The Longevity Family: Starting from the Foundation Establishment Ancestor

Three days later, the Wanbaolou auction.

Holding a golden invitation, Han Li followed the crowd into the building. The Wanbao Tower stood seven stories high, entirely constructed of white jade, with carved beams and painted rafters, exuding an extraordinary grandeur. Today's auction was being held on the third floor, accommodating over a thousand people.

After showing his invitation, Han Li was led to a private room on the second floor. The room was small but elegantly decorated, with tea, fruit, and snacks, as well as a water mirror from which the auction stage could be clearly seen.

"Fellow Daoist Han has arrived early." Han Xuan's voice came from behind. He was already sitting in the main seat in the private room, leisurely sipping tea.

"Senior." Han Li bowed. He was secretly surprised that he hadn't noticed when Han Xuan had entered.

"Please sit down, the auction is about to begin." Han Xuan gestured for him to sit down.

Not long after Han Li sat down, the auction officially began. A middle-aged cultivator in a brocade robe walked onto the auction stage; he possessed late-stage Core Formation cultivation and an extraordinary demeanor.

"Welcome, fellow Daoists, to the Wanbaolou Auction. I am Jin Buhuan, and I will be hosting the auction today." Jin Buhuan's loud voice echoed throughout the hall. "Without further ado, the first item for auction is a bottle of ten third-grade pills called 'Ningyuan Pills,' with a starting bid of one thousand mid-grade spirit stones."

"One thousand one!"

"One thousand and two!"

"One thousand and five!"

Bidding was in full swing. The Condensing Essence Pill, a commonly used elixir for Core Formation cultivators, aided in cultivation and stabilized their power, making it very popular. It was ultimately sold for 2,300 spirit stones.

Several more magical artifacts, talismans, and materials were auctioned off, each fetching several thousand spirit stones. Han Li was secretly astonished; prices in the Great Jin Dynasty were indeed much higher than in Tiannan, but the quality was also better.

"The next item up for auction is a demon core from a fourth-tier demon beast, the Golden-Winged Eagle. It is well-preserved and brimming with demonic energy, making it an excellent material for refining cultivation-enhancing pills. Starting bid: 5,000 spirit stones."

"Five thousand five!"

"Six thousand!"

Han Li's heart stirred. The Golden-Winged Eagle was a metal-attribute demon beast, and its demon core would be helpful for his cultivation of the Azure Origin Sword Technique, but the price was too high, so he had to give it up.

The demon core was eventually sold for 8,500 spirit stones.

The auction lasted for an hour, with dozens of items sold, and the atmosphere grew increasingly heated. Han Li noticed that bidding could be heard intermittently from the private boxes on the second and third floors; those were the real big buyers.

"Next up is one of today's highlights," Jin Buhuan raised his voice, "a piece of top-grade metal-attribute material—Geng Essence, weighing two and a half pounds, with a purity of over 90%. The starting bid is 15,000 mid-grade spirit stones!"

A jade plate rose from the center of the auction stage, on which lay a fist-sized piece of metal with a pale golden luster—Geng Jing.

"Sixteen thousand!"

"Eighteen thousand!"

"Twenty thousand!"

As soon as Geng Essence appeared, bidding erupted. Top-grade metal materials are already scarce, and such a large piece of Geng Essence is enough to forge a superior magic weapon, attracting numerous sword cultivators and weapon refiners to compete for it.

Han Li looked at Han Xuan and saw that the other party was calm and did not seem to be in a hurry.

The price quickly climbed to 30,000 spirit stones.

"Thirty-five thousand!" A voice came from a private room on the third floor.

"Forty thousand!" came the reply from another private room.

"Forty-five thousand!"

"fifty thousand!"

After the price broke through 50,000, the bidding gradually subsided. After all, 50,000 mid-grade spirit stones was no small sum; it was enough to buy an ordinary ancient treasure.

"Fifty-five thousand." Han Xuan finally spoke, his voice coming through the array in the private room, calm but clear.

