I Can Upgrade Everything Infinitely

Chapter 144 - 143: The Auction! Broken Storage Ring

VMM! VMM! VMM!!!

Shafts of light began to radiate from Yan Gu’s body. He sat cross-legged as the medicinal power of the Level 10 Transcendence Pill began to take effect.

BOOM! BOOM!

The intensity of Yan Gu’s aura rose steadily. In a short time, he broke through the limits of the First Realm, shed his Mortal Body, and stepped into the realm of the Extraordinary.

"Mm."

Xu Qing stood nearby, observing Yan Gu’s transformation. The Level 10 Transcendence Pill did not disappoint him; it had truly allowed Yan Gu to break through.

"Kaya."

Xu Qing called out.

"Master."

Kaya arrived at once. "What are your orders?"

"Yan Gu has taken an Extraordinary Pill and is now absorbing its medicinal power to break through in his Cultivation and increase his strength. You will stand guard for him here."

Xu Qing ordered.

"Yes."

Kaya nodded.

"Mm."

Xu Qing left the room and began practicing the Celestial Roc Technique in the courtyard. It had taken him seven or eight days to raise the Transcendence Pill to Level 10.

Now that the Transcendence Pill was at Level 10, Xu Qing naturally had to turn his focus back to the Celestial Roc Technique, the Celestial Sword Technique, and the Devouring Demon Technique.

Time flew by.

「Late that night.」

BOOM!

Xu Qing felt an extremely powerful aura erupt from the room, along with a bizarre presence. It was the same feeling he’d had when he encountered the ’Anomaly: Red and White Clash’.

’An anomaly? Or...?’

Xu Qing wondered.

CREAK!

The door was pushed open.

Kaya and Elder Yan walked out. The bizarre aura just now had emanated from Elder Yan, whose Cultivation and strength had increased significantly.

Moreover, after spending the better part of a day, Yan Gu had finally and completely refined the Level 10 Transcendence Pill. He had stepped into the Second Realm: Extraordinary and even comprehended the Four Layers of Mysterious Realm.

Furthermore, Yan Gu had originally walked the Martial Path, cultivating a Martial Arts Technique to the peak of the Immortal stage. But after refining and absorbing the Level 10 Transcendence Pill, he had undergone a transformation from Martial to Deceit. He had left the Martial Path to step onto the Deceitful Path, becoming a powerful Deceit Cultivator.

"Yan Gu pays his respects, Young Master."

Elder Yan walked up to Xu Qing, knelt on both knees, and kowtowed. "Thank you for your immense grace, Young Master, for bestowing upon me the Extraordinary Pill. It allowed this old servant to step into the Second Realm: Extraordinary, comprehend the Four Layers of Mysterious Realm, transition from Martial to Deceit, and become a powerful Deceit Cultivator."

"You only comprehended the Four Layers of Mysterious Realm?"

Xu Qing asked.

"Yes, Young Master."

Yan Gu nodded.

"That’s a bit of a shame."

Xu Qing mused, "If you had been able to completely refine and absorb the Extraordinary Pill, it would have been enough for you to comprehend the Sixth Realm. But you only comprehended the Fourth Layer; you fell a little short."

"This old servant has failed to meet the Young Master’s expectations."

Yan Gu kowtowed again.

"Forget it."

Xu Qing waved his hand. "The Fourth Layer is fine. Tell me about your current condition, the process of your breakthrough, and about the Deceitful Path."

"Yes, Young Master."

Yan Gu nodded.

"While I was refining the Extraordinary Pill, it was as if the pill had a consciousness of its own. This old servant didn’t need to cultivate at all."

Yan Gu continued, "During the refining process, it felt like the Extraordinary Pill was guiding me, leading me step-by-step through the breakthrough and advancement."

"Deceit Cultivators focus on refining and subduing ’Deceit Nature.’ There are also those whose lingering resentment turns them into Fierce Ghosts; they can become Ghost Cultivators, which can also be called ’Deceit Cultivators’."

"Your subordinate’s physical body is still intact, and I have not become a Fierce Ghost. Instead, I have refined and subdued the ’Deceit Nature,’ comprehended a mysterious Mental Realm, and condensed a ’Deceit Pill’ in my body. I have now reached the Fourth Transformation of Deceit Pill Realm."

"I see."

Xu Qing nodded slightly.

Through Yan Gu’s explanation, Xu Qing gained a general understanding of Deceit Cultivators.

"You can take the Faceless Mask now."

Xu Qing gave the Level 14 Faceless Mask to Yan Gu.

"Yes, Young Master."

Yan Gu accepted the Level 14 Faceless Mask. He placed it on his face, and as he released his mysterious Mental Realm, the Level 14 Faceless Mask was instantly subdued.

Moreover, Yan Gu’s mysterious Mental Realm had a boosting effect on the Level 14 Faceless Mask. The two were mutually reinforcing, a perfect match.

"Not bad."

Xu Qing nodded.

「The next morning.」

Xu Qing, Kaya, and Yan Gu all put on masks. Xu Qing wore the Level 16 Evil Ghost Mask, transforming into an ordinary, unremarkable middle-aged man.

Kaya wore the Level 14 Rakshasa Mask, which disguised her and altered her appearance. It hid her fox ears and tail, turning her into a plain-looking servant girl.

