socalfunplaces Chapter 69 Jade Dragon Takes the Blame, Foundation Building is Difficult
Chapter 69 Jade Dragon Takes the Blame, Foundation Building is Difficult
Chapter 69 Jade Dragon Takes the Blame, Foundation Building is Difficult
Chen Yi felt helpless about Qin Xianzi's penchant for putting on an act in front of others. He was too lazy to answer, so he took the item, checked it briefly, and then put it into his storage bag.
During the inspection, after he touched it, the system indeed triggered:
[Lightning-patterned spiritual energy detected, currently being absorbed. 0.1%]
The absorption process was slow, and in just a moment of contact, Chen Yi sensed an incredibly domineering force of lightning entering his body, making him feel numb and hot.
The golden radiance within his body suddenly became excited, absorbing the lightning power as if it were starving.
The golden light accumulated rapidly, and the newly formed golden light even carried a trace of weak lightning power.
Chen Yi was slightly pleased, but this was clearly not the time to study it. He put away the Thunder Pattern Iron and then retreated to his seat.
After the brief interruption, the auction continued.
Next, some second-tier pills, talisman inheritances, top-grade magic artifacts, and even a formation tablet from a cave dwelling also appeared in the auction.
According to the consignor, the protective array of the cave is of the second-tier high-grade level. The cave was likely left behind by a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator or a pseudo-Core Formation cultivator. The consignor obtained the array token by chance, but lacked the strength to venture in, so he put it up for auction.
The array's grade was confirmed by the array master of Qingfeng Chamber of Commerce, and it did indeed reach the second-tier superior grade.
In the end, the token fetched a sky-high price of 2,500 spirit stones.
This is like buying a blind box containing the legacy of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator at a high price.
Many adventurous monks were interested in this.
Chen Yi was rather indifferent to this matter; putting aside whether he could obtain the inheritance,
Even if I obtain the array token, will I really be able to enter the cave smoothly?
He didn't believe that the person who consigned the array was selling it because their cultivation level was insufficient.
In the cultivation world, who among those who can cultivate to the late stage of Qi Refining doesn't have relatives, friends, and teachers? How could he not even know a single Foundation Establishment cultivator?
Chen Yi shook his head, not optimistic about the cultivator who had bought the array plate.
Before long, the next thing that interested Chen Yi appeared.
"The following is the thirty-second item to be auctioned: ten low-grade second-tier spiritual herbs and three mid-grade second-tier spiritual herbs, all bundled together."
These thirteen spiritual herbs were discovered by a cultivator in a valley within the Monster Beast Mountain Range.
During the harvesting process, the medicinal herbs were accidentally damaged in the fight and struggle with the guardian beasts.
You can observe the condition of these medicinal herbs for yourselves. The damage to the herbs ranges from 30% to 70%, with an average damage of around 50%.
It's probably not very effective for alchemy, but it can be used to feed spirit pets or to mix into talisman ink.
Fellow cultivators with spirit pets, or those who are talisman masters, should pay close attention.
"Thirteen damaged second-tier spiritual herbs, starting bid 500 spirit stones, each bid must be at least 20 spirit stones higher."
These second-tier spiritual herbs were the second item Chen Yi had his eye on. Although they were partially damaged and inexpensive, they were extremely useful to him—he intended to acquire them.
As soon as the auctioneer, an elderly man in a red robe, announced the start of the auction, bids erupted one after another:
"Five hundred and fifty!"
"Five hundred and eighty!"
"Six hundred!"
Chen Yi's eyes flashed slightly, and he immediately raised the price by one hundred spirit stones: "Seven hundred!"
He sat in Qin Chengcheng's private box, and as soon as he spoke, the auctioneer, an old man in a red robe, immediately used persuasive language to sway his opinion.
"Seven hundred spirit stones, a bid from the VIP box of Miaoyin Pavilion! This box is reserved for today's VIPs. Fellow Daoists, if you do not have a strong desire to purchase, you may wish to conserve your resources. There are still Foundation Establishment Pills and top-grade magic artifacts to be auctioned later. Do not lose more than you gain."
