Chapter 121 - 123: Gathering Spirits

A Spirit Beast capable of breaking through to Golden Core, and one with a long lifespan at that, is certainly an excellent guardian Spirit Beast for a sect! As for why the Yuanming Sect didn’t keep it? Perhaps they had another Golden Crow Egg, or maybe there were other reasons – who knows. All the Golden Core Cultivators could no longer maintain their previous calm and composed demeanor; they stepped forward one after another, starting with Spirit Stones and later bringing out all kinds of precious Spiritual Objects. "One Gold Core Formation Pill, an incomplete fourth-tier Cultivation Technique, plus three hundred thousand Spirit Stones," said the Great Elder of the Fan Family from Green Mountain State, speaking indifferently. As soon as these words were spoken, the competing Golden Cores suddenly fell silent. The Foundation Establishment and Qi Cultivation Cultivators below were all red-eyed with excitement, breathing heavily. The Fan Family of Green Mountain State is an established Golden Core power comparable to Shen Leishan and Wood Spirit Sect; even from their name, it’s clear that the Fan Family excels in the use of Spiritual Fire. Only such long-standing powers could afford to bring out treasures like the Gold Core Formation Pill that assist others in forming their cores. There were indeed forces present capable of competing, but the items offered by the Great Elder of the Fan Family were already of far greater value than the Golden Crow Egg! Ziyan, acting as the auctioneer, forced herself to calm down. After waiting three breaths without anyone else speaking, she somewhat unfittingly shouted, "Congratulations to the senior for winning the Golden Crow Egg!" Only after the Golden Crow Egg was escorted away by a designated person did Li Zhirui and others come to their senses, the envy and longing on their faces lingering for a long time. "With deep appreciation for everyone’s affection, I shall take my leave first." This move from Ziyan left everyone bewildered. There were still three special treasures yet to be presented – why was the auctioneer leaving? "Fellow Daoist Ziyan, aren’t there still treasures left?" a loud Foundation Establishment Cultivator asked. "I will introduce the following treasures," said a Golden Core Cultivator with a clear and gentle appearance, looking quite young as he stepped forward. Master Mingling? Li Zhirui had once seen this master from afar at his Golden Core ceremony. Indeed, these few treasures couldn’t be unrelated to him. "I have refined three Magic Artifacts." Master Mingling waved his hand, and a bead, a flag, and an Array Plate appeared on the auction stage – three artifacts ranging from first to third tier. "These three Magic Artifacts cannot attack or defend, but they can gather the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth, turning a place with thin Spiritual Energy into a Spirit Land!" Apart from the Golden Cores who were previously informed, everyone else was stunned by this declaration! It is well known that Spiritual Energy exists in all corners of the world, but in places without a Spirit Vein, the Spiritual Energy is hidden and subtle, and it takes a lot of time and effort to absorb it into the body. This is why establishing a force requires finding a Spirit Vein first. But now, Master Mingling claimed that his refined artifacts could coax out the hidden Spiritual Energy to make it into a Spirit Land?! "Of course, an artifact is still an artifact, and in terms of gathering Spiritual Energy, it is far less efficient than a Spirit Vein." Master Mingling openly discussed the limitations of the artifacts, "This first-tier Spirit Gathering Treasure Bead can gather about one-third of the Energy of a first-tier Spirit Vein." "The second-tier Spirit Gathering Flag is slightly inferior to a first-tier Spirit Vein by ten to twenty percent, while the third-tier Spirit Gathering Plate is between a first and second-tier Spirit Vein, but..." A brilliant smile spread across Master Mingling’s face as he added, "According to the calculations I made with my brother Mingxuan, the place where the Spirit Gathering Artifacts are set for a long time is very likely to form a Spirit Vein." Shock! The numerous Cultivators present felt nothing but shock! The Spirit Gathering Artifacts brought out by Master Mingling were completely different from the ones Li Zhirui and others had imagined. The effectiveness was many times stronger, not to mention the potential for forming Spirit Veins! Even the Golden Core masters were somewhat surprised since it was their first time hearing about this second function of the Spirit Gathering Artifacts. But they quickly regained composure. After all, methods for artificially cultivating Spirit Veins were not absent in their factions, such as using Formations, using a large number of Spirit Stones and Spiritual Objects to form a Spirit Vein, and using rare gathering treasures like Spirit Source Trees and Spirit Source Springs. Of course, these methods were all costly, and even their own factions could not afford to employ them repeatedly in a short period. "May I ask the senior, what is the value of these artifacts?" the voice of Patriarch Zheng trembled as he asked from the room where the Zheng Family on the second floor was located. Recently, the Zheng Family had relocated a large number of Secular Clansmen and Cultivators to the border of Myriad Thunder State and Yin Wind Cave. Setting aside safety concerns for now, the still-developing first-tier Spirit Vein there couldn’t meet the daily needs of the many Cultivators of the Zheng Family. "Temporarily set at twenty thousand Spirit Stones for the first-tier artifact, fifty thousand for the second-tier, and one hundred thousand for the third-tier," Master Mingling declared a price that once again shocked everyone. It is well known that cultivating a first-tier Spirit Vein from nothing requires at least a hundred thousand Spirit Stones, yet a third-tier Spirit Gathering Artifact costs only one hundred thousand Spirit Stones! At that thought, Li Zhirui instantly cooled down. This Spirit Gathering Artifact was all advantages? How could that be! Clearly, Li Zhirui was not the only one pondering this question; one of the Golden Core masters from above addressed it, "I would ask Fellow Mingling to clarify the shortcomings of this artifact." "As I’ve said at the beginning, this