Compared to many Immortal Cultivator Cities, Boundary City, with its population of just over fifty thousand, was relatively small, more like a town.
In this small city, most people knew each other, and news spread quickly among them.
During this period, one particular piece of news became the hot topic of conversation during tea breaks and discussions over drinks. If you didn't chime in, you risked being seen as ignorant.
Not long ago, there was a violent surge of Spiritual Power on East Street, indicating the involvement of at least a dozen experts at the Foundation Building stage.
According to insiders, this conflict occurred in an inconspicuous little shop, rumored to be owned by someone named Wang, an Alchemist.
Normally, only one Foundation Building cultivator resided in the shop, and no one knew why there was such a massive battle or who was involved.
Then, someone claimed to have witnessed the battle firsthand.
However, when he described the scene, everyone ridiculed him for spouting nonsense, pointing out numerous inconsistencies.
"You're saying that a tiny Pill shop like that had five Foundation Building cultivators? Who would believe that? Even selling the entire shop wouldn't be enough to sustain so many Foundation Building cultivators."
"And what about this 'Wang Alchemist' single-handedly defeating a Foundation Building late-stage cultivator and killing them? Can't you make up a more believable story? Everyone who knows Wang, the Alchemist, is aware he's only at the early stages of Foundation Building. He's already considered impressive among his peers, but how could he possibly take on a late-stage Foundation Building cultivator?"
The honest cultivator was left red-faced and speechless after the barrage of criticism.
Finally, he took out a Shadow Stone from his Storage Bag and activated a technique, projecting an image in front of them.
Shadow Stone was a Magical Weapon created by a refining tool master, resembling a stone that could record visual information, hence the name.
As the Shadow Stone activated, the image showed a group of cultivators wearing masks with eerie expressions storming into a small shop, and a battle ensued.
After watching this footage, everyone fell into silence, realizing that the story was indeed true.
The image was duplicated and circulated among many individuals.
Some time later, another astonishing piece of news spread within Boundary City: Wang Hong was said to possess numerous Jade Marrow Mushrooms.
With the visual evidence from the circulated images, those with ulterior motives took notice.
Wang Hong had administered a Jade Marrow Mushroom to both Wen Lan and himself, saving Wen Lan's life. Using two mushrooms at once suggested he had more in his possession.
With the help of these individuals, the news became widely known throughout the city.
Now, countless cultivators wanted to visit Wang Hong, hoping to obtain a Jade Marrow Mushroom from him.
Wang Hong secluded himself in the Qingxu Tower, refusing to meet anyone. Some used the excuse of entrusting Refinement Pills to him, with Wu Dayong acting as a buffer.
Qingxu Sect's reputation came in handy during crucial times.
However, this couldn't go on indefinitely; a proper solution had to be found.
Wang Hong suspected that someone from the Beast Spirit Sect was behind the scenes in this matter.
After all, Wang Hong had recently killed six Foundation Building cultivators from the Beast Spirit Sect, even though it might be considered a personal vendetta.
However, this situation had now become widely known throughout the city, causing considerable embarrassment. People from the Beast Spirit Sect dreaded running into acquaintances who would bring up the battle in the small shop, leaving them unable to hold their heads high.
One day, even Shen Jian came looking for him. Shen Jian was a Golden Core Elder from their sect and had come with a message.
The main purpose was to inquire if Wang Hong had any higher-aged Jade Marrow Mushrooms on hand. If he did, it was advisable not to keep them hidden from the senior members of the sect.
Otherwise, once the truth came out, even a Golden Core Elder wouldn't be able to protect him.
Wang Hong openly asked Shen Jian to convey that the highest-aged Jade Marrow Mushroom he possessed was only a little over five hundred years old. If the sect's senior members needed it, he was willing to hand it over unconditionally.
The situation was getting more and more troublesome, and it needed to be resolved. If the issue escalated, attracting the attention of Golden Core cultivators, it would spell trouble for him.
On this day, Wang Hong left the Qingxu Tower, entered an inn, changed his identity, and left the inn in a different guise.
He then changed his appearance multiple times in the same manner, strolled through several streets for half a day, making sure he wasn't being followed.
Only after confirming no one was tailing him did Wang Hong leave the city.
He arrived at the mountain cave Zhu Yan had previously shown him, where he first cleared away any traces of the Jade Marrow Fruit tree's growth.
Then, he made some adjustments to the surroundings to make it look suitable for Jade Marrow Mushroom cultivation.
Over the years, besides studying pharmacology, he had also put effort into cultivating Spiritual Herbs.
After setting up the area, Wang Hong spread some Space soil near the Spirit Spring and planted several Jade Marrow Mushroom seedlings.
If he was forced to, he could reveal that this place produced Jade Marrow Mushrooms.
Furthermore, he made detailed arrangements inside the stone chamber, especially in the one with the remains of a cultivator. He intentionally placed an extremely old and decayed shelf there.
On the shelf, he placed several bottles of pills that had lost almost all their Spiritual Energy, making them almost worthless.
Wang Hong spent a day arranging this place to resemble the remains of an ancient cultivator's cave mansion.
This was just one of his contingency plans, and if he didn't have to use it, all the better.
Once everything was set up properly, he double-checked multiple times and found no flaws.
He retraced his steps, sealed the entrance to the cave, and safely returned to Boundary City.
During this recent period, Wang Hong had secretly helped two of his subordinates successfully reach the Foundation Building stage.
Cultivators without Spiritual Roots needed at least six Foundation Establishment Pills, with some using as many as nine.
In the current Cultivation World, it was likely only Wang Hong who would use such vast resources to cultivate individuals without Spiritual Roots.
As of now, including Ling Shuai, Wang Hong had a total of six subordinates at the Foundation Building stage. Adding Wang Hong himself and Little Peng, the second-tier Spirit Beast, they were nearly on par with the mid-sized and minor factions in Boundary City.
However, currently, only Ling Shuai had reached the mid-stage of Foundation Building, while the rest were still in the early stage.
On this day, Wang Hong and Wu Dayong hid in a secret chamber, and no one knew what they were secretly doing inside; they wouldn't allow anyone to enter.
The next day, Qingxu Tower announced that they would hold an auction in the near future.
The items up for auction included Jade Marrow Mushrooms, second-tier Spirit Wine, and some relatively rare second-tier pills.
When people saw that Jade Marrow Mushrooms were among the items, the hearts of all the cultivators in Boundary City raced with excitement. News of Jade Marrow Mushrooms had been on their minds for a while now, and the prospect of seeing them at an auction was thrilling.
However, this auction had a unique requirement: it wouldn't accept low-grade Spirit Stones.
To participate in the auction, one needed to pay with mid-grade Spirit Stones or equivalent second-tier refining tool materials.