Next, a number of Spirit Herbs were auctioned, and Wang Hong casually bid on several. Anything available at the auction was extraordinary, beyond what his small shop and stall could acquire.
The competition for Spirit Herbs was not as intense as for Elixirs since merely having a Spirit Herb wouldn't transform it into an Elixir. One still needed to gather other materials and find an Alchemist to refine it into a pill.
"The next item up for auction is a Green Spirit Peach. Legend has it that in ancient times, there was a kind of peach that bloomed for three thousand years, bore fruit for three thousand years, and matured for three thousand years. From blooming to maturity, it took a total of nine thousand years. It is said that smelling this peach grants immortality, and eating one can make you an immortal on the spot.
This Green Spirit Peach was obtained from an ancient cultivator's cave and is speculated to be a distant branch of an ancient variety. While its effects are far from the legendary peach, it still contains potent Spirit Qi. Consuming one can allow a Qi Cultivator to ignore bottlenecks and advance to the next realm.
Now, let the auction begin, starting bid..."
"Three thousand five."
Soon, the price rose to ten thousand Spirit Stones. This Green Spirit Peach was much more powerful than the Barrier Breaking Pill, leading to increased competition.
In the end, Wang Hong spent twelve thousand Spirit Stones to acquire it.
Afterwards, several other spiritual items were auctioned, decent but not essential. Wang Hong refrained from bidding again.
Following Elixirs and Spirit Herbs, there were auctions for rare ores, technique manuals, and other miscellaneous items.
The two Scarlet Blood Ginseng that Wang Hong submitted for auction still hadn't appeared. It wasn't clear if they were being saved for a special reveal.
"Next, we have the highlight of the auction. I present the first item." As Feng Qing spoke, he unveiled a golden radiance-emitting Flying Sword.
"This is a Spiritual Weapon Flying Sword, a lower-grade Spiritual Weapon of the Metal Element."
A Spiritual Weapon was a higher-level concept than a Magical Weapon, possessing some advantages of a magical treasure but in a simplified form. It served as the primary weapon for Foundation Building cultivators and could be reluctantly wielded by Qi Cultivation later-stage cultivators, offering a bit of power. However, even a small amount of its power was beyond what an ordinary Magical Weapon could withstand.
"The starting bid for the Spiritual Weapon Flying Sword is one Spirit Stone, with increments of no less than one hundred Spirit Stones each time."
"One hundred twenty-eight thousand."
"One hundred twenty-nine thousand."
In the end, a cultivator wearing a cow-headed mask bought it for one hundred twenty-nine thousand.
"The next item up for auction is a pair of three-hundred-year-old Scarlet Blood Ginseng. Sufficient for refining Breakthrough Pills for Foundation Building cultivators."
"Two Scarlet Blood Ginseng, starting bid is one Spirit Stone, with increments of one hundred Spirit Stones each time."
"I bid five thousand."
When the price reached ninety thousand Spirit Stones, a cultivator who was bidding suddenly released the pressure of a Foundation Building stage cultivator, causing those around him to be breathless.
Several Qi Cultivation cultivators who were originally bidding against him fell silent and dared not speak.
Although it was an auction for Qi Cultivation cultivators, a small number of Foundation Building cultivators still participated, and the organizers didn't oppose it.
At this moment, powerful pressures were released from the auction stage and several corners of the hall simultaneously.
Feng Qing calmly spoke, "Senior, please retract your pressure. We junior cultivators have limited strength and can't withstand the senior's supernatural abilities."
Although he said this, there was no fear in his expression. The Foundation Building cultivator slowly retracted his pressure, taking advantage of the situation.
At this point, another Foundation Building cultivator stepped onto the auction stage and said, "Fellow cultivators, during the auction, please adhere to the order of the auction house, or you will be expelled."
"At this auction, the highest bidder wins, regardless of cultivation level. We will also take measures to ensure confidentiality. The auction will now continue."
Despite the assurances, the bidding became much less lively.
In the end, the two three-hundred-year-old Scarlet Blood Ginseng only fetched ninety thousand Spirit Stones. Wang Hong was infuriated, as it sold for at least several thousand Spirit Stones less than expected.
