After reaching Foundation Establishment, Luo Chen had primarily relied on low-grade Ascending Dragon pills to advance. With their potent medicinal properties, combined with uninterrupted usage and ample supplementary resources, he had advanced from the second to the third stage of Foundation Establishment in just three short years. Yet after breaking through to the third stage, his cultivation progress slowed once again. It wasn’t that his speed had diminished. Rather, the higher his cultivation climbed, the greater the amount of spirit energy required. Compared to the rising spirit energy requirements, his previously steady cultivation speed now seemed sluggish, the progress bar inching forward at a crawl. Faced with this bottleneck, Luo Chen had sought ways to break through it. But no matter how he tried, he couldn’t find a better solution. The problem was systemic. The mainstream cultivation pills released by the major sects were almost all low-grade. Even if he had money, obtaining top-grade pills on the open market was nearly impossible. Fortunately, there were auctions! Even though these aren’t mid-grade Ascending Dragon pills, the medicinal potency of mid-grade qi-consolidation pills should far exceed the low-grade ones I’ve been using. This could be exactly what I need. Luo Chen wasn’t about to let this opportunity slip through his fingers. He decisively joined the bidding. With ample funds at his disposal and the experience of countless auctions behind him, he quickly secured thirty bottles at a staggering total cost of nearly forty thousand spirit stones. It was just mid-grade qi-consolidation pills, yet thirty bottles cost almost forty thousand spirit stones, which meant 1,300 spirit stones per bottle. It was another premium transaction. But there was no avoiding it. For ordinary people, time was priceless, but cultivators could in fact purchase it. It only cost them a tremendous amount of spirit stones. After obtaining thirty bottles, Luo Chen made a decision to withdraw from further bidding. He refrained from participating in the next seven rounds. I still need more, but thirty bottles should last nearly a year. If I keep bidding, I’ll start making enemies, he thought. With Luo Chen no longer participating, the final prices for the mid-grade qi-consolidation pills in the subsequent rounds dropped significantly. However, the auction atmosphere became even more intense than before. Each initial bid wasn’t high, but competition was fierce. By the last two rounds, prices had surged again. Watching this unfold, Luo Chen sighed inwardly. He wasn’t the only one who understood the situation. Mid-grade and above cultivation pills had always been tightly controlled by the major sects. Everyone knew the reasoning, and it was always the same: items of truly great value could not be bought because their value was beyond monetary valuation. Thirty bottles may last me for now, but what about after that? I can’t possibly wait ten years every time just to secure a year’s supply! While his immediate concern was resolved, after experiencing the Divine Ghost Heartmirror simulation, he had developed a habit of considering the long-term. Yet even though he saw the problem, there was no better solution at hand for now. The auction continued. As it progressed, the items up for bidding became increasingly valuable. Previously, it had been Luo Chen, Lu Rong, and other early- and mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators fighting over resources; now, even late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators had joined in. One after another, Golden Core Adepts began to make their moves as well. Luo Chen gradually fell silent. Until... "Big Brother Luo!" a voice rang out. The third-tier healing medicine Kang Xianqiong needed had finally appeared. Competition for it was fierce, and Luo Chen had to exert considerable effort before securing it at a steep price. "Fellow Daoist Kang, apologies. It cost five thousand more spirit stones than I had estimated." Kang Xianqiong quickly shook her head, her face filled with excitement and gratitude. "Being able to acquire it at all is a miracle. Without your help, I probably wouldn’t have gotten it. Thank you, truly thank you." Luo Chen gave a small smile and accepted her gratitude. Just as Kang Xianqiong said, even with enough spirit stones, it would have been difficult to secure that item. At auctions of this scale, competition was not limited to wealth alone. Because identities were public, bids became targeted at the bidder rather than the item itself. Luo Chen was able to secure the item for Kang Xianqiong