Chapter 676: Ye Haitang Foundations Establishment

East Barren Lands, Monster Taming Kingdom, Yunmengfang City.

Inside a magnificent palace, a grand auction was taking place. The hall was spacious and bright. In the center stood a five-zhang-wide azure circular platform. A teal-robed old man, in his early fifties, stood before it. On the azure wooden table in front of him rested an azure brocade box, containing nine gleaming azure flying daggers. Hundreds of azure wooden chairs surrounded the azure stone platform, and upstairs were private VIP rooms.

Wang Qiuming sat in a front-row seat in the hall, gazing indifferently at the azure stone platform. Behind him sat over a dozen excited Wang family disciples.

"Six thousand five hundred! Are there any higher bids, fellow cultivators? This is a complete set of magical artifacts." The teal-robed old man's voice was full of allure. Six thousand five hundred spirit stones was already a considerable sum. After two more cultivators raised their bids, the set of flying daggers was sold for seven thousand five hundred spirit stones.

"Next, it's time for the highlight items of the auction. First up: five Foundation Establishment Pills. The starting bid is ten thousand spirit stones, and each increment must be no less than one thousand." The teal-robed old man took out five azure porcelain bottles, placed them on the azure wooden table, and announced loudly. Wang Qiuming's expression remained unchanged. The Wang family could now refine Foundation Establishment Pills themselves, so there was no need to bid on them. Moreover, the Wang family was currently focused on nurturing several Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Wang Qiuming's lack of interest didn't mean others weren't interested, especially the smaller families who had traveled thousands of miles to attend the auction, precisely for these Foundation Establishment Pills. "Ten thousand!" "Eleven thousand!" "Twelve thousand!" Bids rang out incessantly, and the competition was fierce. Wang Qiuming felt fortunate that his family could refine Foundation Establishment Pills; otherwise, he too would be competing for them like everyone else. The five Foundation Establishment Pills were all sold for over forty thousand spirit stones, with the highest one fetching fifty thousand spirit stones.

"A piece of third-tier material, Jinlang Stone. When refined into flying swords or flying daggers, it can enhance the power of magical treasures. The starting bid is twenty thousand spirit stones, with each increment no less than one thousand." The teal-robed old man held up a watermelon-sized piece of reddish-gold ore in his hand and announced loudly. Wang Qingshan was a sword cultivator, and refining this Jinlang Stone into his flying sword would certainly increase its power. "Twenty thousand!" "Twenty-one thousand!" "Twenty-two thousand!" Wang Qiuming participated in the bidding, but the large-scale auction held at Yunmengfang City attracted many high-level cultivators. This Jinlang Stone was ultimately bought by a VIP on the second floor for a high price of sixty thousand spirit stones.

"A third-tier elixir, Jade Sun Pill. Refined using five-hundred-year-old Jade Sun Ginseng as the main ingredient, it can advance spiritual power and accelerate cultivation for fellow cultivators practicing fire-attribute techniques. The starting bid is thirty thousand spirit stones, with each increment no less than one thousand spirit stones." After selling two bottles of third-tier elixirs and two pieces of third-tier alchemy materials, the teal-robed old man took out a fist-sized golden ore and announced loudly: "A piece of third-tier material, Gold Magnetic Ore. The starting bid is thirty thousand spirit stones, with each increment no less than one thousand." Wang Qiuming's eyes lit up. Gold Magnetic Ore was a metal-attribute refining material. He cultivated the 'Nine-Origin Gold Jade Art' and had been planning to refine a Natal Magical Artifact but hadn't found suitable materials. This piece of Gold Magnetic Ore was exactly what he needed. The competition for this Gold Magnetic Ore was quite intense, but Wang Qiuming ultimately purchased it for a high price of seventy thousand spirit stones.

"Two bottles of Three-Element Spirit Liquid, a Core Formation spiritual item. Consuming this liquid when attempting to break through to the Core Formation stage can increase the success rate by ten percent. The starting bid is fifty thousand spirit stones, with each increment no less than five thousand." Although it only increased the Core Formation success rate by ten percent, these two bottles of Three-Element Spirit Liquid still drew frantic bids from the cultivators. Wang Qiuming participated in the bidding but unfortunately failed to acquire them. The two bottles of Three-Element Spirit Liquid were purchased by VIPs on the second floor. Chen Yunyue acquired one bottle for a high price of two hundred thirty thousand spirit stones.

