Chapter 44: The Pile of Junk

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: The Pile of Junk

From a distance, the pagoda hosting the auction was bustling with cultivators arriving from all directions.

They wore different sect robes, each representing their respective sects.

Ye Xuan could see them, but he couldn’t determine who they were or which sects they belonged to.

Some wore sect robes that looked familiar. Ye Xuan had seen them before, whether briefly or during some previous encounter.

Even so, it was unlikely that any of them could identify Ye Xuan based solely on the robes he now wore.

That was why changing his appearance, especially his robes, was so helpful in allowing him to blend in among the other cultivators.

Ye Xuan didn’t know what items would be auctioned here, but the cultivators’ enthusiasm was enough to pique his curiosity.

He entered alongside the other cultivators. However, he noticed something different about the staff’s attitude toward him.

They didn’t appear suspicious or openly hostile toward him, as Ye Xuan had feared. Instead, their expressions were skeptical and cold.

"Excuse me, could you tell me what items are being auctioned today?" Ye Xuan asked.

One of the female staff members raised her head and looked at him, her gaze traveling from his feet to his head as though assessing his status.

"You? I don’t recall any sect wearing black robes. Are you a wandering cultivator?"

"That’s right," Ye Xuan replied, lying.

"I’m sorry, but our establishment requires auction participants to belong to a sect. That’s why information about the auction items can only be disclosed to registered participants," the woman explained.

I didn’t expect changing my status from a sect disciple to a wandering cultivator to make such a significant difference.

[Perhaps they’re worried about what might happen if an item falls into the hands of a wandering cultivator. It could tarnish the reputation of the sects.]

You might be entirely right about that, Qingyu.

"But you don’t need to worry. We still accept item transactions from wandering cultivators," the woman added.

She extended her hand and pointed toward another room, which was much quieter than the main auction hall.

Ye Xuan glanced in that direction and headed over.

When he arrived, his attention was drawn to the items displayed along the walls.

There were numerous technique scrolls, formation scrolls, and pill recipes stored there.

A female staff member was assigned to look after the room. Unlike the staff in the auction hall, this woman appeared completely unenthusiastic.

She greeted Ye Xuan in a quiet voice while remaining seated. She didn’t even bother turning her head to look at him.

It was a little pitiful, but he didn’t think much of it.

However, since these items were housed in an auction pagoda, Ye Xuan hoped the items on the shelves would be more valuable than those found in ordinary supply shops.

"What are you looking for?" the woman asked flatly.

"Just Yellow-Stage techniques or formations."

"You might as well give up," the woman replied. "All the Yellow-Stage technique and formation scrolls have already been auctioned off. What’s left here is only Mortal-Stage."

Ye Xuan listened but wasn’t entirely convinced. Perhaps she was telling the truth, but a technique’s quality wasn’t determined solely by its stage.

Its compatibility with his needs mattered just as much.

He walked around the room, his eyes examining each technique scroll.

Judging by their colors, most were dominated by the wind, water, and earth elements.

Only a few were fire-element techniques. Some didn’t appear to have any elemental attributes at all, displaying no distinctive colors such as black, white, or gray.

I can’t find any good techniques among these titles.

[Try looking for something other than techniques. You might find something worthwhile.]

Ye Xuan followed Qingyu’s suggestion and shifted his attention to the boxes below. They contained stacks of scrolls whose contents were unknown.

"Hey, what’s inside these wooden boxes?" Ye Xuan asked.

"Various things. Damaged or incomplete techniques and formations, perhaps someone’s personal notes, or even useless maps."

"Taking something from there is like drawing lots without any guarantee of getting something worthwhile."

Ye Xuan listened to the woman’s lazy explanation before examining the boxes himself.

What she said was true. There was no way to know whether the scrolls inside would be useful.

However, an old saying went that one man’s trash was another man’s treasure.

Ye Xuan didn’t know whether that would hold true this time, although it had worked out for him before when he visited a remote supply shop in Yunlong City.

Is there any way I can find valuable treasures among these boxes without opening them one by one?

[That’s a special ability. You shouldn’t be capable of doing that yet.]

Ye Xuan let out a brief sigh. He and Qingyu both placed their hands on their hips, feeling somewhat frustrated. Nevertheless, he had no other choice.

If he wanted to seize another stroke of good fortune, he would have to examine everything one by one and determine which items were valuable and which were worthless.

"How much does one of these boxes cost?" Ye Xuan asked.

"You want to buy that pile of junk? Are you sure? I won’t take responsibility for your losses."

"Each scroll in the boxes costs ten taels. I can’t charge you more than I would for a Mortal-Stage technique."

One spirit stone was worth one hundred taels.

Ye Xuan looked into one of the wooden boxes and estimated that it contained around twenty to thirty scrolls, putting its contents at roughly two to three spirit stones.

He then examined the other boxes. There were twelve wooden boxes in total, each containing a different number of scrolls.

Ye Xuan didn’t have time to count them all, so he decided to offer a rounded sum.

"I’ll give you fifty spirit stones for all these wooden boxes," Ye Xuan replied.

"Huh?" The woman was startled and finally looked directly at him. "Are you sure about that?"

Ye Xuan patted his bag of holding and handed the female staff member fifty spirit stones.

Clearly surprised, she hurriedly accepted the payment and counted the stones carefully.

Once the transaction was confirmed, Ye Xuan immediately stored all the wooden boxes in his bag of holding and left the room.

He now possessed a total of 360 mysterious scrolls from the twelve wooden boxes.

To determine whether they were useful, Ye Xuan would need to read them carefully and sort them into different categories.

Scrolls containing maps would be stored separately from those containing incomplete techniques or formations. Only then could he properly assess their quality.

[You bought so many worthless scrolls. What now?]

"We’ll visit a supply shop and buy more Water Elemental Essence," Ye Xuan replied.

[Water Elemental Essence? I don’t understand.]

[OH!]

[You’re planning to ask Senior Wang to examine those scrolls in exchange for Water Elemental Essence? Am I right?]

Ye Xuan smiled faintly. "You’re right, Qingyu."

[You’re really cunning, Ye Xuan.]

[Even so, I’m sure Senior Wang might know something about those scrolls, considering his vast knowledge and experience in the cultivation world.]