"Foundation Establishment Pills not only increase the probability of Foundation Establishment, but also ensure that the foundation remains undamaged even if Foundation Establishment fails, allowing you to continue attempting it. Furthermore, because of prior experience, the success rate of a second attempt can be further improved. The starting price is 10,000 spirit stones, with each bid increasing by at least 100 spirit stones. Barter is accepted. Bidding begins now."
Chu Yun displayed the box containing the Foundation Establishment Pills to everyone around, instantly bringing the atmosphere to a fever pitch.
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Almost everyone looked at the Foundation Establishment Pills in the box with envy.
Bidding voices rose and fell.
"12,000!"
"13,000!"
"15,000!"
"20,000!"
...
The bidding quickly approached 30,000.
The speed was even faster than the previous highest-priced third-tier demon core.
Ouyang Tian, who bid on the demon core, made a couple of token bids, but stopped after the price exceeded 20,000.
He only had a little over 20,000 spirit stones left.
He estimated that the Foundation Establishment Pill would fetch at least 50,000!
While normally cultivating a Foundation Establishment True Person only requires around 30,000 to 40,000 spirit stones,
one can't only look at those who succeed; many fail!
The success rate of those at the ninth level of Qi Refining in the entire Immortal Capital attempting to break through to Foundation Establishment is less than 20%.
Overall, it takes about 100,000 spirit stones to cultivate a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
This doesn't even include those who don't even have a chance to achieve Foundation Establishment.
Even with their family's wealth, they couldn't produce a Foundation Establishment cultivator in every generation.
On average, it would take about 50 to 60 years to cultivate one.
However, the Foundation Establishment Pill doesn't guarantee 100% success.
Its specific value depends on the success rate it brings and the value of a second attempt at Foundation Establishment.
Although Ouyang Tian didn't know what expected value was and couldn't mathematically calculate the Foundation Establishment Pill's specific value...
However, based on the experience of managing the family over the years and cultivating Foundation Establishment cultivators, as well as the amount of resources consumed, this Foundation Establishment Pill is worth at least 50,000 spirit stones!
Therefore, to acquire this Foundation Establishment Pill, he brought over 60,000 spirit stones!
But having already spent over 30,000 spirit stones, winning the bid was practically impossible.
Just as he was lamenting this, a somewhat familiar voice suddenly rang out from below.
"This prince is willing to offer 30,000 spirit stones; please grant me this favor."
Ouyang Tian looked down from the window and, sure enough, saw a familiar figure.
Dressed in a bright yellow robe, appearing to be in his early twenties, he was indeed a prince, and a prince with the potential to become crown prince.
30,000 spirit stones to acquire the Foundation Establishment Pill…
Ouyang Tian shook his head.
Ouyang Bai was also watching the bidding for the Foundation Establishment Pill from the window. Seeing the person below, he looked suspicious: "Where did the Eighth Prince get 30,000 spirit stones?"
Ouyang Tian simply showed a look of anticipation: "Just wait and see."
Downstairs.
As the Eighth Prince's words fell, a considerable commotion arose.
Most were quite displeased with the Eighth Prince's words,
but dared not express it.
They could only grumble quietly.
Even the bidding stopped.
"Why isn't the turn being read?"
The Eighth Prince looked at Chu Yun on the stage with displeasure.
Chu Yun was hesitating, unsure of what to do, when Xu Yuan slowly landed in front of the Eighth Prince.
"You have violated the rules of the auction house. Please leave."
"What? You want me to leave?"
The Eighth Prince looked at him in disbelief. "Do you know who I am?"
Xu Yuan simply said, "No matter who you are, if you come to the auction house, you must abide by the rules. Otherwise, if everyone acted like you, how could my auction house stay open?"
"I'm not leaving today. What can you do about it?"
The Eighth Prince retorted stubbornly.
Xu Yuan casually grabbed him by the back of the neck and lifted him up.
"How dare you! How dare you be disrespectful to the Eighth Prince?"
The guards next to him wanted to make a move, but were stunned by a glare from Xu Yuan and froze on the spot.
The Eighth Prince tried to struggle, but found he couldn't move his body at all.
He could only curse verbally.
"You dog slave! How dare you lay a hand on me? I am the Eighth Prince! Do you believe I can wipe out your entire family? Let me go! Let me go..."
Xu Yuan acted as if he hadn't heard him, and simply dragged him out of the auction hall.
