Wang Hong was pleasantly surprised to find a book titled "Body Refining Decision" in Hu Qing's Storage Bag.
This cultivation technique had a relatively low requirement for Spiritual Roots but demanded a substantial amount of resources. Unlike most Immortal Cultivators who relied on meditation to absorb Spirit Qi from heaven and earth, this technique primarily utilized various Spirit Pills, Spiritual Medicines, and even different foods containing Spirit Qi.
The practitioner would then channel the acquired Spiritual Energy through special techniques throughout the entire body.
Wang Hong was delighted as he felt this technique suited him well. With mediocre Spiritual Roots, his progress in meditation was slow, and his current cultivation level relied heavily on consuming Elixirs.
Despite lacking in other aspects, Wang Hong, with his Space ability, had an abundance of resources. The technique mentioned two types of Elixirs, Body Refining Pill and Golden Body Pill, along with several types of spirit fruits that could assist in enhancing body refinement cultivation.
Wang Hong instructed Zhang Chunfeng to arrange for the collection of various Spiritual Medicines and spirit fruits needed for the technique.
Interestingly, this Body Refining Technique shared similarities with the "Henglian Liuhe Gong" Wang Hong practiced in the Mortal Realm, with the main difference being one focused on Inner Strength while the other on Spiritual Energy.
A sudden idea struck Wang Hong: what if he combined these two techniques, integrating their strengths and weaknesses to create a new cultivation method suitable for Mortals without Spiritual Roots?
Without hesitation, he decided to give it a try. Handing over "Body Refining Decision" to Zhao Ning and Luo Zhongjie, he instructed them to transcribe the technique for experimentation to see its effects.
Wang Hong consumed a Condensing Qi Pill, activated the "Body Refining Decision" technique, and instead of the Spiritual Energy usual path to the dantian vortex, it flowed through meridians, nourishing and improving muscles, bones, and internal organs.
After an hour, the effects of the Condensing Qi Pill wore off. Wang Hong could distinctly feel an increase in physical strength and improved resilience of his skin.
Feeling energetic, Wang Hong took another Condensing Qi Pill. However, after the second pill, his body felt saturated, with muscles sore and some small blood vessels ruptured, causing minor bleeding. It seemed his body had reached a temporary saturation point.
At his current cultivation level, "Body Refining Decision" could refine a maximum of two Condensing Qi Pills a day.
Considering the normal consumption of one Condensing Qi Pill for spiritual energy cultivation, he would need three pills a day, totaling over a hundred pills a month, a substantial amount even for a typical Cultivation Clan.
Three days later, Zhang Chunfeng reported that they could only gather enough Medicinal Herbs for one set of Body Refining Pill, and a small portion of the Golden Body Pill. No sign of the rare spirit fruit.
Simultaneously, he brought news that in half a month, Myriad Treasures Tower, in collaboration with several major businesses, would hold the annual Ten Stores Joint Auction. Many rare spiritual items were expected to be available.
Wang Hong considered attending, having never participated in such an auction before. He planted the collected Body Refining Pill Spirit Herbs in his Space for cultivation and breeding.
In the following days, Wang Hong became busier, spending at least three hours each day refining three Condensing Qi Pills.
The remaining time was spent refining several batches of Elixirs. Wang Hong's Alchemy skills had noticeably improved, with a pill success rate reaching twenty percent.
In half a month, Wang Hong successfully refined one hundred batches of Condensing Qi Pills, totaling two hundred and thirty pills.
With intensive cultivation and the assistance of numerous Condensing Qi Pills, Wang Hong experienced significant progress in practicing the "Body Refining Decision" technique. His physical strength increased substantially, and he could now lift an eight-thousand-pound boulder.
The Ten Stores Joint Auction was an annual event primarily for Qi Cultivation stage cultivators.
Although focused on Qi Cultivation, each auction would still feature several Foundation Building stage treasures. Some items were versatile, usable by both Foundation Building and Qi Cultivation cultivators.
On the side of the auction building, there was a small door where people lined up to commission items for auction.
Following the queue, Wang Hong observed others exiting the door, some with joyful expressions, some with furrowed brows, and others maintaining a stoic demeanor.
When it was Wang Hong's turn, he entered the door and encountered an old man seated behind a redwood table.
"Friend, what items do you wish to commission for auction? We do not accept items valued below five hundred Spirit Stones," the old man inquired.
Wang Hong quickly approached and placed two Jade Boxes on the table. The old man opened them, his initially indifferent expression transforming into delight. After inspecting both boxes, his face blossomed into a smile.
"Excellent! Excellent! Two Scarlet Blood Ginsengs, each aged three hundred years." He handed Wang Hong a wooden plaque. "After the auction, use this token to settle the payment in Spirit Stones. It is binding, and the auction will deduct ten percent as a commission."
Wang Hong hurriedly accepted the wooden plaque, looking somewhat embarrassed, and walked out of the small door.
Observing his expression, a fellow cultivator in the queue remarked to a companion, "Many people just overestimate themselves, bringing worthless items like scrap metal and dead branches to try their luck here."
The companion sighed, "Well, most small loose cultivators never get the chance to see real treasures. Our family had some Foundation Building stage items left behind by ancestors. Selling them now might get us enough Condensing Qi Pills to advance to the later stages of Qi Cultivation."
Wang Hong, feeling a bit awkward, quickly moved away, inwardly disdainful of cultivators relying on ancestral possessions and mocking others.
At the entrance of the auction, two Qi Cultivation stage cultivators stood guard.
To enter the auction, each cultivator had to pay a thousand Spirit Stones as a deposit to prevent malicious bidding without the ability to pay. If such a situation occurred, the deposit would not be refunded, serving to raise the auction's threshold.
Wang Hong paid a thousand Spirit Stones at the entrance and received a tiger head mask from a guard. This mask served as a kind of Magical Weapon, blocking spiritual probing.
Upon entering, Wang Hong found himself in a dim corridor where he put on the mask. At the corridor's exit, a guard handed him a number plate.
It was a palm-sized wooden plaque with a set of numbers, "697." When he wanted to place a bid, he would raise this plate, signifying an increase in the bid. Some people preferred shouting in excitement, and that was also acceptable.
Exiting the corridor, he entered a hall that could accommodate thousands of people. Only a few hundred had arrived at this point, so Wang Hong found a seat at random.
It seemed there was still some time, so Wang Hong took out two bunches of Raspberries from his Space and began eating while waiting. These Raspberries were now the size of fists, covered in fingertip-sized black beads. They were Wang Hong's favorite snacks, and he would eat a few whenever he had the chance.
Biting into the berries and lightly pressing with his tongue, they turned into sweet juice that slid down his throat. There was no need for deliberate cultivation; the juice gradually transformed into Spiritual Energy within his abdomen, flowing into his dantian.
Eating a whole fist-sized Raspberry provided more Spiritual Energy than an hour of his usual meditation practice.
After finishing the two bunches of Raspberries, the hall had filled with thousands of people. The auction platform at the front began to rise slowly, stopping at a height of twenty feet.
An old man with white hair and beard, radiating an aura of immortality, walked onto the platform.
Clearing his throat, he began, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to this year's Ten Stores Joint Auction. I am Feng Qing, serving as the auctioneer for this event.
This auction features a total of eight hundred items and is expected to last for one day."
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