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Chapter 472 City Attack
Chapter 472 City Attack
"Fellow Daoist Li, what do you mean?"
Ji Yue was quick-witted and soon realized that Li Haichuan's words were not an insult to the alchemy master of the Mirror Moon Sect, but rather the literal meaning of the words.
As far as he knew, Zhenwu Zhenjun was always accompanied by a black dog.
Before it grew into a fourth-tier demon king, that black dog was a well-known second-tier alchemist in the Mirror Moon Sect, skilled in refining elixirs, and its name seemed to be Tie Dan.
Ke Jiyue had never thought about this before.
The reason is simple: alchemy is not the same as spiritual cultivation.
True Martial Lord is skilled in the art of beast taming and is also a Nascent Soul True Lord. If he were willing to use secret methods to cultivate the bloodline of his pet beasts and devote all the rare fourth-tier resources, he could indeed transform a third-tier demon general into a fourth-tier demon king in a short period of time.
Such things are rare in the Southern Wilderness, but they are not without precedent.
But alchemy is different!
The art of alchemy places great emphasis on talent, requiring cultivators to have exceptional alchemical sense, temperament, and a strong lineage.
What is Dan Gan?
It is the alchemist's instinctive perception of the principal, assistant, adjuvant, and guiding properties of medicinal ingredients, the rise and fall of the "civil and martial fire" and the conflicting changes in medicinal power during the process of refining elixirs.
This perception can be innate or cultivated through alchemy, and it generally only appears in alchemists of the third rank or above.
There's no need to elaborate on the matter of temperament; a slight error can lead to a huge mistake.
Alchemists who lack composure, resilience, and experience are unlikely to achieve great things.
As for the final transmission of alchemy, that is of paramount importance.
High-level pill formulas are mostly closely guarded secrets, containing the insights and understandings of alchemy masters.
Without the guidance and systematic introductory training from a master alchemist, most alchemists will only reach the middle grade of the third rank and will have to figure things out on their own, relying solely on alchemical formulas.
Li Haichuan is a typical example of this type of case.
Even if Li Haichuan successfully attained the Dao of True Monarch and was hailed as True Monarch Baixia by the cultivators of the Mountain Annihilation Realm, it could not conceal the fact that his alchemy skills had made no progress.
That's why Ji Yue found it increasingly unbelievable.
It is a well-known fact among many major cultivation sects that alchemy masters capable of consistently refining top-grade third-tier Core Formation Pills are difficult to cultivate, cannot be trained quickly, and are extremely rare.
As a result, Chen Ziang succeeded, and even has the potential to use today's auction to make his Demon King a renowned alchemy master in the Earthly Realm!
"That's right, just as you think." Li Haichuan smiled bitterly.
"Everything in this world has its reason for existing, and I have certainly learned something new today." Ji Yue looked at the high platform, his tone complex.
During this period, after being fought over by many fake Core Formation cultivators, the auction price of the Transcending Liquid Golden Pill has skyrocketed to 500,000 low-grade spirit stones, far exceeding the price of the famous Golden Palace Pill of the Mirror Moon Sect.
Upon hearing the price, many patriarchs of Golden Core families had their eyes flicker and abandoned their plans to continue bidding.
too expensive!
In order to win the bid for the Transcendent Golden Elixir, many pseudo-core cultivators who are unwilling to give up on their cultivation path have already emptied their pockets.
"These second-generation cultivators are really rich!"
Chen Beiwu's eyes flickered as he looked towards the private room on the second floor.
To ensure the auction's success, he had reviewed the information of all the cultivators participating in the auction beforehand, learning that the one who won the bid for the Transcendent Golden Pill was Zhao Yulong, a well-known rogue cultivator with the pseudo-core cultivation technique within the Earthly Origin Realm.
However, Chen Beiwu had already discovered that this was a fake identity.
Zhao Yulong's real name is Luo Yulong. He is an outer sect elder of the Burning Flame Sect. His grandfather, Luo Yu, is a Golden Core elder of the Burning Flame Sect and has considerable power. Otherwise, he would not have been able to produce so many spirit stones.
Soon, as time passed, the auction gradually came to an end.
