shǎng wǔ shí fēn ， lù lù xù xù yǒu xiū zhēn zhě cóng wài miàn huí lái ， dào le yòng fàn de shí jiān ， dī jiē xiū zhēn zhě bù néng bì gǔ ， shí wù yóu yì guǎn miǎn fèi tí gōng ， wèi dào yě bù cuò 。
晌午时分，陆陆续续有修真者从外面回来，到了用饭的时间，低阶修真者不能辟谷，食物由驿馆免费提供，味道也不错。
At noon, cultivators started returning from outside. With mealtime approaching, low-grade cultivators couldn't practice the method of辟谷(breaking the fast), and food was provided for free at the inn, with decent taste.
lín xuān tí qián chī wán le ， zuǒ yòu wú shì ， tā yě méi yǒu huí dào fáng jiān ， ér shì zuò zài fàn táng de dà tīng lǐ hē chá 。
林轩提前吃完了，左右无事，他也没有回到房间，而是坐在饭堂的大厅里喝茶。
Lin Xuan finished his meal early and had nothing to do. Instead of going back to his room, he sat in the dining hall, sipping tea while casually observing the scenery outside the window. In reality, he was listening intently to the conversations around him.
yī lái kě yǐ xiāo mó shí jiān ， děng dài xià wǔ jiāo yì huì kāi shǐ ， èr lái ， rén men chá yú fàn hòu ， yě huì jiǎng shù gè zì de jiàn wén jīng lì ， zhǐ yào yǒu xīn ， zài fàn guǎn lǐ hěn róng yì tīng dào yǒu yòng de qíng bào 。
一来可以消磨时间，等待下午交易会开始，二来，人们茶余饭后，也会讲述各自的见闻经历，只要有心，在饭馆里很容易听到有用的情报。
The din was loud, but for a cultivator with strong divine awareness, it wasn't an issue. As long as the other party didn't use magical power to transmit sound, every word could be heard clearly.
zhè lǐ shì èr lóu ， lín xuān zuò zài * chuāng de dì fāng ， biǎo qíng suí yì de pǐn zhe chá ， tóu cháo xiàng chuāng wài ， sì hū zài xīn shǎng fēng jǐng ， qí shí què liú shén qīng tīng 。
这里是二楼，林轩坐在*窗的地方，表情随意的品着茶，头朝像窗外，似乎在欣赏风景，其实却留神倾听。
"Hey, did you all go to today's auction this morning?"
suī rán shēng yīn cáo zá ， dàn duì yú yōng yǒu qiáng dà shén shí de xiū zhēn zhě lái shuō ， bù suàn shén me ， duì fāng zhǐ yào bú shì yòng fǎ lì chuán yīn ， měi yī jù huà dōu kě yǐ tīng dé qīng qīng chǔ chǔ 。
虽然声音嘈杂，但对于拥有强大神识的修真者来说，不算什么，对方只要不是用法力传音，每一句话都可以听得清清楚楚。
A voice like a broken gong caught everyone's attention. Lin Xuan turned and saw a burly man in rough clothes, dressed as an independent cultivator.
“ hēi ， jīn tiān shàng wǔ de pāi mài huì nǐ men qù le méi yǒu ？”
“嘿，今天上午的拍卖会你们去了没有？”
"Aren't you one of the bidders?" asked a chubby youth next to him, looking up with admiration.
yí gè pò luó bān de shēng yīn ， chéng gōng yǐn qǐ le zhòng rén de zhù yì ， lín xuān yě huí tóu piǎo le yī yǎn ， shì yí gè wǔ dà sān cū de hàn zi ， chuān zhe cū bù de yī fú ， sàn xiū dǎ bàn 。
一个破锣般的声音，成功引起了众人的注意，林轩也回头瞟了一眼，是一个五大三粗的汉子，穿着粗布的衣服，散修打扮。
The man blushed: "We independents don’t have the strength to participate. I just came to see the show."
