Longevity starts with choosing Hextech enhancement

Chapter 441 Breakthrough to the Middle Stage of Yuanying
Everyone present knew that the Thousand Peaks Rock Marrow was a valuable resource.

So they quoted each other several times, and soon the price reached 1.7 million spirit stones.

Once we got to this place, everyone slowed down their bidding pace.

Although there is no uniform price to refer to when it comes to a rare fourth-tier spiritual item like Thousand Peaks Rock Marrow.

The actual value depends entirely on the seller's asking price and the buyer's own assessment.

However, once the price reaches this level, many True Lords feel that further increases would be too expensive.

This was the moment Xiao Chen had been waiting for.

He said directly, "I'll offer two million."

Upon hearing this, True Monarch Crane Cry, who had initially shown some interest, shook his head and gave up the idea of ​​bidding.

His target price was only 1.8 million spirit stones, which also took into account the premium brought by strategic reserves.

Two million is indeed a bit too much for him.

It's worth mentioning that Chongzhen Temple isn't unable to afford an additional two or three hundred thousand spirit stones.

However, if the bidding continues, even another two million spirit stones might not be enough to stop it.

Secondly, the extra spirit stones would be better spent on things like the Clear Dew Foundation Building Pill, which are more cost-effective for the entire sect.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao is willing to offer two million spirit stones. Is there a higher price?"

Master Jingchen, who was in charge of hosting the auction, performed his duties according to the procedure. He first made a simple compliment: "Qianzhang Rock Marrow is a rare and precious item."

They then did not continue to enthusiastically promote the benefits of the auction items in order to arouse the customers' competitive desire.

Instead, they fast-forwarded directly to the bidding stage: "Two million spirit stones for the first time."

It wasn't that he, as the auctioneer, was unwilling to do his best, but rather that this auction was special; apart from Box B12, everyone else was a familiar face.

They could even say that they already knew exactly what good things each sect had.

Even if Zen Master Jingchen speaks eloquently, it's all a waste of breath; it's better to just give it a token gesture.

"Alas, what a pity, Fellow Daoist Xiao has also taken a liking to the Thousand Peaks Rock Marrow."

Inside VIP Box B12, Zhang Shouquan frowned slightly and sighed, "Since that's the case, there's no point in us arguing any further."

Upon hearing this, the black-robed man standing to the side paused, his knuckles, which had been lightly tapping the armrest, in shock.

He tilted his head slightly, a hint of surprise in his voice: "Oh? Isn't it a shame to give up like this?"

"I had heard of the Thousand Peaks Rock Marrow long ago."

"Such rare items are extremely rare and hard to come by. If you miss them today, you may not be able to get them again in the future."

"Let alone two million spirit stones, even if the price were to be overcharged by another three or four hundred thousand, it wouldn't be a loss."

As I said before, the specific value of such rare spiritual items depends entirely on the buyer's own assessment.

In the black-robed man's mind, the maximum value of the Thousand Peaks Rock Marrow was around 2.4 million spirit stones.

However, Zhang Shouquan shook his head again: "Let's forget about it."

"We can't compete with Fellow Daoist Xiao. Since he has taken a liking to this item, let's just give up."

He had also participated in the Tingtaohai auction back then and knew Xiao Chen's bidding style and financial strength well.

If the bidding continues, he really has little confidence in winning.

In the end, apart from allowing the Mozhang Sect to earn more spirit stones, it did not bring any benefit to Zhang Shouquan himself.

If that's the case, then it's better to give up from the beginning.

“Fellow Daoist Zhang, it was your own choice to give up the bidding, not that I’m not helping you compete for the spiritual materials for setting up the formation.”

The man in black robes didn't seem to care, but he emphasized, "You can't go back on your word afterward."

Zhang Shouquan glanced at the Thousand Peaks Rock Marrow with a hint of reluctance, but still spoke again: "Of course, I always keep my word, you don't need to worry."

"Let's continue looking at the next spirit creature."

"We have only obtained two core spiritual materials so far, which is far from enough to set up the grand formation."

"It's better for us to spend less now, because it might come in handy later."

