Chapter 406: Preparations Complete

A joyful expression appeared on Mei Gongzi's pretty face. After being in seclusion for so long, it would be a lie to say she didn't miss her mother. However, the time spent in seclusion had been very fulfilling for her, so she hadn't thought much about it. Hearing the Great Peacock Demon King mention her mother now. Her longing surged intensely. She felt a strong impulse to go out and see her mother immediately.

Not only that, but a figure seemed to flash in her mind, though it was somewhat blurry, making it difficult for her to recognize it at the moment. Was it Asura? Or...

"What kind of trial do I need to undergo?"

"The trial of our ancestors, the cleansing of the Celestial."

Ancestral Court, White Tiger Grand Hotel.

Several small array discs were neatly arranged on the table in front of Tang San. Zhang Haoxuan stood beside him, looking exhausted.

Zhang Haoxuan's fatigue wasn't from helping Tang San make the array discs, but from watching—yes, just watching.

To save time, Tang San asked Zhang Haoxuan to help purchase the materials, but he didn't let him participate in the creation process; he only observed as Tang San made the array discs.

Due to time constraints, Tang San had sped up his array disc creation process. Even with divine consciousness, Zhang Haoxuan was dazzled and mentally exhausted after a few days of watching.

Though Tang San also looked tired, he remained entirely focused while making the array discs.

What impressed Zhang Haoxuan the most was that none of the many array discs Tang San created had failed. Some of these array discs were ones he had never seen before. During the creation process, Tang San explained the techniques and methods for making these array discs, which greatly benefited Zhang Haoxuan. Despite his mental fatigue, his eyes still showed excitement. Even though he hadn't made them himself, he felt that he had made significant progress in the art of creating array discs.

"You've made so many array discs but not a single Spirit Summoning Array!" Zhang Haoxuan remarked.

Tang San replied, "The Spirit Summoning Arrays have already been sold to the Redemption Society. It would be difficult for you to explain if they appeared again in the Aetherhorn Merchant Association. The other arrays are different; at most, they'll reveal another array master. And, not only the Redemption Society's arrays, but the Spirit Fusion Arrays and Transmission Arrays I made this time are also for you. You can hand them over to the organization, but gradually, not too many at once."

Zhang Haoxuan was touched and said, "It's rare for you to be so considerate."

Tang San said, "We humans are already struggling to survive, so we can't afford internal strife."

Zhang Haoxuan asked, "So what do you plan to give the Aetherhorn Merchant Association? Most of these are Spirit Fusion Arrays and Transmission Arrays!"

Tang San smiled slightly and said, "The ones I've made so far are for you. You can hand over some to the organization, but also tell them that we need a lot of funds to buy materials, so they should lend us some. You can gradually repay it later. We'll use the borrowed money at the auction. What I will make next is for the Aetherhorn Merchant Association."

Zhang Haoxuan asked in surprise, "What exactly will you give the Aetherhorn Merchant Association?"

Tang San replied, "Naturally, it's what they most want to get, something that will attract their attention but not so much as to make them greedy."

Zhang Haoxuan was puzzled, "What is that?"

Tang San said, "Don't worry. You'll see once I make it. You can continue to watch, but it will be quite complex. Take a break if you find it overwhelming."

Zhang Haoxuan said with great interest, "Now that you've said that, I must persist no matter what. I can't believe that as a god-level cultivator, I can't even watch."

Tang San smiled and said nothing more. He then started setting up the room.

As Zhang Haoxuan watched Tang San place the array discs individually in the cultivation room, he gradually began to understand what he was doing.

It was just like when they set up the linked arrays in the Golden Valley. Clearly, Tang San would now use linked arrays to create the array discs. Such array discs, if nothing else, would be incredibly complex!

Tang San only devised this method of crafting array discs after his divine consciousness greatly improved upon returning from the Heavenly Bloom Garden. For now, using his divine consciousness only resulted in pure depletion without any possibility of restoration. Instead, he chose to use spiritual power to create the discs as it recovered quickly. His ability for spiritual power recovery was far stronger than that of others at his level.

As Tang San set up each array disc, Zhang Haoxuan noticed the cultivation room lighting up. It seemed as if a strange energy was circulating within the room. Gradually, this energy formed a vortex, rapidly absorbing the external spiritual energy to replenish the room.

At the core of the cultivation room was a large Spirit Summoning Array composed of six smaller Spirit Summoning Arrays. The absorbed spiritual energy naturally accumulated within this large array, causing it to become increasingly bright and the spiritual energy to grow more concentrated.

This spiritual energy was concentrated enough to be directly used for cultivation! Tang San hadn't done this before because he didn't want his cultivation level to rise too quickly, preferring to solidify his foundation continuously. But now, for making array discs, a large amount of spiritual energy was naturally needed.

After completing these preparations, Tang San turned to Zhang Haoxuan and said, "Master, I'm ready to begin. The first array disc I will create is called..."

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, the grand auction of the Ancestral Court was about to begin.

Even for the Ancestral Court, the annual grand auction was undoubtedly one of the most important events. There was even a possibility that a Demon Emperor might attend.

The grand auction of the Ancestral Court upheld principles of absolute fairness. Regardless of the identities of the buyers and sellers, transactions completed at the Ancestral Court's grand auction were protected by all the Demon Emperors and Nymph Emperors. Any acts of deceit or double-crossing would result in relentless pursuit by the Ancestral Court.

Thus, the grand auction of the Ancestral Court was known as the fairest trade, provided you had the money.

All transactions were conducted using naturae coins, and items were obtained through bidding. Due to the large number of auction items, the Ancestral Court's grand auction lasted three days, with different types of auctions each day.

To qualify for bidding, a deposit of one thousand naturae coins was required. Any issues during the auction would result in the full forfeiture of the deposit.

In other main cities, a single naturae coin had considerable purchasing power; a thousand naturae coins was an astronomical amount. But here, a thousand naturae coins was merely the bidding qualification, preventing excessive participation and unscrupulous bidders.

The auction took place in the Ancestral Court's Great Beast Fighting Arena. This arena was comparable to the Demon Emperor's Palace and the Nymph Emperor's Palace in terms of significance, as it had a long history. Many emperors had trained here before eventually reaching the pinnacle.

Tang San, wearing a hood and mask, quietly lined up to enter the Great Beast Fighting Arena. Just half an hour earlier, Zhang Haoxuan had already entered the arena.

That's right, this time they didn't pay just one thousand naturae coins but a total of two thousand as a deposit, securing two bidding slots.

Two days earlier, Tang San had refused the Aetherhorn Merchant Association's proposal for him to join them at the grand auction. Instead, he and his teacher quietly registered on their own. The rest of his companions were still focused on their cultivation and would not be attending the auction.

At that moment, Tang San's communicator buzzed in his ear. "Tang San, I'm inside. I'm number 338."

"Got it, teacher," Tang San replied quietly.