Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Improving Spiritual Root Aptitude

Gao Yuanzhi's smile widened, and he raised his hand to signal:

"Congratulations to all fellow Daoists for achieving your wishes. Next, we will begin the auction for the second item."

"A top-grade Tier 1 magic weapon, the Black Steel Blade!"

A female cultivator stepped forward, holding a long, dark black sword in both hands. The blade gleamed with a cold, sharp light, and faint fluctuations of spiritual energy emanated from it.

A first-grade high-quality magic weapon is an excellent boost to combat power for cultivators in the mid-to-late stages of Qi Refining. The audience immediately erupted in excitement, with cultivators in the mid-to-late stages of Qi Refining raising their hands to bid.

Wu Fan remained unmoved and did not participate in the bidding.

He already had several high-grade first-tier magic artifacts in his storage pouch at his waist. Moreover, he possessed a top-grade magic artifact like the Dangkang Banner, and now that he was about to establish his foundation, first-tier magic artifacts were no longer of any use to him.

He had a clear goal in mind when he came to the auction, and he would not waste spirit stones on irrelevant items.

Next, one item after another appeared on the auction stage, including spiritual herbs, ores, and low-level cultivation techniques, which frequently sparked a bidding frenzy.

Wu Fan mostly kept his eyes closed to rest, only bidding when a spiritual herb containing a rich element of wood appeared on the market, and acquiring it at a reasonable price.

Two hours passed in the blink of an eye. When the thirty-eighth item was brought to the stage by the female cultivator, Wu Fan, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them. A glint of light flashed in his eyes as he fixed his gaze on the two jade bottles on the auction stage.

Gao Yuanzhi picked up the jade bottle, his voice suddenly rising several decibels, his tone tinged with excitement:

"The thirty-eighth item in this auction is Foundation Establishment Elixir, in two bottles! Each bottle contains enough liquid to assist in one Foundation Establishment attempt. As all fellow cultivators know, Foundation Establishment Elixir is one of the best spiritual substances for assisting Foundation Establishment, second only to Foundation Establishment Pills. It is extremely difficult to collect, and although not as precious as Foundation Establishment Pills, it is still very rare. Fellow cultivators who wish to break through to the Foundation Establishment realm should not miss this opportunity!"

"Foundation Building Elixir?!"

The venue erupted in chaos, with many cultivators standing up abruptly, their eyes gleaming.

Those cultivators who had reached the eighth or ninth level of Qi Refining, were still young, and were eager to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm were especially excited, and their breathing became rapid.

Although the Foundation Establishment Elixir only increases the success rate of Foundation Establishment by a little over 10% compared to the Foundation Establishment Pill, it is still a rare and valuable item for independent cultivators like them.

"Foundation Building Elixir, starting bid 4,000 low-grade spirit stones, minimum increment 100 low-grade spirit stones!"

Gao Yuanzhi, his face flushed, loudly announced the start of the bidding.

"Four thousand two hundred yuan!"

A middle-aged cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refining stood up impatiently, his voice full of urgency, as if he was afraid that if he was a step too slow, someone else would snatch it away.

"Four thousand three hundred dollars!"

"Four thousand five hundred yuan!"

"Four thousand eight hundred yuan!"

Bidding prices rose and fell, and in just a few breaths, the price of a single bottle of Foundation Establishment Elixir had soared to five thousand low-grade spirit stones.

Wu Fan sat calmly in the cubicle, his fingers tapping lightly as he waited quietly for the best opportunity to strike.

"Five thousand two hundred yuan!"

"Five thousand five hundred yuan!"

Just then, a clear, young voice suddenly came from the private room upstairs.

Immediately following, another voice rang out, raising the price by a thousand:

"Six thousand five hundred yuan!"

It was none other than Wu Fan.

This bid instantly silenced the previously fierce bidding war.

The group of people who had been arguing heatedly just moments before were suddenly stunned, all looking towards the cubicle where Wu Fan was, their faces filled with disbelief.

