Luo Chen had followed Mi Shuhua for a long time.
He had scrounged quite a few things from him and learned plenty as well.
Back then, Mi Shuhua had generously shared a great deal of auctioning experience with Luo Chen and the others.
When evaluating an auction item, one first had to consider its importance to oneself—whether it was an absolute must-have.
Next, one looked at the number of competitors to judge how difficult the bidding would be.
Finally, it came down to the depth of one's pockets.
Luo Chen's net worth stood at merely five thousand spirit stones, which was hardly immense, but compared to the starting bid for Yang Restoring Water, it was undeniably substantial.
Moreover, while many people were bidding, making the competition seem fierce on the surface, their bids were only creeping up in steady increments, and someone had even pulled the comical move of raising the bid by a single spirit stone.
Clearly, the difficulty was not as great as it appeared.
The underlying reason likely lay in the fact that two more bottles remained, giving people a lingering sense of hope and keeping them from wagering everything on the first.
Yet Luo Chen was determined to secure this Yang Restoring Water at all costs!
Thus, he employed the most suitable auction tactic:
A single decisive strike!
When the bid of one thousand spirit stones rang out, the room fell silent for a fleeting moment.
Immediately afterward, a wave of restless murmurs broke out.
"Fellow Daoist, isn't that a bit excessive? This stuff is only listed for five hundred spirit stones at the Spirit Herb Pavilion. Paying that much of a premium makes you a sucker!"
"Madman! Rather than spend that kind of money, I'd rather wait another two years at the Spirit Herb Pavilion."
"Let's not get into a petty clash of pride with him. There are still two bottles left."
"Must be a newcomer with a little coin to burn, unaware that the truly good stuff comes later."
In the face of these remarks, Luo Chen composed himself and remained unmoved.
He merely watched Tianxingzi's movements.
Under his gaze, Tianxingzi cleared his throat softly.
"One thousand spirit stones going once!"
"One thousand spirit stones going twice! Are there any other fellow Daoists interested in this bottle of Yang Restoring Water that aids in Foundation Establishment?"
"Heh heh, looks like that's all. One thousand spirit stones going three times!"
"Sold!"
He handed over the spirit stones, and a bottle of Yang Restoring Water was officially in his hands.
Luo Chen's tense posture relaxed.
Looking at the small bottle, a smile involuntarily surfaced on his face beneath the mask.
Yang Restoring Water was one of the specialty Foundation Establishment elixirs produced by the Medicine King Sect.
Its true effect, however, was not quite what Tianxingzi had casually claimed about aiding Foundation Establishment.
Of course, Tianxingzi was not outright lying either.
It did indeed provide a tiny shred of help toward establishing a foundation.
Its real function, though, was to preserve a breath of vitality when a cultivator failed their Foundation Establishment attempt.
During that brief window, the cultivator could gather the spiritual energy running rampant through their body due to the failure, coordinate their soul and physique, and calmly mend themselves.
Even if their Foundation Establishment failed, it would not inflict permanent damage upon their body.
All it took was a bit of time to recover back to the Great Perfection of Qi Refinement, allowing them to attempt breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage again.
The price of this medicine was not high, selling for just five hundred spirit stones per bottle at the Spirit Herb Pavilion.
However, it belonged to the category where demand far outstripped supply!
Whenever the Spirit Herb Pavilion put it on the shelves, rogue cultivators snatched it clean in an instant.
To make matters worse, the Medicine King Sect kept a tight rein on this spiritual medicine. Although the Spirit Herb Pavilion claimed to have stock every year, in truth, many rogue cultivators could never buy a single bottle.
Luo Chen had always worried that his five-element spiritual roots would drag him down during Foundation Establishment.
Even one or two Foundation Establishment Pills might not guarantee success.
And the consequences of failure were hard to predict and even harder to bear.
Now that he had a bottle of Yang Restoring Water in hand, he could afford at least one failure.
Trading a cost of one thousand spirit stones for an opportunity to preserve his life and foundation was by no means a loss!
He did not know how others viewed the mindset of considering defeat before victory.
In any case, such was his thorough and cautious nature.
