Free Web NovelChapter 300: Ironwood Heart
The old man in the third-floor private box seemed somewhat annoyed and let out a cold snort, but in the end, he didn’t bid again. After all, although this "ten thousand year ironwood heart" was good, it wasn’t irreplaceable, and the price of three hundred thousand was already close to the upper limit of its value.
"Three hundred thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, going once!"
"Three hundred thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, going twice!"
"Three hundred thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, going thrice! Sold! Congratulations to the Fellow Daoist from C-78!" Mo Yunxuan’s wooden mallet fell, sealing the deal.
Fang Hao let out a small sigh of relief. Three hundred thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones had used up nearly half of the Spirit Stones he currently had available, but being able to successfully win the "ten thousand year ironwood heart" and secure the final key material for repairing the golden puppet was definitely worth it. He calmly withdrew his bidding plate as if he had only done something trivial.
The auction continued, and the subsequent items became increasingly precious. There was even a "Nascent Condensing Pill" (not a nascent soul forming pill, with much weaker effects) that could increase the chance of forming a Nascent Soul by twenty percent. It triggered a frantic bidding war among several Perfected Golden Core Cultivators, eventually selling for a staggering price of nearly a million Mid-Grade Spirit Stones. However, the nascent soul forming pill and its Pill Formula that Fang Hao longed for never appeared. Instead, several auxiliary Spirit Medicines for refining nascent soul forming pills showed up, but not a single main ingredient was seen.
Fang Hao was somewhat disappointed by this, but he had expected it. The nascent soul forming pill and its Pill Formula were too precious; they likely wouldn’t appear in such a public auction. It was more probable they were exchanged within top-tier factions or appeared at more secretive, higher-level trade fairs.
He also participated in the bidding for other Materials, successfully winning some and giving up on others due to excessive prices. He behaved like a normal Loose Cultivator with a need for Artifact Refining Materials, not attracting too much attention. During this time, he could feel Mo Yunhe’s cold Divine Sense sweep over the C-section several times, but it never lingered on him for long. Clearly, Fang Hao’s disguise and steady performance had successfully fooled him.
Finally, after the final grand finale item, a Tier 4 Medium Grade offensive Magic Treasure, was auctioned off, the large-scale auction that had lasted a whole day came to an end.
Fang Hao did not leave immediately. Instead, he waited until most Cultivators began to exit before blending into the crowd and unhurriedly walking toward the exchange area. The exchange area contained several independent quiet rooms specifically for completing the exchange of Spirit Stones for auction items, protecting the buyers’ privacy.
Fang Hao entered a quiet room where a manager from Tiangong Pavilion was already waiting. He handed over a Storage bag filled with three hundred thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones (fortunately, he had accumulated a wealth of resources from killing many opponents earlier). After the other party carefully counted and verified the amount, they handed him the jade box containing the "ten thousand year ironwood heart" along with the other Materials Fang Hao had won earlier.
Fang Hao checked everything and put them away, his heart finally at ease. All the core and primary Materials for repairing the golden puppet were finally in his hands!
He didn’t leave Tiangong Pavilion immediately. Although the auction was over, the risks outside had not been eliminated. Mo Yunhe’s people, or even the man himself, were likely watching from somewhere outside. Leaving now with such precious items like the "ten thousand year ironwood heart" would be no different from exposing himself to danger.
"Fellow Daoist, I wonder if your pavilion has any quiet rooms or guest rooms for temporary rental? Preferably with an Earth Fire Chamber and tight security," Fang Hao asked the manager.
The manager was a middle-aged Early Golden Core Stage Cultivator. Seeing that Fang Hao had just completed a large transaction, he was quite polite: "Of course. Behind the auction hall, our Tiangong Pavilion has a specialized ’Tiangong Villa’ for guests to rest or handle business. The guest rooms are divided into four grades: Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow. The Heaven-grade rooms are the best, equipped with independent small Earth Fire Chambers, Alchemy and Artifact Refining rooms, and powerful protective Restrictions, sufficient to block the Divine Sense probes of Nascent Soul Cultivators and absolutely guarantee the guest’s safety. However, the rent is not cheap, costing five hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones per day."
"Five hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones a day!" This price was enough to make an ordinary Golden Core Cultivator gasp. But Fang Hao only hesitated for a moment before nodding, "Very well, I’ll take a Heaven-grade room and rent it for ten days first." As he spoke, he took out another Storage bag containing five thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.
His current wealth was quite substantial, and safety came first. As one of the largest merchant houses in Tiangong City, Tiangong Pavilion had an excellent reputation, and the protection provided by their Heaven-grade rooms was absolutely reliable. Repairing the golden puppet and the silver light shuttle here was the safest choice. Moreover, he could use the Earth Fire Chamber to attempt the preliminary repairs.
Seeing Fang Hao was so straightforward, the manager’s smile widened. He immediately took out a golden token engraved with the word "Heaven" and handed it to Fang Hao: "You are truly decisive, Fellow Daoist! This is the Restriction token for Heaven Room No. 3. With this token, you can freely enter and exit the villa and your room. The room is fully equipped with all facilities, and if you have any needs, you can call a servant at any time. Additionally, fighting is strictly prohibited within the villa; violators will be seen as provoking Tiangong Pavilion. Please keep this in mind."
"Understood." Fang Hao took the token and, under the personal guidance of the manager, left the noisy auction hall through a private passage and arrived at a quiet and elegant garden-style complex in the back. This was the "Tiangong Villa," with pavilions, terraces, small bridges, and flowing water. The Spiritual Qi here was also much denser than in the outer city.
Heaven Room No. 3 was an independent small courtyard with a peaceful environment and elegant decor. The room was equipped with a complete Spirit Gathering Formation, and the Spiritual Qi was abundant. What satisfied Fang Hao the most was a specialized Earth Fire Chamber in a corner of the courtyard, which drew from a small underground Earth Fire Spiritual Vein. The temperature was stable and controllable, and it was fitted with powerful isolation Restrictions, making it an excellent place for Artifact Refining and Alchemy.
Fang Hao checked the room’s protective Restrictions. Once confirmed, he waved his hand to set up several layers of his own concealment and warning Formations. Only after doing all this did he completely relax.
Sitting in the quiet room, he took out the precious piece of "ten thousand year ironwood heart" and the other Materials, his eyes flickering.
"Next is to repair the golden puppet and the silver light shuttle. As long as the golden puppet can recover part of its combat power, I’ll be able to put up a fight even if Mo Yunhe comes knocking. As for the nascent soul forming pill..." Fang Hao looked at the bustling night view of Tiangong City outside the window, his gaze firm. "It seems I’ll need to find another way. Perhaps I should go to a more prosperous and larger place, like... the core of the Western Regions, or the Central Prefecture?"
But that was for later. For now, he had to convert the power in his hands into actual combat strength.
He composed himself, adjusted his state to its peak, then stood up and walked toward the Earth Fire Chamber.
Inside the Earth Fire Chamber, a wave of scorching heat hit him. An ancient-looking Artifact Refining furnace stood quietly, connected to the earth fire vent. Fang Hao waved his hand to close the heavy stone door and activated all the protective and isolation Restrictions in the room.
Having isolated all outside scrutiny, he could finally start repairing the one thing that could change the tide of battle—the golden puppet—with peace of mind!
