In Private Box Eight, Danchenzi, the premier alchemist of the Mountain Breaker Gang, was fondling the miniature cauldron in his hands, unable to put it down.
Yes, miniature.
Beyond being engraved with an Earth Mountain Formation, a Solid Wall Formation, and a Fire-Gathering Formation, this Four Elements Cauldron surprisingly also possessed a Ruyi Formation.
Because of that, it could expand and contract at will, shrinking down from a zhang in height to the size of a single hand.
Danchenzi—Luo Chen—loved it to bits.
With this cauldron, he had another option for both attack and defense.
Moreover, although its alchemy capabilities were not as outstanding as a traditional top-grade cauldron, fitting three or four batches of raw ingredients into a single furnace was more than enough.
If an alchemist's attainments were deep enough, tossing in five batches of ingredients at once wasn't out of the question either.
Seeing Luo Chen stash the miniature cauldron into his storage bag as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Mi Junping sourly reminded him from the side:
"Luo Chen, that wasn't bought for you. It's the property of the Pill Hall."
"Aiya, I know, I know! I'm only holding onto it for safekeeping, just safekeeping!"
Luo Chen gave a breezy laugh, putting on an air of complete understanding.
Yet anyone looking could tell he had every intention of making it his own.
Mi Shuhua didn't care in the slightest. As long as he held Luo Chen in his grasp, the Four Elements Cauldron still belonged to him anyway.
How to put it? It was simply like buying a better plow for the ox that tilled his field!
And right now, the ox was overjoyed. Wouldn't it plow the field with even more vigor going forward?
He smiled and said, "I took a look just now. This cauldron isn't as useless as imagined. Ordinary top-grade dharma artifacts are only inscribed with three first-tier formations, while artifacts capable of holding four are essentially supreme-grade. Though the four formations on the Four Elements Cauldron might not harmonize perfectly, the material itself is excellent. Used properly, it can pass as a quasi-supreme-grade artifact. All told, we came out slightly ahead in this auction."
Hearing him say this, Luo Chen fancied the Four Elements Cauldron even more.
Even if it was the Pill Hall's property, wasn't he the one using it?
Besides, he got a cut of the Pill Hall's profits too.
One could only say that different people saw the same matter in different lights.
In short, having bought the Four Elements Cauldron, everyone felt they hadn't lost out.
The auction process was extensive!
Yet under the helm of Luo Tianhong, an experienced Foundation Establishment cultivator, everything proceeded methodically without feeling bloated or tedious.
The fourth phase of the auction had come to an end.
And the final phase fell once again to the hosts, the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect.
The very first lot they presented drove the bidding fervor straight to a climax.
"Five Foundation Establishment Pills, to be auctioned individually."
"For the first pill, the starting bid is one thousand spirit stones. Fellow Daoists wishing to establish your foundation, let the bidding begin!"
The starting bid was actually only one thousand spirit stones?
So low?
In an instant, everyone's breathing turned ragged.
Even Luo Chen was tempted; he had fifteen hundred spirit stones on him, after all.
Heh, time for Danchenzi to make his move.
"One thousand one hundred!"
"One thousand two hundred!"
"One thousand four hundred!"
"Two thousand!"
"Three thousand!"
"Five thousand spirit stones!"
Hearing the numbers soar higher and higher, Luo Chen had clamped his mouth shut long ago.
Beside him, Mi Shuhua offered a faint smile. "A low starting bid is normal. Foundation Establishment Pills never lack buyers. The auctioneer only wanted to whip up the atmosphere."
Sikong Shoujia, who had also joined in the bidding, slumped weakly and ceased his pointless efforts upon hearing this.
In truth, he dearly wanted to buy a Foundation Establishment Pill for his son, Sikong Yuanhong.
That way, perhaps his son wouldn't have to marry into the Mi family.
Yet the price was truly prohibitive.
Luo Chen muttered a few words to himself before curiously asking Mi Shuhua, "Gang Leader, at the end of the day, a Foundation Establishment Pill is merely a second-tier pill. One or two thousand apiece is already quite unreasonable. Factoring in its special nature, three or four thousand is understandable. But now it's been hyped up to nearly six thousand stones a pill. Isn't that an absurd markup?"
Mi Shuhua chuckled helplessly. "You're asking me? Why don't you go ask those bidding rogue cultivators? Ask them if they're willing to give up what might be the single chance in their entire lives to establish their foundation."