Shu You solemnly took out a palm-sized spirit-sealing jade box.
All the cultivators present perked up, knowing that the main event was about to begin.
"Buzz!"
The jade box was opened, and a pale gold pill shrouded in crimson mist slowly appeared before everyone's eyes.
"This treasure is a fourth-grade low-level Xuan Dan [Rejuvenation Pill], which was refined by Master Tie Dan of our sect."
As the name suggests, if a cultivator who is a fake infant takes this pill, he can defy fate and transform his infant into a pill, reshaping the fake infant, which is neither gold nor god, into an immortal golden pill.
The starting bid is 800 high-grade spirit stones, and each bid must be at least 10 high-grade spirit stones higher.
As soon as Shu You finished speaking, the fake infant cultivators in the private rooms on the third floor all narrowed their pupils, their hearts fluttering with excitement.
It's another pill refined by Master Tie Dan!
And the starting bid is only eight hundred high-grade spirit stones?
Very well, in order to gather enough high-grade spirit stones and fourth-order mystic materials to bid for the Rejuvenation Pill and increase their chances of winning the bid, they even went so far as to secretly sell off clan assets.
Just then, Shu You suddenly spoke up, adding, "The Rejuvenating Pill is a special auction item. To bid for this pill, one must have a household registration at the main gate of the Protectorate City or above."
In an instant, the atmosphere in the entire Jubaolou building fell silent.
Within seconds, a fake infant cultivator raised an objection, saying that since the city guards did not intend to sell the Rejuvenation Pill, they should not use it as a gimmick to inflate the auction's popularity.
Clearly, in order to win the Nascent Soul Pill and restart their cultivation journey, some fake Nascent Soul cultivators are not afraid of offending the Mirror Moon Sect at all.
Because the official register of the Protectorate City corresponds to the Golden Core True Person.
If we exclude the Golden Core elders of the Beast Taming lineage, the number of cultivators with legitimate sect registration in the Protectorate City is basically zero.
"Fellow Daoists, please rest assured. The Protectorate City has only been established recently, and merit points are hard to collect. Therefore, tonight's auction will be held as a special case."
As the administrator of the capital city, Shu You naturally knew the number of cultivators with legitimate household registration within the city.
Upon hearing this, the fake infant cultivators present remained expressionless, already anticipating what the host was about to say.
As expected, Shu You announced word by word: "Fellow Daoists with cultivation levels above the Golden Core stage who are willing to enter my Capital Protectorate and sign the corresponding contract can obtain a formal household registration at the main gate on the spot."
"What does 'temporary household registration' mean?" a monk in the audience asked.
"The requirement for residents of the capital to advance through merit points is an inviolable rule."
The temporary household registration is merely a qualification for participating in specific auctions, and the number of times you can participate is limited. You need to accumulate enough merit points to reach the corresponding household registration level in order to enjoy the many rights that come with a legitimate household registration.
Shu You explained, "To save time, the Golden Core cultivators who participate in the auction will automatically join the Protectorate City and obtain official household registration status."
"This is outrageous! What does the City Protectorate take us for? They won't even give us any benefits, just the qualification to participate in the auction, and they think they can subdue us!" A fake Nascent Soul cultivator transmitted his thoughts, his tone full of dissatisfaction.
That's right, it's just a pill, I've decided to give up.
Indeed, being able to participate in the auction does not guarantee that you will win the bid, so I will give up.
Several fake infant cultivators communicated telepathically and decided to sit back and watch the Infant Rejuvenation Pill go unsold.
"three!
'
'
two!
'
"one!
'
Shu You remained calm as she raised the jade hammer, ready to confirm that the Rejuvenating Pill had failed to sell.
"Eight hundred high-grade spirit stones."
Hearing the bid, Shu You felt relieved.
For cultivators who are merely pretending to be infants, the Rejuvenation Pill is their only hope to continue their path to enlightenment, and its value cannot be measured by any high-grade spirit stone.
But there are always exceptions, and until the very last moment, Shu You was also afraid that there might be oversights in this auction.
Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened, and the calls for bids continued to echo from the private rooms on the third floor.
