Starting with the creation of the Immortal Clan through the compilation of the family genealogy.

Chapter 65 The Auction Begins!
On the day of the auction, before dawn, Meng Xihong's mind stirred, and he sank into his sea of ​​consciousness. His spiritual sense gently touched the divination panel, and a line of ancient characters slowly appeared.

[Daily Divination, Today's Hexagram: Very Auspicious. A flaw exists in the universe, and the family genealogy is revived. Spiritual stones are scattered, but a corner of the path to heaven is gained in exchange. Excellent fortune; it is advisable to use resources to cultivate relationships, and avoid being timid and hesitant.]

Meng Xihong slowly opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them.

"Great fortune, excellent luck..."

He muttered these words to himself; this was the first time Meng Xihong had given such a high evaluation since he started receiving the daily divination.

"The universe is flawed, and the genealogy is imbued with emotion..." he murmured to himself, a smile unconsciously playing on his lips.

"It seems this trip will be very fruitful."

On that day, the usually peaceful Qingyang County was in complete uproar.

The entire county town seemed like a giant beast that had been dormant for a long time, finally awakening. The air was filled with spiritual energy fluctuations that were barely visible to the naked eye, mixed with the undisguised restlessness and eagerness of the cultivators.

Above the sky, streaks of light of various colors tore through the clouds, like a swarm of locusts crossing a river, precisely landing on the majestic glazed pavilion in the city center—the Hundred Alliance Chamber of Commerce.

Each disappearance of a streak of light signifies the arrival of a cultivator, among whom are powerful figures whose mere presence is enough to send shivers down one's spine.

Clearly, the scale of this auction far exceeded that of any event held in Qingyang County.

Meng Xihong, still disguised as an ordinary middle-aged rogue cultivator, wearing a concealing cloak, mingled in the crowd and stepped into the gate of the Hundred Alliance Chamber of Commerce once again.

After showing the bronze marrow token, the maid named Xiao Cui came to greet him again, but the respect in her expression was several times greater than last time.

"Mr. Yun, this way please."

She led Meng Xihong to a private room on the second floor called "C1".

Meng Xihong glanced around. Although the location wasn't as central as the Class A and Class B units, and was somewhat secluded, the furnishings were still exquisite. The windows were made of glass, the railings of spirit wood, and soundproofing and spyproofing measures were all in place.

Inside the private room, fragrant tea and several plates of spiritual fruits were already prepared.

Through the one-way glass window in front, the vast auction hall below can be seen in its entirety.

Most of the dozens of private rooms on the second floor were illuminated with a protective glow, and the aura emanating from a few of them was as dark and unfathomable as an abyss, making people feel apprehensive.

The hall was packed with thousands of seats, mostly occupied by Qi Refining cultivators, but there were also quite a few Foundation Establishment cultivators. Whispers filled the air, creating an incredibly lively atmosphere.

Meng Xihong thought to himself, "Ordinary Foundation Establishment Pills wouldn't attract such a commotion. Could it be that there's something amazing about the Foundation Establishment Pills being auctioned this time?" Meng Xihong pondered to himself, and concealed his aura even more thoroughly.

"Mr. Yun, please feel free to call me if you need anything," Xiao Cui said softly from outside the door.
"In addition, our Steward Qian specifically instructed that if you do not have enough spirit stones during the auction, he can temporarily transfer 10,000 low-grade spirit stones for you, which you can then offset by selling spirit herbs later."

"Thank you for your trouble." Meng Xihong nodded slightly and watched her leave, but his mind was racing.

"A trust of ten thousand low-grade spirit stones... This Steward Qian is giving a bit too much of a favor. Unsolicited kindness is always suspicious; it seems the quality of the spirit herbs I offered last time has given him some ideas. I need to be more cautious when dealing with him in the future."

Just as I was pondering this, a commotion suddenly broke out at the entrance of the hall.

The three men strode in, the leader being a young man in a magnificent blue robe, holding a jade-shaped folding fan, with an arrogant expression and a cultivation level of perfect Qi Refining.

What truly caught the eye were the two gray-robed elders behind him. Their auras were as solid as mountains, and their eyes flashed with a sharp light as they opened and closed. They were clearly experts in the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

"It's Huang Hao, the young master of the Huang family in Qichuan County, Qingzhou!"

"Which Huang family? The one with a Golden Core Peak Ancestor overseeing the spirit mine industry in Qichuan County?"

"Who else could it be but them! I heard that this young master has already reached the Qi Refining Perfection realm, it seems he's determined to get this Foundation Establishment Pill!"

Amid the murmurs, Huang Hao seemed oblivious, walking straight up to the second floor and entering the best private room, "No. 3, Class A".

At Huang Hao's instruction, an old man behind him paused slightly, his cold gaze sweeping across the hall, silencing all the chatter.

