Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

"Can it be exchanged for top-grade spirit stones? I wonder what the reserve price is?" asked a deep voice.

Elder Zhang looked embarrassed. Top-grade spiritual materials like Liuguang Fire were rare in the world and were always traded with barter. At the very least, they were traded with Nascent Soul stage elixirs and thousand-year-old spiritual herbs. How could he possibly bid for them with top-grade spiritual stones?
He thought for a moment and said a price that would deter ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators: "The reserve price is twenty top-grade spirit stones. Fellow Taoists, you can make an offer now."

An ordinary top-grade spiritual material like Yanli Wood can be purchased with twenty top-grade spiritual stones, but it is only the bottom price of Liuguang Fire.

"I'll give you twenty-one dollars!" a hoarse voice suddenly sounded.

"Twenty-three dollars." The deep voice was calm but casual.

"Twenty-five dollars." Another person joined the battle.

Chen Yuan, who was sitting in front of the jade table, could only hear the voices through the bronze mirror, shouting out prices that would leave even the Nascent Soul cultivators dumbfounded.

"Thirty-five top-grade spirit stones!" The deep voice directly increased the price by five top-grade spirit stones.

The secret space was quiet for a moment, and a gentle voice followed closely: "I will give you thirty-six spirit stones."

This was already the seventh Nascent Soul cultivator who had made a bid. Chen Yuan discovered that he might have underestimated the financial resources of the Nascent Soul cultivators of Donghua Continent.

"Thirty-seven dollars." A deep voice followed slowly.

"Thirty-eight dollars!" The gentle voice said without any hesitation.

There has been no one bidding for three consecutive rounds. On the battlefield of Liuguanghuo, only he and the man with the deep voice are left.

"Thirty-nine dollars." The deep voice was casual as if he was buying a low-grade magic weapon.

The gentle voice finally hesitated, and after a long while, he said: "Forty top-grade spirit stones!"

"Forty-one dollars." The deep voice was still unhurried.

The gentle voice finally fell silent.

Elder Zhang looked around and said loudly, "Daoist No. 14 has offered forty-one top-grade spirit stones. Are there any other Daoists who would like to bid?"

"It's the only chance in ten thousand years to buy a spiritual material like Flowing Light Fire with spiritual stones. If you miss it, you will have no chance anymore."

He has hosted the Tianxuan Auction more than a dozen times and knows well how to mobilize the desires of these Nascent Soul cultivators.

But in front of the sky-high price of forty-one top-grade spirit stones, any explanation would pale in comparison.

It’s not that the Nascent Soul cultivators present are unable to come up with so many top-grade spirit stones.

But to buy the Liuguanghuo at this price, one would have to give Tianxuan Sect four top-grade spirit stones, a total of forty-five top-grade spirit stones, which would require emptying all the accumulation of a medium-sized sect.

Few Nascent Soul cultivators are willing to exhaust all resources just to buy a top-grade spiritual material.

Elder Zhang said it three times in a row, but no one made an offer. He did not delay any longer and said, "Deal! This ball of flowing fire belongs to Taoist No. 14!"

A storage bag fell from the sky and landed in Elder Zhang's hands. Elder Zhang took out all the top-grade spirit stones from it so that all Nascent Soul cultivators could see them through the bronze mirror.

Then he put the Flowing Fire into his storage bag, raised his hand and threw it, it flew into the sky and disappeared in front of everyone.

In thatched hut No. 27, Chen Yuan looked at the top-grade spirit stone shining brightly and breathed a sigh of relief.

Although I failed to obtain the Nine-bend Yellow Sand, I was able to exchange it for forty-one top-grade spirit stones, which is not bad.

Before the auction started, he had made two preparations. If no one took out the Nine-Curved Yellow Sand, he would exchange the Flowing Fire for the best quality spirit stones.

The Tianxuan Auction gathered the largest number of Nascent Soul cultivators from Donghua Continent. Yet, no one took out the Nine-Curved Yellow Sand at the auction, and it was even more impossible at other times.

