Chapter 857
The Upcoming Auction
After reviewing the lease, all five people had no objections and signed it.
"From today onwards, you are all tenants of our cave dwelling," Zheng Yi said. "If you have any problems, please feel free to contact me or Young Master Guo. We will do our best to help you resolve them."
"Thank you, Mr. Dark Night," the five said in unison.
After seeing the five people off, Guo Tianyou walked over with a smile on his face.
"Sir, our first batch of tenants has signed contracts!" he said happily. "Three mid-level cave dwellings and two low-level cave dwellings, the monthly rent is 19,000 spirit stones!"
“This is just the beginning,” Zheng Yi said. “Once the word spreads, more people will come to rent. Then our income will be even more substantial.”
“Sir, you are right.” Guo Tianyou nodded. “I will continue to promote it.”
Over the next month, more than a dozen tenants came to Hongyun City and rented the cave dwellings.
Among them were two experts whose cultivation had reached the peak of the Mahayana Realm, who rented two top-tier cave dwellings. They were both from powerful families in the central part of the Tianyuan Domain, with abundant wealth, and paid half a year's rent in one lump sum.
"Two top-tier cave dwellings, 120,000 spirit stones for six months' rent," Guo Tianyou said excitedly. "Adding the rent for the other cave dwellings, we've earned nearly 200,000 spirit stones this month!"
“That’s right,” Zheng Yi nodded. “But that’s just rental income. More importantly, we now have a group of wealthy tenants. Living in our cave dwellings is equivalent to helping us protect the spiritual veins.”
“Sir, you’re right,” Guo Tianyou said. “With these experts around, even if the Li family tries to cause trouble again, they’ll have to think twice.”
"By the way, what's been happening with the Li family lately?" Zheng Yi asked.
“Nothing’s happening,” Guo Tianyou said. “The Li family has been much quieter since what happened in Liuzhen. They seem to be waiting for something.”
“They’re waiting,” Zheng Yi hesitated for a moment, “Perhaps they’re waiting for a better opportunity. We can’t let our guard down; we must remain vigilant at all times.”
"I understand."
Zheng Yi stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the north of the city.
After several months of construction, the north of the city has undergone significant changes. The main road has been paved, with a wide and smooth bluestone path extending from the north entrance of the city all the way to the north city wall. Rows of neat shops and inns have been built on both sides of the road, and although they are not yet fully open, they are already taking shape.
In the heart of the northern part of the city, a large market square is under construction. Workers are busy carrying building materials, and carpenters are hammering away at the planks. In a few months, it will be a bustling market.
"The construction in the north of the city is progressing smoothly," Zheng Yi murmured. "In another six months, this area will become a bustling hub. At that time, Qingyun City, Hongyun City, and Dongfu will all be connected, forming a complete industrial chain."
"As long as we can protect these industries, we can gain a foothold in Tianyuan Domain."
He turned around and looked at Guo Tianyou.
"Young Master Guo, the coming days will be very busy. The construction in the north of the city, the operation of the cave dwelling, and the threat from the Li family—all of these require our joint efforts. Are you ready?"
“I’m ready,” Guo Tianyou said firmly. “With you here, sir, I have nothing to fear.”
Zheng Yi smiled slightly and patted Guo Tianyou on the shoulder.
"Okay, then let's work together to make these industries bigger and stronger."
Three months later, late one night, a dazzling light suddenly shone in the sky above Hongyun City.
The light shot into the sky from the depths of the earth in the north of the city, like a pillar of light sword piercing the dark night. The light was pale gold, interspersed with wisps of purple electric arcs, forming a huge vortex in the night sky.
The entire city of Hongyun was alarmed by this light.
Countless people were jolted awake from their sleep, rushing out of their homes to look up at the towering pillar of light. The streets were bustling with noise and discussion.
"What is that?"
"Such a powerful aura! Is someone breaking through?"
"Judging by the direction, it seems to be in the north of the city."
Inside the city lord's mansion, Zheng Yi was also awakened by this light.
He put on his outer robe, strode out of the room, and came to the courtyard. Looking up, he saw a golden pillar of light shooting into the sky from the north of the city, its imposing presence inspiring awe.
"It's over there in the cave!" A thought struck him, and he immediately used his lightness skill to fly towards the north of the city.
Guo Tianyou also woke up from his sleep and hurriedly rushed to the north of the city.
The two met at the entrance of the cave.
"Sir, what happened?" Guo Tianyou asked anxiously.
