The auction continued, and as the remaining treasures were brought onto the platform, the atmosphere inside the hall gradually grew more intense. The Myriad Dao Pavilion had clearly reserved its most valuable items for the final portion of the Centennial Auction, and with every new treasure that appeared, the competition among the cultivators became fiercer, particularly whenever an item possessed the potential to influence a breakthrough or strengthen the foundation of a major force.
Lin Sheng sat comfortably in his private room, occasionally directing his attention towards the auction platform whenever something caught his interest, though he had already obtained the Five Elements Fruit he wanted and had no intention of competing indiscriminately for the remaining items.
After all, Spirit Stones were useful, but spending them on resources that offered little benefit to him would be a waste. There would be plenty of opportunities to acquire treasures in the future, especially during the private trading banquet that would follow the auction, where Golden Core cultivators could exchange resources that rarely appeared in public markets.
Just as Lin Sheng was considering whether any of the remaining items might be worth his attention, the host raised his hand, signalling the attendants to bring out the next treasure.
Two attendants walked onto the platform, each carrying a sealed jade container. Unlike the containers used for ordinary spiritual materials, these were considerably larger, and both had several layers of sealing formations engraved across their surfaces. The formations prevented the energy within from leaking out, but even so, the moment the attendants placed the containers upon the table, several powerful divine senses swept across them.
The host smiled at the reaction.
"Everyone, the next two items are closely related, so our Myriad Dao Pavilion has decided to auction them consecutively. Both are Rank 4 Yao Beast Cores, obtained from powerful beasts whose attributes are exceptionally pure, and either core possesses sufficient essence to assist a suitably prepared Purple Palace cultivator in attempting a breakthrough into the False Core Realm."
The words immediately stirred the auction hall.
"False Core Realm?"
"Two Rank 4 Yao Beast Cores at once?"
"Could one of them be a Fire-attribute core?"
Several cultivators began exchanging whispers, while others who had initially appeared indifferent straightened in their seats. Even those who lacked the wealth to compete understood the significance of what had just been announced. Rank 4 Yao Beasts were comparable to Golden Core cultivators in terms of their overall level of power, and obtaining their cores was never a simple matter. A Rank 3 force might spend generations gathering the resources required to obtain even one, yet the Myriad Dao Pavilion had placed two of them on the auction platform at the same time.
The host allowed the commotion to continue for a moment before removing the first sealing formation.
A faint crimson light immediately seeped through the gaps in the jade container, and when the lid was finally lifted, a fist-sized crystal appeared inside. The crystal was deep red, almost resembling a lump of solidified flame, and countless fine streaks of golden light moved within it, sometimes gathering around its centre before spreading towards the edges like sparks travelling through burning embers.
Although the core had long since been separated from its original owner, the remaining Fire-attribute essence was still astonishingly vigorous.
The host carefully lifted the container so that everyone could see it.
"This is the core of a Flame Feather Bird that lived for nearly a thousand years. The beast had already reached the threshold of Rank 4 before it was slain, and its Fire-attribute essence was exceptionally concentrated. Although the core has been preserved for a considerable period, the sealing formations have kept its essential properties intact."
A few Fire-attribute Purple Palace cultivators immediately revealed expressions of longing, but the host's next words made it clear that the treasure was not intended merely for ordinary cultivation.
"For a Purple Palace cultivator who has reached the peak of their realm, this core provides an opportunity to forcefully condense a Golden Core and enter the False Core Realm, provided that their foundation is sufficiently stable and their cultivation method is compatible with its Fire attribute. The process is dangerous, and success is by no means guaranteed, but the core contains enough residual essence to support the transformation under suitable circumstances."
The auction hall became noticeably quieter.
Lin Sheng, who had been leaning back in his chair, raised his eyebrows slightly.
The False Core Realm was a rather unusual existence in the cultivation world. Although it was technically classified as a type of Golden Core Realm, its method of formation differed considerably from that of a genuine Golden Core cultivator, and the distinction affected almost every aspect of the cultivator's future development.
A normal Golden Core breakthrough required the cultivator to refine their three Divine Treasures to a sufficiently stable state, gather their magical power and condense it into a Golden Core through a controlled transformation. The process was exceptionally difficult because the Golden Core was not merely a container for magical power, but the foundation upon which the cultivator's future cultivation would depend. The three Divine Treasures had to be brought into harmony, and the resulting condensation had to remain stable under the immense pressure of the transformation.
Only after the Golden Core had formed successfully could the cultivator begin condensing divine ability seeds within it, allowing the seeds to take root in the core and establish the foundation for further advancement.
