Chapter 159: Chapter 158: Core Formation Spiritual Object (Seeking Monthly Tickets)_1
In the Southern Wilderness Cultivation Realm, the states of Wu, Wood Kingdom, and Yue Country are located in the north and are considered remote rural regions.
To the north of these three states is the natural barrier known as the Great Dream Marsh!
If one heads south, there are dozens more countries. The smaller ones are similar to Yue Country and Wood Kingdom...while the larger ones are much bigger than the sum of the three.
Yuan Country is one such vast land, with a territory larger than the three states combined, home to Nascent Soul forces like the Mixed Origin Sect!
The Ancestral Founder of the Yiling Valley was once a favored disciple of a Nascent Soul True Monarch within the Mixed Origin Sect. After the failure to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, disillusioned, he returned to his hometown to establish the foundation of Yiling Valley.
"This Yiling Valley seems like a sect, but in reality, it’s still controlled by a noble family... that Ancestral Founder’s surname is Yu! The Yu Family of Yiling Valley is a Golden Core family, far more honorable than the likes of the Song Family and the Xu Family..."
Luo Gong’s voice also carried a hint of envy.
"I see..."
Fang Xi felt as if his horizons had been greatly broadened.
At this moment, the bored Yuan Feihong joined the conversation, "Yiling Valley does have the support of a Nascent Soul great sect...but over a thousand years have passed, and both the Ancestral Founder and the Nascent Soul True Monarch have sat and transformed. Do you know why the Yu Family remains standing tall, with Core Formation ancestors in each generation?"
"We don’t know, please enlighten us, Brother Yuan."
Fang Xi, aware of Yuan Feihong’s personality, asked sincerely for guidance.
Seeing that Luo Gong was also curious, Yuan Feihong smiled and said, "The Yu Family of Yiling Valley possess a Clan Treasure known as the ’Nine Dragon Balls’! This treasure has boundless and immense power. It is said to be one of the highest-ranked Exotic Treasures, bestowed upon his favored disciple by the Nascent Soul True Monarch before parting..."
"This ’Nine Dragon Balls’ can automatically absorb the Heavenly Earth Spiritual Qi, just like a Cultivator’s Sea of Qi and dantian, full of mysteries. Ordinary Qi Refining Cultivators who refine it will almost be on par with Foundation Establishment Cultivators... And a late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator holding it will almost be the equivalent of a Jia Dan Cultivator who has refined a third-grade Demon Inner Core... For a real Core Formation ancestor, it’s like having an extra magic treasure!"
Jia Dan Cultivators!
These Cultivators are those who, after reaching the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment but unable to hope for Core Formation, reluctantly refine a third-grade Demon King’s Inner Core to form a false Golden Core.
It is said that their strength, Divine Skill, and even lifespan are not much inferior to that of an early-stage Core Formation Cultivator.
However, once they refine a Demon Pill and advance to Jia Dan, their Cultivation will no longer progress, and they will remain at the early stage of Core Formation until death.
"There is such a miraculous Spiritual Object?"
Luo Gong’s eyes shone.
"No wonder the Yu Family have Core Formation ancestors generation after generation. Seems like when there’s a break in the lineage, they turn to this object comparable to Jia Dan Cultivators, right?"
Fang Xi also felt sentimental, "To be able to carry on the legacy without end, the value of such an Exotic Treasure is simply immeasurable for a Cultivating Immortal Family..."
"Yes, this object is a Supreme Treasure for a Cultivating Immortal Family, but for a Nascent Soul True Monarch, perhaps it’s nothing more than a chicken rib... Moreover, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator using the ’Nine Dragon Balls’ may reach the power level of a Jia Dan ancestor, but without the lifespan of Core Formation... yet they still retain the potential to reach Core Formation."
Yuan Feihong pointed out a flaw in the ’Nine Dragon Balls’ that wasn’t exactly a flaw.
"Indeed a top-notch Exotic Treasure!"
Fang Xi exclaimed, "Such Exotic Treasures can hardly be valued in Spirit Stones..."
After a few more exchanges, they each entered their respective private rooms.
Fang Xi looked at the private rooms on the second floor and then down at the scattered seating in the auction hall below. His gaze did not find Ruan Xingling.
Since there were many Foundation Establishment Cultivators present, he could not rashly release his Divine Consciousness to search for her.
’Perhaps she has disguised herself or is in one of the private rooms?’
Fang Xi leaned back on the soft chair, looking rather relaxed, and quietly waited for the auction to begin.
...
Bang!
