WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Episode 19: Essence-Absorbing Demon Valley (2)
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The two entered deeper into the Event Affairs Institute under the attendant's guidance.
Ordinary participants sat in rows throughout the central hall on the first floor.
Each held a small wooden plaque marked with a number and stared toward the stage ahead.
Small private rooms, enclosed on three sides by thin partitions, lined the left and right walls of the second floor.
Following the entrance attendant's directions, they entered one of them.
A servant stood quietly by the door with their head slightly lowered, while a tea set giving off a faint fragrance sat on the table beside them.
It was an excellent spot for looking down on the main hall below.
Ise took a seat and looked over the first floor.
Qi Condensation Realm cultivators sat on the first floor, while Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators occupied the second.
Most of those seated on the second floor despite being in the Qi Condensation Realm were cultivators from the Heavenly Ice Palace.
“The order of items will be medicinal pellets, Qi Condensation sacred relics, Foundation Establishment treasure artifacts, Foundation Establishment sacred relics, and finally, this auction house's main attraction.”
“Can you tell me what spirit artifacts will be sold?”
The servant shook their head at Ise's question.
“My apologies. Information on the items being auctioned is confidential.”
“Fine. I understand.”
Ise accepted the answer easily and took a sip of spiritual tea.
“If you need anything, please pull the sacred cord.”
“Alright.”
The servant gave a slight bow, then withdrew from the room.
Ryu Seonghan asked from beside him.
“Senior, are you looking for a particular spirit artifact?”
“A defensive one.”
“I see. What's your budget?”
- One hundred eighty thousand.
Ise conveyed his finances through Voice-Transmission Art. There was no reason to let nearby cultivators hear.
“Whew, that's enough to buy a decent Foundation Establishment sacred relic.”
Ryu Seonghan had known Ise was wealthy, but not this wealthy. It was comparable to the wealth of an entire ordinary Foundation Establishment city.
“The best items in each category come later. Unless you see something you truly want, it would be wise to save as much as possible until the end.”
“I'll keep that in mind.”
The auction began.
Medicinal pellets of every kind were put up for sale, their owners decided through fierce bids that rose by even a single Spiritual Stone.
It was quite an exciting sight for Ise, who had always bought things directly at market towns.
“The final medicinal pellet is the Core-Formation Body-Protecting Pellet! This pellet ensures that even if you give up midway through advancing to the Core Formation Realm, you won't be crippled! It has been a long time since one appeared. Some of you have surely been waiting for this!”
The official hosting the auction stirred up the crowd with practiced flair.
It must have been truly rare, judging by the enormous reaction from the cultivators, especially those in the Foundation Establishment Realm.
The auction house grew loud with excitement.
Ise's eyes gleamed as well.
It was exactly the kind of pellet he needed when Core Formation was so close at hand.
Still, he did not join the bidding.
There were ways to obtain similar medicinal pellets, though under different names, even on the Eastern Continent. Besides, he had never intended to use one.
It prevented a cultivator from becoming crippled if they gave up midway.
He had no need for the sort of insurance only a coward would use.
If he intended to give up, he would not start in the first place.
The Core-Formation Body-Protecting Pellet sold for one hundred twenty-six thousand Spiritual Stones.
‘Cheaper than I expected.’
Seeing the lower price, Ise immediately changed his mind.
At that price, it would not hurt to keep one on hand if the chance arose.
So what if that made him a coward?
For now, though, he was more interested in spirit artifacts than medicinal pellets.
The auction continued.
One strange artifact after another appeared.
Their final prices were similar to market rates on the Eastern Continent.
Qi Condensation sacred relics sold for under three thousand.
Foundation Establishment treasure artifacts sold for between five thousand and ten thousand.
Foundation Establishment sacred relics ranged wildly from ten thousand to one hundred thousand.
Still, none exceeded one hundred thousand Spiritual Stones.
As the auction neared its end, fewer people took part.
Many had already spent their Spiritual Stones, and the sacred relics offered near the end began at rather high prices.