As the two figures disappeared,
a burst of discussion and cheers erupted in the hall.
"Good!!!"
"Haha! Well done! I've been annoyed with that guy for a long time."
"Why pretend when you have no money?"
"Was that the Champion Earl just now?"
"Indeed, heroic and extraordinary!"
"Champion Earl, mighty!"
...
In the auction house lobby.
Xu Yuan released the Eighth Prince.
"Do you want to save face for yourself or do I have to save face for you?"
"You dragged me out in public, and you still have the nerve to talk to me about face?"
The Eighth Prince gritted his teeth in anger.
"I gave you a chance, but you didn't cherish it."
Xu Yuan shook his head.
This time, considering that the others' spirit stones were limited, he wanted to use them sparingly, so he didn't bring out all the good stuff at once.
Among the items he considered valuable, only the Foundation Establishment Pill and the Longevity Pill were of decent quality.
The third-tier demon core was an unexpected bonus.
Unfortunately, he hadn't gotten anything he needed in exchange for anything else.
Now, with only one Foundation Establishment Pill left, how could he tolerate anyone causing trouble?
Not even a prince!
"If you want to retain any semblance of dignity, leave yourself. Otherwise, I'll have to go through the trouble of carrying you out myself."
"You…"
The Eighth Prince glanced at the guard who had followed him out, seeing that he didn't dare to fight Xu Yuan, and could only suppress his anger, saying, "Fine, fine! I'll remember this grudge!" He
then turned and left.
Watching his retreating figure, Xu Yuan's eyes flashed dangerously.
Unfortunately, the "Blue Field Jade Planting Technique" was still at the first level, unable to forcibly plant a seed of consciousness in the other's sea of consciousness.
Meanwhile…
Upon returning to his residence, the Eighth Prince could no longer contain his rage. He drew a guard's knife and held it to the guard's neck: "Speak! Why didn't you attack earlier?"
The guard glanced at the other guards around him, cursing his bad luck: "Even the Champion Earl can kill a Dan Realm cultivator. How could I, a mere Qi Chain cultivator, be a match for him?"
"Useless! What use are you to me?"
the Eighth Prince said, tightening his grip.
But how could an ordinary person kill a Qi Chain cultivator?
No matter how he slashed, he couldn't budge him.
"You dog of a servant, you dare to resist?"
Nonsense!
If I didn't resist, I'd be dead!
The guard snatched the Eighth Prince's knife, held it to his neck, and ordered the others not to move.
"Your Highness, please spare my life."
"You...you dare to murder your sovereign?"
"I wouldn't dare, but Your Highness, you wouldn't want your deeds to become known throughout the city, would you?"
The guard said, leading the Eighth Prince step by step back towards the gate. "I will leave the capital forever and never return. Please don't make things difficult for me, Your Highness."
With that, he tossed the Eighth Prince into the crowd and ran.
The Eighth Prince was caught by the crowd and stopped those who had given chase.
Suppressing his anger, he returned to his room alone before unleashing his fury.
"Ah! You all just wait! When I ascend the throne, I will kill your entire family, exterminate your entire clan!"
Auction hall.
Bidding resumed normally.
The price had unknowingly approached the 50,000 mark.
Xu Zhaogu was already too weak to compete. Fortunately
, among the younger generation, Xu Yuan had successfully established his foundation.
Thinking of Xu Yuan, he summoned a maid and asked her to bring Xu Yuan over.
He lectured Xu Yuan about what had just happened.
The gist was that although the Eighth Prince wasn't the most favored, he was still a prince, and the royal family's reputation had to be respected. He urged Xu Yuan to submit a letter of apology.
Although Xu Yuan didn't think he had done anything wrong, he didn't resist the instruction.
It just so happened that he hadn't found a suitable reason to resign. He
could simply use this as a reason to resign.
After Xu Zhaogu finished speaking, Xu Yuan asked curiously, "Why would that Eighth Prince, an ordinary person, buy a Foundation Establishment Pill?"
"He's an ordinary person now, but that doesn't mean he'll always be,"
Xu Zhaogu explained. "The Eighth Prince has the talent of four spiritual roots, so he gets very few resources in the royal family. At most, he can barely reach the Qi Refining stage, and Foundation Establishment is completely out of the question. But if he successfully ascends the throne, that will be a different story."
Xu Yuan understood.
It meant that even wealthy families in this declining world don't have surplus resources.
The royal family also allocates resources based on talent.
