Cultivation begins with alchemy and collecting runes.

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuyuan's mind stirred.

Write down this person's appearance.

"Um!"

The pavilion master responded extremely coldly, his tone flat.

He then continued walking downstairs.

"Fellow Daoist Li, what are you doing here?"

Suddenly, Xiao Huo, who was standing next to him, spoke up.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, I'd like to buy something here."

A smile appeared on Li Xiuyuan's face as he looked at Xiao Huo and said.

The Lingbao Pavilion Master asked Xiao Huo with a strange expression.

"Master Xiao, do you know him?"

Xiao Huo nodded and introduced him, "This is my close friend, Fellow Daoist Li Xiuyuan."

He then introduced Li Xiuyuan, saying, "This is Feng Qingyang, the head of the Lingbao Pavilion."

Li Xiuyuan bowed respectfully and said, "Greetings, Pavilion Master Feng."

"Fellow Daoist Li is a good friend of Master Xiao Fu. We can address each other as fellow Daoist, no need to be so polite."

The fact that this person was recognized as a "close friend" by Master Xiao Fu is enough to prove that he has some skills.

Compared to before, Feng Qingyang's attitude has reversed.

"Speaking of which, Fellow Daoist Li put in a lot of effort when I deposited that second-tier divine sword talisman for sale at your esteemed establishment!"

Xiao Huo said this.

Feng Qingyang looked surprised. "There's such a thing?"

His gaze towards Li Xiuyuan held a newfound scrutiny. "Fellow Daoist Li, are you also a talisman master?"

"No, Fellow Daoist Li is an alchemist. His Mind-Clearing Pill and Qi-Nourishing Pill are quite famous in the market. My spiritual plant was able to advance in its cultivation thanks to Fellow Daoist Li's Spirit-Gathering Powder."

Xiao Huo looked at Li Xiuyuan and said with a smile.

"Inform the Pavilion Master that Fellow Daoist Li is an external alchemist of our Lingbao Pavilion. The top-grade Qi-Nourishing Pills and Mind-Clearing Pills that have received excellent reviews in the pavilion recently were all made by Fellow Daoist Li!"

Pang Dehai was shocked. He never imagined that Fellow Daoist Li would have dealings with this esteemed Fellow Daoist Xiao.

The two seem to have a very close relationship.

It should be noted that the Pavilion Master had repeatedly invited Master Xiao Fu to serve as the Chief Guest Elder, but the latter had declined with various reasons.

"Oh, I've heard of you before, but I never expected to have the pleasure of meeting Fellow Daoist Li today!"

Feng Qingyang seemed to be deep in thought, then gave Li Xiuyuan a warm smile.

Seeing the slightly awkward atmosphere, Li Xiuyuan bowed to Xiao Huo and said, "I have other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave without disturbing you."

"Fellow Daoist Li, I was just about to invite you to the auction. If you're free right now, why don't you come with me and join the fun?"

Xiao Huo walked up to Li Xiuyuan with a smile and extended an invitation.

"An auction?"

Li Xiuyuan was stunned for a moment, then pondered for a long time.

"That's right, it's an auction! They might even be selling magical artifacts, spiritual materials, and demonic beasts from the Black Wind Valley ruins!"

Xiao Huo's tone was incredibly seductive, as if he was certain that Li Xiuyuan would not refuse.

Then a voice transmission drifted into Li Xiuyuan's ears, "Fellow Daoist Li, there are many good items at this auction, shall we go and take a look?"

The next moment, Li Xiuyuan nodded in agreement, with a slight smile: "I will then disturb Fellow Daoist Feng and Fellow Daoist Xiao."

"It's alright!"

After the three men left, Pang Dehai rolled up his sleeves and wiped the fine sweat from his forehead.

"I should get closer to Fellow Daoist Li in the future."

"I never imagined that a reclusive cultivator like Fellow Daoist Li could befriend such a prodigy..."

……

The three of them walked together and left Lingbao Pavilion.

In less than half an hour.

We arrived at the core of the inner city's "commercial district," the Jubao Chamber of Commerce Auction House.

One of the businesses under the Blazing Fire Sect.

"Greetings, Pavilion Master Feng."

"Master Xiao Fu".

