txolops Chapter 63 A Little Lucky! A Lucky Find with the Star Shadow Illusion Array!
Chapter 63 A Little Lucky! A Lucky Find with the Star Shadow Illusion Array!
Just as Lin Chuan was secretly observing the situation inside the hall, the heavy stone door behind him slid shut silently, completely sealing off the hall.
At the same time, a barely perceptible yet exceptionally resilient barrier spread out, isolating all sounds and divine sense probes from both inside and outside.
Obviously.
The rule here is that no one may leave before the auction ends.
next moment.
The light was dim at the stone platform in front, and two cultivators, both dressed in black robes and whose faces were not visible, emerged from behind the curtain and stood in front of the platform.
The two men simply stood there quietly, yet they exuded a calm and composed aura that drew the attention of all the cultivators in the hall. There was no noisy discussion among them.
Lin Chuan's heart skipped a beat. These two were actually at the late Foundation Establishment stage! It seemed that the strength of this secret shop was even greater than he had expected.
"Welcome fellow cultivators from the cultivation world to our store for this trade fair."
The man in black on the left spoke first, his voice disguised, hoarse yet steady:
"Among our guests are both regular customers and newcomers. But that's alright, our shop treats everyone equally, recognizing only spirit stones, not status."
Before he could finish speaking, the man in black on his right immediately interjected, his tone even more decisive: "The rules of the transaction remain unchanged. Our shop will announce the base price of the items, and fellow Daoists will bid with spirit stones. The highest bidder wins. If you do not have enough spirit stones, you can use other items of equivalent value as collateral on the spot. The specific value will be discussed between the two of us, without any bias."
After a brief opening statement, the auction began immediately.
"First item, a top-tier defensive magic weapon—'Flowing Cloud Shield,' starting bid 300 spirit stones!"
The secret shop's offerings were indeed extraordinary; the first item up for auction was a top-tier magical artifact, intended to liven up the atmosphere.
"Three hundred and ten spirit stones!!"
"Three hundred and twenty..."
Several people quickly made bids, and it was eventually won by a Foundation Establishment cultivator with a slightly anxious aura for 450 spirit stones, attracting several ambiguous glances.
The subsequent auction proceeded smoothly, yet each item was remarkable.
High-grade and top-grade magical artifacts appeared one after another, occasionally interspersed with some rare refining materials and spiritual herbs and medicines of good quality.
There were even a few ancient talismans with obscure auras and unknown uses.
One of the top-grade flying swords, entirely crimson and exuding a menacing aura, fetched a high price of 1,800 spirit stones.
This prompted many people to whisper among themselves.
Lin Chuan remained quietly seated in the shadows of the corner, his gaze calmly sweeping over each item under his hood, but he never uttered a bid.
He has no shortage of top-tier magical artifacts; whether for offense or defense, he possesses several exquisite or even top-quality treasures.
He also possesses powerful weapons like talismans. His target is clear: array formations and artifacts.
The auction lasted for more than an hour. After another rare main material for refining magical artifacts was sold at a high price, the man in black on the stage took out something that made Lin Chuan's spirits lift.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the next set of equipment is called the 'Mysterious Armor Formation'."
The man in black neatly arranged eight palm-sized, jet-black stone array plates engraved with intricate cloud patterns, along with eighteen exquisite array flags of the same color, painted with tortoise shell runes, on the display stand.
"The complete set comprises eight plates and eighteen flags, a simplified version of the ancient 'Black Tortoise Formation,' renowned for its robust defense. Starting bid: 1,400 spirit stones!"
He paused, then added:
"Once this formation is set up, as long as the supply of spiritual energy is continuous, even without anyone in charge or controlling it, it would take a lot of effort and time for an ordinary late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator to break through it."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than someone else chimed in, "Fifteen hundred spirit stones!"
"two thousand!"
"Two thousand one!"
Clearly, this formation was very popular, and prices quickly rose.
Lin Chuan waited patiently until the price climbed to 2,100 spirit stones. When the bidding paused slightly, he spoke for the first time, his voice low and deep through the black veil covering his face:
"Two thousand two hundred spirit stones."
A moment of silence fell over the room. On the other side, a tall man in black seemed to hesitate for a moment before raising the price: "Two thousand three."
"Two thousand four hundred spirit stones."
Lin Chuan followed without hesitation, his tone calm but carrying a sense of determination.
This price clearly exceeded most people's expectations.
Although the defensive formation is good, more than 2,400 spirit stones is a huge sum of money, enough to purchase several decent top-tier offensive magic weapons.
