Chapter 17: Borrowing Spirit Stones

The bidding intensified, and the price quickly soared past five hundred spirit stones. Seeing this, Lu An shook his head and stepped out of the competition.

At his current stage of Qi Refining, he was still far from Foundation Establishment. While he had considered acquiring the technique as a backup, the escalating price wasn't worth it.

'Cultivation methods for the Foundation Establishment stage are really expensive. I'll need to save more spirit stones in the future,' he thought silently.

The Ying couple had no interest in the technique, waiting for the Foundation Establishment Pills instead.

Noticing Lu An had stopped bidding, Li Ziyou turned and asked, "Brother Lu, if you're short on spirit stones, I can lend you some. Feel free to bid."

Lu An shook his head. "Thank you, Brother Li, but this technique isn't essential for me. Let's see what else the auction has to offer."

Li Ziyou didn't press further and turned his attention back to the stage.

After a flurry of bids, the Azure Sea Tide Technique was sold for six hundred spirit stones to a cloaked man.

Li Ziyou sighed. "A Foundation Establishment technique fetching such a price... Elder Mu truly knows how to handle an auction."

Lu An and Ying Chang exchanged confused glances, not familiar with such high prices. Fang Ling, however, understood and explained, "Normally, a Foundation Establishment technique is worth about four hundred spirit stones. This one sold for six hundred because it was once practiced by the county governor. His achievements make the technique more valuable."

Li Ziyou was impressed by Fang Ling's insight, not expecting such knowledge from someone who appeared to be a loose cultivator. He didn't realize that Fang Ling's background, as a member of the prominent Fang family in Yongning County, gave her a deep understanding of cultivation circles far beyond his own family's reach.

"Elder Fang is right," Lu An said, smiling slightly. "But in the end, whether it was worth the price depends on how much the buyer needs it."

The next item was a bottle of pills to aid in the cultivation of Qi Refining practitioners.

Lu An wasn't interested. With his dual-focus ability, he could cultivate much faster than most. While pills might speed up his progress, they could also destabilize his foundation. Low-quality pills could even lead to resistance, making future breakthroughs harder.

Most of the crowd shared this view, and only a few elderly cultivators participated in the bidding, desperate to force a breakthrough before their time ran out.

…

Lu An bid on a few minor items but always withdrew when the price rose too high. He didn't mind not winning anything. Practicing talismans in his mind while watching the auction was a pleasant way to pass the time.

Before long, the next item stirred excitement among the cultivators.

"Now for something you've all been waiting for," the auctioneer said, "The Foundation Establishment Pills! We have three today, and they will be auctioned individually. The starting bid is one hundred spirit stones, with minimum increments of ten spirit stones. Let the bidding begin."

Immediately, bids started flying.

"One hundred and ten spirit stones!"

"I'll go with one hundred and twenty!"

In the VIP box, the Ying couple remained composed, but their clenched fists revealed their anxiety. The price quickly reached three hundred spirit stones. Last year's auction saw a similar price, but this year, it showed no signs of stopping.

"Brother Ying, should we bid now?" Fang Ling asked.

"There are three pills. If we miss this one, we can try for the others," Ying Chang replied. "But the last one will have fierce competition. We need to secure one of the first two."

With determination, Ying Chang raised his voice. "Three hundred and twenty spirit stones!"

His bid caught the attention of the room, and for a brief moment, the crowd fell silent.

Then, another voice rang out from a different VIP box. "Three hundred and fifty spirit stones."

Li Ziyou frowned. "That's the Ding family. They've always been at odds with my Li family. I'm afraid I may have drawn you into this."

Ying Chang and Fang Ling exchanged puzzled glances. The Ding family? They weren't from Gushan County.

"They're from Qingfeng County," Li Ziyou explained. "They probably came here specifically for this auction."

"Brother Ying, bid freely. If you run short on spirit stones, I'll cover the difference," Li Ziyou offered.

Ying Chang waved him off. "No need. If the Ding family is an enemy of yours, we'll deal with them ourselves."

With renewed resolve, he called out, "Three hundred and sixty spirit stones!"

"Three hundred and seventy," the other bidder replied, sounding casual and dismissive.

Ying Chang hesitated, then gritted his teeth. "Four hundred!"

A murmur rippled through the crowd. Four hundred spirit stones was well above the typical price for a Foundation Establishment Pill.

From the Ding family's box came laughter. "Since you're willing to pay so much, we'll let you have it."

With no further bids, the auctioneer declared, "Congratulations to the bidder in the VIP box!" Elder Mu congratulated Ying Chang's group, and attendants moved forward to complete the transaction.

Though Ying Chang had won the pill, he didn't seem pleased. He glanced at Lu An and said, "Brother Lu, that pill cost me four hundred spirit stones. I'll need your help for the next one."

Lu An smiled. "Don't worry, Brother Ying. I'll make sure you get the next pill."

The couple, grateful but silent, waited for the next pill to be auctioned.

The bidding for the second Foundation Establishment Pill followed the same pattern, with the Ding family once again inflating the price. Ying Chang, borrowing two hundred spirit stones from Lu An, managed to secure the pill for another four hundred spirit stones.

Though they were frustrated, there was little they could do as small loose cultivators against a family like the Dings. They had no choice but to give in.

Li Ziyou, however, felt his pride wounded. In future auctions, regardless of the item, he vowed to interfere whenever the Ding family bid.

The Ding family, having caused enough trouble, finally refrained from further interference.

At that moment, the auctioneer brought out a new item: a scroll.

"The next item is an extremely rare visualization diagram known as The Withered Tree Meeting Spring," the auctioneer announced.

"As you all know, enhancing spiritual awareness is incredibly difficult. However, this diagram aids in improving spiritual awareness over time, though the process is slow and requires years of dedication."

"The starting bid is one hundred spirit stones. There's no upper limit on bidding. Let the auction begin."

The crowd stirred, but no one made a bid. As Elder Mu had mentioned, the diagram's effects were slow, making it unappealing to most. With short lifespans, Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators preferred methods that provided quicker results.

Lu An shared that sentiment, but the moment he saw the diagram, his spiritual sea trembled violently.