Chapter 264: Chapter 262: Ten Thousand Years Ice Jade
The moment Bai Zichen heard about the Guangling Pill’s effects, he knew this was the elixir for him.
’A single pill is equivalent to ten years of hard cultivation. Wouldn’t refining a whole bottle save me nearly ninety years of effort...’
For him, the Guangling Pill was an elixir he had to obtain, no matter the cost.
Having this elixir versus not having it would make a world of difference to his future cultivation progress.
’Including me, there are eight people in total. Two of them have already won a bid for the Tribulation Crossing Pill and are no longer eligible to buy, so that’s six people competing for three bottles. The odds are pretty good.’
Since it wasn’t a strict trade-by-barter and Spirit Stones could be used for bidding, he was quite confident in his own wealth.
Daoist He’s fat purse gave him this confidence.
"One hundred sixty thousand Spirit Stones... Why is it the Guangling Pill every time? Even if there’s no Tribulation Crossing Pill, it would be nice to see some other kind of Realm-Breaking Elixir."
Master Ke was the first to bid, but from his attitude, it seemed he was indifferent and not very serious about it.
"One hundred sixty-five thousand. I’ll secure a bottle for now... I have a junior in my sect who is preparing to attempt Core Formation soon. If he succeeds, I’ll give him this bottle of Guangling Pills as a congratulatory gift. It’ll save him from spending so much time cultivating during the Early-Stage Core Formation."
An old man with a red, grog-blossomed nose chuckled and named his price.
Bai Zichen hadn’t expected that compared to the Tribulation Crossing Pill, the demand for the Guangling Pill was like heaven and earth.
He could only attribute this to three reasons. First, most of these Core Formation True Men had attended the Pill King Conference several times and had already taken the Guangling Pill before, so its appeal had greatly diminished.
Second, the bottlenecks in the Core Formation Stage were even harder to break through than he had imagined.
It wasn’t like increasing one’s cultivation, where investing time always yielded results, just at a faster or slower pace.
Finally, refining and absorbing the medicinal power of the Guangling Pill itself took a considerable amount of time. It wasn’t an instant process, so the actual time saved was far less than ten years.
"One hundred eighty thousand Spirit Stones."
Bai Zichen did his best to suppress his excitement as he called out what was currently the highest bid.
One of the Core Formation True Men could be seen shaking his head and giving up on the bidding.
Hundreds of thousands of Spirit Stones wasn’t an astronomical sum for a Core Formation True Man, but they also had many expenses to cover.
The most obvious example was the Tribulation Crossing Pill just now. For a Realm-Breaking Elixir like that, succeeding on the first try was one thing, but failing three or four times in a row could truly drag a Cultivation Family into the abyss.
Other expenses like Refining Magical Treasures, Cultivating Special Divine Powers, or purchasing Cultivation Techniques became secondary expenditures in comparison.
Only a cultivator like Bai Zichen, who had never known what a bottleneck was and had no habit of saving up Spirit Stones, could spend hundreds of thousands without a second thought.
’If only I could win the bid for two bottles of Guangling Pills...’
Seeing that the bidding wasn’t fierce and that his own bid was still among the top three, an idea sparked in Bai Zichen’s mind.
Compared to other cultivators, he had a huge advantage in the efficiency of refining elixirs.
If he could get two bottles of Guangling Pills, he could basically guarantee reaching the Peak of Early-Stage Core Formation before developing a resistance to this type of elixir.
’I wonder if I approached the Danxia Sect privately, if they would do me the favor of selling me another bottle separately...’
Bai Zichen’s gaze fell upon a cultivator with a large head and sparse hair, and an idea came to him.
"Two hundred thousand Spirit Stones!"
Just when everyone thought the bidding for the Guangling Pill was coming to an end, Huang Ping Wanderer let out a chuckle and suddenly spoke up.
"Old Ghost Huang, you reached the peak of the early stage long ago. What do you need this elixir for? ...Don’t tell me you’ve seen signs of a breakthrough recently and want to stock up?"
