A number of direct disciples from the Immortal Palaces gasped aloud, gathering around.
These cultivators, hailing from the great Immortal Palaces of the East Sea, were certainly seasoned travelers. However, a Rank Twelve material like this was an extremely precious commodity for cultivators at the Golden Core stage. It was rare for them to even encounter such an item. This single Azure-Green Feather, in any Immortal Palace in the East Sea cultivation world, would undoubtedly be considered a top-tier raw material.
“Esteemed Daoist Brother, why not sell this item to Nascent Soul cultivators? Nascent Soul cultivators can use this material to forge minor divine ability artifacts. Those old Ancestors of the Nascent Soul stage possess vast wealth and could surely fetch a much higher price!”
A cultivator immediately inquired with surprise.
“Heh, an interesting thought, but if a Nascent Soul cultivator attempted to forcibly purchase my material at a low price, as a mere Golden Core cultivator, would I dare utter a single word of refusal? Everyone present here is a direct Golden Core disciple of the Immortal Palaces, presumably not lacking in wealth, and equally capable of affording this item. Why should I invite trouble from those powerful Nascent Soul Ancestors? Fellow Daoists, please make your offers. I intend to depart once this item is sold! This opportunity will not come again; I have adventured in the Blood Sea for two hundred years and have only seen one piece of material this supreme.”
The middle-aged cultivator shook his head as he spoke.
“Nine million low-grade spirit stones—that is no small sum. Holding a lucrative position as an executive in my Palace only nets me a little over a million low-grade spirit stones annually.”
“This is a Rank Twelve raw material; if I buy it now, I won’t have a use for it for quite some time!”
“One must reach the Nascent Soul stage before it can be utilized.”
The over two hundred Golden Core cultivators from the various Immortal Palaces present stared eagerly, their discussions buzzing, yet none dared to immediately place a bid to claim it.
Ye Qin watched from within the transaction hall for a long time, never making a move.
Yet, this Rank Twelve Azure-Green Feather had stirred his heart.
He had come to this trade meet precisely to seek materials corresponding to the minor three singularities of Ice, Wind, and Thunder, intending to forge them into a minor Three Singularities Sword Formation in the future. This formation would ultimately combine with the Greater Five Elements Sword Formation to compose a complete Eight Trigrams Sword Formation.
Ye Qin waited patiently in the hall. Finally, he witnessed the appearance of a Rank Twelve wind-element raw material. He touched his storage pouch; he had brought ten gourds of Rank Nine elixirs this time, valued at roughly ten million. If the competition wasn't too fierce, it should be just enough to acquire this Azure-Green Feather.
Huangfu Bing’er understood his thoughts and nodded to him. She carried two million spirit stones and some valuable goods. If Ye Qin’s resources fell short, hers could supplement the difference.
“I will take this Azure-Green Feather!”
Ye Qin took out the nine gourds from his small storage pouch and placed them on the table. Ignoring the astonishment of many surrounding cultivators, he declared, “These nine gourds contain Rank Nine elixirs valued in total at nine million. I propose an exchange of goods! Daoist Brother, how about I trade these elixirs for your material?!”
“Haha! High-grade elixirs are hard currency; they are easy to use personally or sell in the market. Naturally, I accept the exchange!”
The middle-aged man laughed heartily, taking Ye Qin’s nine gourds, inspecting the quality and quantity of the elixirs within, then nodding with satisfaction. “These Rank Nine elixirs are excellent; I accept them. This Azure-Green Feather now belongs to Daoist Ye!”
With that, he pushed the Azure-Green Feather toward Ye Qin.
“Hold it right there!”
Wang Shiwei waved his feather fan artifact, pressing down on the Azure-Green Feather, and sneered, “Wasn’t it stated that the highest bidder wins? This Young Master hasn’t even made an offer yet! This material is exceedingly rare even within the East Sea cultivation world, and this Young Master has taken a strong liking to it. I wish to place a bid to purchase it!”
“If this fellow Daoist wishes to offer a higher price, that is certainly acceptable. May I ask how many spirit stones you are prepared to offer? ... I will not accept inflated figures. You had best present the spirit stones or goods of equivalent value. Otherwise, this item must go to the Daoist who bid first.”
The middle-aged man glanced at Ye Qin, then sneered at Wang Shiwei, who was clearly trying to snatch the item, and smiled faintly. The more people who competed, the higher his profit—of course, he was delighted.
“Does this Young Master lack spirit stones? Here are nine hundred and fifty top-grade spirit stones, equivalent to nine million five hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones! Kindly count them!”
Wang Shiwei shook his magical fan and heavily slapped a storage bag onto the table, immediately increasing the price by five hundred thousand.