Luo Chen sighed.
Indeed. If he possessed sufficient wealth, he probably wouldn't let this opportunity slip by either.
Yet thinking carefully, with his aptitude, could a single Foundation Establishment Pill truly guarantee success?
Rumor had it that even many cultivators with outstanding talent had a high failure rate when taking a Foundation Establishment Pill.
For him, it was even more of a long shot.
At that thought, the clear path of cultivation Luo Chen had previously planned out seemed to blur into uncertainty once more.
When that first Foundation Establishment Pill was claimed by a renowned rogue cultivator of Dahe Market for six thousand eight hundred spirit stones, the cultivators' bidding enthusiasm waned slightly.
Yet as the second pill opened for bidding, their passion flared up again.
Only this time, after venturing a couple of tentative bids, they backed off in fright.
Because this time, their competition was no longer solitary rogue cultivators, but the Foundation Establishment big shots seated high above in the private boxes!
"Two thousand five hundred low-grade spirit stones!"
"Are there any other bids?"
"Two thousand five hundred once, twice, three times—sold!"
"Congratulations to our fellow Daoist in Box Twelve on winning this Foundation Establishment Pill."
Box Twelve was where the Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Nangong cultivation clan was seated.
The subsequent three Foundation Establishment Pills also successively fell into the hands of the Duan family, the Li family, and Wang Haichao of the Great River Gang.
Moreover, nearly every pill closed around twenty-five hundred spirit stones—no more than the price of a top-grade dharma artifact.
Witnessing this unspoken collusion, the late Qi Refining rogue cultivators across the hall felt an overwhelming sense of grievance.
Not just them—Sikong Shoujia in Box Eight was flushed red with frustration as well.
"Gang Leader, I have some savings. Why wouldn't you let me bid?"
Mi Shuhua's smile vanished, his gaze turning cold as he stared at him.
"If you wish to die, I naturally won't stop you."
"But..."
"There are no buts," Mi Shuhua sneered. "The major Foundation Establishment factions were generous enough to concede one Foundation Establishment Pill to rootless rogue cultivators. As for the rest, don't even dream of touching them."
Mi Junping couldn't resist asking, "Then Father, why didn't you make a bid?"
"I already have a spare Foundation Establishment Pill in hand. It wasn't my turn to bid this time; everyone agreed on this beforehand."
Standing behind them, Luo Chen watched it all in silence.
So the ownership of the Foundation Establishment Pills had already been determined in advance.
Everyone was tacitly dividing up the pork, and that single leftover scrap was likely a lifeline deliberately spared for rogue cultivators under warning from the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect.
If any rogue cultivator failed to appreciate the situation and forced a bid on the remaining pills...
In terms of financial clout, they couldn't possibly outmatch a Foundation Establishment faction.
In the end, not only would they fail to win the pill, but they would also offend those factions.
Once the auction concluded, what awaited that rogue cultivator would be the thunderous wrath of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, or even a manhunt by an entire faction.
Having deduced this answer, Luo Chen felt even more lost.
For one or two Foundation Establishment Pills, he felt confident he could earn enough spirit stones through alchemy.
Even if he needed a few more, by straining with all his might, he might still manage before his lifespan ran out.
However, if several Foundation Establishment factions stepped forward at every auction to divvy them up through unspoken agreement, then even if he had hundreds of thousands of spirit stones, it would all be useless.
How could Qi Refining ever contend with Foundation Establishment!
In this adrift and helpless state of mind, the auction drew to a close before Luo Chen realized it.
Afterward, the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect brought out many more fine treasures, even including a Core Formation spiritual medicine that drove numerous Foundation Establishment cultivators to discard all decorum and bid frantically.
Yet none of that had anything to do with Luo Chen anymore.
As they left the venue, Mi Shuhua suddenly clapped a hand onto Luo Chen's slumped shoulder.
"Why so downcast?"
Luo Chen looked up and answered instinctively, "Gang Leader."
Mi Shuhua offered a benevolent smile. "If you reach Qi Refining perfection one day, this old man will give you full support to establish your foundation. What is a single Foundation Establishment Pill, after all!"
A surge of warmth welled up in Luo Chen's heart.
In this cold and ruthless cultivation world, there truly were good people after all!
...
