The scholar was taken aback at Han Li's words at first, but then he laughed and said:
"Senior, it's fortunate you told me about this—otherwise I'm afraid you would have made the trip for nothing! The Heavenly Star Sect's formations may be famous indeed, but that doesn't mean the Star Dust Pavilion actually stocks fine formation flags and formation plates. The pavilion has plenty of flags and plates, and in many varieties too! But those are merely ordinary goods sold to small cultivation clans and rogue cultivators. True masterpieces of formation tools never leave the sect. After all, formations are the very foundation upon which their sect was built—letting fine flags and plates flow out carelessly would allow outsiders to glimpse the flaws in their formations! To them, the loss would far outweigh the gain."
As the scholar explained, he kept sneaking glances at Han Li. But the hooded cloak over Han Li's head concealed everything about his face, and the scholar could discern nothing at all—a deep sense of frustration at his own helplessness washed over him!
"From the sound of it, you seem able to find what I want," Han Li said, greatly surprised by what he had heard, though his voice remained flat and calm, betraying not the slightest hint of shock or astonishment.
Hearing this, the scholar first glanced east and west, and only after confirming that no one was around did he lower his voice and say furtively:
"If you can trust me, Senior, I can indeed introduce you to a secret shop that very few people know about. Some of the goods sold there are of somewhat questionable origin, but they are all top-grade rarities practically impossible to find in the outside world! I believe that there, Senior, you will surely find the formation tools you desire."
"A secret shop?"
Though Han Li's voice remained calm, he was genuinely startled by the scholar's words.
Over the past few years, Han Li had heard a thing or two about secret shops, more or less. He knew that if what the scholar said was true, this was truly a rare opportunity to broaden his horizons.
"So it seems Senior knows a little about secret shops as well. Hehe! Even better—that saves me the trouble of explaining. In roughly two or three hours, it will be time for this shop's auction, which is held once a month. If you wish to go, Senior, you should make up your mind early. I can lead the way at once!"
Seeing that Han Li showed no sign of distaste at the mention of the secret shop, the scholar was secretly delighted, knowing that nine times out of ten he had found the right customer this time.
"It's not too far, is it?" Han Li asked suddenly.
"Not far—it's right here in the market. So you agree, Senior?" The scholar grew somewhat excited. Bringing a potential customer to this secret shop would earn him quite a commission in spirit stones!
"Let's go." Han Li breathed a soft sigh, and his voice turned cold all at once.
"I'll lead the way right now!" Beaming with delight, the scholar walked ahead.
After winding and turning through the streets with the scholar in front, Han Li was brought to a lonely, dilapidated little hut. The door was shut tight, and there was no mark of any kind upon it. It looked utterly inconspicuous.
Yet after the scholar rapped rhythmically on the wooden door several times, the door opened, and a woman of about thirty stepped out. She was plain in appearance, and her cultivation seemed to be only at the sixth or seventh layer of the Qi Condensation stage—utterly unremarkable.
"Madam Zhang, I've brought a new guest. He also wishes to attend this auction." Before the woman could say a word, Wang Ziling hastily stepped aside to reveal Han Li behind him, announcing this with great enthusiasm.
Upon hearing that Wang Ziling had brought her a customer, Madam Zhang showed no joy on her face; on the contrary, she frowned, looking rather displeased. But when she saw clearly that this guest, Han Li, was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, her expression changed, and a hint of a smile appeared.
"Now this is a proper guest! A senior of the Foundation Establishment stage—unlike the people you brought the last few times, of every sort imaginable. Come in, Senior." Though this woman's cultivation was low, she showed no particular reverence toward Han Li, treating him as if he were an ordinary visitor.
"Senior, I can only see you this far. Please allow me to take my leave!" Stung by the woman's remarks, Wang Ziling's face flushed somewhat red, and he hurriedly bid Han Li farewell and departed.
Han Li glanced briefly at the scholar's vanishing figure, then, as the woman stepped aside, walked into the hut.
Inside, all sorts of inferior materials for pill refining and tool crafting were piled about haphazardly, making the place look like an ordinary shop selling raw materials.
Just as Han Li was observing his surroundings carefully, the woman, having closed the door behind them once more, said with a solemn expression:
"This way, please, Your Excellency."
With that, the woman strode in two quick steps to a corner of the room and pressed one hand down against the floor.