Then, with a look of clear provocation, he coldly smiled at Ye Qin, “Elder Ye, my apologies! This Young Master recently intended to forge a wind-element artifact and happened upon this Rank Twelve Azure-Green Feather. As I happen to have brought sufficient spirit stones, I must contend with Elder Ye.”
Du Qingliang of the Shangtang Palace and Fairy Meng Ling of the Wunuer Palace had gathered around Wang Shiwei, anticipating a good show.
They knew that Elder Ye of the Purple Sword Palace was wealthy, having once thoroughly embarrassed Du Qingliang, causing him to lose face for decades. However, at the last Heavenly Dao Pavilion auction in White Float City, Ye Qin had already spent an exorbitant sum—over ten million spirit stones—to acquire a Golden Core Pill.
In their estimation, no matter how rich he was, his reserves should be nearly depleted by now!
Based on their calculations, Ye Qin’s financial standing should be quite strained, likely amounting to about ten million spirit stones at most.
Now it was their turn, the direct disciples of the Immortal Palaces, to vent some frustration and regain their prestige.
The direct Golden Core cultivators from the various Immortal Palaces and the treasure-seeking cultivators present, upon hearing Wang Shiwei’s provocative tone, immediately understood this was a ‘contest of might.’ The Young Master of the Wanluo Palace intended to publicly humiliate this ‘Elder Ye.’
The direct Golden Core cultivators of the major East Sea Immortal Palaces were generally acquainted, aware of the reputation of Young Master Wang Shiwei. However, few knew Ye Qin’s background.
Ye Qin glanced at Wang Shiwei, his brow furrowing slightly.
The Purple Sword Palace, Shangtang Palace, Wanluo Palace, and Wunuer Palace—the four major Immortal Palaces—were all vying for the position of Northern Sect Leader, leading to constant internal friction and maneuvering among their disciples. There was definitely no harmony between Wang, Du, Meng, and the others beyond the surface.
Yet, Wang Shiwei, Du Qingliang, and Meng Yu often ganged up to find excuses to provoke him, trying to set traps for him to fall into.
Ye Qin could somewhat guess the reason.
Because he was an external cultivator in the Purple Sword Palace, never counted among the direct lineage of the East Sea Immortal Palaces, he was instinctively rejected by these direct disciples.
Especially since he had become one of the Elders of the Purple Sword Palace—this was an even greater irony to these self-important direct disciples. These direct Golden Core cultivators could not become Immortal Palace Elders unless they reached the Nascent Soul stage or achieved significant merit.
Ye Qin had never truly integrated with the direct Zhou lineage disciples of the Purple Sword Palace either.
External was external; one could never be truly equated with the direct disciples of the Zhou lineage in the Purple Sword Palace. Even if an external cultivator married into a direct lineage, they remained external. Only descendants several generations down the line might slowly become part of the direct lineage and gradually integrate.
Ye Qin knew this and had never intended to socialize with these direct disciples of the Immortal Palaces.
He always maintained a mindset of 'out of sight, out of mind,' avoiding these Immortal Palace cultivators whenever possible to save himself trouble.
However, repeated provocations and endless entanglement had begun to grate on his nerves, intensifying his disdain for these direct disciples of the Immortal Palaces.
Worse yet, these direct disciples lacked the courage for a direct confrontation, preferring insidious schemes instead.
Earlier, at the ancient ship outpost, the Shangtang Palace Golden Core cultivator Du Ran had tried to bribe the treasure-robbing rogue cultivator, Great Cultivator Cao of the Blood Sea, to use those rogue cultivators against him. In the end, Du Ran failed to kill Ye Qin and instead perished in the Blood Mist Wasteland.
“Ten million!”
Ye Qin pondered for a moment and placed the elixir in the last gourd he held onto the table.
Then, with an expressionless face, he addressed Wang Shiwei, “Daoist Wang, are you competing for this Azure-Green Feather as an ordinary Golden Core cultivator, or as the Young Master of the Wanluo Palace?”
“What difference does it make if I am a Golden Core cultivator? What difference if I am the Young Master? Is there a distinction?”
Wang Shiwei did not answer immediately, pondering for a moment before retorting.
“There is a difference, certainly. If you bid for this Azure-Green Feather as an ordinary Golden Core cultivator, then I will bid ten million and cease further offers. If your monstrous beast offers a higher price, then take the Azure-Green Feather. If you contend with me as the Young Master of the Wanluo Palace, then I will contest you to the very end. Even if you are the Young Master of the Wanluo Palace, I, Ye Qin, will have this Azure-Green Feather.”