Even being an emperor sounded a bit pitiful,
like he was working just to earn the spirit stones needed for Foundation Establishment.
However…
"He doesn't have many resources, so how could he come up with 30,000 spirit stones?"
With 30,000 spirit stones, he might have a chance to try for Foundation Establishment.
"Bidting 30,000 doesn't mean he has 30,000 spirit stones,"
Xu Zhaogu shook his head. "If he really had that many spirit stones, he wouldn't have been downstairs, but in the private room."
Xu Yuan suddenly realized that it wasn't surprising for someone who threatened others not to bid against him to do something like this.
Xu Zhaogu pondered for a moment and then said, "However, he probably didn't bid for this Foundation Establishment Pill for himself, but rather to give it to the Emperor."
Xu Yuan thought about it carefully and also felt that this was more likely.
After all, that so-called Eighth Prince probably couldn't even afford the spirit stones needed to cultivate to the peak of Qi Refining.
He couldn't use it even if he wanted to.
Even if no one competed with him, Xu Yuan wouldn't give him the Foundation Establishment Pill without enough spirit stones.
But if he planned to give the Foundation Establishment Pill to the old emperor, he could use that as a reason to get Xu Yuan to give it to him, and then promise him something after the emperor ascended the throne.
It's like that classic story of getting something for nothing, where a poor boy becomes a bank president and the son-in-law of the world's richest man through deception.
As the grandfather and grandson were talking, the bidding for the Foundation Establishment Pill had already reached over 50,000.
And there were still three people bidding.
All three were VIPs who had booked private rooms.
"One is Shi Yuya, the head of the Shi family, another is Cao Zhiyi, the Duke of Cao, and I can't recognize the last one,"
Xu Zhaogu said thoughtfully.
Xu Yuan didn't care who could buy the Foundation Establishment Pill.
He only cared about how many spirit stones the final bidder would offer, or what treasure they would offer in exchange.
As the person Xu Zhaogu couldn't recognize called out a bid of 55,000, the other two finally hesitated.
"55,000 for the first time, is there anything higher?"
Chu Yun asked, her face flushed.
This price had already broken her record for the highest bid since she became an auctioneer.
"I have a third-tier defensive talisman here, can I exchange it for a Foundation Establishment Pill?"
Cao Zhiyi offered again.
Chu Yun couldn't make a decision: "Please wait a moment."
A moment later.
"We need to check the guest's talisman first."
"Okay."
Not long after.
An Qian brought over a jade pendant that looked like it was made of jade.
Xu Yuan glanced at it and knew the information about the talisman. It was
a third-tier low-grade defensive talisman that could be repeatedly nurtured and used.
If properly nurtured, it could be used three times.
Currently, there was no spiritual power left in it, which meant it couldn't even be used once!
The material wasn't very good either, and it had been passed down for many years, used many times, and hadn't been properly nurtured. At most, it could only be used twice more before it couldn't withstand the pressure and would be damaged.
Nurturing a talisman requires tens of thousands of spiritual energy, which most Foundation Establishment cultivators don't even have.
But these problems aren't issues for Xu Yuan.
With this, his ability to survive is greatly enhanced.
Between 100,000 spirit stones and this talisman, Xu Yuan would choose this talisman without hesitation.
However, he was unsure about its value, so after consulting the old man, he sent a telepathic message to Chu Yun.
Upon receiving the message, Chu Yun continued to preside over the auction: "Alright, thank you all for waiting. The appraisal results are in. The guest's talisman is a low-grade third-tier talisman, currently unusable. Even after nurturing, it can only be used twice at most. Its value is insufficient to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill. Our appraiser's estimate is 30,000 spirit stones. If the guest accepts, they can bid based on this."
Cao Zhiyi was somewhat surprised.
This estimate was higher than he had anticipated.
Even if he were to put his talisman up for auction, it might not fetch that price.
Even if he were to put it up for auction with a starting price of 10,000, there was a risk of it failing to sell.
Don't be fooled by its ability to withstand attacks from a Core Formation cultivator.
However, given the depletion of spiritual energy, its function is rather lackluster.
It's basically useless for those at the Core Formation Realm. Even for those below the Core Formation Realm
, it's pointless.
It can withstand an attack from a Core Formation Realm expert for a while, but once the talisman's spiritual energy is exhausted, can those below the Core Formation Realm escape?
The most crucial issue is replenishing spiritual energy.
