I rely on learning to achieve immortality.

One month later, the auction officially began.

The cultivators from all walks of life, who had been preparing for some time, were finally able to join the gathering and observe.

When we arrived at the auction venue, it was already packed with people.

The auction was only open to cultivators at the late stage of Qi Refining or above, but there were quite a few people in the market who met the requirements. Late stage Qi Refining cultivators, who are rarely seen on ordinary days, were everywhere, and the market was packed with people.

A large number of cultivators entered the venue one after another under the guidance of the Chamber of Commerce cultivators, including some Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Compared to the temporary stalls set up outside, this place was noticeably more formal and secure.

As Xu Zhou approached, he immediately noticed that the auction building was surrounded by an array.

Although it was a formation temporarily constructed using array plates, it was still a profound formation that he could hardly comprehend.

Merchants' guild cultivators patrolled the area, and occasionally a few faint divine senses swept across the crowd, their origins unknown.

Upon realizing this, Xu Zhou immediately withdrew his divine sense and ceased probing.

On the surface, it appears that only Elder Lu is escorting the goods for this auction, but the Chamber of Commerce has probably also deployed some Foundation Establishment cultivators to guard the area.

If anyone is foolish enough to cause trouble here, even a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator will suffer a hidden loss.

Xu Zhou took a few steps inside, and immediately a waiter rushed to greet him.

"Is our guest Senior Xu?"

The waiter was exceptionally respectful, and after confirming Xu Zhou's identity, he personally led him upstairs.

Along the way, many cultivators who saw this looked on with envy.

After all, those who can be led to the upper-level private room alone are at least Foundation Establishment cultivators.

A moment later, Xu Zhou arrived at a quiet private room.

The private room was concealed by an array, making it impossible for outsiders to see what was inside. Even the sounds were specially processed, clearly to prevent others from identifying the person.

Xu Zhou was quite satisfied with this.

Shortly after, the auction began.

The items auctioned initially were mostly common items.

However, the Qianmai Chamber of Commerce's actions were anything but ordinary.

The items displayed on the stage included powerful high-grade magical artifacts, exquisite talismans for attacking enemies and protecting oneself, and even quite precious foundation-building cultivation techniques—truly a wide variety.

Whenever something appears, a commotion always erupts in the Qi Refining cultivator area below. Even some Foundation Establishment private rooms occasionally see the sounds of bidding.

Xu Zhou remained calm throughout.

If he were an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, he might also be interested in these things.

But as an alchemist from the Golden Flame Sect, if he really wanted something, the sect would have similar items, which wouldn't be much worse than those auctioned by the merchant guild.

After several rounds of bidding, one item finally caught his attention.

A century-old red-veined Ganoderma lucidum from the Yan Kingdom was presented on stage.

Xu Zhou's eyes flickered as he remembered that this was a rare second-tier medicinal herb. The dual fire and earth elemental properties it contained could help him deduce a major problem in the "Miscellaneous Elixir Manual".

"Two thousand spirit stones."

When he made his first bid, Xu Zhou's voice sounded low and muffled after being processed by the array.

The room was quiet for a moment.

Then, someone else raised the price.

"Two thousand two hundred spirit stones."

Xu Zhou hesitated for a moment, then spoke again: "Two thousand three hundred."

After several rounds of bidding, there weren't many people competing with him anymore.

In the end, Xu Zhou successfully bid for the Ganoderma lucidum at a price of 2,450 spirit stones.

After that, several more spiritual herbs appeared, and even some second-order array materials that interested him.

Xu Zhou would try to bid on anything that interested him.

However, he was very restrained.

If the price exceeds my expectations, I give up immediately and never try to force it.

Although he maintained a restrained demeanor, Xu Zhou's wealth still surpassed that of many of the cultivators present. His private room immediately attracted considerable attention.

Inside a private room in the venue, a charming female cultivator was gritting her teeth.

"Where did this No. 7 VIP room come from? How can a few pieces of Cold Marrow Stone be worth three thousand?"

"Damn it, I was planning to buy it as a gift for that kid from the third wife's family, but this guy ruined everything!"

Behind her, a young cultivator smiled wryly and advised, "Little aunt, don't be impulsive. It's just a mere Cold Marrow Stone. I doubt even Brother Anming would be interested in it."

Since they're willing to offer three thousand, let's just let them have it.

The female cultivator took a deep breath, her chest heaving, and finally snorted coldly: "Fine. The most important thing this time is that second-tier array inheritance; we won't fight for the unimportant things."

"If we can acquire that array-building inheritance, not only will Anming be able to return to the clan for a visit, but we might also be able to cultivate one or two more array-building talents within the clan."

The young cultivator nodded: "In that case, shall we give up on this one as well?"

"give up."

The female cultivator said coldly, her gaze falling on the private room opposite.