The False Core Realm reversed part of this process.
A Purple Palace cultivator who had reached the peak of the realm but lacked the potential, comprehension or foundation to form a genuine Golden Core could use a Rank 4 Yao Beast Core of a compatible attribute to force their breakthrough. The powerful essence contained within the beast core would provide the missing support needed to push their three Divine Treasures through the final transformation, forcibly elevating them and driving the condensation of gold even when their foundation was not truly prepared for it.
The result was a Golden Core, but one that had been formed through force rather than complete refinement.
The condensation of gold was incomplete, its internal structure unstable, and the core itself existed in a state that would ordinarily be fatal to the cultivator. Under normal circumstances, attempting such a transformation with an inadequate foundation would cause the cultivator's cultivation to collapse, leaving them severely injured or even destroying their Divine Treasures entirely.
The Yao Beast Core, however, changed the equation.
The residual essence contained within a Rank 4 core could temporarily sustain the transformation, providing enough energy to force the condensation of gold into existence. Yet it could not completely repair the flaws in the cultivator's foundation, and the resulting False Core would remain damaged, its surface riddled with cracks and its internal structure far less stable than that of a genuine Golden Core.
The cultivator's newly formed divine ability seed would then serve as the final support holding the unstable core together.
This was why a False Core cultivator could possess Golden Core-level combat power despite having a foundation inferior to that of a genuine Golden Core expert. The divine ability seed provided a means of controlling the unstable core and drawing upon the power contained within it, allowing the cultivator to cross the boundary separating the Purple Palace Realm from the Golden Core Realm without completing the process through the orthodox method.
But the price was equally clear.
The False Core Realm was a dead end.
A cultivator who entered it could possess only one fully formed divine ability seed, because the unstable core could not withstand the further refinement required to support additional seeds. Attempting to force another seed into the core would risk worsening the existing cracks, potentially causing the entire condensation of gold to collapse.
Consequently, a False Core cultivator would remain at the equivalent of the early stage of the Golden Core Realm for the rest of their cultivation life.
They could improve their mastery of their divine ability, accumulate more magical power and refine their combat techniques, but they could never advance into the middle stage of the Golden Core Realm through the ordinary process of condensing additional divine ability seeds.
Nevertheless, many cultivators were willing to accept this limitation.
The reason was simple.
Lifespan.
A peak Purple Palace cultivator possessed a lifespan of roughly five hundred years, but a successful breakthrough into the False Core Realm could extend that lifespan to approximately eight hundred years. An additional three centuries represented an extraordinary opportunity, particularly for cultivators who had already exhausted most of their potential and understood that a genuine Golden Core breakthrough was beyond their reach.
For them, the choice was not necessarily between a genuine Golden Core and a False Core.
It was often between the False Core Realm and remaining in the Purple Palace Realm until their lifespan ran out.
A cultivator who had spent centuries accumulating wealth, establishing a family and protecting a sect would naturally find it difficult to accept that everything they had built would eventually disappear simply because they lacked the talent to advance further. Even if they could never enter the ranks of the true Golden Core experts, obtaining another three hundred years to protect their descendants and preserve their faction was already worth an enormous sacrifice.
Lin Sheng could understand the reasoning.
From the perspective of someone pursuing the peak of cultivation, the False Core Realm was an inferior path with little future, but from the perspective of an ordinary cultivator who had reached the limits of their potential, it was an opportunity to escape the approaching end of their life.
The problem was the cost.
A Rank 4 Yao Beast Core was an extraordinarily valuable resource, and the number of forces capable of hunting a Rank 4 beast without suffering catastrophic losses was limited. Even when a Rank 3 force possessed a powerful formation or several peak Purple Palace experts, attempting to kill a genuine Rank 4 Yao Beast could easily result in the deaths of its strongest members.
Furthermore, obtaining the core was only the first step. The cultivator attempting the breakthrough still needed suitable preparations, sufficient resources and a foundation stable enough to survive the forced transformation. If the attempt failed, the loss would not be limited to the core itself, because the cultivator might suffer irreversible damage or die outright.
Despite these dangers, a successful False Core cultivator could completely change the standing of a Rank 3 force.
Before the breakthrough, such a force might be forced to submit to a neighbouring faction whenever a dispute arose over territory or resources. After obtaining a False Core expert, however, it would possess someone capable of fighting on the level of a Golden Core cultivator, giving it the strength to intimidate ordinary Rank 3 forces and compete for resources that had previously been beyond its reach.
