Chapter 280: Scavenging

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

“This is a secret of the Shadow Tower, and I haven’t gathered much information about it yet. However, I speculate it might be related to the Holy Spirit Flower.”

The Holy Spirit Flower, a transparent blossom, remained unseen during the day, yet emitted a gentle glow in the nighttime. Under the moon’s illumination, it appeared nearly imperceptible.

Delicate and uncommon, its blooming window was extremely brief, enduring merely an hour. Despite its fleeting presence, it possessed a purifying influence.

In regular circumstances, the Holy Spirit Flower’s brief blooming duration was a factor in its rarity.

Employing hidden methods to prolong its flowering phase presented a different challenge altogether.

The space behind the Boundary Wall was filled with toxic mist, and only those carrying the Holy Spirit Flower were immune to it.

“I have a suspicion that those who possess the key might have trouble locating the Holy Spirit Flower. That’s why they’re offering the chance to enter the space beyond the Boundary Wall.”

“Why not simply state their need for the Holy Spirit Flower? Why involve others and share the opportunity?”

“Haha, the logic is actually quite simple. Because the space behind the Boundary Wall, aside from the toxic mist, holds many dangers. More people mean more strength. Of course, I estimate that the person holding the key this time probably doesn’t have strong backing; otherwise, they wouldn’t need to share the opportunity. After all, such occurrences are rare in the Black Market.” “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Shadow Tower’s auction!”

Just then, a clear voice echoed from the central platform.

“The auction is about to begin!” He Lianjun exclaimed excitedly. “We’ll chat later, Brother Jun.”

His notion of “later” didn’t last very long. As the first auction item was presented, his mouth couldn’t stay still, and he began introducing it energetically. “Truly deserving of the Shadow Tower’s auction, the first item is extraordinary! It’s actually a ninth-grade arcane beast’s inner core! Moreover, it’s of the fire attribute! This is a tremendous temptation for fire system cultivators! Whether they are alchemists, artifact craftsmen, or cultivators who use fire-based arcane tools, all would benefit greatly.”

The Shadow Tower employed blind bidding, with participants engraving their bids into the engraved plates they carried.

The Shadow Tower would automatically receive the information from the plates.

Gu Qingluan wasn’t interested in a ninth-grade arcane beast’s inner core, so she didn’t participate in the first round of bidding.

He Lianjun casually engraved a number, seeing that Gu Qingluan didn’t move. He advised her, “Brother Jun, just write down any number. If you’re lucky, you might win! The Black Market is perfect for scavenging.”

Gu Qingluan arched an eyebrow. “That makes sense.”

So, she picked up her engraved plate and jotted down a random number.

She didn’t expect to scavenge anything herself.

“Congratulations to guest number 666 for winning the ninth-grade Fire Lion Inner Core at the price of eleven Xuanling Stones!”

He Lianjun marveled, “Number 666? That’s a lucky number. I wonder who won.”

Gu Qingluan silently glanced at her engraved plate.

Once inside the premises, only her own consciousness had access to this nameplate.

Seeing the suspended “666” on it, she felt a bit surprised.

He Lianjun belatedly cursed, “What the heck? Eleven Xuanling Stones? Is this a joke? 1 wrote down ten Xuanling Stones, exactly the entrance fee. I bid just for fun. Who the heck is this ‘666’ guy? Somehow, he bid just one Xuanling Stone more than me and won!”

The starting bid was exactly ten Xuanling Stones.

Logically, during an auction, prices should be several times higher than the starting bid. What’s with this one Xuanling Stone difference? Could there be some behind-the-scenes manipulation?

Both He Lianjun and the people around him became skeptical, and a sense of restlessness filled the air as everyone began to doubt the legitimacy of the price.

Yet, that’s precisely what happened!

If Gu Qingluan weren’t the lucky one, she would have doubted it as well.

Seeing He Lianjun, who was frustrated and searching for the ‘666’ bidder, she thought it would be best to remain silent..