After the small strand of Spirit Fire danced in his hands for a moment, Wang Hong opened his mouth, swallowing it into his abdomen. Upon entering the dantian, it peacefully floated above the sea of spiritual power in his dantian.
The inherent Spiritual Power in the sea of the dantian absorbed the threads of the divine little flame. After a while, the flame seemed to grow slightly.
Although the speed was not fast, this was his inherent Spiritual Power. If he consumed too much, his cultivation level would decline. Wang Hong carefully calculated that at this rate, he would consume about the equivalent of one Nourishing Essence Pill in a day, while he could only refine two pills a day.
He hadn't seen the benefits of cultivating this Spirit Fire yet, but he had already discovered the drawback it consumed his inherent Spiritual Power.
Moreover, with the current size of the flame, just like the size of an Embroidery Needle, he couldn't imagine how useful it could be. Nevertheless, he had to nurture it for now.
Then he swallowed a Nourishing Essence Pill and began practicing the "Wood-Fire Incineration Technique."
After refining two Elixirs, he was pleasantly surprised to find that the small flame was not entirely useless.
It could assist in refining the medicinal power, reducing the time needed to refine the Elixir. Although currently, refining one Elixir was only about fifteen minutes faster than before, the potential for growth in this small flame was significant.
Time was a cultivator's life. Saving even a quarter of an hour was equivalent to adding a quarter of an hour to one's life.
Moreover, he made another discovery that delighted him. Previously, he could only refine and absorb the power of two Nourishing Essence Pills.
Perhaps due to Spirit Fire absorbing some of the power today, he felt he could refine and absorb one more. He decisively swallowed another Nourishing Essence Pill, proving that three pills were currently his limit.
After more than ten days, Wang Hong received a Transmission Talisman from his Elder Brother, saying he wanted to come over for a meal and asking if he had time.
He immediately sent a message back, saying he would prepare a sumptuous meal for him.
Not long after, Elder Brother arrived.
"Hahaha! Junior Brother Wang, I've come to freeload on your meal again."
Little Peng, seeing Elder Brother's arrival, walked to a corner of the wall, turning his backside toward him and occasionally sneaking a glance.
Since the last time Little Peng had a drink, he had been harassing Elder Brother, throwing stones at him, and even spitting at him. Elder Brother, in a fit of anger, had beaten him up, pulling out several feathers. Now, seeing Elder Brother again, Little Peng was both afraid and resentful, hiding in a corner.
After three rounds of drinks and a variety of dishes, Elder Brother took out a Jade vial from his Storage Bag and placed it in front of Wang Hong.
"This is for you. I knew you hadn't gotten your hands on a Barrier Breaking Pill yet, despite your stubbornness."
Elder Brother was well-informed. He learned that there was a Zhao's Pill Shop in Azure Void City, a shop not very large but stocked with a complete set of first-tier Elixir Spiritual Herbs. Moreover, they sold one Barrier Breaking Pill every month.
So, he personally went to Azure Void City, found the mentioned Elixir shop, and inquired about it. The shop was clean and tidy, without unnecessary extravagance, but it was bustling with customers.
The shopkeeper, a cultivator in his thirties with a clean-shaven face, had only reached the fourth layer of Qi Cultivation. This level was quite low, considering the shop's quality. When Elder Brother revealed his purpose, the shopkeeper informed him that purchasing a Barrier Breaking Pill required advance reservation and a two-year waiting period. Despite offering more Spirit Stones, the shopkeeper refused.
Elder Brother, angered but constrained by the rules of Azure Void City, had a clever idea. He placed a chair at the entrance of the Elixir shop, took out a Spiritual Weapon, a large knife, and sat there, sharpening the blade. Anyone trying to enter the shop would be glared at.
Most of the customers were scared away by Elder Brother's intimidating tactics. Seeing a sharp decline in business, the shopkeeper had no choice but to agree to sell a Barrier Breaking Pill to him.
Elder Brother proudly shared this story with Wang Hong, who couldn't help but find it amusing and exasperating at the same time.
Unsure whether to tell him, Wang Hong contemplated revealing that the Elixir shop was actually his. He decided to keep that information to himself for now and said, "Elder Brother, I really can't accept this Elixir. The reason I've stayed at the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer is a complicated matter. I just can't disclose it right now. I hope you can understand."
Wang Hong explained, half-truthfully. He hadn't decided whether to inform Elder Brother of the connection between him and Zhao's Pill Shop. The relationship wasn't much of a secret, but he felt it wasn't the right time to reveal it.
Seeing Wang Hong's apparent dilemma, Elder Brother said, "Alright, since the Elixir is already bought and I won't use it, just take it."
Under Elder Brother's insistence, Wang Hong reluctantly accepted.
Time quickly passed, and within a month, many Qi Cultivation disciples completed their Foundation Building. Senior Brother Gao, a friend of Wang Hong, also succeeded, as did Zhang Chunfeng, who was currently consolidating his realm in seclusion.
Wang Hong, once the center of attention when he emerged from the secret realm, still remained at the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer.
People often shook their heads and sighed when discussing him, thinking that Wang Hong might be forever stuck at the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer. Initially having nine Foundation Establishment Pills, he impulsively spent tens of thousands of contribution points, leaving him with sixty thousand. Under pressure, he had to sell half of them, and with the remaining thirty thousand contribution points, whether it could help him achieve Foundation Building was uncertain. After all, he hadn't even reached the Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer yet.
A group of Qi Cultivation disciples had no idea that they were worrying about a Foundation Building senior.
Wang Hong occasionally heard these rumors about himself but paid them no mind. Instead, he secretly rejoiced that no one suspected his Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer cultivation level.
On the scheduled auction day, Wang Hong naturally went to see what was happening.
When he arrived at the Myriad Treasures Tower, hundreds of people had already gathered. Most of them were there just to watch the excitement, as only a few could afford to bid.
Due to the scarcity and irreplaceability of Foundation Establishment Pills, the prices were artificially inflated.
Although Foundation Establishment Pills were just second-tier Elixirs, their prices were several times that of Nourishing Essence Pills. The limited supply of Spiritual Herbs for these pills, coupled with the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few, led to high demand and prices.
Since Foundation Establishment Pills were a rare and crucial resource, every time they appeared on the market, wealthy individuals would inflate the prices, ultimately benefiting themselves.
Therefore, in secret realms, although loose cultivators were the weakest in terms of strength, they were often the most desperate. Having no foundation and being extremely poor, they staked their lives on everything. The only thing they could compete with others was the fact that everyone had only one life.
So, in secret realms, while others fought for resources, loose cultivators fought for their lives. Winning meant soaring to new heights, while losing meant death.
Therefore, in this auction, only a fraction of the hundreds of people could genuinely afford to compete for the Foundation Establishment Pills. The rest were there just to witness the spectacle and increase the crowd for the auction.
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