Chapter 254: Dragon and Phoenix Dual Elixirs, Core Formation Spirit Medicine

After Foundation Establishment, the main elixir Luo Chen consumed was the low-grade Dragon-Ascending Pill.

Relying on the powerful medicinal efficacy, coupled with uninterrupted consumption and other auxiliary resources, he went from the second level of Foundation Establishment to the third level in just three years.

But after ascending to the third level of Foundation Establishment.

His cultivation speed slowed down again.

Or rather, it wasn't that it "slowed down," but as his realm grew higher, the spiritual energy required for each stage also increased.

Compared to the increased upper limit, the original fixed cultivation speed naturally caused the progress bar to rise slowly.

Regarding this situation.

Luo Chen had always tried to solve it, but in the end, he was powerless.

The mainstream cultivation elixirs released by the major sects were only of low-grade rank.

Even if he had money, there was nowhere to buy them!

Fortunately, there was still the auction!

"Although it's not a mid-grade Dragon-Ascending Pill, the medicinal efficacy of a mid-grade Qi-Gathering Pill should be able to exceed a low-grade Dragon-Ascending Pill by quite a bit."

"This item is of great use to me!"

Luo Chen would not let this opportunity pass, so he decisively joined the bidding.

Relying on ample cash flow, plus his practiced auction experience.

Luo Chen quickly bid for thirty bottles.

For this, he spent nearly forty thousand spirit stones in total.

One must know, this was just mid-grade Qi-Gathering Pills; thirty bottles for nearly forty thousand spirit stones, which averaged out to over thirteen hundred per bottle.

It was another super-standard premium transaction!

But there was no help for it; to trade spirit stones for time, one had to pay this price.

After securing thirty bottles, Luo Chen knew when to stop.

He did not participate in the subsequent seven auctions.

"Although I still want them very much, thirty bottles are enough for me to use for nearly a year."

"If I continue to bid, it will be very easy to offend others."

With Luo Chen's participation gone, the transaction price of the subsequent mid-grade Qi-Gathering Pills dropped relatively significantly.

But the auction atmosphere was even more heated than before.

Each bid was not considered high, but the follow-up bidding was very intense, and by the last two times, the price rose again.

Watching this scene, Luo Chen felt emotional in his heart.

He understood that he was not the only one who grasped these principles.

However, mainstream cultivation elixirs of mid-grade and even high-grade rank had always been strictly controlled by the major sects.

Everyone understood the logic, but it was truly a case of having a price but no market!

"Although thirty bottles can be used for a period of time, what about afterwards?"

"I can't always wait ten years to bid for a year's supply!"

Although the immediate worry was gone, after experiencing the simulation in the Heart-Questioning Mirror, he had developed the habit of looking a bit further ahead.

He just saw it, but for the time being, there was no better solution.

The auction was still ongoing.

The further it went, the higher the value of the resources that appeared.

Like before, it was still Foundation Establishment early and middle-stage cultivators like Luo Chen and Lu Rong who were competing.

But now, Foundation Establishment late-stage cultivators had also become active.

Even those few Golden Core True Persons began to make moves one after another.

Luo Chen gradually fell silent.

Until!

"Brother Luo!"

"Mm, I know."

The third-tier healing elixir that Kang Kang Xianqiong needed had appeared.

There were many people bidding this time.

Luo Chen spent a great deal of effort before finally securing it at a high price.

"Fellow Daoist Kang, apologies. It cost five thousand spirit stones more than I estimated."

Kang Kang Xianqiong shook her head repeatedly, her face filled with excitement and gratitude.

"Being able to bid for it is already not easy. If it weren't for you making a move, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to secure this item at all."

"Thank you, truly thank you."

Luo Chen smiled and accepted the thanks.

As Kang Kang Xianqiong said, even if the other party had enough spirit stones, it would be very difficult to bid for this item.

This kind of large-scale auction was no longer just about competing in financial resources.

Because identity information was made public.

Many times, each person's bid had a flavor of targeting the individual.

Luo Chen being able to bid for this item for Kang Kang Xianqiong, besides the high price, also relied on him borrowing the name of the Luo Tian Society, as well as the momentum accumulated from several previous moves.

Everyone knew he had money.

With him determined to win, ordinary people really couldn't compete with him.

If it were just blindly calling out high prices, that would be fine, but Luo Chen also had several experiences of stopping halfway.

