"Sorry, this cloak is not for sale." Chu Feng refused outright. As a Snake-pattern Imperial Robe Spirit World Master, he knew exactly how much this cloak was worth. It was an extraordinarily precious treasure, and even though he badly needed Dragon-level Spirit Formation Stones, he couldn't let Aunt Lian trade away such a supreme treasure.
At that moment, Aunt Lian also remained silent. Clearly, she had no intention of exchanging the cloak for Dragon-level Spirit Formation Stones either; otherwise, she would have spoken up.
"It's fine. If you have anything else related to the art of Spirit World Masters, feel free to bring it out. You might be able to exchange it for Dragon-level Spirit Formation Stones," Shopkeeper Tian said.
"How many Dragon-level Spirit Formation Stones do you think this could get?" Chu Feng produced a portion of Sealing Ice and a Deep Sea Red Pearl from his Universe Bag.
The Deep Sea Red Pearl had been gifted to Chu Feng by Hong Qiang previously, while the Sealing Ice had been given to him by the old village chief Ma of the Sealing Ancient Village. Chu Feng knew that the Sealing Ice was of great importance to the Sealing Ancient Village, and moreover, he would need a certain amount if he were to set up Forbidden Formation Arrays. So despite having a large quantity of Sealing Ice, he only brought out a third of it.
"This is a treasure, but far less precious than Dragon-level Spirit Formation Stones. I'm afraid it wouldn't even get you one." Shopkeeper Tian handed the Deep Sea Red Pearl directly back to Chu Feng.
Watching the Deep Sea Red Pearl being returned so bluntly, Chu Feng finally understood the price of Dragon-level Spirit Formation Stones. They were truly costly beyond measure — the Deep Sea Red Pearl couldn't even fetch a single Dragon-level Spirit Formation Stone.
"If I'm not mistaken, this should be Sealing Ice — a treasure from the Sealing Ancient Village in the Alliance Domain. It's certainly very useful for Spirit World Masters, but as for exchanging it for Dragon-level Spirit Formation Stones, a piece of this size should be able to get you ten Dragon-level Spirit Formation Stones." Shopkeeper Tian also appraised the Sealing Ice.
At that moment, Chu Feng truly felt the sting. That was a full third of the Sealing Ice in his possession — and such a large chunk of Sealing Ice could only fetch ten Dragon-level Spirit Formation Stones. It was beyond anything Chu Feng had imagined.
"That's just the starting bid price. If there are many people who want this treasure, there will be a bidding war, and the price will certainly go higher."
"Are you going to bid? If you bid, I won't charge you the service fee either." Seeing Chu Feng hesitate, Shopkeeper Tian added. He had already made it quite clear, and it didn't seem like he was trying to cheat Chu Feng. After all, with an auction, Chu Feng would be able to see the entire bidding process.
"Fine, let's bid." Chu Feng nodded. Compared to the Sealing Ice, Dragon-level Spirit Formation Stones were far more important to him right now.
"Anything else?" Shopkeeper Tian asked again.
"Yes." Upon hearing this, Nangong Ya, Nangong Baihe, and even Nangong Moli and Dantai Xue each produced items related to the art of Spirit World Masters, hoping to help Chu Feng exchange them for Dragon-level Spirit Formation Stones.
In the end, only one of Dantai Xue's items could be listed at a starting price of two Dragon-level Spirit Formation Stones. Nangong Ya and Nangong Baihe's items were all returned. But even so, Chu Feng was deeply moved.
Because when their items were returned, the three Nangong siblings — Nangong Ya, Nangong Baihe, and Nangong Moli — were even willing to trade in the half-finished Emperor Armament they had obtained from the Weapon Immortal.
Upon seeing the half-finished Emperor Armament, even Shopkeeper Tian's eyes lit up. After all, it was the work of the Weapon Immortal, and this Shopkeeper Tian was a knowledgeable connoisseur who naturally understood just how precious those three items were.
But how could Chu Feng possibly let them trade such items for Dragon-level Spirit Formation Stones on his behalf? Setting aside the value of these three half-finished Emperor Armaments, if word of this reached the Weapon Immortal's ears, it would surely tank the Nangong siblings's reputation.
"How many Dragon-level Spirit Formation Stones can I get for this piece of Blazing Iron?" At that moment, Hong Qiang produced a portion of Blazing Iron.
"Oh, now that's a real treasure — a material for forging Emperor Armaments! This must have been obtained from a Blazing Iron Lotus. Those things are incredibly dangerous and hard to find, making Blazing Iron even rarer than Dragon-level Spirit Formation Stones. Are you sure you want to exchange it?" Upon seeing the Blazing Iron, not only did Shopkeeper Tian's eyes light up once more — he truly knew his stuff.
Even Aunt Lian's gaze toward Hong Qiang shifted, clearly not expecting him to produce such a precious item. Materials for forging Emperor Armaments were genuine supreme treasures.
"If I exchange it, how many can I get?" Hong Qiang asked.
"Starting bid of twenty. Shouldn't be a problem," Shopkeeper Tian said.
"I'll exchange it." Hong Qiang agreed immediately.
"Senior Hong Qiang, this—" Chu Feng was somewhat reluctant. He knew how important the Blazing Iron was to Hong Qiang, and how much Hong Qiang had sacrificed to obtain it. He didn't want Hong Qiang making such a sacrifice for his sake.
"Chu Feng, this is what you deserve. Without you, I could never have obtained this Blazing Iron."
"Back then I said I'd split it evenly with you, but you wouldn't agree. Well, today you'll agree whether you want to or not. This is my small gesture, and it's all I can do to help. You absolutely cannot refuse me," Hong Qiang said with a smile.
At that moment, Chu Feng was moved. He had nothing left to say and could only accept, his heart brimming with gratitude.
As the saying goes, true feelings are revealed in times of hardship. Today, Hong Qiang and the others had each brought out their most treasured possessions to help Chu Feng. Such sincerity was truly touching.
Though Dragon-level Spirit Formation Stones were important to Chu Feng, those items were equally important to Hong Qiang and the others.
In particular, Hong Qiang had guarded the Falling Leaves Bamboo Forest for many years to obtain this Blazing Iron, nearly losing his life in the process.
"Very well. I'll arrange the auction for you right away. Today's auction will have your treasures on the bidding floor. However, though your items are all valuable and rare, whether they can actually be exchanged for Dragon-level Spirit Formation Stones will depend on fate."
"Just as I said before, no matter how valuable or rare your treasures are, only those who specifically need them will offer Dragon-level Spirit Formation Stones in exchange."
"Because to them, Dragon-level Spirit Formation Stones are treasures too. Otherwise, they would have brought them here to auction long ago instead of keeping them for themselves," Shopkeeper Tian said with a smile.
Chu Feng and the others all understood his words, but at that moment, Chu Feng couldn't help but grip the Universe Bag at his waist containing thirty-eight Dragon-level Spirit Formation Stones and looked at Aunt Lian once more.
If even the starting bid prices were this high, then how many treasures had Aunt Lian sacrificed — at what cost — to bid on and win those thirty-eight Dragon-level Spirit Formation Stones at the highest price? It was easy to imagine. Aunt Lian had truly spared no expense to help Chu Feng.
This favor — Chu Feng committed it to memory.