Immortality and Cultivation: This old man seeks enlightenment through mere survival.

Inside the secret room.

A wisp of Lu Zaian's divine sense surged out, transforming into a lingering sound imprint.

He then took out a jade bottle that he had prepared beforehand and placed it aside.

After setting up the array outside the secret chamber, he quietly left...

No one knew that Lu Zaian had left.

Even the maids in the Spring and Autumn Pavilion did not notice.

The situation in the northern airspace is currently delicate and unpredictable.

For this auction, Lu Zaian does not plan to use his original identity, but will instead use a new alias.

He used the transformation of immortality to become a servant in the Qi Refining stage and left the inner city with a token.

Then they left Huangze City through the west gate.

But Lu Zaian did not go far.

Instead, it went around in circles and transformed itself again in a secluded place!

He immediately transformed into a refined and easy-going scholar dressed in a blue robe.

With his refined and handsome face and scholarly air, he seemed like a true scholar, only lacking a folding fan.

As for magical energy, it should be controlled at the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

Lu Zaian touched his handsome face and couldn't help but smile elegantly.

His transformation to immortality completely altered his fundamental power by burning his life force.

Even a Core Formation cultivator wouldn't be able to see through it.

Now, all he has to do is wait for the auction to begin...

A month later.

Inside the Spring and Autumn Pavilion.

Holding a golden letter, Xueyi took small, quick steps to the front of the closed training room.

The area is heavily protected by array formations, and no one would dare to enter without Lu Zaian's permission and disturb his seclusion.

Xueyi stopped outside, lit a sound transmission talisman, and respectfully said:

"Reporting to the Pavilion Master, the Haitian Chamber of Commerce has sent an invitation to the auction, inviting you to attend."

The talisman immediately transformed into a streak of fire and entered the secret chamber of the formation.

Xueyi usually only uses talismans to transmit messages for important matters.

She waited respectfully outside for a while before any movement came from inside.

"I am currently in the crucial stage of seclusion, so I will not be attending this auction..."

Here are five Youth Preservation Pills. Please have them consigned to the Haitian Chamber of Commerce for auction; it's a token of my support.

As Lu Zaian's voice rang out, a pure white jade bottle was gently lifted by the power of the array.

The formation then quietly shut down, restoring a deathly silence.

"……Yes."

Xueyi remained expressionless as she accepted the jade bottle, showing no suspicion whatsoever.

After all, she had been in the Spring and Autumn Pavilion for so long, but she hadn't spent much time with the Pavilion Master.

The Pavilion Master spends most of his time in seclusion.

Only after he came out of seclusion would he play with her or ask her about the latest news from the outside world.

Even Lord Yang, the former city lord, and other Foundation Establishment cultivators in the inner city, tried to invite the Pavilion Master to a tea party to discuss the Dao, but he refused them all.

Xueyi greatly admired this.

She knew that although the Pavilion Master seemed to be aloof, he was actually a true ascetic.

No wonder he was able to establish his foundation as a rogue cultivator.

Xueyi felt a pang of regret that the auction master hadn't taken her to broaden her horizons this time.

.........

the other side.

The spacious and bright auction hall was already packed with people, and the noise was deafening...

The cacophony of sound waves surrounds you in a three-dimensional, ever-growing tide.

The vast majority of cultivators were extremely enthusiastic!

The auction in Huangze City is held once every ten years.

Organized jointly by numerous chambers of commerce, with rotating leadership.

This time, it was held at the home venue of the Haitian Chamber of Commerce.

Of course, while it's called the home ground, it's actually just the Haitian Chamber of Commerce's branch in Huangze City.

The Haitian Chamber of Commerce is the only truly large chamber of commerce that spans the five regions of the Eastern Divine Continent.

It's stronger than the Hundred Flowers Chamber of Commerce from ten years ago.

Therefore, the items up for auction this time are even more luxurious...

"This fellow Daoist looks unfamiliar; may I ask your esteemed name?"

At the entrance to the private room, a kind-looking old man with a goatee greeted us.

This is the seat of honor for Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Foundation Establishment cultivators are naturally greeted by other Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The Haitian Chamber of Commerce directly dispatched a kind-looking mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator.

