Chapter 257 Exclusively Published on Jinjiang Literature City - Auction in Progress
Inside the cinema.
The new emperor and his ministers, along with Liu Wenchi, Chu Ming, and others who rushed over after being notified, sat in the front row. Behind them were wood-type ability users from various towns, Zhou Qing, and villagers from Yunlu Village who had come to join the fun.
As key figures in the bidding, the wood-type ability users' faces were filled with curiosity, excitement, and tension.
Not all of them were well-off, but wood-type ability users could cultivate plants, and even if their combat power was insufficient, they were still highly valued by their superiors.
If they can obtain a good mutated plant this time, their weakness in combat might be compensated, and the higher-ups will naturally support them and provide them with supplies.
However, while you have supporters, others do too, so it's hard to say who the ultimate winner will be.
The Li family was also on edge at this point.
Li Tuo said with high spirits, "Our family doesn't lack food. We always stock up on a lot after each harvest. My older brother and I haven't sold much food when we go out to do business. This time, I'll pick out a good mutated plant for my older brother!"
Although Li Jing was also looking forward to it, he still said, "Let's do what we can. We can't just empty our savings for me alone."
He's not the only child in their family; he's the eldest, so he can't be a burden to the family.
Li Tie and Miao Jinfeng certainly wanted their eldest son to become more capable, but they didn't show any favoritism by saying they would spare no expense; they would see how things went.
Wu Yinyin glanced at the important figures in the front row and whispered, "If we compete with the Emperor and the people under those ministers, won't they hold a grudge and make things difficult for us afterwards?"
The Li family members paused for a moment.
Sitting behind their house, Chen Rong snorted, "What's there to be afraid of? We have Lu Xuan with us. Besides, isn't the Emperor's bestowal of titles on us just to win us over? If we become stronger, it will be a good thing for the Emperor too."
The Li family members' expressions relaxed after hearing this. "That makes sense."
They didn't complain about why Lu Xuan hadn't let them choose the seeds privately first.
The items belong to Lu Xuan, and he is free to do whatever he wants with them. We can't expect them to take all the benefits.
As they were talking, Lu Xuan, the only person who could preside over the auction, had already stepped onto the temporary auction stage.
He scanned the people in the theater, and without wasting any time, got straight to the point.
"The mutated plants auctioned today are divided into combat and special categories, ranging from level two to level four, with a maximum of level five. Wood-type ability users can contract with plants of the same level as their own ability as well as those one level higher. Contracting with plants one level higher carries certain risks and may cause permanent backlash."
The wood-type ability users became serious.
Is there really a risk of backlash even if the contract is one level higher? Wouldn't it be safer to contract with the same level?
But what if there's no backlash?
A plant of a higher level must be more powerful, right?
Before the auction even started, everyone was already getting hesitant.
Lu Xuan: "The starting price for all mutated plants is 1,000 catties of mutated grain. The price increases by 20 catties for each level 2 or 3 plant and by 50 catties for each level 4 plant. This auction includes 11 different plants, some of which have multiple seeds, for a total of 30 lots."
"Today is only the first auction. In the future, I will continue to cultivate other varieties. There may be a second and a third auction. Most wood-type ability users can only contract one type of mutated plant. Whether you want to bid and contract directly today is up to you."
The wood-type ability user, who had just breathed a sigh of relief because their share did not exceed the total number of people, became anxious again.
Lu Xuan didn't give them time to consider. The first mutated seed appeared in his palm. He said, "The first seed is a level two mutated poison vine. It is an offensive plant. The vine can entangle enemies and secrete enough poison to kill them or their prey."
Everyone present: !
It starts with highly poisonous vines, which is a bit exciting.
Lu Xuan: "The starting price is 1,000 catties of grain. The bidding will begin now."
Almost as soon as the words were spoken, someone immediately started bidding, "One thousand and twenty catties!"
"One thousand and forty!"
"One thousand and one!"
"One thousand one hundred and twenty."
"One thousand and two!"
...
Ultimately, the first seed was sold for 2,200 jin (approximately 1,150 kg), and the successful buyer was a wood-type ability user from Luochuan.
The new emperor and Liu Wenchi encouraged each other, which made the latter blush with excitement.
