Returning to his room at the inn, Guo Feilong took out a Third Grade cultivation elixir and swallowed it, beginning to break through the cultivation stage.

The Third Grade cultivation elixir was about twice as effective as the First Grade one.

If he had been able to use a Third Grade cultivation elixir every day during his hundred years at the Spirit Creek Sect, he would have reached the eighth level of Qi Refining by now.

Days passed by one after another, and soon it was the day of the auction for the Beauty Retaining Pills. Before heading out, Guo Feilong put on a dog-head mask. He had prepared many masks, all of them animal-themed.

After all, as a mere cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refining, there were plenty who could kill him.

Concealing his appearance and hiding his identity was a way to ensure his safety.

Walking through the market streets, he noticed many people wearing masks and hats. His dog-head mask was quite ordinary, and no one paid attention to him, a small cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

Soon, Guo Feilong entered the auction.

The first floor was the service hall.

The second floor was the office area for the managers.

The third floor was the auction stage.

The fourth to ninth floors were for the guests participating in the auction, with a view of the stage on the third floor.

The fourth to sixth floors were for the general seating area.

The seventh and eighth floors were for private VIP rooms.

And the inn was only accessible to Foundation Establishment stage guests.

To enter the fourth-floor auction, one had to pay a deposit of 1,000 low-quality Spirit Stones to get an auction paddle.

Upon leaving, returning the auction paddle would refund the 1,000 Spirit Stone deposit.

The 1,000 Spirit Stone deposit deterred many low-level wandering cultivators and small cultivation family cultivators, preventing overcrowding at the auction.

The auction in Xiaoye Village's market wasn't high-end; those high-scale auctions had very high requirements for participants.

Only Foundation Establishment stage cultivators or those who could deposit tens of thousands of Spirit Stones were eligible to enter.

After paying the 1,000 Spirit Stone deposit, Guo Feilong took his auction paddle to the fourth floor and casually found a seat.

As time passed, more and more people arrived, and the seats on the fourth to sixth floors were almost fully occupied by cultivators.

The seats near Guo Feilong were also filled, with several young female cultivators chatting non-stop.

Some wore masks, while others didn't. Those without masks were generally not afraid of others knowing what they bought, indicating they had some background or were strong enough themselves.

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At that moment, a young and beautiful female cultivator appeared on the auction stage on the third floor and struck a gong with a small hammer.

The auction rules stated that once the gong was struck, loud noises were not allowed.

"Welcome, fellow Daoists and seniors, to the auction at the Spirit Creek Sect's Xiaoye Village market branch."

"This auction features a total of 37 items."

"The first item up for auction today is a body-refining technique called the Golden Body Technique. The grade of this technique is unknown as it only contains the upper part, but it can train the body to a level comparable to a high-quality defensive spiritual instrument."

"If one can obtain the subsequent parts of the Golden Body Technique, it's possible to refine the body to the level of a supreme defensive spiritual instrument or even a sacred treasure."

"The starting bid is 1,000 low-quality Spirit Stones, with a minimum increment of 500 low-quality Spirit Stones."

The beautiful female auctioneer struck the gong and said, "The bidding starts now."

The possibility of obtaining the subsequent body-refining techniques of the Golden Body Technique, which could refine the body to the level of a sacred treasure, attracted many people.

More and more cultivators raised their paddles to bid, with many thinking that even if they couldn't get the subsequent techniques, refining the body to a level comparable to a high-quality defensive spiritual instrument would be a huge gain.

It's known that a physical form reaching the level of a high-quality defensive spiritual instrument couldn't be harmed by a full-force strike from a Qi Refining ninth-level cultivator's flying sword.

Even a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator couldn't kill such a body in one strike; it would take at least three strikes.

Guo Feilong was also interested in the Golden Body Technique. Financially, he had a dozen Beauty Retaining Pills, so he wasn't short of Spirit Stones.

By this time, the price of the Golden Body Technique had been bid up to a certain level, and fewer people were raising their paddles.

