Chapter 44: Foundation Establishment
Chapter 44: Foundation Establishment
"'Dan Qing Sword', starting bid of one hundred low-grade spirit stones!"
As Zheng Yuanao announced the starting price, Fang Xing's heart suddenly sank.
Even though he was relatively good at making money, he currently had no more than a few dozen spirit stones in his possession.
For a post-birth martial artist, this was already an eye-catching amount.
Bidding for the 'Dan Qing Sword' would likely attract some unwanted trouble.
'Besides... I don't plan on leaving the market district anytime soon, so I probably won't even have a use for such a fine sword...'
Just as Fang Xing made up his mind, a pre-birth martial artist excitedly stood up and called out, "One hundred spirit stones!"
"One hundred and one!"
The other martial artists joined in the bidding as well.
Blood-refined artifact!
For a pre-birth martial artist, if they cultivated to the peak of the pre-birth stage and obtained a blood-refined artifact, their status would be almost equivalent to that of a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator.
This was the limit of secular martial artists!
Unfortunately, martial artists were often poor, and the price of the 'Dan Qing Sword' rose very slowly.
"One hundred and twenty spirit stones!"
A voice rang out, causing Fang Xing's heart to stir as he looked towards the square.
The speaker was clad in black and masked, their demeanor calm but lacking the masculine aura of a pre-birth martial artist.
"It's a cultivator!"
"What's a cultivator doing, bidding against us for a blood-refined artifact?"
"He's probably buying it for his offspring or servant."
The group of pre-birth martial artists silently cursed.
However, Fang Xing recognized the owner of the voice. "It's him? Chen Yi, the leader of the 'Five Virtues of Cangshan'? He's here too, but why is he bidding for a blood-refined artifact?"
"One hundred and thirty spirit stones! Hey, Chen Daoist, you've finally shown yourself, trying to hide your true intentions. Did you really think I wouldn't recognize you?"
Just then, a rather arrogant voice rang out from one of the private rooms, "Why are you bidding for a blood-refined artifact? Do you want to rekindle old times with those brothers of yours? Unfortunately, two of your brothers seem to have died, and the remaining two females don't want anything to do with you either..."
"Is it him? Fu Qing?"
Fang Xing's heart stirred, and he was actually unsure why Chen Yi had initially looked for Fu Qing to partner with, ambushing Wan Fenglin, only to turn against each other later.
"The only thing that can make cultivators turn against each other is benefits! Could there be some secret in that nameless barren valley?"
"One hundred and forty spirit stones! I don't need to explain my actions to you!" Chen Yi stopped hiding after being exposed and directly removed his veil, revealing his aged face.
In the time they hadn't seen each other, he seemed to have become even more haggard.
"One hundred and fifty spirit stones! Old man, come out of the market district if you have the guts!"
Fu Qing seemed to be furious with Chen Yi, but he dared not make a move due to the market district's rules.
His words, however, were filled with caution, causing Fang Xing to fall into deep thought.
"Alright, this is the Zheng family's auction. Please don't bring your personal grudges here..."
Zheng Yuanao suddenly spoke up.
The deterrence of a Foundation Establishment family was indeed effective, as Chen Yi immediately fell silent.
"One hundred and fifty spirit stones. The 'Dan Qing Sword' goes to the guest in Box 16!"
With Zheng Yuanao's announcement, this little drama finally came to an end.
However, as Fang Xing looked at Chen Yi, he suddenly felt that the other party had exposed himself on purpose.
'Not only did he not disguise his voice, but he also blatantly antagonized the Black Tiger Gang... Could he be baiting for a bigger fish? Or... trying to attract a big player into the auction? Whether or not he wins the bid doesn't seem to matter at all...'
'Never mind, it's none of my business anyway. Let's just watch the show...'
Fang Xing leaned back in his chair, his expression relaxed.
But soon, he would no longer have the luxury of such leisure.