Maybe someone has Nine-bend Yellow Sand in his hand, but is unwilling to exchange it for Flowing Fire.

But the more likely possibility is that the Nine-Bend Yellow Sand has been extinct for thousands of years and no one can get it out.

A thousand birds in the forest is worse than a bird in the hand.

Chen Yuan could only prepare for the worst, sell the Liuguang Fire in exchange for top-grade spirit stones, and then collect three other top-grade spirit materials and eighth-level demon pills.

It is too difficult to exchange for spiritual materials directly. He still lacks three kinds of spiritual materials: Tianmeng Crystal, Nine-Colored Mud, and Jingchan Liquid. Although they are not as good as the best spiritual materials, they are top-notch among the high-quality spiritual materials.

It is difficult for a monk to take them out at the same time, and it will also expose his identity.

The same is true if you directly exchange for an eighth-level demon pill.

The Nine-Curved Yellow Sand was used in exchange for Tianluo Wood and Liuguang Fire. It is easy to guess that the same person is behind it.

Chen Yuan once exchanged three top-grade spiritual materials and an eighth-level demon pill at a trade fair, which he could not hide from other cultivators.

The safest way is to exchange for top-grade spirit stones and then collect spirit materials for demon pills by yourself.

In addition, Liuguang Fire can also be used to exchange for thousand-year-old spiritual herbs and Nascent Soul elixirs.

But these two treasures are very valuable, and for Chen Yuan, who has mastered the recipe of the Demon Yuan Pill, the cost outweighs the gain.

……

The Flowing Fire attracted seven Nascent Soul cultivators to bid on it, and it was finally sold at a sky-high price, which completely ignited the atmosphere of the auction and brought the bidding for the last two treasures to a white-hot stage.

Elder Zhang didn't need to say anything. Just one sentence was drowned out by the sound of bidding.

Fifty years may seem short, but for a Nascent Soul cultivator who lives for a thousand years, it is just the blink of an eye.

But for a monk whose life is coming to an end, ten years are extremely precious.

If there is no one to succeed the sect, perhaps it will take fifty years for the next Nascent Soul cultivator to appear.

Finally, this piece of Shoushan jade was bought by a Nascent Soul cultivator for two bottles of Nascent Soul middle-stage elixirs and twenty pieces of top-grade spirit stones at a sky-high price, which made Chen Yuan astonished.

This is in Donghua Continent, where spiritual energy is scarce. Two bottles of Nascent Soul Middle Stage Pills require at least twenty thousand-year-old spiritual herbs, and the main medicine is even rarer.

Since Chen Yuan formed his Nascent Soul stage, he has handled countless treasures, but only two of them are the main ingredients for refining Nascent Soul elixirs, which he has kept secret.

This person is definitely not an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator. He is at least in the middle stage of the Nascent Soul, or even a great cultivator, to be able to do such a thing.

The last treasure is a purple-gold hammer, which is similar to the Chongxuan Peak. It is full of spirituality and has the potential to be promoted to a top-level magic weapon.

This potential does not seem high, and it will need at least thousands of years of careful cultivation before it can be promoted, but it is enough to make the Purple Gold Hammer more sought after than Shoushan Jade.

Shoushan Jade can only increase a cultivator's lifespan by fifty years, but a top-level magic weapon can be passed down for thousands of generations and suppress the sect's fortune.

The reason why Zi Yang Sect has been able to be passed down for ten thousand years, in addition to obtaining a large number of rare spiritual herbs from the secret realm of Dongxu Mountain and accumulating profound heritage, is because it paid a huge price to refine a top-level magic weapon.

This top-level magic weapon is quite famous throughout Donghua Continent. It is called Zixu Sword and is enshrined in the Ziyang Sect's ancestral hall. After being nurtured and cultivated by successive sect masters, its power has become increasingly powerful.

The Zi Yang Sect once faced a period of transition, with the inheritance of Nascent Soul cultivators cut off, and was suppressed by various sects in the Qi State at the time.

