Soul-Attracting Grass

The burly cultivator only had three Thousand Vine Flowers in hand. The medicinal efficacies of spirit herbs varied drastically, making their exact values difficult to gauge. Judging by the momentum of the auction, however, the Nethermind Fruit was bound to fetch an astronomical price. After weighing the gains and losses, most people began to shrink back. Still, the Thousand Vine Flower was a rare spirit herb after all, and quite a few people appeared to be attempting to bypass the Nethermind Fruit and trade directly with the burly man. Flustered by the sudden flood of inquiries, the burly man had no choice but to clasp his fists toward the crowd and shout, "I only wish to trade for the Nethermind Fruit, or pills capable of nourishing the soul like the Nethermind Fruit. If fellow Daoists have no such pills, please save your breath!" Despite the brief farce, the auction of the Nethermind Fruit was entirely unaffected, with the price climbing steadily higher. Unfortunately, many people were vying for the Nethermind Fruit, driving the price far beyond the herb's intrinsic worth. Several who had designs on the Thousand Vine Flowers tried raising their bids a few times, only to beat a retreat one after another. Qin Sang called out two bids before deciding to give up. Paying such a steep price just to exchange for a few Thousand Vine Flowers that were of no immediate use to him was simply not worth it. In the end, a female cultivator took the Nethermind Fruit at a price that plunged the burly man into despair, and she showed no intention of trading with him—clearly, the fruit was an herb she urgently needed for herself. The burly man slumped dejectedly into his chair, utterly despondent. Some refused to give up and tried contacting him to make a trade, but the burly man rejected them all. The auction did not halt on the burly man's account; item after item was brought out and sold, though unfortunately, there were no more pills with effects similar to the Nethermind Fruit. "Next item: soul-attracting grass!" Gao Yi's rousing voice gave Qin Sang an instant jolt of energy. During the earlier rounds, Qin Sang had been hesitant, reluctantly passing up items and buying only a Falling Phoenix Vine of comparable quality to Earth Fire Coiling Tung, all out of fear that spending too many spirit stones would jeopardize his bid for the soul-attracting grass. The moment had finally arrived—the soul-attracting grass was here! Whoosh! Gao Yi whipped off the red cloth. To everyone's surprise, three jade boxes sat side by side on the tray! Inside each jade box lay a spirit herb dug out completely with its roots intact—soul-attracting grass! The soul-attracting grass was pitch-black throughout. Three leaves sprouted from the root, but instead of growing in different directions, they intertwined like three vines, twisting together until they formed a bud-like shape at the top—a truly peculiar sight. As it grew, soul-attracting grass underwent four color stages: white, green, dark green, and pitch-black. That pitch-black hue was the sign of full maturity! The appearance of the soul-attracting grass stirred an instant uproar across the hall, accompanied by several sharp gasps. Someone even sprang to their feet, staring fixedly at the tray with burning eyes. Many cultivators who had previously spent their spirit stones with reckless abandon sighed in bitter regret. Seeing this, Qin Sang felt his heart tighten, sensing trouble. It seemed he had somewhat underestimated the allure of soul-attracting grass to demonic and unorthodox cultivators. Each leaf of soul-attracting grass could be used to refine a Heavenly Corpse Talisman, meaning one plant yielded three. Though there was a chance of failure, Qin Sang had studied the Heavenly Yin Corpse Art for quite some time and was confident he could craft at least two per plant. Judging by their fanaticism, the fight for the soul-attracting grass would inevitably be fierce. Qin Sang did not dare nurse any wild hopes of securing all three in one sweep. Seize the initiative, secure the first stalk at all costs, and then decide on the remaining two based on how things unfolded. Qin Sang made up his mind. With his net worth, winning the first stalk should be well within reach, though the price would far exceed his original expectations. Still, if it meant obtaining at least two living corpses, it would be worth it. "Three stalks of mature soul-attracting grass, beneficial to the cultivation methods of many fellow Daoists from demonic and unorthodox paths. It seems everyone already knows its value, so I will keep my introduction brief..." The corner of Gao Yi's mouth curved slightly as he loudly announced the reserve price. "The owner of the soul-attracting grass requires all three stalks to be auctioned together, preferring that the lot go unsold rather than be split! The reserve price is set: a talisman treasure with at least seventy percent of its power remaining, with priority given to offensive talisman treasures!" All three auctioned together! No spirit stones, no magic tools, no medicinal pills—only a talisman treasure! This condition was like a bucket of freezing water dumped onto the scalding atmosphere, extinguishing it on the spot. Dead silence fell over the hall as the cultivators exchanged bewildered looks. Among so many Foundation Establishment cultivators, how many were fortunate enough to possess a talisman treasure? Not to mention requiring more than seventy percent of its power intact—it was far too demanding. "This old man is willing to offer seven thousand low-grade spirit stones to purchase a talisman treasure in order to trade for the soul-attracting grass. Would any fellow Daoist be willing to part with one?" An aged voice suddenly rang through the hall. Seven thousand low-grade spirit stones could practically buy two fine top-grade magic tools; this price did not insult the value of a talisman treasure. Yet no one would ever sell one that way. "You think you can buy a talisman treasure for seven thousand spirit stones? Fellow Daoist, you're indulging in fantasy! I am willing to offer seven thousand five hundred!" Sure enough, someone drove the price up immediately. "Eight thousand!" ... Once the spirit stones were bid up to nine thousand, only a handful of people still had the strength to compete. Regrettably, only their voices echoed across the hall; no one responded. Clearly, mere spirit stones were not enough to tempt anyone who held a talisman treasure. "Two top-grade magic tools, plus two thousand spirit stones! Is any fellow Daoist willing to trade?" Finally, someone offered different goods for trade. His voice carried the grit of clenched teeth, showing how deeply it pained him; he had likely put up the very magic tools he used daily. Qin Sang had placed a bid earlier, but he soon realized this path led nowhere and turned to carefully observe the faces in the hall. Gao Yi stood upon the high platform, watching the flurry of bids below with a smile. Below, many were communicating with Gao Yi via voice transmission. Qin Sang could easily guess what they were thinking: they wanted to see the soul-attracting grass sold separately, or negotiate other terms. From the look of things, all were turned down, leaving them sighing in sorrow. In the end, Qin Sang noticed several figures who drew his special attention: A woman in red. A Daoist priest in a dark cyan-black robe, wearing no face-concealing magic tools. An armored, lean young man. A boy who appeared only in his teens, wearing a faint smile. ... They shared a common trait: their auras were exceptionally well-concealed. Qin Sang could not probe them and guessed they were very likely late Foundation Establishment experts. Each of them also stared at the soul-attracting grass without a word, seemingly weighing whether parting with a talisman treasure for it was worth the cost. They paid not the slightest heed to the rising bids around them, completely unmoved. This set alarm bells ringing in Qin Sang's heart. The auction house at Yinshan Pass held considerable fame, drawing in many masters; it was only natural that several among them possessed talisman treasures. To people like them, spirit stones and top-grade magic tools were not indispensable; the only things capable of tempting them were treasures of equal rarity. Even if he offered up his spirit stones, magic tools, and the crumbling silver knife talisman treasure, he would at best only drag the bidding into a stalemate. Apart from those, the only things on his person presentable enough were two thousand-year spirit herbs. If he was reluctant to part with those spirit herbs, then as the price steadily rose, the first person forced to give up would undoubtedly be himself, as his foundation and wealth were certainly no match for theirs.