darknovel Chapter 137 Low-Level Auction
Chapter 137 Low-Level Auction
It was still early and the auction had not yet started, but the Seven Star Merchant Alliance's doors were open as usual, so there was no problem if anyone needed to purchase anything.
The street in front of the Seven Star Merchant Alliance was already packed with low-level cultivators. Those who knew each other stood together, discussing matters related to the auction. For a moment, it was bustling, noisy, and chaotic.
Through these people's words, Du Fan understood that not all cultivators could participate in the auction; only four types of people were qualified to participate.
1. Official members of the Seven Stars Merchant Alliance; 2. Those who hold a Seven Stars Merchant Alliance membership token; 3. Those who have received an invitation to the Seven Stars Merchant Alliance auction; 4. Those who are disciples of a large sect or one of the twelve great families in Central China.
Of course, disciples from the three major super sects of Zhongzhou are also included in its criteria.
The lower-level auctions also have restrictions on the cultivation level of cultivators. They are limited to those above the Quasi-Qi Refining stage and below the Foundation Establishment stage. Cultivators of other cultivation levels, regardless of their background or strength, are not allowed to enter.
As a disciple of the Qixia Sect, Chen Ru was naturally qualified to participate in the Seven Star Merchant Alliance auction, and Du Fan basically met all the above conditions.
Half an hour later, two middle-aged men with sharp expressions slowly walked out of the gate of the Seven Star Merchant Alliance. The moment they appeared, an extremely powerful spiritual pressure emanated from them, causing everyone present to be horrified.
These two middle-aged men were none other than Foundation Establishment experts.
Upon witnessing this scene, the previously noisy crowd immediately fell silent, all turning their gazes toward the two Foundation Establishment experts with awe. However, the two stood on either side of the gate, their expressions indifferent, and made no move to speak.
Before long, more than ten cultivators dressed as servants came out and stood behind the two Foundation Establishment cultivators, all of whom were low-level cultivators at the third or fourth level of the Qi Refining stage.
A moment later, another white-bearded old man emerged from the Seven Star Merchant Alliance. He was dressed in a blue robe, tall and thin, with a smile on his face.
"It's Elder Hua!"
"Junior Xu Mu pays his respects to Elder Hua!"
"Junior Zhou Dekai greets Senior Hua!"
This old man in blue robes seemed to be very prestigious. As soon as he came out, several cultivators stood up solemnly, stepped forward, and respectfully greeted him.
"Late stage of Foundation Establishment!" Du Fan scanned the area with his divine sense and immediately made a judgment, his heart stirred.
"Hmm?" The smiling old man in blue robes seemed to sense something, his face suddenly darkened, and he looked around in surprise and uncertainty, but found nothing. He couldn't help but frown.
However, he didn't take it to heart. After all, it was normal for a city of Xuan Shui City's size to have a few Foundation Establishment experts. As for the possibility that the other party might be detrimental to the Seven Star Merchant Alliance, he didn't even bother to think about it.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the old man in the blue robe smiled slightly and spoke in a loud voice:
"Hehe, I believe many of you here recognize me. But as is customary, let me introduce myself. I am Hua Mo, one of the leaders of the Xuan Shui City branch of the Seven Star Merchant Alliance, and also the person in charge of this auction."
Today is the triennial auction for low-level cultivators, hosted by the Xuan Shui City branch of the Seven Star Merchant Alliance. All fellow cultivators are welcome to come and support us from afar. We believe that the items auctioned this year will satisfy all of you.
I presume you are all familiar with the rules for entry, so I won't waste any more words. I'll just say one thing: if any fellow cultivators are planning to take advantage of the situation, they'd better abandon such thoughts as soon as possible to avoid embarrassment later.
The old man in the blue robe paused, his gaze instantly sharpening as he scanned everyone present.
Immediately, several people, feeling guilty, dared not look directly at the crowd and quietly withdrew, disappearing from the scene with dejected expressions.
A few breaths later, more than ten people left, while the rest looked at each other and showed no intention of moving.
The old man in the blue robe then smiled with satisfaction again. With a flick of his wrist, he took out a light blue round crystal ball, which shimmered with blue light and rippled like a water ball.
Hua Mo tossed the ball into the air, and at the same time, he quickly cast several spells on it with his other hand. The blue crystal ball immediately swirled up a blue glow, which, after dispersing and condensing, transformed into a blue light gate about two zhang long and wide.
This light gate is a thin layer, pale blue in color, like a water curtain. Its interior is mysterious and extraordinary, seemingly transparent yet its contents are unclear, like an illusion.
The moment the blue light gate formed, the two Foundation Establishment stage middle-aged men suddenly turned cold and stepped forward, standing solemnly before the light gate.
"Alright, fellow Daoists, please take out your admission tickets. Once they are verified, you may enter the auction hall and participate in the auction," the blue-robed elder said with a faint smile.
