"This Magical Artifact is named the Soul-Rattling Bell. Upon activation, it can impact the Sea of Consciousness of Qi Cultivation Cultivators. It can interrupt a target’s spellcasting, cloud their consciousness, and rattle their Divine Soul.

Moreover, this item inflicts even more severe damage upon Ghost Cultivators, Primordial Spirits, and wraiths. It is, without a doubt, a Top Grade Supporting Magical Artifact!"

After introducing the Magical Artifact, Fairy Ding Xiang proceeded to demonstrate its effects live.

She pinched the bell between her index and middle fingers, and after infusing it with Magical Power, gave it a gentle shake.

CLANG—!

A ripple, visible to the naked eye, spread through the entire hall at the speed of sound.

The many Cultivators on the hall’s lower floor all froze in place the moment the sound wave hit them. Their eyes went out of focus, their minds went blank, and their heads were filled with nothing but the single ring of the bell.

The time it took for each person to recover varied depending on the strength of their Divine Soul.

Jiang Xu was one of the quicker ones to recover.

After he was stunned, the Cultivation Seed in his body quickly surged with a stream of Magical Power that circled his Sea of Consciousness.

But even so, two or three seconds had passed.

This horrified Jiang Xu.

’Even if it’s only two or three seconds... in a real fight, one second is all an opponent needs to kill me, let alone more than that.’

’Of course, part of the reason was that a Foundation Establishment Cultivator was the one who activated the Magical Artifact.’

’But it also proves that my Spiritual Power isn’t very strong right now. It’s a weakness that I urgently need to address!’

’I wonder if there are any Cultivation Method Books that can increase the strength of one’s Divine Soul.’

Regardless of Jiang Xu’s thoughts, the power of the Magical Artifact had ignited the enthusiasm of all the Cultivators in the hall.

With a Magical Artifact like this in hand, one could seize the initiative in any situation, be it a sneak attack, an escape, a group battle, or a one-on-one duel!

Buy!

I have to buy it!

Seeing that everyone at the auction was now intrigued and eager to bid, Fairy Ding Xiang gloated inwardly. ’It was worth it to move this Treasure, originally scheduled for later, to the front to liven things up!’

She then announced:

"The starting bid for this item is two hundred Spirit Stones!" 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

The moment Fairy Ding Xiang finished speaking, a chorus of bids erupted from the floor.

"Two hundred!"

"I bid two hundred and twenty!"

"I bid two hundred and fifty Spirit Stones!"

"..."

An Upper Grade Magical Artifact usually goes for three hundred Spirit Stones or more.

A rarer one like the Soul-Rattling Bell would normally fetch around four hundred and fifty Spirit Stones.

But in the heated atmosphere of the auction, the price of the Soul-Rattling Bell quickly soared to five hundred Spirit Stones and was still climbing.

This brought an even more bewitching and coquettish smile to Fairy Ding Xiang’s face.

"Five hundred thirty-five Spirit Stones, any higher bids?"

After three calls with no further bids, the item was sold.

"Congratulations to this fellow cultivator on winning the Soul-Rattling Bell Magical Artifact!"

A hostess took the Soul-Rattling Bell and went to find the winning bidder.

Once the transaction was complete, the portly Cultivator immediately wanted to test its power. But before he could even infuse it with Magical Power, his hand was caught by the attendant, who had clearly anticipated his move and was now warning him against it.

After that small interlude, the auction continued.

The next few items, while not as valuable as the Soul-Rattling Bell, were still quite rare. As a result, none of them went unsold.

The atmosphere, however, gradually cooled.

For these items, not a single Cultivator from the upper-level private rooms participated in the bidding.

It made sense.

These people were either at the Foundation Establishment realm or possessed deep backgrounds and vast fortunes; naturally, they wouldn’t be interested in these early items.

The initial items in this auction were, in fact, prepared for the Qi Cultivation Cultivators on the lower floor.