Besides, the secret shop auction might have other good items later. The tall man in black remained silent for a moment, but ultimately did not place another bid.
"Two thousand four hundred spirit stones, sold!"
The man in black on the stage made the final decision, and the "Mysterious Armor Formation" was thus awarded to Lin Chuan.
Having secured his target item, Lin Chuan felt at ease. Several other decent items appeared afterward, including a "Golden Wind Rift Blade Formation" that combined trapping and attacking. After a moment's thought, he decided not to make a move.
Firstly, he needed to have some spirit stones in reserve, and secondly, he was not satisfied with the effect of the formation.
Finally, the last and most precious elixir, which could help break through the bottleneck of the mid-to-late stage of Foundation Establishment, was auctioned off at an astronomical price.
The auction has ended.
The stone gate reopened, and the men in black silently left one after another, without exchanging any words with each other, quickly blending into various parts of the market.
Lin Chuan did not rush to leave the market, nor did he immediately check the "Mysterious Armor Formation" he had just acquired. Instead, he returned to the inn and continued to stay there.
……
The next morning, Lin Chuan, who was meditating, sensed the golden light appearing before his eyes right on time.
Today's divination result: Minor good fortune.
[The divination text reads: At noon today, in the market, you encountered two cultivators from the Heavenly Star Sect. You overheard their conversation, which turned out to be about the room next to yours, room number three in the Heavenly tier. They were planning to rent it, and mentioned that the room contained the storage bag of a sect traitor.]
"really……"
A knowing smile appeared on Lin Chuan's lips.
Staying in places like the market town, where cultivators gather and opportunities and turmoil coexist, the daily updated divination results never disappoint, always pointing to some hidden secrets or benefits nearby.
"Noon...it's still early."
He got up, not intending to "bump into" or "eavesdrop".
Since we already know the location and the secret, why go through all that trouble?
He went directly to the inn's counter and told the innkeeper that he wanted to change rooms.
With just a few spirit stones, they easily obtained the forbidden jade token for "Room Number Three of the Heavenly Class".
Upon entering the room, Lin Chuan immediately began to examine it carefully.
The inn rooms are equipped with basic restrictions that isolate spiritual sense, making it difficult for ordinary cultivators to penetrate the walls and floors for detailed searches.
This is one of the reasons why that storage bag has been hidden until now.
Lin Chuan first released his divine sense, carefully sensing every inch of the room within the range permitted by the restriction, but found nothing unusual.
Undeterred, he began tapping the stone slabs on the ground one by one with his hands.
When a stone slab near the bed on the inner wall was tapped, a faint, hollow sound was heard.
His eyes lit up, and he carefully pried open the stone slab.
The space below is not solid soil, but a cleverly concealed brick and stone compartment.
In the hidden compartment, a dusty, inconspicuous storage bag lay quietly.
"They hid it very carefully."
Lin Chuan picked up the storage bag, briefly probed it with his divine sense, and couldn't help but show a look of joy on his face.
The bag contained nothing of value except a complete array plate and array flags, and a jade slip containing information.
After quickly glancing at the jade slip, Lin Chuan understood the general idea.
This array is called the "Star Shadow Array". It is an illusion array that was personally crafted by a Core Formation stage elder of the Heavenly Star Sect. It is quite powerful.
It can conjure up illusory stars within a small space, bewildering people's five senses and trapping enemies invisibly.
This array was originally a sect treasury, but it was stolen by an inner disciple who was guarding it.
After stealing the items, they hid them in a room at this inn, waiting for the heat to die down or for an opportunity to sell them.
Unexpectedly, the disciple was not discreet and was eventually exposed and arrested. The hiding place was probably also revealed during his interrogation.
The Heavenly Star Sect sent people to retrieve it, but it benefited Lin Chuan, who had acted first.
"Excellent! One for defense, one for illusion, they complement each other perfectly!" Lin Chuan was overjoyed. With the "Mysterious Armor Formation" for defense and the "Star Shadow Formation" for deceiving the enemy, the safety of his cave would be greatly enhanced.
He didn't dare to delay, immediately packed his things, checked out of the store, and quickly left the market.
Those two Tianxing Sect cultivators will arrive at noon. If they see me coming out of this room, it will inevitably cause trouble.
Riding his escape light, Lin Chuan returned directly to his cave dwelling.
Halfway there, he took out the storage bag he had "found" again, and took out the array plate and array flag of the "Star Shadow Array". The more he looked at it, the more satisfied he became.