ostentatious, it was enough to instill a sense of awe in any cultivator below his level.
This is the true form of "Divine Wind Immortal" Wang Tianlong in the human realm's God Transformation circle.
After getting ready, he stepped out of the cave. He did not use his escape light, but instead strolled leisurely. His figure seemed to blend into the wind. In a few flashes, he had already passed through many streets and buildings and arrived at the most central and heavily guarded area of Jinjing.
In stark contrast to the grand, bustling, and noisy "Treasure Pavilion," where the Nascent Soul auction was previously held, the venue for the Deity Transformation auction was an ancient and simple hall located deep within the imperial palace, shrouded in layers of restrictions and formations. The hall's exterior did not appear particularly magnificent; instead, it exuded a sense of historical weight and restrained majesty. The plaque above the hall bore the three characters "Wen Dao Ge" (訓問阁, Pavilion of Seeking the Way) written in ancient seal script.
The security here far exceeds that of the outside world. The array formations, both overt and covert, are faintly visible, and several powerful divine senses are intertwined and sweeping through the surrounding area. Ordinary cultivators simply cannot get within a hundred miles.
As soon as Wang Tianlong appeared, several figures were already on the open ground in front of the hall. Each of these people possessed extraordinary bearing, some exuding an air of otherworldly grace, others radiating domineering power, and still others remaining mysterious and unpredictable. Their bodies resonated subtly with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, clearly indicating that they were all Nascent Soul stage cultivators! A cursory glance revealed that more than twenty people had arrived, nearly accounting for more than ten percent of the total known Nascent Soul stage cultivators in the human realm! This was truly a rare and grand gathering.
"Haha, who is it? It's Fellow Daoist 'Wang Paopao' who has arrived! It's been a thousand years, but your demeanor is still as impressive as ever, no, even more so than before!" A loud voice rang out, tinged with a hint of mockery, but without much malice. The speaker was a red-faced old man wearing a Bagua Daoist robe and a jade crown. He was none other than the Supreme Elder of the "True Extreme Sect," one of the ten major sects of the Great Jin Dynasty—the Crimson Sun True Man, with a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation. He was an old acquaintance of Wang Tianlong and had participated in the encirclement of "Wang Paopao" back then (unsuccessfully).
"Old Daoist Chiyang, you haven't passed away yet?" Wang Tianlong replied with a smile, not being polite, and stepped forward. At their level, there were only about two hundred Nascent Soul cultivators in the human realm. Those who had lived long enough had basically met each other. Even if they hadn't directly fought, they knew each other's names, cultivation methods, and those widely circulated "deeds" (such as Wang Tianlong's escape history). Only those Nascent Soul cultivators who had recently advanced in the last few hundred years were relatively unfamiliar faces.
"Fellow Daoist Shenfeng, how have you been?" On the other side, a female cultivator with a cold and aloof temperament, dressed in a snow-white white robe, nodded slightly. She was none other than Fairy Hanyue from the Beiye Xiaoji Palace, at the peak of the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm.
"Fairy of the Cold Moon." Wang Tianlong nodded in return.
Several familiar or acquaintances among the Nascent Soul cultivators greeted him one after another. The atmosphere seemed peaceful on the surface, but undercurrents were swirling beneath. Everyone knew perfectly well that they had gathered here for a rare opportunity that could benefit their own cultivation path and even lead to ascension. Beneath the surface of pleasantries lay the assessment of each other's strength, speculation about their purposes, and a silent evaluation of the potential competition that might arise.
While casually chatting with the crowd, Wang Tianlong glanced at the entrance of the main hall. Unlike the Nascent Soul stage, where everyone rushed in and took their seats, the Nascent Soul cultivators entered the hall in twos and threes, or alone, with a relaxed demeanor.
He didn't linger outside the door any longer. He bowed slightly to the crowd and then followed the flow of people into the "Wen Dao Pavilion".
The scene inside the hall was indeed vastly different from the Nascent Soul arena. There were no layers of seating, no private rooms, and no noisy crowds. The entire hall was spacious and high, with a floor paved with warm, reflective jade, and a star array operating on the dome, casting a soft, clear light. In the center of the hall was a small, circular jade platform, presumably for displaying the auction items. Around the platform, about a hundred individual jade tables and cushions were arranged in a staggered manner, with spiritual tea and fruits prepared on the tables, the arrangement simple yet grand.
The entire setting resembled a high-level palace banquet, or a gathering of top cultivators for tea and philosophical discussions, rather than a noisy auction for treasure. Of course, everyone knew that anything that would appear on the jade platform later would be enough to cause a bloodbath outside.