not just because he could bid high, but also because he could leverage the Luo Tian Society’s reputation and the aura he had built up from his previous bids. Everyone knew he had money. With such determination to win, ordinary bidders truly couldn’t compete against him. Moreover, if he were simply bidding high every time, that would’ve been one thing, but Luo Chen had repeatedly withdrawn partway through other contests, and it was definitely not due to a lack of funds. Clearly, he wasn’t some hothead who threw around money recklessly just because he could. If the price really got driven too high, and Luo Chen suddenly backed out, the ones who’d suffer losses would be the others. After fulfilling his promise to Kang Xianqiong, Luo Chen couldn’t help but feel a wave of relief. He had basically acquired everything he needed. Today’s spending spree had been quite satisfying. From this point on, he intended to watch the auction as a spectator. Not because his funds were depleted, nor because the items lacked value, but because many of the remaining bidders were individuals he could not afford to offend. "Low-grade enchanted treasure, Thousandfold Heavy Seal, fifty-five thousand for the third call! Congratulations to Fellow Daoist Lian Cang from Ailao Mountain!" Watching the enchanted treasure being sold, Luo Chen’s gaze flickered with a trace of envy. He knew the item well. The Heavy Recast Seal in his storage pouch had been modeled after the Thousandfold Heavy Seal, hence the "recast" part in the name. But the Heavy Recast Seal was technically a failed product, and attacks were somewhat clumsy. The Thousandfold Heavy Seal had far fewer flaws. Even so, Luo Chen made no attempt to compete. The buyer was Lian Cang, a Golden Core cultivator, and crossing him for such an item would have been sheer folly. The treasures that followed only grew more valuable. At one point, a mid-grade enchanted treasure appeared, eventually selling for three hundred fifty thousand spirit stones to a Golden Core Adept from Green Pill Valley. The price left the entire hall stunned. Sima Huiniang and Kang Xianqiong were struck speechless. Even Wang Yuan, usually composed, could not help but feel shaken. None of them could even imagine how many years it would take to save enough to purchase a single mid-grade enchanted treasure. Besides resorting to robbery, they could not see a path to acquire one. Only Luo Chen remained calm. It was just a few hundred thousand spirit stones. If he saved up for a few more years, he’d be able to purchase one through proper means. Just like that Golden Core Adept from Green Pill Valley—hadn’t he also purchased his desired treasure with spirit stones earned over many hard years? Perhaps it was not as difficult as it seemed. Most cultivators of Green Pill Valley were alchemists, and their ability to amass wealth was not inferior to Luo Chen's. Prices that ordinary cultivators considered astronomical were little more than pocket change to them. And the Golden Core Adept from Green Pill Valley was living proof of that. He had purchased three enchanted treasures, two low-grade and one mid-grade. His generosity far surpassed the other Golden Core Adepts present. Time flowed steadily on. At last, when Fairy Ruthless unveiled a Dragon Transformation pill and the Ice Phoenix Pellet, the auction reached its climax. "The Dragon Transformation pill hails from Green Pill Valley, and the Ice Phoenix Pellet from the Ice Fortress. Both are third-tier pills. Taken together, and paired with our Ice Fortress Core Formation secret art, they can raise one’s chances of forming their core by ten percent. The starting bid is ten thousand spirit stones. You may begin!" As soon as those words fell, the entire venue exploded into an uproar! Inside the private room, everyone from the Luo Tian Society began to breathe heavily, Luo Chen included. Yet he quickly suppressed the desire that surged in his chest. The Dragon Transformation pill was not difficult to obtain; it was a specialty of Green Pill Valley and occasionally appeared on the market. The Ice Phoenix Pellet, however, was far rarer, and normally circulated only within the Ice Fortress. Yet even so, the price shouldn't have been this steep. A whole bottle would cost only a few thousand spirit stones, and a single pill would be just a few hundred. The reason the starting bid was so steep was actually the secret art offered by Ice Fortress alongside them. It could increase one’s chances of forming their core by ten percent! Even so, Luo Chen did not let greed cloud his judgement. He said calmly, "Don’t bother. This isn’t something