Chapter 84: Second-Tier Treasure Pill (Requesting Subscription)
Chapter 84: Second-Tier Treasure Pill (Requesting Subscription)
Out of caution, Fang Xi did not bid.
He quietly watched as one item after another was brought onto the stage through the bronze mirror, each described with florid praise by Zhong Wanjun.
After his initial shock, Fang Xi had also come to realize something.
He wasn't the only body cultivator practicing the 'Myriad Beast Body Scripture'; this might not necessarily be a trap.
Moreover, given the time of his purchase, he might not even have cultivated the first layer yet.
It was more likely that others were being targeted!
During the auction, Fang Xi only made one bid, for a scroll of the 'Wine God Record'.
Though the 'Wine God Record' sounded grand, it was actually just a vintner's manual, containing a few first-tier spirit wine recipes. . .
He remembered how his grand winemaking scheme had come to an abrupt halt, and later, when he revisited the old place, the cellar was sour; recalling it indeed brought a sense of melancholy.
As time ticked by, the auction finally neared its end.
On the stage, Zhong Wanjun's expression was solemn as he had several maidservants, each holding a tray covered with red cloth, step forward.
"Next, we enter the climax of this auction, the first centerpiece item!"
Zhong Wanjun pulled back the red silk cloth, revealing a shimmering azure spirit armor on a white jade tray!
"A low-grade spirit artifact – the Azure Fish Armor! Crafted from six thousand seven hundred scales of the Azure Jade Carp King, this armor can shrink or expand at will, remains spotless, and comes imbued with five major spell formations: Spirit Gathering, Body Protection, Toxin Dispelling, Water Repelling, and Golden Light. . . The starting price is six hundred spirit stones!"
"A spirit artifact? " In the private room, Fang Xi was slightly astonished.
Qi Refinement cultivators used magic tools, but Foundation Establishment cultivators used spirit artifacts!
These spirit artifacts could only be wielded by the potent magic power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator!
If a Qi Refinement cultivator tried to force its use, it would be like a child wielding a heavy hammer – more trouble than it was worth.
"There aren't many people here qualified to bid, are there?"
"In Myriad Islands Lake, the only Foundation Establishment ancestor from a family is the Zhong family ancestor, who wouldn't buy from himself. . . there's only one rogue Foundation Establishment cultivator, and besides that, probably some Foundation Establishment cultivators who've traveled from other regions?"
Fang Xi leaned back, having no interest in bidding whatsoever.
But when the second item appeared, his eyes couldn't help but light up slightly.
"A second-tier spirit pill – the Seven Treasures Snake Blood Pill! Refined primarily with the essence blood of a second-tier demonic snake, it greatly supplements blood-qi and enhances a cultivator's innate foundation!"
On the stage, Zhong Wanjun was holding a translucent glass jade bottle as he introduced it.
Through the semi-transparent glass, one could see a large, blood-red pill inside: "Starting price: five hundred spirit stones!"
"It's actually a second-tier blood-qi enhancing pill?"
Fang Xi's eyes showed a hint of longing.
If he could acquire this pill, combined with the fourth layer of the 'Myriad Beast Body Scripture' and the research materials from the Grandmaster Society,
He might even have a certain chance of breaking through to the 'True Vigor Manifestation' realm!
"No, I must stay calm. I've already spent enough spirit stones. . . Most of those contending for second-tier pills now are Foundation Establishment cultivators. . . My bid would be far too conspicuous!"
"Even if I consume this second-tier spirit pill, I might not successfully break through. . . and the Zhong family might not withstand the pressure from a Foundation Establishment cultivator for me. . . Then the trouble would be immense!"
Fang Xi gazed at the pill in the bronze mirror, gradually regaining his composure, his eyes once again as still as an ancient well.
Although with the high-quality demonic beast materials he possessed, he might not be unable to win this second-tier spirit pill.
But there would be other opportunities in the future; he was still too weak now.
"Alright, alright, let it be. . ."
He exhaled a long breath, quietly waiting for the auction to conclude.
The final item in this auction was a pill that aided Foundation Establishment cultivators in breaking through bottlenecks, with a starting price exceeding two thousand spirit stones.
At this point, Fang Xi regretted that the auction wasn't a public bidding model, preventing him from enjoying the spectacle.
However, after this round of hidden bidding, Zhong Wanjun did not step down. Instead, he chuckled and said, "Fellow Daoists, after this auction, our pavilion has decided to add a round of free exchange. You can use a magic tool to communicate with each other freely. After a transaction is agreed upon, you can proceed to your respective private rooms or designated secret chambers for the exchange. Our Zhong family will not know whether your transactions succeeded or what their content was. . ."
"This magic tool is the bronze mirror before you. Simply inject it with your magic power."
...
Upon hearing this, Fang Xi, with a touch of curiosity, tentatively channeled a stream of magic power into the bronze mirror.
The next moment, he felt his wisp of magic power enter a vast "pond."
Even his Divine Consciousness attached to it, following it into the pond.
"How wondrous, is this what it feels like for a Foundation Establishment cultivator's Divine Consciousness to leave the body?"
In the pond, numerous carp, illusory forms of magic power, swam about. One black carp was blowing bubbles.
"Zhong Wanjun, this thing of yours is quite interesting. . ."
At this moment, a large, five-colored spotted fish swam over, its size at least twice that of the other small fish.
"Greetings, Senior!"
Zhong Wanjun also transformed into an azure carp, blowing bubbles: "This magic tool is called the 'Myriad Fish Mirror. ' It's really just a plaything, with limited communication range and high consumption, so it's only brought out to entertain you all. . ."
He openly listed several shortcomings of the 'Myriad Fish Mirror'.
