Chapter 166: To show sincerity, three Foundation Establishment Pills (Ten thousand characters updated, asking for subscriptions!)

"Whoa, I didn't realize it's almost winter."

Bowing and ducking into the tailoring shop, Luo Chen shook off the fine, light snow from his body.

He couldn't help but exclaim.

The last time winter arrived was just last time.

Time flew by, and to think almost a year had passed.

So many things had happened in this year that even if he wanted to find someone to sit around a stove and boil tea to talk about the past, he, Luo Chen, wouldn't know where to start.

He only knew one thing.

In May of last year, he was at the third layer of Qi Refining.

Now, less than two years later, he was already at the ninth layer of Qi Refining and had begun to plan for Foundation Establishment.

The speed of his progress was astonishing!

He believed that even if a sect genius saw it, they would be dumbfounded!

But all of this was not obtained out of thin air.

Consuming so many resources every day, persisting for hundreds of days—if converted into spirit stones, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would be horrified by it.

Only Luo Chen, who had a way to make money, could support such high-speed cultivation.

He greeted the old woman in the tailoring shop.

After checking the code and putting on a mask, Luo Chen stepped into the underground hall of the Zhenlong Black Market once again.

This was the second month after the inner city of Dahe Market was destroyed, and the second time the Zhenlong Black Market was held as scheduled.

As soon as he entered, Luo Chen noticed a familiar gaze falling on him.

The other party did not hide it, but it also contained no malice.

Feeling that gentle gaze, Luo Chen nodded to the person to show acknowledgment.

It was Tian Xingzi.

"This senior is truly thinking of me!"

Luo Chen chuckled, and just as he was about to find a quiet corner to sit down, a black-clothed cultivator walked up to him.

"Senior Murong, our master has arranged a new seat for you; please come this way!"

"Oh?"

Luo Chen was startled, but he didn't refuse and followed him past many rogue cultivators.

Finally, he sat down on a golden sandalwood chair on the edge of the two sides.

The moment he sat down, many gazes were cast over.

For no other reason than that the seats on both sides had always been the thrones of Foundation Establishment true cultivators.

Even if there weren't enough Foundation Establishment true cultivators, this place would only be left vacant and would not be used by Qi Refining rogue cultivators.

"Is this one of the VIP treatments Tian Xingzi mentioned?"

When he first sat down, Luo Chen felt a bit unaccustomed to it.

But soon, he accepted this status quo.

Having been the president of the Luo Tian Association for so long, he was already accustomed to being looked up to by others.

Now, it was just sitting in a seat on the edge of the Foundation Establishment stage.

Moreover, sitting in this kind of place had its benefits.

If he encountered a treasure he wanted and bid for it, most Qi Refining rogue cultivators would deliberate a bit.

This was the pressure brought by the "position."

Unless it was a resource that absolutely had to be obtained, ordinary rogue cultivators wouldn't offend a big shot to death; everyone knew the principle of knowing when to stop.

After sitting down, Luo Chen realized he had come a bit early today.

There were only about a hundred people in the hall, and the rest of the Foundation Establishment cultivators hadn't arrived yet.

There were black market cultivators serving him tea, and he enjoyed it leisurely.

It was just that as more and more people arrived, he noticed a hint of something wrong.

Because the few who appeared had auras completely different from those of the Qi Refining rogue cultivators.

Among them, there were several whose auras he was familiar with.

The 'Qi-Restraining Spirit Technique' wasn't just about restraining auras and changing spiritual energy fluctuations.

After reaching the Great Perfection, it had many wonderful uses, one of which was the method of simulating others' auras.

Naturally, he would also be extra sensitive to others' auras.

"This one emitting a faint water vapor is Wang Haichao!"

"Nangong Jin has also come."

"That female cultivator with a shallow dew, as expected, should be the Li family's Foundation Establishment cultivator, Li Yixian."

"In that case, the other familiar elderly Foundation Establishment cultivator talking to them should be the Duan family ancestor, Duan Qiankun."

