Chapter 865: The Person Who Bought the Core Building Grass
The night melted away in conversation, and dawn arrived. Yu Ruyu, hearing Hai Dan's words, quickly apologized to Ye Mo.
Ye Mo smiled calmly, unconcerned with the woman's remarks. He offered Yu Ruyu a casual, dismissive wave. "Brother Yu, there's plenty of fish in the sea," he said before turning to leave.
Yu Ruyu understood, as did Hai Dan—though too late. Hai Dan's pretty face flushed with anger. Her pride stung by the slight, she couldn't vent her frustration on Ye Mo, so she lashed out at Yu Ruyu, kicking him hard enough to send him sprawling down the stairs. Ye Mo, witnessing the scene with his spirit sense, merely shook his head.
Ye Mo donned his Nine Transformations disguise, transforming into a middle-aged man before heading to the auction. The entrance teemed with people; entry required only the payment of 1000 low-grade spirit stones. Seating was open, though private rooms were available for 10,000, 100,000, or 300,000 spirit stones, respectively.
Opting for a simple room at 10,000 spirit stones, Ye Mo found it adequate. Though basic, it was spacious enough, offering a clear view of the auction board through a display formation. Room service was absent, available only to patrons of the more expensive suites.
A careful scan with his spirit sense revealed the occupants of the open seating area, but not those in private rooms, revealing the superior spirit sense shielding in the higher-priced accommodations. This prompted Ye Mo to consider creating a better shielding formation, possessing both the skills and materials.
Suddenly, a powerful spirit sense penetrated his room, a blatant scan from a cultivator at least in the Nascent Soul state. The casual nature of the scan suggested the individual's cultivation was potentially even higher, at the Hollow Spirit stage.
Without hesitation, Ye Mo began constructing a spirit sense shielding formation. Within fifteen minutes, he completed a basic formation. While unable to withstand a Hollow Spirit state cultivator's scrutiny, it combined with the room's existing formation to effectively block Nascent Soul state scans.
The auction commenced, prompting Ye Mo to halt his work, planning to create more formation disks at his leisure for quicker deployment.
As he settled, additional spirit senses probed his room, but were all deflected by his improved formation. His security was now comparable to that of the most expensive suites.
A beautiful woman in her thirties ascended the stage, addressing the crowd with a smile. "This auction is held by the Nan Shan Market," she announced. "Yu and Ming-Qianbei, along with myself, Liu Yan, will be hosting. I hope you all find what you seek. All bidding will be conducted in middle-grade spirit stones. Let us begin!"
Ye Mo estimated Liu Yan's cultivation at at least Golden Core Tertiary Stage. He refrained from scrutinizing the two elders behind her; their demeanor suggested they were Nascent Soul cultivators, at minimum. The Nan Shan Market's power was evident; they could easily dispose of him. He made no further attempts to scan other rooms, understanding his own strength wouldn't be unmatched.
Liu Yan struck a mace-like artifact and announced the first item: Geng Metal Essence. The starting bid was 10,000 middle-grade spirit stones, with increments of no less than 1000.
Liu Yan displayed the essence—about the size of two fists. Ye Mo sighed, recalling the basket-sized piece he had acquired from the small world for a mere pittance of gold. Geng Metal Essence's versatility, in crafting spirit and magic artifacts, was well known.
The essence quickly sold for 15,000 spirit stones. Two subsequent spirit artifacts sold for over 50,000 spirit stones each, a reality check for Ye Mo; his acquisition of Li Changsheng's ring proved fortuitous.
A level 2 spirit cultivation method sold for 500,000 spirit stones, stirring the crowd. Ye Mo's earlier optimism waned; his holdings of approximately 2 million middle-grade and 10 million low-grade spirit stones amounted to roughly 3 million in middle-grade value.
His ability to acquire Segmented Earth hinged on its price.
Finally, the auctioneer announced the highlight: Core Building Grass. The starting bid: one million middle-grade spirit stones, with increments of no less than 10,000.
The crowd erupted. Ye Mo knew he was outmatched. Core Building Grass, a rare level 5 spirit herb, was a crucial ingredient in cultivation-enhancing pills that propelled Foundation Establishment peak cultivators to Golden Core. While other pills existed, this was considered among the best, though requiring a level 7 spirit pill master for creation—a considerable hurdle.
The price quickly escalated to 1.5 million. Ye Mo remained silent, his resources insufficient. Many Foundation Establishment cultivators were present, but the bidding was driven by Golden Core and even Nascent Soul cultivators—not for their own use, but to bolster the strength of their sects or families by cultivating more Golden Core members.
"Two million!" a gruff voice boomed.
Ye Mo discreetly extended his spirit sense, identifying the bidder as residing in a low-priced room.