Cultivation Starts with Rejuvenation

Since half a year ago, when the Qi Family announced the first auction, the number of people in the Immortal City has been increasing daily.

Until this month, it reached its peak.

Everyone is well aware that this auction aims to establish a reputation and highlight the advantages after taking over. They are bound to make a significant investment.

In terms of safety, they certainly cannot compare to the Immortal City once controlled by the Biyun Sect. Thus, they must highlight advantages in trade, quality, and price of goods to develop the Immortal City more prosperously and earn Spirit Stones after the Biyun Sect calculates the century’s profits for the buyout capital.

Though to stabilize long-term control within the region, the Biyun Sect will surely impose many conditions, such as bans on high-tier materials or certain transactional permissions between forces, there are loopholes to exploit.

Moreover, to establish a reputation with their first auction, they might tacitly allow some slightly out-of-standard products to be listed.

As for future development, since the Biyun Sect no longer directly manages the Immortal City, there’s ample space for covert operations between the commerce associations.

For instance, last time, Yan Kongyi secretly purchased a Second Tier Vajra Puppet, capable of influencing the Desert’s battlefield, and a batch of large-scale damage talismans from the Nine Tripods Commerce Association.

As a result, today’s Golden Splendor Immortal City has almost become a holy land for cultivators throughout Cangyun State.

Powerful forces, like the Five Great Families and other deeply-rooted Foundation Establishment Clans, are most likely in pursuit of that Upper Grade Foundation Establishment Pill.

Forces embroiled in warfare will come for strategic resources.

Even the loose cultivators within the state will come hoping for bargains.

In no time, the Immortal City was crowded with people, cultivators of various kinds streaming in.

All the inns in the city had been fully booked a month ago, surrounded by three circles outside the city.

On this day, Li Ji’an added three more Spirit Stones to the Hospital Protection Array and supplemented it with three more Restriction Talismans, securing seven reserve talismans close to him. Only then did he caution Gugu and Xiaoqiao to remain vigilant and not open the array no matter who comes.

Since the Qi Family took over the Immortal City, Granny You’s neighboring courtyard had been reclaimed and was now rented out to other cultivators.

Xiaoqiao has completely moved in here.

Finally, he put over eight thousand Spirit Stones, his entire fortune, into his Storage Pouch, and changed into a grey-white long robe, the most common in the Immortal City. Li Ji’an then headed towards the central open-air auction venue of the Immortal City.

Amidst the bustling crowd, Li Ji’an blended in, using the Qi and Blood Condensing Technique to slowly modify his muscles and bones, changing with each step, decreasing his height by three inches after ten steps.

Then, using the same method, he employed the Disguise Technique and morphed into an extremely ordinary, unnoticeable yellow-faced middle-aged cultivator after a hundred steps.

After the Biyun Sect withdrew, especially with the influx of numerous cultivators over the past two months, many previous rules had changed.

It is unknown whether the commerce associations, to meet customer demands for privacy or due to their inability to control, had canceled the city gate registration, magical power imprints, and rules against being sneaky.

Li Ji’an scanned around with his Divine Sense; about 80% had disguises.

However, these Qi Cultivation Stage cultivators had their Divine Souls far lower than his, easily revealing their true forms at a glance.

”Fellow Daoist, don’t push. I have precious treasures here; if they get damaged, you’ll have to compensate,” shouted a tall and sturdy man almost unable to stand due to the crowds pushing.

Li Ji’an’s eyelid twitched. That was clearly a young female cultivator disguised as a middle-aged man.

But, ordinary disguise techniques are merely blinding techniques; upon actual contact, it’s still the real form.

Li Ji’an could see clearly that the female cultivator was almost being crushed out of shape.

He estimated that the male cultivators nearby had a Divine Soul stronger than the female cultivator and had long seen through her disguise, deliberately.

Proceeding slowly with the crowd, what usually took a quarter of an hour to reach the square took nearly half an hour.

Upon reaching the square, it was exceedingly noisy.

Luckily, the square was expanded, particularly upward, adding numerous Cloud Ascending Ladders.

Besides the auction’s core area, which required an entry fee, temporary flying spectators were allowed on the outskirts.

Li Ji’an presented the entry ticket Shopkeeper Wu had helped him obtain three months prior and stepped into the auction venue.

Inside the auction hall, accommodating over a thousand people, except for a few positions in the front symbolizing identity and status temporarily unoccupied, all other seats were filled.

Li Ji’an’s position was at the edge, not very noticeable.

Upon sitting, he keenly sensed numerous Divine Senses scanning him, with many more Spiritual Senses trying to sense him.

Immediately, he guarded his Sea of Consciousness and employed the Breath Concealment Technique, striving to minimize his presence.

Before long, the organizer appeared punctually and, after a passionate speech, invited a significant figure to take the stage.

At the moment the Core Formation True Man of the Qi Family appeared, releasing the deliberate pressure of a True Man over the entire venue, there was dead silence throughout the auction hall.

Until nearly two hours later, the Qi Family finally finished expressing how glorious the future of the Immortal City would be, swearing to make it a trade exchange connecting Celestial Origin Province and Cangyun State, along with various benefits for the local cultivators.

