Secured

The starting price for the Xianyun Dew was not high, at only one hundred and fifty low-grade spirit stones. Surprisingly, not many people seemed interested in bidding on it; the calls were sparse and the price increases exceedingly cautious.

“One hundred and seventy.”

“One hundred and seventy-five.”

...

“One hundred and ninety.”

Shi Yu raised an eyebrow. After the price stalled at one hundred and ninety for a good while with no further bids, she spoke up, raising it by five: “One hundred and ninety-five.”

The bidding ceased there. The woman in the cyan dress struck her auction mallet, sealing the deal.

Won it that easily? The price was considerably lower than what she had been prepared to pay.

Shi Yu could not help asking Master Ji beside her, “Consuming spiritual dew offers immense benefits for comprehending realm breakthroughs. Why were there so few bidders?”

Master Ji replied nonchalantly, “Immense benefits? That's quite an exaggeration. Little Yu, who tricked you with that story?”

Shi Yu blinked, remaining silent and adopting an expectant look, waiting for him to elaborate.

She had not been tricked by anyone; she had simply experienced it firsthand after consuming it previously.

Before she had even drawn Qi into her body, had she not consumed a bottle of the Tier-1 spiritual dew, Qingming Dew, she would never have stepped into the first layer of the Qi Refining Realm so quickly. Back then, after drinking the dew, countless subtle and wondrous visions beyond description had unfolded before her eyes.

“They say spiritual dew aids in realm comprehension, but in truth, its effect is better than nothing at best. For most people, drinking it is no different than quenching their thirst with a bottle of sweet spring water—it serves no other purpose whatsoever,” Master Ji casually explained, leaning lazily back in his chair.

Beside them, Zhou Yang added, “Years ago, I also consumed a bottle of Qingming Dew. Indeed, just as Master Ji said, it only... served to quench my thirst a bit.”

“However,” he quickly supplemented, glancing at Zhou Shuo beside him, “when Ah Shuo drank it, it seemed to have a faint effect.”

Zhou Shuo scratched his head and recalled, “After drinking it, I seemed to see visions of an old donkey, a cowherd, and the like. I gained a few insights, but they were extremely shallow and didn't help much.”

“I see.” Shi Yu nodded gently. Yet she clearly remembered that when she had consumed the Qingming Dew, her entire view of the world had transformed. Countless pavilions and towers, celestial maidens amidst rosy clouds, rare birds, and exotic beasts had appeared before her, full of ethereal and indescribable wonder.

It seemed the effect of spiritual dew varied from person to person. Since the benefits were barely noticeable for most people, they naturally wouldn't waste spirit stones on it.

The auction continued, and Shi Yu kept reading through the catalog.

Just as the woman in cyan had stated earlier, every item in this auction was of superior quality. Each subsequent item presented was quite rare, tempting Shi Yu several times.

However, thinking of the Heavenly Tone Lotus—the item she needed most right now, and one she might not encounter again anytime soon if missed—she held back. Maintaining her composure, she refrained from calling out any more bids, simply watching the spectacle for entertainment.

The Zhou siblings had come strictly for the Blood Cloud Ginseng, so they had not called a single bid from beginning to end either.

Master Ji, flush with wealth, made several moves and secured a few fine items.

Time passed in this manner. Accompanied by the soothing notes of zither music and the fragrance of tea, the auction finally reached the Heavenly Tone Lotus.

Looking through the curtain, a tray covered in red silk holding the Heavenly Tone Lotus was presented on stage. Only after the cyan-robed auctioneer built up suspense with a few teasing remarks did she finally pull back the silk, revealing the true appearance of the lotus resting inside a transparent jade box.

Pure white as snow with hints of delicate cyan filaments, its petals were thick and lustrous, resembling fine white jade carved into perfection—a breathtaking sight.

Shi Yu noticed that the moment the Heavenly Tone Lotus was unveiled, many cultivators in the hall adjusted their posture, sitting up straight and staring intently at the flower with looks of absolute determination.

She took a sip of fragrant tea, her fingertips absentmindedly tracing the rim of the cup as she took a deep breath.

Sweeping her gaze across the room, the cyan-robed auctioneer naturally understood the allure of the Heavenly Tone Lotus. She offered a subtle smile. “The Heavenly Tone Lotus is the main ingredient for concocting Foundation Establishment Pills. Once you win this item and gather the remaining spiritual plants, you need only find an alchemist to refine a Foundation Establishment Pill... I trust I need not elaborate on the benefits.”

From the Qi Refining Realm Great Perfection to Foundation Establishment was a single step, yet it felt like a vast chasm that barred countless cultivators.

