Chapter 146: Jiaolong Essence Pill!

The one bidding with the Thunder Clan patriarch Lei Mingshan was not a local of Character: Liyang Immortal City, and even the well‑informed Zhu Xiao Chuan did not know him.

But from his tone, he must also be a genuine Golden Core True Person.

It's just that we don't know which Golden Core sect's patriarch he is.

In the end.

Perhaps because the Thunder Clan patriarch has indeed taken several Longevity Pills before, even if he wins this third‑tier premium Longevity Pill at auction, its Cost Performance Ratio is not very high; it won't extend his life by many years.

So when this as‑yet‑unknown Golden Core True Person shouted a price of eighty thousand Low‑grade Spirit Stones, the Thunder Clan patriarch let out a cold snort and stopped bidding.

"Dao Companions, why do you seem so uninterested? Though you are still young, a Longevity Pill is a rare treasure, not easy to come by; buying one for safekeeping is also wise. You appear completely disinterested," Zhu Xiao Chuan asked, a bit puzzled.

The auction was already nearly halfway through.

Xiao Zhangqing has so far placed a bid once.

And in the end it was snatched by several parties, so Xiao Zhangqing gave up.

"It's not that I'm uninterested; I just want to spend my Spirit Stones on the edge of a blade! If something isn't especially useful to me, there's no need to join the fray, otherwise when a truly coveted treasure appears I won't have any Spirit Stones left to bid with," Xiao Zhangqing explained.

In the first half of the auction, some decent items also appeared; although Xiao Zhangqing didn't get a chance to have the system appraise some of them, they were probably fine.

However, none met Xiao Zhangqing's highest expectations.

This time attending the auction, Xiao Zhangqing's primary goal was to find a treasure that could raise his spiritual root aptitude by one level.

From Earth Spiritual Root to Heavenly Spiritual Root! In that case, his future Golden Core formation would be much smoother.

However, the auction's inconveniences also became apparent at this moment for him.

The auction offered many treasures; even the famous shops of Character: Liyang Immortal City couldn't match even a tenth of what's here. Yet however many items there were, he couldn't get his hands on them to have the system appraise them.

It relied entirely on Xiao Zhangqing's eye and a bit of luck.

That is one reason why Xiao Zhangqing acts so cautiously.

But after the Longevity Pill, Xiao Zhangqing's eyes lit up quickly; he encountered a treasure that piqued his interest fully, and he resolved to obtain it.

"The next auction item is a third‑tier Jiaolong Essence Pill! A third‑tier beast's Essence Pill is exceedingly rare and precious, need I say more, especially since it's a Jiaolong Essence Pill."

"This pill has many uses. When used to forge Magic Treasures, it not only boosts their power, but it also possesses a hint of spirit from birth, making it half the effort to refine into a personal Magic Treasure. Of course, its greater use is as the primary ingredient for forging a Condensing True Pill…"

"The third‑tier Jiaolong Essence Pill starts at seventy thousand Low‑grade Spirit Stones, and each raise must be at least one thousand Low‑grade Spirit Stones."

Whoa! Once this pill appeared, the auction's atmosphere clearly rose to a higher level.

It wasn't only Xiao Zhangqing who was interested; almost no Foundation Establishment cultivators on site were uninterested in the Jiaolong Essence Pill! Even someone like Zhu Xiao Chuan, who was just there for show, showed a peculiar look in his eyes.

This is the primary ingredient for forging a Condensing True Pill!

Although a Condensing True Pill requires many precious herbs, far more than a single third‑tier beast Essence Pill.

But as long as one has a third‑tier beast Essence Pill, a third of the chance to forge a Condensing True Pill is secured! If luck is sufficient to find companions with the other ingredients, a single third‑tier beast Essence Pill gives hope of obtaining a Condensing True Pill!

With such a treasure, which Foundation Establishment cultivator wouldn't want to claim it?

Besides Foundation Establishment cultivators, many Fake Core True Persons also covet it.

As everyone knows, Fake Core True Persons cannot be considered true Golden Core cultivators, because they have not successfully condensed a Golden Core in their bodies. Although their magical power, flesh, even Soul Transformation and life level have all leapt forward, they are not much different from early‑stage Golden Core cultivators. Yet the "Golden Core" inside them is gray, lifeless, merely a half‑finished product.

For this reason, Fake Core True Persons' strength always lags behind that of Golden Core cultivators.

It is also because of the gray "Golden Core" that they cannot easily refine a personal Magic Treasure like Golden Core True Persons.

For a Fake Core True Person to refine a personal Magic Treasure, besides enduring countless hardships and possessing astonishing perseverance, the chosen third‑tier Magic Treasure must be of the highest possible quality!

If a third‑tier Magic Treasure can incorporate a third‑tier beast Essence Pill during its forging, then refining a personal Magic Treasure becomes much easier for them.