The man in black robes was not worried about this at all: "You don't need to care about this. As long as there are still core spiritual materials needed later, I will never be stingy with spirit stones."

Then a series of fourth-tier spiritual creatures appeared one after another.

Starting prices vary greatly, ranging from one million to one hundred thousand.

The only commonality is that all the auction items are specialties from the territories of the various powers.

While I wouldn't say it's absolutely unique in the world, generally speaking, it's something that wouldn't happen even once every few hundred years in the past.

Not only did the Golden Core cultivators in the Earth-level private rooms get dazzled, but even the True Monarchs and Zen Masters from various sects felt that their trip had been worthwhile.

It should be noted that although they used to exchange spiritual items with each other in private, it was always on a small scale.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a minor incident.

Where else can we see the unique products of the entire Ocean of Compassion from south to north at the same time, like today?

The proposal to facilitate trade was finalized at the previous peace conference, and it seems that it was indeed the right thing to do.

More importantly, in this process of trade connecting the two sides by exchanging specialties, almost every party can benefit from it.

At least for now, no one feels they've been taken advantage of.

If things can continue to be maintained in this way, it will surely bring about a completely new change to the Ocean of Compassion.

However, what they are experiencing now is only basic trade connectivity.

Xiao Chen, however, went a step further and conceived the idea of ​​extending this trade to the west as well.

If this technology could be popularized among the sects on the other side of the Storm Sea, it would undoubtedly have a far-reaching impact.

Trade is a mutually beneficial and win-win situation.

Of course, this is not an easy task.

But it doesn't matter. Xiao Chen isn't saying that he has to realize this idea right now, immediately, or immediately.

He simply kept this in mind, intending to push it forward again if a suitable opportunity arose in the future.

"Fellow Daoists, the next three items will be the final items in this auction."

Zen Master Jingchen brought up three large trays at the same time: "If you all still have the capacity, you should seize the opportunity."

"Let's start with the one on the right."

He reached out and lifted the red cloth covering the tray, revealing a large oil paper package: "Oh, so it's Heart Fire Ginseng Tea."

"I may have to say a few more words about this sacred object."

“You may not have heard of this before, because it is not a spiritual object of our Ocean of Compassion.”

“It originated from the Western Regions, passed through the Three Mountains Grotto Heaven as a transit point, and was later brought to the Eastern Regions by an ascetic monk. After many twists and turns, it finally ended up in the hands of the previous abbot of this temple.”

"It is said that there were originally six packs, but four packs were consumed in the middle due to various reasons."

"In the end, we only got two packets. We used one more packet to test its effects, and now we only have this last packet left."

What Zen Master Jingchen meant by these words was that this thing is extremely rare.

Don't miss it if you pass by.

"Ahem, according to the results of previous tests, cultivators can effectively improve their efficiency in comprehending cultivation techniques within twelve hours after drinking the Heartfire Ginseng Tea."

Having explained its origins, Zen Master Jingchen finally began to describe its specific effects: "This tea can have repeated effects."

"The first use is the most effective, and the effect is considered good within three times. After five times, the effect is less than half, and after ten times, it is better than nothing."

"This large package can be divided into ten portions, with a starting bid of 500,000 spirit stones."

Ah!
This is even more useful than the Thousand-Layer Rock Marrow!
Xiao Chen used the similarly effective Jade Lotus Seed last time to advance both the Azure Wave Penetrating Needle and the Four Symbols Mountain Suppressing Cover to the minor completion stage in less than a month.

It can be said that I have fully appreciated the benefits of this product.

Unfortunately, all similar spiritual objects share the same problem.

That is, the effect will be reduced by a little each time it is taken.

If you take the same thing repeatedly, its effect will decrease until it is almost the same as not taking it at all.

At that time, Xiao Chen thought that if he had the chance in the future, he would definitely get back a few more items with similar effects.

Even before attending this auction, he had wondered if he might encounter such items.

I can't believe it actually exists!

There's no need to hesitate any longer; just make an offer and buy it: "I'll offer one million!"

Normally, that should be the end of it.

However, the man in black robes in Box B12 was not going to back down this time: "Fellow Daoist Zhang, I'll offer 1.5 million spirit stones. Just give me your offer."

