Chương 1230: Chapter 21: A Rarity Among Fools

Mo Shuaishao's expression flickered, a storm of indecision swirling in his eyes. He let out a sharp, cold huff.

"I won't lower myself to brawling here. Since we've both set our sights on this Earth Turtle Core, we'll settle this with a fair bidding war." Reyn gave a curt nod, his expression unreadable.

"Agreed." The black-robed elder overseeing the shop nodded in approval. He deactivated the restrictive seals on the crystal display and lifted the glowing core into the air.

"At the Weapon Refinement Pavilion, the highest bid always wins. Since neither of you is willing to step aside, let the auction begin. This is a peak Level 2 Earth Turtle Core. The starting price is eight hundred low-grade spirit stones."

"One thousand!" Mo Shuaishao barked, his voice dripping with arrogance as he instantly raised the price by two hundred. Reyn didn't even blink. He cast a casual glance at the man and said, "One thousand and one."

"You!" Mo Shuaishao's eyes flared with sudden rage. He gnashed his teeth and snarled, "Two thousand spirit stones!"

"Two thousand and one," Reyn replied, his tone as flat and calm as a stagnant pond.

"Three thousand!"

"Three thousand and one."...

"Eight thousand low-grade spirit stones!" By the time Mo Shuaishao spat out this number, his face had turned a sickly shade of iron-blue. His eyes were cold enough to draw blood. Internally, he was screaming with regret, but he had already ridden the tiger too far to jump off. To back down now would be to forfeit his dignity in front of the entire city. He was trapped by his own ego. He glared at Reyn, hoping to see a hint of hesitation. Instead, he found Reyn looking entirely too relaxed.

Mo Shuaishao wanted nothing more than to tear the man limb from limb. He made a silent vow: if this bastard added even one more stone, he would walk away. He'd lose face, sure, but he'd leave Reyn to drown in the debt of an overpriced turtle core.

"Eight thousand stones for a Level 2 Earth Turtle Core... Tsk, tsk. Truly a grand gesture," Reyn said, his face twisting into a mask of undisguised mockery. He turned to his guide.

"Hu San, you've lived in Tianli City for over a decade. Have you ever seen a sucker quite like this?" Hu San let out a weak, awkward laugh. He caught a glimpse of Mo Shuaishao's murderous expression and quickly lowered his head, not daring to utter a word.

"Ah, don't be shy. Fighting is forbidden in the city—what's he going to do to you?" Reyn waved his hand with feigned magnanimity.

"Since our friend here is so desperately 'sincere' about this purchase, I'll let him have it. I'll just check the other shops. I might find another one for eight hundred stones elsewhere. Truly, friend, your wealth is as vast as your stupidity. I'm impressed." A wave of laughter erupted from the crowd of cultivators who had gathered to watch the spectacle. The looks directed at Mo Shuaishao shifted from curiosity to pure, biting ridicule. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere.

Support the author by seeking out the original. Mo Shuaishao froze. The sudden withdrawal hit him like a physical blow. His face went from pale to flushed with humiliation. He stepped forward, blocking Reyn's path.

"Wait! Elder, I suspect this man doesn't have a single stone to his name! His bids were nothing but hot air meant to provoke me. I demand a check of his assets. If he can't prove he has the stones, his bids were invalid!" Reyn looked up, a cold sneer playing on his lips. Without a word, he reached into his sleeve and pulled out a storage bag. He flicked the seal open and held it out for everyone to see.

"Fellow Daoists, feel free to check. See if I'm the type to talk without the coin to back it up." Mo Shuaishao's Divine Sense swept the bag, and his face instantly turned ashen. Inside the bag sat a mountain of exactly ten thousand low-grade spirit stones. The surrounding cultivators joined in the inspection, and the mockery in their eyes intensified. Reyn laughed softly, tucked the bag away, and leaned in.

"I've shown my hand. Now, shouldn't we check if our 'wealthy' friend actually has the eight thousand stones he promised?"

"I..." Mo Shuaishao's face went through a kaleidoscope of colors. He hissed through clenched teeth, "I don't have that many stones on my person. However, I have something worth far more than eight thousand." He reached into his own bag and produced a verdant, fist-sized fruit that filled the room with a sharp, refreshing aroma.

"A Black Tooth Fruit!"

"He actually has one of those?" The black-robed elder's eyes widened in shock, followed quickly by predatory greed.

"Indeed. A Black Tooth Fruit, capable of refining the mana and improving the innate constitution of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Tell me, is this worth eight thousand stones?" Mo Shuaishao tried to maintain a look of indifference, though his heart was bleeding at the loss of such a treasure.

"It is! More than enough!" The elder beamed, snatching the fruit and inspecting it with trembling hands. He quickly sealed it in a jade box and handed the Earth Turtle Core to the young master. Mo Shuaishao clutched the core, a flicker of pride returning to his face as he shot a haughty look at Reyn. But his triumph was short-lived as Reyn's voice drifted over his shoulder.

"Trading a Black Tooth Fruit for a turtle core... such a rare breed of idiot is truly hard to find in this world. Today's trip was worth it just to see that." Mo Shuaishao stood frozen, his face twitching in silent fury. Reyn had originally wanted the core to repair the Heaven-Turning Seal, which had been damaged during its clash with a Golden Needle Dan Treasure. However, it wasn't an urgent matter. He still had the cone-shaped treasure he'd looted from Ming Diao, which was more than enough for his current needs.

After leaving the pavilion, Reyn followed Hu San through several more shops, but found nothing of interest. The exhaustion of half a month of non-stop travel finally began to weigh on him. He had Hu San arrange a quiet, secluded courtyard for his stay. He tossed the man five low-grade spirit stones and dismissed him. The courtyard was designed for cultivators, featuring a small, reinforced meditation chamber.

Reyn sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, releasing his powerful Divine Sense—now comparable to a Golden Core expert—to sweep the perimeter. Finding no spies, he nodded in satisfaction. As an extra precaution, he laid out several formation flags to isolate his aura and block any prying eyes. Only then did he pull two grains of White Jade Dragon-Whiskers Rice from his storage bag. With a flick of his finger, one grain dissolved into a streak of light and merged into his body.

Using internal vision, he watched as the slumbering soul of Yu Meiren instinctively wrapped around the rice. Faint traces of black light flickered as the white life-essence from the rice bled into her spirit, nourishing her weakened form. Reyn checked her condition thoroughly. She showed no signs of waking. He let out a heavy sigh and withdrew his consciousness.

"To refine that Extremely Evil Yin Spirit, her soul was taxed too heavily. Even with the Dragon-Whiskers Rice, she hasn't stirred in months." Pushing the melancholy aside, Reyn swallowed the second grain of rice. He circulated his mana, extracting the potent life-force and weaving it into his own foundation. A wave of warmth and comfort washed over him, finally bringing a small, genuine smile to his face.