Meng Xihong's eyes narrowed slightly. He thought to himself, "Heh, this little brat is quite the actor." But even so, the Huang family of Qingzhou's dominant position and immense power still surprised him somewhat to be here. Immediately afterward, another group of people entered, drawing attention. This group was uniformly dressed in light blue sect attire, with flowing cloud patterns embroidered on the hem. Their auras were consistent, and their discipline was impeccable.

The leader was a middle-aged cultivator with a cold and unsmiling face. His spiritual power was surging and harmonious, and his aura had reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage. He seemed to be only one step away from condensing the Golden Core!
"It's the Discipline Elder of the Qinglan Sect! Their sect isn't far from our Qingyang County, yet they've come this time!"

Qinglan Sect was a prestigious medium-sized sect in Qingzhou, with several Golden Core cultivators residing within its ranks and its influence covering several prefectures; it was no ordinary sect. They silently entered the "A-Class Five" private room.

Meng Xihong pondered, "Thinking about it this way, now that my Meng family has Senior Yun Songzi in charge, we can be compared to ordinary aristocratic families in county towns. However, the combat strength of the middle level of the family is still weak."

In addition, Meng Xihong's divine sense also keenly detected a solitary old man in black robes.

The person silently blended into the shadows and entered a secluded private room. His aura was cold and obscure, like the cold water of a deep pool, making it difficult to detect his specific cultivation level. However, he exuded a dangerous aura that made people unwilling to provoke him easily.

"Truly, hidden dragons and crouching tigers, with undercurrents surging beneath the surface." Meng Xihong took a deep breath, suppressing all distracting thoughts, and focused all his attention on the upcoming auction.

At this moment, the auction stage shone brightly, and the auctioneer, Yan Ruyu, gracefully appeared, still radiant and charming. Every smile and gesture exuded elegance, instantly captivating the attention of the entire audience.

"Welcome, fellow Daoists, to the Hundred Alliances Chamber of Commerce! I, Yan Ruyu, am honored to preside over this grand event. Without further ado, I hereby declare the auction officially open!"

The initial auction items were mostly exquisite magical artifacts, elixirs, and talismans, and the competition was already extremely fierce. Several high-grade magical artifacts were all snapped up by enthusiastic cultivators at prices far exceeding market value.

Meng Xihong remained calm and composed, never making a move.

"This technique has been verified by several appraisers in our association and is one of the core inheritances of the Li Huo Sect from hundreds of years ago. Its complete grade is at least at the middle level of the Earth Rank! The 'Burning Flame' spiritual power cultivated from it is extremely strong and yang, and domineering beyond compare."

The audience erupted in uproar. A level-one cultivation technique! That was the prized possession of many sects.

However, Yan Ruyu changed the subject, her tone filled with regret: "Unfortunately, this jade slip is severely damaged, with only the first three stages of the method remaining, and the highest level one can cultivate to is the mid-Foundation Establishment stage."

Furthermore, because its spiritual energy is excessively potent, without subsequent cultivation techniques to temper it, it can easily lead to the fire poison attacking the heart and harming the practitioner. Therefore, cultivating this technique carries extremely high risks. The starting bid is 500 low-grade spirit stones, with each bid increment no less than 50.

These words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly calming many cultivators down.

Only reaching the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and even then, one's life is in danger. This is no cultivation technique; it's clearly a death warrant.

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Just then, a sneer that was not concealed came from the No. 3 VIP box.

"Ha, what kind of garbage do you dare to bring out to embarrass yourselves? A useless cultivation technique that can only be cultivated to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and it even comes with a deadly side effect. Does the Hundred Alliance Merchant Guild have no one left to fool people with this kind of thing?"

Huang Hao's arrogant voice clearly echoed throughout the venue, filled with utter contempt.

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall shook their heads repeatedly, completely giving up any hope. Even the young master of the Huang family had said so; this cultivation technique truly seemed worthless.

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Yan Ruyu's face, but she maintained her professional smile.

However, Meng Xihong, who was in Box C, felt a sudden jolt when he heard the words "Earth Rank," "Fire Gate," and "Burning Flame."

A skill that's crippled? He's least afraid of crippled skills!

With the mysterious visualization method inherent in his immortal bones, coupled with the extraordinary comprehension and deductive abilities bestowed by his "literary spirit and integrity," he is fully capable of stripping away the dross of cultivation techniques, refining their essence and mysteries, and even innovating and transforming them into powerful methods most suitable for himself.

What others might see as a useless or even poisonous endeavor, to him, was nothing short of an undiscovered treasure.

As Yan Ruyu was about to be announced as having failed to sell at auction, the entire audience fell into a deathly silence.

A plain and unremarkable voice drifted out from Box C, Room 1.

"five hundred."

(End of this chapter)