Cultivation: Starting with Farming in the Spiritual Pivot Grotto

Chapter 48 The White Bone Lineage, Graceful Gate

At this moment, an idea flashed through Li Ya's mind.

After a moment's thought, he made up his mind and summoned a maid to ask her questions.

"I have something I'd like to sell; I wonder if it's possible to add more items to this venue at the last minute."

"Of course, if you wish, Daoist Master, you may come with me."

Li Ya's plan was to sell the body-strengthening essence he obtained from the "Self-Sacrifice Sutra" in exchange for cultivation resources.

Senior Brother Lingji is stuck at the fifth level of Qi Refining because he lacks the resources needed for Blood Transformation and Marrow Replacement.

Moreover, reaching the sixth level requires a large amount of special spiritual materials, so the expenses will likely be even greater.

Therefore, it is even more important to prepare in advance.

He then followed the maid and left, passing through corridors and bridges, and stopped in front of a tall building.

"There are two doors here, one open and one hidden. If you do not wish for others to know, you can enter through the hidden door. There is an array inside to conceal it, so no one will know what you are selling."

Li Ya concealed his aura, pushed open the door and entered. He saw that the wall behind the door was covered with ancient masks. Li Ya picked out a mask with his eyes closed and put it on.

Instantly, his aura became murky, as if shrouded in a layer of mist.

After walking through the dimly lit corridor, a waiter wearing a similar outfit slowly approached and respectfully asked, "Sir, are you here to appraise an antique or to participate in the auction?"

"It's both an appraisal and an auction participation activity."

Li Ya's voice was completely different at this moment, making it difficult to tell whether he was old or young, male or female.

"Distinguished guest, please follow me."

The waiter said no more, stepped aside and led the way, guiding Li Ya through layers of restricted corridors to a quiet room.

The interior of the quiet room has a minimalist layout, simple and elegant.

There was only an antique wooden table in the center, with cushions on either side for sitting, and nothing else.

Once inside and the door is closed, the entire secret room becomes a self-contained little world, safe and secluded, where no third party will ever know what is happening inside.

"Please wait a moment, Your Excellency. I will go and fetch the steward immediately!"

The waiter bowed and quietly withdrew, locking the stone door and cutting off all movement inside and outside.

A moment later, the stone door trembled slightly, and a cultivator wearing a mask slowly walked into the secret chamber.

The cultivator entered and took his seat, then spoke in a deep voice: "What do you possess? Please present it for us to see."

Li Ya took out a thin silk cloth from his sleeve, on which was the essential outline of the "Self-Sacrifice Sutra".

The monk took the thin silk and studied it carefully. When he got to the end, he suddenly shuddered and his pupils contracted sharply.

"Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment. This is not something I can look at. I will ask the steward to come here immediately."

After saying this, he quickly got up and whispered a few words to the servant outside the door. Before long, an old man came in.

He wore no mask, had white hair that reached his shoulders, and his aura was unremarkable, revealing no trace of cultivation.

After reading the entire outline, his hands trembled slightly involuntarily.

The old man held his breath, suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and carefully analyzed the truth from falsehood.

After a long while, he let out a heavy sigh.

"Your Excellency, this method seems incomplete; two talismans are still missing!"

"Good eye!" Li Ya naturally wouldn't hand over the complete essence. The two talismans containing Daoist rhyme were the essence and he had to keep them in his hands first.

"May I have a look at it?"

Although Li Ya was drawing in the air with his fingers, a mysterious Daoist charm slowly emerged.

After a short while, the old man said solemnly, "Forgive my bluntness, but this method is of a higher rank than the one used in the Central Continent."

"However, while this method is an excellent way for cultivators to temper their bodies in the Qi Refining stage, it is a priceless treasure for sects that want to elevate their own spiritual lineage!"

Li Ya remained calm and composed, saying, "I'd like to trouble the manager to provide an estimate."