“Someone is making a breakthrough,” Zheng Yi said. “And a major breakthrough at that.”
They hurried into the underground passage and headed toward the source of the light.
The spiritual energy within the passage was unusually active, surging like boiling water. The light of the ever-burning lamp flickered and swayed under the impact of this spiritual energy.
The deeper they went, the more intense the fluctuations of spiritual energy became. When they arrived at the top-tier cave area, they even felt an immense pressure bearing down on them, making it almost impossible to breathe.
“It’s Cave Number One!” Zheng Yi pointed to the stone door closest to the core of the spiritual vein.
The stone door was tightly closed, but a blinding golden light shone through the cracks, the light containing a chilling power.
"Who is cultivating inside?" Guo Tianyou asked.
“Sun Wuji,” Zheng Yi said, “He rented Cave No. 1 three months ago and has been in seclusion there ever since.”
Sun Wuji was the most powerful among the first batch of tenants, reaching the late stage of the Mahayana Realm. When he rented the top-tier cave dwelling, he mentioned that he was attempting to break through to the peak of the Mahayana Realm and wanted to use the power of the spiritual veins to achieve this breakthrough.
Unexpectedly, he's really about to break through!
The gap between the late stage and peak of the Mahayana Realm is enormous. Many cultivators are stuck at this bottleneck their entire lives, unable to make any progress. Sun Wuji's breakthrough in just three months is enough to demonstrate how astonishing the effects of this spiritual vein are.
"Sir, shall we go in and take a look?" Guo Tianyou asked.
"No need," Zheng Yi shook his head. "The worst thing during a breakthrough is being disturbed. We can just wait outside."
The two stood outside the stone gate, waiting quietly.
Time passed by, second by second.
The towering pillar of light lasted for nearly an hour before gradually dissipating. The golden light inside the stone gate also slowly dimmed, and the fluctuations of spiritual energy in the passage gradually subsided.
After a moment, the stone door creaked open.
A middle-aged man dressed in a gray robe walked out. He had a gaunt face, sharp eyes, and exuded a deep and restrained aura. That aura was several times stronger than it had been three months ago, and it subtly revealed an imposing and dignified presence.
It was Sun Wuji.
"Congratulations, Senior Sun, on breaking through to the peak of the Mahayana Realm!" Zheng Yi offered his congratulations with clasped hands.
Sun Wuji smiled when he saw Zheng Yi and Guo Tianyou.
“Thank you, Mr. Dark Night,” he said. “Without the help of this spiritual vein, I would probably have wasted several more years to break through. This cave dwelling is truly worth every penny.” “Senior Sun, you flatter me,” Zheng Yi said. “It is our honor to help Senior Sun break through.”
“Mr. Dark Night, you’re too kind,” Sun Wuji said. “I would like to continue renting this cave dwelling. Is that alright?”
“Of course,” Zheng Yi nodded. “Senior Sun was one of our first tenants. As long as Senior Sun is willing, this cave dwelling can be reserved for you indefinitely.”
"Then I thank you in advance," Sun Wuji said, cupping his hands in greeting. "I need to continue my seclusion to consolidate my cultivation, so I won't disturb you any longer."
"Please go ahead, Senior Sun."
Sun Wuji turned around and went back into the cave, closing the stone door behind him.
Zheng Yi and Guo Tianyou exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.
"Sir, Senior Sun has truly broken through!" Guo Tianyou exclaimed excitedly. "Peak of the Great Ascension Realm! That's top-tier skill in the entire Tianyuan Domain!"
“That’s right,” Zheng Yi nodded. “Moreover, his breakthrough will bring immense prestige to our cave.”
You mean...
"The news will spread quickly," Zheng Yi said. "Then, even more people will want to rent our cave dwelling."
Sure enough, news of Sun Wuji's breakthrough quickly spread throughout Hongyun City.
The next morning, the city was in an uproar. People gathered in twos and threes, discussing the towering beam of light that had shot into the sky the night before.
"Have you heard? Someone broke through in the north of the city last night!"
"What breakthrough?"
"Peak of the Mahayana Realm! That's that rogue cultivator named Sun Wuji!"
"Really? Peak Mahayana Realm? That's a top-tier expert!"
"Absolutely true! I saw that beam of light shoot into the sky from the north of the city with my own eyes. Its power, wow, it was terrifying!"
"I heard he cultivates in that cave, which has a spiritual vein that makes cultivation particularly effective."
"A spiritual vein? When did Hongyun City get a spiritual vein?"
