txolops Chapter 16 Foundation Establishment Pill
Chapter 16 Foundation Establishment Pill
Han Xiaoliu looked at Yu Niangzi's evasive expression, as if she wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into, and her bitter face as if the sky had fallen, and was speechless.
He rolled his eyes and asked irritably, "Hey, what's with that expression? Anyone who didn't know better would think I owe you hundreds of thousands of spirit stones and haven't paid them back."
Upon hearing this, Lady Yu's lips twitched, and she looked at Han Xiaoliu with a sorrowful expression, her voice trembling: "Young Master... your enemy is too powerful! He's a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator; his mere stomp of his foot could shake the entire Chaotic Star Sea. I'm just a lowly Qi Refining cultivator. The thought of such a powerful being possibly attacking at any moment... I'm terrified!"
"Afraid? What's there to be afraid of!"
Han Xiaoliu snorted coldly, straightened his small body that looked like that of a child, put his hands behind his back, and showed a profound and unfathomable expression on his face.
He slowly paced back and forth, his tone both world-weary and pretentious: "Even if Mount Tai collapses before me, my expression remains unchanged; even if a deer runs past on my left, my eyes do not blink. Cultivating immortality is inherently defying the heavens. If you don't even have this much courage, you might as well go home and farm. A strong person should have the demeanor of a strong person. So what if my enemies are strong? As long as my Dao heart is firm, what is there to fear? Since I, Han, dare to stand here, I naturally have my own confidence. Let alone a mere mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, even if that old monster from the Deity Transformation realm were to come in person, I might not even bat an eye. Not only am I not afraid, but I will also take the initiative to seek revenge on him in the future, and let him know why the flowers are so red!"
Lady Yu stared blankly at the little kid in front of her, who wasn't even as tall as the table, pretending to look down on everyone, while she muttered to herself.
She really couldn't understand how a little guy who hadn't even recovered from the Foundation Establishment stage could have such a big mouth.
Could it be... because the other party simply couldn't find him? After all, things like possession and rebirth are indeed difficult to detect if no one informs you.
Or is there something even deeper hidden behind the young master?
Han Xiaoliu saw that Yu Niangzi's eyes were darting around, clearly lost in thought, and didn't want to pay any attention to this cowardly woman.
But out of the corner of his eye, he saw Daya staring at him with wide, innocent eyes, her face full of worry, as if she was afraid that her young master would be kidnapped by his enemies at any moment.
With a softening feeling, Han Xiaoliu sighed, dropped his arrogant demeanor, and comforted him in a "I have everything under control" tone: "Alright, don't worry. All I can tell you is this—that old guy isn't in the Chaotic Star Sea! As for where he is or what he's doing, don't ask. I won't tell you even if you do. It's possible that I'll go after him, but he can't possibly go after me."
After saying that, Han Xiaoliu stopped talking and turned his gaze back to the auction stage, leaving Yu Niangzi alone in the wind, bewildered and trying to process the news that "not in the Chaotic Star Sea" was not very useful, but at least it would allow her to get a good night's sleep.
Cao Lu said, "This is a Foundation Establishment Pill. I won't go into the details of its effects. There are 10 pills in a bottle. The starting bid is 1500 spirit stones, and each bid must be at least 50 spirit stones higher. Let's start the bidding for the first bottle of Foundation Establishment Pills."
The appearance of the Foundation Building Pill caught Han Xiaoliu's attention.
Seeing that Han Xiaoliu was interested in the Foundation Establishment Pill, Lady Yu turned slightly to the side and explained in a low voice:
"Young Master, Foundation Establishment Pills aren't exactly rare in the Chaotic Star Sea. Monsters are everywhere here, and hunting them for their inner cores to refine pills is commonplace. So when these pills are cheap, you can buy one for three hundred spirit stones; they're readily available."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over the cultivators below the stage who appeared excited but weren't frantically raising their paddles, and continued, "You see, although the starting price isn't high, very few people are actually buying in bulk. Firstly, large families like the Star Palace have their own alchemists; if they need more, they can just refine them directly. Why come to the auction house and get ripped off? Secondly, while those independent cultivators can't afford the whole bottle, they'll only pool their money to buy the one or two they urgently need. After all, even the worst mixed spiritual root cultivator wouldn't need a whole bottle of ten pills when breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage."
"Therefore, the Foundation Establishment Pills in this auction house are often neither too expensive nor too cheap. However, young master, you are already in the late stage of Qi Refining, which is the time to accumulate the medicinal power. If you bid for it, you can start refining it. As for the rest, you can leave it for Daya to use in the future. After all, it is hard currency and you won't have to worry about where to use it."
As expected, there weren't many cultivators bidding for the Foundation Establishment Pill. Once the price reached 2,900, there was hardly anyone left competing.
"Go ahead and take some photos of your daughter."
Han Xiaoliu spoke calmly.
Upon hearing this, a strange light flashed in Yu Niangzi's beautiful eyes. She then obediently went to the window, raised the number plate, and called out crisply, "Three thousand spirit stones."
