After wandering the streets for thirty minutes, essentially window shopping, we entered the auction house. One of the workers came over to greet the Ambassador and his date. Jiang and I wore the new outfits, and she would be performing the role of maid for this trip, while I performed the role of bodyguard. While there weren’t any rules against allowing others into your private booth, if they brought two lower ranking cultivators with them to such a prestigious gathering people might ask why. Bringing two lower ranked cultivator servants, however, wouldn’t even result in Jiang being noticed, and I would only be noticed by those wishing them harm, as a possible obstacle.
The auction house employee bowed several times and motioned for us to follow them. This auction house had two floors. The first was an auditorium which was set up much like a concert hall, with rows of seats on a floor that angled slightly downwards towards the stage, though the seats were more widely spaced to help prevent conflict. On the second floor were private boxes which could be rented. These weren’t restricted as to who could reserve them, but the ‘modest’ fee of one hundred stones for doing so meant that no one under level three would reserve them and that level three cultivators only reserved them when they had large amounts of money or powerful backers. Furthermore, preferential treatment would be given to those that were higher ranked, so for such a popular event it would be next to impossible for someone at level three to reserve a room.
As the Ambassador was initial level four, his room was near the first set of stairs, in the smallest and least luxurious set of rooms. I spotted Ye Jai at the top of another set of steps further in, accompanying Physician Ye. She had likely left soon after us to answer her grandfather’s invitation. He no doubt would get one of the best rooms near the stage, being both a level five cultivator and an advisor to the king.
After seeing them to the room Jiang started to prepare tea for them. I set up the seal plate on the door, giving the Ambassador control of it, before leaving to see who else was here. There were many level five cultivators in attendance, but I recognized two of them traveling together and went to greet them. “Amhitabha Monk Tiangu,” I said with a bow, “Lord Swift Wind, it is good to see you again.”
They paused and nodded at me. “Ah, Li Kev.” said Swift Wind. “I didn’t know you would be here. Did the White Tiger Sect also send someone to participate?” Behind them were the lead swordsman from the hidden realm and monk Mishana, apparently acting as aides to their masters.
“Not that I know of.” I said. “I was only helping the sect in order to help my employer in negotiations, which is why I was in the hidden realm. I am here with my employer, an initial level four Merchant Ambassador. He hopes to find some valuable items that can earn a nice profit when sold back in our homeland. Perhaps there is even a plant or seeds here that can be cultivated to turn a large profit.”
“Then he also hopes to purchase a sapling of the sacred peach tree?” asked Tiangu. “Many of the level four and all of the level five cultivators in attendance were likely drawn by it, as were we.”
I nodded. “Yes, sir. He has several level five cultivator clients that would pay well for the fruits from such a tree, so he will likely try to acquire at least one.”
Tiangu nodded. “Then I will have to hope that I am able to win against him at least once, as such peaches will prove quite useful to myself and the other level fives of my sect when we seek to uncover additional past lives.”
I nodded. “I didn’t know that the fruits could have the effect of uncovering past life memories, only that it was useful in refining the mind, much like rainbow Enlightenment Fruit.”
He and Swift Wind smiled at the comment. “That is not a function of the fruit, but a natural ability of those at level five.” Tiangu said. “Though as you are only now at level three it is understandable that you didn’t know that.” Swift Wind nodded and we stepped to the side of the corridor to talk privately. The auction house employee stood just a bit further away from them than Mishana and the swordsman, waiting for our conversation to end. Monk Tiangu switched to using telepathy to talk, and I could tell that only myself and the four of them could hear what he was saying. “First I must explain that advancing to level five is not like advancing to level four or any of the other levels before that. In order to advance one must not only have a strong enough body or mind to withstand the release of qi upon advancing, but one must develop the soul as well. When one nears such a level, what you would call the peak of level four, instead of modifying the body, they must awaken the soul. This is done by viewing and learning from past memories, though in most sects only high elders at level four are told this fact.”
Swift Wind then joined into the conversation. “We are willing to tell you this because we believe that you are one of the rare independent cultivators which may reach that level. Your ability to fight above your level and willingness to put yourself in danger to protect others impressed us, as did your willingness to stand up against the false allegations leveled against the White Tiger sect. So please don’t spread this information lightly.” I couldn’t tell him that the allegations were mostly right, except for them and the people of Earth being demonic cultivators, so I just nodded.
Monk Tiangu continued. “The sacred peach tree is like a stimulant that causes the soul to stir. While at lower levels it does act much like a Rainbow Tree and help improve mental refinement, though it is more uniform in its method, at the fifth level it can help bring the memories of a past life to the front of ones mind, so that they can be viewed during meditation or sleep. This effect even works on those who aren’t yet at the peak of level four, only the soul will go to sleep once more if the body can’t sustain it’s wakeful state.”