The investment could drain a substantial portion of the faction's accumulated wealth, but the reward was a powerful guardian who might protect the force for several centuries.
For many Rank 3 forces, that was a price worth paying.
However, it still would not be enough to establish a genuine Rank 4 force.
The cultivation world was not so easily fooled by the difference between a False Core and a true Golden Core, and the standards for a Rank 4 force reflected more than the strength of a single individual. A Rank 4 force needed sufficient depth to survive unexpected disasters, maintain control over its territory and preserve its position even if one of its strongest cultivators died.
If a force depended entirely on a single Golden Core cultivator, then the moment that cultivator died, the entire faction could collapse. Its subordinate powers might immediately rebel, neighbouring forces could invade its territory, and resources that had taken generations to accumulate could be seized within a few years.
For that reason, a genuine Rank 4 force needed more than one cultivator with Rank 4 combat power and a sufficiently stable cultivation foundation. A single False Core expert might elevate a Rank 3 force above its peers, but they could not provide the same security as a faction possessing several genuine Golden Core cultivators.
Lin Sheng withdrew his attention from his thoughts as the host announced the starting price.
"Twenty million mid-grade Spirit Stones!"
The hall erupted.
"Twenty million?"
"That's enough to purchase several high-grade Rank 3 treasures!"
"Of course it is! Do you think a Rank 4 Yao Beast Core can be obtained so easily?"
The bidding began almost immediately, with representatives of several powerful Rank 3 forces raising the price while the Fire-attribute Purple Palace cultivators watched with increasingly strained expressions. Some of them clearly wanted the core for themselves, but their personal wealth could not compete with the accumulated resources of an entire sect, and before long, most had no choice but to withdraw.
"Twenty million five hundred thousand!"
"Twenty-one million!"
"Twenty-two million!"
The price climbed steadily, and as the competition continued, the bidders became more cautious, carefully weighing the cost against the value of the opportunity. Nobody wanted to spend more than necessary, but nobody who had already committed such a large amount of wealth wanted to lose the core merely because they had hesitated over another increase.
Eventually, a powerful voice came from one of the private rooms.
"Twenty-three million mid-grade Spirit Stones."
The hall fell quiet.
The voice belonged to the City Lord of Purple Iris Immortal City, a powerful Golden Core cultivator whose faction possessed considerable influence in the surrounding region. He had remained silent throughout much of the auction, but the moment the Fire Feather Bird's core appeared, he had clearly decided that it was worth obtaining.
A few remaining bidders hesitated, but none responded.
The City Lord of Purple Iris Immortal City had the resources to purchase the core, and more importantly, his faction had a suitable candidate for the False Core breakthrough. The value of the core to him was therefore considerably greater than its value to someone who merely wanted to resell it.
The host waited for several breaths before finally raising the auction hammer.
"Twenty-three million mid-grade Spirit Stones, sold!"
The first Rank 4 Yao Beast Core had found its buyer.
The attendant immediately sealed the container and carried it towards the payment area, while the City Lord of Purple Iris Immortal City remained seated in his private room, showing little emotion despite having spent a fortune. For a faction of his standing, the expenditure was substantial, but if the breakthrough succeeded, the resulting False Core cultivator would more than justify the cost.
The host did not waste time celebrating the sale.
He gestured towards the second jade container.
"Now, let us examine the other Rank 4 Yao Beast Core."
The attendants removed the sealing formations one after another, and the moment the final seal was lifted, a chill spread across the auction platform. Thin layers of frost began forming along the edges of the jade container, while the spiritual energy within it released a cold pressure that caused several nearby attendants to instinctively circulate their protective Qi.
The lid opened.
Inside rested a pale blue core, its surface smooth and translucent, with a faint white silhouette moving within it. The image resembled a unicorn with a single long horn projecting from its forehead, its body covered in fine scales and its mane flowing like frozen mist. Although it was merely an image formed from the remaining essence, the beast's outline possessed a strangely majestic quality.
The host's voice rang through the hall.
"This is the core of an Ice Unicorn, a Rank 4 Yao Beast discovered deep within the Northern Mountain Region. Ice Unicorns are exceptionally rare, and this particular beast possessed an unusually pure Ice attribute. Its core has been preserved with great care, and its remaining essence is sufficient to support a suitable Purple Palace cultivator attempting the False Core breakthrough."
The reactions were no less intense than before.