"It was only recently discovered. It seems to belong to the Guo family; they rent it out specifically for people to cultivate."
"Really? I want to rent one and try it out!"
The news spread like wildfire, quickly reaching every corner of Hongyun City and then the entire Tianyuan Domain.
In no time, the name Hongyun City was on everyone's lips. The mysterious spiritual vein cave became a hot topic among cultivators.
The threshold of the city lord's mansion was almost worn down by the crowds.
Every day, countless people come to inquire about the cave dwellings, wanting to rent one for cultivation. Among them are members of large families and sects, and even a few collateral descendants of the nine great families.
Guo Tianyou was extremely busy.
"Sir, it's incredibly popular!" He wiped the sweat from his brow and said to Zheng Yi, "At least two or three hundred people have inquired about our cave dwellings in the past few days, all wanting to rent one. But our cave dwellings are almost fully booked; there simply aren't enough vacancies."
"How many vacant cave dwellings are there now?" Zheng Yi asked.
"There are still five low-level cave dwellings and two mid-level cave dwellings," Guo Tianyou said. "There's only one top-level cave dwelling left, which is Cave Dwelling Number Two."
Has the rent gone up?
"The price has increased," Guo Tianyou nodded. "Low-grade cave dwellings have increased from 2,000 spirit stones per month to 5,000 spirit stones, mid-grade cave dwellings from 5,000 to 15,000 spirit stones, and top-grade cave dwellings from 10,000 to 30,000 spirit stones. But even so, people are still flocking to rent them."
"Supply can't keep up with demand," Zheng Yi remarked.
“Yes,” Guo Tianyou said. “Many people are complaining that we don’t have enough cave dwellings to go around. Some have even offered high prices to sublet from the existing tenants, but they’ve all refused.”
Zheng Yi pondered for a moment, then said, "Young Master Guo, I have an idea."
"Sir, please speak."
"There are only a limited number of cave dwellings left, but many people want to rent them. Instead of renting them out on a first-come, first-served basis, it would be better to auction them off."
"Auction?" Guo Tianyou was taken aback.
“That’s right, an auction,” Zheng Yi said. “We can hold an auction to sell off the remaining cave dwelling slots. The highest bidder wins. This way, we can not only select the most capable tenants but also obtain higher returns.”
"That's a great idea!" Guo Tianyou's eyes lit up. "The auction will definitely attract a lot of people, and our cave will become even more famous!"
“However, there needs to be a method to the auction,” Zheng Yi said. “We can’t auction off all the cave dwellings; that would seem too short-sighted. My idea is to auction off only three—one top-tier cave dwelling, one mid-tier cave dwelling, and one low-tier cave dwelling. The remaining cave dwellings can be rented out in the normal way.”
“Sir, your considerations are very thorough.” Guo Tianyou nodded. “Then when shall we hold the auction?”
"In two weeks," Zheng Yi said. "During this time, we need to do a good job of publicity. We need to let more people know that we are going to hold an auction and attract more people to participate."
"Alright, I'll arrange it right away."
For the next two weeks, Guo Tianyou devoted himself to promoting the upcoming auction.
He sent people to post notices in various cities of the Tianyuan Domain, explaining the time, location, and content of the auction. The notices also specifically mentioned Sun Wuji's breakthrough to the peak of the Mahayana Realm, to prove the effectiveness of the Spirit Vein Cave.
The news immediately caused a huge uproar.
Countless cultivators were filled with anticipation for this auction. Many arrived in Hongyun City early, booked rooms at inns, and waited for the auction to begin.
The inns in Hongyun City were almost all full. The streets were bustling with people, several times more lively than usual. The restaurants and teahouses were filled with discussions about the auction.
"Have you heard? This auction is for a top-tier cave dwelling! It's located closest to the core of the spiritual vein, where the spiritual energy is most abundant!"
"A top-tier cave dwelling! I wonder how many spirit stones it will fetch at auction."
"It's definitely not cheap. I heard that the rent for a top-tier cave dwelling has already risen to 30,000 spirit stones a month, and it will definitely be even higher at an auction."
"Thirty thousand spirit stones a month? That's thirty-six hundred thousand spirit stones a year! Who can afford that price?"
"There are plenty of wealthy people. I heard that even some prominent families are coming to this auction, maybe even the nine great clans."
"The nine great families? They're coming too?"
"Why not? The disciples of the nine great families also need to cultivate. With such a good place, they certainly won't let it pass them by."
Hongyun City has never been so bustling. (End of Chapter)