Yellow light flashed in her palm, and a large hole split open in the ground. The woman beckoned to Han Li and descended the stairs first.
Han Li's expression wavered ever so slightly. After a moment's hesitation, he walked to the mouth of the tunnel and followed cautiously. The ever-careful Han Li naturally remained on guard.
The tunnel was short. After walking some ten zhang, it ended at a modest stone door. Before the door stood two men in black, one on each side, each wearing a mask shaped like a fierce ghost.
After a light sweep of his eyes over the two men in black, Han Li's expression immediately grew grave. These two were Foundation Establishment cultivators just like himself—and one of them even appeared to be at mid Foundation Establishment. Han Li could not help but feel a chill in his heart, and a deep wariness of the strength of this secret shop arose within him!
The woman, however, acted as though the men in black did not exist at all. She simply pushed open the stone door and led Han Li inside. The two men in black likewise paid them no heed, showing no intention whatsoever of stopping them.
The moment he passed through the stone door, Han Li was stunned.
Crimson carpets, snow-white jade walls, palace lanterns hung high overhead—everything displayed the wealth and grandeur of the mortal world. It seemed the owner of this place was quite a remarkable character!
The great hall was oval in shape, several dozen zhang across. Seven or eight rows of wooden chairs were arranged inside, occupied by dozens of cultivators dressed in all manner of styles. Opposite them stood a lone empty table, and not far to one side of it were three sandalwood chairs.
Seeing Han Li and the woman enter, everyone seated could not help but turn and glance at him.
After those gazes swept over him, Han Li broke out in a cold sweat, his face changing drastically. More than half of these people were Foundation Establishment cultivators!
Only then did Han Li understand why the woman beside him had shown him no reverence whatsoever. Here, he was merely an ordinary member of the crowd!
"What fortunate timing, Your Excellency! The auction is about to begin. I shall not be keeping you company—I still have to go back up and look after things!" With these few words, the woman turned and left him there all alone.
Helpless, Han Li glanced over the many cultivators in the hall, then quietly found a relatively secluded corner and sat down.
By now he had noticed that the cultivators here, just like himself, had all concealed their true faces with masks, cloaks, and the like. Apparently no one was a fool; no one wished to have their identity recognized.
Though the hall held quite a few people, not a single one spoke. The silence was absolute, and a faint thread of tension gathered in the air.
Seeing this, Han Li too behaved himself with perfect propriety. Aside from idly, mischievously wondering whether anyone here might be an acquaintance of his, he kept his full attention on the wooden door behind the long table opposite. The owner was presumably making preparations inside!
After Han Li had sat there doing nothing for a good two or three hours, the wooden door behind the table finally opened, and three people filed out one after another.
These three were dressed and adorned exactly like the two men in black guarding the stone door—there was not the slightest way to tell master from servant.
Now they stood side by side behind the long table, and the man on the right spoke first in a low, husky voice:
"Welcome, fellow cultivators of the cultivation world, to our shop's auction. Among today's guests are both old regulars and newcomers attending for the first time. But it makes no difference—our shop treats all alike!"
The moment the man on the right finished, the man on the left continued at once:
"The rules of trade remain unchanged: our shop will name a base price in spirit stones, and everyone competes with spirit stones. Those whose spirit stones run short may also pledge other items of equal value; the precise worth shall be appraised jointly by the three of us! In short, the highest bidder takes the auctioned item." This man's voice was the very opposite of the man on the right's—shrill and thin, extremely unpleasant to hear. He was most likely speaking in a disguised voice.
"And finally, once our shop's goods have all been auctioned off, there will be a time of free trade. If any of you have items you wish to exchange or sell, you may come forward to display them and trade on your own; we shall not interfere in the least—we merely provide the venue. Very well, that is enough said. Let the auction begin!"
The man in the middle, by contrast, spoke with a deep, resonant voice that rang through the entire hall.
But as soon as these words fell, the three men stepped aside, yielding the space behind the table, and each took a seat on the three sandalwood chairs. At the same time, yet another man emerged from behind the wooden door—a tall, thin, middle-aged man whose face bore the look of a shrewd operator.
This man came to the table, cleared his throat several times, and began to speak:
"I shall be presiding over this auction. The first item up for auction is a top-grade magic tool, the Fire Cloud Sword. This..."