“ zěn me ， nǐ lǎo gē yě cān yù le jìng pāi ？” páng biān de yí gè pàng pàng de shào nián jiē kǒu dào ， mǎn liǎn jìng yǎng 。
“怎么，你老哥也参与了竞拍？”旁边的一个胖胖的少年接口道，满脸敬仰。
"Oh." The crowd's interest waned, and they resumed their meals or sipped their tea.
dà hàn liǎn yī hóng ：“ wǒ men zhè xiē sàn xiū ， nǎ yǒu shí lì cān yù ， wǒ bù guò qù kàn kàn rè nào 。”
大汉脸一红：“我们这些散修，哪有实力参与，我不过去看看热闹。”
"Hey, listen to me," the burly man seemed eager for attention. Seeing no one paying him any mind, he grew agitated: "Do you know that the items up for auction are real treasures? Just this morning alone, three lower-grade spirit artifacts, two middle-grade ones, and even a top-grade one appeared."
“ ó 。” zhòng rén lù chū yuán lái rú cǐ de shén sè ， dùn shí shī qù xìng qù le ， hē chá de hē chá ， chī fàn de chī fàn 。
“哦。”众人露出原来如此的神色，顿时失去兴趣了，喝茶的喝茶，吃饭的吃饭。
The mention of spirit artifacts drew everyone's attention again. Although they were simplified versions of magical treasures, their powers were vast. Many foundation establishment stage cultivators didn't have them, let alone the flexible spirit period independents.
“ wèi ， nǐ men tīng wǒ shuō a 。” dà hàn xiǎn rán hěn yǒu biǎo xiàn yù ， jiàn zhòng rén bù zhù yì zì jǐ ， jí le ：“ nǐ men zhī bù zhī dào ， cān yù pāi mài de wù pǐn ， cái shì zhēn de bǎo bèi ， guāng shì jīn tiān shàng wǔ ， jiù chū xiàn le sān jiàn xià pǐn líng qì ， liǎng jiàn zhōng pǐn líng qì ， hái yǒu yī jiàn shàng pǐn líng qì 。”
“喂，你们听我说啊。”大汉显然很有表现欲，见众人不注意自己，急了：“你们知不知道，参与拍卖的物品，才是真的宝贝，光是今天上午，就出现了三件下品灵器，两件中品灵器，还有一件上品灵器。”
Most people in the room hadn’t seen these artifacts themselves but had heard about their power from elders.
tí dào líng qì ， zhōu wéi xiū shì de xīn shén yòu bèi xī yǐn le guò lái ， líng qì suī rán shì jiǎn yì bǎn fǎ bǎo ， dàn yě shén tōng guǎng dà ， bù shǎo zhù jī qī xiū shì yě méi yǒu ， tā men zhè xiē líng dòng qī de sàn xiū jiù gèng jiā bù yòng chī xīn wàng xiǎng le 。
提到灵器，周围修士的心神又被吸引了过来，灵器虽然是简易版法宝，但也神通广大，不少筑基期修士也没有，他们这些灵动期的散修就更加不用痴心妄想了。
"Wow, I never thought there would be a spirit artifact on sale. If I knew, I wouldn’t have wandered around the stalls. Instead, I should have gone to watch the auction. Even if I can't afford it, at least seeing them would broaden my horizons."
zài chǎng de dà bù fèn rén suī rán méi yǒu qīn yǎn jiàn guò ， dàn yě tīng zhǎng bèi miáo shù guò líng qì wēi lì wú qióng 。
在场的大部分人虽然没有亲眼见过，但也听长辈描述过灵器威力无穷。
The burly man continued: "You didn’t see their power. A single strike turned a ten-thousand-pound boulder into dust. This is just a middle-grade spirit artifact..."
