Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan

Chapter 222 - 228: Epilogue

Perhaps enticed by the high prices previously achieved—after all, the higher the price, the greater his commission—Hua Baifeng somewhat reluctantly asked, ”Is there anyone else who would like to bid?”

Initially, Li Zhirui had not been particularly concerned, but after waiting several moments without seeing Hua Baifeng bring down the hammer, he hummed coldly and said, ”Whatʼs this? Are you not planning to sell this pill recipe to me?”

Upon hearing this, Hua Baifeng broke out in a cold sweat. Although he had the backing of the Xuanfa Pavilion, the commercial association certainly wasnʼt his alone.

More importantly, his behavior had breached the auctioneerʼs rules, and after this incident, it was likely he would no longer have a place within the association!

”Please forgive me, fellow Daoist. This time, my Xuanfa Pavilion has broken the rules. All spiritual objects that you have bid on in this auction can be purchased at a 10% discount,” said a Golden Core cultivator from the Xuanfa Pavilion.

”In that case, I thank the fellow Daoist,” Li Zhirui replied, taking advantage of the good fortune, as the Li family were not yet strong enough to oppose the Xuanfa Pavilion.

With this, the farce finally came to a complete end, and the auction continued.

Among the later auction items, Li Zhirui participated in several. Each time, the spiritual objects he bid on were either pill recipes, artifact refining insights, or formation comprehensions—items aimed at enhancing his familyʼs foundation.

Of these, he successfully acquired some, while others, due to a lack of Spirit Stones, went into the hands of other Golden Core cultivators.

His spoils from attending the auction included the Essence-Enhancing Pill, the Revitalizing Pill, a complete set of third-grade talismans, and a third-grade Fire Date Spirit Tree capable of slightly enhancing the bloodline of Devil Beasts.

The first three items need no further explanation—one enhances Mana, one heals injuries, and one contains the patterns of nine different third-grade talismans.

As for the last item, the Fire Date Spirit Tree, it is rumored to be a descendant of the innate Spiritual Root Red Date. Although it can still enhance the bloodline of Devil Beasts, the effect is quite weak; to be more precise, it can only enhance it by a fraction.

Therefore, even though itʼs a third-grade Spirit Tree, due to its lackluster effect, Li Zhirui managed to acquire it at a very low price.

This was considered a small consolation for the Li family.

Li Zhirui also paid some attention to the Yuanming Sect and noticed their keen interest in a particular spiritual object.

”Geng Metal Spirit Wind?” With a little thought, he realized that this Spirit Wind was being purchased for Jiang Tianming. Whether he intended to refine the Spirit Wind to enhance his own strength or use it for cultivation was unknown.

Initially, Li Zhirui also drove up the price a bit, but when he noticed that another Golden Core power was competing for it, he decided to watch from the sidelines.

Even though the Yuanming Sect ultimately obtained it, the price was inflated to an extremely high figure, almost 30% above the value of the spiritual object.

At the same time, Li Zhirui noticed that out of the several dozen Golden Core cultivators on the third floor, there were always a few private rooms that remained silent, as if they were disinterested onlookers.

Upon reflection, one could realize that they were top-tier Golden Core powers such as the Wood Spirit Sect, the Spiritual Cloud Sect, the Fan Family of the Mysterious Fire, and Shen Leishan!

Without much thought, one could guess that their purpose for attending the auction was to obtain those few mysterious spiritual objects!

Li Zhirui was very curious about these spiritual objects, but he also knew very well that with the Li familyʼs foundation, they didnʼt even have the qualifications to compete, let alone any hope.

Didnʼt the catalog provided by the Xuanfa Pavilion not even reveal what those spiritual objects were?

”Next up is the last item in the third-grade auction, the Gold Core Formation Pill!”

No sooner had Hua Baifeng spoken than the Foundation Establishment cultivators on the second floor began to crane their necks, particularly those elder cultivators with grizzled white hair whose eyes burned with a frantic yearning that sent chills down oneʼs spine.

