Joe Di hadn't expected that there would be so many people inside the White Jade Auction House.
From the first to the fifth floor, nearly every level was crowded with people. Especially on the fifth floor—when Joe Di arrived, there were at least several hundred people present. If the space on the fifth floor weren’t large enough, it would have been packed to overflowing.
Joe Di didn’t need to ask the attendants about the milky-white stone; someone was already introducing it. At least a hundred people were gathered around the milky-white stone, clearly all here for it.
A round-faced cultivator, no stronger than the Dao Shaper Realm, pointed at the milky-white stone, spittle flying as he spoke: “This low-grade Fire Law Stone was nurtured in Chaos itself, and can upgrade a third-grade Divine Flame to a fourth-grade Divine Flame…”
Joe Di gave a wry smile. He’d always thought his Dao Flame was already a Saint Flame, but now he realized it was only a third-grade Divine Flame.
“Fire Law Stones nurtured by Chaos are extremely rare. Our White Jade Auction House only acquired this Fire Law Stone by chance. I won’t elaborate on its uses, as everyone here already knows. Because so many people want this Fire Law Stone, we’ll sell it by auction. The starting price for this low-grade Fire Law Stone is five thousand Superior Dao Crystals…”
Joe Di inhaled sharply. He considered himself wealthy, but he didn’t even have a single Superior Dao Crystal on him. Not just Superior Dao Crystals—even Medium Dao Crystals were out of reach. He couldn’t even afford the starting price for this Fire Law Stone.
“A Fire Law Stone nurtured by Chaos?” Ruben Redlin, already standing at the entrance to the fifth floor of the White Jade Auction House, stared in astonishment at the milky-white stone inside the restriction.
Just now, his attention had been entirely on Joe Di, and he hadn’t noticed that a Fire Law Stone nurtured by Chaos had appeared here.
“Six thousand Superior Dao Crystals…”
“Seven thousand…”
“Seven thousand five hundred…”
Clearly, the cultivators vying for Dao Crystals weren’t just one or two. Anyone who could stand here must have several powerful flames of their own.
A Fire Law Stone nurtured by Chaos was a treasure useful to anyone.
“I bid twelve thousand Superior Dao Crystals.” Ruben Redlin’s abrupt offer interrupted the crowd’s bidding. Joe Di couldn’t escape; Ruben wasn’t worried. For now, he’d secure the Fire Law Stone first.
Most cultivators bidding here were increasing by five hundred to a thousand at a time, but Ruben had just raised the price by nearly five thousand in one go. Was this wealth, or strategy?
At that moment, everyone’s eyes instinctively turned to Ruben Redlin. The attendant introducing the Fire Law Stone quickly bowed respectfully, “Junior pays respects to the Hall Master.”
Hall Master? Whether or not they’d met Ruben Redlin before, everyone now knew who he was—the master of Trirobe Sanctuary, Edict Saint Ruben Redlin.
Ruben Redlin was a Fourth Step Edict Saint, and couldn’t be directly called a Saint. Even Fifth Step cultivators couldn’t be called Saints; only those at the Quasi-Saint level could. So the attendant addressed Ruben as Hall Master.
If there was anyone here who didn’t quite understand Ruben Redlin’s background, it was naturally Joe Di.
Twelve thousand Superior Dao Crystals might not be the true price for this low-grade Fire Law Stone, but with the master of Trirobe Sanctuary bidding, other cultivators—even if they wanted it—wouldn't dare to casually offer more.
Joe Di didn’t have any Superior Dao Crystals, but he remembered the large amount of Chaotic Essence he’d collected in Chaos. No matter what, he had to try. Thinking this, Joe Di took out a gourd and said, "A gourd of Chaotic Essence…"
Chaotic Essence? Joe Di’s words immediately drew everyone’s attention to him.
The understanding of Chaotic Essence in this realm was not like that of cultivators from Rivergate Universe, who thought vast places of chaos were the true source. At best, those places only had stronger world essence and deeper Dao insights, still mixed with rule auras undetectable to less advanced cultivators.
True Chaotic Essence existed outside the universe, in places where nothing had yet been born and no rules existed. That kind of chaos was impossible to enter; anyone who tried would be courting death.