To think that today in the black market, the leaders of the four major Foundation Establishment factions of Dahe Market had all gathered.

Especially Nangong Jin, who looked over at Luo Chen from time to time.

He seemed to be curious as well why a Qi Refining cultivator could sit with them.

Although it was only at the edge of the last seat.

Luo Chen remained calm and composed, still enjoying the tea and pastries as if he had great confidence.

His posture, on the contrary, made those few people look away.

"Perhaps he is a distinguished guest of Tian Xingzi!"

They all thought so.

Luo Chen didn't say a word, nor did he have any desire to communicate with them.

Words lead to mistakes; who knew when he might expose his true identity.

After the number of people reached about two hundred, Tian Xingzi stood up and announced the start of today's auction.

And the first magic tool brought out finally let Luo Chen know why today's black market auction had gathered the four major Foundation Establishment factions of Dahe Market.

"Twenty sets of Fengdu Dharma Robes, mid-grade magic tools."

"When worn by a cultivator, they can resist the formless attacks of low-grade ghosts."

"Starting price, five hundred spirit stones per set. Each increase must not be less than fifty spirit stones!"

"Everyone, please!"

Without hesitation, almost as soon as the last sentence fell.

The four major Foundation Establishment cultivators all made their moves.

The final result: five sets each, sold at an average price of seven hundred spirit stones per set.

Such tacit bidding made everyone hold their breath.

The black market master, Tian Xingzi, seemed to have expected this and didn't care about their collusion in bidding.

Perhaps this price was within his acceptable psychological range.

"The second item, Green Fire Lantern, top-grade magic tool, ten pieces in total."

"Activating this magic tool can detect nearby ghosts and release a strand of Flaming Sun Sha Qi, an area attack against all ghosts below the Foundation Establishment stage."

"Starting price, five hundred spirit stones per piece. Each increase must not be less than fifty spirit stones."

This time, it didn't even reach the point where Tian Xingzi said "please."

The four major Foundation Establishment cultivators bid without hesitation.

The final result: two pieces each, sold at an average of eight hundred spirit stones.

Of the two extra pieces, one was obtained by a Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivator in the hall.

One was bid for by Luo Chen for eight hundred and fifty spirit stones.

It was slightly higher than the average transaction price of the Foundation Establishment cultivators, but fifty spirit stones cheaper than that of the Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivator.

This was the convenience brought by sitting in this position.

After getting the Green Fire Lantern, Luo Chen finally understood the purpose of these local Foundation Establishment cultivators gathering here.

For no other reason!

Today, the Zhenlong Black Market brought out a large batch of custom-made magic tools, although their grades were not high.

But undoubtedly, they were all good things targeted at ghosts and yin spirits.

Luo Chen had also been paying attention to the various news in Dahe Market recently.

Local major factions were expanding their territory and collecting resources while sending people to explore the Dahe Ghost City.

The things inside were of extremely high value!

Not to mention anything else, those small sects, including their respective families, had industries set up in the inner city that were still trapped inside.

The people certainly couldn't be saved, but at the very least, they had to get the things back.

Moreover, so many cultivators had died inside; just their legacies were enough to make people jealous.

And with the Fengdu Dharma Robes and Green Fire Lanterns, exploring the inner city was no longer impossible, but like adding wings to a tiger!

It was just that...

"What kind of background does this Zhenlong Black Market have to be able to collect so many resources targeted at yin spirits and ghosts in just two months?"

"Dharma robes, magic tools... even talismans and elixirs are available."

After spending another one hundred spirit stones to bid for a Yellow Spring Elixir, Luo Chen fell into deep thought.

In the Eastern Desolation cultivation world, there were actually not many factions capable of mass-producing magic tools.

In the Yuding Domain, among the seven sects of the domain, there was a Jin Dan faction called the Flame Alliance that was skilled in casting tools.

This Green Fire Lantern could release Flaming Sun Sha Qi, which was very consistent with the Flame Alliance's consistent tool-casting methods.

And outside the Yuding Domain, closer ones included Tianfan City.

