On this day, a group of fifty thousand people entered the temporary camp, causing the entire camp to buzz with excitement.
The majority of the newcomers were Qi Cultivators, with a small number of Foundation Building Cultivators interspersed among them. These Foundation Building Cultivators possessed unique skills.
Among them were three second-tier Alchemists, one of whom was also a disciple of the Qingxu Sect. Additionally, there were Cultivators skilled in refining tools, formations, and various other abilities.
Notably, among the reinforcements, several merchant teams arrived, bringing a substantial amount of supplies, finally relieving the urgent situation.
Under the jurisdiction of the Qingxu Sect, the Qingxu Tower also had its own merchant team. This time, they brought many second-tier Spiritual Herbs, Pills, and other resources.
Before the merchant team of the Qingxu Tower could catch their breath, they were surrounded by countless Cultivators who came to trade.
With a surplus of Demonic Beast materials in their hands, what they urgently needed were various Pills. Without Pills, the other sects in the East Zhou Cultivation Realm would be even more deprived.
The members of the merchant team were surprised by the enthusiasm of the Cultivators on the Boundary Mountain Range side. However, with limited quantities of second-tier Spiritual Objects they could bring, they decided, after consulting with Wu Dayong, to hold a small-scale auction.
Through the auction, they planned to sell half of the merchant team's goods, such as Spirit Herbs and Pills, and exchange them all for the abundant Demonic Beast materials available here.
Afterward, the merchant team would transport these Demonic Beast materials to other cities for sale and, in turn, acquire more Spirit Herbs and other items.
Taking advantage of the current abundance of materials in everyone's hands, making the auction happen as quickly as possible was deemed essential. Thus, they decided to hold it one day later.
Since there were other merchant teams, they were not to be taken lightly. They would undoubtedly buy in large quantities. When the supply of Demonic Beast materials in everyone's hands decreased, their value would increase.
Wang Hong accompanied Wu Dayong to welcome the merchant team. While Wu Dayong was busy discussing specific auction details with the person in charge of the team, Wang Hong leisurely observed the team.
Suddenly, amidst the merchant team, he spotted a somewhat familiar face. This person was also an Alchemist from the Pill Hall. When Wang Hong joined the Pill Hall, this person had just advanced to a second-tier Alchemist.
"Fellow Daoist Wang! Long time no see!" The man, named Zhu Yan, noticed Wang Hong and approached with a smile.
"Fellow Daoist Zhu, it's been a while! I didn't expect you to be one of the second-tier Alchemists this time."
Although Zhu Yan had recently advanced to a second-tier Alchemist, his cultivation level had already reached the mid-stage of Foundation Building. It was rare for an Alchemist to be proficient not only in Alchemy but also in combat, making him stand out.
"I'm new here, and I'll rely on Fellow Daoist Wang for guidance in the future," Zhu Yan said politely.
"Fellow Daoist Zhu, you're too kind. We should support each other," Wang Hong replied.
Although Wang Hong didn't have much interaction with Zhu Yan, he knew him to be gentle and courteous, with good popularity within the sect.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the two bid farewell.
The next day, news spread in the temporary camp that Qingxu Tower would hold a small-scale auction, offering Demonic Beast materials and other items in exchange for bids on Spirit Herbs, Pills, and more.
The auction venue was marked out in the temporary camp, surrounded by fences. Since everyone lived in tents or small magical weapon rooms similar to Wang Hong's, the arrangements were kept simple.
Regardless, the items to be auctioned were common Pills and Spirit Herbs; there were no particularly rare treasures.
The auction venue was enclosed with both an entrance and an exit.
At the entrance, a long line had already formed, and several Cultivators sat at tables, responsible for estimating the prices of items for participating Cultivators. When bidding, the estimated price would serve as the basis, with direct quotes in Spirit Stones, and the items exchanged accordingly.
Otherwise, during the auction, if someone were to shout, "I offer a pair of Cow Horns!" and another person shouted, "I offer a Tiger Whip!" or "I offer a piece of Snake Skin!"it would become chaotic. Estimating prices on the spot would be too troublesome.
At this moment, it was the turn of the Cultivator who had previously shared a drink with Little Peng. He handed over a Storage Bag containing items meant for bidding.
A Foundation Building Cultivator from the merchant team took the Storage Bag and carefully estimated the value of the items inside. With his extensive experience, he quickly appraised the Demonic Beast materials and other items.
However, there was a Pill inside that he had never seen before, nor had he come across it in any records.
He took the Pill and found Zhu Yan, the second-tier Alchemist nearby.
Zhu Yan took the Pill, sniffed it, observed it carefully, scraped off a bit of powder, picked it up with his fingernail, put it in his mouth, and savored it.
Then, with an indifferent tone, he asked, "Did Fellow Daoist bring this Pill?"
"It was brought by that Cultivator in black," the Foundation Building Cultivator replied.
"Ah, let me personally talk to him then!" Zhu Yan said with a smile and walked towards the Cultivator in black.
"Fellow Daoist, may I exchange this Pill for a Nourishing Essence Pill? Can you trade this Pill with me?"
The Cultivator in black was dumbfounded upon hearing this trade condition. He had always thought this kind of Pill was worthless and had thrown it into his Storage Bag without bothering to take it out. He never expected to get a few Spirit Stones for it. Last time, he saw a silly bird eating them like candy, and he ate several in a row.
While he was still in a daze, Zhu Yan, thinking he was hesitant, persuaded him, "Fellow Daoist brought it for appraisal, presumably for trading for cultivation-related Pills. I can add another Nourishing Essence Pill. How about trading with two Nourishing Essence Pills? If you still can't agree, then I can only express regret."
The Cultivator in black, who hadn't anticipated gaining a Nourishing Essence Pill just by staring blankly, quickly nodded in agreement.
After completing the transaction, Zhu Yan calmly put away the Pill and went on to attend to other matters.
Regarding this, Wang Hong was oblivious. He was currently locked in a temporary Alchemy room, crafting Talismans.
The auction proceeded smoothly as scheduled, and Qingxu Tower reaped a significant harvest of Demonic Beast materials at a low cost. Simultaneously, Foundation Building Cultivators, with their accumulated resources, obtained the items they urgently needed, bringing joy to everyone.
After auctioning off half of their items, the merchant team left some Qi Cultivation Cultivators to assist Wu Dayong and departed with their newly acquired Demonic Beast materials.
Witnessing the success of Qingxu Tower's small-scale auction, other merchant teams followed suit, exchanging their goods for Demonic Beast materials.
However, each subsequent auction was less successful because the earlier ones had already exchanged most of the materials.
With the arrival of reinforcements, a counterattack was imminent. Now with over fifty thousand people, if the Demon Clan discovered the situation and concentrated their forces for another Beast Tide, defending this location would be challenging. The ten Flying Boats could fly away, but the newly arrived fifty thousand people couldn't escape unscathed.
[Read at /shanefreak, and heartfelt thankyou for your support!]