The auction officially began.

The first item immediately stirred excitement throughout the room.

”This is a top-grade magic robe selected by a renowned weaving master, using the finest hundred-year-old gold silk, mixed with Ice Soul Cold Liquid, complemented by Red Blood Leaves. It possesses the ability to store spiritual qi, purify magical power, resist fire and heat, and purify the heart and focus the spirit, with a starting price of one Spirit Stone.”

”Wow! Truly worthy of the Great Immortal Race of Celestial Origin Province.”

”Bravo, bravo! Such a rare top-grade magic robe, starting at just one Spirit Stone—Qi Family is utterly sincere.”

”Golden Splendor Immortal City is poised to soar!”

…

Due to Cangyun State’s lack of materials for Magic Robes and the near absence of weavers, local Magic Robes are scarce. Moreover, because Biyun Sect imposed heavy taxes on commerce, transporting Magic Robes from tens of thousands of miles away made costs high, resulting in a limited number and style of robes in the Immortal City, with most being Mid-to-Low Grade.

This Upper Grade Magic Robe indeed tempted many.

The most critical part was that the Qi Family really kept their promise, beginning the auction with just one Spirit Stone.

Of course, everyone knew that no matter how low the starting price, the final sale price would not be cheap.

”One hundred Spirit Stones!” As expected, the first person directly raised the price to a psychological level.

”Three hundred Spirit Stones!” However, the first item at an auction generally holds significance, and many wished to claim this initial victory.

”Three hundred fifty Spirit Stones!”

…

”Five hundred fifty!”

In the end, the first Magic Robe was won by one of the Five Great Clans sitting in the front row.

Five hundred fifty Spirit Stones, quite a premium.

The second auction item further heightened the atmosphere.

”These are ten pieces of Middle Grade Youthful Appearance Pills, each pill maintains everlasting youth for thirty years, can be auctioned separately, starting price, one Spirit Stone each.”

The female cultivators present were instantly excited.

Although Youthful Appearance Pill is a Tier One Pill Medicine, because it contains the Power of Time, only a Second Tier Pill Master can craft it. Due to the high demand in Cangyun State, local Second Tier Pill Masters couldn’t keep up with supply, often leaving beauty-loving female cultivators short when their pill’s effect was about to fade.

At this moment, the Qi Family directly presenting ten pills for a one-time auction was truly an impressive move.

Moreover, being Middle Grade, those female cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage having all ten pills would ensure lifelong youth.

”I want all ten, two thousand Spirit Stones!” A female cultivator couldn’t wait for the auctioneer to start before eagerly bidding.

”I want all, two thousand two hundred Spirit Stones.”

”Two thousand three hundred Spirit Stones.”

…

A woman’s love for beauty is instinctive, even more so for female cultivators, quickly pushing the on-site atmosphere to a fever pitch again.

Because of the high quality of the first two auction items, all cultivators present anticipated even more from this auction.

Eventually, the enthusiastic female cultivators drove the ten Youthful Appearance Pills up to a high price of three thousand five hundred Spirit Stones.

This further strengthened Li Ji’an’s resolution to diligently research beauty-related Pill Medicine in the future.

No matter the place, the money for women’s beauty is always the easiest to earn.

The subsequent auction items did not disappoint the cultivators present.

From Late Qi Cultivation Stage Breaking Rank Pills to Lifespan Extension Pills urgently needed by older cultivators.

From Middle Grade Cultivation Techniques to inherited expertise from seasoned Pill Masters.

There were even Second Tier Artifact Refining materials, Second Tier Talisman Materials, Second Tier medicinal resources…

Of course, there were no finished strategic Talismans, Magical Artifacts, Puppets, etc., only some materials.

During which, one auction item raised Li Ji’an’s interest considerably.

A young Spirit Beast suspected to have an Earth Grade bloodline.

Unfortunately, it was ultimately acquired at a high price by the Beast Taming Liu Family.

And the bidder was no stranger to Li Ji’an; it was Liu Jiuqian, who owed him a promise from a few years ago at the Flame Mountain Forbidden Land.

Now, with the chaos in the Immortal City, paired with the rampant demons outside, having encountered him here was a perfect chance to have him fulfill the promise without Li Ji’an having to venture out of the city.

The only reservation he had was that the other party had already successfully achieved Foundation Establishment.

In a situation where the identities and strengths are mismatched, he felt somewhat uncertain.

While contemplating this, another auction item made Li Ji’an sit upright with seriousness immediately.

”This is a Second Tier Upper Grade Pill Furnace crafted by our Qi Family’s ancestor, a master of Artifact Refining, with life’s painstaking effort. Made of Earth Core Molten Copper Marrow as the primary material, supplemented with Six Harmonies Soil, soaked in the body of a flame sculpture for forty-nine days for warmth, forged with Heaven and Earth Spirit Flame…

This furnace greatly enhances control over Spiritual Pressure, adjustment of Pill Fire, and Sensing of Pill conditions.

It was cherished by a seasoned Second Tier Pill Master from Dao Source State, who used it to concoct no less than ten Foundation Establishment Pills…

Starting price, one Spirit Stone, Pill Masters, please!”

”Second Tier Pill Furnace!”