A handsome, refined, and easy-going young scholar calmly greeted us:

"Haha, I am 'E'lai', and I call myself 'a scholar in blue robes'."

"Evil Lai? Scholar?"

The old man with the goatee frowned slightly. What a strange combination of names.

Moreover, he had never heard of such a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the Northern Sky Domain...

"I only recently broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage in the marshland, so it's normal that you haven't heard of me."

I came to this auction to broaden my horizons.

"..."

The old man with the goatee couldn't discern the scholar's true nature. He harbored suspicions but didn't delve into them.

They're here to bid, not to have their household registration checked...

Lu Zaian went to the Foundation Establishment private room on his own.

This area is spacious and open, and offers a better view than the regular seats below.

His name, E Lai, and his disguise as a scholar were simply a series of unexpected pranks.

Foundation Establishment truly lives up to its reputation as a privilege.

Ten years ago, he was just one of the many Qi cultivators below, always cautious in his words and actions.

In the blink of an eye, I was able to sit high up and look down, and I was qualified to speak loudly.

Lu Zaian's divine sense spread out like water, and a massive amount of information surged in from below.

The private telepathic communication from Qi Refining cultivators was completely ineffective against him.

Lu Zaian has become the person he used to hate the most.

"I heard there's a Foundation Establishment Pill this time! We absolutely have to get a shot of it!"

"Foundation Building Pills increase the probability of breakthroughs, but they're also more expensive. Can we get one?"

"It will definitely work. I've already sold the ancestral land to raise enough spirit stones for this one last gamble..."

Lu Zaian looked relaxed. Foundation Establishment is always an unavoidable fantasy and topic of conversation for lower-level cultivators.

Some of the discussion was filtered out.

"Alas, the Black Soil Mountains have undergone another major transformation, did you know?"

"What did this fellow Daoist say?"

"Do you know about the Fire Refining Sect, which wiped out the entire Spirit Medicine Valley twelve years ago?"

After being silent for so long, they have actually made a move against the Foundation Establishment forces again!

This time, it was also the Flying Cloud Sect from the Black Soil Mountains.

I heard that the entire Feiyun Sect was murdered.

The unhatched spirit pet egg yolks were shaken apart, and the earthworms were caught and chopped up vertically...

"Holy crap, this is terrible? Just what kind of background does this Fire Refining Sect have?"

Do I remember it as just a newly established foundational power that has been around for a few hundred years?

Why did they first destroy the Spirit Medicine Valley, and now the Flying Cloud Sect?

"Are we going to defy the heavens?"

"Hehe, you don't know this. There have been rumors for more than ten years that a Core Formation Secret Realm appeared in the Black Soil Mountains."

The Fire Refining Sect must have benefited from this.

Moreover, I heard from a Foundation Establishment senior that there is a mysterious demonic force behind the Fire Refining Sect that provides funding...

"Hiss... This is terrifying."

"So you think the Fire Refining Sect isn't satisfied with just occupying the entire Black Soil Mountain Range, and wants to expand further outwards?"

"It's hard to say. The destruction of two Foundation Establishment forces is enough to attract the attention of the entire Northern Sky Domain."

Do you think the remaining forces are just sitting around doing nothing?

Not to mention there are several Core Formation forces above that suppressing the Northern Sky Domain... It won't descend into chaos..."

"Tsk tsk... Who cares if it's chaotic or not? We're just a bunch of Qi Refining cultivators, why should we worry about things that aren't our business?"

"Hey! It's good when things get chaotic, because heroes emerge in troubled times."

If things don't get chaotic, how will we lowly cultivators have a chance to rise up?

You haven't seen how tightly the major powers are controlling all kinds of foundation-building resources and advancement channels.

Where is there any way for us to survive?

Even in this seemingly neutral and fair wasteland city, there are many pitfalls and hidden dangers.

Even if you manage to get a picture of the treasure, whether you can leave alive is another matter entirely…

"Absolutely...absolutely, fellow Daoist is right. It's better to be in chaos; it's easier to fish in troubled waters..."