A Mortal's Start in the Spirit Beast Mountain

Chapter 56 Qi-Melting Pill

Luo Ming sat in the corner, tapping his fingertips lightly on the table. His gaze swept over the Qingfeng Sword before he looked away, his expression indifferent. He didn't say a word from beginning to end; he didn't even look at such a top-tier magic weapon.

The next few items were all magical artifacts, including the defensive "Mysterious Iron Shield" and the auxiliary "Windwalker Boots." Each item sparked considerable bidding, but Luo Ming remained calm and unmoved.

However, with the current invasion of demonic forces, prices are much higher than before, and because it's an auction, the premium is even higher.

He didn't come here for magical artifacts; he already knew that the auction would include Qi-Harmony Pills suitable for Foundation Establishment stage cultivators.

"Fellow Daoists, the next item will surely interest all of you Foundation Establishment stage cultivators." The green-robed cultivator's smile deepened as he gestured for the boy to lift the brocade cloth on the new tray. On the tray were five jade bottles, their surfaces engraved with intricate alchemical patterns.

"These are the 'Qi Harmony Pills,' five bottles in total, ten pills per bottle. Fellow Daoists are surely well aware of the effects of these pills. Since pills are rare these days, these five bottles will be auctioned separately, each bottle priced at five hundred spirit stones, with each bid increment no less than fifty spirit stones."

"Aikido Dan!"

Upon hearing this, the hall fell silent for a moment. The Qi Refining cultivators knew that these pills were beyond their reach, and they looked on with envy, knowing that they were powerless to compete for them, so they could only reluctantly turn their gaze away.

The five Foundation Establishment cultivators who had been resting with their eyes closed were no longer so calm. They all fixed their eyes on the jade bottle on the tray, and their breathing became slightly more rapid.

Luo Ming straightened his previously languid posture slightly, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. This Qi Harmony Pill was just right for him to take. However, judging from the appearance of the other Foundation Establishment cultivators, the competition in the future would obviously be fierce. He slowly pondered how to deal with it.

"Begin the auction," the middle-aged cultivator's calm voice announced.

"Six hundred spirit stones!" The first to bid was the white-bearded cultivator who had just won the bid for the defensive magic weapon, his tone filled with a sense of certainty.

"Six hundred and fifty spirit stones!" Another Foundation Establishment cultivator in black robes immediately followed, glancing at the white-bearded cultivator with hostility.

"One thousand!" Just as the two were locked in a stalemate, a calm voice suddenly rang out.

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Luo Ming in the corner slowly lower his raised hand, his face still expressionless, as if he had announced one hundred spirit stones instead of one thousand.

The moment the price was announced, the hall fell silent. Both the white-bearded and black-robed cultivators were stunned, their expressions turning grim. One thousand spirit stones already exceeded the normal value of a Qi-Harmony Pill; raising the price further would be counterproductive. Coupled with the other party's nonchalant tone, it meant they weren't short of spirit stones—how could they possibly compete?

Normally, this pill wouldn't even cost five hundred spirit stones, but the current invasion by the demonic path has caused the price of pills to skyrocket, and the fact that it's being auctioned has made the price so high.

"There are still four bottles left. It's not worth fighting to the death for this one. Let's just let this kid have it." The two of them thought to themselves at the same time, wondering if the other party could possibly take all five bottles.

But for the next two bottles of Qi-Harmony Pills, every time they had just quoted a price, Luo Ming would immediately quote a price of one thousand spirit stones, securing both bottles without any suspense. The way the Foundation Establishment cultivators at the table looked at Luo Ming gradually changed.

"That's about enough. If this continues, we'll incur the wrath of the masses." Luo Ming keenly sensed several malevolent divine senses locking onto him and thought to himself.

After acquiring the third bottle of Qi-Harmony Pills, Luo Ming didn't linger at all; he got up and walked towards the exit of the hall.

This sudden move startled everyone slightly, except for the green-robed cultivator who was presiding over the auction, whose eyes flashed with a strange meaning before he nodded slightly.

He naturally understood Luo Ming's intention: if he took all five bottles, he would inevitably attract the joint attack of other Foundation Establishment cultivators; leaving two bottles would allow them to fight over each other, creating division and conflict, thus saving him a lot of trouble.

