Chapter 273 - 279: Visiting

Words : 1397 Updated : Oct 13th, 2025

Liu Yongqing smiled and said nothing more. He had only wanted to do Li family a small favor, but since they were not willing to take it, he let it be. "Fellow Daoist, I presume your family is in need of Spiritual Medicine as well. I shall sell this batch to you," he said. This time, Li Shiqing did not refuse. However, when he left home, he did not bring enough Spirit Stones and could only buy on credit, promising to settle the full amount when he delivered Essence-Enhancing Pills next month. Liu Yongqing smiled as he saw him off, murmuring to himself, "A third-tier Alchemist is enough to ensure the prosperity of Li family for hundreds of years. This should be my best investment!" It was now that Li family deliberately downplayed Li Zhirui's fame. If outsiders knew he could refine third-tier Spirit Pills, even if only a few types, it would be enough to attract a large number of Golden Core Cultivators to visit, to the point of wearing out Li family's doorstep. Especially since Li Zhirui was young enough, only a little over a hundred years old and with three to four hundred years left before the Golden Core lifespan limit, giving him ample time to delve into Alchemy. In this world, Golden Core Cultivators were rare; Alchemy Masters were even rarer, akin to phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. And young Alchemy Masters like Li Zhirui were rarer still, one in ten thousand. At least, that was the case within tens of thousands of miles in the Cultivation World. Meanwhile, on Wanxian Island, Li Zhirui, who was fully focused on refining Vitality Pills, looked at the Pill Furnace before him with a serious expression, constantly casting complicated pill spells with both hands, sending Spirit Light into it. Hum! Suddenly, a faint vibration sounded from the Pill Furnace. A glint of joy flashed through Li Zhirui's eyes, and he remained unperturbed as he quickly modified his spell. Moments later, two round green Spirit Pills flew out, exuding an enchanting medicinal fragrance. "Success!" After securing one of the Vitality Pills, Li Zhirui eagerly consumed the other, sat down with crossed legs, and started to refine the Spirit Pill with his Cultivation Technique. Pure Spiritual Energy flowed out from the Vitality Pill, transforming into Mana through his meridians, which was then absorbed by the Golden Core. About half an hour later, Li Zhirui opened his eyes. After calculating in his mind, he said with a pleasant surprise, "The increase in Mana is one to two tenths more than the Essence-Enhancing Pill!" With the same refining time, the Vitality Pill could increase mana more, and would definitely fetch a higher price. Of course, more importantly, it could further accelerate his cultivation speed! When Li Zhirui relayed this matter to Li Shiqing, the latter was silent for a long time before speaking, "Zhirui, what do you think about seizing this opportunity to hold an auction?" "Hmm?" Li Zhirui was startled by the suggestion. What did these two things have to do with each other? However, he quickly realized the implication in Li Shiqing's words. He wanted to promote him, a third-tier Alchemist, through the auction! Li Zhirui frowned and pondered for a long while. He weighted the pros and cons. The advantage was that they could use the reputation of a third-tier Alchemist to make connections with many Golden Core Cultivators, and they could also collect more Pill Recipes and Spiritual Medicines. The downside was that it would expose the trade with Southern Edge Commerce Association, which might offend Shen Leishan and Xuanfa Pavilion. Although myriad powers had long suspected the origin of Southern Edge Commerce Association's Essence-Enhancing Pills over the years, at least ostensibly, there was no evidence of trade between the two parties. "Let's hold the auction! However, let's not bring out the Essence-Enhancing Pills," he said. Even if it was a futile attempt to conceal the obvious, it still had its purpose, allowing everyone to save face at least. Li Shiqing nodded gently. In fact, his main reason for suddenly wanting to hold an auction was to prepare for the upcoming war, hoping that various families and powers would take care of the Li family as a result. Of course, once this news spread, it would make hostile forces like the Yuanming Sect even more targeted towards the Li family! However, Li Shiqing felt that since their grudge was only with the Yuanming Sect, spreading the news would be more beneficial than harmful. Elders have their duties, and the younger generation serves! After discussing and setting up a rough framework, they left the rest of the tasks to Li Chengmo and a group of Elders to supplement and implement. But soon, they encountered a problem: the Li family, due to its shallow foundations, could not produce many precious Spiritual Objects! After all, if the Li family wanted to hold a grand auction, they needed to offer something appealing to attract participants, and the only item they had that was noteworthy was the Vitality Pill refined by Li Zhirui. The Golden Ganoderma was very precious, but it was impossible to auction it off, because it would not only arouse envy but also bring disaster! Shen Leishan did not prohibit the various Golden Core powers from refining or spreading Foundation Establishment Pills, but it did strictly control the distribution of Core Formation Spiritual Objects. For instance, when the Li family obtained the Skyflower Spirit Tree, they were warned by Shen Leishan that after the Spirit Tree bore fruit, it was absolutely forbidden to sell it, or else the family would face destruction! This is quite understandable. In the eyes of a Loose Cultivator, someone at the Foundation Establishment level is lofty, but in the Cultivation World, they are still but ants, unlike Golden Core cultivators. An increase in the number of Golden Core Cultivators could threaten the rule of Shen Leishan! In the end, Li Chenghuo had no choice but to seek Li Shiqing's advice on what to do. But Spiritual Objects are not something that can be easily procured on a whim. It was only then that Li Shiqing realized his decision might have been a bit impulsive. With no other choice, the auction had to be turned into a Pill Conference, inviting various families and powers to come and appraise the Spirit Pills refined by Li Zhirui. Fortunately, the invitations had not been sent out yet; otherwise, the Li family would have truly lost face. While the Li family members were busily preparing, a woman in red suddenly arrived at Yunqing Marketplace. She casually grabbed a cultivator and asked, "Do you know where the Li family is?" "To answer the elder, the Li family is on Wanxian Island, over two hundred li to the east," the Qi Cultivation Loose Cultivator replied with a trembling heart, as the aura of the person before him felt deeper and more terrifying than that of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. "Hmm." The woman in red, Jiang Fengwu, responded indifferently, a glint of light flashing in her eyes. She silently thought to herself, "It seems that what Li Zhirui said all those years ago wasn't a lie; the Li family does have some reputation." Tossing a few Spirit Stones, Jiang Fengwu strode out of the Marketplace and headed toward Wanxian Island. For a Golden Core Cultivator, a distance of two to three hundred li was a matter of moments. As she arrived over Wanxian Island and began to search for the Li family's ancestral land, she was quickly detected by the island's guard squad. "May I know the elder's business with the Li family?" The squad leader approached with full curiosity, respectfully inquiring. As part of the family's guard squad, especially since the family was soon to hold a Pill Conference, recognizing the identity of a Golden Core Cultivator was crucial, yet he had no recollection of this Golden Core woman! Seeing that she didn't seem to bear any malice toward the Li family, he had no choice but to send someone to notify his family while he approached to inquire further. "I am here to look for an old acquaintance," Jiang Fengwu said with a smile, "His name is Li Zhirui; do you know him?"

Chapter 273 - 279: Visiting

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