An hour later.
Li Mu walked out of Chen's Cultivation Method Building, clutching his chest, his face showing the pain of losing something dear.
It was empty!
His Spirit Stone pouch was empty, completely drained by that female shopkeeper!
From their conversation, the female shopkeeper of the book building learned that Li Mu was also interested in the Dao of Puppets and the Dao of Spirit Talismans, which made her even more enthusiastic.
In the end, Li Mu bought a large stack of books and over a dozen Jade Slips containing the Legacy of a spirit rice farmer, spending a total of 332 medium spirit stones. He didn't even have enough Spirit Stones to buy the only Second-Order Spirit Talisman drawing strategy in the book building.
"Young Master, did you just come out of the book building? Hahaha, you must have been emptied out by Miss Chen!" As soon as Li Mu walked out of the book building, an old man sitting by the shop door, enjoying the cool air, saw his appearance and chuckled teasingly.
...
Li Mu was slightly stunned, just about to ask him how he knew.
"Heh heh, Miss Chen is well-read and has excellent eloquence. Most customers who enter her book building will be drained of their Spirit Stones by her. However, the books she recommends are worth reading and won't disappoint you. Just don't buy the books and then put them away on a high shelf!" The old man saw Li Mu's confusion, chuckled, and kindly reminded him.
"I will! Thank you for the reminder, old sir." Li Mu smiled and nodded, then turned and walked towards Wanbao Pavilion.
The Spirit Stones he spent had to be earned back from Wanbao Pavilion.
Soon, Li Mu arrived in front of an ancient, wooden building, which was none other than the luxuriously decorated Wanbao Pavilion, with a couplet hanging at its entrance.
Upper couplet: One pavilion holds treasures, mapping mountains and seas, connecting inside and out.
Lower couplet: A thousand Years gather treasures, books spread across stars, illuminating past and present.
Horizontal inscription: Circulating Myriad Treasures.
What grand words!
Seeing this couplet, Li Mu couldn't help but be amazed by the profound heritage of Wanbao Pavilion.
"Young Master, welcome to Wanbao Pavilion, please come in!" Two maidservants, one on each side, bowed and respectfully invited him with gesturing hands.
Li Mu nodded and walked straight into Wanbao Pavilion.
Upon entering Wanbao Pavilion, a refreshing and rich Spiritual Qi assailed him. The grand hall, three to four zhang high, was lavishly decorated. The pavilion was equipped with a Gathering Spirit Formation, making the indoor Spiritual Qi several times denser than outside. Large luminous stones were inlaid into the beams and pillars, casting warm light throughout the hall.
In the main hall, there were over a dozen redwood counters. In front of each counter, there was a female cultivator in a pink dress, greeting the incoming guests. Various Spirit Pills, Spirit Fruits, Spiritual Artifacts, and other spiritual items were displayed on numerous stands. The surrounding walls were adorned with picture albums of rare spiritual items, ... presenting a magnificent scene as if all the world's treasures were gathered here.
"Welcome, Young Master, what kind of treasure do you need? I am Qiu Yuting, and I can introduce them to you." A beautiful woman in a light green palace dress gracefully walked up to Li Mu and greeted him with a smile.
"Your esteemed pavilion will be holding an Auction soon, right?" Li Mu surveyed the bustling main hall of Wanbao Pavilion and asked with a smile.
"Yes! The Auction will begin in two days. Young Master, are you here to reserve a spot to participate, or do you have something to submit for Auction?" Qiu Yuting's eyes lit up as she looked at Li Mu and asked.
"I have a few items to submit for Auction. How do I proceed?" Li Mu smiled, nodded, and gestured.
"Young Master, our pavilion has professional Spirit Appraisers. The spiritual items you submit for Auction need to be evaluated by a Spirit Appraiser, and only if they reach a certain value can they be submitted. May I ask what spiritual items you wish to submit, Young Master?" Qiu Yuting looked at Li Mu and asked with concern.
"Can two Low Grade third-order spiritual swords be submitted for Auction?" Li Mu patted his Storage Pouch, took out a crimson-gold spiritual sword, and asked with a smile.
"That should be no problem, Young Master. Shall I take you to see the Spirit Appraiser now?" Qiu Yuting's spirits lifted. She gestured an invitation to Li Mu and said enthusiastically.
"Mm! Let's go!" Li Mu nodded in agreement.
Soon, Qiu Yuting led Li Mu to a private room in the back hall.
Inside the room, an old man over fifty Years old sat at a wooden table, head bowed, intently studying a palm-sized turtle shell artifact.
"Elder Wei, this Young Master wishes to submit a few spiritual items for Auction. Would you kindly appraise them?" Qiu Yuting asked the old man for instructions.
"Oh! Let me see!" The fifty-year-old man put down what he was doing and looked at Li Mu, gesturing.
Li Mu nodded, took out the two Low Grade third-order spiritual swords from his Storage Pouch, and handed them to the old man with both hands.
At the same time, Li Mu curiously examined the turtle shell artifact on the old man's table. His Heavenly Talent - Identifying Myriad Spirits took effect, and detailed information about the turtle shell artifact immediately appeared in the virtual frame.