After closing the door and activating the formation, you will need to use a private room token to participate in the bidding.

Zhang Shouquan held the token in his hand, but hesitated: "We've already offered a million, should we just let it go?"

“If you need any, we can go to Pudu Temple to buy jade lotus seeds.”

"You can buy one for just 120,000 spirit stones, and its effects are not much worse than the Heartfire Ginseng Tea."

If possible, he wouldn't want to compete with Xiao Chen.

However, the man in black shook his head: "How can these be compared?"

"The jade lotus seeds are at Pudu Temple. There will be plenty of opportunities to buy them or obtain them indirectly from others in the future."

"But you just heard it too, there's only one packet of Heartfire Ginseng Tea in the entire Compassionate Sea."

"If we give it up today, it will be very difficult to buy it back in the future, even if we pay several times the price."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shouquan fell silent.

"One million spirit stones for the first time."

Zen Master Jingchen continued to bid according to procedure.

However, considering that this was his own property, he added two more sentences: "Are there any fellow Daoists willing to offer a higher price?"

"This is a rare tea from the Western Regions, and it has a unique exotic flavor."

The man in black robes urged again, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, what exactly are you afraid of?"

"No matter how much the price is, you don't have to spend any spirit stones."

"Give us a quote quickly, don't delay the deadline."

Zhang Shouquan thought about it and realized that it made sense.

Since he didn't have to pay, he didn't bother to persuade him anymore. Instead, he simply held up the token and shouted, "One million five hundred thousand!"

Hmm, there are still people bidding?
Upon hearing this, Xiao Chen immediately spoke up before Zen Master Jingchen could even call out a price: "Two million!"

"Okay, I knew it."

Zhang Shouquan sighed inwardly, said nothing, and turned to look at the black-robed cultivator.

He asked with his eyes, "You heard it too, are you going to follow or not?"

The black-robed cultivator was slightly taken aback, clearly somewhat unaccustomed to the situation.

However, for him, such spiritual objects that aid in enlightenment cannot be valued using conventional methods.

So even after hearing the high price of two million, he still had no intention of backing down.

So he replied in a low voice, "Add another 500,000, no, another 600,000. I don't believe he can keep adding more."

He had already calculated in his mind that even if the price reached 2.6 million, it would only be a 10% premium for him, which was completely within his acceptable range.

However, for ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators, this price is already far more expensive than the Azure Jade Lotus Seed.

Under normal circumstances, if the other party continues to raise the price, they will be losing money.

If the other party were more rational, they should have given up the fight. However, the black-robed cultivator was completely unaware that Xiao Chen also possessed Hextech enhancements.

Based on my previous experience with the Jade Lotus Seed, when using such a spiritual item that aids in cultivation, the improvement gained within a limited time far exceeds that of ordinary people.

While it's not accurate to say that consuming one serving of a spiritual item is equivalent to consuming one hundred, it is still equivalent to consuming several dozen.

Therefore, even if he spent ten million spirit stones on this item, it wouldn't be a loss for him at all.

If you don't spend that much, it's all pure profit.

Therefore, under such circumstances, if Xiao Chen doesn't follow the bidding, it's equivalent to giving up on finding a bargain, which would truly be a waste of money.

He certainly didn't want to lose money, so he immediately offered: "Three million!"

The two prices, one before and one after, differed by almost nothing.

In other words, to outsiders, Xiao Chen's offer appeared to be made almost without thinking.

It was as if he spent three hundred spirit stones instead of three million spirit stones, as casually as if he were spending three hundred spirit stones.

"uh-huh?"

Zhang Shouquan snorted lightly and continued to ask with his eyes, "Want to continue?"

The man in black robes fell silent this time; in all his years, he had never seen anything like it.

He really couldn't understand why the other party would be willing to spend three million spirit stones to buy such a pack of fourth-grade spirit tea.

In his view, this was a losing proposition no matter how you looked at it.

At least if you throw a spirit stone into the water, you can make a sound. What's this?

"Fine, I'll just give it to him."

The man in black robes looked up at VIP room number 8, his gaze piercing through the open door as he memorized Xiao Chen's figure.

This trip was definitely worthwhile; it certainly broadened his horizons.