It can be seen that he is not some greenhorn who throws out random prices just because he has money.

If the price was really driven up.

Luo Chen might suddenly not want it anymore.

Then it would be they themselves who suffered the loss.

After fulfilling his promise to Kang Kang Xianqiong, Luo Chen couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.

Basically, all the items he needed had been secured.

Today, spending money could be considered a satisfying experience.

For the items that followed, he intended to be a pure spectator.

It wasn't because his financial resources were insufficient, nor was it because those items weren't good enough.

It was because there were many participants he couldn't afford to offend.

"Low-grade magic treasure Thousand-Heavy Seal, fifty-five thousand for the third time!"

"Congratulations to Fellow Daoist Xiao Lian Cang of Mount Mount Ailao!"

Looking at the transacted magic treasure, Luo Chen's gaze was somewhat envious.

He knew about this magic treasure.

The Heavy-Turning Seal in his own storage bag was forged with the Thousand-Heavy Seal as a goal, but because it failed, it was renamed.

The attack of the Heavy-Turning Seal was somewhat clumsy.

But the Thousand-Heavy Seal didn't have so many shortcomings.

Envy was envy, but he couldn't possibly compete with that Xiao Lian Cang.

Because the other party was a Golden Core cultivator!

It wasn't just this one auction item.

The subsequent auction items had increasing value.

There even appeared a mid-grade magic treasure, which was bid away by a Golden Core True Person from the Green Elixir Valley for a transaction price of three hundred and fifty thousand.

Such a high price was astonishing!

The people beside Luo Chen, President Sima Hui Niang and Kang Kang Xianqiong, were stunned.

Even Wang Yuan, who was always calm, was uncharacteristically flustered.

They couldn't imagine how many years they would have to earn to gather enough spirit stones to buy such a mid-grade magic treasure.

Other than killing and seizing treasures, they couldn't think of a second way to obtain such treasures.

Only Luo Chen remained calm.

It was just a few hundred thousand spirit stones.

If he saved for a few more years, he would be able to buy it through legitimate means.

Just like that Golden Core True Person from the Green Elixir Valley, didn't they also buy their desired treasure with spirit stones earned through years of hard work?

"Perhaps it wasn't that hard."

"Cultivators from the Green Elixir Valley mostly know a few alchemy techniques, and their speed of acquiring wealth is no less than mine."

"The astronomical prices that ordinary cultivators find unimaginable are just a drop in the bucket for them."

That was what he thought.

And that was what the Golden Core True Person from the Green Elixir Valley did.

They bought three magic treasures, two low-grade and one mid-grade.

Their generosity far surpassed the other few Golden Core True Persons.

Time flowed slowly.

When the Fairy Master Jueqing finally brought out a portion of Dragon-Transforming Elixir and Ice Phoenix Pill, the auction reached its climax!

"The Dragon-Transforming Elixir comes from the Green Elixir Valley, and the Ice Phoenix Pill comes from the Ice Fortress; both are third-tier elixirs."

"Taking them together, combined with my Ice Fortress's secret technique, can increase the chance of Core Formation by ten percent!"

"Starting bid is ten thousand spirit stones, everyone, please!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole venue boiled over!

Inside the private room, everyone in the Luo Tian Society felt their breathing quicken.

Including Luo Chen.

However, he ultimately suppressed the craving in his heart.

The Dragon-Transforming Elixir was not hard to seek; it was a specialty elixir of the Green Elixir Valley and was occasionally sold externally.

The Ice Phoenix Pill was relatively rare and generally only circulated within the Ice Fortress.

But looking at the price, as a third-tier elixir, it was only a few thousand spirit stones per bottle.

One pill was only a few hundred spirit stones.

Combining the two, yet calling out a high starting bid of ten thousand, the main reason lay in the secret technique brought out by the Ice Fortress.

"It can increase the chance of Core Formation by ten percent!"

Amidst the emotion, Luo Chen said calmly: "Don't think about it, this matter is not something we can participate in."

The few people beside him were stunned, but looking at the sources of the rising bids in the venue, they also tacitly dismissed that inappropriate thought.

They were all Foundation Establishment late-stage Great Cultivators!

Facing Chu Kui, whom Luo Chen knew, was also among them.

The ancestor of the Zheng family of Gunlong Ridge, although only at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment, also fiercely joined this bidding war.

