23: Chapter 23: Acquiring the Beast Essence Pill Formula, Building Up Resources!

Before long, Shi Jian returned to the small courtyard rented by Sun Boan and his group in the market.

Sun Boan was leading several clansmen in counting today's ledger. The Spirit Stones in the shop were piled up like a small mountain, their spiritual light flickering and making everyone's Faces glow.

Shi Jian transformed into the size of an ordinary black bear, slowly walked to the old locust tree in the courtyard, lay down, and silently regulated his breathing, meditating to calm his Qi.

"Old Ancestor, you're back."

Sun Boan put down the ledger and went to greet him. "The entry pass for the auction in two days has been purchased. Please have a look."

Shi Jian didn't even lift his head, merely nodding slightly, seemingly indifferent.

"Keep it yourself. If you see any Legacy, Pill Formula, or Formation Plate at the auction that is useful to the Family, bid on it directly. Don't worry about the money."

"Money can never be fully earned, but only when it's spent to become the Family's foundation can it truly be called money."

Sun Boan nodded and accepted the order. He didn't dare ask what White Cloud Temple had invited Shi Jian to do, nor did he want to know, much less hear any news that might create a rift between them.

Now that the Sun Clan had finally gotten on the right track, Sun Boan, who had suffered his whole life, only wanted to maintain the status quo, which was already very good.

Cultivation...

In the end, it was a distant dream. The current stability and security were truly very, very good; at least they were still prosperous and had something to look forward to.

This was probably what it meant to know one's own joys and sorrows.

...

Three days later.

The White Cloud Immortal Market Inner Auction Pavilion.

This was a massive circular building with a white jade high platform in the center, surrounded by layers of private boxes and seats. The noise was deafening as Cultivators from all sides gathered.

Sun Boan sat in a small private box on the second floor, with Sun Changping and Sun Wanqing standing beside him.

The auctioneer was an old man at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment, wearing the Taoist robes of White Cloud Temple, with an arrogant expression.

"The first item: a Tier One High Grade Formation Plate, the 'Golden Light Earth-Covering Formation'. The starting price is three hundred Spirit Stones, with each bid increase no less than fifty!"

Sun Boan spoke up immediately: "Five hundred."

The hall went quiet for a moment. Buying a Tier One Formation Plate for five hundred Spirit Stones was a high price, even if there was a slight premium...

Furthermore, since the bid came from someone on the second floor, no one followed, and not many dared to compete.

The Formation Plate was naturally obtained smoothly.

Over the next hour, Sun Boan made frequent moves without any hesitation.

"Ten seeds of the Tier One High Grade spiritual plant, 'Purple Jade Bamboo', two hundred Spirit Stones!"

"A Tier One High Grade Talisman Legacy Incomplete Manual, five hundred Spirit Stones!"

"Tier One High Grade Artifact Refining Notes, one hundred and fifty Spirit Stones!"

Beside him, Sun Changping and Sun Wanqing watched with racing hearts. Money was flowing out like water, and the savings they had accumulated over the past few years were nearly being emptied!

Sun Boan, however, did not change his expression. His mind was now filled with the Old Ancestor's words: foundation!

This was the cornerstone of the Sun Clan's rise!

"Next item."

The auctioneer held up a Jade Slip. "A Tier Two Low Grade Pill Formula, 'beast origin pill'. This pill is specifically used to strengthen the foundation and nurture the essence of Spirit Beasts and Yao Beasts, and can be used to purify demonic power. Starting price, eight hundred Spirit Stones!"

Hearing this, the reaction in the hall was mediocre.

Beast-taming legacies were already scarce in Baiyun Prefecture, and families that could afford to raise Tier Two Spirit Beasts were even rarer. Buying this Pill Formula would be purely useless.

Sun Boan's eyes, however, lit up.

Their Old Ancestor was a Yao Beast!

Moreover, their Family had just started the business of spirit pet mice. This 'beast origin pill' was practically tailor-made for them. Even if no one in the Family could currently refine Tier Two Medicinal Pills, keeping it would still be an extremely precious Legacy.

"Eight hundred and fifty!"

Just as Sun Boan placed his bid, a Loose Cultivator in the first-floor hall made a tentative increase:

"Nine hundred."