Several sword-wielding, armored sword cultivators stood respectfully at the entrance, clearly there to welcome Feng Qingyang.

Li Xiuyuan followed the two men smoothly into the auction house.

At the entrance was a large hall, more than ten feet long and wide.

In the center is a platform that is five or six zhang high.

The hall is neatly arranged with chairs surrounding the high platform.

Above the platform, there is a ring of air, divided into three levels, with the top level consisting of private rooms of various sizes and exquisite protection.

Each private room has a small transparent window, offering a commanding view of everything happening on stage.

Li Xiuyuan and his companion were led by Feng Qingyang to a private room on the third floor, where they had a wide view.

They also sent two portions of fine spiritual tea and snacks.

Li Xiuyuan and Xiao Huo sat at the same table, each sipping tea.

"Fellow Daoist Li, do you have any items for auction that Fellow Daoist Feng can list for sale on your behalf?"

Xiao Huo took a sip of spiritual tea and said to Li Xiuyuan.

Li Xiuyuan smiled and said, "I'm just here for the fun. Is there anything for sale?"

Before long, the hall was filled with cultivators.

Most of them were in the middle or late stages of Qi Refining, and more than ten cultivators who had reached the Qi Refining Perfection stage also came.

Half an incense stick later.

The auction has begun.

A beautiful female nun wearing a peony-patterned, high-slit cheongsam stepped onto the stage.

The simple demonstration of the "weapon" subsequently elicited laughter from many male cultivators.

The atmosphere was built to a climax before the auction of the first item began.

The beautiful female cultivator smiled charmingly and opened the jade box on the stage.

A yellow talisman with a restrained spiritual light and a profound aura was displayed before everyone.

"A first-grade top-quality Divine Escape Talisman, made primarily of the feathers of a mid-grade demon beast with the bloodline of a Wind Chime Sparrow. Activating the talisman allows one to instantly escape three miles away, avoiding the divine sense detection of cultivators below the Foundation Establishment stage."

"As usual, the starting bid is one hundred spirit stones, and each bid must be at least fifty spirit stones higher."

"Fellow cultivators who do not have enough spirit stones can use equivalent spirit items to offset the cost."

"One hundred and fifty spirit stones!"

In the front row of the hall, a veiled monk dressed in a white robe spoke.

"Two hundred and fifty spirit stones!"

Just as the female cultivator described, it was a top-grade first-tier escape talisman.

This object can travel three miles in an instant, which is enough to make it a top-grade talisman, not to mention that it can also shield the divine sense of cultivators below the Foundation Establishment stage for thirty breaths.

It can be considered a treasure for cultivators in the Qi Refining stage.

The constant bidding in the hall pushed the price of talismans to its peak!

"Five hundred spirit stones!"

……

Looking at the bustling auction hall, Li Xiuyuan felt a mix of emotions.

He only had six hundred spirit stones and pills on him.

He thought he was already quite wealthy, but compared to the cultivators present, he was nothing.

Still not working hard enough at alchemy!

Ultimately, the talisman was acquired by a burly man in the late stage of Qi Refining for a high price of seven hundred spirit stones.

The beautiful female cultivator winked at the burly man and said with a charming smile, "Congratulations, fellow Daoist. Please proceed to the side hall for the handover."

He was extremely pleased with the successful start; the seven hundred spirit stones were a good omen.

"Next item to be auctioned."

"Superior-grade magic sword, Crimson Flame Sword."

"Starting bid: 500 spirit stones."

"I'll offer six hundred!"

"Seven hundred!"

"Nine hundred!"

……

Li Xiuyuan was extremely tempted by the fire-type magic sword on the high platform, but unfortunately he was short of money.

As time goes by.

One by one, these priceless treasures were auctioned off at exorbitant prices.

Li Xiuyuan sighed inwardly.

It truly lives up to its name, "Treasure Auction," as every item sold is a gem.

"I'm not sure about the next item up for auction."

"It was brought out by a cultivator from an ancient cave."

"Please look, everyone!"

The beautiful female cultivator unlocked the jade box's seal.

A piece of animal bone the size of a palm was presented to everyone present.

The animal bones were unremarkable, with nothing particularly remarkable about them.

Everyone present looked at each other in bewilderment, wondering what this object was.

