I Possessed a Cultivator Destined to Die at the Hands of the Protagonist - Chapter 52

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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52.
As night fell, Baek Un-jin and I made our way to Mangeum Tower, where the black market convened.
The black market catering to cultivators operated exclusively in spirit stones, and criminals were strictly forbidden from entering.
“Two of you. Ten lower-grade spirit stones each for admission.”
I handed over ten lower-grade spirit stones from my pocket as the entrance fee.
Mangeum Tower appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary inn from the outside.
But once you stepped inside, a hidden chamber revealed itself through arcane concealment.
The auction was already well underway when we arrived.
The cultivators had each concealed their faces and appearances in their own ways.
The auctioneer standing on the platform raised his voice, gavel in hand.
“Next, we have a needle forged from ten-thousand-year cold iron! Cultivators below the Decisive Realm would have their meridians pierced in an instant! Starting bid: five hundred lower-grade spirit stones!”
“Six hundred!”
“Seven hundred fifty!”
“Seven hundred fifty—going once, going twice—sold!”
The cultivators who had participated in the bidding clicked their tongues in disappointment.
The auction continued for roughly two hours.
The Essence Heart Stone that Baek Un-jin had been commissioned to acquire from Woo Tae-san was monopolized by Hyeonganmun, so it would be presented at the end of the auction.
Until then, I had nothing to do but watch the proceedings.
‘Still, I thought there might be one or two items that would catch my eye, having come all this way to an auction….’
Perhaps because I belonged to Jeongmun Paldae, the items being presented as rare seemed utterly unremarkable to my eyes.
I felt it would be far better to raise my contribution points and borrow the dharma texts stored in Seonmun rather than purchase such things.
I was nodding off as the auction dragged on longer than expected.
The auctioneer placed a wooden box upon the platform.
Inside lay a single round stone, drained of luster and hardened into an ashen gray.
“Next, we have an artifact discovered in the ruins of a fallen immortal lord! According to the appraiser, it is said to be the egg of an ancient guardian spirit…. Unfortunately, after countless ages, the spiritual essence has withered away, leaving it in a deceased state. We seek a collector or decorator! Starting bid: one middle-grade spirit stone!”
The moment the auctioneer finished speaking, jeers and scoffs erupted from various corners.
Someone shook their head.
“No matter what you say, what use is a completely dead stone?”
“A middle-grade spirit stone for a hollow shell with not a shred of spiritual essence?”
“Hmm, the response is rather lukewarm. But look at this exquisite surface! This must surely be the egg of a magnificent guardian spirit! Come now, one middle-grade spirit stone—no takers?”
The auctioneer desperately appealed to the crowd, determined to offload the egg by any means.
I gazed at the dying egg with unfocused eyes.
[I want to live. I too…]
“…!”
A voice flowing through my mind jolted me awake.
I glanced around cautiously, but could not find the source of the voice.
‘Surely not.’
Then my gaze fell upon the ashen egg.
In that instant, my heart began to pound with unusual intensity.
“What troubles you?”
“No, that’s not it. The… the stone, or rather, the egg. It doesn’t seem dead.”
Baek Un-jin examined the egg’s condition, releasing a faint trace of spiritual energy.
“I don’t sense any spiritual energy from it.”
“Perhaps it was just my imagination.”
“If this is fate, then keeping it wouldn’t be a bad thing.”
“Pardon?”
Before I could finish speaking, Baek Un-jin raised his hand.
“Three mid-grade spirit stones.”
【Starting from 800 low-grade spirit stones… Eh? Ahem. Three mid-grade spirit stones have been offered!】
The auctioneer’s expression brightened dramatically.
The monks who had been waiting impatiently for the auction to move on turned to look at us and began whispering.
“Burning three mid-grade spirit stones on a mere rock? That’s madness.”
“Must be a wealthy collector. Every place has its eccentrics, doesn’t it?”
“Tsk, I’d buy something far better with those stones.”
Time passed in the meantime.
【Three mid-grade spirit stones—sold!】
“Wait, Master. Can you really just spend like that?”
Three mid-grade spirit stones equaled thirty thousand low-grade spirit stones.
“It’s not much. Consider it a gift and accept it.”
Though it might not be much to Baek Un-jin, three mid-grade spirit stones nearly matched my entire fortune.
“Thank you.”
Baek Un-jin paid immediately, and the gray stone from the worn box came into my possession.
