Chapter 158: Exchange

"Eight thousand five hundred spirit stones," Qin Ming bid first.

He was determined to obtain this item.

After round after round of bidding,

the price of this vial of Suanni beast blood reached ten thousand spirit stones.

The price kept climbing higher.

In the end, only Bai Yulin and several Foundation Establishment cultivators remained in fierce competition.

"Old man bids ten thousand spirit stones! Plus a top-grade magic treasure worth three thousand spirit stones," Fang Yezi's voice drifted out calmly.

Upon hearing this, the remaining cultivators abandoned their bids.

Qin Ming pondered for a moment, then announced his final bid: "Fifteen thousand spirit stones."

Fang Yezi's beard twitched, but he made no further bid, as if this were his upper limit.

In the end,

Qin Ming won the vial of second-rank inferior Bi Xue Suanni blood for fifteen thousand spirit stones.

Afterwards,

numerous rare treasures were auctioned off in succession, including Qin Ming's own Shen Shen tea and Purple Gold Bamboo.

Until finally,

among the closing auction items, even the Foundation Establishment essence—"Heavenly Fire Spirit Liquid"—appeared.

It was won by Ten Thousand Swords Manor for thirty-five thousand spirit stones.

As the auction neared its end, the highly anticipated Foundation Establishment Pill was finally brought forth.

The mid-tier auctioneer raised his voice, stirring the entire hall's excitement:

"Next is the final and most anticipated item of this auction—the Foundation Establishment Pill!"

"Crafted by our honored guest, Master Qin Dadan of Wangyue Island, its quality is superior, even slightly better than ordinary Foundation Establishment Pills!"

With that, he uncorked the vial, releasing a fragrant, soul-soothing aroma that stirred the hearts of all present cultivators.

All the scattered cultivators and family disciples who had saved and prepared to bid for this pill stirred with anticipation, barely able to wait.

"One Foundation Establishment Pill, starting bid: twenty thousand spirit stones!"

"Minimum increment: one thousand spirit stones."

Boom! The moment the auctioneer finished speaking, fierce bidding erupted.

"Twenty-five thousand!"

"Twenty-eight thousand!"

"Thirty thousand!"

"..."

"This Foundation Establishment Pill is claimed by the Qian family of Xiao Kui Island! Thirty-five thousand spirit stones!"

"You say it's yours? Forty thousand!"

"..."

The atmosphere in the hall instantly reached its peak.

Many scattered cultivators gazed helplessly at the soaring price of the pill, sighing in despair: "Too outrageous!"

"How long has it been? It's already at fifty thousand spirit stones!"

"Can't afford it, can't afford it."

Yet, the Foundation Establishment families and several powerful Qi Refining families continued bidding.

"Sixty-eight thousand spirit stones!" The Foundation Establishment cultivator from Xiao Kui Island spat out the price through gritted teeth—he never expected it to rise so high.

But what shattered him was yet to come.

"Seventy-two thousand spirit stones," a firm voice rang out.

Everyone had noticed the bidder earlier—a little-known Qi Refining family—yet none expected them to possess such depth.

"Seventy-five thousand!" Mu Yuanshan joined in, his expression grim, clearly exceeding his expectations.

He turned his head and glared fiercely at the Qi Refining family cultivator.

But the Qi Refining family cultivator remained unmoved, calmly continuing: "Eighty thousand spirit stones!"

He had just raised the bid by five thousand at once, causing gasps of astonishment from all present.

"Where did this Qi Refining family come from? So rich?"

"Seems to be the Zhang family from Lingnan—they specialize in talisman crafting."

Hearing the bid, Mu Yuanshan deflated like a punctured balloon and withdrew.

He had just scanned the Qi Refining family cultivator—this man was already at Qi Refining peak.

He likely intended to break through immediately within Canghai Xiancheng after securing the pill.

Mu Yuanshan had no way to counter him.

Inside his private booth, Qin Ming stared in stunned disbelief—he never imagined his own Foundation Establishment Pills would be so sought-after, fetching such a high price.

Yet, thinking of the tens of thousands of spirit stones about to enter his coffers, he felt delightfully satisfied.

"Hehe, congratulations, Brother Qin. This Foundation Establishment Pill's price ranks among the top ten in auction history," Gu Qingzhao smiled.

Qin Ming nodded. "Still thanks to your promotion, hehe!"

The auction ended.

The Qi Refining family cultivator settled the spirit stones at the back, received the Foundation Establishment Pill, and hurriedly left the venue.

He was surely off to rent a cave dwelling for his breakthrough—no sense risking delays.

Once he successfully broke through to Foundation Establishment, the enormous cost of the pill would be well worth it.

With a Foundation Establishment cultivator born in a Qi Refining family, the entire clan would rise to the status of a Foundation Establishment family—everything would change.

Qin Ming also followed Gu Qingzhao to settle his due spirit stones and the beast blood.

After deducting Jingxue Pavilion's ten percent commission and the cost of the beast blood he had purchased,

Qin Ming had netted over seventy thousand spirit stones.

This made Qin Ming deeply reflective—he finally understood firsthand why Gao Jie alchemists were so prized. After the matter concluded,

Gu Qingzhao and Liao the Shopkeeper had free time and gathered with Qin Ming for a meal.

"What are your plans next, Brother Qin?" Gu Qingzhao asked.

