50: Chapter 50 Auction Part 2

When the second jade tray was brought onto the exhibition platform, the tension within the pavilion had yet to dissipate.

The middle-aged female Cultivator personally lifted the golden veil on the jade tray, revealing a thumb-sized jade bottle.

The jade bottle was translucent, and the Medicinal Pill inside rested within a pale black spiritual mist, with a wisp of golden pattern faintly visible circling the pill.

"The second grand finale item."

"A Foundation Establishment-grade Pin Water Spirit Pill, the Xuan Pin Guiyuan Pill."

The middle-aged female Cultivator smiled and said, "You all have likely heard rumors previously, but this pavilion can state clearly that the rumors outside still underestimate this pill."

She raised her hand, and a formation light beside the jade bottle shone, magnifying the shadow of that Medicinal Pill in mid-air.

The golden pattern on the pill was clearly visible.

"This pill comes from the direct disciple of the Peak Master of Xuanlong Peak of the Chengtian Sect. Its quality was excellent when it came out of the furnace, giving birth to a pill pattern."

"A pill pattern is an extremely rare phenomenon among Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment level Spirit Pills. Three patterns is Perfection; for every additional pattern, the pill's efficacy increases by several tenths."

She did not deliberately keep the audience in suspense and stated directly:

"For Qi Refining Perfection Cultivators of the Pin Water Dao, taking this pill at the Foundation Establishment bottleneck can not only increase the success rate by nearly twenty percent out of thin air, but also nourish the formation of the immortal Foundation, making the magic power thicker and the circulation smoother when first achieving Foundation Establishment."

"The starting bid is three hundred Spirit Stones."

This time, the bidding exploded almost instantly.

"Four hundred!"

Someone on the first floor couldn't help but exclaim.

The first bid added one hundred.

But the popularity of the Xuan Pin Guiyuan Pill was not suppressed by this price.

Pin Water has been flourishing in recent years, and it aligns with many Breakthrough methods secretly circulating. A Foundation Establishment Spirit Pill that can increase the success rate by nearly twenty percent is enough to make many Foundation Establishment Families enter the fray themselves.

"Four hundred and fifty."

"Five hundred."

"Five hundred and sixty."

"Six hundred."

The price kept jumping upward, and the "Zhiwei Bisi" Hou Talisman in Jiang Yuhe's Dantian trembled continuously.

This pill was almost like another path placed in front of her.

Pin Water, Grain Rain, Xuanyu Abyss.

If not for those hidden threads from before, she might have been tempted. But now, she only felt that the more enticing this pill was, the deeper the water behind it.

Box No. 5 had remained silent.

Until the price rose to seven hundred and twenty.

Young Master Gu Xingzhi's voice finally came from Box No. 5.

"Eight hundred."

It was still that straightforward tone. No probing, just using the price to suppress others.

There was a low murmur throughout the pavilion.

Eight hundred Spirit Stones was by no means a light figure even for a Foundation Establishment Family. But if it could trade for a new Foundation Establishment, everything was worth it.

Someone hesitated and raised the bid again.

"Eight hundred and twenty."

Box No. 5 followed up quickly.

"Eight hundred and fifty."

This time, no one spoke again.

There was low discussion inside Canghu Pavilion.

Young Master Gu Xingzhi is at the Late Stage of Qi Refining, and now he has bought the Pin Water Spirit Pill. If the Gu Clan has truly prepared the Pin Water Foundation Establishment technique, spiritual aura, land, and Dao protector for him, then on the east bank of the Baishi River, there might be one more Foundation Establishment within twenty years.

The Gu Family already has an Old Ancestor at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment.

If another young Foundation Establishment appears, the situation in Baishi River Bay will inevitably change.

The middle-aged female Cultivator waited for three breaths and brought down the gavel with a smile.

"The Xuan Pin Guiyuan Pill belongs to Box No. 5."

The heat in the arena had not yet faded when the third grand finale item was brought up.

It was a bronze book box.

The book box was sealed with three layers of restriction patterns, each layer having spring Qi of different colors flowing through it. When the box was placed in the center of the exhibition platform, many people in the pavilion sat up straight.

The middle-aged female Cultivator's voice also became solemn.

"The final treasure."

"The complete set of Qingming Foundation Establishment techniques."

"All six paths are complete."

"Cultivation Technique, Breakthrough, spiritual assistance, spell outlines, and spiritual aura acquisition—all are included."

The pavilion was in an uproar.

Rumors beforehand were one thing, but seeing it with one's own eyes was another.

A complete set of the six Qingming Foundation Establishment paths.

This is no longer something that gives a certain Cultivator a few more percentage points of hope for Foundation Establishment; it is a Legacy that can change the Foundation of an entire Family.

If a Family can take Qingming as their main practice, the six paths can be chosen separately according to different Aptitudes, spiritual resources, and locations.

As long as the Family exists, this set of techniques can be passed down from generation to generation. Compared to the Xuan Pin Guiyuan Pill, which disappears once consumed by one person, its significance is far, far greater.

Such a comprehensive thing is something ordinary Foundation Establishment Families simply cannot bring out.

Even if they really had it, it would be impossible to sell it easily.

Purple Mansion Immortal Family.

Jiang Yuhe hardly needed to think to know that there was likely such a hand behind it.

The middle-aged female Cultivator said, "The starting bid is five hundred Spirit Stones."

As soon as the words fell, almost all the boxes moved.

"Five hundred and fifty."

"Six hundred."

"Seven hundred."

"Eight hundred."

The price rose extremely fast.

The Cultivators in the tiered seats on the first floor completely lost their voices.

They didn't even dare to discuss it too loudly, for fear of being heard by the Families in the boxes.