Besides them, there were several other powerful existences whose origins he couldn't name.

This was a feast aimed at Foundation Establishment late-stage cultivators.

The early and middle-stage cultivators in the lower tiers could only watch eagerly.

The Golden Core cultivators in the upper tiers watched coldly, seemingly not moved at all.

In the end, this portion of Core Formation spirit medicine fell into the hands of a man with red lips and white teeth, whose face was like a crown of jade.

"That is Yu Xuan Yu, the actual manager of Mount Tao."

"I heard he is the favorite of the Peach Blossom Ancestor of the Hundred Flowers Palace, and is extremely favored!"

President Sima Hui Niang suppressed the excitement in her heart and whispered the other party's origin to Luo Chen.

After hearing this explanation, Luo Chen suddenly understood.

Sure enough, when it came to Core Formation spirit medicine, how could it be something that ordinary rogue Foundation Establishment cultivators could covet.

Look at the crowd of people who were competing just now!

Most of them had backgrounds in major sects, either as collateral branches or as vassals.

Even this Yu Xuan Yu, although not a disciple of the Hundred Flowers Palace, was the favorite of the Peach Blossom Ancestor of the Hundred Flowers Palace, and even managed a Mount Tao on her behalf.

By comparison, how could other rogue Foundation Establishment cultivators compete with him.

In his line of sight, Facing Chu Kui's lonely expression was extremely conspicuous.

Shaking his head, Luo Chen stood up.

"Let's go!"

"To want to participate in the competition for Core Formation spirit medicine, it will be at least one or two hundred years before it's our turn."

He looked at it with detachment.

But others were not so calm.

When many people left, they still looked lingeringly at the triumphant Yu Xuan Yu.

Even if it could only increase the chance of Core Formation by ten percent, it was still an increase of ten percent!

The difficulty of Core Formation was a thousand times that of Foundation Establishment!

This kind of hardship is hard to experience personally unless one is the person involved.

But one could glimpse a corner of it from the sparse number of Golden Core cultivators in the Yuding Domain.

In the Yuding Domain, Qi Refining cultivators number in the millions, and there are thousands of Foundation Establishment peers.

But the number of Golden Core cultivators, adding up all seven major sects, did not exceed one hundred!

This was truly one in ten thousand, or even one in one hundred thousand!

The reason why the number of Golden Core cultivators was so sparse was because Core Formation was simply too difficult.

Yu Xuan Yu had now obtained a portion of Core Formation spirit medicine, and had the support of the Peach Blossom Ancestor behind him.

I'm afraid that in a few decades, there is a high probability of achieving Core Formation.

By then, he would be able to truly join the Hundred Flowers Palace as a Golden Core True Person, becoming the fourth person besides the three Golden Core cultivators of the Hundred Flowers Palace!

……

After leaving the private room, Luo Chen, led by President Sima Hui Niang, headed straight for a side hall in the Ice Langong.

This was the place specifically for delivering goods and spirit stones.

After all, such a large-scale auction involved too many resources, and it was impossible to deliver them on the spot every time a transaction was made.

Therefore, everything was accumulated until the auction ended before settlement.

Arriving in a room shielded by a formation, Luo Chen took out ninety thousand low-grade spirit stones.

Among them, twelve thousand were given to him by Kang Kang Xianqiong, specifically for paying for that third-tier healing spirit medicine.

Besides that, seventy-eight thousand were the spirit stones he spent in this auction.

"Fellow Daoist Luo, these are your items, you can count them on the spot."

The person responsible for settlement in this room was an old acquaintance of Luo Chen.

Shi Shi Boying of the Ice Fortress.

Luo Chen smiled slightly, took the items, and without pretending to be generous, carefully counted them.

Shi Shi Boying saw this and didn't mind.

When it came to such a huge sum of spirit stones, everyone should be serious.

Warm Sun Fragrance, good quality, it seems it was taken from the Xuyang Wood not long ago.

Third-tier mineral material, no problem.

Ice Silkworm Cushion, emitting a faint cold air; just by touching it, Luo Chen's thoughts calmed down quite a bit.

Thirty bottles of mid-grade Qi-Gathering Pills, just by opening them, he felt the rich spiritual energy; the quality was absolutely no problem!

