Chapter 93: Chapter 93: Obtained

As the elder with the surname Mu announced the conditions for the Foundation Establishment Pill auction, Daoist Ji’s eyes filled with admiration. "Only Fenglan Master would be so benevolent toward Loose Cultivators," he said. "In other kingdoms, Loose Cultivators would never have the chance to buy a Foundation Establishment Pill."

Li Ping nodded as well. If not for the rumor that Loose Cultivators in the Immortal City had a chance to buy a Foundation Establishment Pill, he never would have traveled thousands of miles from his home to get here.

The Foundation Establishment Pill was a nearly indispensable resource for a cultivator’s breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Stage, making it a strategic asset in any kingdom.

The only hope of obtaining one was to be fortunate enough to join a Sect.

In the Jiang Kingdom, for example, the Jiang family controlled the distribution of Foundation Establishment Pills. Aside from the Jiang family’s own cultivators and their vassals, no other Loose Cultivator was qualified to even think about acquiring one.

Daoist Ji’s granddaughter, Ji Shuwen, possessed a Dual Spirit Root—a talent considered second only to an Abnormal or Celestial Spiritual Root. Yet, if she had remained in the Jiang Kingdom, her chances of acquiring a Foundation Establishment Pill would have been slim, even if she had married into the Jiang family. Her only option was to cross the border and join a Sect in a neighboring kingdom.

The main reason Foundation Establishment Pills were so precious was the rarity of their primary ingredient.

The primary ingredient for refining a Foundation Establishment Pill had to be either a Golden Marrow Jade Ginseng of at least seven hundred years, or a Tier Three Demon Core.

A Tier Three Demon Core was one thing; they were only found inside Tier Three Demon Beasts. One could only be obtained by killing such a creature, and given their immense power, even an average Core Formation Cultivator would be unwilling to provoke one.

Therefore, in reality, almost no one considered this method for refining Foundation Establishment Pills.

The other primary ingredient, the Golden Marrow Jade Ginseng, was not as ridiculously difficult to obtain as a Tier Three Demon Core. However, it required an immense amount of time to cultivate. Furthermore, unlike other Spirit Medicines, Golden Marrow Jade Ginseng had incredibly strict requirements for the Spiritual Qi in its environment.

Golden Marrow Jade Ginseng planted in a Tier One Spiritual Land would stop growing after a hundred years at most. In a Tier Two Spiritual Land, it could only reach an age of five hundred years.

Golden Marrow Jade Ginseng over five hundred years old could only be cultivated in a Tier Three Spiritual Land.

A Tier Three Spiritual Land, combined with the long cultivation time, made the rarity of Golden Marrow Jade Ginseng easy to imagine. Typically, only factions at the Core Formation level with legacies spanning several thousand years would have them in stock.

However, the cultivation of Golden Marrow Jade Ginseng depleted the Spiritual Land’s environment, which in turn affected the cultivation of cultivators. If planted too densely, it could even cause the Spiritual Land to degrade to a lower tier. For this reason, even Core Formation-level factions generally didn’t cultivate many.

As far as Li Ping knew, most of the Golden Marrow Jade Ginseng used for refining Foundation Establishment Pills in the Western Wilderness seemed to originate from a secret realm in the Qi Kingdom, located in the eastern part of the region.

...

On the surface, the auction rules for the Foundation Establishment Pill set by Fenglan Master seemed to protect Loose Cultivators.

In reality, however, they were designed for a win-win outcome for both the Loose Cultivators and the Immortal City.

The Immortal City was located deep within the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, a place teeming with venomous insects and prowling Demon Beasts. If not for the dangling temptation of the Foundation Establishment Pill, why would so many Loose Cultivators flock to the Immortal City in wave after wave?

Without the contributions of so many Loose Cultivators, how could the Immortal City have achieved its current prosperity?

Besides, even if a Loose Cultivator managed to scrape together enough Spirit Stones and win the auction, and was then fortunate enough to succeed in their Foundation Establishment, they would ultimately have to take Fenglan Master as their teacher and serve the Immortal City for the rest of their lives.