Further ones included the Huaxing Gate.

Was the Zhenlong Black Market a subordinate organization of those factions?

Or was there cooperation between them?

It wasn't just Luo Chen who had such questions; the four major Foundation Establishment factions of the local area were also speculating like this.

But no one dared to ask directly.

Tian Xingzi's strength was unfathomable.

Every time he brought out so many resources, who knew what his methods were; at the very least, he wouldn't be weaker than the local Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Thinking higher, perhaps he was at the level of Mi Shuhua, or even comparable to sect Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"One Tier 2 Golden Bright Spirit Monkey corpse, 70% complete; the most important eyes have been taken away, but other materials are undamaged."

"Can be sold separately or sold as a whole at a fixed price."

"Starting price, two thousand spirit stones."

Having participated in black market auctions many times, Luo Chen was already familiar with the rules here, big and small.

Such as the pattern of starting prices and bidding.

For those with a starting price below five hundred spirit stones, basically, one could bid at will.

For those between five hundred and one thousand, it was ten spirit stones at a time.

For those with a starting price above one thousand, it was at least fifty spirit stones per step.

For those involving over five thousand, the default bidding increment was one hundred.

This rule was perfected not long ago.

It avoided the situation where someone used one spirit stone to disgust others for a treasure worth several thousand.

The Zhenlong Black Market didn't want to anger the bidding guests over such trivial matters.

Seeing this Tier 2 demon beast corpse, Luo Chen was a bit tempted.

The main material for the Emperor Flowing Pulp was the bone, blood, and meat of a demon beast of the same origin.

Although the most important part of the Golden Bright Spirit Monkey was its eyes, for him, the bone, blood, and meat preserved intact were undoubtedly more valuable.

"Should I bid for it?"

Luo Chen hesitated for a moment.

But in just that moment, the Golden Bright Spirit Monkey's corpse had already been bid for five thousand by Wang Haichao and won directly.

Luo Chen frowned; this price was a bit low.

It was a Tier 2 demon beast corpse after all; even if it lacked the most important material, it contained a demon core, so it should be worth at least six or seven thousand.

But it was just a pity about the price.

Luo Chen had no intention of regretting it.

The Emperor Flowing Pulp elixir formula had been explored for a month, but he was still constantly groping in the dark.

Even if he purchased the corresponding main materials, he couldn't refine it directly.

And some demon beast corpses were not easy to preserve.

Fine, let's wait until the elixir formula is figured out before considering it.

"One Tongyu Grass, Tier 2 spiritual grass; feed it to a spiritual beast to refine the horizontal bone in its throat in advance."

"Three Qi Refining puppets, with impressive combat strength, comparable to mid-stage Qi Refining. Essential treasures for guarding doors, protecting courtyards, and exploring for treasures."

"One Purple River Daoist Robe, top-grade defensive magic robe; its defensive power is not inferior to specialized defensive magic tools."

One treasure after another was auctioned off like water.

The transaction prices were all astonishing.

Having experienced it for a long time, Luo Chen had to exclaim that those running platforms earned much more than small households.

His hard work refining elixirs for a month didn't necessarily yield more than the black market's commission.

Moreover, the things in the Zhenlong Black Market weren't necessarily collected by the Zhenlong Black Market itself.

Many of these things were entrusted for auction in advance by rogue cultivators who were afraid of trouble.

As long as they were sold, the organizer could collect a corresponding percentage of the handling fee.

This was simply a business without capital!

Soon, the first auction session ended.

Tian Xingzi walked down and, without hesitation, headed straight for Luo Chen.

This scene fell into the eyes of the four major Foundation Establishment cultivators.

A soundproof barrier was cast, and Tian Xingzi greeted him with a smile.

"Little friend, I hope you have been well!"

"Senior is in high spirits; I'm afraid your cultivation has made great progress again!"

People lift each other up, right!

Luo Chen was also capable of that.

Tian Xingzi shook his head, "This old man is old; I don't expect to form a Core in this life. Whether my cultivation progresses or not is not important. What is important is..."