A few defensive sacred relics appeared, but none met Ise's standards.
Clicking his tongue in disappointment, Ise told himself that at least one sacred relic of the quality he wanted would appear.
“Now then, only three items remain. Those of you still saving your Spiritual Stones should begin participating soon, shouldn't you?”
The host brought out a small jewel box.
“This sacred relic is known as the Golden-Needle Ring. Worn on the finger, it creates a qi field, a defensive barrier, when infused with internal qi. If enough internal qi is poured into it to thicken the field, it is said to be capable of blocking even an attack from a Core Formation Realm great cultivator!”
“Don't spout nonsense!”
Someone shouted from the second floor.
Laughter spread through the auction house.
If it could truly withstand a Core Formation Realm attack, it would already be judged a divine artifact.
The host forced out an awkward laugh and continued.
“Ahahaha. Of course, I mean that it might be able to block one. There is a possibility, isn't there? Would anyone like to test it?”
Ise raised his hand at once.
A ring-shaped artifact that was easy to wear and took up little space. Better yet, it was a defensive spirit artifact whose performance depended on the user's skill in controlling internal qi.
It was exactly what he wanted.
The host quickly scanned the room and noticed Ise.
A cultivator seated in a private room who had not bid on anything until now.
The host's intuition said that such a person was likely to spend a great deal on a single item.
“Senior Number Five will test it!”
Ise lightly jumped onto the auction platform. The entire auction house came into view.
“Is there anyone willing to demonstrate the attack?”
Ise's divine sense immediately caught someone raising a hand in the next room.
An early Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator. The face was familiar.
It was someone who had appeared at the Spell Duel Tournament where rising Daoist stars gathered.
“Oh, isn't that Beomseo of the Gold Spear Sect?”
People began murmuring as Beomseo appeared, as though many recognized them.
“Senior Beomseo will attack, and...”
“Ise.”
“Yes. Senior Ise will defend. Please control your strength so no one else is harmed.”
Ise immediately put the ring on his left hand and crooked a finger at Beomseo.
Beomseo's brow twitched.
It seemed Beomseo had mistaken Ise for someone at a similar realm after sensing the deliberately limited range of his divine sense.
“It won't be easy, so defend with all your strength.”
“Fine. You don't need to hold back either.”
“Very well, Fellow Daoist. Tell me when you're ready.”
“I'm ready.”
Beomseo formed a hand seal, creating a golden spear.
An ominous aura was trained on Ise from midair.
The moment Beomseo confirmed that Ise had poured spiritual energy into the Golden-Needle Ring, they swung a hand and thrust out the spear.
A translucent barrier appeared and collided with the golden spear.
The result exceeded expectations.
The qi field absorbed Beomseo's attack whole while the barrier remained completely intact.
Beomseo also looked surprised. It seemed they had attacked in earnest.
This was it.
Ise and Beomseo's eyes lit up at the same time.
After the two returned to their seats, the auction resumed.
“The Golden-Needle Ring will begin at thirty thousand Spiritual Stones!”
“Thirty-one thousand.”
“Thirty-two thousand.”
“Thirty-three thousand.”
The price rose quickly.
Only once it reached around fifty thousand did people begin to drop out. Then Beomseo of the Gold Spear Sect raised a wooden plaque.
“Seventy thousand.”
“Seventy thousand! We have seventy thousand! As expected, those who have tested an item know its worth best! Any higher bids?!”
The host looked toward Ise.
It was as though they were saying, You want it too, don't you?
‘What a fox.’
Ise, who had been watching the situation, gave a faint laugh and raised his plaque.
He did feel as if he were being led around, but he did not particularly dislike sharp people.
“One hundred thousand.”
“...One hundred thousand! We have one hundred thousand!”
“One hundred one thousand.”
Beomseo immediately followed. They seemed quite eager to have this sacred relic as well.
But Ise had a great many Spiritual Stones, and he had no intention of giving up an item he finally liked.
“One hundred ten thousand.”
“...”
