The Princesses and the Purple Gold Iron

“The next item is a bit special,” the middle-aged man announced, clapping his hands. From the backroom, several masked figures emerged, pushing a large iron cage before them.

“Oh? Are they selling people now?” Lin Tian murmured, his gaze fixed on the iron cage. Imprisoned within were two women, their faces delicately made up, suggesting they had been meticulously groomed. Their beauty and figures were undoubtedly of a caliber that could topple nations.

“These two slaves are princesses from a fallen kingdom,” he explained. “They possess excellent noble etiquette, making them perfectly suited to serve as maids or handmaidens. The starting bid is thirty spirit stones, with each subsequent bid no less than five spirit stones.”

“Thirty-five spirit stones!”

“Fifty spirit stones!”

“So cheap?” Lin Tian remarked with a hint of emotion. After all, these were princesses from a nation, yet they were worth less than a single magical artifact.

“Of course. Such slaves are a dime a dozen in the black market, and they can even be traded for silver taels,” Qin Jiu said with a dismissive chuckle. “Had it not been for their noble identities, they wouldn’t even qualify for this auction stage.”

This auction proved to be an enlightening experience for Lin Tian. He stared blankly at the two princesses, his mind wandering with idle thoughts.

If I were a man physically, would I consider buying them? The cultivation world has so many strange elixirs and spells. Could I somehow return to Earth, or perhaps transform back into a man?

The slaves were ultimately purchased by a stout young man. Subsequently, the middle-aged man presented several magical artifacts and elixirs, but Lin Tian did not bid on any of them. The artifacts were too expensive, beyond his current means, making his handgun and grenades seem like a more practical choice. The elixirs, too, were not cost-effective; they were simply too pricey.

“Alright, all the items for this session have been presented. The rest is for private transactions among yourselves.”

As soon as the middle-aged man finished speaking, he retreated to the side. Immediately, a black-robed cultivator leaped onto the stage.

“My apologies, everyone, but I’ll go first.” The black-robed cultivator chuckled, producing a wooden box. “I have a Face-Setting Pill here. I trust everyone knows its effects; it’s not particularly difficult to refine. I’m a bit short on spirit stones lately, so the starting price is thirty spirit stones.”

“Thirty? Isn’t that a bit expensive?”

“I’ll offer thirty-one spirit stones…”

“Brother Qin, do you know the purpose of this Face-Setting Pill?” Lin Tian asked, his voice laced with curiosity.

“I’ve heard a few things,” Qin Jiu replied. “This Face-Setting Pill can grant eternal youth, though it doesn’t extend one’s lifespan. It can also be used to treat disfigurement.”

“I see. It offers no aid to one’s cultivation, which explains its modest price,” Lin Tian nodded in understanding.

“I offer fifty spirit stones!” Qin Jiu called out.

“Fifty?!”

The bidding in the hall abruptly ceased. The Face-Setting Pill truly wasn’t worth that much; one could typically buy it for around thirty spirit stones in the market.

“A man of your word, brother! This Face-Setting Pill is yours.” The black-robed figure descended from the stage and approached Qin Jiu, handing him the wooden box.

“My spirit stones are not on me at the moment. Take my token and this letter to my manor, and you may collect them there,” Qin Jiu said, presenting a token and a slip of paper.

“Ah, so it is His Highness, the Prince. My apologies for my disrespect.”

“I am merely a mortal. Senior Immortal, you are too kind…”

Lin Tian glanced at the box in his hand. “Brother Qin, you are truly generous. This elixir has limited use. As a prince, do you truly need to concern yourself with mere looks?”

Qin Jiu offered a faint smile but remained silent.

****

Soon, another female cultivator took the stage. She retrieved a stone from her storage pouch and placed it on the display stand.

“This is Purple Gold Iron. It can withstand a full-force attack from a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, making it ideal for forging weapons. The starting bid is one hundred spirit stones, with each increment no less than ten spirit stones.”

“Purple Gold Iron! Selling it to an artificer could fetch a decent magical artifact!”

“I offer two hundred spirit stones!”

The initial bid immediately doubled the price. Such a sudden, large jump in bidding often serves to deter many potential buyers. Indeed, everyone in the hall hesitated. Without processing, this Purple Gold Iron was merely scrap metal, and two hundred spirit stones seemed excessively high.

“Two hundred fifty spirit stones.” A soft, alluring voice made everyone in the hall perk up their ears.