The items the other party purchased were either spiritual herbs or materials for array formations. Could it be... that newly established Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Golden Flame Sect?

After thinking about it, she wasn't sure either.

After all, the auction attracted too many people, including several wandering cultivators whose identities were unknown.

If she throws a tantrum here, making enemies of the Hu family would be a minor matter; if she offends the Qianmai Chamber of Commerce, the consequences would be truly troublesome.

"As long as we can secure the inheritance of the array formation, we can put aside everything else for now."

...

The last item Xu Zhou purchased was a second-tier medical technique.

The Taiyi Needle Classic, originating from overseas medical practitioners, not only records numerous acupuncture techniques but also many unorthodox healing methods and records of the medicinal properties of some rare spiritual plants.

Not only will it allow Xu Zhou to advance his medical skills to the second level, but the medicinal properties of the spiritual plants recorded within will also help him advance his study of the "Miscellaneous Elixir Manual".

For Xu Zhou, this inheritance is the one he truly must obtain.

Therefore, when he obtained it for less than 20,000 spirit stones, he felt it was too easy.

But soon, Xu Zhou understood.

Although the inheritance is valuable, the second level of medical skills is even less popular than the Qi Refining stage.

Foundation Establishment cultivators have a far superior physique compared to Qi Refining cultivators, and can recover from ordinary injuries on their own. However, if an injury is truly life-threatening, they likely won't survive long enough to be taken to the hospital.

As for the qi deviation during practice, how can such a thing be easily discussed with outsiders?

The families that could compete with Xu Zhou were mostly focused on the final second-tier array formation inheritance. This unorthodox medical manual was thus given to him.

"I guess you could say I got a small bargain."

Xu Zhou secretly breathed a sigh of relief; the auction had not been too expensive.

Having obtained this medical classic, he felt his trip had not been in vain.

At this moment, he completely relaxed, leaned back in the private room, picked up a cup of spiritual tea, and quietly looked down.

And then, the real show begins.

Xu Zhou, who was already planning to leave, was in a particularly relaxed state of mind at this moment, just waiting to enjoy the big battle that was about to begin.

Half an hour later.

The final item up for auction is a top-grade spiritual artifact called the "Thousand Mountains Demon-Subduing Bell." Once activated, it can directly suppress lower-grade spiritual artifacts, making it a fine treasure that combines offense and defense.

After a fierce bidding war, the treasure was finally sold to a private room upstairs for 67,000 spirit stones.

As the auction items were moved offstage, an eerie silence suddenly fell over the venue.

Everyone knew that the most important item was about to be auctioned.

"Next, we will have the highlight of this auction."

A pitch-black wooden box was carried up by several monks from the merchant guild.

The surface of the wooden box is covered with sealing runes, isolating all divine senses that wish to investigate.

Elder Lu on the stage smiled and said, "Fellow Daoists, many of you have probably already heard about this next item."

Not bad.

This item is a second-tier array technique inheritance.

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the audience immediately became restless.

Many people already knew the news, but upon hearing the confirmation, their breathing still quickened.

Even though many people can't actually afford to buy it, having such a second-tier inheritance item right before their eyes means they'll be considered worldly-wise when they talk about it with others in the future.

Elder Lu remained expressionless and continued, "This inheritance comes from the territory of the Zhu Kingdom."

The content is complete and can be used to deduce the array techniques all the way to the peak of the second tier.

Furthermore, after the purchase, the ownership of the inheritance will belong entirely to the successful bidder. Whether the practitioner studies the material themselves or trains future disciples, the Chamber of Commerce will not interfere.

As he said this, the eyes of many family cultivators in the room lit up completely.

For independent practitioners, the inheritance itself is more important.

But for a family, what is truly precious is that it can be passed down through generations.

As long as they possess a complete lineage of array formations, these families are confident that they can gradually cultivate their own array master system within the next few generations.

This kind of foundation far surpasses ordinary magical artifacts and elixirs.

However, Elder Lu suddenly changed the subject.

"certainly.

As you may have noticed, this item is labeled with the words "Contains potential hazards."

The room immediately fell silent again.

Elder Lu still had a smile on his face, but his tone was much more cautious:

"Due to certain reasons, the Chamber of Commerce cannot disclose the specific name of this inheritance at the moment. Furthermore, the Chamber of Commerce cannot provide detailed information regarding some of the potential risks involved."

Those who intend to bid should make their own judgment.

He paused for a moment, then slowly uttered the last sentence.

"Furthermore, this item is non-refundable and non-exchangeable once sold."

After he finished speaking, he stepped back slightly and offered no further explanation.

Although he had given a stern warning, most of the cultivators in the hall did not pay any attention.

Regardless, this is still a second-tier array technique inheritance!

That's enough.