Beomseo, who had been raising the price by one thousand at a time like a miser, hesitated for a moment. Then they followed again.
“One hundred eleven thousand.”
“One hundred fifty thousand.”
“You bastard, don't go too far!”
Unable to endure it any longer, Beomseo shot to their feet and glared at Ise with divine sense.
“No matter how good it is, it isn't worth that much! Does some unknown independent cultivator like you even have that many Spiritual Stones?”
“If you don't have the Spiritual Stones, step aside. Don't raise the price for nothing. Junior, it seems this person next door is raising the price without having the Spiritual Stones. From now on, how about requiring bidders to put up the amount they offer before taking part?”
As he spoke, Ise poured a flood of Spiritual Stones from his storage pouch.
The host glanced at Beomseo after seeing an endless stream of mid-grade Spiritual Stones emerge.
Beomseo dropped back into their seat and threw away the wooden plaque.
* * *
Ise excitedly turned over the Golden-Needle Ring that had been handed to him after the sale.
He put it on the ring finger of his left hand. Most cultivators wore theirs on that finger as well.
It was probably the least inconvenient place to wear one.
A ring-shaped defensive spirit artifact. What a convenient and excellent thing.
“Senior, are you sure this is alright? Even giving it a generous estimate, that sacred relic should be worth around one hundred twenty thousand.”
“It's fine. It's worth more than that to me.”
Because of his physique, Ise had twice as much internal qi as others, and thanks to the Great Exorcist Order's cultivation method, he could circulate it quickly.
In his hands, it was a sacred relic that could produce several times the efficiency it would in the hands of the Beomseo-or-Beomsu fellow next door.
The person kept glaring from the next room, pressing divine sense against Ise's as though Ise had stolen a lover. Ise waved the ring at them in return.
The unmistakable crack of teeth breaking carried over.
“Now, now, the atmosphere is truly heated! Juniors, Fellow Daoists, seniors! Only two items remain! One was submitted by the Essence-Draining Ghost-Demon Valley. This, this is a truly precious item.”
The host removed a round plate from a wooden case roughly eight feet long.
“It is said to be a family heirloom passed down by some fallen clan. A flying sacred relic containing the mysteries of the Ryu Clan Wind-God Movement Art, capable of crossing a thousand li in an instant! It also creates a headwind during flight to ward off the cold!”
At that moment, Ryu Seonghan, who had been quietly chewing on refreshments while watching the auction, abruptly stood.
Their eyes were bloodshot.
Ise immediately understood what the sacred relic was.
It seemed to be an heirloom passed down through Ryu Seonghan's family, the Ryu Clan.
The Essence-Draining Ghost-Demon Valley had openly submitted an item acquired after personally wiping out the clan for sale at a Heavenly Ice Palace auction.
As though there was nothing wrong with it. It was a way of mocking the clan they had exterminated.
The demonstration began, and the price quickly rose.
Ise considered lending Ryu Seonghan Spiritual Stones to buy it, but even if they combined Ise's remaining Spiritual Stones with Ryu Seonghan's, they likely could not afford it.
Before long, it sold to Beomseo in the next room for ninety-seven thousand Spiritual Stones, nearly one hundred thousand.
When Ise glanced at Ryu Seonghan, they had regained a calm expression, having seemingly subdued their heart demon.
“Are you alright?”
“I'm fine. If you're thinking of taking it back for me, please put that thought away. This is an auction house overseen by the Heavenly Ice Palace. You could end up wanted.”
“What are you talking about? I wasn't planning to go that far.”
“...”
“But there might be another way.”
Ryu Seonghan, unable to peer into Ise's divine sense or inner thoughts, could not understand why Ise was grinning.
After the auction ended, they sensed someone following them on the way back to their lodgings.
“Senior, did you notice?”
“Yeah. I'd been watching from the start.”
The person who approached them was Beomseo of the Gold Spear Sect, the one who had won the Ryu Clan heirloom.
“You two, stop there.”
Ise abruptly halted and turned around with an expressionless face.
Footnotes:
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