Breaking Through to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage

Everyone present knew that the Thousand Peaks Rock Marrow was a valuable resource.

After exchanging bids several times, the price quickly reached 1.7 million Spirit Stone.

Once we got to this point, everyone slowed down their bidding pace.

Although there is no fixed price to refer to when it comes to a rare Fourth-Order Spiritual Item like Thousand Peaks Rock Marrow.

The actual value depends entirely on the seller's asking price and the buyer's own assessment.

However, once the price reached this level, many True Lord felt that raising it any further would be too expensive.

This was the moment Xiao Chen had been waiting for.

He immediately said, "I'll offer two million."

Upon hearing this, Crane Cry True Monarch, who had initially shown some interest, shook his head and gave up the idea of bidding.

His target price was only 1.8 million Spirit Stone, which also took into account the premium potential brought by strategic reserves.

Two million is indeed a bit too much for him.

It's worth mentioning that Esteem Truth Temple isn't unable to afford an additional two or three hundred thousand Spirit Stone.

However, if the bidding continues, even another two million Spirit Stone might not be enough to stop it.

Secondly, the extra Spirit Stone would be better spent on things like the Clear Dew Foundation Establishment Pill, which are more cost-effective for the entire sect.

"Daoist Xiao is willing to offer two million Spirit Stone. Is there a higher price?"

Purified Dust Zen Master, who was in charge of hosting the auction, performed his duties according to procedure, starting with a simple compliment. "The Thousand Peaks Rock Marrow is a rare and precious item."

They then stopped their enthusiastic promotion of the auction items in an attempt to provoke a competitive spirit among the customers.

Instead, it fast-forwarded directly to the bidding phase. "Two million Spirit Stone, for the first time."

It wasn't that he, as the Auctioneer, was unwilling to do his best, but rather that this auction was special; apart from VIP Room B12, everyone else was a familiar face.

They even knew exactly what good things each sect had.

Even if Purified Dust Zen Master speaks eloquently, it's all a waste of breath; it's better to just give it a token gesture.

"Alas, what a pity, Daoist Xiao has also set his sights on the Thousand Peaks Rock Marrow."

Inside VIP Room B12, Zhang Shouquan frowned slightly and sighed, "Since that's the case, there's no point in us arguing any further."

Upon hearing this, the black-robed man standing to the side paused, his knuckles, which had been lightly tapping the armrest, in shock.

He tilted his head slightly, a hint of surprise in his voice. "Oh? Isn't it a shame to give up like this?"

"I had heard of the Thousand Peaks Rock Marrow long ago."

"Such rare items are extremely rare and hard to come by. If we miss this opportunity today, we may never get another chance."

"Let alone two million Spirit Stone, even if the price were overcharged by another three or four hundred thousand, it wouldn't be a loss."

As I said before, the specific value of such rare spiritual items depends entirely on the buyer's own assessment.

In the black-robed man's mind, the maximum value of the Thousand Peaks Rock Marrow was around 2.4 million Spirit Stone.

However, Zhang Shouquan shook his head again. "Let's forget about it."

"We can't compete with Daoist Xiao. Since he has taken a liking to this item, let's just give up."

He had also participated in the Listening Wave Sea Auction years ago and was well aware of Xiao Chen's bidding style and financial strength.

If the bidding continues, he really has little confidence in winning.

In the end, aside from allowing the Ink Barrier Sect to earn more Spirit Stone, it brought Zhang Shouquan no benefit whatsoever.

If that's the case, then it's better to give up from the beginning.

"Daoist Zhang, you yourself chose to withdraw from the bidding, it's not that I'm not helping you compete for the Formation Spirit Material."

The man in black didn't seem to care, but he emphasized, "You can't go back on your word afterward."

Zhang Shouquan glanced at the Thousand Peaks Rock Marrow with a hint of reluctance, but still spoke again, "Of course, I always keep my word, you don't need to worry."

"Let's continue looking at the next spirit creature."

"We've only obtained two core spiritual materials so far, which is far from enough to set up the grand formation."

"It's better to spend less now; it might come in handy later."

The man in black robes, however, was not worried about this at all. "You don't need to care about that. As long as there are still core spiritual materials needed later, I will not hesitate to spend Spirit Stone."

Then a series of Fourth-Order Spiritual Item appeared one after another.