Master Ke said with dissatisfaction. He couldn’t use the Guangling Pill either, but this kind of cultivation-enhancing elixir was extremely popular on the outside. It was always good to have some on hand for trading with others.
Of the nine Core Formation True Men at the Pill King Conference, besides Master Zhu and another cultivator whose name Bai Zichen didn’t know who were at the Mid-Stage Core Formation, the rest were all at Early-Stage Core Formation.
"Heh, this old man had a sudden whim. Can’t I buy a few elixirs to eat like candy beans?!"
It was said that Huang Ping Wanderer was not from the Northern Domain, but a disciple of a Super Major Sect in the Central Domain. No one knew what offense he had committed to end up in the Liang Country Cultivation Realm.
He had a playful personality and rarely fought, but he had a recorded achievement of escaping from a Perfect Core Formation Cultivator. His Escape Technique was astonishing.
Master Ke raised the price twice more, causing the final sale prices for the top three bids to all exceed one hundred ninety thousand Spirit Stones.
"Alright, that concludes the elixirs provided by our sect for this Pill King Conference. There is also a batch of first-rate elixirs specifically for Foundation Establishment Cultivators, as well as the Golden Jade Green Heart Pill. Everyone can find Junior Brother Qin later to purchase them... As for the old rule, for those of you interested in participating in the next Pill King Conference, please deliver any Thousand-Year-Old Spirit Grass to the Danxia Sect ten years from now to exchange for a new entry token."
Master Zhu sent out the three bottles of Guangling Pills and collected the Spirit Stones. During the transaction, he gave Bai Zichen a slight nod.
So that’s how it is!
Bai Zichen had a sudden realization. So this was the Danxia Sect’s extra benefit from holding the Pill King Conference; it wasn’t just about selling elixirs.
Unless a sect possessed a Medicine Garden Secret Realm, Thousand-Year-Old Spirit Grass was an item of opportunity that couldn’t be actively sought. Even a Nascent Soul Major Sect wouldn’t cultivate too many of them.
High-Tier Elixirs all required spirit grass over a thousand years old as their main ingredient, and the amount the Danxia Sect could collect on its own was limited.
Besides the Danxia Sect, the Holy Lotus Sect and Zengguang Immortal City also had several Alchemy Grandmasters who had a great demand for Thousand-Year-Old Spirit Grass.
Then there was the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, a middleman that would also snap up a significant share of the Thousand-Year-Old Spirit Grass.
Through the Pill King Conference, they were essentially recruiting more than a dozen Core Formation True Men to help them search for Spirit Grass.
Once these people obtained a Thousand-Year-Old Spirit Grass, the first thing they would think of would surely be the Danxia Sect.
After all, Master Zhu hadn’t specified the type of spirit grass. Even a stalk of Thousand-Year-Old Yellow Spirit or a piece of Thousand-Year-Old Gastrodia, the lowest end of such spiritual materials, could serve as an entry ticket.
In fact, if someone brought an especially precious Thousand-Year-Old Spirit Grass, the Danxia Sect would even add some Spirit Pills as extra compensation.
’Looks like this is the newcomer treatment; they gave me a ticket for free the first time... If I want to attend again, I’ll have to use a Thousand-Year-Old Spirit Grass to buy a ticket.’
The Qingfeng Sect had no Tier Three Alchemists. For someone like Bai Zichen, who had a huge demand for elixirs, maintaining a good relationship with an Alchemy Grandmaster was extremely important.
The scales in his heart had already tipped. In the future, if he obtained any Spirit Grass, it was highly probable he would seek out the Danxia Sect.
"Everyone, next is the bartering session. I, for one, am also looking forward to the fine items you all will bring out."
Master Zhu sat down, signaling for everyone to begin displaying their treasures and stating what they wanted in return.
"I have come from Beiyuan. An old friend mentioned the great name of the Pill King Conference, and I hope it will not disappoint me..."
The first to speak was the other Mid-Stage Core Formation cultivator in the room. Dressed in pure white robes with a veil that could block Divine Sense, she hadn’t said a word from the beginning until now.
If she hadn’t spoken just now, one would never have guessed she was a female cultivator.
