This tall man radiating a deep black glow was known as Li Huo, naturally the Li Huo Dragon King among the Seven Dragon Sovereigns. It was truly unexpected that these two would announce the start of the auction. However, after Xu Wu and Li Huo Dragon King stepped down from the dais, a white-robed, silver-haired elder walked onto the stage. Behind him came two groups of young attendants carrying trays. Each youth was clear-cut in appearance, and their trays were covered tightly with golden fabric. "I am Tianyan, responsible for hosting this auction. I hope all of you will kindly attend and support," the elder said, bowing slightly to the audience and smiling warmly. "Haha, with Tianyan Brother in charge of this event, we feel much more at ease." "Exactly! Exactly! To be honest, Tianyan Brother's discernment is well-known throughout both clans!" The moment the elder began speaking, a wave of enthusiastic responses rippled through the crowd below. Clearly, this Tian-Yan disciple at the mid-Transcendent stage has a considerable reputation. The white-robed elder smiled warmly and bowed once more to the gathered guests before saying, "Given that all of you have journeyed so far, you surely won't wish to hear me drone on about trivialities. Let the auction begin! Child, please present the first item." As soon as the Tian-Yan disciple finished speaking, he gestured toward his back. A young attendant standing at the forefront stepped forward carefully, raised both hands overhead, and respectfully offered the central tray to the elder. The elder then moved his arm, using his finger to lift the golden cloth covering the tray. Immediately, a crystal stone shimmering with silver light came into view. Though only the size of a clenched fist, its surface bore a natural pattern of intricate veins, each glowing with silver light as if countless silver filaments had been woven into the stone, making it exceptionally beautiful. "An elite-grade crafting material for golden-element法宝, a Silver-Filament Crystal." This silver filament crystal is exclusively produced in the Bai Bi Gorge, in the far eastern region of the human race, and its annual yield typically falls short of half the amount of this single piece. This clearly underscores its rarity. Ordinary flying swords, when supplemented with just half a catty or one catty of this material, instantly become remarkably sharp and outperform comparable treasures of the same stage. If crafted entirely from this material, they could very well ascend to the rank of spiritual artifacts. Hence, its base price is set at three hundred thousand spiritual stones, with each subsequent bid not less than ten thousand stones—now commencing! After briefly introducing the item, Tian Yanzǐ declared loudly. While this silver filament crystal held little significance for cultivators like Han Li, who had reached the Consolidated Stage, it proved highly appealing to those at the Transformation and Immortal Realization stages. After all, the Bai Bi Gorge was directly under the control of Xuan Wu City, and the city's regular consumption of these crystals often exceeded its annual production. The appearance of such a large, single crystal immediately drew the keen interest of numerous observers. "Four million," "Four point five million," "Five million"... A series of bidding voices swiftly traveled through the auction platform, materializing directly on the luminous display above the elevated stage. In the end, a mysterious feline-like creature, covered in dense black fur, successfully secured the silver filament crystal at a high price of seven point three million. This outcome naturally left many human cultivators feeling disappointed! Everyone knew that the feline race was generally less skilled in crafting artifacts, and it was truly surprising that a single feline cultivator would be willing to pay such a premium for this particular crystal. Since the auction had begun with rare crafting materials, the subsequent items offered naturally belonged to the same category—either rare materials used to forge feline battle armor or essential components required for crafting other magical artifacts. However, after several rounds, most of the attendees in the hall began to show signs of growing concern. A string of seven or eight items were unexpectedly snapped up at an astonishingly high price by the black-haired immortal from the妖 clan, as if he cared nothing about the quantity of spiritual stones—his wealth seemed truly immense. This black-haired immortal was clad in a hazy yellow leather robe, covering his entire body except for his arms, where his face appeared grotesque and indistinct. Of course, this robe could only obscure the view of those at the stages of Transcendent or Beyond-Transcendent; for a Consolidated Stage cultivator like Han Li, it merely required a slight expenditure of spiritual awareness to pierce through the robe's veil. "A black wolf immortal! Only just at the initial stage of Beyond-Transcendent—how could he be so generous? Must there be someone of noble lineage within the wolf clan!" Han Li's eyes flashed blue as he glanced at him, then furrowed his brows, murmuring softly. Although the器灵子 and Sea Young Lord heard everything clearly from behind, they still could not grasp the full details and thus remained silent, standing in place without speaking a word. At that moment, when a strange silk cloth, glowing with a deep crimson light as if woven from flames, was presented on the stage by a young attendant, the crowd below immediately stirred into excitement! "Crystal Flame Thread—this is indeed a fabric woven from Crystal Flame Thread!" "How incredible!" "How luxurious!" Many people stared in astonishment at the crimson silk, while others could hardly conceal their eagerness, eager to rush onto the stage and seize the fabric in their hands. "Master, what exactly is this Crystal Flame Thread? It seems many people are eager to obtain it," Sea Young Lord remarked, unable to hold back his curiosity. "It's no wonder you're unfamiliar with it! This