Chapter 141: Chapter 103: Three-Year Change, Underground Auction [Subscribe now]_2

Therefore, in the sale of low-to-mid-tier magic artifacts, this store also had advantages that big shops like “Heavenly Treasure Pavilion” did not possess.

For this reason, when they purchased magic artifacts back from customers, the prices they offered were quite fair.

Of course, this fairness depended on who they were dealing with.

To someone like Zhou Chun, who hailed from a cultivator family and had his own sales channels, being clear about the market situation, the pricing would naturally be fair.

But for those loose cultivators or even bandit cultivators, the price would be another story.

Therefore, when Zhou Chun left “Treasure Pavilion,” his storage pouch had an additional six to seven hundred Spirit Coins.

By then, the number of Spirit Coins in Zhou Chun’s storage pouch had reached over two thousand!

This was since he had killed the black-clothed elder, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and his mindset was different.

Otherwise, walking on the street with such a large sum of Spirit Coins, he really would worry about attracting unwanted attention.

Zhou Chun didn’t plan to spend these Spirit Coins right now.

He had already begun preparing for his future Foundation Establishment, knowing that good steel must be used on the edge of the blade!

So by the time Zhou Chun returned to the Spirit Beast Restaurant, Zhou Jiasheng had also returned, and after catching up with each other, Zhou Chun handed over some items that were not easy to sell individually for him to sell on his behalf.

This service of selling treasures on behalf of clan members was also one of the family-owned businesses like the Spirit Beast Restaurant.

After completing all the tasks he had set out to do in the marketplace, Zhou Chun returned to his family and began to cultivate in peace.

In the ensuing three years, the resurgent Dragon Transformation Sect, indeed, had numerous confrontations with Green Lotus Temple, which guarded the southern part of Jingguo Country.

Firstly, Green Lotus Temple ordered the cultivator families, small sects, and loose cultivator organizations in Lianzhou, Lanzhou, Yunzhou, and Lingzhou, the four southern provinces of Jingguo Country, to strictly investigate any remnants of the Dragon Transformation Sect hiding within the country. Discovering or killing these remnants would be rewarded.

During this time, Green Lotus Temple itself captured and killed various formal and preparatory sect members of the Dragon Transformation Sect through their information network, adding up to two to three hundred people, and even killed a few of the Dragon Transformation Sect’s Missionary Envoys.

The Dragon Transformation Sect showed no weakness in response.

First, by luring the snake out of the hole, they brutally ambushed and killed several Green Lotus Temple disciples who had rushed over upon hearing the news.

Then, with ruthless methods, they consecutively destroyed three cultivator families that stood out, as well as two loose cultivator organizations, harshly deterring various small and mid-sized forces.

Simultaneously, they openly raised the banner of “Teaching Without Discrimination,” aggressively recruiting sect members and enticing cultivators from Jingguo Country with seemingly irresistible conditions to join.

The sect even went so far as to print and widely spread a pamphlet of the Dragon Transformation Sect’s “glorious history,” which had always been suppressed by Jingguo Country’s sects, to “rehabilitate” their name.

This stance was clearly aimed at re-entering Jingguo Country and challenging the ruling sects.

Therefore, after such a response from the Dragon Transformation Sect, not only the senior levels of Green Lotus Temple were enraged, but forces like the Moon Wheel Sect and Sunflame Sect, which had participated in the suppression of the Dragon Transformation Sect in the past, became alert as well. They all sent high-level cultivators to Green Lotus Temple to understand the situation.

If necessary, they would definitely not hesitate to send people south to strike at the Dragon Transformation Sect.

However, these machinations and struggles among the great forces had little to do with the Zhou Family and Zhou Chun.

As a cultivator family under the rule of Green Lotus Temple, unless Green Lotus Temple had already lost control of Lanzhou, the Zhou Family could only follow the orders of Green Lotus Temple without any room for waver.

The same applied to Zhou Chun.

So in these three years, aside from the Zhou Family vocally responding to the call of Green Lotus Temple and checking for any loose cultivators entering the family grounds for cultivation, they were actively preparing for war to enhance the family strength.

From Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi down, every cultivator of the Zhou Family was focused on diligently cultivating to enhance their own cultivation level and strength, or that of their spirit pets.

After three years, not only did Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi regain his middle-stage Foundation Establishment strength, but other Zhou Family cultivators also achieved no small gains.

For example, the Third Elder Zhou Daoquan’s spirit pet, the Vermilion Flame Crane, advanced to a second-grade mid-tier Demon Beast.

The core clan member of the Zhou Family, Zhou Jiapeng’s Spirit Pet, the Iron Feather Hawk, finally found a female of its kind for successful mating and even managed to abduct and capture her within the gate of Zhou Family Mountain.