Raising the price by 100 each time—this seemingly insignificant yet firm method of increasing the price—instantly dispelled the other party's desire to continue harassing them.
After all, it's not worth fighting with a seemingly wealthy young master for something you can buy anytime.
Finally, Cao Lu struck the gavel, announcing that Han Xiaoliu had won the first bottle of Foundation Building Pill.
Next was the second bottle, and Han Xiaoliu similarly signaled to Yu Niangzi to bid for it with three thousand spirit stones.
This puzzled Yu Niangzi. She frowned slightly and asked in a low voice, "Young Master, although these Foundation Establishment Pills are not precious, two bottles with twenty pills... How many subordinates do you intend to train? This number is a bit too much."
Han Xiaoliu didn't answer, but his eyes flickered slightly, and he casually replied, "You can start taking Foundation Establishment Pills once you reach the tenth level of Qi Refining."
Upon hearing this, Lady Yu's delicate body trembled slightly, and the way she looked at Han Xiaoliu instantly changed.
She knew the difficulty of Foundation Establishment, and she understood even more what this kind of unreserved ambition to build up one's cultivation with elixirs meant.
Her breath was sweet and fragrant, her eyes sparkling, and she exclaimed sincerely, "Young Master, you are so generous, I love it!"
"Fellow Daoists, the next item up for auction is a rare top-tier water-attribute magic artifact—'Mysterious Yin Cold Water Banner'!" Cao Lu's voice suddenly rose, and a maidservant stepped forward with a tray, on which lay a palm-sized black banner.
The banner is neither silk nor hemp, and it feels cold to the touch. It is embroidered with nine menacing black dragons with bared fangs and claws, their eyes adorned with dark blue gemstones that gleam with a chilling light under the lamp.
"This banner was crafted by a rogue cultivator in the Core Formation stage who was proficient in water-based magic. It took him decades of painstaking effort to refine it using deep-sea Xuan Yin Crystal and the tendons of a hundred-year-old Cold Water Dragon. When activated, it can instantly release extremely cold Yin Water, condensing into frost and slowing down the opponent's escape speed and spell casting. Even more powerful is that the nine Xuan Water Yin Dragons within the banner can leave the banner and transform into a tangible attack, or set up the 'Nine Nether Cold Water Grand Array' to trap the enemy in an endless ice prison. It is truly extraordinary!" Cao Lu's introduction made many water-attribute cultivators' eyes gleam.
"This banner was originally crafted by this senior using the method for forging a natal magic weapon, but due to limited materials, its power is insufficient to become the senior's natal magic weapon. However, it is still a top-tier existence among top-tier magic weapons!"
The banner had a starting bid of 3,000 spirit stones. After a relatively mild bidding war, it was finally sold for 5,800 spirit stones to a middle-aged cultivator in a blue robe with a cold aura.
A top-tier magic weapon, its power might be comparable to a magic treasure, yet it only sold for 5,800 spirit stones. If this were in Tiannan, people would probably fight tooth and nail over it.
A Foundation Establishment cultivator in the Southern Heavenly Realm is already quite formidable if they possess one or two talismanic treasures as trump cards, and this only represents two or three levels of the magic weapon's power. This magic artifact can unleash at least five or six levels of power, and if one fights desperately, burning their essence and blood, it could probably reach seven or eight levels of power.
This can definitely be considered a "level-free weapon"! If a Qi Refining cultivator were to use this, it would be invincible among weapons of the same level!
It's a pity I don't have the money, otherwise I could have used it to show off!
After several rounds of bidding, the two century-old medicinal herbs that Han Xiaoliu had consigned were sold to two alchemists for 4,600 spirit stones. After deducting the cost of the Foundation Establishment Pill and the decent commission from the auction, the maid ultimately delivered a little over 1,000 spirit stones.
The auction for the level-five demon beast corpse was fast approaching.
As Cao Lu released the monster corpse from his storage bag, a strong stench of blood and the salty smell of seawater instantly filled the air.
Upon closer inspection, everyone saw a massive monster corpse, over two zhang long, lying across the center of the auction stage.
This monster was a dark lake green, and its body resembled a giant shrimp, but it was far more ferocious and powerful than ordinary shrimp.
It has a huge and exceptionally hard shrimp head, shaped like a cone cast from refined iron, with two long tentacles on its head curving backward and hanging down. Even in death, it still exudes an indomitable spirit.
Its body is humanoid, with all four limbs, but it is covered with a thick, armor-like orange-red shell. The shell is covered with fine patterns and sharp protrusions, and it gleams with a cold metallic sheen in the sunlight.
Behind it, a bow-shaped shrimp tail drags on the ground, its tail segment as sharp as a blade.
What is most eye-catching is its pair of incredibly thick pincers. The pincers are dark gold in color and covered with thick spikes, resembling two ferocious winter melon hammers. A faint blue light shines through from the inside, making it appear extremely destructive.