If anything, the second core was even more attractive to certain cultivators, because Ice-attribute Yao Beasts were notoriously difficult to hunt. They generally inhabited the coldest parts of the Northern Mountain Region, where the environment itself could weaken intruders before they encountered the beasts, and those who ventured too deeply without sufficient preparation often disappeared without leaving behind a corpse.
Moreover, an Ice Unicorn was not an ordinary beast.
Its natural control over cold energy made it difficult to restrain, while its physical strength and innate abilities allowed it to survive against opponents who possessed comparable cultivation. A Purple Palace cultivator seeking to obtain its core would have to contend with not only the beast itself but also the treacherous environment in which it lived.
That alone explained why the core attracted so much attention.
The host announced the starting price, and the competition began almost at once.
"Twenty million mid-grade Spirit Stones!"
"Twenty-one million!"
"Twenty-two million!"
The bids rang out from the private rooms, and unlike the earlier competition, several Golden Core cultivators appeared determined to obtain this particular core. Some possessed Ice-attribute cultivation methods, while others clearly had a suitable candidate within their faction who had reached the peak of the Purple Palace Realm and lacked only the final opportunity to advance.
The bidding quickly surpassed the price of the Fire Feather Bird's core.
"Twenty-three million!"
"Twenty-four million!"
"Twenty-five million mid-grade Spirit Stones!"
The final bid came from a private room belonging to one of the other Rank 4 forces attending the Centennial Auction.
For a moment, the auction hall fell silent.
The host looked towards the room, waiting to see whether anyone intended to challenge the offer. Several Golden Core cultivators exchanged divine sense transmissions, but after a brief discussion, they ultimately decided against continuing.
The price was already enormous, and unlike the City Lord of Purple Iris Immortal City, who had apparently secured the Fire-attribute core at a relatively decisive price, the remaining bidders had to consider whether the additional expenditure was truly worthwhile.
The host smiled.
"Twenty-five million mid-grade Spirit Stones, going once."
Nobody responded.
"Going twice."
The hall remained silent.
"Sold!"
The auction hammer struck the table.
The second Rank 4 Yao Beast Core had also found its owner, and with that, the two most valuable resources intended for False Core breakthroughs had been sold for a combined sum of nearly fifty million mid-grade Spirit Stones.
The attendants promptly carried the Ice Unicorn's core away, while the cultivators who had failed to obtain it sat back with expressions ranging from disappointment to resignation. A few were clearly calculating whether they could obtain a similar resource elsewhere, but anyone who understood the scarcity of Rank 4 Yao Beast Cores knew that such an opportunity might not appear again for many years.
Lin Sheng watched the attendants disappear behind the stage.
The two cores were certainly valuable, but they held little appeal for him personally. His cultivation path was already different from that of ordinary Golden Core cultivators, and even if he wanted to strengthen his foundation, there were other methods better suited to his circumstances. Spending tens of millions of mid-grade Spirit Stones on a resource designed to force a Purple Palace cultivator into a dead-end realm would be an irrational decision.
Besides, he had already obtained the Five Elements Fruit, which was far more useful for his immediate needs.
He shifted slightly in his chair, his gaze returning to the auction platform as the host began announcing the remaining items. A few more treasures were sold, but none attracted the same degree of competition as the two Rank 4 Yao Beast Cores, and the atmosphere gradually settled as the auction approached its conclusion.
Lin Sheng glanced towards the timekeeping formation mounted on the wall.
The auction had continued for hours, and although the final items still possessed considerable value, the most important part of the public event was clearly drawing to a close.
That was good news.
The auction had allowed him to acquire several useful resources, but the private trading banquet was the real reason he intended to remain in Zhenyuan City after the event. Unlike the public auction, where every bid revealed something about the wealth and interests of the participants, the private gathering would allow Golden Core cultivators to discuss their needs directly, exchange rare materials and negotiate over treasures that their owners might never be willing to display before a crowded hall.
Lin Sheng had several things worth trading, and there were also resources he wanted to obtain.
He was particularly interested in anything that could help him prepare for his next stage of Shen cultivation, although he had no intention of revealing too much about his own circumstances. The private trading banquet would be attended by cultivators whose experience and knowledge far exceeded that of ordinary Purple Palace experts, and some of them might possess treasures or inheritances that could prove useful even to someone with his foundation.
Naturally, he would remain cautious.
A gathering of Golden Core cultivators offered opportunities, but it also created risks. Information was a form of wealth in the cultivation world, and revealing the wrong detail could attract unwanted attention just as easily as displaying a rare treasure.
Lin Sheng rested one hand on the armrest and looked down at the stage.