"One defensive spiritual art, 'Glazed Gold Body'. The starting bid is seventy thousand spirit stones, with each increment no less than ten thousand." The teal-robed old man held up an azure jade slip and announced loudly. Wang Qiuming looked around and noticed the gloomy expressions of many Foundation Establishment cultivators. He chuckled softly. Just as he expected, the blue-robed man had sold this spiritual art to multiple factions and even put it up for auction. The competition for this spiritual art was fierce, and it was ultimately bought by Chen Yunyue for a high price of two hundred thousand spirit stones.

The final highlight item of the auction was a black jade ruler, a prototype defensive magical treasure, which sold for a high price of two hundred seventy thousand.

"Alright, the auction concludes here. Next time, we will prepare even more items for everyone to bid on." The cultivators gradually left, and Wang Qiuming departed with his family members.

"Fifteenth Sister, please keep an eye on the affairs at Peach Mountain. I'm taking this spiritual art back to the clan." Wang Qiuming gave Wang Qiuling a few instructions, handed over the responsibilities, and left the city with a group of clan members. After leaving the city, they released their Green Scaled Horses. With a flick of the whip against the horses' hindquarters, the Green Scaled Horses surged forward with great speed, kicking up clouds of dust as they galloped into the distance.

South Sea, Red Moon Sea Region. On Red Lotus Island, at Red Lotus Pavilion, Wang Qiuhong and seven Foundation Establishment cultivators were holding a family meeting. After five years of development, the Wang family now boasted over seventy cultivators. Half of them were new recruits, and the other half were cultivators from smaller families.

In recent years, there had been many small-scale conflicts in the Red Moon Sea Region. Many smaller families were annihilated. One small family named Li was attacked by hostile forces, suffering heavy casualties, with only Qi Refining cultivators remaining. Upon learning of their plight, Wang Qiuhong extended an olive branch. Red Lotus Island's strength was considerable, and Wang Qingling's monster-hunting team was quite renowned. Over twenty Li family cultivators joined the Wang family, becoming integral members. Wang Qingling led teams to hunt monsters, selling the monster materials to the family's own shop. Due to Wang Qiuhong's initiative, the shop offered slightly higher prices for monster materials and sold goods at slightly lower prices than other shops, gradually accumulating a loyal customer base. Capitalizing on this momentum, Wang Qiuhong took over another shop, selling spiritual artifacts, magical artifacts, and puppet beasts. Business was quite good, and the Wang family was developing positively.

"Tenth Aunt, these times are a bit chaotic. Our in-law family, the Sun family, was attacked recently, but fortunately, they repelled the enemy's assault. For now, please stay on Red Lotus Island. Wait until the situation stabilizes before going out to hunt monsters." Excluding Ye Lin, Red Lotus Island now had ten Foundation Establishment cultivators. This was already a strong force, but three of them had only recently achieved Foundation Establishment and were relatively weak. If Red Lotus Island were to be attacked while Wang Qingling's team was out hunting monsters, it would be problematic. Distant relatives are less helpful than close neighbors. Wang Qiuming set an example by marrying a female member of the Sun family, forming a marital alliance between the Wang and Sun families. The Sun family had five Foundation Establishment cultivators, but their strength was not comparable to the Wang family's.

"Alright, I understand." After giving a few more instructions, Wang Qiuhong dismissed them to rest.

On a certain mountain peak adorned with begonia trees, a small courtyard sat atop. Wang Changyue, Ye Lin, and their son Ye Yutong were having dinner together. Suddenly, a clear, bell-like female voice rang out: "Father, Mother, Little Brother, I've entered the Foundation Establishment stage!" Ye Haitang walked out from an azure pavilion nearby, her face beaming with excitement. Ye Haitang cultivated the 'Myriad Formations True Scroll', aiming to achieve her path through formations. She was Wang Changsheng's niece and a key focus of his cultivation efforts, so she naturally received a significant amount of cultivation resources.

"Sister has reached the Foundation Establishment stage! Now you can take me hunting monsters!" Ye Yutong said with a smile. He possessed a three-spirit root and cultivated the wood-attribute technique, 'Everlasting Spring Origin Cultivation Art'.

"Of course," Ye Haitang replied. "But Little Brother, your cultivation is still too low. You need to cultivate diligently. Once you advance by two more layers, I'll take you monster hunting." Ye Haitang smiled faintly, patting her chest in promise.