“ hāi ， méi xiǎng dào zhēn yǒu líng qì chū shǒu ， zǎo zhī dào wǒ jiù bù qù tān diǎn xián guàng le ， yě qù pāi mài huì páng guān ， suī rán mǎi bù qǐ ， dàn zhì shǎo kàn kàn yě suàn kāi le yǎn jiè 。”
“嗨，没想到真有灵器出手，早知道我就不去摊点闲逛了，也去拍卖会旁观，虽然买不起，但至少看看也算开了眼界。”
Indeed, his personality might have been a bit showy, but he was good at speaking. His description made everyone's minds wander.
“ hēng ， nǐ yǐ wéi páng guān jiù nà me qīng sōng ， pāi mài huì xiǎng yào jìn chǎng ， jiù yào xiān jiǎo nà yī lì xǐ suǐ dān de mén piào 。” jiǎo luò lǐ ， yí gè lǎo tóu mú yàng de xiū zhēn zhě lěng lěng de dào 。
“哼，你以为旁观就那么轻松，拍卖会想要进场，就要先缴纳一粒洗髓丹的门票。”角落里，一个老头模样的修真者冷冷的道。
"Who got these spirit artifacts?"
tīng dào zhè huà ， sàn xiū men mù dèng kǒu dāi ， páng guān yě yào yī kē líng yào ， dùn shí zhòng rén kàn xiàng dà hàn de yǎn shén fēi cháng jīng cǎi ， yǒu de chóng bài ， yǒu de bǐ shì ， wèi kāi yǎn jiè làng fèi bǎo guì de dān yào ， biāo zhǔn de yuān dà tóu ， bài jiā zǐ 。
听到这话，散修们目瞪口呆，旁观也要一颗灵药，顿时众人看向大汉的眼神非常精彩，有的崇拜，有的鄙视，为开眼界浪费宝贵的丹药，标准的冤大头，败家子。
"Of course, it must be the powerful sects and families. No middle or top-grade spirit artifacts were sold to outsiders; lower-grade ones went to wealthy cultivator families. Do we independents have any chance?"
dàn bù guǎn huái zhe zěn yàng de xīn lǐ ， zhòng rén duì líng qì yuè fā de gǎn xìng qù ， zhēng xiān dǎ tīng ， dà hàn zé kǒu mò héng fēi de jiǎng jiě 。
但不管怀着怎样的心理，众人对灵器越发的感兴趣，争先打听，大汉则口沫横飞的讲解。
"That makes sense. Not only do we not have enough essence pills for bidding, but even if we did buy them, they would just be a burden."
“ nǐ men shì méi yǒu kàn jiàn líng qì de wēi lì ， jǐn jǐn yī jī ， jiù jiāng yī kuài wàn jīn zhòng de jù shí dǎ chéng le fěn mò ， zhè hái jǐn jǐn shì zhōng pǐn líng qì ……”
“你们是没有看见灵器的威力，仅仅一击，就将一块万斤重的巨石打成了粉末，这还仅仅是中品灵器……”
The man's words were straightforward, and everyone understood the truth. They sighed in disappointment, their interest waning. Even when he mentioned that afternoon’s auction had more valuable items, including top-grade spirit artifacts from the Lingyun Sect and some precious beast eggs, few paid attention.
hái bié shuō ， zhè dà hàn de xìng gé suī rán yǒu diǎn huá zhòng qǔ chǒng ， dàn kǒu cái hái shì hěn hǎo de ， yī fān miáo shù ， jiāng zhòng rén tīng dé yōu rán shén wǎng 。
还别说，这大汉的性格虽然有点哗众取宠，但口才还是很好的，一番描述，将众人听得悠然神往。
Lin Xuan raised his cup to hide a smile. His luck was indeed good. For other flexible spirit period cultivators, lower-grade spirit artifacts were rare; he had three of them, with even one being top-grade.
“ nà me zhè xiē líng qì bèi shuí pāi dào le ？”
“那么这些灵器被谁拍到了？”
To fully utilize their power, he needed the skill ofspirit control. This thought strengthened his resolve to acquire intermediate cultivation techniques.
