Chapter 1538 - All Merchants are Shrewd

With the jade slip secured, Chen Fan delved into it by infusing his immortal will, eager to study the Seven Stars Fist Art. After a brief moment, he withdrew his focus, a peculiar smile curling at his lips.

The Seven Stars Fist Art was created by observing the movement patterns of the Big Dipper, each named after the seven stars. However, the two most important moves, Dubhe and Merak, were missing.

These techniques acted as the very anchors, channeling the essence of the Fist Art and enabling its limitless transformations: with their loss, the technique was like a staff sawed through twice—left in three disjointed segments.

While the remaining five moves could still be mastered, lacking the central links meant they no longer connected smoothly; what had once formed a seamless whole now lay fragmented into three parts. Not only was its might greatly diminished, but cultivating it would introduce vulnerabilities that could be easily exploited by others.

“Indeed, all merchants are shrewd!”

Chen Fan smiled helplessly.

Initially, he’d assumed the ‘incomplete’ aspect mentioned by Fairy Yao concerned only the latter sections; had that been the case, one could at least practice the earlier moves without any glaring flaws, just missing total mastery.

Unexpectedly, the middle section was missing, like a yawning gap in the heart of the technique. No wonder the starting bid was only 50 thousand immortal stones. If the last part were missing, the price wouldn’t have been so low.

Anybody who’d spent such a fortune on the Seven Stars Fist Art, only to discover this, would surely cough up blood in frustration.

Catching a glimpse of Chen Fan’s expression, Gongsun Jing asked, “What’s wrong? Is a lot of the Seven Stars Fist Art missing?”

Chen Fan nodded and said, “Pretty much. It was crafted following the pattern of the Big Dipper. Its seven techniques are meant to link together, unleashing immense power. I thought the incomplete part might be at the start or the end. The two middle moves are gone.”

Gongsun Jing and the others immediately realized why he had made such an expression.

“All merchants are shrewd indeed!”

Fairy Yao had conveniently failed to specify that the missing content included those crucial middle moves; clearly, that was by design. If potential buyers had been aware, none would have taken the risk and bid.

Smiling to himself, Chen Fan put the jade slip away.

To ordinary folks, splurging 90 thousand immortal stones on an incomplete martial art would be a massive loss, but Chen Fan saw it differently. At most, he would need to spend some time and energy piecing together the missing content.

That first grand transaction, 90 thousand immortal stones. really set the tone for the auction, sparking anticipation for what other treasures might appear next.

Indeed, many good items were presented for auction, including spiritual herbs, quasi-immortal artifacts, low-grade immortal artifacts, and so on. They all fetched good prices.

While Chen Fan had a huge collection of immortal artifacts, many Immortals didn’t have one.

For example, the Rolling Thunder Mountain Manor, a formidable force, didn’t have a single mid-grade immortal artifact.

Chen Fan’s abundance of artifacts was no stroke of luck. They were trophies, earned from defeating far-from-average adversaries.

Those prodigies in the Immortal Conferral Ancient Realm all had impressive backgrounds, often as heirs to Immortal King clans or disciples of legendary forces.

Would such individuals lack treasures? Quite the contrary: they usually possessed several, sometimes even mid- or high-grade immortal artifacts. Just look at descendants of Sages like Xuan Yang and Xuan Xing.

Several batches of fine items were presented consecutively, igniting the atmosphere of the auction hall. The crowd bid fiercely for them.

Gongsun Jing also made several bids himself, although a hint of caution kept him from winning any. Wisdom dictated that he save his resources for the real prize: healing elixirs and a shot at the herbal garden keys.

Finally, his caution paid off. An attendant delivered a tray with a jade bottle on it, containing a single pill. This crimson pill had three holes that released wisps of crimson cloud.

Fairy Yao introduced the elixir’s name and effects, stirring the crowd.

“This is the Triple-Transformed Great Restoration Pill. I’m sure everyone has heard of immortal elixirs like the Great Restoration Pill. This pill is an upper, low-grade immortal elixir, very effective for old injuries. If anyone here has old injuries that won’t heal, this won't disappoint you. The starting bid is 10 thousand immortal stones. Let’s begin!”

Chen Fan had also heard of the Great Restoration Pill before. It was a very precious healing immortal elixir, graded by the number of holes it bore. One was the lowest, and nine the pinnacle for regular immortals.

Legend told of an even greater variant with ten holes. It was so potent that it could flip life and death and regrow flesh from bare bone. The three-hole version was already top-tier among low-grade healing elixirs and rivaled lower mid-grade offerings like the fabled Immortal Breakthrough Pill.

The Immortal Breakthrough Pill could increase one’s chances of becoming immortal. It was a lower mid-grade elixir, worth around 30 thousand immortal stones. While of immense value for those below the Immortal realm, Immortals saw more value in the Triple-Transformed Great Restoration Pill in comparison.

Ma Xinglong blurted, “Big Brother, it’s a Triple-Transformed Great Restoration Pill! There’s a chance your injuries can heal!”

Almost six years had passed since the Deng Clan ambushed Gongsun Jing, but his injuries never fully healed. He had already consumed many healing immortal elixirs, but none worked completely.

Afterward, due to the Deng Clan’s suppression, the Rolling Thunder Mountain Manor’s situation gradually worsened, and their income plummeted. As a result, Gongsun Jing didn’t have extra funds to buy such precious immortal elixirs.

But now, with the Deng Clan defeated and their riches in his hands, Gongsun Jing had finally arrived at the Chaotic Demon Sea and found exactly what he sought.

The Triple-Transformed Great Restoration Pill could definitely fully heal his injuries.

Li Mu also chimed in excitedly, “That’s great, Manor Master. No matter how high the price, you must win the Triple-Transformed Great Restoration Pill!”

Gongsun Jing nodded in acknowledgement, and his eyes flickered with excitement.

After so many years, there was finally hope for his injuries to fully heal.

Soon, the crowd began bidding fiercely.

In a place like the Chaotic Demon Sea, having a Triple-Transformed Great Restoration Pill was like having an extra life.

So, its price quickly soared to 30 thousand immortal stones, equivalent to the price of some common lower mid-grade immortal elixirs.

Gongsun Jing also joined the bidding.

“31 thousand!”

As the bid rose, only a handful dared to follow. At the end of a fierce contest, Gongsun Jing emerged victorious, securing the precious pill for 50 thousand immortal stones.