Chapter 311: How Can It Not Be Used Anymore?

Unlike the other cultivators at the auction, Boss Fang spared no thought at all to how one might train the Mana Shield or what it could fetch.

He popped a fruit into his mouth from the table and, chewing, mumbled, "That girl seems to carry quite an aura. The moment she stepped out, the whole place went dead silent."

"Girl?"

"An aura?"

The moment Fang Qi spoke, Ruan Ning and the other girls nearby snapped their heads around, staring at him with utterly bizarre expressions.

"What?" Fang Qi glared right back at them.

"Boss..."

"Guild Leader..."

"Have you seriously never bothered to learn anything about the Inner City? How can you lack such basic common sense?" Ruan Ning and the others looked at him as if he were an alien.

To their minds, upon arriving in a strange new place, the absolute first thing one should do was map out the local factions and discern who could be crossed and who was absolutely untouchable. Yet Boss Fang...

He had been here so long, and his mind on this matter was still a complete blank.

"What common sense do I need?" Boss Fang shrugged.

Ruan Ning flared up instantly. "Let this young lady enlighten you then! In the Half-City Inner City, if you provoke other factions, you might still find room for negotiation. But there are five people you must never, ever provoke. Four of them are the true sovereigns of Half-City, revered as the Four Kings. And the fifth is the very woman standing before your eyes. Even if the high elders of the various sects in the Morning Star Sea curse her as a demoness in secret, they wouldn't dare show a shred of disrespect to her face!"

"So..." Fang Qi asked in earnest, "she really is a monster, right?"

"Little brother over there, it is quite impolite to ask such a thing, you know." Suddenly, a sultry, captivating glance swept over toward them.

Fang Qi: "...Her hearing is that sharp?"

The woman was a true enchantress; every tilt of her head and every fleeting smile carried a soul-snatching allure.

Yet she seemed to have no intention of dwelling on the matter, turning back to continue her introduction: "To master this technique takes as little as half a month to a month, or at most a month or two."

"That fast?!"

"Then wouldn't that mean one could acquire an extra life-saving trump card in no time at all?!"

Every cultivator attending the auction was struck with astonishment. One had to know that mastering a powerful spell usually took anywhere from several months to half a year, or even several years.

This Mana Shield was not only incredibly potent in effect, but it was actually so easy to learn?!

Perfected Cultivator Xi Chi spoke up at this moment: "What of the casting time? Does it require the accompaniment of incantations or hand signs?"

"The casting time is exceptionally brief," the woman replied. "No incantations are needed. Its only flaw is that the method of cultivation is somewhat peculiar."

As she spoke, her gaze drifted with meaningful intent back onto Boss Fang. "One must go to a specific location to cultivate it, and this location happens to be right within Half-City."

"The starting price is actually this expensive?!" Black Demon's face was dark as thunder, hesitating over whether to place a bid.

"Five thousand five hundred!" Right then, someone made an offer.

It was a male cultivator completely shrouded within a black cloak.

"A quick reminder to everyone, there are actually two of these spell books available."

Though she spoke these words, it did nothing to cool the fiery enthusiasm of the bidding cultivators. Such a spell had never been seen before, and practically everyone present was a potential competitor. Even if someone bought this copy, it merely meant one less rival.

As for the final remaining copy of the Mana Shield, there was no telling if the price might soar even higher.

"Six thousand two hundred!"

"Seven thousand!" The grey-robed cultivator from the Haoran Sect joined the fray as well.

Watching the price climb at such speed, everyone in the internet cafe—whether they had come to watch the spectacle or to participate in the auction—was left somewhat dazed, because the primary group competing wasn't them at all!

After all, in their minds, a Mana Shield was only worth four or five thousand apiece, and if luck favored them, they might just find one out in the wild one day!

But for the other cultivators, it was different. To them, a spell so simple, practical, and powerful was inherently worth spending a fortune to buy and investing time to practice.

Before long, the price of the first Mana Shield surged all the way up.

"Ten thousand!" Perfected Cultivator Xi Chi gave a cold snort, clearly determined to have it.