Ye Qin stared coldly at Wang Shiwei, articulating every word precisely.
The two exchanged sharp words, the air thick with tension, reaching a point where neither would yield.
The direct disciples of the Immortal Palaces and the relatively famous treasure-seeking cultivators in the Blood Sea all remained silent, exchanging glances, tensely watching Ye Qin and Wang Shiwei.
The situation had escalated to the verge of a complete falling out.
If this matter could be resolved peacefully, they would meet again as fellow Daoists of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, cordial and civil, stopping short of outright conflict.
If the matter could not be quelled, resulting in a complete break, their next meeting would mark them as enemies.
Naturally, a direct fight within the Scarlet Merchant Pavilion was impossible. But encountering each other in the wilderness outside the city would immediately lead to a life-or-death battle with no words spared.
“Good—!”
Wang Shiwei roared and slammed his palm onto the table.
As the esteemed Young Master of the Wanluo Palace, he was accustomed to the flattery and deference of all cultivators. When had he ever tolerated such a threat? And from a cultivator he usually looked down upon—a rogue cultivator! If he didn’t stand his ground now, how could he maintain any standing among the direct disciples of the Immortal Palaces?
His eyes turned red, and his usually cold tone became exceedingly harsh, laced with suppressed fury. “This Young Master will now compete with you for this Azure-Green Feather in my capacity as the Young Master of the Wanluo Palace! Do you imagine that just because you are an Elder of the Purple Sword Palace, this Young Master would not dare to contend with you? Let this Young Master see today what a cultivator from a rogue background like you can use to contend with the Young Master!”
“Eleven million!”
Wang Shiwei cried out the price, and immediately one of his Golden Core subordinates piled a bag of spirit stones onto the table.
Ye Qin’s gaze turned icy. He said no more.
He had no more wealth on his person; the rest was with Huangfu Bing’er.
Huangfu Bing’er casually placed a bag containing two million spirit stones on the table without even frowning, calmly quoting, “Ye Clan, twelve million!”
“Thirteen million!”
Wang Shiwei frowned, waved his hand, and instructed his subordinate to fetch more spirit stones.
In this short span, the price of the Azure-Green Feather had risen from nine million to thirteen million, an increase of over forty percent. This alone made many Golden Core cultivators present feel a pang of anxiety. In truth, the actual worth of a Rank Twelve Azure-Green Feather was only around nine million. The excess was purely inflated value.
Even for the direct disciples of the Immortal Palaces, spending four million extra like this was painful.
“One Rank Twelve Flat Bone from the Head of the Fire Phosphorus Red-Eyed Beast, plus five million in spirit elixirs! Valued at fourteen million spirit stones!”
Huangfu Bing’er placed a reddish beast bone on the table, accompanied by five gourds of elixirs.
The treasure-seeking Golden Core cultivators and the direct Golden Core cultivators from the Immortal Palaces collectively drew a cold breath.
Even Wang Shiwei’s face was filled with disbelief.
Another Rank Twelve beast material!
This auction had already seen two Rank Twelve beast materials, both derived from Rank Twelve demonic beasts.
A Rank Twelve Flat Bone from the Head of the Fire Phosphorus Red-Eyed Beast was entirely equivalent in exchange value to a Rank Twelve Azure-Green Feather. Even if the beast bone were valued at its original price of nine million, the addition of five million spirit stones still decisively suppressed the Young Master of the Wanluo Palace.
The wealth Ye Qin had presented—the beast bone and elixirs—already amounted to over twenty million, allowing him to bid slowly and firmly keep Wang Shiwei suppressed.
“This Young Master... will send someone back to raise some more spirit stones!”
Wang Shiwei took a deep breath, calming the shock in his heart, and instructed his subordinate behind him, “Go to this Young Master’s manor and fetch the spirit stones...”
“No! Payment must be immediate. Once this item is sold, I will be leaving immediately!”
The middle-aged man flatly refused. He understood the principle that delays breed complications; he was eager to secure the spirit stones in his storage pouch and vanish instantly to avoid being targeted. Who knew how long it would take Wang Shiwei to gather the necessary stones?
Wang Shiwei seethed inwardly, his eyes turning red. It was impossible for him to carry over twenty million spirit stones worth of goods casually. Cultivators like Ye Qin and his wife were truly rare.
Before this, he hadn't anticipated running into Ye Qin or escalating into a feud. He thought one thousand million would be more than enough, perhaps even excessive. He and his entourage currently had no spare spirit stones or valuables on hand. As for other goods, they were not worth much. He certainly wouldn't part with his valuable Primordial Spirit artifacts.