Soon, the price of the Golden Body Technique reached a certain level of Spirit Stones, and no one was bidding anymore.

"Spirit Stones once."

On the auction stage on the third floor, the beautiful auctioneer paused for five or six seconds and loudly said, "Spirit Stones twice, is there anyone else bidding?"

After another five or six seconds, just as the auctioneer was about to call for the third time, Guo Feilong raised his paddle and said, "I'll add 500 Spirit Stones."

The auctioneer glanced over and said, "This Daoist friend has increased the bid by 500 Spirit Stones. Is there anyone else bidding? If not, it's Spirit Stones for the first time."

At this point, no one else bid.

In the end, unsurprisingly, the body-refining technique called the Golden Body Technique was won by Guo Feilong.

Having won an item at the auction, Guo Feilong was invited by the auction staff to a private room on the seventh floor.

In this room, there were three inner disciples of the Spirit Creek Sect at the ninth level of Qi Refining.

Two men and one woman.

They were there on a sect mission to help with the auction.

On the ninth floor, there was a Foundation Establishment stage elder from the Spirit Creek Sect overseeing the auction.

"Daoist friend, the Golden Body Technique is here. Please pay the Spirit Stones," said one of the female cultivators at the ninth level of Qi Refining with a smile.

Guo Feilong took out the Beauty Retaining Pills receipt provided by the auction and said, "I don't have that many Spirit Stones on me right now. The Beauty Retaining Pills are being auctioned here, so the Spirit Stones from their sale can be deducted."

The female cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refining said, "In that case, the Golden Body Technique will be given to you after the auction, along with the Spirit Stones from the Beauty Retaining Pills."

"Alright," Guo Feilong nodded, then left the room. Instead of returning to the fourth floor, he found an empty seat on the sixth floor to wait for the auction to end.

The final transaction prices for the subsequent auction items were mostly between 10,000 and 20,000 low-quality Spirit Stones, with few below 10,000.

The auction was savvy in business, placing his three Beauty Retaining Pills in the last three rounds of the auction.

Most cultivators came to the Xiaoye Village market auction for the Beauty Retaining Pills, unaware that there were three of them.

They thought there was only one Beauty Retaining Pill.

When the first Beauty Retaining Pill was up for auction, the scene was exceptionally intense.

In the end, the first Beauty Retaining Pill sold for a high price of low-quality Spirit Stones.

It was bought by a female Foundation Establishment stage cultivator on the ninth floor.

One would think that after the first Beauty Retaining Pill fetched such a high price, the second and third would be relatively lower.

However, to Guo Feilong's surprise, the final prices of the second and third Beauty Retaining Pills were even higher than the first.

Moreover, all were bought by the female Foundation Establishment stage cultivators on the ninth floor.

Women are truly crazy when it comes to preserving their youthful appearance.

After the auction ended, many cultivators left.

Guo Feilong returned to the room on the seventh floor.

The female cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refining said to him, "Your three Beauty Retaining Pills sold for a total of low-quality Spirit Stones."

"After deducting a ten percent auction fee and the Spirit Stones for your Golden Body Technique, we owe you low-quality Spirit Stones and the Golden Body Technique jade slip."

The female cultivator handed him a storage bag containing Spirit Stones and a jade slip with the Golden Body Technique.

After receiving the storage bag and jade slip, Guo Feilong used his Divine Sense to count the Spirit Stones, then left the auction and returned to his rented room at the inn.

At this moment, Guo Feilong placed the jade slip containing the Golden Body Technique on his forehead, and his Divine Sense accessed the technique within.

The jade slip could be viewed ten times before disappearing.

Cultivators have excellent memory, able to remember everything after just one viewing.

After reading the cultivation technique of the Golden Body Technique, Guo Feilong frowned slightly.

The technique itself was genuine.

The problem was that the auxiliary medicinal baths required for cultivating the Golden Body Technique were expensive.

Without 100,000 low-quality Spirit Stones, it was impossible to refine the body to a level comparable to a high-quality spiritual instrument.