txolops Chapter 15 The Auction! The Mysterious Wooden Box!
Chapter 15 The Auction! The Mysterious Wooden Box!
Chapter 15 The Auction! The Mysterious Wooden Box!
Lin Chuan didn't hold much hope for the possible Foundation Establishment Pill from his family.
Lin Jie and I both have dual spiritual roots, and Lin Jie is a direct descendant while I am merely a collateral descendant.
Over the years, the family has outwardly treated the two of them equally, nurturing Lin Chuan as a potential Foundation Establishment seed.
But Lin Chuan knew that Lin Jie had secretly received more resources.
"Foundation Building Pills..." Lin Chuan sighed softly.
Even with Ancestor Lin Xuankun in charge, the Lin family's current strength means that obtaining a Foundation Establishment Pill from the sect is already at its limit.
If there is such an opportunity, it will definitely be allocated to Lin Jie first.
As a member of a collateral branch, I probably wouldn't even have the right to compete if I didn't make any special contributions or show remarkable performance.
"In that case, the opportunity in the Crimson Forbidden Land is ultimately unavoidable." Lin Chuan's eyes gradually hardened.
In the original story, Han Li successfully established his foundation by obtaining a large number of spiritual herb seedlings in the Blood Forbidden Land.
Although he now has the guidance of divination, the way to obtain Foundation Establishment Pills is too limited. The Seven Sects have extremely strict control over Foundation Establishment Pills, making them almost impossible to find on the market.
For those aspiring to Foundation Establishment, entering the Crimson Forbidden Land to compete for spiritual herbs is practically the only hope for Qi Refining disciples in Yellow Maple Valley.
"There are still two years left... I must improve my strength as soon as possible!"
Lin Chuan clenched his fist, a resolute glint in his eyes.
The Crimson Forbidden Land is fraught with danger. Not only must one face the monsters and perils within the forbidden land itself, but one must also guard against the covetousness and treachery from the other six sects and even fellow disciples.
Without sufficient strength, going in is simply suicide.
"First, I'll try my best to raise my cultivation to the thirteenth level of Qi Refining, and then try to find some more powerful methods." Lin Chuan set his goal.
For the next two months, he hardly left his house and devoted himself entirely to cultivation.
By taking Ningyuan Pill or Jinyuan Pill daily, supplemented by the Li Huo Jue cultivation technique, one's cultivation level will steadily improve.
Lin Chuan had not slackened in his cultivation of the "Awakening of Insects Divine Sword." The three divine sense spikes were nurtured in his Shen Ting acupoint, becoming increasingly solid and sharp. Although they had not yet been tested in actual combat, Lin Chuan could feel the power they contained.
He was also gradually improving his skills in "Hidden Spirit Technique". Now he could control his aura between the eighth and eleventh levels of Qi Refining with ease, and when he withdrew, there was almost no fluctuation of spiritual power.
Over the past two months, although the divination results have been updated, most have been "slightly auspicious" or "moderately auspicious," indicating the availability of spiritual herbs, minerals, and other spiritual materials.
Lin Chuan made careful choices, only taking those opportunities with low risk and little time, and thus accumulated a considerable fortune.
As for the "Great Fortune" hexagram, it never appeared even once.
"Perhaps... I've been too complacent, almost always staying within Xuankun Mountain, with too few variables, making it difficult to trigger any major opportunities?" Lin Chuan pondered.
He did consider whether he should go out more to increase the probability of triggering "great luck".
But after weighing the pros and cons, I gave up on the idea.
While a very auspicious omen is good, an inauspicious one is even more deadly.
With his current cultivation level, if he rashly leaves the territory of Huangfeng Valley, the consequences would be unimaginable if he encounters a powerful enemy or falls into a dangerous place.
"Peace of mind comes first. Besides, if I make good use of the slightly auspicious and moderately auspicious hexagrams, the accumulated resources will be enough to support my cultivation to the peak of Qi Refining."
Lin Chuan remained calm and composed, showing no signs of impatience.
---
On this day, in the quiet room.
Lin Chuan slowly finished his practice, his spiritual energy surging around him, nearly 30% more abundant than it had been two months ago.
He's just one step away from reaching the twelfth level of Qi Refining!
"At this rate, we'll definitely break through in a few more months." Lin Chuan nodded in satisfaction.
Just then, a golden light appeared before their eyes:
Today's divination result: Very auspicious.
[The divination text reads: An auction is being held at the Wanbaolou Market in Huangfeng Valley. You attend and win a bid for a mysterious wooden box containing a great treasure.]
"Great luck!"
Lin Chuan's spirits lifted, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.
Two months later, a very auspicious divination result has finally appeared again!