Besides, was one thousand spirit stones truly an overpayment?
The subsequent winning bids for the other two bottles of Yang Restoring Water brought a faint curl to his lips.
"One thousand two hundred spirit stones going once!"
"One thousand two hundred spirit stones going twice!"
"One thousand two hundred spirit stones going three times, sold!"
The cultivator who won the final bottle was none other than the ninth-level Qi Refinement rogue cultivator who had previously bid eight hundred and blustered that anyone competing against him wouldn't walk out the door.
At this moment, his expression was sullen, looking at Luo Chen and the other person who had won a bottle for one thousand one hundred spirit stones with visible irritation.
Luo Chen twitched his lips in amusement.
If you wanted to play the decisive one-bid game, you should have thrown down a ruthless price!
Or at least back it up with real clout!
Who was afraid of someone who could only bark empty threats?
In the end, hadn't he still gritted his teeth and forced himself to buy a bottle?
It was only because no one felt like bothering; otherwise, someone tacking on just one or two spirit stones could have driven him into a foaming rage.
Next, Tianxingzi presented one item after another on behalf of the Zhenlong Black Market.
High-grade dharma artifacts, high-grade talismans, mid-grade Dust-Cleansing Pills, secret spell manuals, and even a puppet!
When that puppet, possessing combat strength comparable to the Great Perfection of Qi Refinement, was brought out, everyone's heart stirred.
The bidding soared to nearly ten thousand spirit stones!
At that moment, Luo Chen felt momentarily dazed, wondering whether he was attending an illicit black market or an auction held by the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion.
Were rogue cultivators these days really this wealthy?
Compared to these people, he began to doubt whether he was truly an alchemist famed for affluence.
However, once he realized that the winning bid had been called by an elderly Foundation Establishment cultivator, it made complete sense.
Luo Chen did not contend for the puppet, even though it was claimed to have been personally crafted by an elder of the Luoyun Sect.
He made only one more move, spending nine hundred spirit stones to secure that secret spell manual.
In the cultivation world, cultivation techniques were strictly controlled by major sects, and most manuals circulating outside were simplified versions.
Spells, however, were widely distributed.
This was because spells were easy to learn but hard to master, and carried flaws like slow casting speeds and heavy spiritual power consumption.
Precisely for this reason, secret spell manuals had always been quite cheap.
Back then, when he bought the five-in-one Five Essential Spells of the Qi Refining Stage from Wang Yuan, it had cost him merely two hundred spirit stones.
The truly expensive spells were actually the modified versions sold by the Five Elements Divine Sect.
The reason Luo Chen spent nine hundred spirit stones on this manual was primarily due to its rank:
It was a Tier 2 fire-element spell.
Landslide.
"Why does a fire-element spell have a name with an earth-element flavor?"
As Luo Chen wondered to himself, the auction arrived at the host's final lot.
"The Root of Heaven and Earth."
Luo Chen snapped his head up!
There on the sandalwood table lay an object shaped like a human tongue, resting quietly.
Not only his, but everyone's gaze locked onto it.
Tianxingzi gave a faint smile. "I trust many fellow Daoists came precisely for this!"
"An eight-hundred-year Root of Heaven and Earth. Taken raw, it can raise the chances of Foundation Establishment by twenty percent—only ten percent lower than a low-grade Foundation Establishment Pill."
"Naturally, if you can engage a grandmaster alchemist to refine it into a mid-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, its efficacy will jump to forty percent!"
"I won't waste more words. The starting bid is one thousand spirit stones."
Before his words had fully faded—
"Two thousand!"
"Three thousand!"
"Four thousand spirit stones!"
Direct and simple, the bidding proceeded far more briskly than at an orthodox auction.
Luo Chen quickly calculated his assets: three thousand five hundred in cash, and if he threw in a high-grade dharma artifact...
"Five thousand!"
His calculations ground to a halt.
Not just him—all the Qi Refinement cultivators who had been shouting bids abruptly ceased their frenzy.
The other Foundation Establishment cultivator, who had not participated in any bidding until now, had spoken up.
Luo Chen sighed. As expected, such a treasure was completely out of their reach.
