Chapter 202

"Fellow Daoist Song, if you ask this, I really don't know. You also know that we people in the Heavenly Pill Pavilion are all businessmen; how would we dare to casually inquire about such big events of the Xiaoyao Sect? It's just that looking at the commotion on the mountain this time, I estimate that the probability of success for this cultivator forming the Golden Core should not be small. It seems that it won't be long before the Xiaoyao Sect will have another Golden Core cultivator."

"It truly makes us envious. After cultivating for so many years, I have never seen the scene of someone forming a Golden Core, so I was a bit curious and asked a few more questions. I hope Fellow Daoist will not take offense." Song Qingming's eyes were full of envy, and he smiled and explained.

After inquiring about this, Song Qingming finally understood the reason for the Xiaoyao Sect's sudden lockdown.

"Hehe! Fellow Daoist Song, you don't need to worry. The Xiaoyao Sect is so nervous now, it must be that the person forming the Golden Core on the mountain has reached the final moment. I estimate that in at most half a month, there will be a result. By then, Fellow Daoist will be able to enter Guyang Mountain." Seeing that Song Qingming had not seen the scene of Golden Core formation, the old man stroked the corners of his beard, smiled, and comforted him.

"Many thanks to Senior Deng for the guidance. It seems that the junior indeed has to stay in the marketplace for a few more days. I actually have another question for this trip."

"The pills I bought from you last time were used normally after I went back. I don't know why the effect has been much worse when I take them for cultivation recently. Can Senior tell me the reason for this?"

After speaking, Song Qingming took out the remaining spiritual pills and placed them on the table.

Deng Zhongkuo's expression changed after listening. He carefully took the pills Song Qingming took out and looked at them, then his expression gradually relaxed. He sipped his tea and smiled at him:

"There is nothing wrong with the quality of these pills, and they can still be taken normally. As for the decrease in effect, I estimate that it should be because Fellow Daoist's cultivation has improved again, and this kind of pill is best taken by cultivators who have just reached Foundation Establishment. Now that your cultivation has improved and your dantian spiritual power has increased, it is very normal to feel that the effect is not as good as before.

I think Fellow Daoist should try these pills of mine with better quality. I guarantee that the effect will definitely satisfy you. Don't worry, these remaining pills can be directly exchanged for new pills of equal value in our shop. How about that?"

"So that's how it is. Just do as you say, Fellow Daoist. Please help me exchange them all for pills suitable for my current use!" Song Qingming smiled and nodded, agreeing to the old man Deng's suggestion.

Just like that, another half an hour passed. After spending more than a thousand spirit stones, Song Qingming finally walked out of the Heavenly Pill Pavilion smoothly. Facing a cunning businessman like old man Deng, he really had no resistance. If he did not have enough spirit stones on him, he estimated that he would have even mortgaged his magic treasures here after a few more visits.

After purchasing some new pills in the Heavenly Pill Pavilion, Song Qingming went to a material shop on the side and bought some second-tier talisman-making materials, then returned to the inn.

Although he had been to Yangshan Marketplace several times over these few years, besides purchasing pills needed for cultivation, he had also participated in several auctions held once a year by the Heavenly Pill Alliance.

He could now be considered an old customer of the Heavenly Pill Alliance and had even obtained the qualification to go to the second floor. He had participated in all the auctions of the past few years without missing any.

The Heavenly Pill Alliance auction not only auctions their own pills but also collects commissions to help cultivators participating in the auction auction other magic treasures and spiritual items. When Song Qingming participated in the auction for the first time, most of the high-quality magic treasures taken out for auction in the front were in such a situation.

Two years ago, he, who was lacking spirit stones, also took out a few drops of thousand-year spiritual milk and handed them to the Heavenly Pill Alliance for auction. He had not expected that this bit of thousand-year spiritual milk would cause a sensation at that auction and earn him five thousand spirit stones at once.

Although the Heavenly Pill Alliance had done a very good job in protecting customer privacy, the appearance of a rare and precious spiritual item like thousand-year spiritual milk still attracted the attention of many people at the time. Song Qingming even heard someone inquiring about the origin of this spiritual item on the side.