"Eleven thousand!" A group of cultivators sitting near Fang Qi radiated a gloomy aura, and the one who spoke was the eldest among them.

"The Feng Family!" Mo Tianxing, who sat beside Fang Qi, wore a cold expression.

"Twelve thousand!" Perfected Cultivator Xi Chi continued to raise the bid, throwing down ten thousand gold pieces without so much as blinking an eye.

"Since Perfected Cultivator Xi Chi is so determined to win it, then this copy of the Mana Shield shall be yielded to you!" the gloomy Feng Family cultivator said in a heavy voice.

Soon enough, the first Mana Shield was purchased by Perfected Cultivator Xi Chi.

Beside her, Mo Xian, Liu Ningyun, and the others were speechless.

"Should we take Master out to level up later?" Liu Ningyun's heart was a tangled knot; her own level wasn't high either!

"Should I start playing this game too..." Mo Xian's face was awash with tears. "But the skill books are just too expensive..."

It was over ten thousand crystals! That was for just one skill book, and looking at others play, there were so many skills to learn. A poor person simply couldn't afford to play...

Immediately following was the second Mana Shield. Clearly, this contest was even fiercer than the last, finally halting at a price of eighteen thousand crystals, bought by a gold-robed cultivator.

"A cultivator from the Inner City!" Xi Yue whispered.

The Inner City was essentially the administrative authority of the entirety of Half-City, so his status would naturally not be low.

"The next item to be auctioned..." The woman smiled faintly, and another phantasmal image manifested before her, revealing a slender, elegant long staff.

"What kind of treasure is this?"

"Why have I never seen it before?"

"What is it used for?"

"The Wuji Staff!" The Taoist players who had come to the auction instantly cried out in shock. One had to know that since the Dragon Pattern had not yet appeared in the world, the Wuji Staff was the absolute best weapon for a Taoist!

"The Wuji Staff. Attack 8-16, Taoist Soul 3-5." The woman had clearly crammed a vast amount of game knowledge before the auction began, and her introduction now sounded quite professional. "This staff is crafted from the trunk of the World Tree, tempered with the Divine Water of the Five Elements. It is a virtual item from a certain illusionary world. Given its special function, the starting price is three thousand crystals!"

"Special function?"

"Illusionary world?"

"What on earth is that?!"

"Three thousand five hundred!" The Huang Family's enshrinement elder, Daoist Tie Shi, opened the bidding directly.

"Four thousand!" The fat old man Yu Cangshan, who was with Mo Tianxing, also made a bid.

"Five thousand!" The middle-aged cultivator from the Feng Family snorted coldly, unexpectedly chipping in at this moment.

"...Do you even know what this thing is used for?" Yu Cangshan flared up instantly. "What bloody use do you have for this thing?!"

"This granddaddy has money. Can't I just buy it to play with?"

"Six thousand!" The shout came from Xue Shuilong, the Taoist from the White Dragon Mansion who had once been killed by Fang Qi.

"What kind of thing is this to have so many people fighting over it?" The grey-robed cultivator from the Haoran Sect grew suspicious. "An illusionary world? Could it be a secret realm we know nothing about?! I bid seven thousand!"

"Master..." A young Taoist clad in black-and-white Daoist robes, his gaze cold and stern, spoke up. "Should we..."

"Observe first." Sitting beside him was a cultivator with thinning white hair. "If necessary, we can make our move!"

"Eight thousand!" Perfected Cultivator Xi Chi had already placed her bid.

"Master..." Beside her, Liu Ningyun could no longer watch in silence. "You've already bought the Mage's skill book. Why are you buying this one too?"

"So many people are eyeing this treasure, it must surely be a rare and precious artifact," Real Daoist Xichi snorted coldly. "Yun'er, if the price is right, there is no harm in your master purchasing it!"

Mo Xian could no longer bear to watch: "Master, this is a Daoist weapon, you cannot use it..."

"Why can I not use a Daoist weapon?" Real Daoist Xichi demanded in a freezing tone. "I have cultivated the Dao for many years and entered the Daoist fold long ago. Why on earth could I not use it?"

Liu Ningyun: "..."

Mo Xian: "..."