With the striking of a gong, Ouyang Zhen once again presided over the grand auction.
Dressed in a robe, he flew onto the stage. His Magic Power was even more unfathomable, and his eyes swept over the crowd, "Welcome to the grand auction. The first item up for auction is..."
Fang Xi yawned at the displayed item below.
The first item to come up was a mid-grade Spiritual Flying Sword, which was quite good in every aspect.
However, he already had an offensive Spiritual Instrument, and the number of Spirit Stones he had prepared for today was limited. He needed to save them to buy a defensive Spiritual Instrument.
Compared to ten years ago, the scale and precious items of this grand auction were about the same.
Fang Xi even saw an ancient book on Refining Equipment Inheritance!
Unfortunately, his talent in talisman forging was meager, so he was indifferent to bidding.
Forget talisman forging, even the second-grade Talisman-making Inheritance jade slip given to him by Chen Ping was gathering dust in the Storage Bag!
His efforts nowadays were focused on puppet skill and Arrays, as well as Alchemy, on top of his daily Cultivation. He truly didn’t have any spare time.
"The next item up for auction... a mid-grade defensive Spiritual Instrument — the ’Five Elements Shield Armor’!"
After an indeterminate amount of time, Ouyang Zhen’s robust voice suddenly piqued Fang Xi’s interest.
On the auction stage, Ouyang Zhen was showing off an odd round shield. In five positions on the dark shield, there were five colored Spirit Pearls embedded, each representing one of the Five Elements.
"This ’Five Elements Shield Armor’ was crafted by Grandmaster Ouye... capable of transforming into Five Elements radiant armor, it possesses considerable defense against Five Elements Spells!"
Ouyang Zhen casually channeled a stream of Magic Power, and the round shield vibrated, instantly transforming into a layer of multicolored radiant armor that enveloped him completely.
"In terms of defensive power... it is only slightly inferior to a second-grade inferior Spirit Armor!"
"And when in shield form, its defensive power far exceeds that of ordinary inferior-grade defensive Spiritual Instruments..."
Ouyang Zhen continued his pitch, but the starting price revealed his hand, "Mid-grade Spiritual Instrument — Five Elements Shield Armor, starting at nine hundred Spirit Stones, with each bid increase no less than fifty Spirit Stones!"
’It seems to be one of Grandmaster Ouye’s failed creations...’
Fang Xi recognized Grandmaster Ouye, who was a second-grade superior Talisman forger in Baize Fairy City.
But this Spiritual Instrument, likely pursued out of some concept, while reaching the mid-grade level, had actual defensive capabilities around those of an inferior-grade instrument, naturally attracting little enthusiasm.
Fang Xi remembered that a mid-grade Spiritual Instrument, the Bi Yun Five Smoke Luo, was sold for one thousand four hundred Spirit Stones at the last grand auction.
However, this time, after only two bids, he secured the ’Five Elements Shield Armor’ for one thousand two hundred Spirit Stones.
Foundation Establishment Cultivators are all very astute, purchasing low-grade Spiritual Instruments at the price of middle-grade ones is truly a waste.
However, Fang Xi felt that this armor, which could transform into a Five Elements light shield, although its defensive power was somewhat lacking, still matched his Path of the Martial God quite well.
Having strong defensive power against Five Elements Spells is also a nice advantage.
After all, the majority of Immortal Cultivators use Five Elements Spells.
After making this purchase, he lost most of his interest in the remaining auction items.
Watching formation arrays, Spiritual Pets, minerals, and exotic items being sought after and fetching high prices,
Finally, the climax of the auction that he did not participate in last time had arrived!
"For this final highlight, the first item up for auction—a bottle of ’Dragon Snake Evil,’ one ’Increase Origin Pill,’ and one ’Out-of-Body Talisman,’ to be auctioned as a set. The starting bid is two thousand five hundred Spirit Stones, with each bid increasing by no less than one hundred!"
Ouyang Zhen let out a slight smile, having a maid present a tray, which immediately attracted the attention of the entire audience.
Especially those Qi Refining Cultivators who hadn’t yet achieved Foundation Establishment, their eyes brimmed with eagerness at the sight of these three treasures.
Dragon Snake Evil is pure Evil Qi, which can assist Cultivators in body tempering, while Increase Origin Pills can drastically boost Magic Power for a short period!
As for the ’Out-of-Body Talisman,’ though it’s only considered a second-rank high-grade item, its difficulty of production is nearly on par with some third-rank Talismans. It is an extremely special and precious Talisman that can assist Qi Refining Cultivators in temporarily condensing their Divine Consciousness!