Finally, Yan Gu wore the Level 14 Faceless Mask. It provided a similar disguise, completely changing his features and making him look like an ordinary, white-haired old man.

After more than a month, Xu Qing left his courtyard for the first time, accompanied by Kaya and Yan Gu. The last time Kaya was out, she had purchased a full one hundred thousand taels of Gold’s worth of Level 5 Spiritual Food from the Moon River Commerce Association East District Chapter.

As a result, Kaya had received an Invitation Letter to the auction at the Moon River Commerce Association East District Chapter. This Invitation Letter would allow the three of them to enter the auction house.

The auction was to be held today.

When Xu Qing learned of this, he decided to attend.

「Nearing noon.」

The Moon River Commerce Association’s East District Chapter.

Xu Qing and his companions had arrived at the Chapter’s entrance. Kaya presented the Invitation Letter, and after it was confirmed to be valid, an attendant led them toward the auction hall.

A dozen minutes later.

"Honored guests, we have arrived at the auction hall."

The attendant smiled and took out three paddles, each marked with the number ’1025’. "These are your numbers. If you see an auction item you like and wish to bid, you just need to raise your numbered paddle and call out your price."

"Alright."

Xu Qing nodded.

"Honored guests, these are your seats."

The attendant gestured with his hand.

"Mm."

Xu Qing and the others glanced over. The entire hall resembled a large Roman Colosseum. In the very center was the auction stage, surrounded by circular rows of seats that rose in tiers.

However, suspended high above, Xu Qing saw several floating, independent rooms. These were the auction house’s VIP rooms. There were nine in total.

Of course, Xu Qing currently didn’t have the qualifications to enter one of the Moon River Commerce Association’s VIP rooms. He could only sit in the regular seats like the vast majority of participants.

But even these regular seats weren’t for just anyone. Not just anybody was qualified to enter this auction; one had to possess sufficient financial means.

The reason Kaya was able to obtain an Invitation Letter was that she had spent one hundred thousand taels of Gold to purchase over a thousand *jin* of Level 5 Spiritual Food, thereby demonstrating sufficient wealth.

Time passed.

Half an hour later.

More and more people gradually entered the auction house until the seats around Xu Qing were filled with men and women, young and old, of all kinds.

"Honored guests."

VMM!

Just then, on the central stage of the auction hall, a stunningly beautiful woman with a sensual and enchanting figure suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Moreover, Xu Qing noticed that this beautiful woman radiated an intangible charm that could stir one’s hormones and incite a certain impulse.

"Hooo..."

Xu Qing took a deep breath.

Next, the stunning woman began to introduce herself. Her name was Lan Yu, and she was the host of this auction. After saying a few more words to stir up the crowd’s excitement,

"Let’s welcome our first auction item!"

Lan Yu called out.

Soon, a young woman in a white dress walked out, holding a white platter with both hands. A white bottle rested quietly on it.

"Everyone."

Lan Yu began her introduction. "This is the Secret Medicine, the ’Mental Realm Pill.’ Consuming this medicine allows one to comprehend the Mental Realm within it and break through in their Cultivation."

"I’m sure you are all quite familiar with the ’Mental Realm Pill,’ so I, Lan Yu, won’t waste any more breath on introductions. The auction starts now! The starting price is: ten thousand taels of Gold!"

"Each bid must increase the price by no less than one hundred taels of Gold."

"Eleven thousand taels!"

"..."

"Fifteen thousand taels!"

"..."

"Twenty thousand taels!"

"..."

All around, the calls of bidders rose and fell.

’The competition is fierce.’

Xu Qing mused to himself.

Apparently, Xu Qing didn’t know the value of this Mental Realm Pill. Although it was a relatively common Secret Medicine in the Second Realm, its ability to help one comprehend a Mental Realm was enough to make countless people flock to it.

But Xu Qing only needed to continuously practice his Martial Arts, gain Experience Points, and raise his Martial Arts’ Level to comprehend a Mental Realm and increase his strength. He had no idea how difficult Cultivation was for others.

Furthermore, Xu Qing was really only attending this auction at the Moon River Commerce Association East District Chapter to broaden his horizons; he hadn’t planned on bidding for anything.

Time passed.

One auction item after another was sold, but Xu Qing never once called out a price. The items included Secret Medicines, Spirit Patterned Artifacts, special slaves, special Inheritance Secret Techniques, and more.

The prices ranged from high to low.

"A single defective Storage Ring."

Just then, Lan Yu called out. A young woman in white walked over holding a platter. She lifted the red cloth, revealing a broken, ancient-looking ring lying quietly on it.

"This Treasure was excavated from the ’Reincarnation Ruins.’ Unfortunately, it is a defective item. The storage space is unstable, and its size has been reduced to a mere one cubic meter."

Lan Yu continued, "However, it *was* excavated from the ’Reincarnation Ruins.’ Who knows what special secrets it might be hiding? Besides, this is a Storage Ring, an item of extremely high value in its own right."

"The bidding starts now."

"The starting price is ten thousand taels of Gold, and each bid must be an increase of no less than one hundred taels of Gold."

"..."

The moment her voice fell, the entire hall fell silent.

No one placed a bid.

Everyone remained silent.

An awkward lull settled over the auction.

"This..."

Even Lan Yu was taken aback for a moment.