Qin Ming told her about Xue Zhili inviting him to a private exchange meeting.

"Xue Zhili is a decent man—a veteran Foundation Establishment cultivator of Canghai Xiancheng. His gathering should be safe," Gu Qingzhao thought for a moment, then replied.

Hearing this, Qin Ming felt reassured.

The next day,

Qin Ming arrived at the entrance of a villa in the inner city, following Xue Zhili's directions.

This Liuyun Villa, located in the inner city, boasted a second-rank superior spiritual vein and covered a vast area.

Within it stood pavilions, terraces, towers, rockeries, and ponds—all arranged with elegant garden charm.

After Qin Ming had the gate guards announce him, Xue Zhili stepped out with a beaming smile.

"Ah! Brother Qin has arrived—do come in!"

"The other cultivators have mostly arrived already."

Qin Ming followed Xue Zhili through the sprawling villa, winding past corridors until entering a grand hall, exquisitely and anciently decorated.

As soon as he entered, he saw seven or eight Foundation Establishment cultivators already seated inside.

Several of them were familiar.

Bai Yulin, Mu Yuanshan, Qian Haodong of Xiao Kui Island, the green-robed elder—all were present.

"Brother Qin has arrived."

"Brother Qin, welcome!"

"Brother Qin, long time to hear of you!"

The cultivators inside rose and greeted Qin Ming warmly.

Qin Ming smiled broadly and returned each greeting.

He stepped forward and took a vacant seat, conveniently beside the green-robed elder.

Through conversation, Qin Ming learned the green-robed elder's name was Gu Huai, a Foundation Establishment beginner and a scattered cultivator.

Half a cup of tea passed.

Several more Foundation Establishment cultivators entered.

To Qin Ming's surprise, even Sun Dadan and Fang Yezi the alchemy master arrived.

When all had arrived, over ten Foundation Establishment cultivators filled the hall.

These were either highly influential figures in Canghai Xiancheng or powerful Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivators.

Then,

Xue Zhili rose and bowed to all present. "Thank you, fellow cultivators, for honoring old man with your presence at this exchange meeting."

"I won't waste your time with long words."

"Since I organized this gathering, I'll begin first!"

Xue Zhili withdrew from his storage pouch a fist-sized crimson stone, radiating a sharp, metallic aura.

Fang Yezi, the alchemy master, his eyes gleaming, clearly recognized the item: "It's Chi Jing Jinmu!"

"Hehe! That's right! This is the very item. Old man wishes to exchange it for spirit herbs over two hundred years old—no spirit stones accepted."

Xue Zhili finished speaking and waited silently for offers.

He had full confidence in the Crimson Essence Gold Mother and feared no one would refuse to trade.

The Crimson Essence Gold Mother is a top-grade grade-two alchemical material; it is said that even a small amount added during forging greatly increases the number of magical seals a spirit material can withstand.

Fang Yezi, as a master forger, naturally recognized its value. After a brief hesitation, he produced a delicate jade box, opened it, and said to Xue Zhili: "Old man has here a one-hundred-fifty-year-old Dragon Pattern Grass. Would you consider trading? Any shortfall may be made up with spirit stones."

Xue Zhili released his spiritual sense to examine the Dragon Pattern Grass, pondering for half a cup of tea's time.

Finally, he shook his head and sighed: "This Dragon Pattern Grass does stir my interest, but the maturity is still insufficient."

Fang Yezi looked slightly disappointed upon hearing this.

At that moment, a middle-aged cultivator in Confucian robes rose and produced a jade casket, revealing a spirit herb emitting a faint bluish mist.

"I have here a two-hundred-year-old Azure Spirit Grass. Might it serve as exchange?"

Soon after, several other cultivators produced rare spirit materials, hoping to trade for the Crimson Essence Gold Mother.

In the end, Xue Zhili chose the Azure Spirit Grass from among the many offerings.

Next, Sun Jin, the alchemist, stepped forward and offered a vial of Bi Ning Pills, which aid Foundation Establishment cultivation. He exchanged them with a cultivator for two high-grade grade-two superior spirit herbs.

Several others then traded items in turn.

Qin Ming also stood up, took out two egg-sized red fruits from his storage bag, and said: "Two grade-two supreme Shenyuan Fruits, plus fifty jin of spiritual energy Rice, in exchange for high-grade beast blood."

The moment these two supreme Shenyuan Fruits were revealed,

the breath of all present cultivators caught.

Ordinary Shenyuan Fruits were not rare, but supreme-grade ones were different—their potency was several times greater than ordinary fruits.

Sun Jin saw Qin Ming's supreme Shenyuan Fruits and his face lit up with delight. He smiled and asked: "Qin Daoist, might I exchange for them with spirit stones?"

Qin Ming nodded. "I accept spirit stones, but I will prioritize beast blood."

At the sight of these fruits, Fang Yezi and several other cultivators immediately produced several kinds of grade-two early-stage beast blood.

Qin Ming couldn't help but marvel: one truly must enter such elite circles. High-grade beast blood, rarely seen outside, was now appearing here in multiple samples.

"I also have a grade-two mid-stage beast blood—White-Armed Azure Ape blood."

"But Qin Daoist, your two supreme Shenyuan Fruits and spiritual energy Rice seem insufficient in quantity."

At that moment, a voice slowly rose from within the hall.

(End of Chapter)