“So, even if I ate a level five sacred peach now, I would see memories of a past life the next time I meditated?” I asked, also telepathically.
“Most likely,” Tiangu said. “And because this can help advance others to level five, as well as help level five cultivators view more past lives and therefore advance their cultivation, it is extremely valuable to those at my level.”
“It’s one of the few cultivation resources that still help us.” added Swift Wind. “Which is why the two of us have agreed to pool our money to buy a tree if needed, then split the peaches between the Golden Saber Sect and Prajna Temple once they start to grow.”
I nodded. “I only knew about the mind expansion, not this extra effect at level five.” I said. “It wasn’t listed in the plant guide I read.”
Tiangu nodded. “Your copy was likely of lower quality. That fact only appears in Master and Heavenly grade copies of most guides, as many high ranking cultivators sought to erase it from common knowledge so that only they could benefit from that effect. A fruit which only expands the mind at that level, when the mind is already nearing its limit, is far less demanded than one that helps level fives advance.”
I nodded. “In that case I will need to inform my employer of this effect. He likely severely underestimated what the tree will sell for and may not have the stones to bid on it.”
Swift Wind nodded and spoke out loud. “In that case, then I will let you return to your master.” Monk Tiangu also said goodbye with the customary greeting of his sect and I returned to the Ambassador’s box. After mentally notifying him that I was at the door, he allowed me in and handed control of the device to me. I telepathically sent him the knowledge about the tree’s special feature and he looked surprised.
‘Then the price could go into the millions and I may only be able to purchase a single tree,’ he responded, ‘but if I have to I will spend everything I have on me to acquire one, as it can help us produce more nascent souls once it starts bearing fruit.’ I nodded and he changed the subject. ‘So, I take it they explained how the advancement to level five works?’
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‘They told me some, but I’m not sure if they said enough for me to successfully advance once my core reaches its full size. They thought I had the potential to reach that level, though.’
He nodded. ‘Still, that knowledge is top secret on Earth, so you can’t tell anyone without express permission from either myself or Adams, okay?’ I wondered why he left out the possibility of asking Lindstrom for permission, but assumed it was just because I never met him, and nodded in agreement.
The Ambassador told his date that he would be betting everything on the tree sapling, and so couldn’t spend as much on her as he wanted to, and she nodded. “The possibility of acquiring a level five plant is worth it.” she said.
A few minutes later the auctioneer stepped onto the stage. After greeting everyone, he quickly went over the general rules, as well as the fact that attacking anyone and/or stealing what they had purchased here would be seen as an affront to the auction house and the King who owned it. That wouldn’t stop everyone, and there were likely demonic or independent cultivators who already had plans to hide their identities and rob the participants, but it should stop those who would only steal opportunistically.
Soon an employee brought the first item onto the stage, an earth essence stone the size of a soccer ball. From the qi it was giving off I could tell that it was early level four in strength and had a master grade quality. The bidding started at ten thousand stones, one thousand stone minimum increment, and quickly soured above one hundred thousand. Many of those in the audience likely had devices which this stone could power. When it was eventually sold for one hundred and seventeen thousand, another essence stone was brought onto the stage. This one was smaller, at the size of a grapefruit, but a water type, with comparable pressure and purity, and it eventually sold for even more.
After an hour they brought up several bottles of core formation pills. These bottle contained ten high grade pills each, and the bidding would start at twenty thousand, incrementing one thousand stones at a minimum. While the ambassador tried to bid on them, he ended up losing to one of the nearby boxes who paid fifty three thousand for them. “I was hoping to rebuild my core.” said the Ambassador, “Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like I’ll have the chance.” I nodded. While his core quality was better than most on Earth, here it was considered average at best.
After several more medicines were sold, including several seeds and fruits the Ambassador bid on, only winning one bid, another bottle of core formation pills was brought forward. These were only Average grade, but as the one I had given him was lesser grade, these would be a large improvement. This time he bid aggressively and ended up winning the bid at thirty seven thousand stones.
After they delivered the pills and he paid for them, he poured one into his hand and handed it to me. “Consider this to be me repaying you for the one you gave me yesterday.” he said. “Without it I wouldn’t have been able to participate in the auction, or would at least have been been sitting down below where I would be in a worse position to bid.” I nodded and thanked him, then put the pill away.
Two more hours passed as the quality of the wares started slowly building up again. Ji Dina bid on several things, mostly clothes and accessories, and won a few bids, but it seemed that she either didn’t bring much money with her or was saving it for something.
