Old Man opened a Jade vial, revealing a collection of middle-grade Condensing Qi Pills. Another bottle contained low-grade Condensing Qi Pills, and to their surprise, a third bottle held three Barrier Breaking Pills.
Opening yet another Jade Box, they found ten Spirit Herbs inside. Another box, and it was still more Spirit Herbs.
After a thorough count, most were first-tier Elixirs, accompanied by some first-tier Spiritual Herbs. While individually not highly valuable, their abundance was noteworthy.
"How do you have so many Elixirs on you?" the cultivator named Zhang couldn't help but ask.
"What items I carry on me don't seem to concern Fellow Daoist Zhang, right?" the Old Man replied.
"Is Fellow Daoist an Alchemist?" inquired the Old Man.
Only an Alchemist would carry such an array of Elixirs, and even among Alchemists, few possessed such a quantity.
Some of these Elixirs were refined by Zhang Chunfeng, while others were crafted by Wang Hong, combined and presented by Zhang Chunfeng.
"Indeed, these Elixirs are what I've accumulated over several years," Wang Hong admitted.
"According to my estimate, this batch of Elixirs and Spirit Herbs is worth four hundred thousand Spirit Stones. However, for exchange purposes, we can only consider ninety percent, which amounts to three hundred and sixty thousand Spirit Stones. Do you two have any objections?"
Both individuals expressed no disagreement.
With confirmation, the cultivator named Zhang reluctantly compensated Zhang Chunfeng with thirty thousand Spirit Stones.
The auction continued.
"I bid three hundred and ten thousand!" Zhang bid again.
"Three hundred and twenty thousand!" This time, Zhang Chunfeng didn't withdraw but continued to raise the stakes.
"Three hundred and thirty thousand!"
Finally, a Foundation Building cultivator in the front row secured the lot for three hundred and fifty thousand Spirit Stones.
They had initially aimed for a bargain on the three Elixirs but ended up paying an extra thirty thousand Spirit Stones.
As the last Foundation Establishment Pill was auctioned off, the auction officially concluded.
Wang Hong didn't leave immediately. Instead, he settled the Spirit Stones with Sima Fatty.
The three Foundation Establishment Pills fetched a total of nine hundred and seventy thousand Spirit Stones. After deducting the ten percent commission, Wang Hong was left with eight hundred and seventy-three thousand.
He casually bought the Golden Light Bowl, leaving him with over fifty-two thousand Spirit Stones.
Wang Hong then handed over a hundred thousand Spirit Stones to Zhang Chunfeng. Early-stage Foundation Building cultivators were often financially strained, needing resources like Spiritual Weapons.
Hence, when one saw a Foundation Building cultivator still using a Magical Weapon in battles outside, it might not be a display of skill but a result of genuine poverty.
Post Foundation Building, cultivators needed to find suitable Cultivation Techniques, acquire Spiritual Weapons and necessary resources, making it a challenging phase. Many squandered their prime years on such pursuits.
After the auction, Wang Hong returned home, quietly focusing on cultivation, avoiding unnecessary outings.
In the vast Qingxu Sect with hundreds of thousands of cultivators, numerous outstanding newcomers continued to emerge, creating a plethora of exciting stories.
Someone like Wang Hong, once the top disciple in a secret realm, gradually faded into obscurity after selling the Foundation Establishment Pills. During this period, he had Zhang Chunfeng make a trip to Azure Void City, delivering a batch of Elixirs and bringing back Spirit Wine brewed by Skinny Monkey.
The delivered goods were temporarily stored with Zhao Ning, who, in theory, still held a position in the Immortal Path Trading Alliance. He then distributed a portion to various shops, making the process more convenient.
At present, Wang Hong found it challenging to show himself publicly, so this served as a temporary solution to the supply problem.
However, this was not a long-term strategy. Continually doing so risked exposing them all.
During this time, Wang Hong intensified his cultivation. He focused on mastering the cultivation techniques "Wood-Fire Incineration Technique," which took several hours per session. Additionally, he practiced the "Body Strengthening Invincible Golden Body Technique." Although he hadn't refined specific auxiliary Elixirs, he substituted them with Nourishing Essence Pills. Despite being less effective, he finally reached the first level of the cultivation technique.
After reaching the first level, his skin became tough and elastic.
Activating the cultivation technique, his facial skin rippled, and wrinkles covered his face.
If he were to wear the Misty Illusion Mask now, even if someone saw through the illusion, they would perceive him as an old man.
Exiting the cultivation room, Little Peng approached him, rubbing against him. Wang Hong casually fed it an Elixir.
Demonic Beasts possessed a physique and digestive capacity far superior to humans. Currently, if Wang Hong continuously fed it Elixirs, it could consume around ten first-tier Elixirs a day without any issues.
This was something humans couldn't compare to. Human strength lay in intelligence, learning, and creative abilities, not physical bodies.
At this moment, a Message Transmission symbol arrived from outside. Taking a look, Wang Hong discovered fellow sect members had come to visit.
Opening the door, he saw two figures in black and purple standing outside.
Wang Hong recognized both, though they were not very familiar.
In a purple robe was Pan Yuan, who had successfully reached Foundation Building not long ago. Previously, he had sought to buy Spirit Bee Honey from Wang Hong on credit, but the deal fell through.
The other person was named Qiao Yun, currently at the eighth level of Qi Cultivation. They had minimal interaction, more of acquaintances than friends.
"Senior Brother Pan, Junior Brother Qiao, what brings you here today?"
"Wang Senior Brother, now that Senior Brother Pan has successfully reached Foundation Building, addressing him as Senior Brother would be more appropriate, wouldn't it disrupt the hierarchy?" Qiao Yun reminded Wang Hong.
"Junior Brother Qiao makes sense. We shouldn't disrupt the hierarchy. However, I am Elder Gu's disciple, and Senior Brother Pan and I are of the same seniority." Wang Hong directly changed Junior Brother Qiao to Junior Brother Qiao.
"Junior Brother Wang, let's address each other as peers. No need for these formalities. I came here today to seek Senior Brother Wang's help," Pan Yuan spoke up.
"I wonder what Senior Brother Pan needs my help with. If it's beyond the capabilities of Senior Brother Pan's Foundation Building cultivation level, I may not be of much assistance."
Wang Hong had no good impressions of this Senior Brother Pan and instinctively preferred not to deal with him.
"Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Junior Brother Wang, how can you underestimate yourself? Your feats in the secret realm were well-known to all!"
Pan Yuan praised Wang Hong generously, creating an instinctive feeling that Senior Brother Pan had an ulterior motive.
"Well, I found several East Departure Grass in a secluded place, but there's a group of Demonic Insects nearby, and I'm helpless. I heard Junior Brother Wang has a formidable group of Poisonous Bees, so I wanted to ask for help in restraining the Demonic Insects. Once I collect the Spiritual Herb, I will surely share a few East Departure Grass with Junior Brother Wang."
Wang Hong had previously asked Zhang Chunfeng to inquire about East Departure Grass, and it seemed Pan Yuan got wind of it. Now, he intended to lure Wang Hong with East Departure Grass, undoubtedly harboring some hidden motives.
Wang Hong wondered if it was a scheme by Shadow Kill, intentionally luring him out of the Sect, making him an easy target for assassination.
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