Thus, many Fake Core cultivators also joined the bidding, looking determined to obtain it.

"I'll bid seventy‑one thousand!"

"Seventy‑three thousand Low‑grade Spirit Stones!"

…

"Seventy‑eight thousand!"

"Seventy‑nine thousand!"

"Eighty thousand!"

At the start of the bidding, there were more than a dozen cultivators.

After each placed a single bid, the price surged to ninety thousand Low‑grade Spirit Stones—directly twenty thousand above the base price!

Such a high price is enough to keep ninety‑nine percent of Foundation Establishment cultivators out.

Even Fake Core cultivators, most of them cannot produce that many ready‑made Spirit Stones, and would have to liquidate assets.

Therefore, after the frenzied rush, more than half of the bidders, though burning with desire, had to reluctantly stop because their storage bags lacked enough Spirit Stones.

At that moment.

The host suddenly spoke: "By the way, a friendly reminder. If any honored guest finds their Spirit Stones insufficient yet still wishes to bid, they may pledge a treasure they possess. Just inform our staff in advance, present the pledged treasure for appraisal, and once its price is determined, its value can be added to continue bidding..."

Upon hearing this, many of the cultivators still bidding muttered curses inwardly.

Insufficient Spirit Stones, but allowing treasure pledges—doesn't that just raise the difficulty for them? Yet there's no choice; the organizers are the Nine Alliance Chamber of Commerce together with the Character: Liyang Immortal City City Lord's Residence, and even disciples of Xingyue Palace and Seven Star Sword Sect dare not act rashly at this auction, so they can only grimace and accept.

Sure enough, several parties that had previously abandoned bidding rejoined the fray.

Within just a few minutes, the price of this third‑tier Jiaolong Essence Pill had risen to one hundred thousand Low‑grade Spirit Stones.

It rose another ten thousand.

"Xingyue Palace, Ding Yanran, bids one hundred and five thousand Low‑grade Spirit Stones!"

As a pleasant female cultivator's voice rang from a private box, the entire auction fell silent.

Not only did this woman directly raise the price by five thousand Low‑grade Spirit Stones, but she also announced her affiliation.

Xingyue Palace, one of the two Nascent Soul forces of the Da Yu Cultivation World that stands atop the clouds like a transcendent existence!

It is the box that, as Zhu Xiao Chuan just introduced, is personally sponsored by the sole Golden Core True Person among the Character: Liyang Seven Heroes, Guang Qin Zhenren.

Several other bidders who had been ready to continue bidding, after a moment of startled hesitation in their eyes, thought briefly and chose to give up.

In such a setting, nearly ten thousand people were watching, and no one dared to impersonate the name of Xingyue Palace.

Therefore this female cultivator named Ding Yanran must be a genuine core disciple of Xingyue Palace. Even among the ten great families of Character: Liyang Immortal City, how many would dare oppose a core disciple of Xingyue Palace? The key is that the other party made no threatening words, only announced their affiliation, saying they are a disciple of Xingyue Palace, and the organizers could not deem it a violation.

Some chose to give up, and naturally some persisted.

"Seven Star Sword Sect, Li Xuelian, one hundred and six thousand Low‑grade Spirit Stones!"

Soon, in another booth, a crisp bidding call also rang out.

The crowd boiled again.

Both major Nascent Soul forces surprisingly had disciples attending the auction, which is quite rare!

Although Character: Liyang Immortal City is one of the top cities in the Da Yu Cultivation World, bustling indeed, it is still far from both Nascent Soul forces, and few Nascent Soul Sect disciples come to Character: Liyang Immortal City.

For most cultivators in Character: Liyang Immortal City, core disciples of the Nascent Soul Sect are still "rare treasures", seldom seen.

"Li Xuelian, are you deliberately opposing me? You're just a sword practitioner, what are you fighting me over for the Jiaolong Essence Pill?"

"I'll take it if I want; do I need your consent?"

"You… fine! One hundred and seven thousand!"

"One hundred and eight thousand!"

"One hundred and nine thousand!"

The two disciples from the Nascent Soul Sect began to up the ante, and the price climbed step by step again.

Originally there were also two Fake Core True Person cultivators from Character: Liyang Immortal City, not too fearful of the Nascent Soul Sect disciples' reputation, still bidding along.

But when the price reached one hundred and ten thousand Low‑grade Spirit Stones, they all chose to give up.

This price is too high.

It already exceeds the ceiling for a third‑tier Jiaolong Essence Pill.

Even if this item is extremely rare, encountered by chance and not sought, it is not worth spending so many Spirit Stones.

"Lord, what should we do, continue bidding?"

Lin Zixi looked a bit nervous at Xiao Zhangqing and asked.