Night had fallen. Luo Chen did not know where the cultivators who had attended the auction went.
He returned alone to his courtyard.
Meeting Qin Liangchen and his wife, along with Gu Caiyi, who had returned home, he spoke of what he had seen and heard at the auction today.
The others marveled at the rare and precious treasures and sighed at how fabulously wealthy the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect was to part with magic treasures at auction.
When Luo Chen smilingly mentioned what Mi Shuhua had said to him as they left, Qin Liangchen fell silent for a long time.
At last, he gave a bitter smile. "He said those exact words to me once. Back then, he told Han Dang the Heart-Devouring Tiger the very same thing when he reached Qi Refining perfection. As for the others..."
Murong Qinglian shook her head. "In any case, over the past hundred years, the Mountain Breaker Gang has never produced a second rogue cultivator who established their foundation."
Luo Chen froze, then slammed the table and shot to his feet.
"Old bastard, how dare you play me like this!"
Early the next morning, outside the entrance of the Spirit Herb Pavilion, a young man waited in the falling snow for a long time.
As soon as the doors opened, he walked straight inside.
"Five bottles of Dust-Cleansing Pills and one box of Spirit Calming Incense."
The maidservant, still yawning, was taken aback upon hearing this.
She replied reflexively, "Dust-Cleansing Pills are two hundred spirit stones a bottle, and Spirit Calming Incense is one hundred and twenty spirit stones a box."
"Here is one thousand one hundred and twenty spirit stones. Please count it!"
"Oh, right away, sir. Just a moment."
After the young man departed, the maidservant still hadn't fully recovered her senses.
Did I just meet a wealthy cultivator?
Ordinarily, rogue cultivators mostly bought Qi-Nourishing Pills, and even then, they pinched every penny.
A fine medicine like the Dust-Cleansing Pill was basically only purchased by late Qi Refining cultivators, and they bought them one bottle at a time.
Yet that man just now had bought five bottles in a single breath.
"Are rogue cultivators nowadays this rich?"
...
Whether others were rich or not, Luo Chen did not know.
He only knew that Qi-Nourishing Pills were virtually useless to him now that he had advanced to the seventh layer of Qi Refining.
To maintain his cultivation speed, he had to switch to a new pill.
The Dust-Cleansing Pill was his best option at present.
As an outstanding first-tier pill, the Dust-Cleansing Pill had always been renowned for its immense and pure medicinal potency.
Even the low-grade Dust-Cleansing Pills sold to outsiders were more than twice as potent as Qi-Nourishing Pills.
Back when Gu Caiyi was still at the Tianxiang Pavilion, a high-grade Dust-Cleansing Pill casually bestowed by the late Foundation Establishment cultivator Fei Baiwen had allowed her to break through her bottleneck in one go and advance to the ninth layer of Qi Refining.
High-grade Dust-Cleansing Pills were something Luo Chen couldn't afford, nor was there anywhere to buy them.
The Spirit Herb Pavilion rarely sold such good items as regular stock; they only sold low-grade pills to rogue cultivators.
It was only at yesterday's auction that large batches of mid-grade and high-grade pills had been put up for bidding.
From a conspiratorial angle, Luo Chen couldn't help suspecting that the Medicine King Sect behind the Spirit Herb Pavilion kept the finest pills for internal consumption or sold them exclusively to major sects.
That way, sect cultivators were guaranteed not only superior combat power, but also a cultivation speed far outstripping that of rogue cultivators.
Besides, ordinary rogue cultivators lacked the purchasing power anyway.
Casting those stray thoughts aside, Luo Chen once again mapped out his cultivation plan.
The harsh reality of the Foundation Establishment Pills from yesterday hadn't crushed him.
It had merely been a momentary bout of gloom!
In just a single night, Luo Chen had already regained his spirits.
The urgent priority was to reach Qi Refining perfection. As for Foundation Establishment Pills, he could plan properly for that later!
Worrying too much now was just borrowing trouble.
Rather than dwelling on that, he was better off considering how much support the Pill Hall, the Mountain Breaker Gang, and people like Mi Shuhua could provide him.
"Qi-Nourishing Pills are useless to me. I need to find a pretext to have the Mountain Breaker Gang switch my supply to Dust-Cleansing Pills."
"Pretexts are easy to find. What matters most is how much value I can bring to Mi Shuhua."
