Chapter 64: The Inchstone and the Dao Stone

After Ningxiang finished speaking, a wooden box made of iron-blue wood appeared on the round table of ancient nanmu wood used for the auction in front of her. Seeing the wooden box that suddenly appeared on the table, and then glancing at the silver ring on the little finger of Ningxiang’s right hand, it was clear that this was no mere ornament, but rather a Sumeru Ring capable of holding vast objects within a tiny space.

Looking at the box, Ningxiang began her introduction: “As the very first item of this auction, it will not disappoint. This is the national treasure from the now-vanished Great Qian Dynasty—the Thousand Mechanisms Mirror.”

The Great Qian Dynasty was a powerful empire in the Middle Ages, boasting immense national strength, and its sovereign’s cultivation was said to be unfathomable. Yet, in a single night, all of that was overturned—becoming an unsolved mystery. To this day, no one can explain who was responsible for its destruction.

With those words, Ningxiang opened the box, revealing within an ancient square mirror. The mirror was bronze in style, with identical protrusions at each of its four corners, and its surface was a circular, aged bronze color. The overall appearance was extremely archaic.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is the Thousand Mechanisms Mirror. The starting bid is one hundred thousand lower-grade Dao Stones, with each increment no less than ten thousand. Please, place your bids.”

Dao Stones are a common resource in the cultivation world, imbued with the energy of heaven and earth, able to accelerate one’s cultivation. Their quality is divided into lower, middle, upper, and the exceedingly rare divine grade. Naturally mined Dao Stones come in various sizes, but the universally accepted standard is the size of the final section of an adult’s little finger. The exchange rate between the three main grades is a hundredfold per rank.

Li Ruoyu possessed a considerable amount of Dao Stones, though most were of lower and middle quality, with only a hundred or so upper-grade stones, but over three hundred divine-grade ones. These were mostly spoils from his massacre of various factions in the Demonfall Valley, including the slaying of the Cangqiong Slayer and the extermination of Meng Ningsi. If not for the secrecy of those events within Demonfall Valley, and his ruthlessly thorough methods to eliminate all loose ends, Li Ruoyu would have long been targeted and hunted down by others.

Following Ningxiang’s introduction, a cacophony of bids rang in Li Ruoyu’s ears. The bidding only began to slow when the price reached seven hundred thousand lower-grade Dao Stones, though it still continued to rise. In the end, the Thousand Mechanisms Mirror was auctioned off at an astonishing one million four hundred thirty thousand lower-grade Dao Stones, far beyond Li Ruoyu’s expectations.

Li Ruoyu noticed that, throughout the bidding frenzy, Ningxiang did not embellish the mirror to inflate its price. Her calm gaze told Li Ruoyu at once that she was confident in the value of the Great Qian Dynasty’s national treasure—there was no need for artifice to spur excitement. The mirror’s reputation alone was enough.

This gave Li Ruoyu a sliver of hope for the auction—perhaps he would find something he truly needed.

As time passed, one item after another was presented for auction, a dazzling array of treasures and curiosities. Clearly, the organizers had prepared thoroughly for this event, held only once every seven years.

Among the hundreds of items, Li Ruoyu had not bid even once, merely observing quietly. Until one particular item appeared—then, without hesitation, he joined the bidding.

Upon the nanmu table lay a green stone, about the size of a fist, exuding an ancient and mysterious aura.

The Inchstone.

While not exactly rare, the Inchstone was by no means ordinary either. It had little use for anything else, but its one function was irreplaceable: it could activate a teleportation array. The stone before him was large enough to power a single use, so Li Ruoyu was determined to obtain it.

His determination was not due to any other need but his own nature—he never put all his eggs in one basket. Since he had discovered the existence of a teleportation array in the Deadly Huangshan, he intended to keep it as a future escape route should he ever encounter an unbeatable foe.

Thus, when Ningxiang invited bids, Li Ruoyu did not hesitate.

“One million.”

Though the price instantly soared to a million, others’ desires for the Inchstone were not so easily quenched.

“One point two million.”

“One point five million.”

“Two million.”

The price rapidly climbed to three million, but Li Ruoyu’s resolve remained unshaken. Without hesitation, he bid again.

“Ten million.”

This offer far exceeded the stone’s true value—at best, an Inchstone was worth five or six divine-grade Dao Stones. When Li Ruoyu bid ten divine-grade stones, the hall fell silent. Though precious, the stone was not worth paying twice the price. Thus, Li Ruoyu acquired the fist-sized green Inchstone with ease.

The auction continued: rare materials, thousand-year-old herbs, treasured weapons, secret techniques—Ningxiang presented them all. Li Ruoyu only competed fiercely for the precious herbs, acquiring over a dozen fine specimens, though at no small cost in Dao Stones.

“The auction is drawing to a close,” Ningxiang announced. “For the grand finale, our Treasure Pavilion has prepared three ultimate items. First—behold, a single King of Herbs, aged one hundred thousand years.”

At the mention of a hundred-thousand-year King of Herbs, the crowd erupted in excitement, clearly captivated by its allure. On the nanmu table, a box of ten-thousand-year-old ice cradled a small, entirely crimson tree—presumably the King of Herbs Ningxiang had described.

She continued, “This Flameblood Scarlet Tree grew in a most secret volcanic location. Our Treasure Pavilion acquired it by chance, at great cost. The starting bid is five hundred divine-grade Dao Stones, with increments of no less than ten each.”

Upon hearing this price, Li Ruoyu couldn’t help but swallow hard. In terms of divine-grade Dao Stones, he was still quite poor. Hearing the relentless bidding in the hall, he realized there were far more powerful experts present than he had imagined. This made him consider leaving—though this place was not far from the Everlasting Nine Sect, it was not exactly close either. With so many high-level cultivators present, the risk of someone harboring murderous, greedy intentions could not be ignored.