Chapter 618: Replacement of the Old by the New (7400 Supplement)

"Qingdan, Dongmen Xue, Miao Hongyu... each one of them is a heaven-gifted talent, a figure of great renown... while I am nothing at all."

"The upper echelons of the Sanshan Association have truly gone ruthless this time, even deceiving their own middle-management, playing a hand of 'crossing the sea under the cover of heaven'... I fear Fellow Daoist Zixinchen's future situation will be awkward."

"But... none of this concerns me."

Inside the newly rented Cave Abode, Aaron slowly sipped green tea while gazing at a laurel tree in the courtyard.

Spring comes and autumn goes, flowers bloom and flowers fall...

Just two years after he returned to the market town, Qian Fu'er's lifespan reached its end, and he passed away.

Aaron personally saw off his old friend; little Qian passed away with a smile, and until his death, he kept muttering about how he hadn't seen another great war in the Immortal Cultivation World, how fortunate, how fortunate...

"Even if I can't buy it, I must snatch it... uh... forget it, if I can't buy it, I'll just wait for the next time..."

"Quick, invite him in!"

Common knowledge in the cultivation world: if you do not reach Foundation Establishment before the age of sixty, the hope thereafter is slim!

Shen Zui was stunned, then his face filled with bitterness: "Fellow Daoist's talent must be excellent, but it is a pity you have suffered from being a Loose Cultivator. If you were in a sect, you would have been due for a Foundation Establishment Pill by now..."

【Martial Arts: Iron Shirt Fist Third Layer (1000/1000)】

【Realm: Qi Refining Tenth Layer】

"Haha... you're anxious, you're finally anxious!" Shen Zui slapped the table and laughed: "We've known each other for decades, and this is the first time I've seen you lose your cool! Rare, truly rare... this calls for a big cup of wine!"

"Hmm, although I mortgaged the Small Talisman Hall land deed and borrowed a large sum of Spirit Stones, if there is a need when the time comes, I will certainly speak up."

Aaron did not close off the possibility either.

Aaron's gaze was deep, carrying a melancholy yet desperate aura; he had already maxed out his acting self-cultivation.

"What brings you here this time?"

Lin Yuanping, who looked like a middle-aged man, came over to report.

Hmm, although this Shen Zui had no talent for cultivation, he was quite skilled in the way of brewing wine. Over these years, he had devoted himself to research, and with the help of his wife's family's Spirit Stones, he had actually developed a product called 'Drunken Beauty'!

Drinking this wine daily could delay facial aging to a certain extent; if drunk continuously for several decades, the effect would not be much worse than a 'Youth Preserving Pill'.

Several months later.

After Shen Zui left, full of worries, Aaron closed his eyes to rest and opened his Attribute Panel:

【Name: Fang Yu (Aaron)】

"What is the point of saying these things now?" Aaron waved his hand: "It is nothing more than a final gamble."

"If I buy it, I will directly undergo Foundation Establishment within the market town. I have already spent a heavy price to rent a Cave Abode on a Spirit Vein, closest to Ancestor Hongyu's Yanggui Chi..."

Looking at the other person's face, which did not show much age, Aaron couldn't help but joke with a smile.

"How can I not be anxious?" Aaron sighed: "I have been stuck at the Great Perfection realm for twenty years. Don't look at my youthful appearance; in reality, I am much older than little Lin, and I am fast approaching the sixty-year limit for Foundation Establishment!"

Birth, aging, sickness, and death, the replacement of the old by the new, the cycle of worldly affairs—that is just how it is...

"There is news about the matter you asked me to look into last time." Shen Zui sat down and poured himself a drink without ceremony: "There is indeed a Foundation Establishment Pill being auctioned at this ten-year grand auction of the Sanshan Association!"

The current Small Talisman Hall is worth at least four or five thousand Spirit Stones!

Compared to the nine hundred Spirit Stones he bought it for previously, it was a massive profit!

As for Jin Buhuan?

He was mocked for many years for being crazy and then left the market town, disappearing without a trace; perhaps he died in some corner.

However, it is true that the shop's rent and sale price have been rising all the way.

Other than that, there was nothing major.

As little Shen Qingchen gradually grew into a great beauty, twenty years passed in the blink of an eye.