The other wood-type ability users were quite excited to see this, and the atmosphere in the auction house was heated up, with everyone very excited.
Only the viewers in the live stream were a little disappointed.
The price didn't spike as high as I expected.
[Whose auction items don't usually see prices double or triple? How come this is only slightly over double? Thumbs down!]
[These wood-type ability users are being far too conservative with their asking prices. I thought the streamer was going to make a fortune.]
What's the rush? This is only the first one, and it's only the lowest level, level two. Most people will probably want to wait and see.
[They've even chosen a class? Most wood-type ability users in other towns are only at level one right now, level two is their only option.]
[More than two thousand catties of grain—that's more than they might have in their entire fortune. Wouldn't you be willing to take it?]
[Don't even mention 2,000 jin, I can't even lift 200 jin. (Funny image)]
The second and third poison ivy seeds were the same type.
The wood-type ability users who didn't get a shot in the first round immediately lit up and quickly resumed the competition.
The second one sold for 2,500 jin, and the third one, because Lu Xuan said it was the last one, went straight for 3,000 jin.
Li Jing and several other wood-type ability users in the village did not participate in the competition.
They had a gut feeling that the best was yet to come, so they decided to wait and see before making a move.
In the fourth round, the seed types changed.
Lu Xuan: "Level 2 mutated pitcher plant, an offensive plant that can trap prey weighing about ten pounds, secreting digestive juices to corrode the prey until it is completely absorbed, taking no more than an hour in total. A level 2 pitcher plant can grow two to three 'pitchers'. Bidding will now begin."
"1,100 jin!"
"Thirteen hundred catties!"
"1,350 jin!"
"1,500 jin!"
"Two thousand catties!"
...
This time the competition was even fiercer. After a round of bidding, the price was finally won by a superhuman from Licheng for 3,500 jin.
There were two pitcher plant seeds in total, and the second one was sold for 3,800 jin.
The following seeds are still secondary seeds.
Mutant vine that can cause complete paralysis, highly poisonous mushrooms, oleander, and mutated Ganoderma lucidum whose spores have anti-aging properties.
Each type attracted at least ten, or even twenty, people with superpowers to compete for it, and the price was never less than three thousand catties.
The mutated Ganoderma lucidum attracted competition from over 90% of the superpowered individuals, including those from Yunlu Village and those who had already bid for the seeds.
The lack of aggression is not the main point; this is an anti-aging treasure that, in fact, can grant immortality. Wouldn't everyone be fighting tooth and nail to get their hands on it?
The wood-type ability user from the capital who finally managed to successfully bid on the mutated Ganoderma lucidum and smashed down more than 5,000 kilograms of grain was, well, somewhat expected.
After the other party obtained the Ganoderma lucidum, the new emperor looked at them with an exceptionally kind and gentle expression.
However, the effects of level two mutants are always reduced; they got a little too excited.
[If it reaches level five or higher, I'll spend every last penny to buy it!]
Are you guys stupid? The streamer already has level 5 weapons!
[That's right! Lower-level ones are cultivated from higher-level ones. We don't need level two ones, but we can definitely try to get level five ones!]
[A level 5 mutated Ganoderma lucidum, I want it! Isn't that much better than spending a fortune hiring mercenaries only to have them bring back a useless lump of shit?!]
[When will the streamer come back to Star Alliance? Let's hold an auction for high-level mutated plants there too.]
This is a great option!
Lu Xuan's eyes flickered slightly upon seeing the comments.
Holding an auction in the Star Alliance? If the opportunity arises, it's not impossible to give it a try.
But for now, let's finish hosting today's auction first.
The next stage after the mutated Ganoderma lucidum is the third-level mutated species.
A level 3 Venus flytrap has a trap larger than a human head, capable of easily biting off the head of an animal or person of equal size.
A level 3 cactus can instantly shoot out hundreds of palm-length thorns, turning its prey/person into a hedgehog.
Level 3 Magic Mushrooms can spray spores with a psychedelic effect, creating hallucinations in people.
It was from here that the presence of the wood-type ability users of Yunlu Village, who had mostly remained silent, suddenly became stronger. They joined the competition, and each of them made a very generous move.