Seeing this, Yun Chuyao turned her head and looked at Chen Ziang, who had a calm expression, and said with a smile, "All the Nascent Soul cultivators in the Earth Evolution Realm have entered the Protectorate. After today, the Mirror Moon Sect's prestige will surely rise greatly. Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Chen."
"Fellow Daoist Yun is joking."
Chen Beiwu shook his head slightly and said calmly, "Those who come for profit will mostly leave for profit in the future. As Fellow Daoist Yun said, these fake Nascent Soul cultivators can increase our prestige, but they are unlikely to become the mainstay of our forces."
"Since Fellow Daoist Chen is fully aware of this, why go to such lengths, even resorting to using the Rejuvenation Pill as bait?" Yun Chuyao tilted her head, her demeanor as youthful as a girl's.
"Whether they are genuinely allied or just pretending makes no difference to me," Chen Beiwu said with a confident smile. "As long as I am here, they will not dare to be enemies of the Mirror Moon Sect."
Hearing these domineering words, Yun Chuyao's heart stirred slightly.
Even though she was unwilling to be subordinate to others, she had to admit the charisma of Zhenwu Zhenjun.
As expected, the bidding for the Rejuvenating Pill was very fierce.
In the end, Luo Haoxuan, a fake infant cultivator from the Burning Flame Sect, successfully acquired the Rejuvenation Pill for a high price of nine thousand high-grade spirit stones.
It's a pity we couldn't win!
Inside a private room on the third floor, Li Haichuan frowned deeply.
Eight thousand high-grade spirit stones was the limit that the Li family of Sanxia could afford, almost draining all of the family's working capital.
Ji Yue's attention was drawn to the fourth-order mystic array that had appeared on the stage, and he began to bid wildly.
Soon, as the auction drew to a successful close, Shu You scanned the entire room and announced, "Fellow Daoists, today's auction has come to a successful conclusion. Thanks to your support, Master Tie Dan of our sect, in light of the newly established Duhu City, will open a sect on Tie Dan Peak and begin accepting disciples."
"Whoosh!"
Upon hearing this shocking news, a suppressed gasp rippled through the Treasure Pavilion.
What does it mean that a fourth-level Xuan Dan Master is willing to publicly recruit disciples?
Without a doubt, it will be a grand gathering for recruiting disciples that will sweep across the Earthly Realm, and its impact on the border of the Mountain Annihilation Realm will far surpass that of tonight's auction.
Shu You paused briefly, waiting for everyone to digest the news, before revealing the specific conditions for accepting disciples.
"Master Tiedan is not considering background or origin when accepting disciples this time; he only values talent and skills in alchemy."
"A second-tier alchemist with exceptional talent and a bone age of less than a hundred years, or a third-tier precious alchemist who can independently refine more than five kinds of precious pills, has the opportunity to become Master Tie Dan's disciple."
Those who wish to become disciples of Master Tie Dan can go to Tie Dan Peak in the east of the city to register their information.
After saying that, Shu You turned and walked behind the scenes, disappearing from sight.
But her words were like a boulder thrown into a lake, stirring up a huge wave in the hearts of many cultivators.
At this moment, even cultivators who do not practice alchemy can realize that with a fourth-level Xuan Dan master in charge of the capital, it will one day become a holy land for alchemy comparable to the Mirror Moon Sect.
Some shrewd cultivators couldn't help but show signs of heartache.
Damn it, they were too late!
After tonight, the price of cave dwellings in the capital city will definitely skyrocket!
On the other hand, the cultivators who successfully bid for the Foundation Establishment Pill did not leave rashly, but chose to rent cave dwellings in the Protectorate City to break through their limitations.
The reason is simple: top-grade Foundation Establishment Pills are too precious. Once they leave the capital city, they may not be able to keep them. Even the fake Foundation Establishment cultivator who won the bid for the Transcending Liquid Golden Pill made the same choice.
Luo Haoxuan, a fake Nascent Soul cultivator of the Burning Flame Sect, found himself in a dilemma.
Although he has now signed a fourth-tier contract and become the acting main gatekeeper of the capital city, the Burning Flame Sect and the Mirror Moon Sect have always been secretly fighting each other, so he is ultimately just an outsider.