"The Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce invited many experts in treasure appraisal to examine this item. It appears to be a fragment of an ancient mythical beast's bone, impervious to counterfeit goods, and even activating magical artifacts would not harm it in the slightest."

"Perhaps by asking a master craftsman to forge it, we can create an unparalleled treasure?"

"Starting bid: 100 spirit stones!"

After the beautiful female cultivator finished speaking, the audience fell silent.

The atmosphere instantly plummeted to freezing point.

"No one's bidding? This item will go unsold!"

Her voice carried a hint of regret as she was about to strike the auction bell.

Someone made a bid in the hall.

"One hundred and fifty!"

"two hundred!"

"Two hundred and fifty!"

"Two hundred and fifty-two times!"

Just as the beautiful female cultivator was about to shout out for the third time.

Li Xiuyuan called out the price: "Three hundred and fifty!"

Xiao Huo, standing to the side, looked at Li Xiuyuan with a face full of surprise and asked, "Could it be that Fellow Daoist Li recognizes this item?"

Li Xiuyuan smiled calmly, "I don't recognize it. I just find this thing novel because it can withstand the blows of a magic weapon. I plan to buy it to study it."

Li Xiuyuan was certain that this item and the beast bone that Huang Dali had given him originated from the same source!

He was determined to get this animal bone!

"Three hundred and fifty-one times!"

"Three hundred and fifty-two times!"

"Three hundred and fifty-three times! Sold! Congratulations, fellow Daoist."

Li Xiuyuan was overjoyed, but he hadn't expected to get the beast bones so easily.

It's likely that the animal bones were too small, and the cultivators present felt they wouldn't be of much use in refining weapons.

"The next item to be auctioned is the last item in this auction."

The beautiful female cultivator smiled and opened the jade box, revealing an exquisite jade talisman to everyone.

"Second-tier low-grade talisman—Divine Sword Talisman!"

"Personally crafted by Xiao Huo, a second-tier talisman master from the Lingbao Pavilion!"

"This talisman seals the full power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator's 'Divine Sword Qi'. This spell is a superior second-tier spell, known for its powerful offensive capabilities."

"Even a cultivator in the early stages of Foundation Establishment could suffer great damage from this spell if they are careless."

The beautiful female cultivator then explained the second-tier divine sword talisman in detail.

A deafening roar of bids erupted in the venue.

After several rounds of intense bidding, the deal was finally decided.

The late-stage Qi Refining cultivator acquired the divine sword talisman for a thousand spirit stones.

Feng Qingyang, standing beside him, wore a satisfied smile.

He exchanged a few pleasantries with Xiao Huo, then turned and left to handle the follow-up matters.

The auction has ended.

Li Xiuyuan and Xiao Huo left together.

After this auction, Li Xiuyuan's desire to break through to become a high-grade alchemist grew even stronger.

Putting aside everything else, the various kinds of pills that appeared at the venue were sold at extremely high prices, often costing hundreds or even thousands of spirit stones.

What surprised him even more was that Xiao Huo was a dual practitioner of both spiritual plants and talismans.

Some even reached the second-tier level in talisman-making skills, earning thousands of spirit stones for a single talisman.

"Is this what a cultivation genius is like?!"

Li Xiuyuan was deeply moved.

"I also want to refine such a valuable elixir!"

Li Xiuyuan was thinking to himself that he would go into seclusion after returning this time, and he would not leave until he became a mid-grade alchemist!

"Fellow Daoist Xiao... You can draw second-tier talismans, could it be that you have already successfully established your foundation?"

Li Xiuyuan spoke respectfully, and his gaze toward Xiao Huo held a hint of reverence.

After all, the person in front of him was likely a Foundation Establishment cultivator, so it wasn't surprising that he, a mere Qi Refining cultivator, would adopt a humble attitude.

"Fellow Daoist Li, why test me? There's no need for such tactics between us. I, Xiao, draw the Divine Sword Talisman by borrowing external power; I'm still far from being a second-tier Talisman Master. Besides, how easy is it to achieve Foundation Establishment? Have you ever heard of a Foundation Establishment cultivator in their twenties?"

Xiao Huo rolled his eyes, chuckled, and put his arm around Li Xiuyuan's shoulder. "Come on, we made a small profit today. I'll take you to Ling Shan Restaurant for a meal."