When they ask for a price increase, they often add one or two hundred kilograms, or even five hundred kilograms of grain.
The wood-type ability users in other towns said they had connections, but the food they auctioned off would still have to be repaid by themselves. The debt was too high, and they felt pressured, so they didn't dare to bid freely.
Especially since the third-level variant is a level lower than the second-level one, the price rose to over 5,000 jin after only a few bids, which is really not something everyone can afford.
The people of Yunlu Village are different. Even if their families are small and relatively poor, as long as there is one person with superpowers in the family, they will have no less than 100,000 catties of grain.
Five thousand catties is nothing, they'll bid on ten thousand catties too!
As a result, one of each of the three grades of seeds was acquired by the people of Yunlu Village, with an average price of around seven or eight thousand catties.
Fortunately, not all seeds are single, so others still have a chance; otherwise, the wood-type ability users in other towns would be devastated.
Even the powerful and influential people in the capital were taken aback by the generosity of Yunlu Village.
Especially those families who had their eyes on Li Tuo and wanted him to be their son-in-law/grandson-in-law/nephew-in-law.
They initially thought they were helping the poor, but now it seems that's not the case? Maybe they're the ones who actually benefit?
It's not that they can't produce several thousand kilograms of grain, but they have many people to feed and other ability users to support. There are too many factors to consider, so they need to exercise restraint.
However, Yunlu Village has a relatively simple population, with fewer people to support, so the amount of supplies they hoard is naturally larger. In addition, they do business everywhere, so their stockpiles will only be more. They might all be hidden millionaires.
Even disregarding the issue of superpowers, they are still worth recruiting.
An hour passed quietly amidst the enthusiastic bidding.
Finally, it was the turn of the level four mutated seed.
For wood-type ability users in other towns who are only at level one or two, this level is no longer a matter of risking backlash, but is simply unattainable, and they don't even have the thought of competing with it.
What's the point of competition? Are we just going to spend a fortune to buy something that could kill us?
Therefore, only a few wood-type ability users from Yunlu Village made bids, among whom Li Jing, as the only level three ability user, had the clearest demand.
There are two types of fourth-level variants.
Level 4 Thorn Vines can entangle enemies and cause them to continuously lose health.
It has an anesthetic effect, which can assist in combat, and can also be swallowed as an anesthetic. It has certain economic value and its appearance is actually a level 4 mutated succulent that looks like a pink bear's paw.
The wood-type ability user who had already photographed the plant seeds he wanted was very envious of the two mutated plants, but considering that he was only at level one or two, he decided to give up.
As for Li Jing, who had both the ability and the strength to bid, he hesitated only slightly before firmly setting his sights on the mutated succulents and successfully acquired the seeds at the highest transaction price of the day, 10,000 jin.
Of course, even a level four bramble vine wouldn't go unsold.
With Lu Xuan's example as an example, vine-like plants are quite popular, and Xu Wenze eventually won them over.
Because of his teaching duties, Xu Wenze spends less time training than other superhumans, and his current level is only level two.
When others realized his level, they were puzzled at first. He couldn't contract a level four mutant at all, so why did he spend a lot of food to bid for it?
Chen Rong, who had been holding back, chuckled and kindly reminded them, "If you can't form a contract now, you can do it after he reaches level three. There's no rule that says you have to form a contract right away."
Other wood-type ability users: "!!!"
Exactly! How could they not have thought of such a crucial issue!
Many people couldn't help but show their regret, wishing they had known that the level wasn't actually that important, they would have chosen a level 3 seed!
I dare not even dream of reaching Level 4, but I can definitely achieve Level 3 with some effort.
Some people are more open-minded, believing that the price of second-tier seeds is already the limit they can afford, and they don't plan to continue to gamble.
Some clever ones had a sudden inspiration and remembered that Yunxianhou had said there would be other auctions in the future, so they immediately decided to keep the level 2 seeds they had and see if there were any better level 3 seeds at the next auction.
If so, re-purchase the level 3 seed and resell the level 2 seed to someone else.
If not, it's not too late to contract a level 2 seed later.
In any case, the auction concluded successfully without any unexpected incidents.