If he had stayed in the capital city to cultivate and take the pills, he might have been ambushed by the Mirror Moon Sect cultivators and had his Rejuvenation Pill forcibly taken away.
However, if he returned to the Burning Flame Sect and accepted the sect's protection, Luo Haoxuan could not trust the character of his fellow cultivators and some of the sect's higher-ups.
You should know that the reason he failed to form a Nascent Soul and became a fake Nascent Soul cultivator was because there was a traitor within the sect.
Luo Haoxuan's mind raced, and he chose to head towards the cave in the city center.
After much deliberation, he still felt that True Martial Lord was focused on the development of the Protectorate of Immortal City and would not sacrifice the greater good for a small gain.
Just then, the willow branches swayed gently at the street corner, and a shadow suddenly rose behind Luo Haoxuan, quietly pressing against his back.
Sensing the deadly danger, Luo Haoxuan's pupils contracted, and he preemptively summoned a crimson pendant, forming a scorching fire shield covering his entire body for three zhang.
This is the Flame Stream Realm activated by the fourth-tier low-grade defensive Xuanbao Six Flame Stream Shield, which can withstand a full-force attack from a Nascent Soul stage cultivator.
"Buzz!"
Luo Haoxuan's face paled as a silver ancient mirror suddenly appeared in the void behind him, gushing out extreme silver light and easily shattering the defense of the Six Flames Shield.
Seeing the silver light rapidly approaching, its power undiminished, Luo Haoxuan felt a chill in his heart.
The one who made the move was at least a Nascent Soul stage True Monarch!
Only a True Monarch at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm or above could crush Yan Liujie with overwhelming force and threaten his life.
Damn it, who wants to kill me?! Is it Zhenwu Zhenjun? Or that mastermind from back then?
Luo Haoxuan's expression changed drastically, and he gritted his teeth as he pulled out his most treasured life-saving talisman.
In an instant, three fire dragons coiled around his body, forming layer upon layer of defensive barriers. The extreme heat swept across the heavens and earth, attracting the attention of many cultivators in the city.
"Is someone trying to ambush and kill the cultivators bidding at the auction?"
"The ancient mirror reflects the void; it is Zhu Jinglong, the Suspended Mirror True Monarch of the Mirror Moon Sect, who is intercepting and killing cultivators!"
"Damn it! True Martial Lord is so hypocritical! He just finished auctioning off the pills and then immediately sent his sect's True Lords to intercept and kill the bidding cultivators!"
"This is outrageous! They don't even bother to avoid cultivators, directly ambushing and killing people within the city, completely disregarding the rules of the capital's defense!"
"As expected, all those absolute protective zones are fake. True Martial Lord just wanted to lure us in, drain us of our spirit stones, and then kill us all."
One by one, the cultivators spoke with fear on their faces, causing some nearby cultivators to look nervous and instinctively want to flee the city.
"A futile struggle."
The True Lord of Suspended Mirror moved forward with a flash of light, and with a gentle wave of his whisk, three thousand silver threads burst forth instantly, easily shattering one fire dragon after another.
"Damn it, I'm not reconciled! I just saw a glimmer of hope for further progress!" Luo Haoxuan's eyes showed despair, and his mind began to flash with past memories.
There's no way around it; the gap between a fake Nascent Soul cultivator and a mid-stage Nascent Soul True Monarch is like an insurmountable chasm.
If he hadn't possessed a mid-grade fourth-order Xuanlu, he probably wouldn't have lasted two breaths; he would have been dead the moment Suspended Mirror True Monarch made his move.
"Buzz!"
At the critical moment, a figure in white stood in front of Luo Haoxuan, separating him from Xuanjing Zhenjun. It was Chen Beiwu, who had crossed space to arrive.
"Hidden and elusive, using illusion to glimpse the truth."
"What a treacherous scheme! You altered the flow of Qi, went to great lengths to impersonate my sect's True Monarch Suspended Mirror, and attacked cultivators within the city, all to slander my Protectorate Immortal City?"
Chen Beiwu stood with his hands behind his back, and in front of him, a three-colored dragon extended its claws, easily blocking the dense silver light.
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