Then there was Zhou Chun, who, after three years, had broken through to the eleventh layer of the Qi Refinement Realm. He had opened ninety-six acupuncture points throughout his body, and as long as he opened four more, he would break through to the twelfth layer of the Qi Refinement Realm.

At the same time, his Spirit Pet, the Rock Earth Turtle, had consumed that piece of “Feldspar Stone,” causing its bloodline to be strengthened. Not only had its cultivation level reached that of a Cultivator in the twelfth layer of the Qi Refinement Realm, but it had also awakened a very practical Earth Element Technique: the “Gravity Technique.”

But the most significant change was undoubtedly the Silver Lightning Python, Baibai.

At this time, the Silver Lightning Python, Baibai, had broken through and become a top-grade Demon Beast of the first order, with its nascent Flood Dragon bloodline beginning to awaken and strengthen.

This had caused not only its body length to surge to more than five zhang, but also its snake scales to transform into those of a Flood Dragon, greatly enhancing its defensive capabilities.

And having become a top-grade Demon Beast of the first order, the various Thunder Element Spells that the Silver Lightning Python, Baibai, mastered could finally be considered significant, forming a powerful combat force.

Currently, the Silver Lightning Python, Baibai, had a mastery of six spells, including Lightning Technique, Chain Lightning Technique, Thunderstrike Technique, Thunderstorm Technique, Thunder Shield, and Thunder Electric Net.

From these six techniques, one could discern the direction of the Silver Lightning Python, Baibai’s growth.

If Zhou Chun were to use the theories from his previous life, the Rock Earth Turtle would be the tank and meat shield, responsible for taking damage and attracting firepower, while the Silver Lightning Python would be the turret Mage, an output machine.

With these two powerful Spirit Pets for offense and defense by his side and the two Xinjin Sword Qi spells he had re-cultivated as trump cards, as long as he didn’t encounter a Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage, he was almost invincible within the realm of Qi Refinement!

However, as time passes, there are always pros and cons.

The downside was that in the past three years, the Zhou Family had continuously lost three Family Cultivators, including two “Zhou” clan members who died of old age and one who had gone missing.

Although during that period, the Zhou Family had gained five children and infants with Spirit Root Aptitude, the loss of Cultivators was clearly not something that could be made up for in the short term.

But this was the normal state of affairs for a family clan, with the cycle of life and death always beyond complete prevention.

“There’s news from the Marketplace that someone is preparing to hold an underground auction there soon, auctioning off some items that are not convenient for public sale,” said Zhou Jiasheng from the marketplace.

“According to some information released by the organizers, the auction will definitely feature items like Foundation Establishment Pills and Nurturing Soul Jade.”

“The family’s accounts still have a surplus of Spirit Coins, and I am thinking of having Elder Four attend to see if he can acquire a Foundation Establishment Pill. Zhengchun, would you like to broaden your horizons and come along?”

That day, as Zhou Chun had just returned from cultivating at the summit of Pagoda Peak, the Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi suddenly approached him with surprising news.

The so-called “underground auction” was something that Zhou Chun had long heard about during his time working as a clerk in the marketplace.

Such events were generally run by powerful forces behind the scenes, and usually by a joint effort of several forces.

The event used an invitation system. The organizers would send invitations to forces or individuals they believed had the financial capacity before the event, revealing some of the key treasures that would be at the auction to attract attention.

If someone was interested in the underground auction, they could go to the designated meeting place at the time specified on the invitation, and then be led by designated personnel to the location of the underground auction.

Because underground auctions were not held often, once they occurred, they would attract many Cultivators from the Foundation Establishment Stage and even to Purple Mansion Cultivators.

Even Cultivators from other states, upon hearing the news, would try to get hold of an invitation to participate.

If Zhou Chun remembered correctly, the last time an underground auction appeared in Lanzhou was more than a decade ago. At that time, the Zhou Family had not even moved to Jingguo Country.

After a moment of startled surprise, Zhou Chun gave Zhou Daoyi a bow and said, “Clan Leader, I am deeply grateful that you would bestow upon me the opportunity to widen my horizons.”

After speaking and pausing slightly, he continued with a doubtful expression, “However, since Elder Four is going to buy an important treasure like the Foundation Establishment Pill, wouldn’t my presence at his side be a hindrance?”

Zhou Daoyi immediately reassured him, “Rest assured, if I dare to let you accompany Elder Four, I naturally have confidence in ensuring your safety.”

Hearing his confident words, Zhou Chun’s expression shifted as if he realized something and dropped his concerns.

About half a month later, Zhou Chun left Jiufeng Ridge with the Fourth Elder, Zhou Jiarui, to meet at the designated location for the underground auction near Hongya Marketplace.