we can take part in." The others beside him paused in surprise, but when they saw where the bids were coming from within the venue, they all tacitly let go of any improper thoughts. They were all late stage Foundation Establishment grand cultivators. Among them was Chu Kui, whom Luo Chen recognized immediately. The Grand Elder of the Zheng family from Rolling Dragon Ridge, though only at the sixth stage of Foundation Establishment, had also brazenly joined the bidding war. Several others joined as well, and although their identities were unknown to Luo Chen, they were all clearly formidable figures. This was a feast tailored for late stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. Those at the early and mid stages could do nothing but watch helplessly. As for the Golden Core cultivators, they remained aloof, observing with cool indifference. In the end, the spirit medicine fell into the hands of a man with red lips and white teeth, and a face like sculpted jade. "That’s Xuan Yu, the overseer of Peach Mountain," Sima Huiniang whispered, suppressing her excitement. "I’ve heard he is the favored companion of the Grand Elder Peach Blossom of Hundred Flowers Palace." Hearing her explanation, Luo Chen felt a sudden realization. As expected of spirit medicine for forming a Golden Core—how could ordinary rogue Foundation Establishment cultivators even dream of claiming it? The participants who dared to vie for such items all carried powerful connections; most belonged to branches of major sects or had some other kind of relationship with them. Xuan Yu, for instance, was not an official disciple of Hundred Flowers Palace, yet as the Grand Elder Peach Blossom’s favored companion, he managed all of Peach Mountain on her behalf. How could rogue Foundation Establishment cultivators possibly compete? Within Luo Chen’s line of sight, Chu Kui’s forlorn expression stood out most clearly. Shaking his head, Luo Chen rose to his feet. "Let’s go. If we want to bid for Core Formation spirit medicine, it will take another hundred or two hundred years before such a chance comes to us." He spoke with detachment, but the others could not remain so composed. As they followed him out, many still cast reluctant glances at the triumphant Xuan Yu. Even if it was just a ten percent chance of increasing the Core Formation success rate, that ten percent was priceless. Forming a core was a hundred, even a thousand times more difficult than stepping into the Foundation Establishment Realm! Such difficulty could only be understood by those standing on the threshold themselves. The rarity of Golden Core cultivators in the Jade Cauldron Domain alone spoke volumes. Within the Jade Cauldron Domain, there were millions of Qi Refinement cultivators, and thousands who had reached Foundation Establishment. Yet among all seven major sects combined, the number of Golden Core cultivators didn’t even exceed a hundred! It was a true one-in-ten-thousand scenario, perhaps even one in a hundred thousand. The reason was simple: Forming a core was simply too difficult. Xuan Yu had the backing of the Grand Elder Peach Blossom herself, and now that he had Core Formation spirit medicine, his success seemed nearly assured. Within a few decades, he would likely break through and become a Golden Core Adept. When that time came, he would formally enter Hundred Flowers Palace as one of its Golden Core cultivators, raising their number to four. After exiting the private room, Luo Chen followed Sima Huiniang directly to a secluded hall within Binglan Palace. This was the designated area for delivering goods and settling spirit stone payments. In a large-scale auction , the volume of sales was too great to settle with immediate handovers after each deal. All transactions were accumulated and settled after the auction concluded. Within a formation-shielded chamber, Luo Chen took out ninety thousand low-grade spirit stones. Twelve thousand came from Kang Xianqiong, specifically to pay for the third-tier healing medicine, while the remaining seventy-eight thousand covered his own expenditures during the auction. "Fellow Daoist Luo, here are your items. Feel free to inspect them." The one overseeing the exchange was an old acquaintance, Shi Boying of the Ice Fortress. Luo Chen smiled faintly, accepted the items, and began his inspection without pretense. Shi Boying showed no surprise and did not take offense in the slightest. For transactions of this magnitude, caution was expected. The Warm Yang Incense proved to be of fine quality, freshly harvested. The third-tier ores showed no flaws. The Ice Silkworm Meditation Mat