Adding a full thousand low-grade spirit stones to the price at once, the price of this Foundation Establishment Elixir is nothing short of astronomical in the eyes of others!

Fortunately, Wu Fan had already covered his face; otherwise, being the center of attention would have been quite "awkward."

The few people who had been bidding earlier either sat back down dejectedly or muttered "crazy" under their breath; ultimately, no one wanted to be the sucker.

Gao Yuanzhi's face lit up with joy, and he shouted loudly:

"Six thousand five hundred for the first time! Six thousand five hundred for the second time! Six thousand five hundred for the third time! Sold! Congratulations, fellow Daoist!"

As the hammer fell, Wu Fan finally felt relieved, his expression remaining calm.

That makes sense, as the market price of Foundation Establishment Elixir fluctuates between four and five thousand low-grade spirit stones.

Although rare, they are not unattainable; it just requires time to find them.

The reason he raised the price by a thousand at once was to intimidate everyone and avoid endless bidding.

Of course, if time were not of the essence, Wu Fan would never have wasted spirit stones like this.

Immediately afterwards, the second bottle of Foundation Building Elixir went up for auction and was eventually sold for six thousand low-grade spirit stones.

For a moment, many eyes turned to Wu Fan again.

Although he felt a pang of heartache, he maintained a calm and composed demeanor.

Although it seemed like he was losing 500 spirit stones compared to the second bottle, for Wu Fan, getting his hands on it first was the most important thing.

If something unexpected happens with the second bottle, the consequences could be unpredictable.

It's not worth the risk for a mere five hundred spirit stones.

Moreover, he didn't really care about those five hundred spirit stones. He didn't care, he didn't care, he didn't care...

A moment later, a pretty maidservant carrying a jade bottle entered Wu Fan's cubicle and bowed respectfully.

"Fellow Daoist, here is the Foundation Establishment Elixir you purchased."

Wu Fan took the jade bottle, immediately counted out 6,500 low-grade spirit stones and handed them to the maid, then carefully put the jade bottle into his storage bag.

Next, two more items were auctioned off, by which time it was already late at night.

Although cultivators have far more energy than ordinary people, and a day's journey is not considered tiring for them, such a long process lasting all day inevitably made everyone present feel weary.

Moreover, each of the remaining ten items in the auction is a potential grand finale, so Tianhua Treasure Pavilion naturally wants to keep everyone in suspense and deliberately whet their appetites.

Gao Yuanzhi raised his hand in a gesture of greeting, his voice softening slightly:

"Fellow Daoists, you have worked hard. Today's auction will take a break for two incense sticks' time to adjust your breathing and rest. After two incense sticks' time, we will continue with the final auction items."

As soon as the words were spoken, the cultivators breathed a sigh of relief. Some closed their eyes to regulate their breathing, while others whispered to those around them about the possible grand finale treasure. The pavilion returned to its previous hustle and bustle, but the previous urgency was gone.

Wu Fan remained seated in his cubicle, silently planning the details of the alchemy competition in the outer alchemy room.

The time it takes for two incense sticks to burn quickly passed, and Gao Yuanzhi reappeared in the center of the pillar of light, his expression more solemn than before, and his voice carrying a hint of anticipation:

"Fellow Daoists, now that we have rested, the auction will continue."

He paused deliberately before continuing:

"The next item is specially prepared for fellow cultivators who raise spirit beasts: a bottle of Azure Pattern Beast Blood Pills."

After she finished speaking, a female cultivator immediately stepped onto the stage carrying a jade bottle. Gao Yuanzhi immediately reached out and took it, gently opening the stopper.

In an instant, a wisp of refreshing air slowly spread out.

It wasn't the strong medicinal fragrance of ordinary pills, but rather a faint scent of beast blood, intertwined with the elegant fragrance of spiritual plants. The aroma was so pleasant that it refreshed the mind and spirit, quite unlike the fragrance of ordinary pills.