Starting prices vary greatly, ranging from one million to one hundred thousand.

The only commonality is that all the auction items are specialties from the territories of the Great Powers.

While I wouldn't say it's absolutely unique in the world, generally speaking, it's something that might not happen even once every few hundred years in the past.

Not only did the Golden Core cultivator in the Earth-grade VIP Room get dazzled, but even the True Lord and Zen Master from various sects felt that their trip had been worthwhile.

It's worth noting that while they used to exchange spiritual items privately, it was always on a small scale.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a minor skirmish.

Where else can we see the unique products of the entire Compassion Sea from south to north at the same time, like today?

The proposal to facilitate trade, finalized at the previous Peace Conference, now appears to have been the right decision.

More importantly, in this process of trade connecting the two sides by exchanging specialties, almost every party can benefit from it.

At least for now, no one feels they've been taken advantage of.

If things can continue to be maintained in this way, it will surely bring about a completely new change to the Compassion Sea.

However, what they are experiencing now is only basic trade connectivity.

Xiao Chen, however, went a step further, having conceived the idea of extending this trade to the west as well.

If this technology could be popularized among the sects on the other side of the Storm Sea, it would undoubtedly have a far-reaching impact.

Trade is a mutually beneficial and win-win situation.

Of course, this is not an easy task.

But that's alright, Xiao Chen isn't saying he has to realize this idea right now, immediately, or at any time.

He simply kept this in mind, intending to push it forward again if a suitable opportunity arose in the future.

"Fellow Daoists, the next three items will be the final lots of this auction."

Purified Dust Zen Master brought up three large trays at the same time. "If you all still have the capacity, you should seize the opportunity."

Let's start with the one on the right.

He reached out and lifted the red cloth covering the tray, revealing a large oiled paper package. "Oh, so it's Heart Fire Chan Xuan Tea."

"Regarding this sacred object, this humble monk may need to elaborate a bit more."

"You may not have heard of this before, because it is not a spiritual object of our Compassion Sea."

"It originated from the Western Region, passed through the Three Mountains Grotto-Heaven as a transit point, and was later brought to the Eastern Domain by an ascetic monk. After many twists and turns, it finally ended up in the hands of the previous abbot of this temple."

"It is said that there were originally six packs, but four packs were used up in the meantime for various reasons."

"In the end, we only managed to get two packets. We used one more packet to test its effects, and now only this last packet is left."

What Purified Dust Zen Master meant was that this thing is extremely rare.

Don't miss it!

"Ahem, according to previous test results, cultivators who drink the Heart Fire Chan Xuan Tea can effectively improve their efficiency in comprehending Cultivation Method within twelve hours."

Having explained its origins, Purified Dust Zen Master finally began to describe its specific effects. "This tea can have repeated effects."

"The first use yields the best results, and the first three times are considered excellent. After five times, the effect is less than half, and after ten times, it's barely noticeable."

"This large package can be divided into ten portions; the starting bid is 500,000 Spirit Stone."

Um!

This is even more useful than the Thousand Peaks Rock Marrow!

Xiao Chen used the similarly effective Azure Jade Lotus Seed last time to advance both the Azure Wave Piercing Bone Needle and the Four Symbols Suppressing Mountain Shield to the minor completion stage in less than a month.

It can be said that I have fully appreciated the benefits of this product.

Unfortunately, all similar spiritual objects share the same problem.

That means that the effect will be reduced slightly with each dose.

If you take the same thing repeatedly, its effect will diminish until it's almost indistinguishable from not taking it at all.

At that time, Xiao Chen thought that if he had the chance in the future, he would definitely get back a few more items with similar effects.

Even before attending this auction, he had wondered if he might encounter such items.

I can't believe it actually exists!

There's no need to hesitate any longer; just make an offer and buy it. "I'll offer one million!"

Normally, that should be the end of it.

However, the man in black robes inside VIP Room B12 was not going to back down this time. "Daoist Zhang, I'll offer 1.5 million Spirit Stone. Just give me your offer."

After closing the door and activating the formation, you will need to use VIP Room Token to participate in the bidding.

Zhang Shouquan held the token in his hand, but hesitated. "We've already offered a million, should we just let it go?"

"If you need any, we can go to Universal Salvation Temple to buy Azure Jade Lotus Seed."