Luo Ming's high-profile offer clearly demonstrates his absolute confidence in his own strength. No one would dare to make a move against a cultivator whose strength is unknown without being absolutely certain of their success.

"Three bottles of Qi-Harmony Pills are enough for me to break through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. As for what I need after that, I'll make plans after I break through." Luo Ming thought to himself as he quickly left the auction.

He went straight to the secret room at the back of the auction house, carefully examined the three bottles of Qi-Harmony Pills, and after confirming that they were all genuine and in good working order, he nodded in satisfaction. Then he took out a gray storage bag and asked the steward in the secret room, "Does your place recycle magical artifacts? I have a few unused magical artifacts that I would like to sell."

The steward of the secret chamber took the storage bag and examined it for a moment. After some bargaining with Luo Ming, they finally settled on a price. Fifteen minutes later, Luo Ming sold off all the low-level magical artifacts and miscellaneous items that he no longer needed. Although the price was reduced by 20%, it was still better than leaving them idle in the storage bag.

Having obtained the necessary Qi-union pills, Luo Ming did not delay any longer and immediately returned to his temporarily rented cave dwelling.

He planned to go into seclusion here to break through his limitations. Currently, war is raging throughout the Yue Kingdom, and the country is in turmoil. Logically speaking, returning to the sect's Spirit Beast Mountain would be the safest option. However, he had concerns in his heart—once he returned, given his status as someone without a sect, faction, or background, he would inevitably be sent directly to the main battlefield.

The battle is currently at a stalemate. The Nascent Soul stage cultivators have already agreed not to fight each other, and most of the Golden Core stage cultivators are stationed at the rear bases to coordinate and deploy resources. The Qi Refining stage cultivators are too weak to be of great use. The real main force in the battle is the Foundation Establishment stage cultivators.

Luo Ming knew very well that he would be sent to the most dangerous front line after returning, where even cultivators at the peak of Foundation Establishment often faced the danger of death, let alone someone like him at the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

"Fine, I'll just stay here for the next two years and see how things go when I've improved my strength." Luo Ming had already made up his mind.

Time flies by like water, and two months have passed in the blink of an eye.

Deep within the cave, Luo Ming's spiritual energy was twice as concentrated and thick as it had been before—he had successfully broken through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

At this moment, he stared solemnly at the trapped Blood Jade Spider in front of him, a sharp glint in his eyes: "Now that my spiritual power has doubled to four hundred feet, comparable to a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, it should be enough to suppress this Blood Jade Spider."

The reason why Luo Ming waited until after his breakthrough to subdue the Blood Jade Spider was twofold. First, this spider was not raised by him from childhood. Although it had developed intelligence, it was not very intelligent and was difficult to tame. Second, this Blood Jade Spider was a peak level four demon beast, with strength comparable to a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. To subdue it, he could only use forceful means.

Forcibly subduing it would certainly damage its essence and might even cause its cultivation level to drop, but Luo Ming didn't care at all. In his view, now that the Blood Jade Spider was in his hands, it would either be used by him or dismantled into materials for demonic beasts; there was no third possibility.

"I hope you won't resist too fiercely and will obediently submit. I'm saving your life this way." Luo Ming sneered inwardly, then adjusted himself to his peak condition and slowly summoned the top-tier magic weapon, the Frost Needle, which he had just refined.

"Go!" Luo Ming shouted, and the Frost Needle transformed into a streak of cold light, precisely piercing the Blood Jade Spider's head. The Blood Jade Spider immediately let out a sharp screech and struggled violently, but its injuries had not yet fully healed, and its body was firmly bound by the Mystic Ice Rope.

The two ends of the Xuanbing Rope were firmly gripped by the Azure Dragon and the Black Tortoise, respectively, while the Wind Fox Beast and the Fat Sun Bird stood guard nearby, ready to provide support at any moment. Given this situation, even if the Blood Jade Spider were at its peak, it would be difficult to break free, let alone in its current state of serious injury and not yet fully recovered.

Without further hesitation, Luo Ming forced a drop of crimson blood from his finger.