“ hái néng yǒu shuí ， dāng rán shì nà xiē shí lì qiáng dà de zōng pài ， zhōng pǐn shàng pǐn líng qì yī jiàn yě méi yǒu wài luò ， xià pǐn líng qì zé guī le cái lì xióng hòu de xiū zhēn jiā zú ， nán dào wǒ men sàn xiū hái huì yǒu jī huì ma ？”
“还能有谁，当然是那些实力强大的宗派，中品上品灵器一件也没有外落，下品灵器则归了财力雄厚的修真家族，难道我们散修还会有机会吗？”
The atmosphere in the hall seemed subdued when a cold voice interrupted: "In the eyes of those sects and families, what are we independents? Even if we can't participate in auctions, items for sale at the conference have been secretly reserved."
“ shuō dé yě shì ， bié shuō wǒ men méi yǒu nà me duō dān yào cān yù jìng pāi ， jiù suàn zhēn mǎi le xià lái yě shì tàng shǒu shān yù ， nòng bù hǎo hái huì zhāo lái shā shēn zhī huò 。”
“说得也是，别说我们没有那么多丹药参与竞拍，就算真买了下来也是烫手山芋，弄不好还会招来杀身之祸。”
"Secretly reserved?" The cultivators were shocked. Lin Xuan listened intently as he followed the voice to an old man drinking alone in a corner.
zhè huà shuō dé zhí bái le diǎn ， bù guò dào lǐ dà jiā dōu qīng chǔ ， xī xū bù yǐ ， xìng zhì yě dī le xià qù ， yǐ zhì yú hòu miàn dà hàn suǒ shuō de ， xià wǔ de pāi mài huì bǎo wù gèng zhēn guì ， yǒu líng yún mén zhǎng mén zhēn rén suǒ yòng de jí pǐn líng qì hé jǐ méi zhēn guì shòu luǎn de xiāo xī ， yě méi duō shǎo rén tīng jìn qù 。
这话说得直白了点，不过道理大家都清楚，唏嘘不已，兴致也低了下去，以至于后面大汉所说的，下午的拍卖会宝物更珍贵，有凌云门掌门真人所用的极品灵器和几枚珍贵兽卵的消息，也没多少人听进去。
"Friend, what did you mean by that just now?" Without waiting for Lin Xuan to ask, another curious cultivator stepped forward.
lín xuān duān qǐ bēi zi ， jiè hē chá yǎn gài zhù zuǐ jiǎo biān de xiào yì ， hēng ， zì jǐ de yùn qì hái zhēn shì bù cuò ， duì yú bié de líng dòng qī xiū shì lái shuō ， xià pǐn líng qì yě shì kě yù ér bù kě qiú ， zì jǐ què yǒu sān jiàn zhī duō ， qí zhōng zuì chà de dōu shì zhōng pǐn ， shèn zhì hái yǒu jí pǐn 。
林轩端起杯子，借喝茶掩盖住嘴角边的笑意，哼，自己的运气还真是不错，对于别的灵动期修士来说，下品灵器也是可遇而不可求，自己却有三件之多，其中最差的都是中品，甚至还有极品。
The old man took a sip of his drink and didn't mince words: "Lingyun Sect has five intermediate cultivation techniques. The most precious《玉云功》is being auctioned off, but the other four are available for trade."
zhǐ shì xiǎng yào wán quán fā huī tā men de wēi lì ， xū yào líng kòng shù ， xiǎng dào zhè lǐ ， lín xuān shōu gòu zhōng jí gōng fǎ de jué xīn gèng zhì zài bì děi 。
只是想要完全发挥它们的威力，需要灵控术，想到这里，林轩收购中级功法的决心更志在必得。
Everyone nodded; this information was mentioned in the description of the treasure exchange conference.