The one who called out the bid was Lin Tian. Qin Jiu, somewhat perplexed, turned to him and asked, “Miss Luo, what do you intend to do with this Purple Gold Iron?”

“To forge a weapon, of course.” Lin Tian planned to use this material for his handgun, requiring a tough material to withstand several times the recoil. Previously, he had merely infused a trace of spiritual energy into a bullet, increasing its power tenfold. To achieve even greater power, he would simply need to infuse more spiritual energy.

However, ordinary iron handguns simply couldn’t withstand such force. Lin Tian was determined to acquire this piece of Purple Gold Iron.

“I recall Miss Luo is a rogue cultivator, correct? Without the aid of ground fire provided by a sect, how do you intend to forge this Purple Gold Iron?”

“That’s none of your concern,” Lin Tian waved his hand dismissively. “At worst, I’ll forge it when the opportunity arises.”

****

“This young lady has offered two hundred fifty spirit stones. Are there any further bids?”

The woman on stage scanned the audience. Seeing no one else offer a price, she waved her hand, sending the Purple Gold Iron into Lin Tian’s grasp.

****

Lin Tian smiled faintly, stepping directly onto the display stand to hand over the spirit stones to the woman. After offering his thanks, he naturally took over the auction stage. Once the woman departed, Lin Tian retrieved four grenades and placed them on the stand.

“These are disposable magical weapons forged by High-rank Immortals, named grenades. Their defining characteristic is their immense power—so strong that even the user finds it difficult to evade!”

Those on stage exchanged bewildered glances. They had never seen such an item before, and the grenades bore no spiritual energy whatsoever, causing them to doubt and hesitate to bid.

“Miss, is this real or fake?”

“Young lady, you just said even the user finds it difficult to evade. Wouldn’t that mean it could harm oneself?”

Lin Tian had already anticipated these questions. “Rest assured, everyone. These grenades require spiritual energy to be infused before use. The more spiritual energy infused, and the purer it is, the greater the power, and vice versa. You can control the intensity yourselves. Furthermore… even mortals can use them!!”

“What?!”

The mortals, who had previously shown no interest in magical artifacts, now paid keen attention. Even Qin Jiu developed a flicker of interest. He had witnessed Lin Tian’s handgun, so he knew these grenades were absolutely genuine!

“Young lady, what is the maximum power of these grenades?” someone below the stage asked.

“As you know, these are disposable weapons, and currently, there are only four. With my Qi Refinement stage cultivation, fully infused with spiritual energy, they can easily blast a Foundation Establishment cultivator to death.”

Lin Tian was not lying about this. Previously, he had only infused a small amount of spiritual energy, yet it had nearly killed Jiaofeng.

“If a Foundation Establishment cultivator uses one, it’s even possible to kill a Core Formation cultivator, provided you can escape the blast radius. Otherwise, it will result in mutual destruction,” Lin Tian announced, scanning his surroundings.

This time, not only were the people below the stage intrigued, but even the Foundation Establishment cultivator who was the organizer paid close attention.

“Young lady, might you demonstrate one?” the middle-aged Foundation Establishment cultivator asked.

“This…” Lin Tian feigned a look of difficulty, though it was merely an act.

The middle-aged man furrowed his brow. “If this magical weapon truly possesses the power you claim, I will purchase one at its final auction price. You may proceed with the demonstration.”

With that, the middle-aged man flicked his sleeve, and several small flags were planted in an empty space nearby, forming a hemispherical array that covered the ground like a transparent dome, visible both inside and out.

“This array can withstand a full-force attack from a Core Formation cultivator; there will be no accidents.”

The array radiated astonishing spiritual energy, clearly indicating its extraordinary nature. Lin Tian nodded with satisfaction and approached the array.

“Since Senior is so generous, it would be disrespectful of me not to comply.”

“Hurry, hurry! This array cannot be maintained for long!” the middle-aged man urged.

He walked to the opening in the array and poured all his spiritual energy into one grenade, mixing it with the explosive. The moment it was fully infused, all the cultivators present felt a hint of danger. This was a cultivator’s instinct, an innate alertness to perilous objects.

Pulling the fuse, Lin Tian tossed it into the array, and the middle-aged man instantly sealed the formation. The grenade required seven seconds to explode, and during those brief seven seconds, everyone stared intently at the grenade, not daring to blink.