With resources so scarce, who would be willing to use their precious spiritual energy to nurture this thing?
Not to mention it can only be used twice at most.
Therefore, he accepted without much consideration
and then raised the bid to 56,000 spirit stones.
"58,000!"
The person Xu Zhaogu didn't recognize continued to bid.
Cao Zhiyi also shouted out a bid of 60,000 without hesitation!
If he were to buy this Foundation Establishment Pill with spirit stones alone, even with that many spirit stones, he would have to consider the price carefully.
But with that talisman worth 30,000 spirit stones, he had no reason to hesitate. He
even felt a sense of elation, as if this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
He had to seize this chance to get rid of the talisman!
Otherwise, he would feel like he'd lost out.
After he announced a bid of 60,000
spirit stones, the other party finally stopped bidding immediately. As for Shi Yuya, he hadn't spoken for a long time.
"60,000 spirit stones for the first time! Any higher bids?"
Chu Yun began to read the list.
"I have a second-tier high-grade spirit sword here. Can I exchange it for a Foundation Establishment Pill?"
The person who had bid earlier spoke up again.
"Please wait a moment."
Chu Yun paused the auction again, and after a short wait, the result came: "Unfortunately, the owner is not currently short of spirit swords."
The person still didn't give up, saying that he had a second-tier defensive magic weapon and a second-tier defensive spirit talisman, both of which could be used directly.
However, with a third-tier defensive talisman, Xu Yuan naturally didn't care about second-tier defensive items.
Finally.
"I also have some spirit herbs here. Can I exchange them for a Foundation Establishment Pill?"
The person made a final effort.
Xu Yuan thought for a moment and didn't refuse outright.
He had someone bring the storage ring containing the spirit herbs.
When he looked into the storage ring, the sheer number of herbs surprised him.
To his even greater surprise, there were actually two different kinds of materials for the Qi Condensation Pill!
To be honest, when Xu Yuan first heard that the VIP in VIP room number nine wanted to exchange spiritual herbs for Foundation Establishment Pills, he didn't have much hope.
After all, most of the materials for Foundation Establishment Pills were third-tier.
Ordinary people couldn't produce third-tier materials ,
let alone the materials that Xu Yuan needed.
This book was first published in Taiwan, so look for Taiwan Novel Network: ҉҉t҉҉w҉҉k҉a҉҉n.҉҉c҉o҉m. It's amazing that
this storage ring actually contained over a hundred kinds of spiritual herbs!
Some were first-tier, some second-tier, and some third-tier.
There were more than ten third-tier spiritual
herbs alone. Many of these herbs were more than one plant.
For example, the relatively common Rejuvenating Grass had at least a hundred plants.
Considering that spiritual herbs had lost their important function in alchemy, they were now difficult to sell for a good price.
Xu Yuan not only took the two Foundation Establishment Pill materials, the Blazing Sun Fruit and the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng, but also planned to take all the third-tier materials.
He also planned to selectively buy some second-tier spiritual herbs that he didn't already possess. This
was to avoid having too few spirit stones to exchange, which would prevent the guests in VIP room nine from competing with Cao Zhiyi.
After all, the Blazing Sun Fruit and Nine-Bend Ginseng alone would only fetch a few thousand spirit stones at most. The
Blazing Sun Fruit was only worth that much because it could be used directly to improve cultivation.
The remaining spiritual herbs, even the third-tier ones, were only a few hundred spirit stones each.
After careful selection, he chose over thirty kinds of spiritual herbs ,
worth about thirty thousand spirit stones.
Most of them were rare and difficult to find.
Fearing the guests in VIP room nine wouldn't bid aggressively, Xu Yuan specifically raised the price, setting the value of these herbs at thirty-five thousand spirit stones.
An Qian took this price to VIP room nine and told the guests, who readily agreed.
Chu Yun received a telepathic message from Xu Yuan, briefly explaining how many spirit stones the guests in VIP room nine had exchanged, without mentioning the specific herbs, before continuing to preside over the auction.
Both competitors felt they had the upper hand in the exchange and refused to budge an inch in the bidding.
They quickly pushed the price above 70,000!
Such a high bid made not only Chu Yun, but many spectators blush with excitement. They
were both thrilled and amazed.
Seventy thousand spirit stones!
Thinking about themselves, they couldn't even come up with seven hundred spirit stones. How could the gap between people be so vast?
However, after reaching seventy thousand spirit stones, the bidding frequency noticeably decreased.