If even entering Chaos was impossible, collecting true Chaotic Essence was out of the question. Now that Joe Di produced a gourd of Chaotic Essence, it naturally drew many eyes.
“Is this truly Chaotic Essence?” a brown-robed Third Step cultivator couldn’t help but ask, his slightly trembling voice betraying how much he cared about it.
“That’s right, it’s genuine Chaotic Essence from true Chaos…” Joe Di hadn’t finished speaking before he opened the gourd’s restriction, and dozens of divine senses immediately focused on its mouth.
“Yes, this is truly Chaotic Essence…” someone else cried out excitedly, then immediately said, “I’ll offer fifty thousand Superior Dao Crystals for your Chaotic Essence.”
I’ll offer sixty thousand…
Originally, it was the White Jade Auction House selling the Fire Law Stone, but now it seemed more like Joe Di was selling Chaotic Essence. In just a short time, the price for a single gourd of Chaotic Essence had climbed to a hundred thousand Superior Dao Crystals.
Joe Di inhaled sharply. He knew Chaotic Essence wasn’t ordinary, but he hadn’t expected it to be so valuable.
The attendant selling the Fire Law Stone quietly sent out a message. He didn’t dare sell it to Joe Di, but with the price of a gourd of Chaotic Essence, he also didn’t dare sell it to Ruben Redlin, the de facto master of Trirobe Sanctuary.
Ruben Redlin was powerful—a Fourth Step Edict Saint. But the White Jade Auction House wasn’t without backing; it belonged to the Divine Clan, and its owner was also a Fourth Step Edict Saint. As for background, the Redlin Clan behind Ruben wasn’t necessarily stronger than the Whitemoor Divine Clan. In terms of overall strength, the Divine Clan was the strongest, and Whitemoor was just one of its many branches.
Ruben’s eyes narrowed. He’d previously doubted whether Joe Di really had a Universal Dao Vein, but now he was sure. Joe Di must have found some treasure land, not only obtaining a Universal Dao Vein but also such pure Chaotic Essence.
Seeing everyone still bidding for the Chaotic Essence, Joe Di hurriedly waved his hand. “Fellow Daoists, I only intended to use this gourd of Chaotic Essence to purchase that stone. As for selling it, forget it.”
It wasn’t that Joe Di didn’t care about over a hundred thousand Superior Dao Crystals, but provoking the White Jade Auction House as soon as he arrived was definitely not wise.
Auctioning his Chaotic Essence at White Jade Auction House would be a direct provocation. The auction house was so prominent in Trirobe Sanctuary because it was backed by top experts, and Joe Di didn’t want to offend them right after arriving.
Hahaha… Peter Sacks greets Hall Master Ru. Congratulations on your growing strength." With loud laughter, a rotund cultivator rolled in.
Indeed, he really did roll in; this guy’s body was almost perfectly round, with no distinction between thick or thin. He was so fat and short that he looked just like a ball. He didn’t actually know if Hall Master Ru had grown stronger, but after so many years in seclusion, saying so couldn’t hurt.
Ruben nodded slightly and said indifferently, “So it’s Manager Peng who’s arrived.”
Peter Sacks bowed respectfully to Hall Master Ru again, then turned to Joe Di with his eyes narrowed to slits. “Is this fellow Daoist trying to exchange Chaotic Essence for the Fire Law Stone?”
Joe Di said, “That’s right. I wonder if the manager is willing to make the trade?”
“Trade, of course I’ll trade.” With that, Peter Sacks unhesitatingly reached out, shattered the restriction on the Fire Law Stone, and the stone fell into his hand.
Peter Sacks immediately handed the Fire Law Stone to Joe Di, and before he could grab the gourd from Joe Di, Joe tossed it to him.
“Good, good…” Peter Sacks put away the gourd, repeating the word several times.
As for trading the Fire Law Stone to Ruben, Peter Sacks never mentioned it from beginning to end.
Ruben didn’t seem angry. He just looked at Joe Di and said, “Fellow Daoist, a friend of mine would like to speak with you. Would you care to come to my Trirobe Hall for a chat?”
Many of the gazes falling on Joe Di now held a hint of sympathy. Clearly, it would be nearly impossible for him to leave Trirobe Sanctuary alive.
(That’s all for today’s update. Good night, friends!)