Crystal Flame Thread is not native to our human race—it is a unique spiritual material of the Black Phoenix Clan. It is said to be a luminous thread exhaled by fire insects living within molten rock." However, these fireflies can only emit a single filament throughout their lives, and such filaments have only been discovered in specific molten land areas under the jurisdiction of the Black Phoenix Clan—making them rarer than the initial silver-threaded crystals. When used to craft fire-based artifacts, if worn and practiced upon by cultivators who specialize in fire-based cultivation techniques, they can subtly enhance the cultivator's progress. Likewise, when used to create treasures, they significantly amplify the user's fire-based abilities. Given that many of the individuals present are primarily or concurrently practicing fire-based cultivation techniques, the discovery of such abundant crystal flame filaments naturally excites them. Han Li smiled slightly and offered a few explanations. "Now I understand! It makes perfect sense why these individuals have reacted so positively." The Spirit of the Artifact also chuckled and nodded. The price floor for the crystal flame filaments had already been set by the lower-level observers, and immediately, a surge of more competitive bids emerged, surpassing the earlier offerings for the other items. In mere moments, the price of this crystal flame thread had doubled, reaching a premium figure. Yet, as a result, the initially enthusiastic bidding gradually cooled down, with only a handful—around five or six—still fiercely competing. Among them stood the black-haired member of the wolf-folk tribe. The final bidding result came as no surprise—the black wolf-folk representative secured the item at a top-tier price. Consequently, this black wolf-folk member now drew increasing attention, with many members of the two tribes frequently glancing his way, most of them with reserved or even critical expressions. But then, suddenly, the white-robed elder's words on the stage redirected everyone's attention once again. "Ah, many of you have attended the first auction of the Ten-Thousand-宝 Gathering before, so you're likely aware that the auction sequence here differs slightly from a typical auction event. It is not the case that all the most prestigious items are reserved until the very end." Instead, several highlight items will be unveiled at the early, mid, and late stages. Now, one of these is being presented—sure to leave most of the friends and elders satisfied. As the elder spoke, he suddenly snapped his hands twice, "啪" "啪." At that moment, a young attendant, graceful and radiant, stepped forward from the audience, holding a jade wooden box about half a foot in height, and approached the Tianyanzi with a charming smile. For the first time, the white-robed elder displayed a serious expression, carefully receiving the box from the attendant's hands, then turned to the audience once more and said slowly: "While some of you may have heard of it, how many have actually seen this rare spiritual treasure—the Weeping Spirit Bloodwood! This box contains a small section of it. This precious item serves many purposes: it can act as an auxiliary material for several great divine techniques, directly used to create a second incarnation or a substitute karma puppet, and is also the primary ingredient for the famed treasure—the Weeping Blood Pearl." The elder spoke with solemnity. Upon hearing Tianyanzǐ's words, most people looked puzzled, while only a few burst into joyful excitement. "The weeping bloodwood—aren't these sacred treasures of the spiritual race?" "How could such a precious item appear at our joint auction?" Some cultivators familiar with the origin of this item could no longer contain their astonishment and fell silent in the audience. Han Li's expression subtly shifted, and he clearly sensed a surge of spiritual awareness emanating from the small pavilion, indicating that many cultivators at the combined stage were also deeply interested in this weeping bloodwood. "Ah, the origin of this bloodwood," the elder said with a smile, "I myself am not entirely certain. But I can assure all of you that this weeping bloodwood is genuine—without any falsehood." With that, he opened the box. Immediately, a strong scent of blood surged forth, rising into the air and forming a dense, swirling mist of blood, resembling a serpentine creature of crimson hue. Tian Yan took a deep breath, her golden eyes flashing briefly before she extended her hand and suddenly grasped the box with a single palm. At once, a strange piece of wood, about half a foot long and as thick as a thumb, emerged before everyone's eyes—its entire surface black and red, winding in intricate patterns. Though dimly luminous, the wood continuously exuded fine strands of blood mist. These misty threads swirled and intertwined, rising straight into the air like living beings. "An Immortal-Transforming Puppet!" Han Li gazed at the object, his eyes narrowing slightly. He had heard of this Qi-Ling Blood Wood before—it was actually the remains of a mutated wood-type immortal race, a rare find even among the immortals themselves. While the second incarnation and the "Weeping Blood Spirit Blade" were well-known, it was precisely the Immortal-Transforming Puppet that had truly captured his interest. Though he himself had crafted immortal-replacement seals capable of absorbing calamities, their effectiveness had diminished somewhat as his own spiritual power had grown stronger. Even after prolonged cultivation, it can hardly manifest much ability to assume the burden of calamity. This calamity-averting puppet is a well-known rare treasure passed down among the human race, and it also proves remarkably effective for cultivators who have achieved the combined stage. However, this calamity-averting puppet is a one-time consumable. When activated, it requires the master to personally time and stimulate it precisely—whether activated early or late, any misjudgment may result in its wastage.