“If you have no use for it, you can keep it as decoration.”
“It was a guardian spirit, so decoration feels wrong. I plan to carry it with me.”
“Do as you wish.”
I held it to my ear, hoping to hear something, but there was nothing.
I carefully placed the egg in my robes.
Another hour passed, and the auction reached its finale.
【Now, we’ve kept you waiting! The grand finale of today’s auction—the Truthstone!】
As the crimson silk was drawn back, a transparent amber-colored raw stone radiated a golden glow.
【This is a genuine Truthstone, certified by Hyeonganmun. With this alone, you can discern any lie! Starting bid: fifty mid-grade spirit stones!】
The moment the auctioneer’s declaration fell, bidding plates shot up throughout the hall.
“One hundred mid-grade spirit stones.”
“Heh. One hundred fifty!”
“Two hundred!”
The Truthstone’s value skyrocketed without limit.
“Five hundred mid-grade spirit stones!”
Five hundred mid-grade spirit stones equaled fifty thousand low-grade spirit stones—a sum matching the annual budget of a modest sect.
“Master, is the Truthstone really this… this expensive?”
Even though it was called a Truthstone, I had vaguely assumed that no matter how valuable, it wouldn’t exceed one hundred mid-grade spirit stones.
“You didn’t know?”
“No.”
The price of purchasing the Jeong-sim Stone wasn’t an issue—Woo Tae-san was willing to pay whatever it cost.
“It’s a stone that can read spiritual energy and the Way, and detect lies from those who practice the Seonmun. It’s only natural that someone would pay such a price to possess it.”
“Would even Master be caught lying in front of the Jeong-sim Stone?”
“Likely so.”
A stone capable of detecting even the lies of those who cultivate original spiritual energy—suddenly the price made perfect sense to me.
As Baek Un-jin and I conversed, the value of the Jeong-sim Stone continued to climb.
“Damn it! Eight hundred mid-grade spirit stones!”
“One high-grade spirit stone!”
One high-grade spirit stone was equivalent to one thousand mid-grade spirit stones, or one million low-grade spirit stones.
The moment the high-grade spirit stone appeared, the hall fell silent in an instant.
【A high-grade spirit stone has appeared! Are there any higher bids?!】
At the appearance of the high-grade spirit stone, the cultivators exchanged cautious glances with one another.
Just as it seemed the high-grade spirit stone would be sold at that price, Baek Un-jin raised his bidding tablet.
“Two high-grade spirit stones.”
“…!”
Not only the other cultivators but even the one who had bid the single high-grade spirit stone spun around in shock.
【Two high-grade spirit stones! Does anyone wish to bid higher? If not, we shall conclude with two high-grade spirit stones!】
“Heh, I should have recognized it from when you purchased that dying egg earlier.”
“Seems to be a great master from somewhere.”
“Well, there’s nothing to be done about it.”
Most of the cultivators seemed accepting of the vast gap represented by two high-grade spirit stones.
Baek Un-jin and I paid for the Jeong-sim Stone and stepped outside the Mangeum Tower.
“Wow, is this the Jeong-sim Stone? It’s so much more transparent than it looked from a distance.”
At Baek Un-jin’s permission to touch the Jeong-sim Stone, I eagerly examined it with delight.
“We should head back now.”
“Yes.”
Just as we were about to return to the Chingwoo Immortal Sect, a group dressed in black garments approached us.
“You there.”
“What’s your business?”
“I didn’t want to resort to such words, but if you simply hand over the Jeong-sim Stone and leave, there need be no bloodshed.”
This was nothing short of outright banditry.
I quickly placed the Jeong-sim Stone inside the Jeomul Platform.
“I refuse.”
“Hmph, I had no expectations from the start. We’ll simply take it by force!”
From all directions, more than a dozen cultivators formed hand seals and unleashed their techniques.
I began forming a hand seal to defend, but in that instant, Baek Un-jin formed a simplified seal.
[Ten Thousand Rivers Frozen Technique]
The techniques that had surged toward us froze solid in an instant, then shattered like glass.
I blinked, and in that instant, the lower bodies of the other monks froze solid.
“What—what just happened?!”
“Impossible! All of them at once?”
Baek Un-jin walked slowly toward the man who appeared to be their leader.
The man’s legs were frozen in place, unable to move even a fraction.
“I’m giving you a chance to withdraw peacefully.”
It was less an offer than a command.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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