"A Foundation Establishment Pill..."
Li Chen listened to the auctioneer's announcement and fell into thought.
"Three hundred and fifty thousand. That's actually rather steep. After all, this is only an aid to advancement, not a necessity, and it can't guarantee success."
He Ran said, "Indeed. Taking it doesn't necessarily mean you'll advance."
Wu Ding said, "So what? It does help, after all. Otherwise, why were you two so eager to have me guide you here to hunt one down the moment you arrived?"
Li Chen smiled at that. "True enough. Our concern has clouded our judgment. You see things more clearly than we do, Brother Wu."
"Clearly, my ass," Wu Ding said bluntly. "I wouldn't buy one myself, and I've never even considered it. Several hundred thousand for one damned pill-that's worse than highway robbery."
Li Chen said, "I think you have to look at this from both sides."
"If you buy it and take it to advance, will everything fall into place in one go, marking a turning point in your life? Or will all that money go down the drain, wasting half a lifetime of blood and sweat?"
"Everyone faces different circumstances."
Wu Ding picked up a bean and chewed it, unconcerned. "Anyway, I couldn't bear to spend several hundred thousand on something like that. Better to drink your fill today while there's wine to be had!"
"If you're getting on in years, you should give even more thought to your future livelihood. Rogue cultivators can't hunt demons forever. After toiling for most of their lives, they'll eventually grow old, weaken, or even suffer injuries. Only the retirement savings they've built up over the years can serve as the capital to keep making a living then."
He Ran listened thoughtfully.
He, too, seemed to have fallen into uncertainty,