"How has that alchemist friend of yours at the Foundation Establishment stage considered it?"

It seemed he valued the cooperation on the Blood-Burning Elixir very much!

Luo Chen confirmed this idea in his heart and, without any delay, said immediately,

"He said no problem, but..."

The main event was coming!

Tian Xingzi perked up, "Whatever conditions you have, just state them!"

Luo Chen didn't stand on ceremony either and said directly, "Although the Blood-Burning Elixir is only a Tier 1 elixir, the refining difficulty is extremely high, and the demand for main materials is also very large."

"Therefore, I need your side to provide the corresponding raw materials; the price can be according to the normal market price."

Tian Xingzi nodded, "This is only reasonable. Now that the Hundred Herbs Hall has moved away, many medicinal ingredients are indeed hard to buy."

"How about this, you give me a list; whatever I can get, I will definitely do my utmost."

Luo Chen took out a list on the spot and handed it to the other party.

Such an attitude made Tian Xingzi very satisfied.

It could be seen that Luo Chen had also come with sincerity.

After taking the list, he lowered his head and scanned it at a glance.

Fire Dog Whip, Phantom Nether Grass, North Sea Jade Yao Pillar, Explosive Ape Demon Blood, Earth Fire Sha, Snow Fox Demon Blood, Yellow Spring Yin Sha...

After reading it, he raised his head in surprise.

"Does refining the Blood-Burning Elixir require so many materials?"

No wonder he was so surprised.

It was only because this list not only had a large number of medicinal ingredients needed, but many of the materials were clearly of the kind that clashed severely in medicinal properties.

Like the Explosive Ape Demon Blood and the Snow Fox Demon Blood—although they were limited to Tier 1 quality, one was explosive in nature, and the other was icy cold.

This was no longer in the category of simple yin-yang harmony; the properties were extreme and absolutely could not be put into the medicine at the same time.

And like those two strands of Sha Qi, Earth Fire Sha and Yellow Spring Yin Sha, they were Tier 1 and Tier 2 respectively.

What kind of elixir could require two types of Sha Qi, and of different grades and different attributes?

And what the hell was a Fire Dog Whip?

Luo Chen smiled without saying a word.

These were naturally not just the raw materials for the Blood-Burning Elixir.

Mixed in were the main materials for various elixirs such as the Myriad Wonders Pill, the Nether-Passing Elixir, and the Blood Sha Elixir.

Firstly, it was to confuse Tian Xingzi so he wouldn't guess the main ingredients of the Blood-Burning Elixir.

After all, the other party must have a large faction behind them, and it was not guaranteed that they didn't have an experienced high-level alchemist.

If they were to reverse-engineer the Blood-Burning Elixir formula through the main materials, he would suffer a huge loss.

Secondly, Luo Chen was indeed very short of these main materials.

Hundred Herbs Hall and Spirit Source Studio had moved away.

Immortal Building Residence had been destroyed.

He couldn't collect many things.

Now, within the Luo Tian Association, even the refining of the Myriad Wonders Pill had stopped.

That North Sea Jade Yao Pillar, although very cheap, apart from the Hundred Herbs Hall backed by the Medicine King Sect, ordinary factions really couldn't purchase and resell it in large quantities.

After all, it was a specialty of the outer domain.

The Nether-Passing Elixir was an incomplete elixir formula, but Luo Chen had studied it for a long time and already had some insights.

He had great confidence in completing it.

If he cooperated with the system to enter the door, there was an eight or nine out of ten chance of success.

By then, he could refine this elixir to increase his divine soul foundation.

As for the last Yellow Spring Yin Sha, it was for Wang Yuan's sake, just in case.

Seeing Luo Chen smile without saying a word, Tian Xingzi also realized.

The other party was using this cooperation to purchase other resources he wanted!

And by the way, he also hid the raw material ratio of the Blood-Burning Elixir.

It was indeed a clever little trick.

He took a deep look at Luo Chen and then carefully put away the list.