The room fell silent. Fifty-five thousand—this price was already above market value.

"Fifty-five thousand once, fifty-five thousand twice..." Jin Buhuan was about to bring down the hammer.

"Sixty thousand!" A cold voice rang out from another private room on the third floor.

Han Li looked at the private room and vaguely saw several people sitting inside. The one in the lead was an old man in black robes with a deep aura, who was actually at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

"Sixty-five thousand." Han Xuan continued to raise the price.

"Seventy thousand!" The old man in black robes seemed determined to get it.

"Eighty thousand." Han Xuan added another ten thousand directly.

The entire audience erupted in uproar. Buying a piece of Geng Essence for 80,000 mid-grade spirit stones was already somewhat insane.

The old man in black robes remained silent for a moment, and ultimately did not make another bid.

"80,000 for the first time, 80,000 for the second time, 80,000 for the third time! Sold!" Jin Buhuan sealed the deal with a single blow.

Geng Jing was delivered to the private room. Han Xuan paid with spirit stones and handed Geng Jing to Han Li.

"Thank you, senior!" Han Li accepted the Geng Essence. It felt heavy in his hand, cool to the touch, and contained pure metallic spiritual energy.

"No need to thank me, just remember the conditions you agreed to." Han Xuan waved his hand.

The auction continued, and several more precious items were sold, but Han Li had lost interest. He carefully put away the Geng Essence, pondering how to refine it. With this Geng Essence, the quality of the Azure Thunder Sword could be greatly improved, perhaps even advancing it to the level of a high-grade magic weapon.

An hour later, the auction ended. Han Li and Han Xuan got up and left.

As soon as Han Li stepped out of Wanbaolou, he felt several unfriendly gazes on him. He felt a chill run down his spine, knowing that someone was targeting Geng Jing.

"Senior, someone is following us," Han Li transmitted his voice.

"Ignore it," Han Xuan said calmly. "Come with me."

The two walked through several streets and came to a quiet alley. Han Xuan stopped and turned to look behind him.

"Aren't you all tired after following us for so long?"

Three figures emerged from the shadows. It was the young master of the Zhao family who had previously competed with Han Li for the Geng Essence, along with his two guards. In addition, there were two black-robed cultivators, their auras chilling, clearly at the late Core Formation stage.

"Young Master Zhao, what do you mean by this?" Han Li asked in a deep voice.

"What do you mean?" Young Master Zhao sneered. "I've taken a liking to that piece of Geng Essence. Hand it over, and I'll spare your lives."

"The highest bidder wins at the auction, that's the rule," Han Li said.

"Rules?" Young Master Zhao laughed. "In Qingyang City, the Zhao family's word is law! Elder Chen, Elder Li, thank you for your help."

Two black-robed cultivators stepped forward, releasing their early-stage Nascent Soul aura. These two were actually Nascent Soul cultivators, and although they were only at the early stage, they were enough to crush Core Formation cultivators.

"The Zhao family is quite arrogant, actually sending two Nascent Soul cultivators to deal with two Core Formation cultivators." Han Xuan finally spoke, his tone laced with sarcasm.

"You..." Young Master Zhao was about to speak when he was stopped by a black-robed cultivator.

"Fellow Daoist, hand over the Geng Essence, and this matter will be dropped," Elder Chen said in a deep voice. He couldn't see through Han Xuan's cultivation level, but someone who could casually take out 80,000 spirit stones was definitely not simple, and he didn't want to make an enemy of him easily.

"What if I don't hand it in?" Han Xuan asked.

"Then don't blame me for being impolite." Elder Chen's face darkened, and he raised his hand to strike out with a palm. This palm strike seemed casual, but it contained the terrifying power of an early Nascent Soul cultivator. The palm wind transformed into a giant hand, grabbing towards Han Xuan.

Han Xuan neither dodged nor evaded, and instead struck out with his own palm.

"boom!"

Their palms collided, creating a shockwave. Elder Chen's expression changed drastically; he staggered back three steps, his arm going numb. Han Xuan, however, remained unmoved, his expression unchanged.