"Interesting!"
With this rare opportunity for his Divine Consciousness to leave his body, Fang Xi transformed into a small red carp, curiously swimming around in the "pond."
"This feeling, it's just like playing a virtual reality game. . ."
"But how does one play this? Is there a manual?"
Though Fang Xi didn't understand, he learned quickly.
He saw a white carp nearby blowing bubbles, and out of curiosity, he bumped into it.
Pop!
The bubble burst, and a voice, audible only to him, echoed in his ear: "I want a Foundation Establishment Pill, I want a Foundation Establishment Pill, I want a Foundation Establishment Pill. . ."
"Damn it, I want one too! You have to have one, and be willing to trade it!"
Fang Xi rolled his eyes like a dead fish, mimicking the action by blowing bubbles: "Seeking a first-tier array formation, seeking a first-tier array formation, needs to be wide-ranging and suitable for cultivating fields. . ."
Pop! Pop!
One small fish after another burst his bubbles, but none replied.
Fang Xi wasn't anxious, waiting patiently.
He had even given up on the second-tier blood-qi pill; his state of mind (state of mind) was excellent now, carrying a hint of "my gain if it's meant to be, my fate if it's not.""
Before long, an azure carp swam over, blowing a bubble that directly hit Fang Xi.
In Fang Xi's ear, a voice sounded: "I have a set of first-tier mid-grade 'Minor Cloud Rain Array. ' What's your offer?"
Fang Xi's spirit stirred, and he returned a bubble: "Do you accept first-tier high-grade demonic beast materials?"
The azure carp quickly replied: "Yes, I do!"
"Then let's trade in Private Room Xuan-16!"
After replying, Fang Xi directly withdrew his wisp of magic power.
Inside the private room, he toyed with the bronze mirror, finding it quite interesting.
"This magic tool doesn't seem simple. . ."
Not long after, there was a knock on the private room door. After Fang Xi opened it, a graceful female cultivator, veiled, walked in.
Her aura was utterly indistinct, making it impossible to discern her cultivation, clearly indicating she practiced some kind of concealment art.
Fang Xi's expression remained unchanged. Although he didn't have spells to hide his cultivation, others seeing him, a mere fourth-layer Qi Refinement cultivator, so wealthy and uninhibited, would likely assume he had concealed his true cultivation!
This was also a form of strategic deception!
"A first-tier mid-grade 'Minor Cloud Rain Array,' with the array disk and flags intact, and an instruction jade slip included!"
The graceful female cultivator wasted no words. With a wave of her hand, a large jade box appeared. When it opened, inside were exquisite array flags, each shimmering with spiritual light, looking extraordinary: "This array has the effects of spirit gathering and concealment, and its range is also quite large; it can absolutely serve as a protective array for small sects or families. If your materials are worth less than five hundred spirit stones, I won't exchange them. Furthermore, if you don't know how to set it up and need me to come personally, that will be an additional one hundred spirit stones!"
"No need for a personal visit."
Fang Xi was, after all, an array. . . an uninitiated array master. With the jade slip as guidance, he could still manage to set up the array.
He thought for a moment, then took out his storage pouch and gently tilted it. A large wolf hide, two bird claws, and some miscellaneous beast sinews and materials emerged: "Take a look. . ."
The female array master picked up the wolf hide, spiritual light flickering in her eyes: "A first-tier high-grade demonic wolf hide. . ."
"First-tier high-grade demonic bird claws. . ."
"This is. . . the inner sinew of an unknown demonic beast, also likely first-tier high-grade?"
"You. . . did you raid a demonic beast lair? No. . . these demonic beasts aren't all of the same kind. . ."
The female array master, by the end, was clearly quite wary.
Anyone capable of killing so many late-stage Qi Refinement demonic beasts was definitely a ruthless individual among the ruthless!
"And they're still concealing their aura to only the fourth layer of Qi Refinement, fooling no one!"
She muttered inwardly, then put away the materials: "I'm very satisfied with these materials. The transaction is complete!"
The female array master left in a hurry, leaving Fang Xi no chance to try and chat a bit longer.
"Am I that intimidating?"
He touched his self-transformed square face, feeling that this appearance was quite distinctive.
After carefully examining the array flags and array disk several times, he put away the jade box and walked out of the private room: "Let's settle the bill. . ."
Immediately, a maidservant stepped forward and led Fang Xi to another secret chamber.
...
"Esteemed guest from Private Room Xuan-16, your Vajra Talisman and Outer Realm Meteorite Sword have been successfully bid on. As for the 'Wine God Record,' I regret to inform you. . ."
Before Fang Xi, an old appraiser-like cultivator pushed two boxes onto the table.
When opened, they revealed a golden talisman and the Outer Realm Meteorite Sword.
"I truly lack experience. . ."
Fang Xi inspected the items, pondering inwardly: "The talisman's price was definitely too high. . . The Outer Realm Meteorite Sword is only suitable for body cultivators, with a narrow audience, so it wouldn't fetch a high price. . ."
"The final 'Wine God Record' seemed low-grade, but in reality, it could provide a steady stream of income for certain small families by adding a winemaking industry. . . two hundred spirit stones was definitely not enough."
"The Vajra Talisman is one hundred spirit stones, and the Outer Realm Meteorite Sword is three hundred spirit stones, totaling four hundred spirit stones! " the old appraiser said with a smile.
Fang Xi nodded silently, took out the remaining three hundred eighty-seven low-grade spirit stones from his storage pouch, and asked, "I'm short on spirit stones. Can I use other items as collateral?"
"Naturally, that is acceptable, but there will be a ten percent discount on the value!"
The old appraiser lightly stroked his graying beard, a hint of joy appearing in his eyes.
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