With the second-tier Rejuvenation Pill as the opener, the auction was officially heating up.
Following that, a large variety of first-tier pills and high-grade magic tools were gradually brought out to meet the needs of the numerous Qi Refining cultivators.
Although Li Ye had some top-tier magic tools in stock, he'd rather keep those to reward his subordinates and strengthen their combat abilities than put them up for auction.
At the very least, if they had stronger techniques and equipment, they'd be better equipped to handle trouble on their own instead of him having to step in and clean up every mess.
In between these, several rare second-tier pills were also auctioned off, such as the Detoxifying Pill used to dispel poisons, the Focus Pill that temporarily boosts spiritual strength, and the Essence Restoration Pill for replenishing mana.
These drew widespread enthusiasm from the cultivators present. Deng Tiancheng also placed bids from time to time, but he only successfully won one item.
The rest of the time, he mostly just ended up raising the price, much to the annoyance of the other Foundation Establishment cultivators.
But there were only a dozen or so Foundation Establishment cultivators attending the event in total, and unless someone was deliberately hiding their identity, most of them already knew who each other were.
Naturally, Deng Tiancheng had no intention of keeping a low profile. His identity and background were already known by the other cultivators.
They were either rogue cultivators or from small clans none of them could afford to provoke a newly risen genius disciple from a Golden Core sect.
Even if they were unhappy, most could only swallow it. At most, they might mutter some sarcastic remarks under their breath, but that was as far as they'd go.
This situation, however, left Duan Ruisheng who had come to play the part of a "planted bidder" quite frustrated.
He was supposed to help stir the bidding up, but compared to Deng Tiancheng's natural charisma and casual bids, his efforts seemed completely overshadowed.
His voice was practically drowned out in the excitement. He probably wouldn't even catch Li Ye's attention at this point.
He had even been prepared to shamelessly throw himself into the role, and yet things turned out like this…
After today's auction, it was likely that all the various cultivators would attempt to build connections with Li Ye. Under such circumstances, it would be even harder for someone like him to forge a relationship and gain any benefits.
But honestly, even without Deng Tiancheng, today's auction didn't need Duan Ruisheng to play the part of a shill.
Even though it was openly stated that more batches of the same pills would be released later, nobody held back during bidding.
Especially for the Focus Pill even though only one was auctioned off at a time, the competition for it was incredibly fierce!
This pill wasn't just useful to the Foundation Establishment cultivators present it could also assist Qi Refining cultivators in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage.
For them, consuming it didn't just mean a temporary increase in mental strength. It also left behind a portion of that improvement, and for those with strong spiritual foundations, there was even a slim chance it could stimulate the development of divine sense before reaching Foundation Establishment.
Of course, that chance was extremely low.
It can, however, help a cultivator reach the required level of spiritual strength when attempting to break through to Foundation Establishment that much it could definitely do!
Though it wasn't as potent as a Foundation Establishment Pill, it had the advantage of being made from more readily available spiritual herbs, which made it relatively more affordable. It even showed up in various auctions from time to time, making it a more accessible spiritual aid for Foundation Establishment overall.
So whether it was the Qi Refining cultivators eager to break through or the Foundation Establishment cultivators hoping to prepare resources for their juniors, no one was willing to give up such a pill easily.
The cultivators, who up until now had tacitly agreed to only bid using spiritual herb seeds or plants, finally began to bring out their stashed-away heritage scrolls, pill recipes, and secret techniques.
Even though many of these were of limited value or even things Li Ye had already obtained or found useless there were still treasures to be found among the dregs. More importantly, these people weren't stupid enough to offer complete trash and expect to fool him.
In the end, one cultivator managed to win the bid for the Focus Pill by offering a secret technique called the Jade Shatter Art, which allowed for a short-term explosion of spiritual power at the cost of burning one's lifespan.
The value of this type of technique was hard to judge. It all depended on how much the power boost was compared to the lifespan consumed.
If the cost was low and the gains high, then it was incredibly valuable.
Since this Jade Shatter Art was offered up for just one Focus Pill, Li Ye didn't expect too much from it. Still, having it as a reference was already worthwhile.
Following the wave of pill auctions, the long-anticipated Firecloud Pill was finally brought out for its first round of bidding.
"Next up second-tier spiritual pill: the Firecloud Pill!"
"This is a fire-element pill made from underground fire-element spiritual herbs. Its medicinal power is pure and intense, ideal for early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators specializing in fire-element techniques to enhance their cultivation…"
"There are three batches of Firecloud Pills for auction today, each consisting of ten pills…"
The moment this pill appeared, the intensity in the gazes from both the main floor and private booths surged even stronger than when the Focus Pill had been introduced.
After all, for most Foundation Establishment cultivators, improving their cultivation was far more cost-effective than investing in the next generation.
Ten pills could save them one or even two years of bitter cultivation who could resist that kind of temptation?
Feeling the pressure of all those intense stares, Luo Feibai forced himself to remain calm as he finished the pill's introduction.
And the very moment he finished speaking, bids immediately started flying.
"I offer a recipe for the Blood-Melting Pill!"
"Recipe for the Tempering Gold Pill!"
"Recipe for the Water-Mystic Pill!"
"…Witherbone Powder plus the Blood-Melting Pill!"
It was clear that these Foundation Establishment cultivators had been waiting for this moment, each calling out various pill recipes.
They all knew that Li Ye, as an alchemist, likely had a strong interest in collecting pill formulas.
In the absence of a technique or secret art that perfectly matched his needs, offering enough quality recipes would surely earn his favor.
But soon someone made a crushing move.
"I offer three recipes Wood Vitality Pill, Water-Mystic Pill, Tempering Gold Pill, and fifty saplings of the Jade Cluster Fruit!"
The room fell silent for a moment, and everyone turned toward the voice.
The speaker wore a wide-brimmed hat that seemed to block out divine sense no one could tell who it was.
Even Deng Tiancheng, who had been ready to toss in a bid for the fun of it, chuckled and halted his move.
"Quite the bold play! Not only did they offer recipes, but even included the main herb for the Wood Vitality Pill. They clearly must win this one."
Although Deng could continue bidding, his cultivation after the Foundation's Establishment had already developed a natural sharpness of will. Taking pills to artificially improve his strength would dull that edge something he avoided at all costs.
He had no real interest in the Firecloud Pill and had only planned to bid out of boredom.
Now that someone had shown such a strong hand, he naturally wasn't going to waste the effort.
On the stage, Luo Feibai was briefly stunned, then immediately brightened. He bowed slightly to the crowd and announced,
"Fellow cultivators and seniors, the Wood Vitality Pill recipe is one of the requested items on the auction list. Combined with two other recipes and the fifty Jade Cluster Fruit saplings, this is currently the highest-value offer. If there are no more suitable recipes presented…"
"Then this batch of Firecloud Pills will be awarded to this senior!"
He glanced around, but no one else spoke. A few even looked somewhat relieved.
Luo Feibai immediately made the call.
"Congratulations to this senior on winning the first batch of Firecloud Pills!"
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