"Dragon Blood Dan, made with the essence, blood, and marrow of the 'Jade Blood Dragon Carp' as the main ingredient. Although this 'Jade Blood Dragon Carp' is not of high rank, it is said to be of the dragon species, carrying a trace of Flood Dragon bloodline. Therefore, the Dragon Blood Dan contains dragon power, which can help martial artists or cultivators temper their bodies..."
Zheng Yuanao held up a jade bottle, his voice calm, "Since my Zheng family has exterminated a group of 'Jade Blood Dragon Carp', this Dan will be sold in our family's Dan pharmacy from now on. For now, we are releasing ten bottles, with a starting price of fifty spirit stones each! You may place your bids in secret, and the ten highest bids will be successful..."
For the Zheng family, this was just a little game during the auction's intermission, while also promoting their family's Dans.
After all, after exterminating the 'Jade Blood Dragon Carp', they had kept some of the fry and were now trying to breed them, thus expanding into an industrial chain.
"Flood Dragon bloodline?"
Fang Xing's interest was piqued.
"My 'Great Dragon Stake' has been progressing slowly ever since it entered the Proficiency level... I wonder if this Dan will have any effect?"
"The Great Dragon Stake is just a simulation of a dragon, but who knows, there might actually be a trace of Flood Dragon blood in this Dragon Blood Dan? Even if it's just the aura, it would still be great... At the very least, it should help me understand the 'Dragon's Intent'!"
What is a dragon?
If one hasn't even seen a Flood Dragon and yet claims to want to understand the 'Dragon's Intent', isn't that a joke?
He thought for a moment, then wrote down his bid on a piece of paper that the attendant had brought over, along with his seat number.
If he won the bid, he could use his seat number to complete the transaction later.
It didn't take long for a smile to appear on Zheng Yuanao's face as he took a piece of paper, "Congratulations to the following ten friends for successfully bidding for the 'Dragon Blood Dan': Ding Twenty-seven, Bing Sixty-five..."
"Not bad, I actually won."
Fang Xing, who was sitting below, nodded slightly, then smiled bitterly to himself, 'Sixty-seven spirit stones, even more expensive than a pre-birth Dan. If this doesn't work, then I've really lost big time...'
'But the pre-birth Dan only helps one advance to the pre-birth stage, while the Dragon Blood Dan might help one understand an intent, which is a fourth-level ability... So, if it works, I've still made a profit.'
And then, he continued reading, and saw one precious item after another being auctioned off.
From Foundation Establishment pills that could help one break through cultivation levels, to puppets, and spirit plants... The variety seemed endless.
Unfortunately, most of these items were only suitable for cultivators.
"And now, we present to you the first of our three finale items for this auction!"
Suddenly, Zheng Yuanao's voice turned solemn, with a hint of excitement, as a maid presented a small, gray brocade pouch.
"A low-grade Storage Bag with a capacity of three cubic meters. It can store items but not living creatures... Starting bid, three thousand low-grade spirit stones!"
Before he even finished speaking, the auction venue buzzed with excitement:
"A Storage Bag? They're auctioning a Storage Bag?!"
"Wow, what an expensive treasure for storage! I reckon aside from Foundation Establishment cultivators, not many Qi Refining cultivators would have the qualifications to own one..."
...
"A spatial item?"
Fang Xing's eyes lit up.
The Blue Star Federation was actually quite mediocre when it came to spatial technology. It was only when those extradimensional evil gods invaded from the hyperspace that they had no choice but to catch up, yet they still couldn't intercept all the attacks.
Even the top authorities of the Federation, the Martial Saints and Martial Gods, might not be qualified to possess such a compact spatial item!
"More crucially... This represents another civilization's interpretation of spatial laws... If I were to sell this to a top conglomerate or laboratory, even a hundred billion stellar credits would be a bargain... Well, I dare not!"
