Beast Taming: I Have an Immortal Mansion

Chapter 150 - 131: Preparing to Stock Up

The Female Cultivator’s hands were bound behind her back. A chain-like Magical Artifact was clasped around her neck, its lead held by the Auctioneer on the stage. Her body was stiff, as though she couldn’t move of her own volition.

Fang Qingyuan looked closely. The woman had fair skin and an exquisitely curved figure with not an ounce of excess fat. Although her face was concealed, the rest of her body was on full display for everyone to see.

The appearance of this "item" was a feast for the eyes for the dozens of Cultivators present. As soon as the Auctioneer announced the starting price, several Cultivators with a taste for such things began to bid.

"Two thousand five hundred!"

A Cultivator began to raise the bid. A tripod furnace at the Second-Layer Qi Cultivation was like a potent medicine, her value far from cheap. In fact, one couldn’t even dream of partaking in such pursuits without considerable wealth.

The greatest benefit of a Dual Cultivation tripod furnace was the immense Spiritual Power it could provide to its partner during their first union. This particular Cultivator likely wanted to buy her to try and break through to his next realm.

If this Female Cultivator’s cultivation level could be raised further to the Mid-stage Qi Cultivation, she could provide a significant boost even to a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Of course, this benefit of Dual Cultivation was most potent at the very beginning. As the Dual Cultivation progressed, the Female Cultivator’s own cultivation would gradually stagnate and even regress.

Though it was called Dual Cultivation, she was, in essence, a tripod furnace. The sole purpose of a tripod furnace was to be consumed to enhance someone else’s power.

This Female Cultivator was likely from a Cultivator Clan in this sea region. Her Cultivation Clan must have been conquered by its enemies, and she was taken as spoils of war. In the Chaotic Star Sea Region, such things were not uncommon.

For the people of a conquered island, the men were executed while the beautiful Female Cultivators were sold off as tripod furnaces. It was hard to say which fate was more tragic.

Seeing a bid, the Auctioneer led the Female Cultivator before the crowd, showcasing her from every angle to the Cultivators present in an attempt to stir up more interest.

Fang Qingyuan wasn’t particularly interested. This wasn’t what he came for. A single tripod furnace would be of little help to his cultivation; it would just be a waste of Spirit Stones. The cost-benefit was low.

Ultimately, the Female Cultivator’s Tripod Furnace was won by a Cultivator who bid extravagantly. The final price was three thousand four hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones. This was not a low price; the premium was likely due to the Female Cultivator’s beauty.

After the Female Cultivator’s Tripod Furnace was purchased, she was dragged to the back by two black-robed Cultivators. The next item to be auctioned, however, piqued Fang Qingyuan’s interest.

"A Black Crystal Skull, a Second-rank Lower Grade Ghost Dao Magical Artifact. Sealed within this skull are the soul of one Foundation Establishment Cultivator and the souls of more than ten Qi Cultivation Cultivators. It includes the [Spirit Capturing] Divine Technique. The starting price is five thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones. Each bid increment must be at least one hundred."

Staring at the item, Fang Qingyuan immediately thought of the *Yindu Black Law Soul-Binding Spell* he practiced. He had been cultivating this Spell ever since he obtained it. These years of practice had made his own soul nearly fifty percent stronger than that of other Cultivators at his level.

The results were excellent, but practicing it consumed a vast amount of Spiritual Qi in his Immortal Mansion. To prevent the Spiritual Power within the Immortal Mansion from depleting too quickly, Fang Qingyuan usually only practiced this Soul Dao Technique once a month.

Practicing a Soul Dao Technique should ideally involve absorbing Soul Power. Without Soul Power, one could only convert Spiritual Power to fuel it. Fang Qingyuan had always used Spiritual Power as a substitute, but now, this skull presented him with a new possibility.

And so, Fang Qingyuan made a bid in his altered voice.

"Five thousand five hundred Spirit Stones!"

The price of a Second-Order Lower Grade Magical Artifact typically ranged from three thousand to ten thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones. Ghost Dao Magical Artifacts were quite rare, and they couldn’t be used in public. This meant that after buying one, a Cultivator wouldn’t dare use it openly unless they could kill every single person who saw it.

For a Second-Order Lower Grade Magical Artifact that couldn’t be used regularly, five thousand Spirit Stones was already a high price. After Fang Qingyuan bid five thousand five hundred, the room fell silent for more than ten breaths before someone else finally followed his bid.

A short while later, the bidding for the Ghost Dao Magical Artifact had reached six thousand eight hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones, and the one who made that final bid was Fang Qingyuan himself.

It seemed this price had reached the mental limit of the other bidders, as no one else made an offer. The Auctioneer on stage brought his small hammer down decisively, signaling that the Magical Artifact now belonged to Fang Qingyuan.

A figure in a black robe then emerged from the side, placed the skull Magical Artifact into a box, and walked directly over to Fang Qingyuan, gesturing for him to inspect the item.

Fang Qingyuan took the skull and inspected it. After confirming that it hadn’t been tampered with, he placed it into his storage bag. Then, he briskly counted out sixty-eight Middle-grade Spirit Stones and tossed them into the box.

With that, the transaction was complete. The Auctioneer on stage then began to introduce the next item up for auction.

The entire Black Market auction proceeded in this strange manner. There were no desperate, hoarse shouts, no loud bidding wars—only the Auctioneer’s few brief words of introduction for each item and the occasional, subdued bid from the audience.

There were only about a hundred people present, and Cultivators would occasionally get up and leave. Many items received no bids at all. The Auctioneer didn’t seem anxious; he simply put the unwanted items back into his storage bag.

After winning the skull, Fang Qingyuan ignored more than ten subsequent items, right up until the Auctioneer brought out a black seashell.

Upon seeing the shell, Fang Qingyuan was quite surprised. It wasn’t a Magical Artifact or a spiritual material—it was merely a mundane object.