After the VIP in box number nine shouted out seventy-three thousand spirit stones, Cao Zhiyi finally chose to give up and didn't speak again.
"Seventy-three thousand spirit stones, third time!"
Bang!
"Sold! Congratulations to the VIP in box number nine for successfully bidding on the Foundation Establishment Pill!"
With the final price confirmed, the scene became even more lively.
"That's insane! Over seventy thousand spirit stones!"
"Who is this? So generous!"
"No wonder it's a Foundation Establishment Pill that hasn't been auctioned for hundreds of years!"
"Other auction houses are in danger."
...
Xu Yuan was somewhat surprised by the final price.
According to his initial thinking, he would be lucky to get sixty thousand spirit stones.
But considering the premium he had offered, this final price seemed understandable.
If the guest was bidding for it for himself, the Foundation Establishment Pill would be invaluable to him, beyond the reach of spirit stones, and a high price wouldn't be surprising.
He called over An Qian, whispered a few words in her ear, and she went to Cao Zhiyi's private room.
Xu Yuan, curious, took the Foundation Establishment Pill to room number nine,
wanting to see who it was.
He knocked and entered.
Inside was only an elderly man with white hair and no beard.
He hadn't seen him before; his cultivation was at the Foundation Establishment stage.
Without asking any questions, the transaction was completed smoothly.
The man then took the initiative to ask if Xu Yuan's auction house was willing to buy spirit herbs.
He was probably very satisfied with the prices of the spirit herbs he had just seen.
Xu Yuan didn't immediately agree.
He only needed one of each type of spirit herb; there was no need to buy in large quantities.
Normal shops rarely buy spirit herbs these days, because most of them would become unsellable.
Therefore, even if they did, the purchase price would be extremely low—
probably less than half or even a third of the price Xu Yuan had offered for the spirit herbs.
They would only buy those with direct uses.
If Xu Yuan also bought at such low prices, he wouldn't have a price advantage, and probably few people would sell to him, making it very unlikely he'd get the spirit herbs he wanted.
He'd end up with a bunch of useless ones.
But offering high prices for largely useless spirit herbs would be too suspicious for a businessman.
So, after considering it, Xu Yuan refused to buy the spirit herbs and offered to help with auctions or consignment.
The auction house would only take a 20% commission.
The other party readily agreed
, giving Xu Yuan the remaining spirit herbs to sell through the auction house.
After he left, Xu Yuan immediately transferred the two materials for the Foundation Establishment Pill to his system space.
With the Blazing Sun Fruit, the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng, the previously acquired Mind-Concentrating Grass, and the Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Milk already obtained, four of the fifteen ingredients needed for the Foundation Establishment Pill have been gathered.
Besides the Blazing Sun Fruit and the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng, the other spiritual herbs bought today can also be used to refine pills needed for Foundation Establishment or even Core Formation cultivation.
Pulling his attention back, Xu Yuan stroked his chin thoughtfully.
He wanted the Foundation Establishment Pill ingredients, and he also wanted the third-tier defensive talisman!
"Should I buy them at a high price? Or…"
He quickly made up his mind and went to Cao Zhiyi's private room.
The other party, having received An Qian's message, was waiting in the room.
He looked to be in his forties, with a lean face and an extraordinary air.
"I wonder what business the Champion Earl has with me?"
He was very polite to Xu Yuan, this rising star of the Immortal Dynasty.
Xu Yuan was also very polite: "There was a slight accident, thank you for keeping Duke Cao waiting."
Cao Zhiyi's heart stirred.
Auction houses occasionally encounter situations where bidders can't produce enough spirit stones to cover their winnings. Could it be…?
"What's the reason?"
Xu Yuan smiled sheepishly. "It's like this: the customer who won the Foundation Establishment Pill didn't have enough spirit stones, so the transaction had to be cancelled. According to the rules, this Foundation Establishment Pill can be re-auctioned or sold at the second-highest bid. I've already discussed it with the consignor; if Duke Cao is interested, this pill can be sold to you for 70,000 spirit stones."
Cao Zhiyi was immediately tempted.
He had just bid a maximum of 72,000 spirit stones.
This price was 2,000 lower than his highest bid.
If the pill were allowed to re-enter the auction house, there would be enough time to raise the spirit stones, and with the series of events at this auction spreading, it would definitely attract more people, and the next auction price would likely be even higher.
It would be even harder to win the bid.