"And seeing how Mi Shuhua bought me the Four Elements Cauldron without batting an eye, it's clear I hold tremendous utility in his eyes."
Not just the Four Elements Cauldron—from his daily treatment to the occasional gentle, cajoling words, Luo Chen knew very well that Mi Shuhua valued him immensely.
He valued him even more than he had once valued Qin Liangchen, Han Dang, or Wang Yuan.
At the root of it all were spirit stones!
"Yesterday, Mi Shuhua nearly drained his coffers to buy that magic treasure, which was why he put so many items up for sale."
"The Mountain Breaker Gang brings in huge revenues, but much of it doesn't yield immediate cash flow. And to keep so many rogue cultivators willingly following the gang, he naturally has to share out substantial profits."
"By contrast, Jade Marrow Pills are a new source of wealth."
"As things stand, the distribution channels for Jade Marrow Pills are practically established—shops in Dahe Market, cooperation with the Great River Gang, or local cultivation clans."
"With channels in place, Mi Shuhua has acquired a magic treasure, substantially boosting his strength. Behind the scenes, he might even have the backing of the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion's garrison cultivators."
"Thus, everything is ready except the east wind!"
And Luo Chen knew exactly what that east wind was:
Yield!
"If you want me to increase production, relying solely on a top-grade cauldron won't cut it!"
Luo Chen sneered inwardly.
Earlier, he had felt a twinge of guilt, thinking he had sheared too much wool from the old man.
Yet seeing him splurge lavishly yesterday, Luo Chen realized he had been far too softhearted.
As he left the city, he met the two bodyguards waiting by the city gate.
However, neither of them noticed him at first; instead, they were gazing up at the city wall.
"What are you looking at?"
Luo Chen walked over with a genial smile.
Following Zhou Yuanli's pointed finger, he looked up, only to see dozens of severed heads arranged in dense rows.
Luo Chen had been through two battles, so his courage didn't fail him.
Even so, a chill ran down his spine.
"Who are they?"
Zhou Yuanli sighed. "Mostly rogue cultivators."
"What did they do?"
"What else could they have done?" Liu Qiang scoffed. "Those fools lost their minds. They went on a killing spree in the inner city last night. Did they really think the Sword Pavilion's law enforcement squad was just for show?"
Looking closely, almost every hanging head wore a mask of terror.
The cuts across their necks were remarkably clean.
Ordinary flying sword artifacts were renowned for their sharpness, but in combat, their surging spiritual power typically caused broad, destructive impact.
Only sword cultivators from the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect, even without sword pellets, could display a touch of true sword mastery with ordinary flying swords.
When they struck, their sword light was condensed, their spiritual power fine as silk.
A strike that landed sliced through metal and jade, severing limbs with immaculate precision.
"Unfortunately, the law enforcement squad only cares about the inner city's safety now. As long as no massive chaos erupts in the outer city, they don't give a damn," Zhou Yuanli remarked.
Liu Qiang sneered. "Indeed. At least several hundred conflicts broke out in the outer city last night, and that still doesn't count as massive chaos, right?"
Luo Chen was stunned.
Had such terrible turmoil really erupted in the outer city last night?
Suddenly, he felt it made sense.
So many covetable treasures had appeared at the auction.
Those who failed in their bids were bound to be unreconciled.
If even inner city residents had trouble brought to their doors, what about the rogue cultivators who slipped out of the city under cover of darkness?
Under a chain reaction, it was only natural for massive chaos to engulf the outer city.
Let's just hope trouble doesn't come looking for me!
Luo Chen shook his head, then led his two bodyguards in flight toward Crescent Moon Valley.
During broad daylight, things were relatively safe.
Those marauding cultivators still had to show some regard for the Sword Pavilion law enforcement squad's face.
Stirring up trouble at night was one thing, but they had to behave themselves during the day.
...
Dong!
A dull thud echoed outward.
Dozens of people craned their necks to peer into the refining chamber, whispering among themselves.
Their Pill Hall actually had a top-grade alchemy cauldron!
After setting up the Four Elements Cauldron, Luo Chen instructed people to move the Xuanyun Cauldron from the main refining chamber to another, smaller chamber.
Though a bit cramped, it was barely workable.
When he walked out, he noticed silence had fallen over the courtyard outside.
Mi Shuhua had arrived!