Although he relied on the separate teleportation array prepared by the Heavenly Pill Alliance to successfully leave the auction, he still felt some lingering fear in his heart until now. He had not gone to participate in the auction for these two years. Even now, every time he came to the Heavenly Pill Pavilion, Song Qingming was a bit afraid that old man Deng would guess this matter.

Ever since his cultivation improved to the Foundation Establishment stage, the spirit stones needed for daily cultivation had also increased quite a bit. Relying solely on making those low-tier spiritual talismans was gradually unable to keep up with the speed at which he was consuming spirit stones now.

Over these few years, Song Qingming had also begun to purchase high-tier talisman-making materials and tried to make second-tier spiritual talismans. It was just that his talent in talisman-making had never been very high. It was just that practice makes perfect. After paying a cost of several thousand spirit stones and trying many times, he had only barely made a few second-tier spiritual talismans of average quality, and still failed to raise his talisman-making level to the second tier.

The spirit stones and pills needed for daily cultivation, the investment in improving talisman-making skills, plus having to raise this foodie, the Skyfire Peng, soon made the spirit stones on Song Qingming somewhat tight. Although the family had slowly improved over these years and would subsidize him, the family pillar, with a few spirit stones every year, that was just a drop in the bucket for him.

Finally, after hesitating again and again, Song Qingming chose to take the risk and sold a few drops of thousand-year spiritual milk at the Heavenly Pill Alliance auction to exchange for spirit stones.

After that auction, Song Qingming thought about it over and over again and soon calmed down, deciding not to take this risk to exchange for spirit stones anymore. He began to open sources and reduce expenditures, reducing his spirit stone expenses, reducing his investment in talisman-making skills, and even the food for the Skyfire Peng was reduced quite a bit.

Speaking of this spirit beast, the Skyfire Peng, it had already cost Song Qingming several thousand spirit stones before and after. Until now, it had just broken through to the late stage of Qi Condensation, and its strength was not as good as an ordinary late-stage Qi Condensation cultivator. He did not know when it would be able to improve to the second tier. Its biggest role now was that it could occasionally carry family cultivators back and forth between Qinghe Marketplace and Funiu Mountain. The early investment and return were really somewhat disproportionate.

Song Qingming gradually reduced this part of the investment over these few years. The spirit stones used to cultivate it, which Huang Siyuan used, had changed from three spirit stones a day in the past to one spirit stone now. After Song Qingming reduced the spirit stone investment, Huang Siyuan had no choice but to try her best to reduce the pills used to cultivate it.

However, every month, she would still fixedly take the Skyfire Peng to hunt a few low-tier demon beasts around Yunwu Mountain to cultivate its hunting ability. Now Song Qingming mainly wanted to improve his own cultivation and really did not have too many resources to cultivate spirit beasts. He could only wait until the days were rich in the future to consider how to help the Skyfire Peng improve to the second tier.

After a period of adjustment, Song Qingming slowly broke his bad habit of spending spirit stones indiscriminately. Besides daily cultivation and the pills needed, he no longer paid attention to other strange spiritual items like before. Participating in the Heavenly Pill Alliance auction a few times, he only bought some pills to improve his cultivation.

After these few years of biding his time, Song Qingming was finally slowly becoming well-off. He had only reached Foundation Establishment for ten-plus years, and he had already broken through to the third layer of Foundation Establishment. This cultivation speed could be considered relatively fast, which was also thanks to the fact that he had never lacked spirit stones and pills needed for cultivation.

Just like that, Song Qingming and the other stayed in Yangshan Marketplace for more than ten days, until one day, Song Qingming, who was meditating in his room on the second floor, suddenly felt a burst of exclamation coming from outside.

Walking out of the room, he saw a phenomenon suddenly appear in the distant sky, surging with rolling white clouds. This large piece of spiritual clouds occasionally released bursts of dazzling golden light. Even at a distance of a hundred miles away, Song Qingming could see it clearly.

After the spiritual clouds slowly gathered in one place, they formed a huge golden vortex, standing on Guyang Mountain, which also made the crowd walking on the street stop their steps one after another and start to stop and watch this spectacle.

(End of chapter)