Therefore, such a good opportunity couldn't be missed! "
But...
can the third-tier defensive talisman still be deducted at 30,000 spirit stones?"
"Of course."
"Good! Deal!"
Cao Zhiyi readily took out the third-tier defensive talisman and transferred another 40,000 spirit stones to Xu Yuan.
Xu Yuan also took out a Foundation Establishment Pill and handed it to him.
Cao Zhiyi took the box, opened it, and carefully inspected it, his face beaming with joy.
Xu Yuan was also in a very good mood.
Not counting the talisman and the thirty-odd kinds of spiritual herbs, the auction alone had earned over 200,000 spirit stones!
And this wasn't like other auction houses, only earning a cut.
It was all his.
In fact, it was zero cost to him.
Pure profit!
"Successfully gifted 1 Tier 3 Low-grade Talisman (Useless). Current number of women is 32. You can choose to return 32 Tier 3 Low-grade Talismans (Useless), or return 3 Tier 3 Low-grade Talismans."
Xu Yuan first chose 32 talismans of the original quality to give to Ji Linxiao for nurturing.
Then he gave one to Ling Yao, successfully obtaining three upgraded talismans.
They were still Tier 3 Low-grade, but their spiritual power was full, and they had recovered to their original state.
With proper nurturing, they wouldn't break even after dozens of uses.
Selling them at auction would at least double their price!
The next day,
following Xu Zhaogu's instructions, Xu Yuan submitted his resignation.
However, news spread that the emperor intended to abdicate in favor of the third prince, the current crown prince.
Although it was still just a rumor and hadn't been officially confirmed, most of the government affairs had already been handed over to the crown prince, who had also been ordered to oversee the country.
Xu Yuan's resignation was ultimately presented to the crown prince.
After reading it, the Crown Prince not only approved it but also summoned Xu Yuan and praised him extensively.
He said that Xu Yuan was a young hero, unafraid of powerful figures, and a model of a virtuous minister. He promised to bestow upon him high rank and titles upon his ascension to the throne.
Xu Yuan had no choice but to return to the training ground and continue honing his spear skills.
Seeing this, Gu Gu Gaga, who was hanging around its neck on a necklace, took out a spear longer than itself and began practicing with great skill.
Its adorable appearance amused many of the Imperial Guards.
Gu Gu Gaga, dissatisfied, pointed its spear at them and challenged them with shouts of "Gu Gu Gaga!"
In the end, after several rounds, no one was its match.
Whether they were martial arts masters or Qi Refining cultivators, they were all defeated by it.
Of course, those who challenged it were only martial artists below the Furnace Cultivation level and Qi Refining Level 1 cultivators.
Even so, no one dared to underestimate Gu Gu Gaga, who followed Xu Yuan around all day and had previously been regarded as just a cute creature.
After its victory, Gugu Gaga took out a small red cloak from its storage ring, tied it around its neck, and proudly raised its big head.
Evening.
Back at the Champion Earl's residence.
Ji Baichang was already waiting with Ji Baiwei.
Xu Yuan put down Gu Gu Gaga.
Gu Gu Gaga happily went to play with its friends.
Gu Gu Gaga: "Gu Gu Gaga!"
Xiao Ai: "Chirp chirp chirp!"
Xiao Nuomi: "Nuomi Nuomi!"
The three little guys were very energetic.
They even started playing war games in the yard.
Little Gu Guga took out a spear, tied on a cloak, rode on Xiao Ai's back, and attacked Nuomi.
Xu Yuan ignored them and went inside.
"Congratulations! The auction was a great success!"
Ji Baichang congratulated them.
He was both envious and amazed.
In just one day, the news that Champion Uncle's auction house had a Foundation Establishment Pill up for auction and sold for a sky-high price of 73,000 spirit stones had already spread throughout the Immortal Capital.
An auction with a total transaction amount of more than 200,000 spirit stones!
Even if the commission was only 10%, that would still earn more than 20,000 spirit stones!
Their Ji family was already considered a top family in the Immortal Capital, and on average, their annual expenses were less than 5,000 spirit stones.
The spirit stones Xu Yuan earned that day were enough for the Ji family's expenses for several years.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Xu Yuan led Ji Baiwei into the room
to begin today's treatment.
Perhaps thanks to his previous imperial competition and those poems, his spiritual power had increased considerably recently. He
had already refined a small ball of
magical power, making his treatment of Ji Baiwei much faster.