Or rather, the primary purpose of the two Foundation Establishment cultivators coming here in the first place was likely this piece of eight-hundred-year Root of Heaven and Earth!
From here on, all he had to do was watch the show.
Unfortunately, he didn't even get to see a good show.
The other Foundation Establishment cultivator opened his eyes, an exceedingly aged voice spreading through the hall.
"I bid five thousand five hundred spirit stones to purchase this piece of Root of Heaven and Earth. Furthermore, I can offer Fellow Daoist Zhou one promise of my assistance."
"Heh heh, then please, take it."
The Foundation Establishment cultivator surnamed Zhou let out a hearty laugh, rose unceremoniously, and walked straight out of the hall.
"Ah..."
The elderly Foundation Establishment cultivator let out a deep sigh and walked over to Tianxingzi step by step.
The two stared at each other for a moment before Tianxingzi nodded with a smile.
After handing over the spirit stones, the elderly Foundation Establishment cultivator took the Root of Heaven and Earth and also departed the hall.
Watching this scene, many ninth-level Qi Refinement rogue cultivators who had come specifically for the Root of Heaven and Earth could not help but feel a pang of sorrow in their hearts.
The Foundation Establishment Pills at the Sword Pavilion's auctions were beyond their reach.
Now, even the Root of Heaven and Earth—an elixir less effective than a Foundation Establishment Pill—had been divided between these prominent Foundation Establishment figures in mere moments of casual conversation.
Truly, it left rogue cultivators no path to survive!
Luo Chen felt a touch of disappointment as well; he had wanted to take a shot at it.
After that fleeting disappointment, however, came a wave of intrigue.
For the subsequent open-bidding segment among rogue cultivators broadened his horizons immensely.
All manner of strange and curious items caught his attention.
"Fellow Daoists, look here. This is a dudou."
"Lotus Hidden Carp!"
"It appears ordinary, doesn't it? Merely a mid-grade dharma artifact. Yet this item can unleash the might of a strike approaching that of a supreme-grade dharma artifact."
"Don't believe it? We can have it appraised by the Five-Colored Treasure Compass, though the appraisal fee will be covered by whichever fellow Daoist wins the bid."
Under everyone's expectant gazes, the dudou was placed upon the massive Five-Colored Treasure Compass.
The compass needle first leaped to the middle section of the blue scale, indicating a water-element mid-grade dharma artifact.
Immediately following that, the needle suddenly jumped to the very peak of the upper blue section, vibrating continuously.
This indicated that its burst power could reach the peak of high-grade, approaching the strength of a strike from a supreme-grade dharma artifact.
The rogue cultivator putting it up for auction smiled slightly.
"The effect of the Lotus Hidden Carp is exceedingly special, and the method of using it is quite unique as well."
"First, it must be worn by a female cultivator."
"Second, it must be worn next to the skin year-round, nourished externally by one's own spiritual energy."
"After just over a year of nourishment, when encountering an enemy, one simply pulls open their outer garment. A giant white carp of spiritual energy will burst forth through the air, forcefully devastating the foe."
Luo Chen listened, utterly dumbfounded.
How could such an eccentric dharma artifact even exist?
And which master had forged it?
For what purpose on earth had someone specially crafted such a thing?
Still, one had to admit the treasure's effect was remarkable!
Even Luo Chen felt tempted.
Unfortunately, the restriction that it could only be worn by female cultivators left him feeling awkward.
In the end, the treasure fell into the hands of a quiet, pretty female cultivator for seven hundred spirit stones.
Everyone tacitly glanced at the female cultivator, their eyes drifting toward her board-flat figure.
Beneath the mask, no one could tell what expression she wore.
All they saw was two men tacitly stepping in front of her to block those stares.
I'm afraid that might not fit, right?
Luo Chen muttered inwardly. If given to Gu Caiyi or Feng Xia, it would probably fit wonderfully!
A moment later, however, that female cultivator walked up to the sandalwood table, calmly facing pairs of strange stares.
"Five bottles of Moisturizing Pearl Liquid, starting bid of one hundred and fifty spirit stones per bottle. Any interested fellow Daoist may bid."
Hearing this name, most rogue cultivators showed no interest.