"Rest assured, since I have agreed to cooperate, this old man will naturally do my best to satisfy the requirements of you and that friend of yours."

"To show sincerity, this old man will also tell you a piece of news, little friend!"

Luo Chen looked at the other party curiously.

What kind of news could be used as the sincerity of a Foundation Establishment true cultivator?

"Foundation Establishment Pill!"

"I have already contacted three pills on my side, and it won't be long before they are sent to Dahe Market."

"Hoo!"

A low, heavy gasp came from the man in front of him.

Tian Xingzi was very satisfied with the other party's reaction.

He believed that no one could remain calm under such "sincerity."

Luo Chen also realized he had lost his composure and quickly evened his breathing.

It was no wonder he was so uncomposed; after all, it was a Foundation Establishment Pill!

Moreover, last time this old man said it was hard to get.

As a result, he turned around and told him he had contacted "three!"

It was three, not one or two!

If it were one or two, Luo Chen really wouldn't have had such a big reaction.

After all, with his aptitude, he was truly worried that one or two wouldn't work.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have used the one Mi Shuhua gave him back then as a favor and given it to Qin Liangchen.

But three meant he had three chances to impact the Foundation Establishment stage.

Even if it were a donkey, with three chances, it should succeed, right!

So that was it; the "hard to get" in others' mouths didn't refer to one or two, but more!

Luo Chen's voice was a bit dry and hoarse.

"Senior..."

"Wait!"

Tian Xingzi raised his hand, and just when Luo Chen thought he had some conditions.

The other party laughed, "I also spent a huge favor to contact these three Foundation Establishment Pills. So, as for the price... five thousand spirit stones per pill, what do you think?"

Was the price of five thousand spirit stones cheap or expensive?

That was naturally expensive!

A Foundation Establishment Pill, no matter how much you talk about it, is only a Tier 2 elixir.

The same Tier 2 elixirs start at three to five hundred spirit stones per bottle.

Foundation Establishment Pills are sold by the pill; giving it a price of one or two thousand is very respectful of the attribute of "increasing the probability of breaking through the realm."

Back then at the Yuding Auction, the five major Foundation Establishment cultivators only took two thousand spirit stones to bid for one pill each.

However, for ordinary rogue cultivators, this price was very cheap.

First, there was no channel to buy it at all.

Second, even if one or two appeared at an auction, the transaction price was often an astronomical figure.

The last Foundation Establishment Pill sold for six thousand eight hundred spirit stones!

The competition was too fierce!

Finally, Luo Chen could completely accept this price.

He was, after all, the master of the Luo Tian Association and a distinguished alchemist.

Now, to anyone, he could proudly say,

"I have quite a bit of family wealth!"

Adding the three together, it was only fifteen thousand.

Not to mention anything else, he currently had sixteen thousand five hundred spirit stones in savings.

After the last auction ended, his twenty thousand wealth had dropped to nine thousand five hundred.

A month later, the Luo Tian Association had earned him another eight thousand!

Today at the auction, he made a few small moves and bid for the Green Fire Lantern and the Yellow Spring Elixir, which only cost him less than one thousand.

In other words, if Tian Xingzi took out three Foundation Establishment Pills now.

He, Luo Chen, could buy them directly!

It was just a pity that the other party said he had to wait for a while.

"Thank you, Senior; I am very satisfied with this price!"

"When the Foundation Establishment Pills arrive, be sure to notify me immediately."

Luo Chen thanked him sincerely.

Since the other party had shown their sincerity, he naturally couldn't be stingy.

"As long as the materials are purchased, I will definitely have my friend refine the Blood-Burning Elixir for your side as soon as possible."

Tian Xingzi laughed heartily, "Then, happy cooperation!"

"Happy cooperation!"

Without participating in the subsequent free trading session, Luo Chen left the Zhenlong Black Market in advance.

After coming out, he realized that the snow on the street had become heavier and heavier.

This year's winter might be the most beautiful winter in history.

Luo Chen was excited.

After concealing his aura, he merged into the night.

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