"You can buy one for just 120,000 Spirit Stone, and its effects aren't necessarily much worse than the Heart Fire Chan Xuan Tea."

If possible, he wouldn't want to compete with Xiao Chen.

However, the man in black shook his head. "How can these be compared?"

"The Azure Jade Lotus Seed are at Universal Salvation Temple. There will be plenty of opportunities to buy them or obtain them indirectly from others in the future."

"But you just heard it too, there's only one packet of Heart Fire Chan Xuan Tea in the entire Compassion Sea."

"If we give it up today, it will be very difficult to buy it back even if we pay several times the price in the future."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shouquan fell silent.

"One million Spirit Stone for the first time."

Purified Dust Zen Master continued to bid according to procedure.

However, considering that this was his own property, he added two more sentences, "Are there any fellow Daoists willing to offer a higher price?"

"This is Western Region Spirit Tea; it has a unique exotic flavor."

The man in black robes urged again, "Daoist Zhang, what exactly are you afraid of?"

"No matter how high the price is, you don't have to pay Spirit Stone."

"Give us a quote quickly, don't let the deadline slip away."

Zhang Shouquan thought about it and realized that it made sense.

Since he didn't have to pay, he didn't bother trying to persuade him anymore. Instead, he simply held up the token and shouted, "One million five hundred thousand!"

Hmm, are there still people bidding?

Upon hearing this, Xiao Chen immediately spoke up before Purified Dust Zen Master could even call out a price, "Two million!"

"Okay, I knew it."

Zhang Shouquan sighed inwardly, said nothing, and turned to look at the black-robed cultivator.

He asked with his eyes, "You heard it too, are you going to follow or not?"

The black-robed cultivator was slightly taken aback, clearly somewhat unaccustomed to the situation.

However, for him, such spiritual objects that aid in enlightenment cannot be valued using conventional methods.

So even after hearing the high price of two million, he still wasn't prepared to back down.

So he replied in a low voice, "Add another 500,000, no, another 600,000. I don't believe he can keep adding more."

He had already calculated in his mind that even if the price reached 2.6 million, it would only be a 10% premium for him, which was completely within his acceptable range.

However, for ordinary Nascent Soul Cultivator, this price is already far more expensive than the Azure Jade Lotus Seed.

Under normal circumstances, if the other party continues to raise the price, they will be losing money.

If the other party were more rational, they should give up the fight.

However, the black-robed cultivator was completely unaware that Xiao Chen also possessed Hextech Enhancement.

Based on my previous experience with the Azure Jade Lotus Seed, when using such a spiritual item that aids cultivation, the improvement gained within a limited time far exceeds that of ordinary people.

While it's not accurate to say that consuming one serving of a spiritual item is equivalent to consuming one hundred, it is still equivalent to consuming several dozen.

Therefore, even if he spent Ten Million Spirit Stones on this item, it wouldn't be a loss for him at all.

If you don't spend that much, it's all pure profit.

Therefore, under such circumstances, if Xiao Chen doesn't join the bidding, it's equivalent to giving up on finding a bargain, which would truly mean losing money for nothing.

He certainly didn't want to lose money, so he immediately offered. "Three million!"

The two prices, one before and one after, differed by almost nothing.

In other words, to outsiders, Xiao Chen's offer appeared to be made almost without thinking.

It was as if he spent three hundred Spirit Stone instead of three million Spirit Stone, as casually as if he were spending them.

"Uh-huh?"

Zhang Shouquan snorted lightly and continued to ask with his eyes, "Still want to follow?"

The man in black robes fell silent this time; in all his years, he had never seen anything like it.

He really couldn't understand why the other party would be willing to spend three million Spirit Stone to buy such a packet of Fourth-Order Spirit Tea.

In his view, this was a losing proposition no matter how you looked at it.

At least throwing Spirit Stone into the water makes a sound, what's this?

"Fine, I'll just give it to him."

The man in black robes looked up at VIP Room A8, his gaze piercing through the open door as he memorized Xiao Chen's figure.

This trip was definitely worthwhile; it certainly broadened his horizons.

Since they withdrew from the bidding, Xiao Chen easily won the Heart Fire Chan Xuan Tea.

Based on the actual effect of Ten Million Spirit Stones, it is equivalent to him saving himself seven million Spirit Stone.