When the situation was most dangerous, five Nascent Soul cultivators gathered in the Zi Yang Mountains and besieged the Zi Yang Sect's mountain gate.

At this critical moment, three elders of the Zi Yang Sect in the late Jindan stage burned their souls and wielded the Zixu Sword to fight the enemy.

With the help of the sect protection formation, he defeated the combined forces of five Nascent Soul cultivators and seriously injured two of them who were in the early Nascent Soul stage, shocking the Qi State's immortal cultivation world.

After this battle, the coalition forces of various sects retreated. Thirty years later, an elder of Zi Yang Sect gave birth to a baby and regained the title of the largest sect in Qi State.

Top-level magic weapons are so terrifying that they can ensure the immortality of a sect’s heritage.

For a sect that does not have a top-level magic weapon to suppress its luck, once the inheritance of Nascent Soul cultivators is cut off, it will inevitably end up like the Pingdu Sect of Si State, doomed to destruction.

This purple-gold hammer has the potential to be promoted to a top-level magic weapon. Even if the chance is slim, it is enough to drive a group of Nascent Soul cultivators crazy.

However, top-level magic weapons are not omnipotent. Their power is too strong, and only great monks can use them freely.

Even a cultivator in the middle stage of the Nascent Soul cannot unleash the full power of a top-level magic weapon, which is only slightly stronger than a high-level magic weapon.

It is also unable to sustain the consumption of top-level magic weapons, and its true energy will be exhausted in a short while.

Only with the blessing of the sect's great formation can the top-level magic weapon exert its full power.

It was for this reason that Chen Yuan dared to fight against Taoist Du Kun and let the Lingyun Sect suppress the Ziyang Sect.

Taoist Du Kun would never dare to take the Zixu Sword out of the sect, otherwise Chen Yuan would only have to wait until his true energy was exhausted and then snatch the Zixu Sword away, and the Ziyang Sect would lose its foundation.

……

The purple gold hammer caused a fight among more than a dozen Nascent Soul cultivators, and was finally bought by cultivator No. 41, who paid a staggering price of three bottles of Nascent Soul early stage elixirs, two kinds of top-grade spiritual materials, and twenty top-grade spirit stones for it.

At this point, the Tianxuan Auction finally came to an end. The thatched house trembled slightly, flew back and forth in the air, returned to its original position, and slowly fell to the ground.

The invisible formation disappeared, Chen Yuan stood up and walked out of the thatched hut.

Other Nascent Soul cultivators also walked out of the thatched hut. Each of them had a calm expression, and it was impossible to tell whether they had bid or spent a fortune to buy a treasure.

Several eyes fell on Chen Yuan with a scrutinizing look.

Chen Yuan ignored him and after greeting Master Tang Jiu, Master He, Song Ming and others, he walked towards the exit of the secret realm.

He knew that these people suspected that he had exchanged the Thunder Pill for three Vajra Apricots.

But as long as he doesn't admit it, these people can only be suspicious.

Chen Yuan stepped through the hazy white light gate and walked out of the secret space.

Beside him were Young Master Tang Jiu and Master He. Young Master Tang Jiu was waving a folding fan in his hand with a smile on his face, looking very relaxed. He didn't even look at the storage bag that Lu Hong handed over, but put it away directly.

He had always been free and easy before, and seeing Chen Yuan's extraordinary elegance, he regarded him as a close friend, but did not ask about the auction.

Master He refused to talk about the auction just now.

Chen Yuan did not talk about this matter. What was bought at the auction and what kind of treasures were taken out were everyone's secrets, and even the Tianxuan Sect did not dare to reveal it.

Lu Hong stood at the entrance of the secret realm, greeted the three people one by one, and handed each of them a storage bag. Chen Yuan looked inside with his spiritual sense, and found that it contained forty-one top-grade spiritual stones, a piece of five-element iron, and three kinds of top-grade spiritual materials exchanged for the flame wood.