Gas-Body Homologous, second-tier body-refining cultivation method. The seal was complete; confirming that it hadn't been opened again after entering the auction.

After counting, Luo Chen satisfiedly put these items away.

"Sorry for the trouble, Fellow Daoist Shi."

Shi Shi Boying revealed a smile, "It's not trouble; this only happens once every ten years, and ordinary small auctions don't require me to make a move."

Shi Shi Boying, who used to be cold and unapproachable, had an increasingly harmonious attitude towards Luo Chen following the cooperation between Luo Chen and Tantai Jin.

Their exchanges were always accompanied by smiles.

"Is Fellow Daoist Luo planning to leave directly?"

"Mm, yes, is there anything else?" Luo Chen asked curiously.

Shi Shi Boying pointed in a direction, "My Ice Fortress is holding an evening banquet, Fellow Daoist might as well attend."

"Oh? Evening banquet?"

"Yes, specifically to entertain the Foundation Establishment cultivators attending the auction."

Amidst Luo Chen's curiosity, Shi Shi Boying specifically explained.

It turned out that the evening banquet after the auction was not specifically organized by the Ice Fortress, but was a convention.

Almost every ten years after the auction ended, the organizer would hold an evening banquet involving Foundation Establishment and even Golden Core cultivators.

The reason was very simple.

At the auction, it often happened that the atmosphere reached a point where people were bidding against each other, and then the person who bid for the resource regretted it or was dissatisfied.

There were also those who couldn't outbid the other party but were truly in dire need of the corresponding resources.

There were even idiots who spoke wildly, called out astronomical prices, and in the end couldn't produce the corresponding number of spirit stones.

As a result, after the auction, there were always many conflicts and a mess.

There was no lack of cases where people fought inside and outside the Mount Tianlan Xiancheng for certain resources.

Therefore, the organizer would specifically hold such a banquet.

It could provide people with a chance to transfer resources at a low price to recoup costs.

It could provide an opportunity for those in dire need of certain resources to exchange for their desired items by paying spirit stones and supplementing with higher-value resources.

Those treasures that failed to sell would occasionally be taken out for re-auction.

It could be said that with this evening banquet, it was enough for the organizer to resolve many potential troubles.

Some sect geniuses would also appear at this kind of evening banquet.

To extensively build connections.

The latter point was Luo Chen's own extended speculation.

"Of course, there are also some people who don't want to participate and leave quietly, and my Ice Fortress doesn't force them," Shi Shi Boying said.

After listening.

Luo Chen thought about it; this kind of evening banquet was indeed worth attending.

He was not the type to only focus on bitter cultivation; even if he didn't want to exchange for resources, he could build some connections.

Previously, because he had just arrived in Mount Tianlan Xiancheng, he and the Luo Tian Society had maintained a relatively low profile.

Now that the Luo Tian Society had stabilized, and he himself was at the third level of Foundation Establishment, it was time to get to know some like-minded people.

The four elements of cultivation: wealth, companion, method, and land.

He was always developing comprehensively!

"Thank you for the reminder, Fellow Daoist Shi, I will attend this evening banquet."

Without chatting much, Luo Chen bid farewell to Shi Shi Boying and left the room.

Arriving outside, he asked for the opinions of Wang Yuan and the others.

Wang Yuan had no interest in socializing and intended to go back directly to study that book on Gas-Body Homology.

Duan Feng was the same; Feng Xia was waiting for him at home.

President Sima Hui Niang wanted to go, but unfortunately, this evening banquet was only aimed at cultivators above Foundation Establishment.

Her status was sufficient, but her realm was not, so she couldn't go.

Kang Kang Xianqiong had no intention of participating at all.

After receiving the healing spirit medicine from Luo Chen, she couldn't wait to return to the Taishan Workshop.

As a result, only Luo Chen was left to attend the Ice Langong evening banquet.

He didn't mind; after bidding farewell to the four, he entered a side hall that was decorated somewhat dimly, led by a maid.

Perhaps because he came out early.

When he arrived at the evening banquet scene, there weren't too many people, only a few.

His gaze focused, and he saw Facing Chu Kui drinking gloomy wine at a wine table.

"Fellow Daoist Chu, why are you sitting alone in a corner, drinking gloomy wine!"

Facing Chu Kui raised the corner of his eyes and gave a self-deprecating smile, "Aren't you asking what you already know?"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 255 =====