"One thousand!"

Sun Boan's brow furrowed slightly, but he didn't hesitate to raise the price by another hundred Spirit Stones. Seeing this, the Loose Cultivator shut his mouth, not daring to compete further.

The Pill Formula was naturally secured smoothly!

The auction gradually entered its second half, and the atmosphere in the hall grew heavy. Everyone knew that the real highlights were coming.

The auctioneer tapped his Storage Pouch, and an exquisite purple-gold jade box floated before him.

The lid popped open, and a dense medicinal fragrance instantly swept through the hall. It was a pill the size of a longan, perfectly round, with a faint purple Qi flowing over its surface.

"foundation establishment pill!"

Heavy breathing could be heard throughout the hall.

Several powerful Divine Sense fluctuations also emanated from the various private boxes on the second floor.

The dozen or so Cultivators at the Peak of Qi Refining in the hall, whether they were Loose Cultivators or from various families, all had bloodshot eyes!

"This old man won't waste words."

"One foundation establishment pill. The starting price is ten thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, with each bid increase no less than one hundred Spirit Stones. Let the bidding begin!"

"Ten thousand five hundred!"

"Eleven thousand!"

"Eleven thousand five hundred!"

The price skyrocketed. In just over ten breaths, it broke the thirteen thousand mark, which was basically the limit for a foundation establishment pill.

After that, it would depend on who was willing to cut their own flesh!

Sun Boan sat in his box, coldly watching the distorted Faces of the Cultivators.

Once upon a time, he had been one of them, dreaming of obtaining this pill for the sake of longevity and that class-transcending power.

But now, he only felt a sense of lingering fear.

Fourteen thousand one hundred Spirit Stones!

This price could almost buy the entire Sun Clan. It was essentially bankrupting the Family and selling everything they owned for less than a thirty percent chance of Foundation Establishment?

"Clan Chief..."

Sun Changping swallowed hard beside him, his voice trembling.

"Look closely."

Sun Boan's tone was calm. "This is the cruelty of the cultivation world—betting the lives of the entire clan for a nebulous possibility."

"Our Sun Clan will not take this dead-end path."

"Fourteen thousand five hundred Spirit Stones!" An aged voice rang out from a large private box on the second floor; it clearly belonged to an old monster whose Lifespan was nearly exhausted.

"I am from the Li Family of Heyang County. I hope everyone will give me some Face."

"Old Man Li, in an auction, the item goes to the highest bidder. How much is your Face worth? Fifteen thousand!" another gruff voice rang out.

Sun Boan shook his head.

Fifteen thousand Spirit Stones had already exceeded the value of the foundation establishment pill itself. The refinement cost of one such pill was only around six to eight thousand Spirit Stones.

This price was almost double the cost of the raw materials for a foundation establishment pill!

In the end, this foundation establishment pill was taken by a masked Cultivator for the astronomical price of fifteen thousand five hundred Spirit Stones, which was nothing short of madness.

The auction came to a close.

Sun Boan returned to the small courtyard with a pile of Jade Slips, Formation Plates, and spiritual seeds. This trip had cost over two thousand Spirit Stones, depleting more than half of the Sun Clan's liquid funds.

But he felt more secure than ever before.

"Old Ancestor, everything has been purchased." Sun Boan presented the Storage Pouch with both hands.

Shi Jian swept it with his Divine Sense and nodded in satisfaction.

"You've worked hard these past few days. Pack your things. We return to Hongtian City tomorrow morning. After that, develop steadily; only those who can keep their cool have a future."

Sun Boan took his leave, his eyes filled with unprecedented determination.

Shi Jian lay under the tree, looking up at the night sky.

From the direction of the Main Peak of White Cloud Mountain, extremely strong Spiritual Qi fluctuations were faintly coming through. Although they were quickly masked by a Formation, Shi Jian's Divine Soul was extraordinary, and he could vaguely sense them.

Can the Golden Core Old Ancestor's injury no longer be suppressed?

Shi Jian grinned. Signs of chaos in Baiyun Prefecture were already appearing. The small boat that was the Sun Clan needed to be reinforced quickly, otherwise, they would only have had a few comfortable years.

Having to start planning all over again would be a real pain.