Eventually the moment everyone was waiting for arrived, and the first potted plant was brought on stage. It was a peach sapling about about half a meter tall, and the auctioneer informed us that it was the weakest of the saplings. Still, when he started the bidding at five hundred thousand, with ten thousand increments, there was a bidding frenzy. The Ambassador stopped bidding after the price reached nine hundred thousand, as he was hoping for a better sapling, but it soon reached over one million and kept climbing. On Earth, where the qi density was much lower, the plant would likely struggle to survive at first, so he wanted to purchase a stronger plant. This would also insure that they received peaches faster and would likely increase the number of peaches that the tree yielded. Yes, they would likely be setting up a large formation to gather qi for it, and might even place a high quality qi gathering bracelet on it, but he wanted to start with the best one he could so that he didn’t risk it growing weak or dying from the stress of being transplanted in a location with such low background levels of qi.
Several trees later, with him not raising the bid above eight hundred thousand on any of them, the auction house brought in a sapling that was around two meters tall, that had a slight rainbow aura around it and was exuding a small amount of level five qi. The ambassador sat up and everyone in the auditorium seemed to do the same. “This is one of the best saplings from the tree, taken from one of its core roots. As you can see, it has maintained some of its parent’s strength and will likely start producing peaches in a few years. The bidding starts at five hundred thousand with ten thousand stone increments.” As soon as the announcer finished speaking, dozens of bids were placed.
The Ambassador put a bit of qi into the bidding device on the table. “Seven hundred and twenty thousand.” he said. There was a slight delay in the bidding, but several people soon raised the bid again. When the price reached over one million he once again touched the spot. “One million, four hundred and fifty thousand.” he said, and many people stopped bidding, leaving only a few who continued to bid against him. While most of them were likely confused as to why he would bid such an odd amount, I knew that it was approximately two cubic meters worth of the smokey quartz he had brought with him. While before he hadn’t had anything to spend them on, outside of paying the White Tigers to set up a level five transport array, as well as a few bulk purchases and a few bribes, he now had something to bid on that even two such stones were unable to pay for.
A minute later he bid again. “Two million, one hundred, and eighty thousand.” he said, and this time there was a pause. The two level five boxes that had been bidding against him didn’t instantly respond.
“Is their another bid?” asked the auctioneer, and no one responded. “Very well,” he said a few seconds later. “Two million, one hundred eighty going once. Going twice.”
A line on one of the level five boxes lit up. “Two million…” the man started, but a loud alarm started sounding, and the man stopped.
An employee ran onto the stage and handed the auctioneer a note a few seconds later. He read it and nodded. “Unfortunately the auction will be paused for now, on orders of the King.” the man said, and most of the people in the audience sighed or groaned in annoyance. “A beast tide has been detected approaching the city, and everyone here is asked to join the defenses. There are at least three hundred thousand level one and one hundred thousand level two Vrooshkin, and some indication that they are only the first wave. Should anyone wish to join the battle, you can sign up at any guard station, and will receive payment based on your level, plus a bonus for any verified kills, though impressing one of the guards may earn you commendations and additional compensation.”
There was a murmur in the crowd as many people started talking about the attack and started getting out of their seats. “Beast Tide?” asked Jiang, and Ji Dina answered.
“It only really happens in areas where there are large demon beast or spirit beast populations in the wild. Sometimes they will run out of food, overpopulate an area, or be driven out by migrating predators. This causes a stampede, and will drive most of them out of the area, often towards human cities, where we have large supplies of food that they can eat and walls to protect them against the predators. This city was built to withstand such attacks, though, as they have been occurring since it was founded over two thousand years ago. We are, after all, on the edge of the mountain range that separates the human settled areas of the Black Dragon Region from the Beast Planes. Only four hundred thousand low ranked demons is nothing to our barrier. It will be like fishing in a barrel.”
“But with the dragon vein as depleted as it is, won’t the barrier be weakened considerably?” I asked, and she looked surprised.
“Damn it.” she cursed. “Those damn spirit beast traitors set us up for this. Bunch of mongrel dogs. We should never have given them rights in the first place.”
I ignored the rest of her racist rant and addressed the Ambassador. “Sir, permission to help defend the city?”
The Ambassador nodded. “Let’s take these women back to the manor and I’ll join you.” He put his arm in Ji Dina’s and I did the same with Jiang and we left for the door, with me grabbing the seal plate on the way out.
When we reached the manor several men of the family, mostly family guards, but also a few physicians, were preparing to join the fight. Physician Ye would be heading the medics for this battle, and the Ji family patriarch would be sending some of his people to join them, so that no one could say that the family didn’t contribute to the city’s safety. Unless the battle got more serious, though, he would be staying behind, as he didn’t think large numbers of level one and two enemies was worth leaving seclusion over.
We traveled with the family to sign up, making sure to inform them that we were independent cultivator guests of the family and not family members, and due to our level were assigned to the middle of the north wall, where the heaviest fighting would likely be as it was in the middle of the area they would hit. I would receive two hundred stones, and the Ambassador would receive two thousand, plus we had been given bracelets that would somehow keep a record of our kills, though I didn’t know how that worked. When I asked them, no one else seemed to know, but I was told by another independent cultivator that they were a common relic used by sects to track their disciple’s performance.