Since they withdrew from the bidding, Xiao Chen naturally won the Heartfire Ginseng Tea.

Based on the actual effect of ten million spirit stones, it is equivalent to him saving himself seven million spirit stones.

Of course, these are secondary; the more important thing is the improvement that will follow.

Xiao Chen has now mastered the Azure Wave Bone-Penetrating Needle technique and is just one step away from achieving mastery.

Now, they have successfully obtained the Heartfire Ginseng Tea.

If all goes well, after drinking ten cups of spiritual tea back home, I should be able to cultivate to the Great Perfection in one go.

At that time, in terms of magical attacks, it will be comparable to or even crush ordinary Nascent Soul Great Perfection cultivators.

"However, one serving of spiritual tea still doesn't feel enough."

Xiao Chen was naturally not so easily satisfied: "At the very least, there are defensive spells and escape techniques, which are also very necessary to master."

"So if I have the chance in the future, I should collect more of these kinds of spiritual items."

As the saying goes, the more the merrier.

"Let's look at the middle item next."

Zen Master Jingchen raised his hand and lifted the red cloth covering the central tray, revealing a large pile of array plates and array flags underneath.

He paused for a moment, then said, "Oh dear, this item should be the most expensive item in this auction, and it should have been saved for last."

"But since it's all out in the open, let's leave it at that."

"As fellow Daoists have probably already noticed, these are the array plates and array flags required for a complete fourth-order mountain-protecting array."

"The full name is the Five Elements Linked Spirit Locking and Shadow Reflection Array, and a relatively detailed array diagram is also provided for reference."

"This item is special, therefore no starting price has been set. Please estimate the value yourself."

Since it was his own property, Xiao Chen naturally did not participate in the bidding.

Instead, they quietly watched as the price rose to 80,000 mid-grade spirit stones plus 6 million low-grade spirit stones.

Because the protective mountain formation is extremely valuable, it involves a huge sum of money, amounting to tens of millions of spirit stones.

In addition, since a lot of spirit stones had already been spent at the auction, everyone now had very few low-grade spirit stones left.

Therefore, Zen Master Fenghua, who was searching for a protective array to rebuild the mountain gate, simply used mid-grade spirit stones to bid.

Although mid-grade spirit stones are considered strategic reserves and should not be used lightly.

However, the mountain-protecting formation is also a strategic and critical resource, and almost indispensable.

Therefore, Zen Master Fenghua made a decisive decision to take down this great formation at all costs, thereby greatly accelerating the reconstruction of Kasyapa Temple.

Unsurprisingly, this price became the highest transaction price of this auction.

It was also the only item to exceed ten million spirit stones in total price.

After the auction concludes, the identities and names of the buyer and seller, as well as detailed information about the auctioned items, will be engraved on a stone tablet as a memento.

The highest-priced items and those that fetch over ten million at subsequent auctions will also be recorded in the same way and collected in a specially established treasure garden for public viewing.

"Next up is the last item for auction."

Zen Master Jingchen unveiled the last piece of red cloth, revealing a specially made shelf underneath, in which a jade talisman was placed.

He picked it up along with the stand, then gently turned it to show the details of the talisman: "This is the Earthly Tranquility Talisman."

"Everyone should recognize the treasures of Huiming Temple."

"The starting price is 200,000 spirit stones, and each bid should be at least 10,000 spirit stones higher."

The Earthly Branches of the Yuan Talisman are indeed renowned, and Xiao Chen has seen related introductions in many ancient books.

It is a defensive talisman; when attached to any magical artifact, it can significantly enhance its defensive capabilities within one hour.

It is best suited for earth-type spirit shields, and can usually increase the effect by about 50%.

When needed, it can also be applied to flying swords or even the cultivator himself, and can at least provide a 10% boost.

Don't think it's a little little.

In a battle where both sides are evenly matched, this slight difference in skill level could determine the final outcome.

Should I bid on this?

Seeing that it was the last item, Xiao Chen thought for a moment and decided to make an offer: "Three hundred thousand spirit stones."

Although he felt he might not be able to use it.

Moreover, talismans are disposable items, and most fourth-tier talismans have a shelf life of less than five years before they become invalid.