Except for a few individuals who failed to compete with others and were unwilling to choose varieties they didn't particularly like, resulting in nothing, most people achieved their desired results.
Those who bought the seeds immediately took out grain to settle the payment, and Lu Xuan taught them how to make a contract after giving away the seeds.
"The contract is simple: drip your blood onto the seed, and while trying to promote its growth, try to communicate with the plant using your mental power. If you can establish a mental link, it is considered a success; otherwise, it is a failure."
"After the contract is successful, the mutated plant can be absorbed into the body and become part of the body, and can be summoned at any time when needed."
While explaining, Lu Xuan even conjured a miniature vampire vine from his palm and then retracted it, as a demonstration for them.
Those gathered around marveled, exclaiming, "That's truly amazing!"
Lu Xuan: It is indeed wonderful. Apart from the ability to absorb beast blood and transform into beasts, he has only seen one other ability, the wood element, that can turn external objects into part of the body.
Miao An hesitated for a moment and said, "Boss Lu, you said before that a higher-level contract might have a backlash. Is there any way to avoid it?"
He is currently at level 2, but he bid for a level 3 Psychedelic Mushroom. When he bid, he hesitated whether he should be too ambitious, but in the end he couldn't bear to give up the Psychedelic Mushroom's power.
In fact, it wasn't just Miao An; more than half of the ability users photographed plants of a higher level.
After all, many of the wood-type ability users in other towns had only recently awakened their powers, and Lu Xuan hadn't brought out any level-one plants, so even if they wanted to bid on plants of the same level, they couldn't.
As soon as Miao An spoke, the others couldn't help but look at Lu Xuan with anticipation.
Lu Xuan did not disappoint them. After all, they had spent several thousand catties of grain, so he couldn't let them end up with nothing.
"I can use my special abilities to assist you and minimize the possibility of backlash."
In reality, the probability of low-level mutated plants turning against each other is not high; most of the backlash occurs in plants of level five and above.
But the others were unaware of this, and their gazes toward Lu Xuan were filled with gratitude.
Lu Xuan: "Alright, if there are no other issues, let's begin the contract now."
As he spoke, he used his healing ability to shield all the wood-type ability users.
Everyone felt their bodies enveloped by a gentle force, their confidence instantly boosted. After exchanging glances, their expressions gradually turned serious. Following Lu Xuan's instructions, they dripped blood to induce growth, and then tried to communicate with the plant that had grown using their mental power, as they usually did when using their spatial rings.
The process of forming a contract with a low-level mutated plant was quick; in just over ten breaths, someone excitedly exclaimed, "I... I think I succeeded!"
"I felt it too, it's done!"
The first to succeed were all the level 2 mutated plants, the level 3 ones came a little later, and Li Jing was the last.
Xu Wenze, unable to form a contract, simply watched from the sidelines.
After successfully forming a contract and cultivating a plant, the others looked at their new partner with great curiosity. Some even tried to absorb it into their bodies, and their expressions became increasingly peculiar after they found that they had actually succeeded.
"That's amazing!"
The new emperor and other dignitaries, who had been silently observing, as well as the people of Yunlu Village, all looked surprised.
Looking at the cacti, mushrooms, and vines in the palms of the wood-type ability users, they clicked their tongues and said, "I never imagined that mutated plants could be so bizarre and wonderful."
"I've really had my eyes opened today."
"With these mutated plants, wood-type ability users will be able to fight back whether they are hunting or encountering beast attacks in the future."
While marveling at this, the new emperor secretly resolved to have people remember which plant each of these superpowered beings had contracted with, paying particular attention to those that were poisonous, to prevent them from being used on people.
Compared to mutated grains that are merely oddly shaped but have extremely high yields, these aggressive plants are far more dangerous and should not be allowed to grow unchecked.
After confirming that everyone was alright, Lu Xuan stopped paying attention to the wood-type ability users and instead gestured for Zhou Qing to come over.
Seeing this, Huo Tiankuo followed Zhou Qing over.
Lu Xuan took out several kinds of mutated beast blood and placed them on the table. "These are blood from different kinds of beasts, including birds and beasts. They are all at level three or four. Some are incredibly fast, some have keen hearing and smell, and some can fly. You can choose according to your needs."