【Mystic Turtle Shell of Spiritual Fortune (Sealed)】
【Grade: Sixth-Order Spiritual Item】
【Properties: Fortune Telling (Sealed), Untainted by Karma (Sealed), Unaffected by Years (Sealed)】
【Status: Divine object self-sealed, spirituality not apparent】
【The remnant shell of the Mystic Turtle of Spiritual Fortune, left behind after five thousand Years. The shell is self-sealed and requires ten drops of True Spirit essence blood for immersion to allow it to unseal itself. This shell is one of the finest Materials for refining divinatory Treasure Artifacts.】
Upon seeing the attribute information of the turtle shell, Li Mu was stunned. This was the highest-grade spiritual item he had discovered so far, and he never expected to encounter it under such circumstances.
"Second-order crimson gold Materials can actually be refined into Low Grade third-order spiritual swords, breaking through the material limit. Moreover, he succeeded in refining two spiritual swords consecutively. This Artifact Refining skill is quite good! The nine Artifact Patterns matched: Sharp Gold, Solid, Sword Heart, Spirit Control, ..., are all extremely suitable for gold-element spiritual swords. Not bad, not bad!"
"It's just a pity that second-order crimson gold Materials were used. If third-order crimson flame gold, third-order geng metal, or third-order Taiyi Fine Gold had been used, this Artifact Refining skill could definitely refine a Top Grade third-order spiritual sword. What a pity!" At this moment, the Spirit Appraiser, Elder Wei,'s appraisal, sometimes nodding, sometimes shaking his head, came through.
Li Mu suddenly came to his senses, frowning as he looked at the palm-sized turtle shell on the table, thinking about how to get his hands on it. If he could acquire this, it would be a huge steal!
A Sixth-Order Spiritual Item! That should be a spiritual item only fitting for Nascent Soul True Lords and Nascent Soul Old Ancestors, right! Moreover, it was also related to destiny divination and similar spiritual items, so its value must be extremely high.
"Elder Wei, what is your estimated price for these two spiritual swords, and can they be submitted for Auction?" Qiu Yuting asked with concern. If these two spiritual swords were successfully auctioned, it would count as her performance, so she had to care.
"They are certainly valuable enough to be submitted for Auction! However, the price of these two spiritual swords is a bit difficult to estimate. They use second-order Artifact Refining Materials, but the finished products are Low Grade third-order spiritual swords. Their value should be between 500-1200 medium spirit stones. The specific price will depend on the situation at the Auction itself." Elder Wei frowned tightly as he evaluated.
"Why is the range so wide? How did you estimate the price?" Li Mu frowned, asking in confusion.
"Guest, you cannot blame this old man. To refine a third-order spiritual sword, one generally uses third-order Artifact Refining Materials. Even if it is refined into a Low Grade third-order spiritual sword, depending on its quality, the value is roughly in the range of 800-1500 medium spirit stones." Elder Wei helplessly explained, "These two Low Grade third-order spiritual swords use second-order crimson gold, so the cost is not high, around 70 medium spirit stones. If they were Top Grade second-order spiritual swords, the selling price would be 500-800 medium spirit stones. However, they broke through the limit of Top Grade spiritual swords and reached Low Grade third-order, so their value can continue to increase. As for how much the price will increase, that depends on how much the sword buyer is willing to accept."
"Mm! Then let's submit them for Auction! Should these two spiritual swords be left in your esteemed pavilion for Auction? Or should I come back to retrieve them after they are sold?" Li Mu frowned, asking with some apprehension.
"Young Master, if you submit them for Auction, the two spiritual swords need to be left in the pavilion! At that time, we will draft an Auction consignment contract for you. If you are still not at ease, we can first pay you 500 medium spirit stones, which is 1000 medium spirit stones for both spiritual swords, as the lowest estimated value of the spiritual items. After the spiritual swords are sold, we will pay you the difference. If they are not sold, we will buy them at this price." Qiu Yuting looked at Li Mu and explained with a smile.
"Mm! That's fair enough. What if they don't sell? Can I return your Spirit Stones?" Li Mu asked thoroughly, fearing that Wanbao Pavilion might operate in secret.
"No problem! If they don't sell, you can just return our Spirit Stones. Wanbao Pavilion always makes money through harmony and will not force buying or selling!" Qiu Yuting smiled slightly and explained.
"Alright then! Go draft the Auction consignment contract!" Li Mu smiled and nodded, gesturing.
"Uh! Young Master, why don't you come out with me?" Qiu Yuting hesitated for a moment, looking at Li Mu and gesturing.
"I have something I'd like to ask Elder Wei for advice on. You go get the contract!" Li Mu smiled slightly, made up an excuse, and said with a firm attitude.
Are you kidding? If he left, this Sixth-Order turtle shell would definitely be out of the picture. Li Mu's mind raced, thinking about how to continue engaging Elder Wei in conversation.
"Alright! Then please wait a moment, I'll go get the contract!" Qiu Yuting glanced at Elder Wei and reluctantly exited the room.
Elder Wei looked at Li Mu with a suspicious expression, wondering what this young man was up to.