Establishing a foundation was no easy feat. If one failed, in the best case, one's realm would drop; in the worst case, one's Dao Foundation would be damaged, ending one's life. Furthermore, once a failure occurred, the bottleneck would inevitably solidify, making future breakthroughs even more difficult.

If one possessed a Foundation Establishment Pill, taking it during the breakthrough would stabilize the yellow sprout and bolster spiritual power, increasing the success rate of Foundation Establishment by at least twenty percent. If the hired alchemist possessed superb skill and managed to yield a medium-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, the success rate would increase by around thirty percent.

With that, unless one was exceedingly unlucky, achieving Foundation Establishment was practically guaranteed.

Moreover, consuming a Foundation Establishment Pill could also stabilize the unstable period following a breakthrough, offering immense benefits to any cultivator.

Shi Yu's plan was to win the lotus and plant it inside the Fate-Tapping Bell to nurture its medicinal potency. She would wait until she was confident in concocting at least high-grade Foundation Establishment Pills before taking action. If she could produce a supreme-grade pill... that would naturally be the best possible outcome.

Under the eager gazes of the crowd, the woman in cyan finished her introduction and spoke slowly: “The Heavenly Tone Lotus is exceedingly rare and seldom seen in circulation. The starting price is one thousand five hundred low-grade spirit stones, with minimum bid increments of no less than one hundred spirit stones.”

The moment her words fell, someone immediately placed a bid.

“One thousand eight hundred!”

“One thousand nine hundred!”

Seeing the continuous stream of bids and the intense struggle in the hall, Shi Yu did not rush to bid, waiting quietly.

Master Ji said with a smile, “Little Yu, looking at this momentum, securing the Heavenly Tone Lotus won't come cheap.”

Watching the bids swiftly climb to two thousand five hundred spirit stones, the three Zhou siblings clicked their tongues in shock. Hailing from a small family with limited assets and financial resources, they had never dared to hope for a Foundation Establishment Pill. For them, this was merely spectating; they only paid extra attention because Shi Yu wanted it.

“Two thousand seven hundred!”

“Two thousand eight hundred.”

By now, the pace of bidding had finally slowed a bit, and Shi Yu finally made her move: “Three thousand five hundred.”

Raising the price by seven hundred spirit stones all at once caused a momentary hush over the crowd. However, a middle-aged man with an arrogant expression soon scoffed and immediately followed with his own bid: “Three thousand seven hundred.”

Shi Yu: “Three thousand eight hundred.”

“Three thousand nine hundred.”

Shi Yu: “Four thousand.”

Interspersed with bids from a few others, by the time the price climbed to four thousand eight hundred spirit stones, only this man and Shi Yu remained in the bidding war.

This Heavenly Tone Lotus had been estimated at no more than two thousand, but now the price had more than doubled, causing many to sigh inwardly, powerless to compete any further.

Shi Yu placed another bid: “Four thousand nine hundred.”

“Five thousand.” The middle-aged man gently turned his thumb ring. Pausing, he turned his gaze toward Shi Yu's private box, his voice growing cold. “Little girl, don't end up having the money to buy it but lacking the life to use it...”

His words carried an explicit threat, violating the auction house's rules. On stage, the cyan-robed auctioneer frowned, intending to offer a stern warning. Before she could speak, however, Master Ji slapped the table, stood up, pulled aside the silk curtain, and strode out.

He let out a cold snort. “What audacity!”

Behind Master Ji, the curtain swayed in the breeze, offering a faint glimpse of the delicate, fair young girl sitting upright within.

The middle-aged man clearly wasn't a local of the main city; having arrived from elsewhere, he did not recognize Master Ji. Relying on his decent cultivation, he was quite arrogant and remained unbothered by Master Ji's words.

Master Ji's face turned icy cold as he swept his eyes across the entire hall in stern warning. “Whoever dares lay a finger on someone from my Alchemist Association had better be prepared for a fight to the death with the Alchemist Association.”

The Alchemist Association!

Only then did the middle-aged man realize the identities of Master Ji and the young girl behind him. His face turned pale, his lips trembled slightly, and he dared not utter another word.

Following this little interlude, with the price of the Heavenly Tone Lotus already near its peak, no one else dared to bid. Shi Yu raised the offer by another hundred, finally securing it for five thousand one hundred low-grade spirit stones.

So expensive, she muttered to herself.

With this, her savings were almost drained, leaving her with less than a thousand spirit stones.

Fortunately, the most important item had been secured. She could sit through the remainder of the auction with a relaxed mind, bidding freely on anything else that caught her eye without further worries.