These three treasures combined could at least increase a Qi Refining Cultivator at Great Perfection by more than twenty percent in their hopes for Foundation Establishment!
In terms of effect, they were almost equivalent to the inferior-grade Foundation Establishment Pills in Fang Xi’s hands, just without the special effect of guaranteed survival post-Foundation Establishment.
"What’s going on? Weren’t such Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects usually saved for the very last? Why are they being presented so early today?"
In an instant, the crowd of Cultivators became agitated, and many Cultivators began to make their bids:
"Two thousand six hundred Spirit Stones!"
"Three thousand Spirit Stones!"
"Three thousand one hundred..."
...
Fang Xi watched with interest the variety of human conditions displayed by the Qi Refining Individual Cultivators below.
They could hardly afford a single Foundation Establishment Pill with all of their life’s savings; their only hope lay in Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects.
And now, this set was almost equivalent to half a Foundation Establishment Pill, naturally driving the price higher and higher. Ultimately, it sold for a high price of five thousand Spirit Stones to a female Cultivator in one of the private boxes on the second floor.
Due to the change in voice, Fang Xi was unable to confirm if this woman was Ruan Xingling or not.
’I’m well aware of the finances of Peach Blossom Island; Ruan Xingling shouldn’t have that many Spirit Stones, right?’
Fang Xi sat still, waiting for the second highlight of the auction.
"A genuine Foundation Establishment Pill, starting bid three thousand Spirit Stones, with each bid increasing by no less than one hundred..."
As expected, Ouyang Zhen took out another jade bottle, visible through its semi-translucent body, the pill within emitting a blue halo.
"Is that a Foundation Establishment Pill?!"
"Isn’t this item supposed to be last?"
The Foundation Establishment Cultivators on the second floor discussed among themselves, but this did not hinder their bidding.
The pursuit of the Foundation Establishment Pill exceeded even that of the previous Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects, the price quickly climbed to six thousand, eventually being acquired by You Chong of Yiling Valley for a high price of seven thousand eight hundred Spirit Stones.
Fang Xi looked on at this scene and rubbed his eyes.
He of course knew that with a starting bid of three thousand for a Foundation Establishment Pill, the actual auction price was always at least double.
Sometimes, with customers in urgent need, it could even sell for upwards of ten thousand Spirit Stones.
"Next, we have the last item of this auction!"
Ouyang Zhen’s expression turned solemn as he suddenly pinched out a Magic Spell.
Hum hum!
Around the auction platform, a red light screen suddenly rose up, enveloping him within its protection.
The atmosphere within the auction hall instantly grew tense.
Even Fang Xi was very interested in this final highlight.
Ouyang Zhen, with utmost gravity, presented a white jade long-necked bottle and said in a deep voice, "A bottle of ’Mysterious Water Essence,’ which can slightly increase the chance of Core Formation for Cultivators at full-circle Foundation Establishment. Starting bid ten thousand Spirit Stones..."
"What?"
You Chong, who had just purchased the Foundation Establishment Pill, suddenly stood up, his expression extremely agitated, with a hint of greed as he stared at the long-necked jade bottle in Ouyang Zhen’s hands.
Almost all the Foundation Establishment Cultivators present lost their composure, exclaiming in astonishment: "It’s a Core Formation Spiritual Object!?"
Core Formation!
This step is even more challenging to surmount in Cultivation than Foundation Establishment, and successful Core Formation means becoming the founder of a sect and extending one’s lifespan to five hundred years!
However, in the three neighboring countries, there is no treasure pill like the ’Foundation Establishment Pill’ that can steadily increase the probability of Core Formation.
Basically, the few Core Formation Cultivators, including Individual Cultivator Master Bai Feng, succeeded in Core Formation through travel and a series of fortuitous coincidences, and their experiences cannot be replicated.
It is for this reason that scenarios arise where a sect’s Golden Core Ancestral Founder is absent and the sect subsequently declines.
This is the nightmare of all Golden Core Sects!
And to collect Core Formation Spiritual Objects, these powerful forces often spare no expense!
"’Mysterious Water Essence’... I seem to recall seeing it in ancient books... It can only slightly increase the chance of Core Formation for Cultivators, not even by half," murmured a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
"Even with one percent or one-tenth of a percent of chance, we must strive for it. How can anyone disregard an opportunity of nearly ten percent?" exclaimed Prime Taoist Huangsha, his hoarse voice like a broken gong and his face a mask of ferocity.