129: Attribute Spirit Stones

As a gentle voice, clear as a mountain spring, echoed through the hall, the auction officially began.

"The first treasure is ten thousand Fire-attribute Spirit Stones produced from the volcanic lava."

Before Zhuang Hanshan had even finished speaking, a collective gasp of cold air erupted from the audience below.

She tapped her fingertip lightly on the Storage Pouch on the tray, and a wisp of spiritual power spilled out. Sparks instantly appeared at the mouth of the bag, and the orange-red halo was particularly striking in the dimly lit hall. Everyone present could clearly feel the pure Fire-attribute Spiritual Qi.

"These Spirit Stones contain pure Fire-type spiritual power. For any Fellow Daoist who mainly Cultivates a Fire Spiritual Root, whether it is for daily Cultivate or refining Magical Artifacts, they are rare treasures. I believe those Fellow Daoists who know their value can no longer contain themselves."

Her lips curled slightly, and her voice suddenly rose, "Ten thousand Fire-attribute Low-Grade Spirit Stones, starting bid at twenty thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, let the bidding begin!"

"Twenty-five thousand!"

As soon as the voice fell, a bid came from one of the private rooms.

The Cultivators in the hall looked up towards the private rooms, their eyes filled with envy and helplessness.

To them, the Cultivators in the private rooms were like immortals in the clouds. Bidding thousands of Spirit Stones at every turn was a height they could never reach. Let alone ten thousand Spirit Stones, even one thousand Spirit Stones would be enough to make an ordinary Qi Refining Cultivator scrimp and save for several years.

Daily meditation requires the aid of Spirit Stones, and purchasing Medicinal Pills and repairing Magical Artifacts cost money at every turn; Spirit Stones were never enough, and there was almost never a surplus.

Even for Lu Xuan, who earned money through Alchemy, he had only earned a little over one thousand Spirit Stones in the past half year. That was only because he had a big client who paid high prices. If he wanted to scrape together ten thousand Spirit Stones, it would take five years. If he followed the five thousand Spirit Stones price for a foundation establishment pill he knew of previously, he would need to engage in high-intensity Alchemy for nearly twenty-five years, and that was assuming prices remained stable.

If Spirit Medicine prices continued to rise as they were now, and profits decreased, that time would be even longer.

This was just Lu Xuan's situation; one could imagine how difficult it was for other Cultivators to obtain a foundation establishment pill.

"Thirty thousand!"

Another voice rang out from a western private room, the speaker's tone carrying a hint of age.

"These Fire-attribute Spirit Stones are rarely seen. I happen to be buying them for the younger generation of my Family to Cultivate."

"Hmph, Old Ghost Liu, how can you try to use your status to suppress others over a mere ten thousand Fire-attribute Spirit Stones? Forty thousand!"

The mocking voice echoed through the venue.

The low-level Cultivators in the hall lowered their heads one after another, and even their breathing became lighter.

The next second, a terrifying pressure swept out from the western private room, like dark clouds pressing down on a city.

The lower-cultivation Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators could barely breathe.

"Hmph!"

Before the words were even out, an even more domineering voice rang out.

"Anyone causing trouble at today's auction will be severely punished!"

The source of the voice was unknown, but it quickly dissolved the conflict that had just arisen into nothingness.

This voice was like a thunderclap, instantly dispelling that pressure and silencing the two people in the private rooms.

With this interlude, no one bid on the Fire Spirit Stones again, and even the Foundation Establishment Cultivator surnamed Liu who wanted them backed down.

Zhuang Hanshan picked up the auction gavel again, her tone returning to a steady state, "The auction continues. Forty thousand once, forty thousand twice... forty thousand three times!"

"Congratulations to the Fellow Daoist for securing the Fire-attribute Spirit Stones."

"Next is the second auction item: ten bottles of High Grade qi gathering pill, totaling one hundred pills. After identification by the auction house's Great Master of Alchemy, it is confirmed to be High Grade qi gathering pill without a doubt, and even among High Grade qi gathering pill, they belong to the top tier. The starting bid is sixty Low-Grade Spirit Stones."

Lu Xuan perked up upon hearing the introduction, because these were the Medicinal Pills he had consigned.

"High Grade qi gathering pill, not bad. Most of what's on the market is Medium Grade or Low Grade."

"Sixty-five."

"Seventy!"

...

"Ninety."