Of course, these are secondary; the more important thing is the subsequent improvements.

Xiao Chen has now mastered the Azure Wave Piercing Bone Needle to a high level, and is just one step away from achieving mastery.

Now, they have successfully obtained the Heart Fire Chan Xuan Tea.

If all goes well, after drinking ten cups of Spirit Tea upon returning, I should be able to cultivate to the Great Perfection level in one go.

At that time, in terms of Law Technique attacks, they will be able to rival or even crush ordinary Nascent Soul Great Perfection stage.

"However, one serving of Spirit Tea still doesn't feel enough."

Xiao Chen was naturally not so easily satisfied. "At the very least, there are Defensive Spell and escape techniques, which are also very necessary to master."

"So if I have the chance in the future, I should collect more of these kinds of spiritual items."

As the saying goes, the more the merrier.

"Let's look at the middle item next."

Purified Dust Zen Master raised his hand and lifted the red cloth covering the central tray, revealing a large pile of array plates and Formation Flag underneath.

He paused for a moment, then said, "Oh dear, this item should be the most expensive piece in this auction; it should have been saved for last."

"But since it's all out in the open, let's leave it at that."

"As fellow Daoists have probably already noticed, these are the array plates and Formation Flag required for a complete Fourth-Order Mountain Protecting Grand Array."

"Its full name is the Five Elements Consecutive Lock Spirit Illumination Array, and a fairly detailed Array Layout Diagram is also included for reference."

"This item is special, therefore no starting price has been set. Please estimate the value yourself."

Since it was his own property, Xiao Chen naturally did not participate in the bidding.

Instead, they quietly watched as the price rose to 80,000 Mid-Grade Spirit Stone plus 6 million Low-grade Spirit Stone.

Because the Mountain Protecting Grand Array is extremely valuable, involving a huge sum of tens of Ten Million Spirit Stones.

In addition, they had already spent a lot of Spirit Stone at the beginning of the auction, so everyone didn't have many Low-grade Spirit Stone left.

Therefore, Zen Master Feng Hua, who was searching for Mountain Protecting Grand Array to rebuild the mountain gate, simply used Mid-Grade Spirit Stone to bid.

Although Mid-Grade Spirit Stone are considered strategic reserves and should not be used lightly.

However, the Mountain Protecting Grand Array is also a strategically crucial resource, and almost indispensable.

Therefore, Zen Master Feng Hua decisively decided to take down this great formation at all costs, thereby greatly accelerating the reconstruction of Kasyapa Temple.

Unsurprisingly, this price became the highest-selling price at this auction.

It was also the only item to exceed Ten Million Spirit Stones in total price.

After the auction concludes, the identities and names of the buyer and seller, as well as detailed descriptions of the auctioned items, will be engraved on a stone tablet as a memento.

The highest-priced items and those that fetched over ten million at subsequent auctions will also be recorded in the same way and collected in a specially established Treasure Garden for public viewing.

"Next up is the last item for auction."

Purified Dust Zen Master unveiled the last piece of red cloth, revealing a specially made shelf underneath, in which a jade Talisman was placed.

He picked it up along with the stand, then gently turned it to demonstrate the details of the Talisman: "This is the Terrain Heavy Origin Talisman."

"Everyone should recognize the treasure that Hui Ming Temple possesses."

"The starting bid is 200,000 Spirit Stones, and each bid must be at least 10,000 Spirit Stone higher."

The Terrain Heavy Origin Talisman are indeed renowned, and Xiao Chen has seen related introductions in many Ancient Books.

It is a defensive Talisman; when attached to any Spirit Artifact, it can significantly enhance its defensive capabilities for up to one hour.

It is best suited for Earth-type spirit shields, and can usually increase their effectiveness by about 50%.

When needed, it can also be applied to Flying Sword or even the cultivator himself, providing at least a 10% boost.

Don't think it's a little little.

In a battle where both sides are evenly matched, this slight difference in skill level could determine the final outcome.

Should I bid on this?

Seeing that this was the last item, Xiao Chen thought for a moment and decided to make a bid, "Three hundred thousand Spirit Stone."

Although he felt he might not necessarily need it.

Moreover, Talisman are disposable items, and most Fourth-tier Talisman have a shelf life of less than five years before they become invalid.