Luo Chen's eyes lit up, however.
This stuff was suitable for Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment cultivators to relieve eye fatigue.
If used consistently over a long period, it allowed a cultivator to easily discern various impure qi such as yin qi, turbid qi, and fiend qi.
Supposedly, this was because one of its primary ingredients was the mist-harboring pearl nurtured by the rare yin beast known as the mist-harboring shellfish.
Luo Chen had received a bottle before, back when his proficiency in the Spiritual Eye Art reached grandmaster rank and rooted into his eyes, causing them to bleed.
Out of concern, Mi Shuhua had sent Mi Junping to deliver a bottle.
To be honest, after using it all up back then, he hadn't noticed any effect.
Yet recalling that the Qingyuan Alchemy Exposition stated this stuff was quite beneficial to alchemists, he had tried to buy more to use consistently over time.
Regrettably, the Spirit Herb Pavilion did not sell it either.
No, wait—this concoction had been developed by the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect, so of course the Spirit Herb Pavilion couldn't sell it.
Noticing that no one was bidding, Luo Chen suppressed the urge to bid in public and merely narrowed his eyes, committing her figure deeply to memory.
The pretty female cultivator called out twice, and seeing that no one was interested, she shook her head helplessly.
It was completely normal for such medicine to lack a market.
She had thought some late-stage or Foundation Establishment cultivators at the black market might be interested, but ended up coming away empty-handed.
After she stepped down, other cultivators went up to auction their personal items.
Luo Chen observed with keen interest; some of the peculiar, eccentric dharma artifacts truly opened his eyes.
Whenever an unidentifiable artifact appeared, they would often employ the Five-Colored Treasure Compass.
As the crowd thinned down and fewer people took the floor, Luo Chen took a deep breath and quietly walked up.
"Blood Burning Pill, Tier 1 low-grade pill."
"Upon consumption, a Qi Refinement cultivator's combat strength will instantly surge by thirty percent. Truly an essential treasure for home, travel, arson, and murder!"
"Starting bid—"
At first, no one paid much attention.
Yet once Luo Chen announced its specific effect, everyone's gaze snapped over.
Luo Chen gave a light cough and said, "Fifty spirit stones a pill!"
This starting bid was definitely the lowest seen today at the Zhenlong Black Market.
Yet for a Tier 1 low-grade pill, this price was also absurdly steep.
A bottle of ten Qi-Nourishing Pills cost one hundred spirit stones, which worked out to ten spirit stones a pill.
Even the more effective Dust-Cleansing Pills were only twenty spirit stones a pill.
What was more, those were backed by the Medicine King Sect's reputation and supported by after-sale service from the Spirit Herb Pavilion.
What kind of pill was this, and what gave him the nerve to demand such a high price?
Yet contrary to expectation, after Luo Chen announced the price, not a single person questioned the cost.
What they questioned was its effect!
"Does it really have that kind of effect?"
"Could it be a demonic path pill?"
"Who cares if it's demonic path or not, as long as it works! Fellow Daoist, you'd better not be deceiving us."
Inside the black market, no one gave a damn about orthodox versus demonic.
Facing the flurry of doubts regarding the pill, Luo Chen spread his hands.
"Senior Tianxingzi, I must trouble you to appraise this."
The Five-Colored Treasure Compass could only evaluate artifact grades and power.
When it came to medicinal efficacy, it relied on personal expertise.
Earlier, Tianxingzi had spoken with great confidence, so he surely possessed the competence to back it up!
Under the expectant eyes of the crowd, Tianxingzi waved a hand and summoned a bottle of Blood Burning Pills.
Removing a pill from inside, he first scrutinized it closely, then took a delicate whiff, and finally scraped a tiny speck of powder with his fingernail and placed it on his tongue.
His expression shifted slightly.
Immediately afterward, he slipped that bottle of Blood Burning Pills into his storage bag with practiced naturalness.
"This bottle is mine. I will settle up with you later based on the highest winning bid."
Luo Chen smiled. Wasn't this essentially a Foundation Establishment cultivator vouching for him?
In that case!
"Everyone, please!"
Chapter 127