Zhu Xiaochuan also nodded, his mouth dry, quickly sipping tea to moisten his throat.

So thrilling.

This Dao Companion truly is quiet until they make a sound, then astonishing! Usually conceals their cultivation strength, never shows a hint, but at the crucial moment delivers a single move that instantly kills the Song family young master; now joining the auction, normally they don't bid, but when they do it's on such a grand occasion.

Indeed.

When the price reached one hundred and ten thousand, the only participants bidding for the Jiaolong Essence Pill, besides the two Nascent Soul Sect disciples, were just Xiao Zhangqing.

Xiao Zhangqing also knew that this price had already exceeded the item's intrinsic value.

Just like the third‑tier Magic Treasure he obtained from Song Changning's corpse, under normal circumstances its price would be around one hundred thousand Low‑grade Spirit Stones.

Yet even so, he had to bid! He was determined to obtain this item! "One hundred and thirty thousand Low‑grade Spirit Stones!"

In the shocked gazes of the two, Xiao Zhangqing not only bid, but shouted an incomprehensible price.

The originally opposing Ding Yanran and Li Xuelian, those two Nascent Soul Sect disciples, were also stunned.

Someone even more audacious? Raising the price by twenty thousand Low‑grade Spirit Stones directly, even they aren't that wealthy! So indifferent to Spirit Stones!

Who is this?

However, after a moment of silence, neither of them continued bidding; amid the host's repeated shouts, they remained very quiet.

Clearly they gave up.

First, although they are core disciples of the Nascent Soul Sect, they do not have unlimited resources and do care about cost; second, as long as the Jiaolong Essence Pill is not taken by either of them and an outsider wins it at auction, it doesn't affect their rank, so there's no need to force themselves to be the dupe.

Third‑tier Beast Essence Pills, though precious and rare even in Character: Liyang Immortal City, can still be found by the Nascent Soul Sect with a bit more effort.

"One hundred and thirty thousand for the first, one hundred and thirty thousand for the second, one hundred and thirty thousand for the third!"

"Congratulations, this precious Jiaolong Essence Pill was claimed by the VIP in Booth No. 23!"

Xiao Zhangqing exhaled a sigh of relief at that sight.

Fortunately, those two Nascent Soul Sect disciples had no backing and were not willing to clash with him at any cost.

Although he still had twenty thousand Low‑grade Spirit Stones in his pocket, and the Song family's heirloom third‑tier Magic Treasure that could be used as collateral, it was still better to acquire it while spending fewer Spirit Stones.

His Spirit Stones were not gathered by picking up a hundred…

Alright, in a sense, most of his Spirit Stones could indeed be considered "picked up".

The reason he raised the price by twenty thousand directly was to avoid constantly competing with Ding Yanran and Li Xuelian, letting those two women keep one‑upping each other without knowing when it would end. So he simply shouted a high price to show a firm stance, and the two women indeed retreated.

Shortly after the auction ended, a Fake Core True Person escorted a female cultivator to Xiao Zhangqing's VIP chest, delivering the Jiaolong Essence Pill.

Xiao Zhangqing inspected it, confirmed there were no issues, and quickly handed over a storage bag containing one hundred and thirty thousand Low‑grade Spirit Stones.

"Zhu, may you continue to auction the treasures you desire."

The female cultivator, with her divine sense, counted the Spirit Stones, then informed some precautions for using the Jiaolong Essence Pill, before exiting with a polite smile.

The auction continued.

The next items didn't interest Xiao Zhangqing, so he paid no mind, but eagerly lifted the third‑tier Jiaolong Essence Pill with both hands to let the system identify it.

He spent a fortune to purchase the Jiaolong Essence Pill, not to forge a Condensation True Pill, nor to forge his destined Magic Treasure.

The Condensation True Pill is the hardest treasure for countless Foundation Establishment cultivators to obtain; he had already found an opportunity on Zhu Dan Shi, awaiting his cultivation to reach a complete Foundation Establishment to claim it.

As for his destined Magic Treasure, when he later condenses a Golden Core, not a Fake Core, he won't need an Essence Pill.

What he valued most about this Jiaolong Essence Pill was the possible "skill" it might carry! Back then at Nanshan Fang, he obtained a broken "Prison Dragon Bracelet", its level dropped from third tier to barely second tier, and the Jiaolong soul had already vanished, leaving no trace.

Yet it still yielded three great divine techniques, which have served him till now, and will greatly aid his future Pill formation and even Nascent Soul stage.

Now this intact Jiaolong Essence Pill, with its Jiaolong essence fully preserved, what kind of skill will the system generate?

"Brother Tong, I spent a hundred and thirty thousand Low‑grade Spirit Stones, half my net worth, don't let me down!"

Xiao Zhangqing took a deep breath, his thoughts stirred, and opened the system interface.

(End of chapter)