"You...you're at the mid-Nascent Soul stage!" Elder Chen exclaimed in shock. To be able to withstand his palm strike so easily, one must be at least at the mid-Nascent Soul stage.

"It's too late to know now." Han Xuan took a step forward, stood in front of Elder Chen, and pointed a finger at him.

"No—" Elder Chen tried to resist, but the finger struck him between the eyebrows with lightning speed.

"puff!"

A bloody hole appeared between Elder Chen's eyebrows, his eyes quickly dimmed, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud, his soul and spirit annihilated.

Seeing this, the other Elder Li turned to flee. Han Xuan flicked his finger, and a sword aura, though arriving later, pierced through the elder's heart.

Two Nascent Soul cultivators perished in the blink of an eye.

The young master of the Zhao family and his two guards were terrified. They never imagined that the two Nascent Soul elders would die like this.

"Senior...Senior, spare my life!" Young Master Zhao knelt down and begged for mercy.

"Get out," Han Xuan said coldly.

"Yes! Yes!" The three of them felt as if they had been granted a pardon and scrambled away.

Han Xuan put away the storage bags of the two Nascent Soul cultivators and looked at Han Li: "Let's go, this place is not safe to stay for long."

The two transformed into streaks of light and left Qingyang City.

After flying a hundred miles, Han Xuan stopped and handed Han Li a jade slip: "These are the first three levels of the 'Primordial Chaos Sword Technique.' Take them and study them. This sword technique does not conflict with the 'Azure Origin Sword Technique,' so you can cultivate both."

Han Li accepted the jade slip, his heart filled with gratitude: "Thank you, Senior!"

"I'm returning to Tiannan. You continue your travels in the Great Jin Dynasty, but be careful," Han Xuan said. "Remember, when your strength is insufficient, keep a low profile. If you encounter a life-or-death crisis, you can use the Ten Thousand Mile Communication Talisman."

"I understand," Han Li said solemnly.

Han Xuan nodded, and with a flicker, disappeared into the horizon.

Han Li gazed in the direction he had left, a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex feeling of mixed emotions, often including admiration and regret). This senior Han Xuan acted mysteriously, appearing and disappearing without a trace, yet he had indeed taken good care of him. He gathered his thoughts, chose a direction, and continued his travels.

Meanwhile, in the Qingxu Mountains, Han Mu opened his eyes.

"System, check the current status."

[Host: Han Mu]

[Cultivation Level: Mid-stage True Nascent Soul / Early-stage Nascent Soul]

[Cultivation Techniques: Sixth level (mid-stage) of the Primordial Longevity Technique, Fourth level of the Heaven-Gathering Divine Technique, and the Nine Revolutions Undying Body (not yet cultivated)]

[Supernatural Abilities: Lesser Five Elements Sword Formation, Primordial Chaos Qi, Heaven-Gathering Technique]

[Avatars: Han Bai (Peak Core Formation), Han Qing (Mid-Core Formation), Han Xuan (Early Nascent Soul)]

[Family: Han Family]

Family members: 5127

Foundation Establishment cultivators: 115

Core Formation cultivators: 5 (Han Yunge added)

Nascent Soul cultivator: 1 person

[Special Buildings: Spirit Eye Spring, Heart Refining Tower, Skill Transmission Pavilion, Enlightenment Cliff]

[Family Talents: Bloodline Resonance, Protection of Fortune]

[Contribution Points: 44000]

[Clan Rise Quest Progress: Core Formation Cultivators 5/10, Nascent Soul Cultivators 1/3]

"Yun Ge has formed her core, not bad." Han Mu nodded in satisfaction. Han Yun Ge possesses dual spiritual roots of wood and fire, and has outstanding talent in alchemy. Now that she has formed her core, she can become a pillar of the Han family's alchemy path.

"However, the mission is still far from complete, and we need to speed things up."

He looked eastward, a profound glint in his eyes.

It's time to reconnect with those old guys.