is an artifact, and all artifacts experience wear and tear." Master Mingling spoke unhurriedly, "A first-rank Magic Artifact will only last for three to four years before it gets damaged, but the higher the rank, the longer it can be used. For example, a third-rank Spirit Gathering Artifact can be used for at least ten years." "As for how long it will take to form a Spirit Vein..." Master Mingling shook his head and said, "After all, this Magic Artifact has just been refined by me not long ago, so I’m not very clear on that." "If any of you are interested, you can come to the back hall to purchase it after the auction ends." Having said that, Master Mingling turned and left. Ziyan took the stage again, expressed her thanks, and offered a bowl of Spirit Food, then announced the end of the auction. Everyone could leave now or stay and have the Spirit Food before departing. Naturally, those who had won bids on Spiritual Objects had to complete their transactions before leaving. "Big brother, should we buy a Spirit Gathering Artifact and take it back with us?" Li Zhirui asked during the waiting interval. If it were up to him, he would buy an artifact to try out its effects; after all, a first-rank Magic Artifact only costs twenty thousand Spirit Stones, and the family could afford that. If he had any Spirit Stones on hand, he would have bought a Magic Artifact himself to place in his space to see the effect. "Of course," Li Zhizhun responded without a moment’s hesitation, immediately deciding to purchase a Spirit Gathering Treasure Bead. Li Shilian looked at him thoughtfully and asked, "Are you thinking of placing the Magic Artifact on Baitou Mountain?" Baitou Mountain was the highest peak in the mountain range east of Da Rong Island, where the Ice Heart Grass and Ice Silk Worms were found. Now, these two had formed a cycle and no longer required the clan members to climb the mountain every few days to feed them, but the Spirit Gathering Array still needed to have its Spirit Stones replaced. "Yes, with this artifact, we won’t have to have the clansmen climbing the mountain to replace Spirit Stones all the time." After all, given the height of Baitou Mountain, it was a challenge for a Qi Cultivation disciple. Li Zhizhun nodded and said, "Moreover, since the Earth Dragon Turning Over event, the Spiritual Energy at the summit has become much richer. Perhaps there is a chance to form a Spirit Vein there." Li Shiren didn’t object, and just like that, the decision to spend twenty thousand Spirit Stones on a Spirit Gathering Treasure Bead was made. After tasting the Spirit Food sent by the Yuanming Sect, and collecting the auctioned Spiritual Objects, they rose to go to the back hall and bought a Spirit Gathering Treasure Bead. Only after they had completed all of these tasks did they leave the auction site. "I’m going to look around the outskirts. I’ll return to the family on my own later. There’s no need for you to wait for me." Li Zhirui, still thinking about picking up bargains among the Loose Cultivators, gave a quick farewell to the others and went his separate way. This area was crowded with Cultivators, and thankfully, the outskirts were spacious, or it wouldn’t even be possible to walk normally. In order not to attract attention, Li Zhirui skillfully performed the Cicada Breathing Skill to suppress his cultivation level to the later stages of Qi Cultivation. The Cicada Breathing Skill, a technique he acquired from three evil cultivators during his Qi Cultivation Stage, is several times stronger at concealing one’s aura than the common Aura Concealment Spell. As such, Li Zhirui practiced it diligently. After many years, he had mastered it to the point of perfection. Even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator in front of him couldn’t detect his concealed cultivation level. Unfortunately, in his walk around the area, Li Zhirui did not find any treasures, only some very common first-rank Spiritual Objects. But since he was prepared for this outcome, he was not disappointed and took it as a relaxation of his mind. By the time Li Zhirui commenced his return to Da Rong Island, the sun was setting in the west, and the sky began to darken. This had no effect on him. After leaving the Marketplace, he rode his dimly glowing paper crane, drifting slowly above the sea surface. "Fellow Daoist, it’s quite late to be out here. You might encounter danger. How about you come with me to a safe place and continue your journey tomorrow?" A sinister voice sounded from behind Li Zhirui. "Ah!" Li Zhirui let out a sigh of feigned helplessness and said, "I was actually planning to spare you, but who could have guessed you’d come knocking on death’s door." As he spoke, Li Zhirui dispelled the Cicada Breathing Skill, revealing his true level of cultivation. "A Foundation Establishment Cultivator?!" The Cultivators who had intended to rob him scattered in terror, their minds overwhelmed and unable to steady their Flying Artifacts. One of the later-stage Qi Cultivation Cultivators stammered, "We didn’t recognize your esteemed status. We are willing to offer up all our Spiritual Objects, just please spare us." "If I kill you, those Spiritual Objects will still be all mine," Li Zhirui stated indifferently. When cutting grass, one must remove the roots; even though the likelihood of these Cultivators breaking through Foundation Establishment was extremely slim, he had no intention of sparing them. To deal with these minor Qi Cultivators, Li Zhirui didn’t need to use the Corrosive Water Gourd. His adeptly honed spells were more than enough to kill them with ease. "Those who kill, must expect to be killed in turn." Li Zhirui extended his hand, collected all the storage bags and Magic Artifacts, and watched coldly as several bodies plummeted into the sea. "This Flying Artifact is much better than my paper crane," Li Zhirui said with a smile. Your journey continues with novelhall.Côm He had been operating on a principle of not settling for anything less than the best, not buying a second-rank Flying Artifact, and since he seldom left Da Rong Island and given the scarcity of Spirit Stones, it seemed wasteful to spend them on this. The item was a long, narrow green boat that couldn’t hold many Cultivators, but it was quite fast, far surpassing most Qi Cultivation Cultivators. Li Zhirui hastily refined it and steered the Green Boat towards Da Rong Island.