A voice from the corner ended the bidding. Ninety Low-Grade Spirit Stones was already considered very high for these Medicinal Pills.

Lu Xuan had originally just used these Medicinal Pills to exchange for qualification, and there was also a twenty percent commission, so Lu Xuan would only end up with seventy-two in the end.

Lu Xuan also made a few bids along the way, but most of the time he did not compete successfully.

He did manage to acquire a Spirit Bow called the Green Bamboo Spirit Bow, refined from century-old green bamboo, which came with a 'Spirit Breaking' effect and was suitable for Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators to use, costing him three hundred Spirit Stones.

A set of Spirit Shields, which was a set of defensive Magical Artifacts consisting of three spirit wood shields. They could be used individually or combined into a shield formation. For a Qi Refinement Stage Cultivator, it could be called a life-saving Divine Artifact. The price of defensive Spiritual Qi items was always on the high side, and this set of Spirit Shields cost him a full five hundred Spirit Stones.

...

"Big Brother, look at that kid. He's spent nearly one thousand Spirit Stones back and forth." On the other side of the hall, a thin, small man whispered to the middle-aged man beside him, his finger pointing quietly in the direction of Lu Xuan.

"Don't point! You idiot, watch him and see what his cultivation level is."

"Don't worry, Big Brother. He's sitting in the back row of the hall; one look and you can tell he's not a big shot. At most, he's a Middle Stage Qi Refining Cultivator. Maybe he's a disciple from some small Family with a bit of Family fortune."

The thin, small man said dismissively.

The middle-aged man shook his head, his eyes becoming sharp, "There's no harm in being careful. Anyone who can take out one thousand Spirit Stones at once to buy Magical Artifacts is definitely not an ordinary Cultivator. When the auction ends, follow him and see. If he doesn't have any background, this trip might yield a big harvest."

A trace of greed flashed in the thin man's eyes, and he nodded quickly, "Alright, I'll listen to Big Brother!"

...

Time flew by, and it was already afternoon.

"Now, I will auction the grand finale item of this auction. All capable Fellow Daoists are in luck this time."

Following Zhuang Hanshan's introduction, except for those who knew the inside story, everyone else's interest was piqued.

A tray was brought up to the stage.

She carefully lifted the silk cloth covering it, her eyes filled with longing and envy.

A foundation establishment pill! She was now at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining, and in a few years, she would be facing Foundation Establishment. She didn't dare to think about spiritual essence, but this foundation establishment pill was something she absolutely needed.

However, after a moment, she adjusted her mindset. After all, there were so many Foundation Establishment big shots watching from above. It was understandable to take a look, but staring at this treasure constantly would be displeasing to people.

She steadily picked up the porcelain bottle containing the foundation establishment pill.

She opened the lid, and a strange fragrance instantly permeated the entire hall.

"So fragrant!"

"What kind of Medicinal Pill is this? I've never smelled it before."

Lu Xuan also smelled the fragrance. It made a trace of palpitation rise in his heart, but he quickly suppressed it.

"It's a foundation establishment pill."

There were many Cultivators present, and soon someone who knew the business called out the name of the Medicinal Pill.

"A foundation establishment pill! I didn't expect it to actually be a foundation establishment pill."

"Hahaha, heaven helps me! Now that I'm at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining, a foundation establishment pill appears."

Other Cultivators at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining were also secretly happy.

Lu Xuan, however, appeared exceptionally calm. For one, he was only at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, and there was still a long way to go before he could advance to Foundation Establishment. Even if he obtained a foundation establishment pill, he couldn't use it for the time being, and it would instead bring about a fatal disaster.

Secondly, he was very clear about the value of a foundation establishment pill. Even if this wasn't the Imperial City, the forces present today were not few. Whether it was the local big Families or the Foundation Establishment Cultivators from surrounding cities, they would never let this foundation establishment pill go. The final price would likely not be much lower than in the Imperial City. With his current net worth, he simply had no qualification to compete.

Zhuang Hanshan looked at the boiling scene below the stage, a satisfied smile on her face.

She gently shook the porcelain bottle, and the crisp clinking sound made everyone quiet down, "Fellow Daoists, I presume everyone already knows: this is the foundation establishment pill. One foundation establishment pill is enough to increase the success rate of a Ninth Layer of Qi Refining Cultivator's Foundation Establishment by thirty percent. This pill is extremely precious. The starting bid—twenty thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones!"