Upon hearing this, the cultivators who came to participate in the Seven Star Merchant Alliance auction stirred slightly, then spontaneously formed two long lines, remaining silent and orderly.
Next, these cultivators either took out their Seven Star Merchant Alliance membership cards, displayed their identity tokens, or even presented antique-style invitations to the Seven Star Merchant Alliance auction.
In short, no one dared to cause trouble. They all respectfully handed their credentials to the two Foundation Establishment experts. After being checked and found to be correct, they naturally stepped into the blue light gate and disappeared in a flash, leaving behind a ripple of light.
Time passed slowly, and everything went very smoothly.
"This should be an extremely high-level teleportation artifact." Du Fan looked at the blue light gate, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, and thought to himself.
Then it was Chen Ru and Du Fan's turn. Without any hesitation, Chen Ru took out the Qixia Sect's identity token and handed it to one of the middle-aged men in the Foundation Establishment stage.
Upon seeing the token, the middle-aged man's face flashed with a strange expression. He glanced at Chen Ru again, and his expression softened somewhat. However, he did not say anything, but nodded to Chen Ru and returned the sect token to her.
Chen Ru glanced back at Du Fan, smiled sweetly at him, and then vanished into the portal in a flash.
At this moment, Du Fan hesitated, unsure of what to take. It wasn't until a Foundation Establishment expert gave him an unfriendly look that he made up his mind and took out the offering token from the Seven Star Merchant Alliance.
Anyway, no matter which sign it is, his identity will inevitably be exposed as soon as it is revealed, so it's better to be straightforward.
The middle-aged man in the Foundation Establishment stage seemed somewhat dissatisfied with Du Fan's slow movements. His face darkened, he snorted coldly, snatched the token from Du Fan's hand, and released a spiritual pressure belonging to the Foundation Establishment stage, which directly affected Du Fan.
This spiritual pressure suddenly descended, and Du Fan suddenly felt an unbearable force surge into his body, causing all his bones to crack and pop.
Cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead, and even his breathing paused for a moment. He was utterly horrified, and at the same time, a trace of anger rose within him.
Fortunately, the spiritual pressure vanished in an instant. The middle-aged man gave Du Fan a cold glance, his meaning clear: This time I'm giving you a small punishment, so watch out in the future!
This scene was naturally seen by Hua Mo, who was not far away. The old man just smiled knowingly and did not try to stop it.
However, the next moment, before the Foundation Establishment middle-aged man could make a move, Hua Mo, who was originally smiling, suddenly changed his expression, his pupils contracted sharply, as if he had suddenly thought of something, and he gasped.
Only then did the Foundation Establishment man begin to examine the token.
"Huh? You're from the Seven Star Merchant Alliance?"
Upon seeing the Big Dipper pattern printed on the back of the blue token in his hand, the middle-aged man was surprised. He had felt that the token looked familiar, but he had overlooked it due to his slight anger at the time.
After his initial surprise, the middle-aged man's expression softened, but he remained arrogant, after all, in his eyes, the other party was just a waiter or an apprentice.
Of course, he really didn't know about this, otherwise he wouldn't have released spiritual pressure on him.
But the moment he turned the token over, his eyes suddenly narrowed, his arrogance vanished instantly, and his body trembled, replaced by a look of panic and disbelief.
Just as the middle-aged man was at a loss, Hua Mo's figure flickered and appeared directly in front of Du Fan. He first glared fiercely at the Foundation Establishment man, then smiled and clasped his hands in greeting to Du Fan, saying, "Du..."
"Is there a problem with the token?" Du Fan frowned and spoke coldly, interrupting the old man.
"Hmm? Oh! No problem, no problem..." Hua Mo had been stationed in the branch alliance for many years, and his ability to read people was already at a very high level. How could he not see that Du Fan wanted to hide his identity?
Ignoring the trembling middle-aged man, Du Fan immediately retrieved his offering token, stepped forward, and entered the portal.
This scene was brief and bizarre, and only a few cultivators nearby could clearly see it. However, even if they had some doubts, they were completely baffled and didn't understand why. They only thought that Du Fan's identity might be special, and that he was a member of a major power.
"You two stay here. I need to send this message back to the main alliance immediately. Hehe, my opportunity has arrived!"
Hua Mo was already filled with excitement. He quickly transmitted a few words to the two Foundation Establishment men, then, without a care, his figure flashed and entered the branch alliance shop.
Even now, the middle-aged man who had released his spiritual pressure earlier still felt a lingering sense of fear and unease. However, after he figured out the whole situation, he became extremely excited and, for a moment, began to feel a mix of gains and losses.
The other Foundation Establishment expert was no ordinary person either. He took in the whole scene before him, and with a quick thought, he understood the advantages and disadvantages. His eyes suddenly lit up, and he was overjoyed.