Still, Li Guanqi had employed a small trick—so long as someone's cultivation did not drastically exceed his own, they would not be able to see his face clearly.
As for the sword casket, he had stowed it away before coming inside.
Reaching the Nascent Soul realm brought a great convenience: one could create their own portable pocket space.
This spared him a great deal of trouble; after all, his sword coffin was far too conspicuous.
With an impassive expression, Li Guanqi found an empty seat and sat down.
The others in the room grew wary of this newcomer cloaked in an aura of mystery.
They knew the various forces around Dongxiao City like the back of their hands. Donning a black robe was largely a mere formality to avoid breaking the rules.
Just like the person who had walked in right before Li Guanqi—most of them could already guess his identity.
Wu Kun, the eldest young master of the Wu clan from Baiyang City, west of Dongxiao City.
His ability to conceal his aura was simply too poor. Nearly everyone present was a peak Core Formation cultivator.
There were even two Nascent Soul realm experts among them; to their eyes, Wu Kun's black robe was not even enough to hide behind.
Still, word had spread that Wu Kun had recently grown close with a female direct disciple from the Wind Thunder Sect.
It seemed the Wu clan wanted to ride that momentum and cling to the towering tree that was the Wind Thunder Sect.
Among the clan and sect powers across the entire Eastern Domain, the Wind Thunder Sect easily ranked within the top ten.
In these parts, such matters were hardly secrets; any movement from any clan was uncovered down to the finest detail.
Before long, the courtyard doors slowly swung shut. It seemed no one else was coming.
Clad in his black robe, Wu Kun was on edge.
After all, everyone present radiated an immensely powerful aura. Cold sweat ran down his skin beneath his robe, yet he dared not even wipe it away.
Forcing himself to appear calm, he sat rigidly upright in his seat.
Li Guanqi, by contrast, observed everyone with keen interest. Leaning back slightly in his chair, he casually reached for a spirit fruit from the side table and popped it into his mouth.
Only a fool passes up free stuff. I wonder if I can pack some of these to go later...
Buzz!
The void rippled faintly, and Li Guanqi looked toward the center of the room.
An old man in a plain hemp robe materialized. He was tall, though somewhat portly.
A warm smile stretched across his round face, framed by squinting eyes and a bulbous, red-veined nose.
Seeing the old man's appearance, Li Guanqi clicked his tongue. Usually, he steered clear of people like this.
He believed that people who smiled whether anything was happening or not were far more terrifying than those who wore their emotions on their sleeves.
Moreover, in his perception, the old man's aura was elusive one moment and unfathomably deep as an abyss the next.
The old man wasted no words. Nodding slightly in greeting, he raised a hand, and a radiant magic treasure appeared in his palm.
The treasure was shaped like an oil lamp.
It was ice-blue throughout, exuding a misty, pale blue haze, crafted in the shape of a ferocious giant shark.
Held within its jaws was a milky-white inner core that looked exceptionally precious.
The old man smiled and said, "This treasure is called the Heavenly Bead Lamp. Lighting it calms the mind, focuses the spirit, and possesses the wondrous effect of enhancing Dao comprehension."
Hearing this, Li Guanqi raised an eyebrow. Lately, he had found the Dragon Elephant Prison-Suppressing Art terribly obscure; he wondered if this thing might help.
The sword spirit faintly manifested and said softly, "It will be useful to you, but that sea demon core can only be used three times before it is exhausted."
The old man surveyed the crowd with a smile, having mentioned only the lamp's effects without disclosing its limited uses.
Yet the people present were not without discerning eyes.
One of the Nascent Soul cultivators spoke up: "This item... I'm afraid it won't last more than a few uses, will it?"
"Furthermore, that sea demon core already shows signs of wear."
The old man did not argue, simply smiling as he said, "Starting bid: one hundred and twenty mid-grade spirit stones."
One hundred and twenty mid-grade spirit stones was quite a substantial sum.
A long silence followed, and no one spoke up.
Seeing this, the old man took no offense and turned his hand to put the item away.
Seeing that no one was interested, Li Guanqi raised his hand and spoke: "One hundred and twenty."
His voice was deep and hoarse, concealing his true age.
The others were somewhat surprised to see him bid. In their view, the item was simply not worth such a steep price.
On top of that, it was a consumable, making whoever bought it look rather like a fool.
Still, no one said anything, merely guessing that this newcomer had run into some bottleneck in his cultivation and this item happened to fit his needs.
Li Guanqi, however, noticed that Wu Kun across from him had looked tempted to bid, but in the end held back and gave up.
The old man gave a slight nod and tossed the lamp to Li Guanqi, who tossed over a storage bag in return.
Such was the black market: payment on delivery, no origins asked, no identities probed.
Soon, the old man brought out the second item.
It was a robe of decent quality, and its price was quickly driven up to one thousand four hundred mid-grade spirit stones.
Even Li Guanqi, who was relatively wealthy, could not help clicking his tongue at such a price.
Yet the third item took Li Guanqi by surprise—it was half a jade pendant, fiery red!
The moment he laid eyes on it, he knew this half came from the very same pendant as the piece in his possession!
The fracture edges matched almost seamlessly, and the aura lingering upon it was identical.
Though he did not know what secrets the pendant held, he was thrilled.
To think that a casual stroll into a black market would bring him face to face with this other half!
And yet, this half of a jade pendant had captured the attention of everyone in the room.
After all, anyone could sense the profound, mysterious aura emanating from it.
Such items almost always signified a fortuitous encounter!
Much like a key or a treasure map, to cultivators blessed with long lifespans, such intangible enigmas held tremendous allure.
Items like this were fraught with uncertainty, and the cultivation world was rife with legends of people soaring to great heights through precisely such opportunities.
Consequently, many of those present harbored great interest in this half of a jade pendant.
Seeing this, Li Guanqi's brows knit together. He was determined to obtain it; he, too, wanted to uncover what was hidden inside.
What was more, he already possessed the other half!
How could he possibly pass up such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?
The bidding began swiftly, with a starting price of five hundred mid-grade spirit stones.
The price soared rapidly, soon surpassing two thousand mid-grade spirit stones.
By this point, the bidders had grown exceedingly cautious, and the pace of the bidding slowed considerably.
Li Guanqi kept a close eye on their reactions. From what he observed, nearly everyone was approaching this jade pendant with an attitude of merely trying their luck.
This meant that each of them had an upper limit they were willing to spend.
Yet just as he was pondering what amount would be appropriate to offer, Wu Kun, seated opposite him, suddenly raised a hand and called out:
"Three thousand five hundred!"
Chapter 288