Wang Shiwei instinctively turned to look at Du Qingliang of the Shangtang Palace and Fairy Meng Yu of the Wunuer Palace. His gaze clearly implied a hope that they could provide some financial support, enough to pool together and perhaps surpass Ye Qin’s bid.
“Brother Wang, this junior doesn’t have spirit stones on him either. To surpass Elder Ye, we would need at least twenty million, perhaps more. This junior has been a bit tight recently. Perhaps Fairy Meng Yu’s finances are more ample.”
At this critical juncture, Du Qingliang shook his head, a hint of schadenfreude even flashing in his eyes, as he sidestepped the issue.
Ever since his match with Ye Qin over thirty years ago, he had become a laughingstock among the direct disciples of the Immortal Palaces, enduring ceaseless ridicule.
Especially the Young Master of the Wanluo Palace, who had often used that incident to mock him.
Now, with Wang Shiwei sharing his plight, his own situation would likely improve considerably. At least when other Immortal Palace cultivators mentioned how the prodigious wind-element cultivator Du Qingliang of the Shangtang Palace was inferior to Elder Ye of the Purple Sword Palace, they would now also have to add, ‘the Young Master of the Wanluo Palace is equally inferior to Ye Qin.’
Though he hadn't witnessed the desired downfall of Elder Ye, seeing the humiliation of Wang Shiwei made this auction worthwhile. If Wang Shiwei had managed to suppress Elder Ye’s prestige, who knew how arrogant and conceited the Young Master of Wanluo Palace would become in the future.
Du Qingliang was unwilling to step forward.
“Well... Elder Ye and Brother Wang already established that today’s competition is between Brother Wang, in his capacity as the Young Master of the Wanluo Palace, and Elder Ye of the Purple Sword Palace. As cultivators from other Immortal Palaces, it would indeed be inappropriate for us to interfere rashly, lest we invite gossip. If this little sister were to contribute funds now, and others said Brother Wang only won through my assistance, leading to mockery of Brother Wang—that would not be good.”
Fairy Meng Yu chuckled lightly, gazing at Ye Qin with a hint of curiosity.
She had encountered Ye Qin several times: once at the Heavenly Dao Pavilion auction, once on the Sacred Emperor’s treasure ship, and again today at the Scarlet Merchant Alliance trade meet. Each encounter had yielded unexpected results.
In truth, she held no personal vendetta against Ye Qin. It was Du Qingliang and Wang Shiwei who wished to suppress Ye Qin, and she hadn't stopped them; it was simply that every outcome had surprised her.
Wang Shiwei’s eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at the gloating Du Qingliang and the outwardly innocent Fairy Meng Yu. A chill ran through him.
He suddenly realized that both Du Qingliang and Meng Yu had maneuvered him into this corner, leaving him to fight a deadly duel with the Elder of the Purple Sword Palace alone, while they stood by watching. Regardless of whether he or Ye Qin won, it made no difference to the two of them.
These two direct disciples of the Immortal Palaces were quite happy to see the Wanluo Palace and the Purple Sword Palace clash.
Du Qingliang of Shangtang Palace and Fairy Meng Yu of Wunuer Palace offered excuses to avoid offering aid. The other direct disciples of the Immortal Palaces watched the spectacle unfold.
Knowing that the heirs to the most powerful Northern Islands Immortal Palaces—Shangtang, Wanluo, and Wunuer—were engaged in infighting, everyone else clearly understood the situation, kept their mouths shut, and refused to get involved, lest they become collateral damage and unwitting sacrifices.
“Since Daoist Wang has no higher offer, this Azure-Green Feather goes to Daoist Ye!”
The middle-aged man looked somewhat agitated as he swiftly collected the Rank Twelve Flat Bone of the Fire Phosphorus Red-Eyed Beast and the five million worth of elixirs.
Ye Qin seemed to have anticipated this outcome. He accepted the Rank Twelve Azure-Green Feather, cast one last cold look at the reddening Wang Shiwei, and turned to leave the Scarlet Merchant Pavilion trade meet with Huangfu Bing’er.
He and the Young Master of the Wanluo Palace were now completely estranged. Since the Young Master of the Wanluo Palace did not care about gaining another enemy in him, why should he care about offending the Young Master of the Wanluo Palace?
After today, they were enemies; they would rely on their own means, with no regard for prior courtesies.
He had obtained the Rank Twelve material for the minor Three Singularities he desired and had no reason to linger.
“The Young Master of the Wanluo Palace is nothing special after all!”
As Ye Qin descended from the pavilion, this lightly mocking remark left Wang Shiwei in the transaction hall with a face alternating between blue and red, his fists clenched tightly, looking utterly defeated.