"A mysterious wooden box... a precious treasure... and the divination results are keeping it a secret?" Lin Chuan chuckled and shook his head, but a strong interest arose in his heart.
Something that can be described as a "treasure" by a divination is certainly extraordinary.
"go!"
Without much hesitation, Lin Chuan immediately decided to go.
Such an auspicious divination is rare; if you miss this opportunity, who knows when you'll get another chance?
He got up, tidied his belongings, changed into a clean blue disciple's robe, checked his magical artifacts such as the Azure Cloud Sword, Golden Light Shield, and Ink Scale Armor, and counted the spirit stones in his storage bag—he was now quite wealthy, with over eight hundred low-grade spirit stones and five mid-grade spirit stones, giving him considerable purchasing power.
Pushing open the courtyard gate, the cool mountain breeze of the morning caresses your face.
Just as Lin Chuan was about to mount Bai Ling, he caught a glimpse of three familiar figures gathering together on the mountain path not far away, seemingly about to set off.
It was Chen Qiaotian, Chen Qiaoqian, and Lu Mingyuan.
"Senior Brother Chen, Junior Brother Lu, Junior Sister Chen!" Lin Chuan's heart stirred, and he stepped forward to greet them.
"Junior Brother Lin?" Chen Qiaotian turned around and laughed heartily, "Going out so early?"
"Exactly." Lin Chuan nodded, his gaze sweeping over the three of them. "Judging from your posture, are you also going out?"
Chen Qiaotian pointed in the direction of the market: "There's an auction at Wanbaolou today. I'll take Qiaoqian and Junior Brother Lu to check it out. Junior Brother Lin, if you're free, why don't you come along?"
Lin Chuan was delighted to hear this.
Today's auction has drawn a large number of monks to the market; their journey home may not be safe.
Being able to travel with a fellow disciple like Chen Qiaotian, who is at the twelfth level of Qi Refining and has a powerful background, greatly increases safety.
"What a coincidence, Junior Brother, I was just about to go to the market to buy some pills," Lin Chuan said with a smile. "Since we're going the same way, I'll trouble you, Senior Brother."
"Haha, what a bother! The more the merrier!" Chen Qiaotian waved his hand and took the lead in summoning a boat-shaped magic artifact, which grew to about ten feet in length as it faced the wind. "Come on up, my 'Flying Cloud Boat' is quite fast and can save some magic power."
Chen Qiaoqian and Lu Mingyuan jumped onto the flying boat one after the other, and Lin Chuan thanked them and also boarded the stern.
The Flying Cloud Boat transformed into a streak of light and sped towards the market.
On the boat, Chen Qiaotian and Lin Chuan chatted about recent interesting events in the sect, while Lu Mingyuan occasionally chimed in, still retaining some of the reserve of a scion of a noble family.
Chen Qiaoqian stood quietly at the bow of the boat, her purple dress fluttering in the wind.
Lin Chuan secretly observed that Chen Qiaoqian's gaze frequently fell on Lu Mingyuan, her eyes filled with undisguised admiration.
Lu Mingyuan occasionally returned a smile, creating a rather subtle atmosphere.
"It seems the original plot is progressing step by step..." Lin Chuan thought to himself.
About an hour later, the flying cloud boat landed at the entrance of the market.
The four paid their spirit stones and entered. Chen Qiaotian said, "The auction starts at 9:00 AM, so there's still some time. Junior Brother Lin, will you come with us to the Wanbao Pavilion, or do your own thing?"
"I need to purchase some pills first, and then I will go to Wanbaolou to meet up with my senior brother later," Lin Chuan said, cupping his hands in greeting.
"Alright, then see you at the auction." Chen Qiaotian nodded and led Chen Qiaoqian and Lu Mingyuan toward Wanbaolou.
Lin Chuan watched the three leave, then quickly turned into a secluded alley, took out a cloak and put it on, letting the hood hang down to cover his face.
He first purchased some pills such as Condensing Essence Pills and Nourishing Spirit Powder from several shops in the market, and then sold several hundred-year-old spiritual herbs that he had accumulated some time ago, earning some spirit stones in return.
After doing all this, Lin Chuan slowly walked towards Wanbaolou.
The Wanbaolou was exceptionally lively today, with cultivators coming and going in an endless stream.
Lin Chuan pulled his hood down, walked to the side door, and told the gatekeeper that he wanted to attend the auction.
The manager glanced at him and said indifferently, "The auction requires verification of assets, at least six hundred spirit stones or equivalent treasures."
Lin Chuan was prepared. He took out three two-hundred-year-old spiritual herbs from his storage bag, which were packed in jade boxes, and also showed a small pile of spirit stones.
The manager scanned the area with his divine sense and nodded to allow passage: "Second floor, room number seventeen, section C."