Jiang Xu was actually somewhat interested in a few of the items.

But it was obvious that these items were selling for much more than their actual value.

Although Jiang Xu had enough Spirit Stones, he was unwilling to spend so much extra for no reason.

...

Seeing the lull in the bidding, Fairy Ding Xiang had an idea and gave a subtle glance to the attendant beside her.

The attendant understood, gave an almost imperceptible nod, and turned to get the next auction item.

Upon the attendant’s return, Fairy Ding Xiang cautiously took the Jade Box from her hands.

She then summoned a Treasure Mirror, aimed its reflective surface at the Jade Box, and only then did she open the lid.

"Everyone, please look. This is a rare sight indeed. It is called the Golden Silkworm Gu!"

"This toxin originates from Miaojiang, and in the Mortal Realm, there is a saying: poison powdered from a Golden Silkworm Gu is the most potent in all the world. It is formless and colorless, making it nearly impossible to guard against. Its victims feel as if countless insects are gnawing at their entire body, a pain so unbearable they can neither live nor die."

"Though the Golden Silkworm Gu is a Mortal Insect, its venom works on Cultivators. It can even corrode Spiritual Power, greatly diminishing a person’s Magical Power! It can even affect Foundation Establishment Cultivators to some extent!"

Hearing this, everyone felt a chill run down their spines and turned to look at the Golden Silkworm Gu.

The Gu Insect’s body was oval-shaped and about a finger-length long. It was a brilliant golden-yellow, as if plated in a layer of shimmering gold. On its head was a pair of red eyes, giving it an extremely unnerving appearance.

It was illuminated by Fairy Ding Xiang’s Treasure Mirror, fixed in place, unable to move at all. It seemed that even Fairy Ding Xiang was afraid of this venomous insect touching her.

Jiang Xu looked at the Golden Silkworm Gu and raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued.

He had seen a description of Gu in the Insect Recognition Chapter of the Insect Control Scripture.

You place venomous creatures like spiders, scorpions, toads, vipers, and centipedes into a single container and seal it for ten days.

The lone survivor after unsealing is the most venomous of all, making it the prime candidate for a Gu. It then must be carefully nurtured before it can finally become a true Gu Insect.

Although the Golden Silkworm Gu has "silkworm" in its name, it is not actually a silkworm. Instead, it’s the surviving venomous creature, which has changed its form and color to resemble a golden silkworm, hence the name.

According to the Insect Control Scripture, the Golden Silkworm Gu was the king of Mortal Gu, earning it the title of "Gu King." It was exceptionally precious, surpassing even many Spirit Gu.

Most importantly, the Insect Control Scripture contained a method to cultivate a Golden Silkworm Gu into a Spirit Gu.

’Considering the Golden Silkworm Gu’s toxicity... if I could cultivate it into a Spirit Gu, I can’t even imagine how powerful it would become!’

His mind made up, Jiang Xu was determined to buy it.

"The starting bid for this item is two hundred and fifty Spirit Stones!"

A collective gasp went through the crowd.

The announcement left many of the Cultivators utterly shocked.

This starting price was even higher than the Tier One Upper Grade Soul-Rattling Bell from before.

No matter how much she hyped it up, it was still just a Mortal Insect.

’How could it be so expensive?’

The moment the starting bid was announced, some Cultivators who had intended to bid were scared off.

For a moment, no one started the bidding.

This made Fairy Ding Xiang extremely embarrassed.

’This item really is worth that many Spirit Stones,’ she thought. She had hoped it would liven up the quiet atmosphere. ’But I didn’t expect so few people to recognize its value. It looks like the Golden Silkworm Gu might even go unsold!’

Just as Fairy Ding Xiang was wondering if she should have one of her auction house’s shills place a low bid to prevent the item from going unsold...

...a wizened voice rang out.

"I’ll bid two hundred and fifty Spirit Stones!"