Fang Xing shook his head, listening with great interest to Zheng Yuanao's introduction. That was when he learned that this 'Storage Bag' was an extremely unique magical artifact, crafted from the leather of a certain void-attributed demon beast. It was difficult to damage with ordinary magical artifacts, but the key point was... one needed to use spiritual power, or even spiritual sense, to operate it!
"I sense the malice of this world. This cultivator's world is so unwelcoming to me..."
He complained inwardly, watching as the price of the Storage Bag slowly climbed, eventually being won by a cultivator in one of the private rooms for six thousand eight hundred spirit stones.
...
"And now, the second-to-last finale item... It is a contract for a shop in the market district. It used to be called the 'Azure Cloud Shop'. Starting bid, four thousand five hundred spirit stones..."
Zheng Yuanao announced with a smile on his face.
"A land deed? Only major powers would find this useful, right?"
Fang Xing shook his head as he watched the major powers in the private rooms compete for it, ultimately resulting in a sky-high price.
Although the price seemed high, the major powers had been passed down for generations, and acquiring a shop in the market district, a veritable cash cow, would eventually turn a profit.
This reminded Fang Xing of those infrastructure projects that required high investments but would also yield high returns, given enough time.
"Hmm? Why does the atmosphere feel a little off?"
Just as Fang Xing was about to enjoy the show, he sensed that something was amiss in the auction venue.
The void seemed to be filled with an inexplicable pressure.
It even made him feel as if a fierce beast was lurking nearby, staring at him!
"It's a Foundation Establishment cultivator!"
"The Zheng family ancestor has arrived. Looks like the rumors are true... It seems that the owner of the Azure Cloud Shop is selling off his assets for this final item..."
Fang Xing overheard the conversation between two cultivators next to him, and his heart stirred.
Buzz!
On the auction stage, patterns of array formations appeared, converging into a semi-transparent, silver-white bowl that covered the entire stage, protecting it securely.
Subsequently, Zheng Yuanao's expression turned solemn as he personally carried a tray forward.
"And now, the final item of our auction - the Foundation Establishment spirit item, one bottle of 'Primordial Fire Demon'!"
On the tray was a single jade bottle, containing what seemed to be a viscous, fiery-red primal liquid. Threads of scarlet light permeated through the bottle, radiating outward, along with waves of scorching heat...
"It's actually a Foundation Establishment spirit item!"
"Is there really a chance for Foundation Establishment in this auction?!"
The cultivators present seemed to go crazy, especially those at the late Qi Refining and peak Qi Refining stages. Their gazes were fixed on Zheng Yuanao on the high stage, or more specifically, the jade bottle in his hands.
If not for the Zheng family ancestor deliberately leaking his aura to intimidate everyone, and the presence of the array formations, someone might have already rushed forward to snatch it away!
Foundation Establishment!
This was the lifelong pursuit of all Qi Refining cultivators. Once achieved, one's lifespan would exceed two hundred years, and they could fly with their mortal bodies, founding sects and acting as they pleased!
However, breaking through to Foundation Establishment was incredibly difficult. Without the assistance of a Foundation Establishment opportunity, the chances of success were slim to none, and failure often meant certain death!
The best Foundation Establishment opportunity was, of course, the Foundation Establishment Pill, which was said to increase the chances of success by twenty to thirty percent.
Next in line were various Foundation Establishment spirit items that could aid in overcoming the three hurdles of Foundation Establishment.
Zheng Yuanao's voice trembled slightly, and one could only imagine the amount of willpower it took for him to shift his gaze away from the 'Primordial Fire Demon': "The Primordial Fire Demon can refine one's physical body and spiritual power, greatly aiding in overcoming the 'Physical Body Hurdle' of Foundation Establishment, and providing some assistance in overcoming the 'Spiritual Power Hurdle'... Overall, it can increase the probability of breaking through Foundation Establishment by half a percent to one percent for Qi Refining cultivators at the peak of their stage who cultivate fire-attributed techniques. Starting bid... ten thousand low-grade spirit stones!"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