dà tīng zhōng de qì fēn míng xiǎn yǒu xiē dī luò ， jiù zài zhè shí ， yī jù lěng lěng de huà yǔ chuán rù ěr duǒ ：“ hēng ， zài nà xiē mén pài yǔ xiū zhēn jiā zú kàn lái ， wǒ men zhè xiē sàn xiū suàn shén me ， bié shuō pāi mài méi yǒu fèn ， jiù suàn shì ná chū lái jiāo yì de wù pǐn yě yǒu mù hòu cāo zuò ， bèi tí qián yù dìng de 。”
大厅中的气氛明显有些低落，就在这时，一句冷冷的话语传入耳朵：“哼，在那些门派与修真家族看来，我们这些散修算什么，别说拍卖没有份，就算是拿出来交易的物品也有幕后操作，被提前预定的。”
"But do you know that three out of these four intermediate techniques have already been reserved by cultivator families?"
“ mù hòu cāo zuò ， bèi tí qián yù dìng ？” zài chǎng de xiū shì dà chī yī jīng ， lín xuān yě liú shàng le xīn ， shùn zhe shēng yīn wàng guò qù ， zhèng shì nà dú zì yī rén zài jiǎo luò lǐ hē jiǔ de lǎo zhě 。
“幕后操作，被提前预定？”在场的修士大吃一惊，林轩也留上了心，顺着声音望过去，正是那独自一人在角落里喝酒的老者。
"Reserved? Isn't that against the rules?"
“ dào yǒu ， nǐ gāng cái nà huà shì shén me yì si ？” bù yòng lín xuān kāi kǒu ， zì rán jiù huì yǒu hào qí xīn wàng shèng de xiū zhēn zhě dài láo le 。
“道友，你刚才那话是什么意思？”不用林轩开口，自然就会有好奇心旺盛的修真者代劳了。
"Humph. Rules?" The old man sneered: "You all came here, so you're not newbies to cultivation. When was the last time anyone heard about the cultivation world following rules? If you want reason, will those sects and families listen? They just use their power to bully others."
lǎo zhě hē le yī kǒu jiǔ ， yě bù mài guān zi ：“ líng yún mén yǒu wǔ běn zhōng jiē gōng fǎ ， chú le zuì zhēn guì de 《 yù yún gōng 》 bèi yòng lái pāi mài ， qí tā sì běn dōu shì ná lái jiāo yì huì chū shòu 。”
老者喝了一口酒，也不卖关子：“凌云门有五本中阶功法，除了最珍贵的《玉云功》被用来拍卖，其他四本都是拿来交易会出售。”
The cultivators remained silent. Most of them were independents who often suffered from the bullying of sects and families but couldn't do anything.
zhòng rén diǎn diǎn tóu ， yù tǒng jiǎn lǐ miàn guān yú bǎo wù jiāo yì huì de jiè shào lǐ miàn yǒu tí dào 。
众人点点头，玉筒简里面关于宝物交易会的介绍里面有提到。
"Fine, if they reserved them, let it be. We independents won’t need intermediate techniques anyway!"
“ kě nǐ men zhī bù zhī dào ， zhè ná chū lái de sì běn zhōng jiē gōng fǎ ， qí zhōng yǒu sān běn yǐ bèi xiū zhēn jiā zú yù dìng le 。”
“可你们知不知道，这拿出来的四本中阶功法，其中有三本已被修真家族预定了。”
"Friend, you're right. How many of us can achieve foundation establishment? Intermediate techniques are just useless to us."
“ tí qián yù dìng ， zhè bú shì wéi fǎn guī jǔ ma ？”
“提前预定，这不是违反规矩吗？”
"Right, who cares about rules. Let's drink."
At noon, cultivators started returning from outside. With mealtime approaching, low-grade cultivators couldn't practice the method of辟谷(breaking the fast), and food was provided for free at the inn, with decent taste.
Lin Xuan finished his meal early and had nothing to do. Instead of going back to his room, he sat in the dining hall, sipping tea while casually observing the scenery outside the window. In reality, he was listening intently to the conversations around him.
