Born with immortal seed

Chapter 168: Longevity Elixir
The auction information on the water mirror has been updated; the long-necked jade bottle contains a gray, viscous, and turbid liquid.

"The sword-quenching spirit water actually looks like this. If I hadn't seen it here, I wouldn't have recognized it outside..."

As a sword cultivator, Bai Zichen naturally values ​​spiritual objects related to flying swords.

The sword-quenching spirit water is not a spiritual substance created by heaven and earth, but a product that was accidentally discovered by a weapon refiner skilled in sword forging.

The essence of the five metals is smelted with earth fire until it reaches a liquid state, and then stone milk is added and the temperature is increased further.

It takes a full ten years of smelting to obtain a single batch of sword-quenching spirit water.

"Wiping the sword can effectively protect against minor internal cracks... Soaking it in the sword-quenching spirit water for a day and a night can repair significant wounds on the flying sword."

Bai Zichen touched it with his hand, and the specific effects of the sword-quenching spirit water appeared on the surface of the water mirror.

There is no need to repair a first-order flying sword, while a third-order flying sword is usually kept in the dantian and nourished by the qi of the dantian.

The slightest cracks caused by collisions with magical artifacts or clashes between flying swords can be slowly repaired by the power of the elixir.

Therefore, the effect of Tier 3 tempering spirit water has been reduced, and few weapon refiners specialize in smelting it.

Second-tier sword-tempering spirit water is the most common type on the market.

Bai Zichen possesses a sword-nurturing technique, which allows him to gently nurture and repair all wood-type flying swords.

According to the secrets of sword forging, even if a flying sword breaks, it can still be repaired using the sword-nurturing technique.

Minor, hidden scratches or gaps are repaired much faster.

Although the wooden flying sword is not as sharp and hard as the metal flying sword, it is not afraid of fighting in his hands and he does not need to worry about damaging the flying sword. He will not be at a disadvantage when facing other flying swords.

"The sword nurturing technique is ineffective against the Tianxin Sword, so it's necessary to buy two bottles of sword tempering spirit water as a backup... After all, I won't be changing my flying sword until I reach the Core Formation stage, and it will be with me for a long time."

The lifespan of a flying sword is closely related to the frequency of combat.

Those combat fanatics, cultivators who often engage in sword duels, may find their flying swords worn down to the point of needing to be reforged after five or six years.

One bottle of sword-tempering spirit water is enough to soak a flying sword three times.

Bai Zichen mentally estimated the value of the sword-quenching spirit water, picked up his pen and first quoted a high price of three thousand spirit stones, then quoted two thousand spirit stones.

Finally, the median value was taken, and two bids were made for 2,500 spirit stones and 2,600 spirit stones respectively.

"I didn't expect that Junior Brother Bai, who has only just come into contact with the underground bidding method, has already mastered it so well that he doesn't need my guidance at all..."

Jin Lu looked surprised. He had originally thought that this junior brother Bai was an outstanding swordsman who practiced the extreme passion sword path.

That's why he has reached such an amazing level of swordsmanship at this age.

Unexpectedly, he mastered this bidding trick at the auction without any instruction.

"This item is useful to me, so a slight premium is acceptable."

Bai Zichen noticed Jin Lu's surprised gaze and found it amusing.

True cultivation geniuses, such as those with celestial spiritual roots, are treasured in any sect.

In the early stages of training, not a single second should be wasted.

For them, advancing one level in the Qi Refining realm each year is the norm.

Within a cycle of sixty years, one can complete the entire foundation-building process.

Therefore, many cultivators with Heavenly Spiritual Roots rarely engage in worldly affairs until they reach the Foundation Establishment stage, retaining a childlike heart.

This leaves a stereotype that genius cultivators are often childlike and incompetent in worldly affairs.

It's just that these people are so engrossed in cultivation that they can't spare any energy for it.

With just a little experience, they can learn and grow rapidly.