There are no upper or lower limits to beast blood; the enhanced abilities are fixed based on the level of the blood's owner.
Furthermore, "Unlike mutated plants, I only have these kinds of beast blood of the same level. Once I miss them, they're gone."
Upon hearing that there was only one chance, Zhou Qing's expression became even more serious.
He is now at level two because the first taste of pig's blood was surprisingly good, and he has been very careful not to consume any bloody food since.
With his abilities, reaching level three is not difficult, and level four is not out of the question. Therefore, he can choose three different beast bloodlines.
Zhou Qing said without hesitation, "I want the blood of a beast that can fly!"
Lu Xuan's expression was knowing.
The viewers in the live stream were not surprised by his choice.
From the earliest hot air balloons and gliders to later airplanes, aircraft, and spaceships, humanity's desire for flight has never ceased.
As for the other two abilities, Zhou Qing hesitated and looked at Huo Tiankuo, wanting some advice.
Huo Tiankuo pondered for a moment and said, "We need at least one ability that can enhance combat power, and the other one should preferably be a special ability. Does Boss Lu have any suggestions?"
Lu Xuan said, "To enhance combat power, you can choose tigers, lions, bears, and leopards. These species are inherently aggressive and also possess special abilities, such as fire and lightning. I have them all here. Their special abilities include speed enhancement, poison, petrification to enhance defense, and so on."
Zhou Qing and Huo Tiankuo were deeply moved.
It can also be imbued with superpowers? Isn't that essentially a weakened version of the superpower of replication?
Huo Tiankuo had a slight bias in his mind, but he still said to Zhou Qing, "You choose for yourself."
Zhou Qing said, "I want the blood of a ferocious beast with lightning-type abilities, and the blood of a beast with petrification abilities!"
One enhances attack power, the other strengthens defense; both are effective in offense and defense.
Huo Tiankuo smiled with satisfaction.
He only hoped that Zhou Qing wouldn't choose the ability to use poison, which would easily arouse the suspicion of those in power, but he never expected that Zhou Qing's choice would be exactly the same as his.
The new emperor, who had been paying close attention to them, glanced at Zhou Qing a few more times after hearing his answer and decided to give him an important position in the future.
The others looked at Zhou Qing with a hint of sourness.
This guy can fly and petrify. They would be laughing in their dreams if he only had one ability, but Zhou Qing can have multiple abilities all by himself!
Even after they discovered that these abilities had limitations, such as the fact that flight and petrification could only be maintained for a short period of time, it was still hard not to feel envious and jealous.
The lightning-type mutated leopard was a level three beast, while the flying and petrifying beasts were level four mutated beasts. The blood of the three beasts was sold to Zhou Qing for 5,000 catties of mutated grain.
Zhou Qing is currently only at level two and cannot consume the blood of beasts two levels higher, so for the time being, he can only obtain lightning-type abilities.
The others were a little disappointed to learn that they wouldn't be able to see him with wings, but soon someone in the capital had a sudden thought and glanced at Lu Xuan.
"Lord Yunxian should also possess the ability to fly, right?"
The others couldn't help but light up when they thought of Lu Xuan's ability to replicate.
Lu Xuan glanced at the person who spoke and did not deny it: "Yes."
The people around us were itching to see if we could demonstrate it.
But when he noticed that the new emperor looked curious but didn't speak, and considering Lu Xuan's current status and power, he swallowed his words to avoid offending anyone.
Bai Xuefeng, Chen Bing, and the others noticed the obvious smugness and reminiscence on the faces of the people from Yunlu Village, thinking that they could ask them later what Lu Xuan's wings looked like.
That concludes today's matters.
The wood-type ability users were eager to return and familiarize themselves with the plants under their new contracts, and the new emperor also had many things to attend to. So, the group did not linger on the cruise ship any longer and left one after another after saying goodbye to Lu Xuan.
Before leaving, the new emperor summoned Lu Xuan alone and made a suggestion. Lu Xuan raised his eyebrows after hearing it, showing some interest.
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Author's Note: Thanks to "Changyushan" for throwing a landmine. Throwing time: 2025-07-06 19:00:56
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