Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Harvesting the Talents of Demonic Beasts

Chapter 88 Spiritual Objects and Elixirs (Third Update, Seeking First Subscription)

"Three thousand one hundred".

"Three thousand and two."

"Three thousand four spirit stones."

……

The price quotes were all over the place and rose rapidly, soon breaking through the four thousand spirit stones mark.

It also easily exceeded Lin Changheng's net worth limit.

But as he continued reporting, Lin Changheng noticed something strange.

The VIP rooms at the top should have been occupied by various powerful forces, but there were very few bidders.

On the contrary, new bids were being offered everywhere in the lobby below, with bidding rising and falling incessantly, creating a real firestorm.

This is quite a contrasting scene.

Lin Changheng would never believe that the people below were all rogue cultivators.

Firstly, such a price is far beyond the reach of ordinary rogue cultivators. Even a mid-grade alchemist like him is struggling financially and dares not even consider it.

Let alone other independent cultivators?
It can only be said that there are very few.

Secondly, he had observed that these independent cultivators who made the bids had basically never placed any bids before, clearly indicating that their purpose was to acquire Foundation Establishment spiritual items.

Even a cultivator like Lin Changheng, with his low demands, was able to find several items that appealed to him at this two-day auction. How could an ordinary rogue cultivator possibly sit back and relax?

Moreover, even without deliberately using his mastered [Spirit Observation Technique], he could vaguely sense that nearly half of these people were not at the ninth level of Qi Refining.

"interesting."

You stand on the bridge and look at the scenery, and people who look at the scenery look at you upstairs.

While others were fiercely vying for the items on stage, Lin Changheng was observing and pondering them.

After some deduction, a very likely guess appeared in Lin Changheng's mind.

These people should be the "proxy bidders" launched by the Dingshangxiangwu faction.

After all, these forces see each other all the time, so they must know each other, and there might even be rivalries among them.

Once you make a bid, wouldn't that be an open invitation to your family to acquire a Foundation Establishment spiritual item, with a chance of achieving Foundation Establishment?

What kind of pressure and impact would this have on neighboring forces of similar strength and potential adversaries?

It's possible that some forces might launch a surprise attack or even join forces to eliminate this possibility.

In fact, similar situations have occurred quite a few times in the history of the cultivation world.

Once, a Qi Refining family spent all their resources to acquire a Foundation Establishment Pill. Just as they were celebrating their victory, the news was leaked, and they were attacked by three major forces surrounding their territory.

The outgoing team was directly annihilated, and the elixir was seized.

The matter came to light later because the three families were arbitrarily dividing the Foundation Establishment Pills. None of them were willing to give up their own, fearing that if they stopped this one, another Foundation Establishment family would emerge and devour their own, thus causing an internal conflict.

They fought so fiercely that it was almost a bloodbath, and the melee was so intense that it became known to the world.

After several similar incidents, all the families learned a lesson:
Acquiring Foundation Establishment Pills and other Foundation Establishment-related treasures will be done by suppressing all information and concealing the breakthrough in secret.

The scene at this auction is a variation and extension of this practice.

Trusted younger and older members of the clan were instructed to bid with spirit stones, while the main force of the clan would sit in the VIP room to oversee the bidding and ensure no one was lost.

Once they succeeded, they immediately took the pill and left, never leaving the neighborhood.

After hiding for two or three days, they quietly rejoined the main force and returned to their clan together.
Alternatively, one could hand over the Foundation Establishment Pill to the clan elders and secretly slip it into the crowd of people leaving the village to bring it back.

In this way, the matter can be accomplished quietly, suppressing most of the potential risks.

It has a bit of the feel of a tomb from a past life.

Conceal its cinnabar, so that its location is unknown.

……

Soon, the price skyrocketed.

It is approaching the 8,000 spirit stone mark.

The intense bidding in the market had just subsided, and those still making noise could be counted on one hand.

Two of them, in particular, exuded an air of absolute certainty, their bids relentlessly escalating. It was a battle of wills, with one side dominating the other.

Until the end.

The price was set at 9,500 low-grade spirit stones.

The price was quoted by an old voice from behind Lin Changheng.

This price is about 10% too high, but it's nothing compared to the fact that the clan can produce a Foundation Establishment cultivator and improve the clan's level.

But this is ultimately an external thing, and it only provides a 10% chance of foundation building. Whether one can successfully build a foundation still depends on the original accumulation of the foundation seed.

Yes, some people are naturally gifted, and some are determined to succeed, so they can achieve foundation building without foundation-building spiritual objects or foundation-building pills.

Not essential.

Therefore, the specific value of a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object varies from person to person and from clan to clan, with significant differences.

However, the Foundation Establishment Pill is quite different. It not only doubles the chance of establishing a foundation, but also protects the dantian and meridians, preventing failure in the breakthrough and thus ruining oneself.

It is safer and retains the possibility of a second breakthrough in foundation building.

This is very important.

Therefore, even geniuses with outstanding spiritual roots will prepare one unless there is an accident.

After all, no one can guarantee a 100% success rate in their foundation building process.

In reality, there are only two extreme outcomes: success or failure.

……

Lin Changheng mingled with the departing crowd and left the hall.

He deliberately wandered around the market several times to avoid being followed before entering the Immortal Inn.

There were still seven days left until the agreed departure time with the Xu family caravan.

He stayed there for five days.

If you don’t go out from the front door, you won’t take a step toward the second door.

Even those who take chances and follow with malicious intent are mostly numb to the situation.

In the past few days, besides cultivating, Lin Changheng has been carefully studying the two pill formulas he obtained at the auction.

The recipe for that superior-grade pill contained a superior-grade fire-elemental pill called the "Crimson Sky Elixir".

Lin Changheng could understand a small part of it, but he didn't understand most of it.

The techniques involved, the evolution of concepts, and the combination of methods are more complex and obscure than those of intermediate-level alchemy.

The difficulty increases exponentially.

This is due to the lack of high-quality lineage and insufficient accumulation of alchemical knowledge.

Lin Changheng was well aware of this and did not insist that he learn it on his own.

The path of alchemy involves both theory and practice, and requires taking one step at a time.

As for the other mid-grade pill formula, it can be used to refine a mid-grade wood-type pill called [Azure Lotus Pill].

This kind of pill is much simpler; Lin Changheng understood most of it at a glance.

After spending less than two more days figuring it out, I understood the key points and details clearly.

Once the medicinal herbs are purchased, they can be directly processed in a furnace.

……

However, Lin Changheng studied the newly acquired [Netherworld Bloodline] beast's feathers and essence blood, but gained nothing from it.

Fortunately, the "Detailed Explanation of Beast Taming Master" that came with the auction item was a great help to him.

Besides recording a basic analysis of the spiritual essence and characteristics of these two demonic beast materials,
It also describes in great detail which magical artifacts and spiritual weapons are suitable for crafting from feathers, and which elixirs are suitable for mixing with essence blood without conflicting medicinal properties.

Lin Changheng gained a lot from this experience and was impressed by how large the Huangxufang Auction House had become; there was a reason for it.

At least their serious attitude and meticulous service are evident.

(End of this chapter)