I wonder what is in the storage bags of Master He and Young Master Tang Jiu?
Behind the three of them, other Nascent Soul cultivators took the storage bags from Lu Hong and rode on their lights, either flying towards Yingke Peak or leaving Tianxuan Market directly.

Master He clasped his fists and bowed to the two of them: "I still have some things to deal with, so I need to rush back to the sect immediately. My two Taoist friends, I will say goodbye now."

"Goodbye, fellow Daoist." Chen Yuan returned the salute.

Young Master Tang Jiu turned the folding fan in his hand upside down, with a smile on his face: "When I have time in the future, I will discuss the mysteries of Taoism with Daoist Fellow He again."

Master He smiled and nodded. He was about to speak when he suddenly paused, raised his eyes slightly, looked towards the horizon, and his gaze was dazed.

Upon seeing this, Chen Yuan and Master Tang Jiu felt something in their hearts and turned around, following Master He's gaze and looking into the distance.

Thousands of feet high in the sky, I saw a distant ray of light flying from the horizon, as swift as a meteor, passing over the lake and heading straight into the depths of Shaoyue Mountains.

In the escaping light was an old man with white hair and beard, and his expression was extremely serious.

He seemed to be aware of the gazes of the three people. He looked down, nodded slightly, and suddenly increased his speed, disappearing into the depths of Shaoyue Mountains.

Chen Yuan's heart trembled. If Master He hadn't reminded him, he wouldn't have noticed it at all.

But even after seeing the old man, he still couldn't see through his cultivation level.

Young Master Tang Jiu's expression changed and he put away the folding fan in his hand.

There were also several Nascent Soul cultivators who saw the escaping light. Their expressions changed constantly, and they seemed to recognize the old man with white hair and beard.

Chen Yuan frowned and asked, "Brother Tang, who is this person? He seems to be quite famous."

Young Master Tang Jiu whispered, "If I am not mistaken, this person is the Grand Elder of the Tianxuan Sect, Gu Zuo."

Chen Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly. He had naturally heard of the name of the great monk Gu Zu, but he had never seen him.

Master He retracted his gaze and said solemnly, "Fellow Daoist Tang is right. This person is Gu Zuo. As far as I know, he has already gone to the Demon Realm to guard the Blood Spirit Sect's mountain gate. Why did he suddenly return to Shaoyue Mountains?"

When Chen Yuan heard this, many guesses emerged in his mind, but he had no clue at all.

Master He frowned and said, "These are troubled times... I will return to the mountain gate and report this to the master master. My two Taoist friends, I will say goodbye now."

He clasped his fists and bowed, without further delay, he rode on his flying light and flew out of Tianxuanfang City.

Chen Yuan and Young Master Tang Jiu looked at each other, both with solemn expressions in their eyes. They rode their lights and flew silently towards Yingke Peak.

On the way, Chen Yuan said, "Brother Tang has a wide network of contacts. Do you know which fellow Taoist has an eighth-level demon pill?"

Young Master Tang Jiu was stunned for a moment, then he remembered that when they were drinking and discussing Taoism together, Chen Yuan once said that his martial arts was special and required an eighth-level demon pill to practice.

He gently waved his folding fan, thought for a moment, and said, "I know two fellow Daoists who have level eight demon pills in their hands, but they all regard the demon pills in their hands as treasures and ask for a high price. Brother Chen should be prepared."

Chen Yuan's eyes lit up: "As long as it's not too much, I can accept it."

Young Master Tang Jiu nodded and said, "In that case, leave this matter to me. The auction just happened to be over, and there must be many fellow practitioners who returned empty-handed, leaving the carefully prepared spiritual stones and treasures in their hands."

"Brother Chen, come with me to participate in two trade fairs. As long as there are enough top-grade spirit stones, two or three level eight demon pills should not be a problem."

Chen Yuan clasped his fists and bowed: "Thank you very much, Brother Tang."

This is exactly why he stayed in Tianxuanfang City after the auction.

Before the auction begins, a trade fair will be held among Nascent Soul cultivators, but in order to conserve financial resources for bidding, no one will take out real treasures.

