The Map of Mountains and Rivers, won at auction!

Although Lu Yuan's soul was unharmed, if this item were refined into his sea of ​​consciousness, it could also enhance the foundation of his spiritual consciousness.

"Now that you know, they're all mine."

The sky is bright.

Lu Yuan didn't alert many people; he simply sent a telepathic message to Gu Qingxue.

"Qingxue, come with me to the capital of Zhao."

Gu Qingxue arrived at the cave dwelling soon after, having dressed up carefully.

She changed out of her usual solemn sect leader's robe and put on a light blue flowing fairy dress.

The skirt folds in layers, like a blooming lotus, and a white ribbon is tied around the waist, perfectly outlining her slender waist.

"Husband, what are we going to the capital for?" Gu Qingxue asked softly, taking Lu Yuan's arm.

"Let's go to Wanbaolou and buy two things." Lu Yuan smiled slightly and reached out to brush Gu Qingxue's delicate nose.

Gu Qingxue blushed slightly, feeling quite pleased with her husband's affectionate gesture.

Lu Yuan waved his sleeve, and a beam of five-element spiritual light enveloped the two of them.

The two figures vanished instantly, transforming into an invisible streak of light as they sped towards the capital of Zhao.

He deliberately concealed his breathing.

Otherwise, the arrival of a Nascent Soul cultivator would be enough to make all the mortals and low-level cultivators in the capital of Zhao kneel down instantly.

……

The capital of Zhao remains as prosperous as ever.

As one of the largest merchant guilds in the Zhao Kingdom, Wanbaolou was bustling with activity today, as the long-awaited auction attracted countless cultivators.

Lu Yuan and Gu Qingxue walked side by side on the bustling street.

The two arrived in front of Wanbaolou and showed their VIP tokens from Qingyun Sect.

Upon seeing the token, the waiter's expression changed drastically, and he respectfully led the two to the VIP room on the third floor.

The private box is luxuriously decorated, and through the specially made glass windows, one can clearly overlook the entire auction venue.

Lu Yuan sat on a large animal-skin chair, while Gu Qingxue sat obediently beside him, peeling spirit fruits for him.

At this moment, in a corner of the first-floor lobby of the auction house.

A figure dressed in a black robe and wearing a bamboo hat, completely covered up, was huddled in a chair.

It was Xiao Fan.

His face was somewhat pale, clearly indicating that the past few days in the Netherworld Dungeon had not been pleasant. But the light in his eyes was exceptionally bright.

"Teacher, are you sure that painting is at today's auction?" Xiao Fan asked anxiously in his mind.

"There's no mistake." The Medicine Venerable's voice was somewhat weak, but it also revealed a hint of expectation: "That's the famous magic weapon of the Old Ghost Taixu back then, a fragment of the Mountain and River Map. Although it's broken, the spatial imprint inside is still there. As long as you take a picture of it, you can find the Taixu Secret Realm. The resources inside are enough for you to cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage."

"Moreover, the final piece, the lightning-struck wood, is actually a soul-nourishing wood. If we can obtain it, my remnant soul can be stabilized, and I may even recover some of my strength. At that time, even when facing the Qingyun Ancestor, we will have more power to protect ourselves."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Fan clenched his fists tightly.

He touched his storage bag. Although he hadn't gained any benefits in the Netherworld Dungeon, he had accumulated a considerable fortune while training in the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

In addition, with the guidance of the old apothecary, he managed to snag a few treasures in the capital and resell them, so he now has nearly 300,000 low-grade spirit stones in his possession.

This amount of money is astronomical for a Qi Refining stage cultivator.

"I must win this battle," Xiao Fan vowed silently.

The auction began soon.

Rare magical artifacts and elixirs were presented on the high platform, sparking round after round of bidding frenzy.

Lu Yuan simply watched quietly, occasionally sipping his spiritual tea, his expression languid.

It wasn't until half an hour later.

The auctioneer took out a tattered, yellowed ancient painting. When unfolded, it depicted some blurry landscape lines, with weak spiritual energy fluctuations, at most at the level of a Xuan-rank magic treasure.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this 'Landscape of Mountains and Rivers' was obtained from an ancient cultivation cave. Although it is somewhat damaged, the brushwork is vigorous and the artistic conception is profound. Moreover, the material is special and cannot be damaged by water or fire. The starting bid is five thousand low-grade spirit stones."

As soon as the auctioneer finished speaking, the audience fell silent.

For most cultivators, spending five thousand spirit stones on a tattered painting is not a worthwhile investment.

Xiao Fan, sitting in the corner, felt his heart pounding. He suppressed his excitement and waited a moment. Seeing that no one else was bidding, he called out in a hoarse voice.

"Five thousand."

The auctioneer's eyes lit up: "This fellow Daoist has bid five thousand. Are there any higher bids?"

The audience was silent.

Xiao Fan was overjoyed; he was about to get his hands on it.

However, just as the auctioneer raised the gavel, ready to bring it down...

A completely calm voice came from the VIP box on the third floor.

"Ten thousand."

Xiao Fan's smile froze on his face instantly. He looked up sharply at the private room, his eyes filled with rage.

who is it?

The Medicine Venerable's heart sank: "Fan'er, don't panic. It's probably just that someone is interested in the material of this painting and is raising the price."

Xiao Fan gritted his teeth.

"Fifteen thousand."

"One hundred thousand."

That calm voice rang out again, instantly multiplying the price several times over.

His tone revealed a casual disregard for spirit stones.

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

Spend 100,000 spirit stones on a tattered painting? Where did this spendthrift come from?

Xiao Fan's face turned deathly pale instantly. One hundred thousand—that was already a third of his net worth.

"110,000," he shouted, trembling.

Two hundred thousand.

The sound inside the private room remained completely calm.

Xiao Fan's fingernails had dug deep into his palms, drawing blood. Two hundred thousand... that was almost his limit.

"Two hundred and one thousand." He almost roared.

"Five hundred thousand."

Lu Yuan sat in the private room, gently swirling the teacup in his hand, a playful smile on his lips.

Compare spirit stones with him.

The entire state of Zhao combined is not as wealthy as he is now.

"puff."

Xiao Fan was so enraged that he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Five hundred thousand.

It completely extinguished his hope.

"Damn it, who is it?" he roared inwardly.

"Fan'er, give up." The Medicine Venerable sighed, his voice full of helplessness. "The other side is clearly determined to win, and they have abundant resources. Let's save our spirit stones and fight for the last Soul-Nourishing Wood; that's more important to us."

Xiao Fan's eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at the private room, finally collapsing helplessly into his chair.

The auctioneer excitedly brought down the gavel.

"Congratulations to the distinguished guest in the No. 1 VIP room for winning the 'Map of Mountains and Rivers' for 500,000 spirit stones."

[Ding! Successfully intercepted the purple-tier opportunity of the Chosen One Xiao Fan, the Taixu Secret Realm. Triggered a 100x critical hit return, gaining complete control of the Taixu Secret Realm (no key required, can directly open the portal through the system), reward 1000 Destiny Points.]

The system notification sounded, and Lu Yuan nodded in satisfaction.

Although it was a bit of a waste of money, seeing the chosen one cough up blood made it all worthwhile. Besides, it also gave me complete control over the Taixu Secret Realm.