"Good morning, Gang Leader!"
Luo Chen greeted him with a beaming smile, showing not a trace of the fury from the night before when he had cursed the man as an "old bastard."
Mi Shuhua nodded with a smile as well. "I had nothing pressing today and happened to pass by, so I came to see if this Four Elements Cauldron suits your hand."
Passing by?
The corner of Luo Chen's mouth twitched, but he said nothing.
With a wave of his hand, his subordinates sprang into action.
Before long, all preparations were complete.
Luo Chen sequestered himself inside the main refining chamber, focusing wholeheartedly on familiarizing himself with the Four Elements Cauldron today.
Stoke the fire, open the cauldron, and introduce four batches of raw ingredients in sequence.
His hands shifted like blossoming flowers; under his dexterous peeling, jade marrow seeped from four pieces of Huanyu jade straight into the cauldron.
"Not enough fire?"
Luo Chen shut the cauldron lid and doubled the firewood in the fire pit.
Not only that, he cast a Fireball Art; under the control of his Flame Manipulation Incantation, the fireball split into slender streams, continuously tempering the cauldron.
Through this process, Luo Chen grew increasingly familiar with the cauldron's wondrous alchemy functions.
Much later, he walked out looking slightly weary.
"Good luck today. Forty pills formed—fifteen mid-grade, twenty-five low-grade."
Mi Shuhua accepted the jade-white pills from Luo Chen's hands.
After examining them closely, a pleased expression appeared on his face.
"Very good. Achieving initial results right upon taking it up. Once you grow accustomed to it, the yield of Jade Marrow Pills will surely see a major breakthrough."
"It is all thanks to Gang Leader's nurturing!" Luo Chen said modestly.
Mi Shuhua shook his head. "If nurturing from a Foundation Establishment cultivator like me could produce an alchemist, alchemists would have become worthless long ago. Your talent is the truly precious thing."
After that sigh of praise, he looked at the weary Luo Chen and frowned.
"Is a single refining session really so exhausting?"
Luo Chen smiled bitterly. "Gang Leader, the Four Elements Cauldron is a top-grade dharma artifact. Even if I only use its alchemy functions, activating it once expends a great deal of spiritual power. Besides, none of them can lend a hand yet; it all falls on me alone. How could I not be tired?"
Put that way, it was entirely reasonable.
During the refining process just now, Mi Shuhua had also relied on his spiritual sense, keeping his full attention on Luo Chen's movements within the refining chamber.
Processing raw ingredients, adding medicines, knowing when to open the lid, adjusting the flame's intensity, and occasionally using spiritual power to stir the medicinal broth within the cauldron...
After such an elaborate sequence of steps, an ordinary late Qi Refining cultivator would have exhausted most of their spiritual power and focus.
Refining a single batch of pills was practically equivalent to fighting a battle against a cultivator of the same tier.
He pondered for a moment, then asked, "Do you need any assistance?"
Luo Chen did not mince words. "I want Dust-Cleansing Pills! At least four bottles a month!"
Hearing this amount, Sikong Shoujia beside them and even Gu Caiyi held their breath.
Four bottles of Dust-Cleansing Pills amounted to nearly eight hundred spirit stones.
Among the nine hall masters of the gang, excluding dividends, not a single one enjoyed such treatment.
Moreover, Luo Chen had previously received only five bottles of Qi-Nourishing Pills a month, worth a mere five hundred spirit stones.
Demanding such a massive increase at once was truly an exorbitant ask!
Yet Mi Shuhua merely pondered for a brief moment before nodding directly.
"No problem. Mi Junping will bring your dividend today anyway; I'll have her swap all the Qi-Nourishing Pills for Dust-Cleansing Pills."
"However, this month's tally of Jade Marrow Pills must provide me with a satisfactory answer."
Luo Chen gave an acknowledging hum, without committing directly.
Mi Shuhua did not insist on hearing a pledge either. After offering a few words reminding him to stay safe, he departed from the Pill Hall.
Only after he left did Luo Chen let out a sigh of relief.
For some reason, Mi Shuhua's aura felt thirty percent heavier than before, especially when he wasn't smiling.
Perhaps that magic treasure had given him sufficient confidence!
Luo Chen glanced back toward the Four Elements Cauldron in the main refining chamber, the corners of his mouth curling slightly.
He, too, had confidence now.
Chapter 105