The white-robed female cultivator’s palms were so pale they were almost translucent. Her fingers, like the petals of a Queen of the Night flower, unfurled one by one, and three items appeared before her.
"The Ice Soul Cold Crystal Stone, a Tier Three Top-Grade Spiritual Object. Its special properties make it unsuitable for Artifact Refining, but carrying this crystal stone while cultivating any Ice Element Technique or Divine Technique will increase your speed by thirty percent..."
"The Enlightenment Spirit Tea, a Tier Three Top-Grade Spiritual Object. After consuming it, your Comprehension will be greatly enhanced for seven days. No matter what Divine Skills and Techniques, insurmountable obstacles, or bottlenecks in the Hundred Skills of Cultivation you’ve been unable to break through for years, you can overcome them smoothly... Note that if you already possess Celestial Grade Comprehension, this Enlightenment Spirit Tea will have no effect on you."
"The Guanghan Ice Flame, an Exotic Fire born from the extremely coincidental fusion of Taiyin Star Power within the extreme cold a thousand zhang below a layer of ice... Because it is so special, its grade is difficult to determine. In terms of destructive power, it’s weaker than a Tier Two Technique, but it has the potential to grow. In the hands of a cultivator who practices a corresponding technique, it is priceless."
The woman’s voice was cold and detached, without a trace of emotion.
"I will trade the items above for only one thing: a Nine Yang True Flame..."
HISS!
The group of Core Formation True Men were all well-traveled and knowledgeable, but they still gasped in astonishment at the white-robed female cultivator’s extravagant offer.
Although they were all Tier Three Spiritual Objects, they were the finest of their tier, no worse than some Tier Four Low-Grade Spiritual Objects.
Take the Enlightenment Spirit Tea, for example. Even Master Zhu’s expression changed repeatedly as he listened.
With this item, he had a high chance of breaking through to become a Tier Three Peak Alchemist.
As for the remaining Ice Soul Cold Crystal Stone and Guanghan Ice Flame, they were both supreme treasures that a cultivator of an Ice Element Technique could not afford to miss.
The combined value of the three items definitely far exceeded that of a single Nine Yang True Flame.
"I, Zhu, have an Immortal True Flame, whose miraculous properties are no less than the Nine Yang True Flame. Fellow Daoist, would you be willing to take a look?"
"I only want the Nine Yang True Flame. Other True Flames are useless to me."
"A Netherworld Ghost Fire, plus ten Top-Grade Spirit Stones!"
"Do you cultivators from Liang Country not understand plain language? ...I only want the Nine Yang True Flame! I wouldn’t be tempted even if you brought out the Great Sun Celestial Fire!"
The white-robed female cultivator’s voice grew heavy, and it was as if a cold wind had swept through the pavilion, causing a layer of floating ice to form on the surface of the Jade Pool.
"You..."
The Black Mist Demon Cultivator flew into a rage and slammed his wine cup down heavily. However, considering his opponent’s cultivation level, he wasn’t confident of victory even if he revealed his hidden strength.
He snorted coldly and stared intently at the white-robed female cultivator’s veil, trying to discern some profound mechanism from it.
Seeing that no one could produce a Nine Yang True Flame, the white-robed female cultivator disappointedly put away the three spiritual objects and sat back down.
Next, several more Core Formation True Men took out their own treasures to barter—Spiritual Materials, Talismans, Cultivation Techniques—while some simply exchanged their items for Spirit Stones.
"Five Demon Path Magical Treasures—three Top Grade, two Mid Grade... in exchange for a piece of Ten Thousand Years Ice Jade. The bigger, the better."
When it was Bai Zichen’s turn, he slapped his storage pouch and directly laid out the five Magical Treasures he had plundered from Daoist He.
He had many treasures on him, but they were all things he used himself. The only items he could offer for trade were these few Magical Treasures.
Worried that a Core Formation True Man might possess Ten Thousand Years Ice Jade but look down on these Demon Path Magical Treasures, he added another sentence.
"If you are not interested in these Magical Treasures, I am also willing to purchase it with Top-Grade Spirit Stones."
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