The din was loud, but for a cultivator with strong divine awareness, it wasn't an issue. As long as the other party didn't use magical power to transmit sound, every word could be heard clearly.
"Hey, did you all go to today's auction this morning?"
A voice like a broken gong caught everyone's attention. Lin Xuan turned and saw a burly man in rough clothes, dressed as an independent cultivator.
"Aren't you one of the bidders?" asked a chubby youth next to him, looking up with admiration.
The man blushed: "We independents don’t have the strength to participate. I just came to see the show."
"Oh." The crowd's interest waned, and they resumed their meals or sipped their tea.
"Hey, listen to me," the burly man seemed eager for attention. Seeing no one paying him any mind, he grew agitated: "Do you know that the items up for auction are real treasures? Just this morning alone, three lower-grade spirit artifacts, two middle-grade ones, and even a top-grade one appeared."
The mention of spirit artifacts drew everyone's attention again. Although they were simplified versions of magical treasures, their powers were vast. Many foundation establishment stage cultivators didn't have them, let alone the flexible spirit period independents.
Most people in the room hadn’t seen these artifacts themselves but had heard about their power from elders.
"Wow, I never thought there would be a spirit artifact on sale. If I knew, I wouldn’t have wandered around the stalls. Instead, I should have gone to watch the auction. Even if I can't afford it, at least seeing them would broaden my horizons."
The burly man continued: "You didn’t see their power. A single strike turned a ten-thousand-pound boulder into dust. This is just a middle-grade spirit artifact..."
Indeed, his personality might have been a bit showy, but he was good at speaking. His description made everyone's minds wander.
"Who got these spirit artifacts?"
"Of course, it must be the powerful sects and families. No middle or top-grade spirit artifacts were sold to outsiders; lower-grade ones went to wealthy cultivator families. Do we independents have any chance?"
"That makes sense. Not only do we not have enough essence pills for bidding, but even if we did buy them, they would just be a burden."
The man's words were straightforward, and everyone understood the truth. They sighed in disappointment, their interest waning. Even when he mentioned that afternoon’s auction had more valuable items, including top-grade spirit artifacts from the Lingyun Sect and some precious beast eggs, few paid attention.
Lin Xuan raised his cup to hide a smile. His luck was indeed good. For other flexible spirit period cultivators, lower-grade spirit artifacts were rare; he had three of them, with even one being top-grade.
To fully utilize their power, he needed the skill ofspirit control. This thought strengthened his resolve to acquire intermediate cultivation techniques.
The atmosphere in the hall seemed subdued when a cold voice interrupted: "In the eyes of those sects and families, what are we independents? Even if we can't participate in auctions, items for sale at the conference have been secretly reserved."
"Secretly reserved?" The cultivators were shocked. Lin Xuan listened intently as he followed the voice to an old man drinking alone in a corner.
"Friend, what did you mean by that just now?" Without waiting for Lin Xuan to ask, another curious cultivator stepped forward.
The old man took a sip of his drink and didn't mince words: "Lingyun Sect has five intermediate cultivation techniques. The most precious《玉云功》is being auctioned off, but the other four are available for trade."
Everyone nodded; this information was mentioned in the description of the treasure exchange conference.
"But do you know that three out of these four intermediate techniques have already been reserved by cultivator families?"
"Reserved? Isn't that against the rules?"
"Humph. Rules?" The old man sneered: "You all came here, so you're not newbies to cultivation. When was the last time anyone heard about the cultivation world following rules? If you want reason, will those sects and families listen? They just use their power to bully others."
The cultivators remained silent. Most of them were independents who often suffered from the bullying of sects and families but couldn't do anything.
"Fine, if they reserved them, let it be. We independents won’t need intermediate techniques anyway!"
"Friend, you're right. How many of us can achieve foundation establishment? Intermediate techniques are just useless to us."
"Right, who cares about rules. Let's drink."