Today, this last auction item no longer belonged to them. Even many Late Stage Qi Refining Cultivators understood that just staring at this thing for too long could invite disaster.

Jiang Yuhe sat in Box No. 12, without the slightest intention of getting involved.

Things released by such Foundation Establishment Families and even Purple Mansion Immortal Families have too deep of entanglements behind them. One careless move, and there would be nothing left of one's bones.

She just watched quietly.

And she was also thinking.

At the level of the Purple Mansion Immortal Family, Spirit Stones are probably no longer that important.

Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment Cultivators can rely on Spirit Stones to increase the concentration of Spiritual Qi in their location, assist in cultivation, and purchase spiritual resources and techniques.

But when reaching the Purple Mansion, what they Cultivate is likely something even more profound and mysterious—it is the Luck of mountains and rivers, the status of the domain, and the destiny of the Family.

If so, why sell a complete set of Qingming Foundation Establishment techniques?

Are they really short of Spirit Stones?

It seems more like they want this set of techniques to flow out.

Selling it, and into whose hands this technique is handed, might be important.

Making the various families nearby fight for it might also be important.

Jiang Yuhe frowned slightly, unwilling to think further.

This is not something she can touch right now.

The bidding sounds in the boxes rose and fell, and soon passed nine hundred.

Just at this moment, a familiar voice sounded from Box No. 2.

"One thousand Spirit Stones."

Jiang Yuhe's eyes suddenly narrowed.

It was not Box No. 5, but No. 2.

She could not see the people in the box, but she would never mishear that voice.

Accountant Zhou Chengli.

The Zhou Family had also come.

The night the Zhao Family attacked Qingsang Main Peak, the sky was dyed crimson, and a Foundation Establishment fell. Later, the Jiang Family only knew that the battle between the Zhou and Zhao families was tragic, but they did not know the outcome.

Now that Accountant Zhou Chengli has appeared here, it at least shows that the Zhou Family has not been destroyed.

A Family with several Foundation Establishment Cultivators is not that easy to be uprooted.

Jiang Yuhe's heart was complex and indescribable for a moment.

If she said she hated the Zhou Family, she naturally did.

The Zhou Family extracted souls to create life tablets, wanted to clear out Cold Households, and forced the Jiang Family to move mountains and flee for their lives. The Jiang Family's roots were almost severed outside Qingsang Main Peak.

But the Zhou Family is still alive, and she felt a trace of relief.

Because her and Jiang Xingchuan's life tablets were still in the hands of the Zhou Family.

Back then, Jiang Chengning had checked with her; the family genealogy should have retrieved the soul threads of Jiang Chengning, Lin Suwen, and Jiang Shoushan.

But the soul threads of Jiang Yuhe and Jiang Xingchuan were not retrieved. Perhaps it is because the family genealogy has frequently manifested its spirit over these years, and there were times when its power was exhausted.

A legitimate lineage Cultivator with a clear spiritual platform can indeed protect their Divine Soul.

But if the Zhou Family really crushed the life tablets, she could not guarantee that she and Jiang Xingchuan would be completely unharmed.

More importantly, the Foundation Establishment bottleneck requires a complete Divine Soul.

If the life tablets are not retrieved, she might run into trouble when she breaks through in the future.

Therefore, the Zhou Family not being destroyed actually gave her a chance to retrieve the soul threads.

When she came back to her senses, the competition on the field had entered a white-hot stage.

There were only three families left that could keep up with this price.

Box No. 2, Box No. 5, and Box No. 8.

The price climbed all the way up.

"One thousand three hundred."

"One thousand five hundred."

"One thousand six hundred."

Box No. 5, where Young Master Gu Xingzhi was located, had bid twice, and then stopped.

Box No. 8 persisted to one thousand eight hundred and then fell silent.

Finally, only Box No. 2 was still pushing the price up.

"One thousand nine hundred Spirit Stones."

Accountant Zhou Chengli's voice remained calm; the Foundation possessed by an old-established Family that once had five Foundation Establishment Cultivators is not something an ordinary Family can imagine.

This time, the whole arena was quiet.

The middle-aged female Cultivator waited for a long time, and confirming that no one added any more, she brought down the gavel with a smile.

"The complete set of Qingming Foundation Establishment techniques belongs to Box No. 2."

Congratulations rang out.

Jiang Yuhe did not hear them.

Qingming.

She slowly chewed on these two words in her heart.

At Old Grave Slope, Liu Zhaoquan suddenly lost his mind and sought death.

Winter Cultivator Qiu Hanshan died in front of the grave; he cultivated the path of Dead Winter.

Fifth Feng once said that the Main Family thought Jiang Yuhe could not bear that Fourth Grade Grain Rain.

One by one, the events strung together, all leaning towards the word "Death."

And Qingming best fits the meaning of graves, life and death, and memorial services for the dead.

The Zhou Family is plotting for Qingming.

From gathering Qi, to cultivation, to Foundation Establishment.

They have long been paving the way for someone.

Jiang Yuhe sat silently, suddenly feeling a bit confused.

Facing years of oppression from the Zhao Family, the Zhou Family retreated repeatedly; was it really because their strength was inferior, or were they hiding their edge for this Qingming path?

She did not want to think about it anymore, and she did not dare to think deeply again.

The water in this auction was deeper than she expected.

The middle-aged female Cultivator was still on stage saying words of congratulation, and a maid had already gone to Box No. 2 to complete the transaction.

Jiang Yuhe stood up.

The maid hurriedly asked in a low voice, "Does the honored guest wish to leave?"

Jiang Yuhe nodded.

"Let's go."

She turned and left Box No. 12.

The water screen closed gently behind her, blocking out most of the noise from downstairs.