They were determined to obtain the Sword Tempering Spirit Water, and the offer of three thousand spirit stones was to ensure that at least one portion would fall into their hands.

The price of 2,000 spirit stones is slightly below the market price. Let's try our luck and see if there's a chance to snag a bargain.

As for the remaining two prices, they are both normal prices.

Whether one can win the bid depends on how many cultivators in the arena are interested in the sword-tempering spirit stones.

The bidding ended after one incense stick had burned.

The results were updated in time on the water mirror: three thousand spirit stones and two thousand six hundred spirit stones. These two bids successfully made it into the top ten.

The auction house acted quickly; the next item had barely been displayed when there was a knock on the door of the private room.

"Distinguished guests, two bottles of second-tier sword-tempering spirit water have been delivered."

The auction house manager was followed by a lady who placed a tray on the table in the private box.

Bai Zichen examined the jade bottle; it was intact and unopened. With a slight pang of heartache, he counted out five thousand six hundred spirit stones.

The manager put away the spirit stones, nodded slightly, and left the private room without saying a word.

"So it seems that the Sound Bamboo Sword does have its advantages, at least it's easy to maintain..."

Bai Zichen carefully stored away the sword-quenching spirit water, which should last for a long time.

Two bottles of sword-tempering spirit water are enough to repair the Tianxin Sword six times.

Among the subsequent reserve lots, none of them caught his eye, so he remained an observer.

Jinlu made a bid, attempting to acquire a nest of fire bee eggs.

Unfortunately, my bid wasn't as high as others, and I missed out.

"The first round of bidding has ended. Congratulations, fellow Daoists... The second round of bidding will begin soon. Fellow Daoists who are short of spirit stones can call upon the manager of the guild and pledge their treasures to the guild to borrow spirit stones at 70% of the market price."

The host on stage wore a long robe embroidered with ripple patterns from the chest to the cuffs, which was the attire of the core disciples of the Du family.

With a blank expression and a flat tone, he was clearly not an auction house employee, but merely someone temporarily seconded to keep things under control.

"Foundation building complete, the Du family has certainly made a grand gesture..."

The moment this cultivator from the Du clan stood there, he exuded an aura of imposing grandeur, like a majestic and awe-inspiring mountain.

This person was deliberately showing off his cultivation level. Through the window of the private room, Bai Zichen could tell that this person had already reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage. The feeling he gave him was somewhat similar to when he was facing Old Ancestor Yang.

"This is the twelfth son of the Du family. He is younger than me and has already completed the Foundation Establishment stage for several years... He is one of the most valued disciples of the Du family and is said to be expected to advance to the Core Formation stage within thirty years."

Jin Lu indeed knew Du very well and quickly explained the man's life story.

“Every thirty years, the Immortal City holds a large-scale auction featuring third-tier treasures. At that time, a large number of Core Formation cultivators will come to the auction. Only then will the Du Clan send two Core Formation members to preside over the auction.”

What a grand display!
Bai Zichen looked at Du Family Twelfth Brother in the room. This auction had opened three layers of private boxes, which meant that there were Core Formation Realm cultivators present.

The Du family's meaning was clear: one clansman who had reached the Foundation Establishment stage was enough to keep the situation in check.

Of course, even if only one Qi Refining clansman from the Du family came to Zengguang Immortal City, no one would dare to act recklessly at the auction.

At most, they might mutter a few complaints to themselves, feeling that they weren't being taken seriously.

"The first item in the second round of auction is the Golden Jade Heart Pill... a total of one hundred pills, with a starting bid of three thousand spirit stones per pill."

Du Shierlang only served as an announcer, without mentioning the efficacy or function of the auction items.

Fortunately, the cultivators can explain in detail as long as they touch the water mirror.

The Golden Jade Heart Pill is effective on the first use, extending lifespan by twenty years.

"In recent years, the longevity herb has become hard to find, and the production of the Golden Jade Heart Pill has dropped significantly... I thought that the Du family would not release longevity pills at this auction, or at least the quantity would be reduced, but I didn't expect it to be a hundred pills at a time."

