Chapter 42: The Profound Water Flower
Pills that nourish spiritual energy are even useful for Golden Core cultivators during their cultivation.
This bottle contained over a dozen pills, enough to sustain a Golden Core cultivator for three years.
'Could all of these be third-tier pills?'
An absurd thought arose in the manager's mind.
In the Southern Domain, a third-tier alchemist would be treated as an honored guest even by Nascent Soul-level forces. If this young man before him could produce so many third-tier pills, there must surely be a third-tier alchemist backing him.
However, the manager didn't connect the young man before him with the idea of being the third-tier alchemist himself. Even the most talented alchemist would need over a hundred years to become a third-tier alchemist.
The young man before him looked no older than twenty, so it was impossible for him to be the third-tier alchemist personally.
It was far more likely that he was the descendant of a third-tier alchemist.
Thinking this, the manager hurriedly opened the other jade bottles. Among them, five contained third-tier pills, while the remaining seven held second-tier pills. However, these second-tier pills were among the more precious ones of their kind.
"Young Master, are you planning to have these pills auctioned by our auction house?"
The manager asked with a fawning smile.
The descendant of a third-tier alchemist was not someone a small branch manager like him could afford to offend.
"Hmm."
Li Changsheng responded indifferently.
"Young Master, rest assured, these pills will fetch a handsome price at our auction!"
The manager smiled as he collected the pills, then cupped his hands toward Li Changsheng and said:
"Young Master, I will report these pills to the higher-ups now."
"Go ahead."
...
After waiting for half an hour, the auction finally began!
A gray-robed auctioneer walked onto the high platform on the first floor and announced:
"Welcome, everyone, to the Golden Mountain Auction House's Misty Valley branch's once-every-five-years auction. This year's auction features more treasures than ever before, and we are honored to have many distinguished guests in attendance."
The auctioneer didn't specify the identities of the distinguished guests, but this still caused a stir among the attendees, who began speculating about who these guests might be.
The Golden Mountain Auction House was the largest auction house in the Southern Domain, with multiple Golden Core experts overseeing its operations. Its strength was comparable to that of the Sunset Valley of the Qi State. However, the Golden Mountain Auction House had always adhered to the principle of harmony for prosperity, rarely clashing with other forces, which was why it remained relatively low-profile in the Southern Domain.
But no one doubted the strength of the Golden Mountain Auction House.
"Now, without further ado, the first item up for auction today is three Foundation Establishment Pills."
"Since there are three pills, they will be auctioned separately. The starting price is six thousand spirit stones, with each bid increase no less than one hundred spirit stones."
After saying this, the auctioneer opened the jade box before him, revealing three purple Foundation Establishment Pills resting inside.
"Hiss!"
A wave of gasps swept through the auction hall.
This was a once-every-five-years auction, and many attendees were not new to it. However, this was the first time they had seen Foundation Establishment Pills being auctioned right at the start. In previous auctions with fewer items, Foundation Establishment Pills could even serve as the final highlight. Yet today, the very first item was Foundation Establishment Pills!
"Six thousand five hundred spirit stones."
"Six thousand eight hundred spirit stones."
"Seven thousand five hundred spirit stones..."
The atmosphere in the hall immediately heated up. News of the Foundation Establishment Pills at this auction had already spread, and many had come specifically for them. Now, the bidding wars began.
"Two of the Foundation Establishment Pills are mine. I wonder what price they'll fetch."
Li Changsheng murmured to himself.
He hadn't expected the auction to start with Foundation Establishment Pills. Although they were only second-tier pills, they were often more expensive than many third-tier pills. A single Foundation Establishment Pill could ensure the prosperity of a small family for two hundred years, which was why some families were willing to go bankrupt to obtain one.
In the end, the first Foundation Establishment Pill sold for eleven thousand five hundred spirit stones.
The second one sold for twelve thousand five hundred spirit stones.
By the time the third Foundation Establishment Pill came up, families and factions that hadn't succeeded earlier and believed they still had a chance went into a frenzy, driving the price up. The final pill sold for a staggering fourteen thousand eight hundred spirit stones.
"Over twenty thousand spirit stones in my pocket!"
Li Changsheng smiled with satisfaction.
That meant two more simulation opportunities were secured!
After the fierce competition over the three Foundation Establishment Pills, the atmosphere in the auction hall was electric. The dozens of subsequent items also fetched impressive prices. During this time, Li Changsheng also bid on and won two materials needed for setting up formations.
One after another, the auction items were sold.
Among them were several bottles of pills Li Changsheng had refined, all of which sold for high prices.
"The next item up for auction is a fragment of a secret realm map, roughly one-quarter of the complete map. After examination by our Golden Mountain Auction House, we can confirm its authenticity."
The auctioneer stated matter-of-factly:
"This item cannot be directly displayed to everyone. What you see here is a reproduction of a corner, but we guarantee it is genuine."
"The starting price is five thousand spirit stones, with each bid increase no less than one hundred spirit stones."
The hall fell silent. No one spoke. A map that was only a quarter complete and cost five thousand spirit stones was simply not worth the investment for most factions.
"Hmm?"
Li Changsheng let out a soft exclamation. This fragment of the map looked somewhat familiar to him.
He retrieved the map of the Vajra Sect's secret realm location from his storage bag, a map he had obtained after killing the Mountain-Shaking Tiger. Comparing it to the map on the auction stage, he confirmed that they were indeed parts of the same map.
"Interesting!"
Li Changsheng murmured to himself.
He had initially thought that the map of the Vajra Sect's secret realm was something passed down among the Vajra Sect's descendants and that he alone possessed it. He hadn't expected to see another fragment at the auction.
On the stage.
The gray-robed auctioneer was also feeling a bit awkward. Could this be the first item to go unsold?
"Five thousand spirit stones."
A melodious voice came from the fourth floor.
Li Changsheng immediately recognized the voice as that of Lu He, Su Qingyu's maid.
"She traveled all this way just for this fragment of a map?"
Li Changsheng murmured, "The Su family is indeed trustworthy. After the auction, I should seek out Su Qingyu and inquire about the Vajra Sect."
He had a feeling that there was something off about the Vajra Sect's Elder Su.
Soon, dozens more items were auctioned off. The pills Li Changsheng had refined also fetched good prices, with the bottle of third-tier Spirit Nourishing Pills ultimately being won by Su Qingyu.
"Alright, we're now approaching the final item of today's auction—the Profound Water Flower..."
The auctioneer didn't even glance at the small families and independent cultivators on the first floor. Instead, he directed his attention to the distinguished guests in the private boxes.
"The Profound Water Flower is the primary material for refining the Aqua Essence Pill, which can purify water spiritual roots... The starting price is thirty thousand spirit stones, with each bid increase no less than one thousand spirit stones!"
Whoosh!
The entire hall erupted in excitement. Purifying a spiritual root was equivalent to enhancing one's innate talent. This was especially significant for geniuses with Heavenly Spiritual Roots or dual spiritual roots, whose cultivation speed was already fast. Refining the Aqua Essence Pill to further purify their roots would only make them even faster!
As he gazed at the Profound Water Flower on the stage, Li Changsheng felt a stirring in his heart.
After all, among his four spiritual roots, one was a water spiritual root!