After the auction ended, many cultivators still had the treasures and spirit stones specially prepared for the auction in their hands, but they could not use them.

The next auction would be too long away, so in order not to delay their cultivation, they would participate in trade fairs and exchange them for the needed elixirs, spirit stones, treasures and spiritual materials.

Chen Yuan said goodbye to Master Tang Jiu and returned to his cave. Before he could meditate and practice, Xiao Mingyuan's voice came from outside the door: "Is Daoist Chen here? I am here to visit you."

Chen Yuan's heart moved, he got up and went out to welcome Xiao Mingyuan in.

The two sat down as host and guest. Chen Yuan served them spiritual tea and said with a smile, "I just wanted to visit Daoist Fellow Xiao and discuss with him the experience of body cultivation..."

Xiao Mingyuan was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Physical cultivation is rare, and those who have formed a fetus are even rarer. I am very happy to know that fellow Daoist Chen is also a physical cultivator, and I feel that my Dao is not alone..."

The two exchanged their cultivation experiences, but avoided talking about their respective cultivation methods.

Physical training may seem simple, requiring only strengthening of the body, but there are tricks involved in how to refine body-tempering elixirs, how to temper the body, and how to fight against others.

The human body is inherently weak and is actually not suitable for the path of physical cultivation.

When refining the body-tempering elixir, only half of the medicinal power can be absorbed. It is extremely difficult to strengthen the body to the level comparable to that of monsters of the same level.

However, Chen Yuan has the jade beads in his hand, which can draw the power of the stars in the sky to temper his body.

You can also use the power of your true spirit when fighting with others, and you will be invincible.

There is no need to spend a lot of time and effort to study these tricks.

But when Xiao Mingyuan talked about some obscure methods of tempering the body, it still opened his eyes.

For example, taking special elixirs, soaking in magma, and using the power of earth fire to strengthen the body.

Another example is during a thunderstorm, one can sneak into the thunderclouds, use thunder-attributed treasures to draw thunder from the sky into the body and remove impurities deep inside the flesh.

But this move is extremely risky. If you are not careful, you may die.

What interested Chen Yuan the most was diving into the deep sea and using the huge squeezing force to strengthen his body, which was similar to using the abyss of the sea to temper his body.

Body-tempering elixirs are hard to find, so Xiao Mingyuan tried almost all of these methods in order to strengthen his body.

He said it lightly, but Chen Yuan could fully imagine how much hardship he had gone through and how much suffering he had endured before he finally succeeded in conceiving a baby.

This is because Jiangxian Mountain is a large sect with profound foundation and complete inheritance, and all these body cultivation methods have been passed down.

Otherwise, it would be impossible for Xiao Mingyuan to successfully form a baby in just three hundred years.

From Xiao Mingyuan's narration, it was not difficult for Chen Yuan to see that the martial arts he practiced was definitely not "The Demon God Sutra".

After practicing "The Art of the Demon God", there is a limit to one's cultivation level, but because there is a demon pill in the body, one can be regarded as a half-demon body.

It can absorb most of the medicinal power of a body-tempering elixir, and use the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to warm and nourish the body. Its effect is at least twice as strong as that of a physical cultivator of the same level.

After Qi Yuanshan took over Dai Qing's body, the number of body-tempering elixirs he prepared was limited, but he still managed to cultivate to the middle stage of Jindan in just a hundred years.

Chen Yuan has refined the blood of the true spirit, which makes him equivalent to the descendant of the true spirit. He can fully absorb the medicinal power of the body-tempering elixir and use the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to warm and nourish his body. His effect is several times better than that of a physical cultivator who practices "The Art of the Demon God".

However, he has become accustomed to using the power of the stars in the sky to temper his body, and he looks down on the speed of using the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to strengthen his body. He thinks it would be better to use his time to meditate and practice to improve his cultivation.

……

The two talked until late at night, ranging from their experiences in cultivation to interesting anecdotes in the world of immortal cultivation.