He could now unblock four or five of her meridians each day.
Their relationship had grown much closer as a result—in
a purely platonic way, of course.
A few days later,
Xu Yuan had just left the palace when he saw Xu Sheng guarding the palace gate.
"Come back with me quickly, your mother is back!"
Xu Sheng's words were astonishing, leaving Xu Yuan stunned.
"Huh?"
"Not only is your mother back, but she's also brought you a younger brother!"
Xu Sheng's two-pronged attack left Xu Yuan completely bewildered.
"Huh?!"
He could barely understand that his adoptive mother was back.
But what did it mean that she brought a child with no blood relation to the Xu family?
Filled with questions, he arrived at the Xu residence.
He entered the courtyard where his grandmother lived.
Seeing the strange woman talking to Xu Zhaogu and Xuan Jing with a child, Xu Yuan frowned: "Who are you?"
"She's your mother! You don't even recognize your own mother?"
Xu Sheng exclaimed, her eyes wide.
Xu Zhaogu looked at her: "Xu Sheng, you should go out first."
Xu Sheng hesitated, wanting to stay and watch this grand drama of mother and son reuniting after more than ten years of separation.
But in the end, she left, looking back every few steps.
Once everyone was alone, Xu Zhaogu introduced her to Xu Yuan: "She said she's Qing Cang's Daoist partner. Don't you know her?"
Xu Yuan looked at the woman. She had slightly upturned peach blossom eyes, a high and delicate nose, and thin lips. Her slender, oval face, which was quite pretty, was scrutinizing him with a hint of surprise and uncertainty.
He glanced at the information on the panel.
[Name: Ma Xiaoyin]
[Age: 58]
[Talent: Three Spiritual Roots]
[Favorability: -77]
[Appearance: 84 ]
[Figure: 89]
[Charm: 72]
[Holiness: 00]
[Total Score: 65.8]
0 holiness…
Even if her cheap father wasn't dead, he wouldn't be so desperate, would he?
If he could have taken her, why would he have run away from the wedding back then?
And look at the child next to her, he looks at least six or seven years old.
Her cheap father has only been missing for five years at most, where did he get such a big child?
More importantly, the woman is actually a Foundation Establishment cultivator!
A Foundation Establishment cultivator would be interested in her cheap father?
Ma Xiaoyin then spoke up.
"You're Qing Cang's son? Why hasn't he mentioned you to me?"
"I was going to ask you that! You said you were my father's Daoist partner, when did you meet? Where did you meet? When did you become Daoist partners?"
Xu Yuan asked three questions in a row.
Ma Xiaoyin remained relatively calm.
"I met Qingcang about seven years ago. I was injured in a place called Yunzhangling, and he saved me, took me to a nearby town to recuperate, and often took care of me. Over time, we developed feelings for each other. Cultivators don't have so many formalities, so we didn't have any ceremony. We just drank a cup of nuptial wine, and that was it,"
Xu Yuan recalled.
Seven years ago, his mother had been gone for almost ten years.
It seemed reasonable for his adoptive father to find another woman.
He was only fourteen or fifteen years old at the time, so it would be easy for his adoptive father to keep it from him.
"Where is my father now?"
Xu Yuan asked again.
Ma Xiaoyin asked doubtfully, "You say you're his son, shouldn't this be a question for you?
The last time I saw Qingcang was seven years ago. I had to return to the sect to report, so I had to say goodbye to him with reluctance.
I planned to go back to the sect to be with Qingcang forever, but I found out I was pregnant after I got back.
After giving birth to Zheng'er, when Zheng'er was a little over a year old, I went to look for him, only to find out that he had disappeared in Yunzhang Ridge. I went to Yunzhang Ridge to look for him, but I found nothing."
She spoke with deep emotion, and if it weren't for her saintly purity, Xu Yuan would have actually believed her.
"How can you prove what you're saying is true?"
Ma Xiaoyin took out a jade pendant: "He once mentioned his background to me, telling me that if I couldn't find him one day, I should bring this jade pendant to the Pingxi Prince's Mansion in Xianjing."
Xu Yuan took the jade pendant and looked at it. It really was his cheap old man's.
It also had the words "Qingcang" on it, which was given to his cheap old man by his grandfather. It proved his identity even better than Xu Yuan's jade pendant.
So, the other grandson of my grandfather that I heard people mention when I first came here is actually Ma Xiaoyin's son?
I really have a stepmother now?