There is an explicit rule in the Taiyi Immortal Sect that an outer disciple, unless they have performed an act of immense merit, can only exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill once in their lifetime. There is no limit to the quantity, but only one opportunity.
The primary reason for this rule is to conserve and control the sect's limited cultivation resources.
For outer disciples who fail to reach the Foundation Establishment stage after their first attempt with a Foundation Establishment Pill, the probability of success on a second attempt is also slim. After several revisions, the higher-ups of the Taiyi Immortal Sect formulated this rule to give more outer disciples a chance to advance to the Foundation Establishment stage.
Wu Tao's plan was to first purchase this Foundation Establishment Pill and see if he could successfully establish his foundation after taking it. If he couldn't, he would find a way to obtain another one later…
This Foundation Establishment Pill was ultimately bought for two thousand five hundred spirit stones.
This far exceeded Wu Tao's bottom line…
Several hours had passed since the auction began. The seductive woman, still radiant and showing no signs of fatigue, stood on stage and announced in a clear voice, "Everyone, it's time for the auction of our next two showstopper items. We have prepared three items in total for this finale. One of them, as you all know, is the Foundation Establishment Pill. So, what will the second item be?"
The seductive woman on stage paused, piquing the curiosity of more people in the audience.
Seeing the curious gazes from below, the seductive woman smiled and abruptly unveiled the red silk covering the tray. On it lay a three-colored talisman emitting a not-weak spiritual power.
The three-colored halo flickered intermittently, and the various runes and formations on it seemed to come alive, lifelike.
"Is this…?"
"A Three-Colored Barrier-Breaking Talisman!"
"It's actually a Three-Colored Barrier-Breaking Talisman!"
…
A discerning cultivator in the auction hall recognized the item and let out a gasp, causing everyone in the audience to become even more excited.
The seductive woman, pleased with the excited reaction, extended her fair and delicate hands, as smooth as white jade, and signaled for quiet. Her voice, incredibly soft yet captivating, resounded again, "Indeed, this is a Three-Colored Barrier-Breaking Talisman. For any of you who have discovered the ruins of a cave dwelling left behind by the Primordial, Desolate, or Ancient eras, but were unable to enter due to formations, restrictions, or other reasons, and thus missed out on a great opportunity, this Three-Colored Barrier-Breaking Talisman can help you seize that immense fortune."
"The starting bid for the Three-Colored Barrier-Breaking Talisman is six hundred spirit stones. Each subsequent bid must be no less than fifty spirit stones."
Bids flooded in. Wu Tao suddenly realized that he might actually have a chance to bid for this Three-Colored Barrier-Breaking Talisman.
Because items like this, which are not always useful and some people might never use in their lifetime, are often regarded with curiosity rather than urgency.
It was precisely for this reason that, while the Three-Colored Barrier-Breaking Talisman was rare and precious, the number of people who needed it was not that large. Once the price reached a certain level, the enthusiasm of the audience would naturally wane compared to before.
…
After all, he had attended an auction and even spent an extra hundred spirit stones for a private room. Wu Tao felt unwilling to leave empty-handed.
…
Although the bidding price steadily climbed, reaching the milestone of one thousand spirit stones in a short time.
However, in the end, Wu Tao managed to acquire it for one thousand nine hundred spirit stones.
The third showstopper item was a top-tier auxiliary magical artifact called the Spirit Gathering Qi Condensing Disk, known in the cultivation world as an "immortal cultivation cheat code." This type of artifact is most suitable for aiding cultivation, especially by forcefully gathering surrounding spiritual energy and helping its owner cultivate at a faster speed, hence its name.
In terms of value alone, some considered it even higher than a Foundation Establishment Pill…
As expected, after the artifact's bidding began at one thousand five hundred spirit stones, it was highly sought after, rising all the way to two thousand eight hundred spirit stones. Finally, a cultivator in a private room acquired it for a high price of three thousand two hundred spirit stones.
With that, the auction concluded. The following time was for the attending cultivators to conduct private transactions. If they had nothing to exchange, they were naturally free to leave.
Having no other matters to attend to, Wu Tao gracefully departed.
He returned to his own cave dwelling.
…
The night was moonless, and the darkness was impenetrable. All was silent. In the vast market, there were few voices at this hour.
In a private room on the third floor of a restaurant facing the street, which catered specifically to cultivators.
A small piece of Moonlit Essence Stone, embedded in the ceiling, emitted a clear white light, illuminating the not-so-large room as if it were daylight.
Inside the room, Wu Tao and Chang Pingqian sat opposite each other, sipping fine tea and chatting leisurely.
It had been several days since Wu Tao completed the sect's assigned mission outside. Instead of immediately contacting his other friends from the sect or returning to his cave dwelling to meditate, he first sought out Chang Pingqian.
After all, there was an important matter ten days later, and he never believed that the joint exploration of an ancient cultivator's cave dwelling by several strangers would end harmoniously. He anticipated that a struggle filled with cunning and deception was inevitable.
While he wasn't worried, nor did he particularly care about schemes and intrigues, it was still necessary to conserve energy and make preparations.
If he were to report to the agreed-upon reef island now, the troublesome matters of mutual scheming, setting traps, and undermining each other would be unavoidable.
It was better to seek refuge here for some peace and quiet, allowing those despicable and cunning fellows to scheme against each other first, while he and Chang Pingqian enjoyed their tea. After all, to break into this ancient cultivator's cave dwelling, they would need the precious Three-Colored Barrier-Breaking Talisman he held.
Otherwise, for a few low-level cultivators at the Qi Refining stage to break through the formations and restrictions surrounding an ancient cultivator's cave dwelling would be nothing short of wishful thinking.
Even a damaged and decayed formation and restriction, weathered for tens of thousands of years, would be impossible to breach.
Wu Tao and Chang Pingqian were both outer disciples of the Taiyi Immortal Sect. Their relationship as fellow disciples naturally meant they got along better than others. Coupled with some shared interests and topics of conversation, they often met up.
…
Exploring the cave dwellings, ancient battlefields, sect ruins, secret realms, and small worlds left behind by cultivators from the Primordial, Desolate, and Ancient eras has always been a favorite pastime of cultivators.
This is not only because these ancient cultivation sites contain precious treasures, spiritual materials, spirit herbs, elixirs, and ores…
But also important texts such as cultivation techniques, secret arts, divine abilities, and complete inheritance systems.
The great cataclysms of the Primordial, Desolate, and Ancient eras resulted in the loss of too much in the vast cultivation world. The current cultivation world was rebuilt from shattered ruins, and its path is vastly different from that of the Primordial, Desolate, and Ancient eras, yet it remains a continuous lineage.
Once they made a discovery and gained insight through association, the benefits would be immense, to say the least.
Of course, when exploring ancient ruins containing precious treasures, the greatest dangers are often not the restrictions, formations, curses, or guardian spirit beasts within the ruins.
Instead, it is the covetous hearts and greed of one's companions, and the possibility of murder for treasure.
Under normal circumstances, when exploring and searching for ancient cultivator cave dwellings containing precious treasures, one would seek out fellow disciples or close friends to ensure a certain degree of safety.
However, Wu Tao's current expedition was different. Most of the people involved were not fellow disciples or friends, but strangers whose backgrounds were unknown. Even the guide and vanguard were strangers. To say there was little risk would be foolish.
Facing Chang Pingqian's worried inquiry, Wu Tao smiled slightly and waved his hand, saying, "It's fine. If Zhao Lei Yun behaves himself, then so be it. If he harbors ill intentions, then as a peak Qi Refining stage cultivator, I am not made of clay. The outcome of who will prevail remains to be seen."