Chen Yuan also accepted Xiao Mingyuan's invitation to attend a trade fair organized by an elder of Jiangxian Mountain three days later.

But he never asked why Xiao Mingyuan came to visit.

Finally, Xiao Mingyuan couldn't help but ask, "I came here today because I want to ask you something. Were those three diamond apricots exchanged by Fellow Daoist Chen?"

"Weren't those three Vajra Apricots exchanged away by Brother Daoist Xiao?" Chen Yuan's face was full of surprise.

"Who did Brother Chen hear this from?" Xiao Mingyuan was stunned.

Chen Yuan looked at Xiao Mingyuan with a meaningful look in his eyes: "According to what Elder Zhang said, the Tribulation Thunder Pill and the Millennium Thunder Pill have been extinct for thousands of years. Ordinary cultivators definitely can't produce them."

“And Jiangxian Mountain has a long history and profound heritage. Only Fellow Daoist Xiao can take out a Tribulation Thunder Pill in exchange for the Thousand-Year Body Tempering Spirit Herb.”

Xiao Mingyuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Fellow Daoist Chen, please stop joking. Everyone knows that among the three Nascent Soul Tribulations, the Yin Fire Tribulation and the Heart Demon Tribulation can be overcome by tricks, but the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation, which follows the will of Heaven, is the most difficult to overcome."

“There are several elders in our sect who are extremely skilled in alchemy and weapon refining. Their life span is almost over and they have no hope of forming an infant. This is because they are distracted by the various arts of cultivation and neglect their cultivation. Their true essence is not pure and strong enough, and their foundation is not solid, so they cannot survive the heavenly thunder tribulation.”

“If our sect really had the Tribulation Thunder Pill, we would definitely help these elders overcome the tribulation and allow our sect to have another Grand Master, instead of giving it to Xiao just to exchange for three Vajra Apricots.”

A trace of doubt flashed across Chen Yuan's eyes: "Since it wasn't Daoist Fellow Xiao who exchanged the King Kong Apricot, could it be Daoist Fellow Mo from the Demon Yuan Palace?"

Xiao Mingyuan looked at Chen Yuan deeply and said, "I have already asked Daoyou Mo, but he denied it."

"Xiao knows this person well. He has an arrogant personality. If he really bought the King Kong Apricot, he would definitely not hide it."

Chen Yuan's expression darkened. "Do you doubt me, Fellow Daoist Xiao? Fellow Daoist Xiao should know that my master has not yet formed a fetus. If there really is a Tribulation Thunder Pill, it will be left to my master instead of being taken to the auction to exchange for spiritual herbs."

Xiao Mingyuan smiled apologetically: "Fellow Daoist Chen, you are too polite. Two thousand year old diamond apricots are too rare, and it's better that three of them appear together."

"Xiao specially prepared a bottle of Sky Fire Liquid and two Wind and Thunder Crystals, but still returned empty-handed, feeling unwilling to accept the result."

"There are only three physical practitioners in Donghua Continent, so Xiao came to seek the Taoist fellow's help. I only hope to exchange it for a Vajra Apricot, and I have no other intentions."

"Since the King Kong Apricot was not exchanged by you, I was reckless. I hope you will forgive me."

He said it sincerely, and Chen Yuan's expression eased. He said calmly, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, please go back. I can't produce a rare treasure like the Thunder Tribulation Pill."

"As far as I know, the Vajra Apricot is not only used to refine the body, it also has other uses. The person who exchanged for the Vajra Apricot at the auction may not be a physical cultivator."

Xiao Mingyuan frowned, "What Daoist friend said makes sense. The Thunder Pill that has been extinct for thousands of years suddenly appeared in the world just to exchange for three Vajra Apricots. It's very strange. There must be a secret..."

He fell into deep thought, his eyes shifting constantly, and after a long time, he suddenly woke up.

He smiled shyly, clasped his fists and bowed: "Sorry for bothering you today. I'll take my leave now." (End of this chapter)