The Immortal City didn’t just break even; it profited handsomely.

Of course, the fact that most Loose Cultivators had average talent and a low success rate for Foundation Establishment was another matter entirely.

...

While Li Ping was lost in thought, the elder on the stage finally announced, "The starting bid for the Foundation Establishment Pill is three thousand Spirit Stones. Each increment must be no less than one hundred Spirit Stones. Fellow Daoists, you may begin bidding."

As soon as his voice faded, someone in the audience immediately called out a bid, "Three thousand."

There was a long pause at that price before another voice finally bid, "Three thousand one hundred!"

Another long silence followed with no further bids.

The auction for the Foundation Establishment Pill was surprisingly subdued.

This wasn’t surprising. The conditions for bidding on the Foundation Establishment Pill were incredibly strict, so the number of eligible Loose Cultivators was already limited. Among them, those who had managed to save over three thousand Spirit Stones were even rarer.

Many had spent several generations, from master to apprentice or father to son, just to accumulate that many Spirit Stones.

Besides, one Foundation Establishment Pill was released every five years. If someone couldn’t get this one, they could simply wait for the next one in five years’ time.

One hundred Spirit Stones would take even a Late-stage Qi Refining artisan several years to save. There was no need to get desperate.

At that moment, Zhang Tie finally couldn’t hold back any longer. His voice trembling slightly, he called out, "Three thousand two hundred!"

After Zhang Tie placed his bid, a long time passed with no one else making an offer.

Just as the bidding was about to close, a hesitant voice from the audience called out, "Three thousand three hundred!"

Zhang Tie immediately countered, "Three thousand four hundred!"

After he placed his bid this time, no one else spoke until the auction concluded.

After a final confirmation, the elder surnamed Mu said with a chuckle, "Congratulations to this fellow Daoist for winning this auction’s Foundation Establishment Pill! A Steward from our auction house will now go to verify this Daoist’s eligibility and confirm whether they have enough Spirit Stones to cover the price."

He added with a smile, "I ask all seniors and fellow Daoists to please wait patiently for a moment. If this Daoist’s qualifications are not met, or if they lack sufficient Spirit Stones to pay, the Foundation Establishment Pill will be put up for auction again."

A short while later, two Stewards from the Immortal City did indeed knock on the door to Li Ping’s private room and enter.

The two Stewards were visibly stunned to see a Foundation Establishment Cultivator in the room. They immediately bowed respectfully. "Senior, might we ask which fellow Daoist was it that won the bid for the Foundation Establishment Pill?"

Li Ping raised his hand and pointed to Zhang Tie, and the two Stewards’ gazes quickly shifted to him.

One of the Stewards said with a smile, "Fellow Daoist, please present your Identity Jade Token for our inspection."

Zhang Tie quickly retrieved his Identity Jade Token from his Storage Bag and handed it over. Possessing an Immortal City Identity Jade Token was equivalent to having resident status, allowing free entry and exit. The token also recorded Zhang Tie’s personal information.

This included his place of residence, occupation, and how long he had lived in the city.

There was no issue with Zhang Tie’s eligibility for the auction. His master, an old man named Lin, had brought him to the Immortal City and taken him as an apprentice when he was only thirteen. Zhang Tie was now forty.

He had lived in the Immortal City for well over twenty years.

But even so, with so much at stake, he was still incredibly nervous, worried that something might go wrong.

Fortunately, there were no complications. After their inspection, the two Stewards confirmed that Zhang Tie’s identity was valid and that he met the qualifications to bid for the Foundation Establishment Pill.

The older of the two Stewards smiled. "Fellow Daoist, according to your bid, the payment due is 3,400 Spirit Stones!"

"Oh, right." Zhang Tie quickly took out 3,400 Spirit Stones from his Storage Bag and handed them over.

After counting the Spirit Stones and finding the amount correct, the two put them away in their own Storage Bags. However, they didn’t give the Foundation Establishment Pill directly to Zhang Tie. Instead, they each entered a confirmation message into his Identity Jade Token.

