Chapter 38: The End

After the sword box was secured by someone for ten thousand spirit stones, Ziyan shed her previous flirtatious demeanor, and her entire presence became dignified.

Great Success in Charm Arts!

Cultivators with even a modicum of knowledge felt a flicker of astonishment in their eyes upon seeing this.

Charm arts were essentially a minor path with few practitioners, and the difficulty of cultivation was not low. Achieving Great Success was extremely rare; one did not expect to witness it at an auction.

However, regarding the auction items Ziyan was about to present next, this slight ripple of surprise was instantly overwhelmed by a tidal wave of shock.

Foundation Establishment Pills!

The Yuanming Sect was presenting three Foundation Establishment Pills all at once!

Even Li Zhirui and the other two, who considered themselves destined to have no connection with Foundation Establishment Pills, showed a trace of fanaticism in their eyes.

In truth, most cultivators understood clearly that these pills were destined to be beyond their reach. Due to their exorbitant prices, solitary cultivators like them could not afford them, but that did not stop them from being excited.

Although the Foundation Establishment Pill was merely a second-tier spiritual pill, its preciousness absolutely surpassed that of ordinary third-tier spiritual items.

This was because the medicinal herbs required to refine Foundation Establishment Pills had been jointly blockaded by the major powers. While the world was vast and spiritual herbs were not necessarily absent from the wild, finding one was no simple task.

To obtain such herbs, one had to possess at least the status of a Golden Core power, and even then, a massive price had to be paid.

The Yuanming Sect was a prime example. After Jiang Tianming broke through to the Golden Core stage, he performed three tasks for the Sect Leader, Shen Leishan, before finally obtaining the spirit seeds and the pill formula, allowing the sect to refine Foundation Establishment Pills independently.

In truth, besides consuming Foundation Establishment Pills, cultivators could also refine unique spiritual items or attempt to break through on their own to achieve Foundation Establishment.

The reason Foundation Establishment Pills were so highly sought after was that breaking through with one significantly increased the success rate. Furthermore, even if the breakthrough failed, the medicinal power of the pill could protect the meridians and the dantian, preventing damage to one's foundation.

The success rate of refining spiritual items was only half that of the Foundation Establishment Pill, making them relatively cheaper; most rogue cultivators used this method to break through.

As for breaking through on one's own, this method was not only extremely difficult but also incredibly dangerous. A failed attempt would result in a shattered foundation. Unless absolutely necessary, no cultivator would choose this method.

It was said that the major powers possessed secret methods for self-directed Foundation Establishment, but these were not things an ordinary person could obtain.

"I am sure you all are well aware of the efficacy of the Foundation Establishment Pill, so I shall not waste words!" Ziyan said directly, observing the heated atmosphere in the auction hall. "Highest bidder wins!"

There was no starting price and no minimum increment, because Ziyan was not worried at all that the pills would be sold for a low price.

"Forty thousand spirit stones!" As soon as a certain Foundation Establishment cultivator spoke, he quoted the same price the Li family had paid to the Beast Taming Sect years ago.

Li Shilian's expression instantly darkened. He had expected that in Yunping Prefecture, the price of Foundation Establishment Pills would be higher than at the Beast Taming Sect, but he hadn't expected the starting bid to be their previous transaction price!

And this was only the beginning.

In the short span of half a quarter-hour that followed, the price of the Foundation Establishment Pills climbed steadily until it finally halted at the astronomical price of sixty-eight thousand spirit stones.

"Seventy thousand spirit stones?!" Li Shilian's expression changed drastically. He had originally thought that with the family's current rate of earning spirit stones, they could gather enough in a year or two.

But looking at it now, he had thought too simply!

Li Zhirui's face was also very grim, because the family's next Foundation Establishment Pill was intended for him.

"You need not worry about this. The family will prepare enough spirit stones. What you must do is cultivate hard and break through to the ninth level of Qi Refinement as soon as possible," Li Shilian said, turning to Li Zhirui.

Li Zhirui remained silent, but under the pressure of Li Shilian's sharp gaze, he could only purse his lips and nod.

