"The Danxia Auction House!" Yang Kai nodded slightly. "When does this auction start?"
"Anywhere from ten days to half a month, or at most a month." Bai Qi winked at him. "Don't worry, the proprietress knows you're interested in this sort of thing and will definitely take you along. But if you're hoping to find high-grade resources there, that'll be tough. Even at an auction of this caliber, high-grade resources rarely appear. In my memory, it seems that over the many years, high-grade resources have only shown up twice—and every time, people went absolutely crazy trying to get them."
"I know that, of course," Yang Kai said.
Even without high-grade resources, Sixth Grade ones would do. Back in the Void Land, the Great Emperors were all secluded in cultivation, consuming Sixth Grade resources at a prodigious rate.
Setting the Great Emperors aside, even Yue He now needed Sixth Grade resources for her cultivation.
Along his journey, he had passed through numerous Star Cities, yet had only managed to purchase a single batch of Sixth Grade resources. If he could find something at this auction, that would be ideal. He now had over one and a half billion Open Heaven Pills in hand—even Sixth Grade resources, he could buy dozens of batches!
But competition at an auction of this caliber would undoubtedly be fierce, and he would end up paying a steep premium.
Returning to the First Inn, Yang Kai went to the proprietress to ask about the auction and learned it would not take place for another half a month. Reassured, he settled in for secluded cultivation.
Though his current cultivation had reached something of an awkward impasse—without suitable resources he could not press further—the comprehension of the various forces within his body and the refinement of Dragon Blood Pills to temper his Dragon Clan bloodline remained unaffected.
One Dragon Blood Pill after another was consumed and refined into his body. Though he could not detect any obvious external change, he was certain that his Dragon Clan bloodline was growing increasingly pure, and the Golden Holy Dragon's origin power was being subtly influenced as well.
What left Yang Kai somewhat exasperated was that despite spending all this time comprehending his Wood, Earth, and Water elemental forces, he had yet to stumble upon another Divine Ability Manifestation like the Golden Crow Forges the Sun.
Divine Ability Manifestations possessed boundless might—they were power that only High-grade Open Heaven cultivators could wield. To comprehend one while still at the Emperor Realm was, if not entirely without precedent, something that would astonish the entire world.
The Golden Crow Forges the Sun had been born of a fortunate coincidence, and replicating such a feat would be harder than ascending to heaven.
Yet he did not lose heart. Whenever he had a free moment, he would immerse his mind in contemplation. Even if he gained nothing, it was still a form of accumulation—and he believed that one day, that accumulation would reach a tipping point where quantity gave way to quality.
Time passed in secluded cultivation.
A month flew by in the blink of an eye. Yue He knocked and entered, informing Yang Kai that the auction was about to begin. He halted his cultivation, straightened his clothes, and stepped out.
The proprietress was already waiting in the main hall. When she saw him appear, she gave a slight nod and said, "Let's go."
She took the lead.
There were four of them in total—the proprietress at the head, with Yue He, Yang Kai, and Bai Qi following. Though not a large group, aside from Yang Kai who was at the Emperor Realm, the remaining three were all Fifth Grade Open Heaven cultivators or higher. A formidable lineup indeed.
They made their way through the bustling streets, and in less than the time it took an incense stick to burn, they arrived before a shop. Above the front entrance hung a plaque inscribed with five grand characters—Danxia Auction House—glittering with golden light. Yang Kai looked up and saw that those five characters seemed to contain some profound power, continuously twisting and shifting before his eyes, evolving into infinite mysteries.
A chill ran through his heart. He realized the plaque must have been inscribed by an extremely powerful Open Heaven cultivator, likely imbued with that expert's Martial Dao True Intent. There was no malicious intent behind it, yet it left one feeling that the depths were unfathomable.
Undoubtedly, this was the Danxia Auction House's way of showcasing its strength and heritage.
Below the plaque, martial artists from the Danxia Auction House shuttled back and forth, ushering participant after participant inside, their faces wreathed in smiles.
Before they even reached the entrance, someone called out to the proprietress in greeting. Yang Kai glanced over and was startled to discover the speaker was a mid-grade Open Heaven cultivator—though exactly which grade, he could not tell.
The proprietress seemed well acquainted with the person and exchanged a few pleasant words.
Yang Kai looked around, secretly astonished. In just this short time, he had already spotted numerous mid-grade Open Heaven cultivators entering the auction house with their entourages or junior disciples. Some kept their auras suppressed; others radiated bold, unrestrained presence. Among them were no shortage of Fifth and Sixth Grade powerhouses.
This discovery left him both alarmed and delighted. Alarmed because so many powerful figures had come to this single auction—and what he had seen was surely only a fraction of those he had not. Delighted because the presence of so many experts guaranteed that the auction would feature plenty of valuable items. Why else would these powerhouses travel from across countless Great Domains to attend?
The proprietress's network was vast. Within moments she had greeted several more experts.