Chapter 29
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Chapter 29: Auction of Martial Arts Techniques
Four Seas Trading Company
In the auction hall, all three hundred seats were filled, and the sixteen private rooms surrounding it were also packed.
Each person held a list with detailed information about tonight’s auction items, including all the basic information about the martial arts being auctioned.
The list clearly stated the name, grade, characteristics, and requirements of each martial art.
Lin Jiang had already obtained a copy of this list. It wasn’t a secret.
What caught Lin Jiang’s attention was a martial art called Sitting Zen Classic.
Sitting Zen Classic was the most famous martial art in the cultivation world, with no equal.
Some even said that Sitting Zen Classic was the foundation of all martial arts, the first martial art to appear in ancient times.
This martial art emphasized balance and moderation, avoiding extreme paths.
It cultivated a rich spiritual energy and was suitable for practitioners with the Five Elements Spiritual Root of gold, wood, water, fire, or earth.
It didn’t require any additional talents and was highly renowned in the cultivation world.
However, the original version of Sitting Zen Classic had long been lost.
Now, there were almost a hundred variations of Sitting Zen Classic circulating in the cultivation world.
These variations were created by later generations based on their own cultivation insights.
Therefore, the grades of these Sitting Zen Classics varied.
Some were lower Heaven-grade, some were Earth-grade, some were Mysterious-grade, and there were even some Yellow-grade ones.
The grade depended on the creator’s level of skill and the upper limit of the martial art.
The Sitting Zen Classic being auctioned by Four Seas Trading Company this time was created by a Soul Changing Ancestor two thousand years ago.
Its upper limit of cultivation reached the late stage of Soul Changing, and its grade reached middle Earth-grade.
The Earth-grade cultivation method was outstanding.
Even top sects like Zhonghang Sect and Cloud Sword Sect had few Earth-grade cultivation methods.
They were not something ordinary disciples could practice.
Among independent cultivators, those who possessed Earth-grade cultivation methods were rare and exceptional.
Besides the Sitting Zen Classic, Lin Jiang was also interested in a sword cultivation secret technique called One Sword Flying Immortal.
It was created by the grandmaster of swordsmanship, Xiao Jian, who had achieved perfection in the Nascent Soul stage.
He relied on his amazing swordsmanship skills, and One Sword Flying Immortal was one of his most famous techniques, very powerful.
Auction Begins
“Good evening, fellow Taoist friends.
I am Zhang Ruohai from Four Seas Trading Company, and I am the auctioneer tonight.
Our company, along with seven other trading firms, is hosting today’s auction.
We have a total of sixteen cultivation methods and twenty-eight secret techniques, all of which have been jointly appraised by the evaluators from our eight companies.
We guarantee the quality and characteristics of these cultivation methods based on our combined approval and the reputation of our companies.”
The auction began, and Zhang Ruohai, the manager of Four Seas Trading Company, took the stage to assure everyone that the origin and grade of these cultivation methods were reliable and had been appraised by them.
They were guaranteed by the reputation of their trading company.
“Alright, enough with the small talk.
Let’s start the auction.
The first item up for bidding is the Qingzhou cultivation method called ‘Qing Thunder Art.’
This cultivation method is of high quality and requires a thunder-based spiritual root to practice…”
Then, Zhang Ruohai introduced the first auction item, a cultivation method from another province, specifically a thunder-based cultivation method.
Thunder-based spiritual roots were one of the three major rare spiritual roots, besides the Five Elements Spiritual Root.
The Five Elements Spiritual Root was the most common, but these three rare spiritual roots—wind, thunder, and ice—were extremely powerful.
Each had its own unique qualities.
As soon as Zhang Ruohai finished speaking, people immediately started bidding.
Though the number of bidders was not many, the competition was intense.
The bid quickly skyrocketed from fifteen thousand spirit stones to forty thousand spirit stones, ultimately ending at fifty-one thousand spirit stones.
After the first item was auctioned, the second item quickly followed.
However, the auctioning of martial arts techniques was different from other items.
Other items were unique, such as pills, ores, and elixirs.
Whoever owned them, they belonged to that person.
But martial arts techniques were different; they could be duplicated.
So, there was another way to auction off martial arts techniques secretly.
For example, if one martial arts technique was duplicated ten times, then the secret bidding method was where everyone bid together, but could only bid once.
The top ten bidders would win and share the item.
This method had both advantages and disadvantages.
The benefit was that the auctioneer could earn more spirit stones.
However, if martial arts techniques became too widely circulated, their value would inevitably decline.
For instance, an ordinary Sitting Zen Classic would lose its worth if too many copies existed.
In such a case, it might only sell for ten spirit stones in the market, making it unfit for auction.
One Sword Flying Immortal, the technique that Lin Jiang had set his sights on, was ranked eighth in the auction.