The prices for the subsequent two Foundation Establishment Pills were nearly identical to the first.

"Having been in Yunping Prefecture for so long, this is the first time I've realized that the past wasn't without its benefits," Li Shiren said with a bitter smile.

Since they were out in public and worried about eavesdroppers, Li Shiren spoke very cryptically, but both Li Zhirui and Li Shilian understood him perfectly.

That being said, if they were truly given the choice, no one would want to return to the past, because under the rule of the Beast Taming Sect, the Li family would never have had the chance to grow and prosper.

As the three Foundation Establishment Pills were auctioned off, many cultivators present were extremely curious about the upcoming items, wanting to see what kind of spiritual items could be even more precious than Foundation Establishment Pills.

This time, Ziyan did not bring the items out one by one; instead, she placed all three auction items directly onto the table.

A spiritual sword radiating sword qi, a jade slip swirling with Daoist intent, and a seal capable of suppressing all things—these were the three grand finale items meticulously prepared by the Yuanming Sect!

"This sword is named Changhong. It is a high-grade third-tier Dharma tool, personally forged by the master blacksmith Ouyang Ye using meteoric iron and Sun Spirit Stones. It contains three hidden spells and possesses staggering power!"

"I suspect many of you find this sword familiar. That is because it is the personal sword of the Master of the Changhong Sword, and rumors say that the Changhong Sword is linked to the legacy of its master!"

As soon as Ziyan finished speaking, the room fell silent. It wasn't that they were calm, but rather that they were stunned by the Yuanming Sect's grand scale.

"Is the Yuanming Sect truly this extravagant?" A white-haired Golden Core cultivator on the third floor spoke, his voice tinged with doubt.

He understood the origins of the Changhong Sword better than anyone else, and the Master of the Changhong Sword was a Sword Immortal who had dominated the Eastern Region hundreds of years ago!

The term "Sword Immortal" did not mean his cultivation had reached the Immortal Realm, but was a respectful title for a Golden Core sword cultivator who had birthed a Sword Heart.

Cultivators who earned the title of Sword Immortal were all at the pinnacle of Golden Core combat power; even killing enemies of a higher realm was not impossible—though, of course, that referred to those who had just broken through to the Nascent Soul stage.

After introducing the Changhong Sword, Ziyan did not rush to auction it, but instead introduced the next item: the jade slip brimming with Daoist intent.

"Contained within this jade slip is a complete cultivation technique that leads directly to the Golden Core stage!"

This sentence exploded in everyone's ears like a bolt of lightning. Everyone looked at Ziyan as if they had seen a ghost.

For a technique that could lead to the Golden Core stage, the Yuanming Sect had chosen not to keep it hidden but to auction it off. How could this not be shocking!

Even if the Yuanming Sect had likely copied the technique, the leakage of a cultivation method could allow hostile forces to find its flaws or fatal weaknesses, which would be an absolute disaster for a sect.

Unless the technique had inherent flaws, or the Yuanming Sect did not intend to let too many disciples practice it.

"This technique is called the *Qi-Eating Pill-Nurturing Scripture*. The mana cultivated is peaceful. Through the sect's deductions, this method can increase a cultivator's chances of forming a core. As for its drawback, the cultivation speed is excessively slow."

For spiritual items of this level, it was best not to hide their flaws, because those qualified to buy them were not people to be trifled with.

After hearing Ziyan's introduction, the crowd finally calmed down. No wonder the Yuanming Sect was willing to auction it.

As for the final seal, its origin was also extraordinary. It was actually a fourth-tier Dharma tool that had suffered a drop in grade; despite the drop, its power was stronger than most third-tier Dharma tools.

These three treasures had nothing to do with the Li family or the cultivators on the first and second floors, because those competing for them were the Golden Core cultivators on the third floor!

In the end, all three treasures were sold for prices exceeding eighty thousand spirit stones. The most expensive was not the technique or the seal, but the Changhong Sword, which held the legacy of a Sword Immortal.