But it's very cheap!
It's definitely worth having something like this that can boost combat power.

The main idea is to be prepared, to spend money to buy peace of mind.

This time, naturally no one came out to bid against Xiao Chen, including the black-robed cultivator who had already behaved himself.

So Xiao Chen acquired the Terrain Replenishment Talisman for 300,000 spirit stones.

"Thank you all for your support..."

Master Jingchen concluded his remarks on the auction stage.

Immediately afterwards, Xiao Chen followed the others out of the private room and exchanged a few pleasantries.

As everyone chatted and laughed, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that the door to VIP room number 12 had silently slid open.

Zhang Shouquan and the black-robed cultivator strode out quickly, heading straight downstairs to the back of the hall to settle their spirit stones.

A moment later, the two took all the spiritual items they had bid on and left side by side.

Soon, a disciple ran upstairs and respectfully reported, "Reporting to the True Lord, it was that black-robed guest who paid the spirit stones just now."

"All the spiritual items related to the array were stored in Zhang Zhenjun's storage ring."

"The rest of the spiritual items were taken away by that black-robed guest."

This was essentially a leak of guest information, but everyone present was already used to it.

After exchanging pleasantries for a few more moments, everyone took their leave in turn.

Xiao Chen did not linger and returned directly to Ji'e Island.

The cultivation I had been doing recently had already consumed a lot of spirit stones.

However, although he spent 5.3 million spirit stones on this trip, he earned back 80,000 mid-grade spirit stones plus 6 million low-grade spirit stones.

With one addition and one subtraction, the number of low-grade spirit stones alone increased by 700,000.

Therefore, he could continue using the "Spirit Devouring Technique" without any pressure to consume spirit stones and accelerate the condensation of true essence.

More than ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

After consuming a massive amount of spirit stones, Xiao Chen finally accumulated 3,333 strands of true essence, reaching the peak of the early Nascent Soul stage.

As the saying goes, "Go all out in one go."

He rested briefly that day and then directly attempted to break through to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

And then it failed in a muddled way.

"Ok?"

Xiao Chen tried his best to suppress the rampaging true energy within his body caused by the failed breakthrough, and also calmed his blood and qi.

Then, scratching his head in confusion, he asked, "I clearly followed the instructions in the cultivation manual to break through, so why did I fail?"

Sometimes the hardest problem in the world is not about making a mistake.

The problem is that you don't know exactly where you went wrong.

Xiao Chen believed that his process was entirely correct, but he still failed in the end.

"Hiss~, this is really a ghost!"

Xiao Chen gasped and spent a day readjusting his state of mind.

Only then did they begin to look for the reasons for the failed breakthrough.

"Although I don't know much about Nascent Soul cultivators, there are many great witches in the Witch Clan who are stuck at the early stage of the fourth rank."

Su Li, resting her chin on her hand, sat beside him, trying to come up with a solution: "Generally speaking, there are only two reasons why someone might get stuck at a minor bottleneck."

"The first problem is insufficient concentration of Qi and blood, which translates to insufficient quality of true essence."

"The second problem is that they are not devout enough to the tribe, which is actually due to a lack of understanding of the Great Dao."

Xiao Chen thought for a moment and concluded that he was sure there was no problem with the quality of his true essence, after all, he had the Yang Five Elements Seal.

The problem must lie in insufficient understanding of the Great Dao.

Tsk tsk tsk, this is a big problem.

The lack of understanding of the 'Tao' is arguably the greatest challenge throughout history.

However, it's not like there's absolutely no way to deal with it.

Xiao Chen flipped through the Vast Ocean Ring and found the wood-type Dao-nurturing crystals and Dao-nurturing crystals he had accumulated before.

What should you do if you encounter difficulties?
Of course, it's a spirit item!
Could it really be that one can achieve enlightenment on their own?
He tried absorbing a Dao-nurturing crystal and then attempted to break through his bottleneck again.

failure.

Then have another one.

failure.

This cycle continued until ten days later, when Xiao Chen attempted to break through for the fifth time.

This time, I finally didn't get stuck and completed it in one go.

He has broken through to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm!

(End of this chapter)