It was also part of a secret auction.
The auctioneer had duplicated fifteen copies, and only the top fifteen bidders would receive one.
Lin Jiang initially wrote 5,000 spirit stones but quickly changed it to 8,000 spirit stones before handing his bid to the staff.
After a brief waiting period—roughly the time it took to finish a cup of tea—Zhang Ruohai announced the results.
The fifteenth highest bid stood at 7,500 spirit stones.
Only those who had bid higher were eligible to collect the technique from the company’s representatives.
Some cultivators, having no further interest in the remaining items, paid and departed immediately.
Lin Jiang, however, remained seated.
His next target was the Sitting Zen Classic.
As the auction progressed through various items, they finally arrived at the Sitting Zen Classic.
Zhang Ruoxu held up a jade scroll and said,
“I believe most of you are already familiar with the Sitting Zen Classic.
Many sects and families possess at least eight out of ten existing variations.
The version I hold originates from Yun State’s former ancestor, Soul Changing Ancestor Yun Xu.
Our experts have appraised it as an Earth-grade, medium-quality technique.”
“The auction format remains a secret bid.
There are thirty copies available, starting at 30,000 spirit stones.
Feel free to place your bids while enjoying a cup of tea.”
As Zhang Ruoxu finished speaking, Lin Jiang immediately wrote down his maximum bid—80,000 spirit stones.
If the price exceeded that, he would no longer consider it worthwhile.
Competition was fierce this time.
More than half of the cultivators present submitted bids, as an Earth-grade technique was a valuable asset.
Even if they had no intention of cultivating it personally, owning such a method could strengthen their sects or benefit future disciples.
“The auction for the Sitting Zen Classic is now closed.
Bidders who offered 78,000 spirit stones or more, please proceed to the company’s representatives for payment and collection.”
Zhang Ruoxu quickly arranged for the bids to be tallied.
Lin Jiang listened to the results, feeling a wave of relief wash over him.
He had won.
As he rose to leave, a series of voice transmissions reached him.
“Taoist friend, I’m willing to pay 50,000 spirit stones. Can we make a deal?”
“Taoist friend, I bid 45,000 spirit stones. Would you consider making me a copy?”
“Taoist friend…”
More than ten people contacted him, eager to acquire a copy through him.
Lin Jiang wasn’t the only one receiving such requests—other winners were facing the same situation.
But instead of responding, he remained silent and walked away.
The others followed suit.
Why Refuse to Sell?
Why didn’t Lin Jiang and the other winners sell the techniques to these people?
On the surface, selling them could generate easy profit.
Techniques could be copied indefinitely, after all.
But the real issue was safety.
Every martial art had its own strengths and weaknesses.
If someone studied a technique closely, they could identify its flaws and exploit them in battle.
Selling a technique to strangers meant arming potential enemies with knowledge of its vulnerabilities.
Some cultivators made money by selling techniques without practicing them, but they were few and far between.
If Lin Jiang decided to sell the Sitting Zen Classic, he wouldn’t just be offending one or two people—he would be jeopardizing the safety of all twenty-nine other winners.
Once he took that step, he would become a target.
In the cultivation world, power dictated reason.
Unless one was strong enough to disregard threats, taking such a risk was unwise.
Claiming His Prize
Lin Jiang headed backstage, where the auction house’s staff awaited him.
He completed the transaction, exchanging nearly 100,000 spirit stones, including a 5% transaction fee.
With the deal finalized, the store arranged for him to exit through a secret passage.
Rather than heading straight home, Lin Jiang took a detour to the marketplace.
He navigated through the bustling crowds, constantly checking his surroundings.
Only when he was certain he wasn’t being followed did he finally return home.
Studying the Sitting Zen Classic
Back in his residence, Lin Jiang laid out thirteen different copies of the Sitting Zen Classic.
Besides the one he had just acquired, the other twelve were sourced from various places.
The most expensive among them had cost merely thirty spirit stones.
All thirteen versions were identical during the Qi Refining Period, but beyond the Foundation Building Period, their content diverged significantly.
Each contained unique stylistic elements and powerful, distinctive techniques.
This confirmed that the Sitting Zen Classic was a highly adaptable cultivation method and reinforced its strategic value.
Since so many variations existed, it was nearly impossible for an enemy to pinpoint which version he practiced.
Without knowing his exact cultivation path, no one could exploit his technique’s weaknesses.
Lin Jiang made up his mind.
“Once the celebration ends, I will begin refining the Sitting Zen Classic.”
“Until I reach the Soul Changing Period, this technique will be sufficient.
However, if the opportunity arises, I must seek even stronger cultivation methods.”
With that resolution, Lin Jiang finalized his short-term goals.
For now, his top priority was earning more spirit stones.
If he missed this chance, he might have to wait another hundred years.
