Ever since Liu Chen obtained the Heaven Essence Treasure Sword Gu, that powerful Third Rank Gu worm, his frequency of visiting the Martial Arts Arena significantly decreased. Previously, he would go there almost every day to compete with others, but now he only participates in one battle per month.
This allowed Liu Chen more time to enjoy his leisurely life in Shang Clan City. With his excellent performance in battles and growing reputation, he naturally attracted the attention and overtures of many people. Several Young Lords of the Shang Family also extended invitations to him, hoping to recruit him.
As for Liu Chen, he maintained an equal disdain for everyone, meeting almost everyone but not joining anyone's faction.
Shang Clan City gathered countless well-known families from Southern Border, and those with treasure boxes on them were almost innumerable.
However, Liu Chen gained many treasure boxes from them. There were over five hundred Third Rank Gu worms alone, thirty Four-Turn Gu worms, and countless First and Second Rank ones. Even his System backpack expanded once.
Among these was an additional reward for opening a thousand treasure boxes, allowing him to obtain a treasure box once a day, even without direct contact with the target. The range of this ability was within his line of sight.
It was a pity that Shang Yanfei, the Shang Clan Chief, rarely showed up even in Shang Clan City. Otherwise, Liu Chen would have another chance to obtain an amethyst treasure box.
However, Liu Chen also discovered an interesting phenomenon during this process: the treasure box rewards obtained from people seemed less rich and diverse than those obtained from Legacies. Although these treasure boxes also contained some good items, overall, their value and rarity were slightly inferior.
As Liu Chen pondered this question, his gaze fell upon a Gu worm in his hand. This Gu worm was called Burning Gu, and it was a treasure box reward he had obtained from a young Gu Master named Xiao Yan.
Generally speaking, a First Rank Gu worm would not attract much interest from someone like Liu Chen, who already possessed Third Rank Gu worms. But this Burning Gu had an extremely special advantage that piqued Liu Chen's strong interest.
After careful observation and research, Liu Chen discovered that this Burning Gu was remarkably similar to the Sword Embryo Gu he had obtained previously. It could devour various Flame Path gu materials and enhance its strength through refinement. This unique ability made Burning Gu exceptionally prominent among Flame Path Gu worms.
Compared to the intense battles in the Martial Arts Arena, Liu Chen gained more from his strolls in Shang Clan City. He wandered through the streets and alleys of Shang Clan City, searching for treasure boxes he had not yet obtained.
In contrast, while the battles in the Martial Arts Arena were fierce, they seemed somewhat monotonous and uninteresting to Liu Chen. He preferred exploring Shang Clan City, searching for treasure boxes he had not yet discovered.
The Shang Family Auction House, a place that hosts a grand auction every year, naturally became one of Liu Chen's important targets.
It gathered countless precious auction items, the worst of which were Four-Turn Gu worms, and many gu materials for refining Rank Five Gu worms. This naturally attracted many bidders, all of whom were Elders from various Families, and their strength was extraordinary.
For Liu Chen, this auction was undoubtedly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He arrived outside the auction house early, waiting patiently. He secretly calculated whether he could seize this opportunity to use his special ability to remotely collect treasure boxes and obtain an amethyst treasure box.
Finally, persistence paid off. After his long wait, a woman in white appeared in his line of sight. What excited Liu Chen was that an amethyst treasure box was placed in front of the woman!
Liu Chen unhesitatingly activated his ability, which he could only use once a day. A purple light flashed, and the amethyst treasure box instantly disappeared from its original spot, appearing in Liu Chen's hand.
From the mouths of others, Liu Chen learned the identity of this white-clothed woman: she was one of the four great physicians of Southern Border, the Rank Five healing Gu Master, Su Shou.
Hearing this, Liu Chen couldn't help but think of another Rank Five healing Gu Master, Ghost Doctor Qiu Jiu. This brought to mind a story about the Poison Vow Gu, which also made him smile.
The amethyst treasure box finally fell into Liu Chen's hands. However, this also meant he lost the ability to directly acquire treasure boxes for the day.
After all, the Gu Masters who could enter the auction house were all wealthy and influential. Even as a Three-Cycle Gu Master, Liu Chen could not easily approach these people and acquire treasure boxes.
Left with no choice, Liu Chen decided to enter the auction house directly to investigate. He thought that perhaps he would find the Gu worms or gu materials he needed at this auction.
However, entering the auction house was not easy. The entrance fee alone was as high as a thousand primeval stones! This was undoubtedly a threshold, designed to prevent troublemakers. Although Liu Chen was slightly displeased, he still paid the fee without hesitation.
Box 33, the location was a bit secluded, but this did not affect Liu Chen's mood. He had just paid a thousand primeval stones, which was the admission fee for this box.
Since arriving at Shang Clan City, Liu Chen had gained a lot. Besides successfully selling Gu recipes, his performance in the Martial Arts Arena was also quite good, earning him many primeval stones. And this auction made him even more expectant, because one of the auction items was provided by him.
After a short wait, the auction officially began. The first item appeared, attracting everyone's attention—the Four-Turn Water Path Water Cannon Gu. The starting price of this Gu worm was as high as sixty thousand primeval stones, showing its preciousness.
The Water Path faction was quite popular at the moment, so this Water Cannon Gu quickly became the target of many buyers vying for it. The price soared, and it was finally successfully bought by an Elder from Zheng Family Village for a high price of one hundred thousand primeval stones.
The next few auction items were equally eye-catching, each selling for at least one hundred thousand primeval stones. The atmosphere was lively, with bids rising and falling.
Just when everyone thought the climax had passed, the auctioneer suddenly announced loudly: "The next item is a Gu recipe for a legendary Gu worm—the Heaven Essence Treasure Lotus Gu recipe! Starting price two hundred thousand!"
This news was like a bombshell, instantly igniting the entire venue. The value of a Gu recipe was far higher than the Gu worm itself, because once a Gu recipe was mastered, it meant that this legendary Gu worm could be continuously cultivated.
"Does this Gu worm require some specific prerequisite Gu worms as a foundation to be successfully refined?"
A query came from the box below, the voice revealing caution and doubt about this Gu recipe, as if fearing some unknown trap hidden within it.
The auctioneer smiled slightly and replied confidently: "Everyone, there's no need to worry. This Gu recipe does not require any prerequisite Gu worms. As long as you can collect all the necessary gu materials, you can successfully refine this Gu worm. Moreover, it's worth mentioning that the Heaven Essence Treasure Lotus is the main refining material for the Four-Turn Heaven Essence Treasure Monarch Lotus!"
As soon as his words fell, it was like a stone stirring up a thousand waves, immediately causing a huge stir in the boxes. The guests were clearly very shocked by this news and began to bid one after another.
"I bid three hundred thousand!" a eager voice shouted.
"Three hundred and ten thousand!" another person added without hesitation.
"Three hundred and twenty thousand!" Immediately after, another person, unwilling to be outdone, shouted an even higher price.