But it's very cheap!

It's definitely worth having something like this that can boost combat power.

The main idea is to be prepared, to spend money to buy peace of mind.

This time, naturally no one came forward to bid against Xiao Chen, including the black-robed cultivator, who had already behaved himself.

So Xiao Chen acquired the Terrain Heavy Origin Talisman for 300,000 Spirit Stone.

"Thank you all for your support..."

Purified Dust Zen Master concluded his remarks on the auction stage.

Immediately afterwards, Xiao Chen followed the others out of the private room and exchanged a few pleasantries.

As everyone chatted and laughed, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that the door to VIP Room B12 had silently slid open.

Zhang Shouquan and the black-robed cultivator strode out, their steps hurried, and went straight downstairs to the back of the hall to settle the Spirit Stone.

A moment later, the two took all the spiritual items they had bid on and left side by side.

Soon, a disciple rushed upstairs and respectfully reported, "Reporting to True Lord, it was that black-robed guest who paid the Spirit Stone just now."

"All the spiritual items related to array formations were stored in True Monarch Zhang's Storage Ring."

"The rest of the spiritual items were taken away by that guest in black robes."

This was essentially a leak of the guest's information, but everyone present was already used to it.

After exchanging pleasantries for a few more moments, everyone took their leave in turn.

Xiao Chen did not linger and returned directly to Secluded Doom Island.

The cultivation I had been doing recently had already consumed a lot of Spirit Stone.

However, although he spent 5.3 million Spirit Stone on this trip, he earned back 80,000 Mid-Grade Spirit Stone plus 6 million Low-grade Spirit Stone.

With one addition and one subtraction, the Low-grade Spirit Stone alone increased by 700,000.

Therefore, he could continue using the <Spirit Devouring Yuan Great Method> without any pressure to consume Spirit Stone and accelerate the Condense True Essence.

More than ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

After consuming a massive amount of Spirit Stone, Xiao Chen finally accumulated 3,333 strands of true essence, reaching the peak of the Nascent Soul Early Stage.

As the saying goes, "Go all out in one go."

He rested briefly that day and then directly attempted to break through to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage.

And then it failed in a rather haphazard way.

"Um?"

Xiao Chen tried his best to suppress the rampaging true energy within his body caused by the failed breakthrough, and also calmed his blood and qi.

Then, scratching his head in confusion, he asked, "I clearly followed the instructions in the Cultivation Method exactly how I broke through, so why did I fail?"

Sometimes the hardest problem in the world is not about making mistakes.

The problem is that you don't know exactly where you went wrong.

Xiao Chen believed that his process was entirely correct, but the result was a failure.

"Hiss~, this is really a ghost!"

Xiao Chen gasped, and spent a day readjusting his state of mind.

Only then did they begin to look for the reasons for the failed breakthrough.

"Although I don't know much about Nascent Soul Cultivator, there are many Great Witches in the Witch Clan who are stuck at the early stage of the fourth rank."

Su Li, resting her chin on her hand, sat beside him, helping to think of a solution, "Generally speaking, there are only two reasons why someone might get stuck at a Minor Bottleneck."

"The first problem is insufficient Qi and Blood Concentration, which translates to insufficient quality of true essence."

"The second problem is a lack of piety towards the tribe, which actually stems from a insufficient understanding of the Great Dao."

Xiao Chen thought for a moment and concluded that he was definitely fine in terms of the quality of his true essence, since he had the Yang Five Elements Seal.

The problem must lie in insufficient Dao Comprehension.

Tsk tsk tsk, this is a big problem.

The lack of understanding of the 'Tao' is arguably the greatest challenge throughout history.

However, it's not like there's absolutely no way to solve it.

Xiao Chen rummaged through the Vast Sea Ring and found the Wood Element Dao Comprehension Crystal and Dao Comprehension Crystal he had accumulated before.

What should you do if you encounter difficulties?

Of course, we should offer up spiritual items!

Could it really be that one can Sudden Comprehension on their own?

He tried absorbing a Dao Comprehension Crystal and then attempted to break through his bottleneck again.

fail.

Then have another one.

fail.

This cycle continued until ten days later, when Xiao Chen attempted a breakthrough for the fifth time.

This time, I didn't get stuck and finished it in one go.

Breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage!