Azure Spirit Peach

Next, several Spirit Grasses were auctioned. Wang Hong took the opportunity to bid on a few. Those brought to an auction were no ordinary items, unlike what his small shop and street stalls could acquire.

The competition for Spirit Grasses wasn't as fierce as for elixirs. After all, simply possessing a Spirit Grass wouldn't turn it into an elixir; other materials were still needed, and an alchemist to refine it.

"Next up for auction is an Azure Spirit Peach. Legend has it that in ancient times, there was an Immortal Peach that took three thousand years to blossom, three thousand years to bear fruit, and another three thousand years to ripen. From blossoming to fruition and ripening, it took nine thousand years. It's said that a single whiff of this Immortal Peach could grant immortality, and eating one could elevate one to godhood.

This Azure Spirit Peach was found in an ancient cultivator's cave dwelling. According to research, it should be a collateral branch of an ancient exotic species. Although its efficacy is far from that of the Immortal Peach, it still contains powerful spiritual energy. Consuming one can allow Qi Refining cultivators to bypass bottlenecks and advance their realm by one level.

We shall now begin the auction. The starting bid is..."

"Five hundred."

"Six hundred."

"Three thousand five."

Soon, the price climbed to ten thousand Spirit Stones. This Azure Spirit Peach was much more effective than the Barrier Breaking Pill, naturally attracting more bidders.

In the end, Wang Hong spent twelve thousand Spirit Stones to acquire it.

Afterward, several other Spirit Items appeared. While they were all decent, they weren't essential, so Wang Hong didn't bid further.

Following the elixirs and Spirit Grasses, rare ores, Cultivation Techniques, and other miscellaneous items were auctioned.

The two Crimson Blood Ginsengs Wang Hong submitted for auction had yet to appear. He wondered if they were being saved for the finale.

"Next, we will be auctioning our final items. Please welcome the first item," Feng Qing said, presenting a Flying Sword radiating golden light with both hands.

"This is a Spirit Artifact Flying Sword, a low-grade Metal Spirit Artifact."

Spirit Artifacts, as they were called, were a level above Magic Artifacts, possessing some of the advantages of Magic Treasures, essentially a simplified version.

They were the primary weapons for Foundation Establishment cultivators. Late-stage Qi Refining cultivators could barely activate a fraction of their power. However, even that fraction was something ordinary Magic Artifacts couldn't withstand.

"The Spirit Artifact Flying Sword starts at one Spirit Stone, with each bid increasing by no less than one hundred Spirit Stones."

"One thousand."

"Five thousand."

"Ten thousand."

"One hundred and twenty-eight thousand."

"One hundred and twenty-nine thousand."

Finally, it was purchased by a cultivator wearing a bull-head mask for one hundred and twenty-nine thousand.

"The next item for auction is two three-hundred-year-old Crimson Blood Ginsengs. They are sufficient to refine Breakthrough Pills for Foundation Establishment cultivators to overcome bottlenecks."

"Two Crimson Blood Ginsengs start at one Spirit Stone, with each bid increasing by one hundred Spirit Stones."

"I bid five thousand."

When the price reached ninety thousand Spirit Stones, a cultivator who was bidding suddenly released the pressure of a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator, causing those around him to struggle for breath.

The Qi Refining cultivators who had been bidding against him were now terrified into silence.

Although this was an auction for Qi Refining cultivators, a small number of Foundation Establishment cultivators did participate. The organizers did not object to this.

At this moment, even more powerful pressure was released simultaneously from the auction stage and several corners of the hall.

At the same time, Feng Qing slowly spoke, "Esteemed senior, please retract your pressure. We humble cultivators have weak abilities and cannot withstand your divine powers."

While he spoke these words, his expression showed no fear. The Foundation Establishment cultivator took the opportunity to de-escalate and slowly withdrew his pressure.

Then, a Foundation Establishment cultivator stepped onto the auction stage and said, "Fellow Daoists, during the auction, please abide by the order of the auction house, or you will be expelled.

All items in this auction go to the highest bidder, regardless of cultivation or strength. We will also ensure your confidentiality. The auction will now continue."

Despite the series of promises, the bidding was much quieter than before.

In the end, the two three-hundred-year-old Crimson Blood Ginsengs only sold for ninety thousand Spirit Stones. Wang Hong was furious, cursing his bad luck, as they had sold for at least tens of thousands less than they were worth.

"Now, we will auction the final item. Please prepare your Spirit Stones and get ready for some frantic bidding!"

"A Foundation Establishment Pill..."

As soon as the words "Foundation Establishment Pill" were uttered, the audience below erupted.

Aside from those with Heavenly Spiritual Roots, any Qi Refining cultivator wishing to enter the Foundation Establishment stage required the assistance of a Foundation Establishment Pill.

It could be said that the Foundation Establishment Pill was something every Qi Refining cultivator dreamed of.

The Spirit Grasses required to refine a Foundation Establishment Pill were said to have been abundant in ancient times. However, as the spiritual energy in the cultivation world gradually thinned, many Spirit Grasses went extinct.

The Spirit Grasses needed to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill were now on the verge of extinction. Currently, these Medicinal Herbs only grew in secret realms with extremely dense spiritual energy.

Then, several major sects took the lead in protecting (occupying) these secret realms. There were a total of six secret realms, with each realm opening once every sixty years. This meant that one of the six secret realms would be opened every ten years, remaining open for three months each time.

Major sects would dispatch Qi Refining cultivators to enter the secret realms together to collect Spirit Herbs.

Furthermore, it was forbidden to collect young spirit herbs or those that hadn't reached their full maturity, to prevent their extinction.

Upon hearing it was a Foundation Establishment Pill, Wang Hong excitedly bid several times. When the price reached two hundred thousand, he could no longer keep up.

Currently, only his Crimson Blood Ginseng held significant value, and that was due to its scarcity. If he released too much at once, it would naturally lose its worth.

Moreover, as a mere Qi Refining cultivator, possessing too many rare spirit herbs would lead to his demise if discovered. The auction house could easily investigate him.

In the end, the Foundation Establishment Pill was purchased by a cultivator for three hundred and fifty thousand.

As the last item was sold, the Ten-Store Joint Auction officially concluded.

Wang Hong went to the side door with his wooden token to collect the proceeds from the Crimson Blood Ginseng auction. After being sold for one hundred and twenty thousand and paying a ten percent commission, Wang Hong received one hundred and eight thousand Spirit Stones.

Clutching the Spirit Stones, Wang Hong felt he had underestimated the heroes of the world. With only a little over ten thousand Spirit Stones in his storage bag, he had considered himself wealthy. Thinking about it now was truly shameful!

Qingxu City had hundreds of thousands of Qi Refining cultivators, many of whom were exceptional talents. Even among rogue cultivators, there should be many outstanding individuals. He had been like a frog in a well.

Upon returning to his residence, Wang Hong poured all the more than one hundred thousand Spirit Stones he had obtained onto the land in his Mysterious Space. Then, he found an empty plot and planted the spirit herbs he had acquired at the auction that day.

His Mysterious Space now had over nine-tenths of an acre of land, just a little short of a full acre. In reality, an acre wasn't very large. Without the twenty-fivefold acceleration of time, it would have been difficult to even sustain himself.

After this auction, except for the Crimson Blood Ginseng, he had harvested almost all the mature spirit herbs. These mature spirit herbs were the accumulation of his efforts over the past few years.

The remaining spirit herbs were only enough for his own needs. He wouldn't have a large supply of spirit herbs to sell in the short term. It seemed he needed to find other ways to earn Spirit Stones.

Wang Hong's gaze shifted to a corner of his Mysterious Space, where a large pile of wine jars was stacked, reaching over ten feet high and occupying a tenth of an acre.

These were medicinal wines he had brewed continuously since his Spirit Wine business became popular three years ago. It would be another year before they reached the same age as the previous batch.

The previous batch of wine, only a few thousand catties, sold out quickly due to limited sales. However, it had still earned him tens of thousands of Spirit Stones.

In fact, this was only the lowest grade of Spirit Wine, suitable only for cultivators in the early and middle Qi Refining stages.

Wang Hong pondered that he should brew some higher-quality Spirit Wine.

The brewing materials for Spirit Wine were divided into several major categories: Spirit Grains, Spirit Fruits, Spirit Flowers, and Spirit Herbs, among others.

The brewing methods naturally varied depending on the materials used.