Jin Lu is in his prime and has no need for longevity elixirs.

However, considering that the longevity herb, the main ingredient for refining various longevity pills, is gradually becoming scarce and the price of each longevity pill is rising, he hesitated again.

Perhaps we should act sooner and prepare one in advance?
"I've heard that the Golden Jade Heart Pill is the most common second-tier longevity pill, and it's often sold in the Wanbao Pavilion?"

Bai Zichen noticed that what Jin Lu said didn't match what he knew, so he asked curiously.

"That was true thirty years ago, but things are different now."

Jin Lu patted his belly and said with a hint of smugness, "All longevity pills require the third-grade spiritual herb, the Longevity Grass. The reason why the Golden Jade Heart Pill was the most popular and inexpensive was precisely because its formula required the least amount of Longevity Grass... But thirty years ago, a secret medicinal garden in Liang Kingdom collapsed, and the Longevity Grass on the market suddenly disappeared by more than half, which led to a sharp increase in the price of all longevity pills."

He was transferred to the Alchemy Hall and coveted the position of Hall Master, so naturally he had to demonstrate his alchemy skills to win over the people.

Although his alchemy skills were mediocre, he paid close attention to the price changes of various alchemy materials, and naturally he would not miss the news of the sharp drop in the production of the Longevity Grass.

Jin Lu picked up his brush and wrote a price of four thousand spirit stones on the water mirror, and continued, "The fact that the Du family released a hundred Golden Jade Heart Pills without any concern under these circumstances can only mean one thing: their herb garden secret realm is probably of the highest grade, where spiritual herbs only need one-fifth of the growth time in the outside world!"

The secret realms controlled by each faction are all top-level secrets, and outsiders can only know the general outline.

The secret realm of the Myriad Beasts Sect, which produces Core Formation spiritual items, is an exception.

Not long after it was discovered, a traitor within the sect spread the news that the sect could condense two hundred drops of Pure Spirit Jade Marrow every sixty years, immediately making the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect the target of everyone's criticism.

If the secret medicinal garden of the Du family can shorten the growth time of spiritual herbs to one-fifth, it means that a thousand-year-old golden crown lingzhi planted there can mature in just two hundred years.

By planting several rounds at different times, you can ensure a stable harvest of Golden Crown Ganoderma lucidum every so often.

This is why a stable medicinal garden and secret realm is regarded by sects and aristocratic families as the starting point for their eternal foundation.

Bai Zichen's eyes flickered, feeling that Jin Lu knew too much about the Du family.

There's something strange about why a Core Formation level sect from a remote border region hundreds of thousands of miles away, which has absolutely no connection to the Du family, the number one cultivation family controlling the Immortal City, would pay so much attention to and collect so much information about it.

Once the auction time was over, the golden jade heart elixir on the water mirror faded, and no notification message appeared.

This proves that Jin Lu's bid of four thousand spirit stones did not even make it into the top hundred, meaning he had no chance of winning this longevity elixir.

"The price was too low! It should have been several hundred spirit stones higher!"

Jin Lu slapped his thigh and said regretfully.

He still failed to judge the market trend and did not expect that the sharp drop in the production of longevity grass would bring such a sense of urgency to the older cultivators so quickly.

With the auction of the Golden Jade Heart Pill at this event, unless new sources of longevity herbs are discovered, the price of longevity pills will only continue to rise.

The fear of death is not only felt by mortals, but is also deeply ingrained in the hearts of every cultivator.

After the longevity pill, two more elixirs appeared to enhance cultivation, including the Nine-Turn Dragon-Tiger Pill that Bai Zichen had taken.

However, the auction was much more generous, with 300 pieces available at once, and they were auctioned off in groups of three.

It corresponds exactly to the early, middle, and late stages of Foundation Establishment. One pill is taken for each stage, and the starting bid for each set is three thousand spirit stones.

(End of this chapter)