"Is there any further bid? If not, this batch of medicinal herbs will belong to the VIP box..."
The elderly man in the red robe presided over the auction, intentionally giving no one else a chance, and immediately began the countdown before bringing down the hammer.
This move immediately sparked discontent, with much discussion erupting from the audience:
"It's one thing for Fairy Yuqin to bring an apprentice to learn formations and snatch Thunder Pattern Iron, but after all, it's your Jade Dragon Sect's auction, so it's barely acceptable for her to favor her own VIP."
A beast tamer scoffed, "But what's with this apprentice now trying to steal the damaged spiritual herbs that are reserved for us beast tamers and talisman masters?"
"I heard that kid's a cook?"
Someone nearby scoffed, "Is he planning to use these medicinal herbs to make spiritual food? That's utterly absurd!"
"Zhao Tieshan!" A Foundation Establishment talisman master slammed his fist on the table and stood up, pointing angrily at the high platform.
"Don't think we don't know that your Jade Dragon Sect has been fawning over the Myriad Sounds Pavilion lately! You blatantly favored their female cultivators at the auction. Do you really think we outsiders are easy to bully?"
Among the Foundation Establishment cultivators who arrived, some were from within the Jade Dragon Sect's jurisdiction, some were disciples from other Core Formation sects, and some were also influential rogue cultivators.
Not everyone fears the Jade Dragon Sect; the talisman master who dared to openly challenge the Jade Dragon Sect is one of them.
Most importantly, if the Jade Dragon Sect uses intimidation to force its own people to get all the good stuff, then what's the point of them participating in this auction?
At the main control room, Zhao Tieshan felt considerable pressure after being named. He had hinted to the old man in the red robe to show some favoritism towards Qin Chengcheng.
But unexpectedly, Qin Chengcheng's cook wanted to meddle in everything. He was one thing with the Thunder-Patterned Iron, but now he also wanted to get his hands on this entire set of partially damaged second-tier spiritual herbs.
This gave the talisman master a handle to use against him, allowing him to directly dictate the course of events for the Jade Dragon Sect, leaving Zhao Tieshan in an awkward position.
"Eight hundred spirit stones!" The talisman master raised the price again, his gaze sweeping provocatively toward the private room where Chen Yi was.
Chen Yi remained expressionless and calmly raised his sign: "Nine hundred."
If these medicinal herbs are in good condition, they should be worth more than two thousand spirit stones.
However, now that its medicinal properties have been reduced by half and it can no longer be used for alchemy, its value to others is less than half.
However, since Chen Yi improved his cultivation by absorbing the spiritual energy and spiritual essence within, it still held nearly half of its value.
In addition, Qin Chengcheng paid for the three pieces of iron-patterned iron he had bought. He had more than two thousand spirit stones on him and nowhere to spend them, so he could compete with those beast tamers and talisman masters.
Under the oppressive power of the Jade Dragon Sect, when the price was raised to eight hundred, most bidders dared not make any more bids.
When the number of spirit stones reached nine hundred, the talisman master gritted his teeth and glared at the Jade Dragon Sect's headquarters, but ultimately did not raise the plaque again.
"Fine! Very well!" The talisman master laughed angrily, and shouted sternly at the stage, "Zhao Tieshan, we'll give up this elixir! Let's see how many 'goods' will be exclusively supplied to your Jade Dragon Sect in the future!"
The talisman master with connections was furious and started shouting loudly in front of the auction house.
The others naturally shared the same hatred and released their auras to support the second-tier talisman master, putting great pressure on the Jade Dragon Sect.
On the main platform, Xu Tianyue, a fake Core Formation cultivator from the Jade Dragon Sect, looked displeased. He was preparing to punish the one who had spoken so rudely.
Just then, Zhao Tieshan appeared and said, "Master, wait! This person seems to be a disciple of the Dao-Moving True Man of the Mountain and Sea Sect. It is not advisable to make a move."
A disciple of the True Elixir Master?
The Mountain-Moving Immortal possessed immense magical power; he formed a superior-grade True Core back then, and was expected to reach the late stage of Core Formation, surpassing even the Jade Dragon Sect's Sect Master.
Xu Tianyue could only snort coldly and stop: "Tieshan, you should go back and find out what's going on with Qin Chengcheng. It's fine to buy this little bit of stuff, but you can't put all the blame on our Jade Dragon Sect."
The bidding below had ended; Chen Yi had won the bid for the spiritual herbs for nine hundred spirit stones.
He was in a good mood.
Even a half-damaged second-tier spiritual herb is quite valuable and rarely seen in the market; it's rare to find at this auction.
If he weren't in Qin Chengcheng's private room, he probably wouldn't have been able to buy a ticket even with the advantage of being a "VIP" of the Jade Dragon Sect.
Or, even if they manage to snatch it, they'll inevitably offend the talisman master who just cursed them. That talisman master dares to challenge the Jade Dragon Sect, so he must have some powerful background.
Now that the other side's anger is directed at the Jade Dragon Sect, he himself has escaped unscathed.
He returned to his seat and contentedly put the medicine box into his storage bag.
Later, the auction reached its climax.
Even a genuine Foundation Establishment Pill appeared.
All the Qi Refining cultivators coveted that Foundation Establishment Pill, but in the end, it was won by a mid-Foundation Establishment ancestor from a Foundation Establishment family who spent six thousand spirit stones to purchase it.
Let alone the fact that a Qi Refining cultivator couldn't possibly have the wealth of six thousand spirit stones, even if they did, ordinary rogue cultivators wouldn't be qualified to snatch such a thing.
Even if he manages to snatch it at a high price, can he really take it out of the market?
It should be noted that although the Jade Dragon Sect states that fighting is not allowed within a hundred-mile radius of the market, otherwise it will be considered a robbery of cultivators,
That also depends on the strength and value of the item.
Qi Refining cultivators couldn't even withstand a single move from Foundation Establishment cultivators; they were instantly killed, their loot stolen, and they fled.
The fluctuations in magical power wouldn't cause much of a stir; even dozens of miles away, the Jade Dragon Sect's enforcement team wouldn't be able to detect it.
Faced with such a treasure that could potentially give birth to a Foundation Establishment cultivator, who wouldn't make a move?
Even that Foundation Establishment stage elder became cautious after acquiring the Foundation Establishment Pill; he took out a black robe and wrapped himself in it.
They left before the auction ended.
If the second-tier spiritual vein in this Lake and Sea Market hadn't been a temporary structure, lacking the necessary conditions for attempting to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, then even the Foundation Establishment patriarchs would have wanted their descendants to directly consume Foundation Establishment pills here and attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.
Next, several second-tier pills appeared at the auction, including three Soul Nourishing Pills and one Spirit Protecting Pill.
They are all high-level spiritual energy pills.
Qin Chengcheng purchased one Spirit-Protecting Pill and one Soul-Nourishing Pill.
At this moment, even though she was a distinguished guest of the Jade Dragon Sect, the people below no longer showed any respect to the Jade Dragon Sect in the face of such precious items.
Qin Chengcheng bought both items at a slight premium.
Fortunately, she was the head of the Miaoyin Pavilion, making a fortune every day, so she wasn't short of money.
Finally, the grand finale consisted of two near-Tier 3 items.
One is a talisman, the Mystic Ice Talisman.
"This talisman was replicated by a certain talisman master from the famous magic weapon, the Xuanbing Mirror."
Once activated, it releases a three-zhang (approximately 10 meters) ice crystal barrier, capable of withstanding a full-force attack from a cultivator in the early stages of the Core Formation realm.
It comes with the "Mystic Ice Spike" divine ability, instantly unleashing twelve ice-attribute attacks equivalent to those of the peak Foundation Establishment stage.
There are currently three uses remaining.
The auction starts at 3,000 spirit stones, with each bid increment not less than 100 spirit stones.
Talismanic treasures are extremely rare in the cultivation world, and this is one of the most prized possessions of the Qingfeng Merchant Guild. You are all fortunate to have encountered them today.
Fellow cultivators with strength, don't miss this opportunity.
The old man in the red robe explained.
Chen Yi was also excited when he saw the talisman.
Talismanic treasures, as special artifacts in the cultivation world, each one has an extraordinary origin.
The method involves a talisman master extracting the power from a genuine magical artifact and replicating it onto the talisman.
Its power is comparable to about 30% of that of a magic weapon, and even cultivators in the early stages of Foundation Establishment can use it.
The downside is that it has a limited number of uses and will cause permanent damage to the magical artifact.
These talismans are all protective treasures bestowed by a Nascent Soul ancestor upon their closest descendants, and they are rarely seen.
Unfortunately, the talisman was more valuable than the Foundation Establishment Pill, and Chen Yi couldn't afford it.
As expected, the competition for the talisman treasure quickly reached a fever pitch.
Finally, an unremarkable, ordinary-looking female cultivator in the early stages of Foundation Establishment spent 9,999 spirit stones to bid for it.
It almost reached 10,000 spirit stones, which is an astronomical price at today's auction!
Qin Chengcheng didn't make a move; she was waiting for the last item.
"The last treasure is a section of near-third-tier Soul-Nourishing Wood."
Although the Soul-Nourishing Wood is at a near-third-tier level, it is not like elixirs or magic weapons that all cultivators can use.
Its application scope is not wide.
There were only three people competing with Qin Chengcheng, but each of them was at the late Foundation Establishment stage.
One of them possessed an exceptionally solid foundation in cultivation, reaching the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage.
Furthermore, his divine sense subtly surpassed his own cultivation level, seemingly reaching the third rank.
Each time he called out a bid, a terrifying wave of divine consciousness emanated from him.
A cultivator with such talent has a considerable chance of reaching the True Core stage.
Even Xu Tianyue, a fake Core Formation cultivator, couldn't openly suppress this ability.
At the same time, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He hadn't expected such people to have quietly arrived at Lake and Sea Market. If it weren't for the treasures at the auction, they wouldn't have been able to be lured out.
Without a doubt, these people are here for the ancient cave at the bottom of the lake.
Qin Chengcheng felt immense pressure.
If she hadn't been seated in a VIP room and had the protection of the Jade Dragon Sect, she probably wouldn't have dared to compete for such a thing.
But this near-third-tier Soul-Nourishing Wood was a matter of life and death for her, so she had no choice but to disregard everything else.
Ultimately, with the immense financial resources of the Myriad Sounds Pavilion, she won the bid for the third-tier Soul Nourishing Wood at a high price of nine thousand spirit stones.
Although that person had a high cultivation level at the peak of Foundation Establishment, it was unclear whether he lacked the financial resources or felt that the Soul Nourishing Wood was not worth such a high price, so he gave up in the end.
The auction concluded successfully.
All the cultivators who managed to acquire valuable items were extremely discreet; they would consume the goods within the market and never take them out of the market.
Those who couldn't digest it, like the mid-Foundation Establishment family patriarch who acquired that Foundation Establishment Pill, had long since quietly fled far away.
The cultivators of the Jade Dragon Sect's Enforcement Hall patrolled the outskirts of the market for ten consecutive days.
Even so, several fluctuations of magical combat could be heard from the surrounding area.
Wealth is a powerful motivator; with so many valuable items, the cultivators would surely be unable to resist.
Soon after, news came.
The mid-Foundation Establishment elder who bought the Foundation Establishment Pill has died.
The Foundation Establishment Pill was stolen.
After investigation, the Jade Dragon Sect concluded that:
The one who betrayed him and stole the Foundation Establishment Pill was actually that old ancestor's friend of a hundred years. This time, after acquiring the Foundation Establishment Pill, the old ancestor asked his friend to help protect the Foundation Establishment Pill and return it to his family so that a junior could achieve Foundation Establishment.
However, on the way, he was ambushed by his friend, who stole his Foundation Establishment Pill.
Chen Yi didn't learn of this news until six months later.
In the past six months, Chen Yi has used up the remaining second-tier spiritual herbs he obtained at the auction.
By absorbing the spiritual power and essence contained within the system, the wood attribute portion of the water and wood spiritual power within his body was further purified.
His magical cultivation naturally broke through to the eighth level of Qi Refining.
As magical power increases, so does spiritual awareness.
In addition, Qin Chengcheng gave him the Soul Nourishing Pill she had purchased at the auction.
Chen Yi's divine sense now covers an area of eighty zhang, just one step away from the hundred-zhang threshold for mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators.
The cultivation results of the "Refining God Technique" are remarkable—the fifteen divine sense needles have solidified into a tangible form, and can be controlled as easily as one's own limbs.
Whether breaking through restrictions or launching surprise attacks, these divine sense needles have become his hidden trump cards.
In terms of body refinement,
After returning from the auction, Chen Yi attempted to absorb the Thunder Spirit Pattern.
The violent lightning energy exploded in his meridians, making him tremble all over and his bones hum, as if thousands of steel needles were moving through his marrow cavity.
But after the pain came an unprecedented reward—the golden energy was mixed with wisps of electricity, which gave the surface of the bronze bones a pale golden hue during the bone forging process.
This golden glow, carrying an electric light, made his bronze bones have an unusual color during the bone forging process, with a hint of gold.
Chen Yi carefully sensed the part that emitted the golden light.
Its strength far exceeds that of ordinary copper.
"Could it be the prototype of the 'Golden Bone' in the late stage of Bone Refinement?"
Thinking of this, Chen Yi decisively stopped and sealed the remaining three pieces of Thunder Pattern Iron in a specially made [Spirit Locking Array].
This array not only prevents the loss of spiritual energy, but also slowly nurtures the materials.
He planned to devour the bronze bone only after it was fully formed, in order to make the most of it.
On this day, Chen Yi was practicing the Golden Step in the courtyard when he suddenly saw a red lacquered and gold-painted wedding invitation pass through the formation and fall into his palm.
Upon unfolding it, the signature was none other than Old Hu, who always loved to ramble on about "the way of survival for independent cultivators."
"Old Hu, are you really getting married?"
Half a month later, Lao Hu's wedding was held in a small courtyard on the south street of the market. Chen Yi gave a gift of fifty spirit stones and sat at the same table as Hao Youren.
The banquet was filled with the aroma of spirit wine and the abundance of spirit fruits, but the most eye-catching person was the beautiful bride in a bright red wedding dress, whose cultivation level was only at the third level of Qi Refining.
Old Hu's hair was already turning gray, but his face was radiant as he led his newlywed wife from table to table to offer toasts.
He raised his glass and greeted the guests with a smile, unafraid of those who offered him drinks. Before long, he was already quite drunk.
Chen Yi watched this scene with mixed feelings.
Beside him, Hao Youren explained:
"After this auction, Lao Hu seemed to have suffered a blow."
A few days ago, he exchanged the spirit stones he had saved up for half his life for this courtyard.
It seems he's giving up on Foundation Establishment and instead focusing on getting married, having children, and raising offspring.
After the banquet, Lao Hu deliberately kept Chen Yi and Hao Youren behind.
The three sat down beside the newly planted spirit tea tree in the backyard, the night breeze carrying the chill of early spring.
"Little Chen," Old Hu said, stroking his teacup, the tea reflecting the wrinkles around his eyes.
"Sometimes you have to believe in fate. Do you know the Cheng family's ancestor who is in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage?"
He spent his family's savings of decades to finally obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill.
He was betrayed and robbed by his closest friend on the way.
And that was a major figure in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.
We are like independent cultivators, rootless and adrift, and will likely never even reach the edge of the Foundation Establishment Pill in this lifetime.
Besides, I'm getting old, and I don't have much time left before I reach the final Foundation Establishment age of sixty.
So I decided to give up.
I'll open a small pharmacy in the market and do some simple medicinal herb business.
You two will have to take good care of me!
(End of this chapter)