Had it not been for the timely intervention of a display of force from the resident Golden Core cultivator of the Xuanfa Pavilion, there might well have been those among them who would have dared to take a desperate risk.

Even though they could never actually obtain the Gold Core Formation Pill, the one to lose face over this affair was the Xuanfa Pavilion.

”Such a pity, the familyʼs Spirit Stones are not enough,” lamented Li Zhirui, shaking his head. The nearly one million Spirit Stones he had brought from the family were now reduced to just over a hundred thousand.

Nor had he known in advance that the Xuanfa Pavilion would be so generous as to auction off a treasure like the Gold Core Formation Pill.

The competition for the Gold Core Formation Pill was fiercer than for any other Spiritual Object before, especially for those Foundation Establishment families, who probably put everything they had into the bidding, all for the sake of acquiring that one pill.

And the Yuanming Sect, which hadnʼt spoken up again, also entered the fray this time.

However, possibly because they had already thwarted the Li family once, spending over two hundred thousand Spirit Stones on the Golden Yuan Pill recipe and buying a powerful Spirit Wind at a high price, they quickly fell silent.

”Hiss!” Li Chengmo and the other youngsters inhaled sharply upon hearing the bids outside, ”Good heavens! Six hundred thousand Spirit Stones!”

Li Zhirui chuckled, ”A Gold Core Cultivator has a lifespan of five hundred years, so six hundred thousand Spirit Stones for an additional three hundred years of life is indeed a profitable transaction!”

Eventually, the Gold Core Formation Pill was purchased by a certain Golden Core power for the sky-high price of eight hundred and forty thousand.

After the dust settled on the Gold Core Formation Pill sale, Hua Baifeng somberly left the stage. A middle-aged Golden Core male Cultivator stepped up and succinctly stated, ”The following Spiritual Objects will be auctioned by yours truly.”

”There are a total of nine Spiritual Objects, allow me to introduce each one to you.”

”The first item is a fourth-order, Kylin-bloodline yellow horned Lin bull egg. As you all know, the Qilin Clan is a clan of auspicious Divine Beasts and their bloodline possesses a measure of auspicious power.”

”The auspicious power of the yellow horned Lin bull clan manifests through the land, turning any place they reside for a long time into an extremely fertile Spirit Field, perfect for cultivating Spiritual Objects.”

Li Zhirui, who had not been moved by the Golden Core Formation Pill, was now staring intently at the large, earthy yellow beast egg, his eyes filled with eagerness.

Such a high-tier and capable Spirit Beast was something the Li family had always wanted but had never managed to find.

Now that he had encountered one, he was powerless to bring it back to the Li family.

”I wonder in which Cultivatorʼs hands this premium Spirit Beast will end up,” thought Li Zhirui, a fleeting idea of murder and plunder crossing his mind.

He didnʼt feel there was anything wrong with such a thought, as this was a world where the strong preyed on the weak and the powerful were revered.

However, upon learning which power had won the egg, he instantly dismissed the idea of murder and robbery, for that power was one of the top Golden Core Sects—the Wood Spirit Sect!

The second auction item was the fourth-order Spiritual Object Thousandfold Cloud Pagoda, the third item was the third-order supreme Magical Treasure Azure Dragon Pearl...

Each auction item stirred Li Zhiruiʼs desire, but alas, with meager means, he didnʼt even have the qualification to bid, and could only watch helplessly as they were purchased by other Cultivators.

”The final item of this auction, a Nascent Soul Cultivatorʼs insights into cultivation!”

At these words, Li Zhiruiʼs head snapped up, how could this be possible?!

Although the Xuanfa Pavilion, as a top-tier commerce guild spanning several states, had numerous Nascent Soul Cultivators, he had never heard of them auctioning off the cultivation insights of a Nascent Soul Cultivator!

It seemed that in order to fend off the competition from commerce guilds from other continents, the Xuanfa Pavilion had truly gone all out this time!