Free Web NovelChapter 325: Chapter 198: Golden Core Pill
Occasionally, he would even spot a young couple nestled in a corner, whispering sweet nothings to each other.
"Youth is a wonderful thing!" Lü Zhong couldn’t help but sigh.
By his careful count, he was already eighty years old.
Even in his past life, an age like this would have meant he already had one foot in the grave.
Lost in thought, he found he had wandered onto Changchun Street.
It wasn’t the Lantern Festival, so the only people on the street were cultivators; not a single mortal was to be seen. Each one wore a Dharma Robe and shimmered with Spiritual Light, clear signs of their high status.
He recalled the last time he had come here, when he had been admiring the lanterns with Li Hejun and Yu Feng’Er.
He did not cultivate the Supreme Forgetful Path.
And so, at this moment, the sight before him couldn’t help but stir up sorrowful memories.
’My Core Formation is imminent. It’s about time I went to visit.’
Lü Zhong stopped, hailed a Beast Vehicle, and headed straight out of the city.
A nameless hillside, covered in blooming wildflowers.
It overlooked green mountains and clear waters.
The grave was impeccably maintained, without a single weed in sight.
As Lü Zhong knew, Yu Feng’Er had specifically assigned people to handle its upkeep.
He stared blankly at the elegant tomb.
’It has been twenty years since we parted, yet I always have the feeling you haven’t been reincarnated. What is going on?’ Lü Zhong had always harbored this strange feeling, and it grew clearer and stronger as his cultivation increased.
’Could it be that there’s no reincarnation in this world?’
But the ancient texts he had read clearly recorded many instances of people breaking through the veil of rebirth to recall their past lives. Each case was thoroughly corroborated and presented as a credible, true event.
He didn’t understand.
After adding some fresh soil to the grave mound, Lü Zhong didn’t rush to leave.
He stayed in the thatched hut.
That evening, Yu Feng’Er arrived as well.
And so, the two of them stayed until the last day of the month.
They finally departed only when the grand auction of the Changchun Domain was about to begin.
...
"...Our next auction item is a Golden Core Pill!"
Under the protection of two Golden Core Masters, the auctioneer cautiously opened a jade box. He displayed the pale green Pill inside to the audience, immediately causing an uproar.
"I’m sure I don’t need to elaborate on the effects of the Golden Core Pill, the supreme treasure for Core Formation."
"...The starting bid is two hundred thousand Spirit Stones, with a minimum increment of one thousand."
"I declare the bidding open!"
The atmosphere in the auction hall instantly reached a fever pitch.
Cultivators who had come prepared—whether representing their clans, their Sects, or bidding for their own chance at Core Formation—began to bid frantically, driving the price up.
"Two hundred and ten thousand!"
"I’ll bid two hundred and fifty!"
"Three hundred thousand!"
...
Truly living up to its reputation as a supreme treasure for Core Formation, the Golden Core Pill drew fierce bids from the cultivators. The price for the first one soared to three hundred and fifty thousand Spirit Stones, and it was still climbing with no sign of slowing down.
In their private box, Yu Feng’Er nervously squeezed Lü Zhong’s hand.
She had never seen an auction this frenzied before.
Just then, a large, warm hand rested on her head.
"Don’t worry. We’ve prepared enough Spirit Stones this time. We’ll definitely be able to win a Golden Core Pill," Lü Zhong said with a soft laugh, his voice filled with confidence.
The achievements of the Chengde Commerce Association to date were no less than the century-long accumulation of a Foundation Establishment Clan.
Adding his own occasional windfalls into the mix, acquiring a Golden Core Pill wouldn’t be a problem.
’The price of a single Golden Core Pill is on par with a Tier One Small Spirit Vein. It’s truly a bit frightening.’ Seeing the price rise to four hundred thousand Spirit Stones, Lü Zhong made his first bid.
"Four hundred and fifty thousand Spirit Stones!"
The average closing price for a Golden Core Pill was typically in this range.
After a few more bids, the price reached four hundred and eighty thousand Spirit Stones. By now, only a few private boxes were still competing, raising the bid by five thousand each time, as if trying to intimidate their rivals.
Seeing that they were about done, Lü Zhong set down his teacup and bid again:
"Five hundred thousand!"
"Five hundred thousand going once! Are there any other friends who wish to bid?"
"Five hundred thousand, going twice! Five hundred thousand... and for the third time!"
"Congratulations to this friend for winning the supreme treasure of Core Formation, the Go—lden—Core—Pill!" the auctioneer shouted, his face flushed with excitement. "Let us all congratulate this future Master!"
The atmosphere in the hall heated up once again, reaching a boiling point.
Lü Zhong activated the Silence Prohibition in the private box, let out a long breath, and leaned back on the chaise lounge.
For this Golden Core Pill, the Spirit Stones he had worked so hard to save were now completely gone. He had also used up the vast majority of the Chengde Commerce Association’s funds. The price he paid was by no means small.
KNOCK KNOCK! A light rap on the door.
A cultivator from Changchun Valley was delivering the Golden Core Pill.
The exchange was made, and the Golden Core Pill was in his hands.
He closed the door.
Lü Zhong took a deep breath, exchanged a look with Yu Feng’Er, and slowly opened the jade box in his hands.
Inside the box was a pale green Pill, its surface covered in Pill Patterns.
It was about the size of a longan.
Just inhaling a wisp of its fragrance made the True Essence in his body stir restlessly.
’That’s right, this is the Golden Core Pill!’ Lü Zhong was thrilled. He could feel his heart pounding wildly—THUMP, THUMP, THUMP. If he hadn’t been forcefully circulating the Ice Heart Mantra, he probably wouldn’t have even been able to hold the jade box steady.
He hadn’t even felt this way when he won the bid for Ganquan Island.
"My love, I think you should put it away quickly before its medicinal efficacy is lost. It could affect your Core Formation later!" Yu Feng’Er’s face was also flushed with excitement, but she still remembered to remind Lü Zhong.
"Mm," Lü Zhong replied, putting it away safely.
He then pulled Yu Feng’Er into his arms and whispered by her ear:
"Don’t you worry. This time, I will definitely succeed!"