emitted a faint chill, and with a single touch, Luo Chen felt his thoughts grow noticeably calmer. The thirty bottles of mid-grade qi-consolidation pills released a dense spirit energy the moment they were opened; their quality was beyond doubt. Finally, the Qi-Physique Origin Method, the second-tier Physique Refinement technique, remained sealed just as it had entered the auction. There were no signs of tampering. After completing the inspection, Luo Chen was satisfied and stored the items away. "Thanks for your trouble, Fellow Daoist Shi." Shi Boying chuckled. "Hardly trouble. These major auctions only come once in a decade, and for the smaller ones, I don't need to show up at all." The once-cold and distant Shi Boying had grown increasingly cordial toward Luo Chen ever since his collaboration with Tantai Jin. Now, there was always a hint of warmth in her tone. "Fellow Daoist Luo, are you planning to leave straight away?" "That's the plan. Why, is there something else?" Luo Chen asked curiously. Shi Boying gestured in a direction. "The Ice Fortress is holding a banquet. Fellow Daoist, you may consider attending." "Yes. It is meant to entertain the Foundation Establishment cultivators who took part in the auction." Seeing his interest, she offered further explanation. The banquet was not unique to the Ice Fortress but a customary practice. After every decennial auction, the host almost always arranged such a gathering for Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators. The reason was quite simple. During the auction itself, heated bidding often drove prices to reckless heights, leaving winners with regret or dissatisfaction. Others who had been outbid might still lack the resources they desperately needed. On occasion, a fool would shout absurdly high bids only to find they couldn’t pay up. As a result, disputes and even violent clashes often erupted inside and outside Tianlan Immortal City after the auctions. To ease such tensions, the organizers arranged a post-auction banquet. It provided an opportunity for attendees to resell or exchange some of their own treasures at lower prices, recovering some of their losses, while those still in urgent need of resources could acquire them at a fairer cost. Even treasures that had failed to sell during the main event were sometimes brought out again, giving them a second chance to find a buyer. In short, this banquet solved a great deal of post-auction trouble for the hosts. It also provided an opportunity for sect prodigies to make appearances, forging new connections and expanding their networks. That last part was Luo Chen’s own deduction. "Of course, some prefer not to participate and leave quietly. The Ice Fortress never forces anyone," Shi Boying added. Of course, Luo Chen was feeling rather compelled. A gathering is indeed worth attending. He was not the type to focus solely on cultivation. Even if he did not need to barter for treasures, he could still expand his network of connections. When he and the Luo Tian Society had first arrived in Tianlan Immortal City, they had deliberately kept a low profile. But now, with the society firmly established and himself at the third stage of Foundation Establishment, it was time to broaden his circle. The four essentials of cultivation—wealth, companions, methods, and location—were never far from his mind. He always sought balance across them all. "Thank you for the invitation, Fellow Daoist Shi. I would be delighted to attend." With that, Luo Chen took his leave. Outside, he asked Wang Yuan and the others for their thoughts. Wang Yuan, uninterested in socializing, chose to return and study the Qi-Physique Origin Method. Duan Feng made the same decision; Feng Xia was waiting for him at home. Kang Xianqiong had no interest in joining either. With the healing medicine secured, she was eager to return to Taishan Market. Sima Huiniang actually wanted to attend, but unfortunately, the banquet was only for cultivators at Foundation Establishment and above. Though her status qualified, her cultivation didn’t, so she couldn’t attend. As a result, Luo Chen would be attending the Binglan Palace banquet alone. He did not mind. After bidding farewell to the others, he followed an attendant into a dimly lit side hall. Perhaps because he had arrived early, only a sparse handful of cultivators were present. His gaze sharpened as he spotted Chu Kui drinking alone at a wine table. "Fellow Daoist Chu," Luo Chen called out, "why sit alone in the corner, drowning in wine?" Chu Kui lifted his eyes and gave a self-deprecating smile. "Aren’t you just asking what you already know?"