【Skills: Fishing (100/100), Lure Demon Manual (21/100), Disguise Technique (100/100), Medicine (100/100), Zither, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting (100/100), Huiyuan Wine Recipe (100/100), First Tier Jade Bone (100/100), First Tier Talisman Making (90/100)】

He now looked even younger than Shen Zui.

This time, because of the news of the Foundation Establishment Pill auction, not only did many Foundation Establishment forces from Lin Kingdom arrive, but even the cultivation forces from Wu Country came, hiding their heads and showing their tails to participate in the grand event; it must be another fierce battle.

On this day.

But as for the Foundation Establishment Pill, I shouldn't even think about it; I can only try my one-in-ten chance of undergoing Foundation Establishment on my own!

If I succeed, I will leap over the dragon gate!

If I fail, my body will die and my Dao will vanish!

Once launched, it was crazily sought after by female cultivators of all kinds, and the business was so good that even Aaron was a bit jealous.

This atmosphere made little Lin, who was beside him, almost want to shed tears.

That same year, Shen Zui and Hongfu Xianzi had a daughter, whom they named 'Shen Qingchen'. She actually had Dual Spirit Root aptitude, which delighted the two so much that they held a grand banquet and celebrated for several days; Aaron also went to present a gift.

The decennial grand auction was held as scheduled.

"As for my current combat power, to be blunt, I have no rivals below Foundation Establishment... never mind, let me be humble. Among cultivators at Great Perfection, I should be considered quite good."

Aaron did not respond, busying himself with brewing tea.

"Master, Fellow Daoist Shen is here to visit!"

"Grand auction... Foundation Establishment Pill..."

However, at his current speed, if he were lucky, he might barely reach Great Perfection before the age of sixty.

This is the cruel reality of the Immortal Cultivation World!

"Otherwise... why would it be called a final gamble?"

【Age: 327】

"Oh?"

"You still have the nerve to talk about me?"

Shen Zui's expression was solemn: "I will definitely support Brother Fang with all my might. Is there any shortage of Spirit Stones? Just ask me for them!"

"You kid... still so flashy. If you went out onto the street, who knows how many female cultivators you could bewitch."

【Spells: Spirit Eye Technique (100/100), Wind Control Technique (100/100), Golden Light Shield (100/100), Fireball Technique (100/100), Rejuvenation Technique (100/100), Spring Breeze Turns to Rain Technique (100/100), Fire Feather Arrow (100/100), Diamond Shield (100/100), Entanglement Technique (100/100), Soul Bewitching Technique (100/100), Wind Wing Technique (100/100), Lightning Strike Technique (100/100), Concealment Technique (100/100), Demon Flame Art (100/100)】

After all, his aptitude was truly mediocre; having cultivated bitterly in the Spirit Qi-rich Sanshan Market for twenty years, he was still at the Qi Refining Late Stage!

After all, with a Third-tier Longevity Turtle presiding, it could remain prosperous and stable for at least another nine thousand years! Even after nine thousand years, the Sanshan Association would be a Nascent Soul power!... That was how they boasted, anyway, making Aaron feel as if he were seeing a real estate advertisement from his past life.

According to the official explanation, Aaron had consumed a Youth Preserving Pill, which was why his appearance had not changed much after so many years.

Aaron waved his hand, and not long after, he saw Shen Zui, whose temples were slightly frosted with white but who remained extraordinarily handsome, walk over.

【Talent: Immortality】

Aaron's eyes lit up.

【Cultivation Method: Mingyu Art, 10th Level】

"You actually mortgaged the Small Talisman Hall?"

Shen Zui gasped; the shops in the current Sanshan Market were not comparable to those of before.

Shen Zui twisted a strand of his hair and rolled his eyes: "Look in a mirror first before you talk."

And as expected, the opening of this Auction House featured a top-tier Magic Tool, pushing the atmosphere to a fever pitch.

Aaron, as usual, wore the guise of a dark-faced Demon Cultivator, watching coldly from the main hall, and noticed that other Qi Refining cultivators with profound cultivation and the powers in the second-floor private rooms were not very interested, clearly all waiting for the final auction of the Foundation Establishment Pill!

(End of this chapter)