Three days later.
In the alchemy room, Li Sheng threw the last five body-refining pills into the furnace, and moments later, five top-grade body-refining pills floated out. After packing the pills, Li Sheng tucked the jade bottle into his robe and left the alchemy room, heading to the spirit gathering room on the back mountain.
"Brother, are the pills ready?" Bai Ye opened her eyes and asked softly.
"Yes, everything is ready. Let's go. How's your practice of the Thunder Tiger Breathing Technique?"
"The tiger form is complete, but the potency of the internal breath pills has run out, so progress on the lightning form has been slow; I estimate it will take about two months to finish," Bai Ye replied honestly.
"Three spirit forms already?" Li Sheng nodded in satisfaction, feeling a sense of accomplishment.
During these three days, Li Sheng was also busy, crafting the eighth-grade dual spirit form Thunder Tiger Breathing Technique, and producing ten top-grade body-refining pills and five top-grade internal breath pills. After creating the eighth-grade martial arts, he practiced diligently, but without the aid of pills, his progress was less than ideal, allowing Bai Ye to achieve a spirit form first.
The two walked toward the mountain gate, chatting along the way. Passing by the training ground, several boys and girls were practicing stances, learning a ninth-grade martial art that Li Sheng had casually created. Whether to teach spirit-level martial arts would need further observation.
When the youngsters saw them, they stopped and shyly approached to bow.
"Greetings, Sect Leader, Elder."
"Among these seven, only one has moderate talent; the rest are of lower quality, but they all have strong will and train hard," Bai Ye said, as she was well aware of their situations, having taught them.
"It’s okay if their talent is lacking; character and mindset are more important. You should pay attention to these," Li Sheng advised.
"Got it."
A horse-drawn carriage, driven by a woman, carried the two out of the sect.
The Qingling Sect was only about twenty miles from Qing Shan City, and over an hour later, the city came into view.
At this time, the sun was blazing, and from a distance, Qing Shan City appeared to be clad in golden armor, resembling a magnificent painting.
As they got closer, the wide ancient road became increasingly crowded with pedestrians and carriages.
"Brother, look, that’s a carriage from the Flower Pavilion Sect," Bai Ye said, lifting the curtain to point ahead.
"Flower Pavilion Sect?" Li Sheng turned to look and noticed a prominent red floral design on the carriage ahead.
"I heard this sect specializes in cultivating spiritual materials and flowers?"
"Exactly, but I’ve heard they’ve been declining in recent years."
Li Sheng nodded, not paying much attention.
As the carriage entered the city gate, a lively scene unfolded before their eyes.
The roads in Qing Shan were straight and wide, bustling with people. The buildings on both sides were arranged beautifully, with flying eaves and elegant curves, exuding an ancient charm, while the shouts of various vendors filled the air, creating a vibrant atmosphere.
A strong sense of worldly life rushed toward Li Sheng, making him feel a bit dazed.
"Brother... Brother?" Bai Ye tugged at Li Sheng's sleeve.
"I'm fine... I've been on the mountain too long and need to adjust. Let’s find an inn close to the Baibao Pavilion and figure things out later," Li Sheng replied, regaining his focus with a smile.
"Okay, let’s go to the Laifeng Inn; it’s only three streets away from Baibao Pavilion."
Upon arriving at the inn, Li Sheng instructed the waiter to prepare two top-tier rooms and a banquet.
After a satisfying meal, the two made their way down the street toward Baibao Pavilion. Bai Ye wore a veil, so they didn’t attract much attention.
Before long, they reached Baibao Pavilion, which covered a vast area, featuring a grand and ancient architectural style. Six eighth-grade martial artists stood solemnly at the entrance, and those entering and exiting radiated powerful auras, mostly martial artists.
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The two entered the pavilion with the flow of people. After an introduction from the attendant, Li Sheng understood why there were so many visitors: there would be an auction event that evening.
Seeing their extraordinary demeanor, the attendant grew even more respectful, answering all of Li Sheng's questions without hesitation.
After some inquiries, Li Sheng learned that ninth-grade martial arts cost around three to four hundred taels of silver, eighth-grade martial arts between two thousand and four thousand taels, seventh-grade martial arts eight thousand to ten thousand, and sixth-grade around twenty thousand.
The exchange rate between spirit stones and silver was 1 to 1000, but few martial artists opted for conversion.
Paying with spirit stones here offered even greater discounts.
Rather than selling the pills directly to Baibao Pavilion, it would be better to take this opportunity to auction them and maximize the benefits.
Just then, a chubby man in fine clothes hurried over, a warm smile on his face.
"Miss Bai?"
Upon seeing him, the attendant quickly bowed, "Manager Liu."
Manager Liu waved him away and asked, "Miss Bai, are you here to purchase medicinal materials?"
Bai Ye didn’t answer and turned to Li Sheng.
Seeing this, Manager Liu realized that Li Sheng was the main figure here. Recalling that Miss Bai had spent a hundred spirit stones last time, his gaze toward Li Sheng grew even more eager.
"Young Master, what’s your surname? If you need any assistance, please don’t hesitate to ask."
"My surname is Li."
"Manager Liu, we are here to auction pills."
"Oh, what kind?"
"Top-grade body-refining pills and top-grade internal breath pills."
"Top-grade pills?!" Manager Liu's smile froze, and he quickly said, "Young Master Li, please, follow me to the appraisal hall."
On the way, Manager Liu subtly flattered Li Sheng, trying to probe the source of the pills, but Li Sheng deftly deflected the inquiries.
Before long, the three arrived at the appraisal hall entrance, where a crisp voice from inside carried a hint of anger.
"This price has always been the same; why is it half a tael less this time?!"
"Mother, let’s not sell it!"
"Bang!"
The door swung open, and a charming girl stormed out, pulling along an angry middle-aged woman.
The two parties brushed past each other, the middle-aged woman casting a surprised glance at Bai Ye behind Li Sheng before being dragged away.
"Hehe, misunderstanding!" Manager Liu, fearing Li Sheng might be offended, quickly explained, "The materials they sell have dropped in price in this area; it’s not just Baibao Pavilion lowering the price unilaterally."
Li Sheng nodded and stepped into the hall first.
Two elderly men with white hair sat at a desk, and behind a screen were two graceful figures seemingly enjoying tea.
Manager Liu hurriedly approached and whispered a few words to the appraiser before heading toward the back of the screen.
"Top-grade pills?" a charming voice exclaimed as a middle-aged woman stepped out. Her appearance was ordinary, but her figure was incredibly alluring, making even Bai Ye glance a second time.
"My surname is Hua, the manager of Baibao Pavilion. May I ask how many top-grade pills Young Master Li has?"
"Ten top-grade body-refining pills and five top-grade internal breath pills. I would like to auction these pills at tonight's event."
"Fifteen top-grade pills?" Manager Hua was taken aback, taking the jade bottle Li Sheng handed over to present to the two appraisers.
Moments later, the appraisers set down their tools and exclaimed excitedly, "The quality is excellent, and the potency is full; these are undoubtedly top-grade pills."
Hearing this, Manager Hua couldn’t hide her shock; the last appearance of top-grade pills in Qing Shan City was eight years ago, and there were only two then. Now, suddenly, there were fifteen—she could already envision the bustling scene at the auction.
"Aunt Hua, come in for a moment," a melodious voice called from behind the screen.