"Now, we will auction the final item. Prepare your Spirit Stones and get ready to bid wildly!"
"One Foundation Building Pill..."
As soon as the words "Foundation Building Pill" were uttered, the audience erupted.
Except for the Heavenly Spirit Root, any Qi Cultivation cultivator aiming to enter the Foundation Building stage needed the assistance of a Foundation Building Pill.
It could be said that the Foundation Building Pill was the dream of every Qi Cultivation cultivator.
However, the Spirit Herbs required to refine the Foundation Building Pill were said to be abundant in ancient times. Due to the gradual thinning of Spirit Qi in the cultivation world, many Spirit Herbs had become extinct.
The Spirit Herbs needed to refine the Foundation Building Pill were on the verge of extinction. Now, they only grew in extremely concentrated Spirit Qi environments, known as secret realms.
Several major sects led efforts to protect and occupy these secret realms, with a total of six secret realms, each opening every sixty years. They took turns, opening one every ten years, each time for three months.
Qi Cultivation cultivators dispatched by major sects entered the secret realms together to collect Spiritual Medicine.
Furthermore, only mature Spiritual Medicine was allowed to be collected, preventing the extinction of these herbs.
Hearing that it was a Foundation Building Pill, Wang Hong excitedly joined the bidding. When the price reached two hundred thousand, Wang Hong couldn't keep up.
He currently only had the Scarlet Blood Ginseng of considerable value, and it was based on their scarcity. If too many were released at once, they would naturally lose value.
Moreover, as a mere Qi Cultivation cultivator, possessing too many rare Spiritual Medicines could lead to his discovery. If the auction wanted to trace him, it would be easy.
In the end, a cultivator bought the Foundation Building Pill for three hundred fifty thousand.
With the last item sold, the Ten Stores Joint Auction officially concluded.
Wang Hong went to the side door with the Wooden Plaque to collect the auction proceeds from the Scarlet Blood Ginseng. After selling for twelve thousand, deducting a ten percent commission, Wang Hong received a total of one hundred thousand and eighty thousand Spirit Stones.
Holding the Spirit Stones, Wang Hong felt that he had underestimated the heroes of the world before. With just over ten thousand Spirit Stones in his Storage Bag, he thought he was wealthy. It was truly embarrassing to think about!
In Azure Void City, there were millions of Qi Cultivation cultivators, including many outstanding individuals. Even among loose cultivators, there were likely many remarkable figures. He had been a bit narrow-minded before.
Returning to his residence, Wang Hong scattered the over ten thousand Spirit Stones on the ground in the Space. Then, he found an empty space to plant the Spirit Herbs he had acquired today.
Now, the Space had more than ninety percent of its land occupied, with just a little more needed to reach an acre. In fact, an acre wasn't very large, and without the twenty-five times accelerated time flow, it would be challenging to sustain oneself.
After this auction, apart from the Scarlet Blood Ginseng, all the other Spiritual Medicines from previous years had been mostly used up. These Spiritual Medicines from previous years were accumulated over the past few years.
The remaining Spiritual Medicines were enough for his personal use. In the short term, there wouldn't be a large quantity of Spiritual Herbs for sale. It seemed he would have to find other ways to earn Spirit Stones.
Wang Hong turned his gaze to a corner of the Space, where a large pile of wine barrels was stacked, over ten feet high, occupying a square area.
Since three years ago, when the Spirit Wine business boomed, he had been intermittently brewing Medicinal wine. It would take another year to reach the vintage of the previous batch.
The previous batch of wine was only a few thousand catties, and under limited sales, it didn't last long, selling out quickly. However, it still earned him tens of thousands of Spirit Stones.
In fact, this was only the lowest-grade Spirit Wine, suitable for early and mid-stage Qi Cultivation cultivators.
Thinking about it, Wang Hong decided to brew some higher-quality Spirit Wine.
The materials for brewing Spirit Wine were divided into several categories, including Spirit Grain, spirit fruit, spirit flowers, and Spirit Herbs.
Depending on the materials used, the brewing methods naturally varied.
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