They then reminded Zhang Tie that whenever he was ready to attempt his breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Stage, he could take the Jade Token to Cyan Dragon Mountain.

At that time, the cultivators at Cyan Dragon Mountain would arrange a private cultivation chamber for him and personally hand him the Foundation Establishment Pill.

...

Li Ping understood why the Immortal City operated this way.

It was primarily to prevent the auctioned Foundation Establishment Pill from being resold, gifted away, or stolen.

That was why they wouldn’t give Zhang Tie the Foundation Establishment Pill until the very moment he was ready to attempt his breakthrough.

Once Zhang Tie received the pill, he wouldn’t be free to leave Cyan Dragon Mountain until after his breakthrough attempt.

That way, the Foundation Establishment Pill could only be used by him.

’Of course, if a Demon Cultivator skilled in disguise were to get involved, even a private chamber on Cyan Dragon Mountain wouldn’t be perfectly secure.’

What Li Ping didn’t know, however, was that after the incident with Lin Yue, security for the breakthrough chambers on Cyan Dragon Mountain had become far more stringent.

During a cultivator’s breakthrough attempt, a dedicated Foundation Establishment Cultivator would be assigned to stand guard, and no one else would be allowed to approach.

It would be impossible now, even for a Demon Cultivator, to sneak in unnoticed and abduct someone.

...

Now that he had won the auction for the Foundation Establishment Pill, Zhang Tie could theoretically go to Cyan Dragon Mountain at any time to attempt his breakthrough.

However, he had not yet reached the peak of the Qi Refining Ninth Level, so he planned to wait until next year to apply.

Li Ping agreed with his plan, believing he should get himself into peak condition before making the attempt.

After the auction, Zhang Tie tried to return the remaining 410 Spirit Stones to Li Ping, but Li Ping refused to take them.

Li Ping told him to focus on preparing for his breakthrough first; they could talk about the debt afterward.

...

A short time earlier, as Elder Mu was announcing the rules for the Foundation Establishment Pill auction, Yan Liming sat on a sofa in the VIP room next to Li Ping’s. He was dressed in a white robe, his appearance greatly altered, and his Divine Sense was sweeping over the cultivators in the auction hall.

After listening to the elder’s explanation, he couldn’t help but snort. ’That woman, Bai Yurong, is quite the schemer.’

After the cold snort, a thoughtful look appeared in Yan Liming’s eyes.

’Truthfully, I’m not interested in the auction below. What good could possibly come from an auction prepared for Low-tier Cultivators at the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages?’

’The only reason I’m here is because I was bored and wanted to unwind.’

’After my nephew Yan Kun’s life tablet shattered, I rushed to the Immortal City to find his killer.’

’I originally thought it would be easy. After all, not even a Core Formation Cultivator can escape the sect’s Blood God Attraction. Once it takes hold, not even members of the Blood Shadow Sect can remove it, let alone an outsider.’

’But to my surprise, I haven’t been able to find a single person in the Immortal City afflicted by the Blood God Attraction.’

’And I’ve already confirmed that the woman, Bai Yurong, is still on Cyan Dragon Mountain, and she shows no sign of the Blood God Attraction.’

’In other words, Bai Yurong wasn’t the one who killed my nephew.’

’As for the mark my nephew was supposed to have left in his Storage Bag, there’s been no reaction from it whatsoever.’

’I don’t know if the killer found and destroyed the marks, or if the Storage Bag isn’t anywhere near the Immortal City.’

’This makes me wonder... did my nephew not die in the Immortal City? Or has his killer already left?’

’Actually, I could just go and ask Miaorou to clear things up.’

’But after my nephew’s inexplicable death, I don’t really trust Miaorou anymore. I certainly won’t be reckless enough to go see her.’

’I’ll observe for a while. Once I’ve determined whether or not she has betrayed me, I’ll decide whether to contact her or... simply crush her life tablet.’

When his Divine Sense perceived the honest-looking young man in the next room counting out his Spirit Stones to secure the right to a Foundation Establishment, Yan Liming snorted. ’Lucky bastard.’

’To avoid alerting Bai Yurong, I have no intention of stirring up trouble.’

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