The old man pondered for a long time, then tapped his fingertips lightly on the wooden table before letting out a sigh.

"I don't know how to price this item; let's auction it off!"

"Then let's auction it off there!"

"That's only right!" The old man nodded solemnly. "Fellow Daoist, rest assured, the Dugu clan has earned the trust of cultivators in the Southern Region for thousands of years, relying on the fact that we would rather die than lose our reputation."

"Does Your Excellency know that if this technique were from a sect within the Central Continent, I would have fought tooth and nail to kill you on the spot!"

"May I ask why this is so?" Li Ya asked, somewhat puzzled.

"The leakage of one's lineage is tantamount to cutting off the entire sect's potential, while absorbing the Dao essence of other sects raises the potential of one's own lineage!"

Beneath the mask, Li Ya's brows were already furrowed.

"I'm afraid that from the moment I started practicing this method, the White Bone lineage of the Primordial Holy Sect has been irreconcilably opposed to me."

"Fortunately, I had the idea to sell this method on the spur of the moment. In this way, if more people cultivate it, it will be much more difficult for the White Bone lineage to find the thief of the method."

"This old man, Dugu Nan, will personally conduct the auction for your esteemed presence!"

After saying that, he picked up the thin silk on the table and was about to leave the quiet room.

"Wait!" Li Ya called out to him, "This method isn't going to be sold to just one store, it's going to be sold to a hundred!"

Dugu Nan wondered if he had misheard. How could the price of one serving be compared to the price of one hundred servings?

"Just do as I say!"

"good!"

After saying that, he turned and left the quiet room.

"In that case, I'll see if those demon bastards can find me!"

On the way to the central meeting place, the steward couldn't help but say to Dugu Nan, "Grand Uncle, why didn't you...?"

Dugu Nan stopped abruptly and glanced at him indifferently.

"Foolish! One hundred portions? I, Dugu Cheng, will just buy one!"

"Go to the ancestral hall and accept your punishment!"

……

Within Tianquefang, a hidden space—Jinque Palace—has been put into use.

Those cultivators qualified to participate in the Golden Palace auction instantly received a message from Dugu City.

[Dugu Cheng accidentally obtained a method, which was a body tempering method for the Qi Refining stage extracted from a Golden Core method outside the Central Continent. It contained fundamental Dao principles, and the Golden Core method was suspected to be of grade two or higher.]

These few short sentences were like a thunderclap.

In an instant, within Tianquefang, the sect elders, aristocratic patriarchs, and leaders of various forces who had been sitting calmly in their respective elegant rooms all sat up straight, their eyes filled with shock.

No one doubts that Dugu Nan's words are false; Dugu City's thousand-year-old reputation speaks for itself.

Moreover, they were hoping that Dugu Nan would make a mistake, since the rule here is that if it's fake, they'll compensate you tenfold, and the compensation will be ten times the price of the genuine product.

The quality of cultivation techniques is fundamental to the establishment of a sect. The higher the quality, the more immortal ranks one can ascend, and the more Golden Core cultivators one technique can accommodate.

Of the tens of thousands of sects in the Southern Region, only two can be considered as first-grade lineages.

Which of those sects with second-grade cultivation lines doesn't want to climb to the next level?

Once a lineage transforms from the second rank to the first rank, it represents a qualitative leap!

I can't guarantee that this method won't be the final push, but even if it isn't, it's still a good thing to elevate one's lineage. Who would be willing to give it up?

Dugu Nanjing sat in the center of the Golden Palace.

Before long, all the hundreds of bronze mirrors in the Golden Palace were lit up, and the figures of the leaders of various sects and families appeared on the mirrors.

Once everyone was present, Dugu Nan spoke directly: "The master intends to have 100 copies of this method printed and auctioned off. Each person can only bid for one copy."

Upon hearing this, the more powerful sects and families were puzzled, while those who had been waiting to see what would happen were overjoyed.

"First bid, please place your bids!"