During the next intermission, Cha Ming and Gong Lan went to the auction desk to pay their bills and collect the items they had purchased. In Cha Ming's case, he exchanged most of his remaining bills of credit for the mystery treasure in lot number 76.

To his surprise, the treasure appeared to be a bundle of metal stakes joined together by a long, thin chain. The stakes resembled throwing daggers decorated with elaborate runic patterns. He still had no idea how to use this treasure, but he was sure that his friend in the brush would explain everything when the time came. Given how important the treasure was to his survival, he carefully placed it in an empty corner of his bag of holding.

After storing the treasure, he turned around just in time to see a blood-red blade slash down toward his face. It stopped right on his nose before he even had a chance to scream. Satisfied with its performance, Gong Lan withdrew the other saber from its sheath and began admiring the pair. They looked very similar to a pair of oversized, black iron kukris . The crude iron was rusted to the point that it was unfit for duty, yet the stench of blood permeating from the blades spoke volumes of its ability to perform its basic function.

As Gong Lan hefted the two cruel blades, her demeanor instantly changed. Her abnormal levels of bloodlust increased threefold in an instant, causing some nearby cultivators to wet themselves.

"Gong Lan!" Cha Ming yelled, calling his friend back to her senses.

"Perfect," she whispered softly, sending a chill down Cha Ming's spine. After a few moments, she came to and realized that she had caused a scene and shot everyone a bashful look as she sheathed the blades and fastened them to her back.

After returning to their private booth, Cha Ming performed some quick mental calculations. He estimated that he had 2,000 mid-grade spirit stones' worth of crystalized elemental essence to liquidate. That was the equivalent of twenty million low-grade spirit stones.

"Brother Hong," Cha Ming asked, "how much do you think those custom crafting slots will auction for?"

Hong Lai thought for a moment before replying. "Three million spirit stones."

"That much? Why would it be so high?" Cha Ming complained. His nouveau riche mentality quickly faded as he realized that he was only wealthy for a qi condensation cultivator.

"Well, it's because these famous artisans are foundation-establishment elders," Hong Lai replied. "Their level in their craft enables them to make magic treasures. Many of the people participating in the auction will, in fact, be asking them to create their future weapons. These people are geniuses within their families, and their elders are willing to bet a significant fortune on their future, as it is closely tied to the destiny of their family."

Cha Ming sighed. "It looks like I'll have to go for a pill-crafting slot and ignore my weapon for now. Alas, Brother Hong, I'm still too poor."

"Oh? What kind of weapon were you looking to have crafted?" Hong Lai asked with interest. He was a spiritual blacksmith, after all.

"I'd like Han Jinlong to craft a soul-alloy staff. The staff must be six feet long and two inches wide. The problem is, I've heard that soul alloy is an extremely difficult material to craft, and I dare not trust anyone but Han Jinlong for this matter." Cha Ming's eyes were downcast. As the bearded man in the Clear Sky Brush had said, life before weapon.

"That.. that is a huge amount of soul alloy. Are you sure you don't want it made with another material?" Hong Lai asked.

"Yes, and I understand that most soul-alloy weapons are small or thin. However, I really need the weight-increasing and length-manipulation properties intrinsic to soul alloy for my staff arts. I also practice five-element cultivation, and any other material will skew my fighting style. Besides, I already have enough soul alloy, and I only need to contract a spiritual blacksmith that can work with it."

"You already have such a huge amount of soul alloy?" Hong Lai asked, amazed. "Well, you're in luck. Don't bother with this auction. I'll simply ask for a favor from my master, Bei Ling. While he is not the best spiritual blacksmith in the city, Han Jinlong himself would not dare say he is my master's match at crafting soul-alloy weapons!"

Cha Ming was elated. Hong Lai's offer was like receiving coal in the winter. He graciously accepted.

Now that his most pressing problem was solved, he waited leisurely for the auction to begin once more. This time, an old man with white hair walked confidently out on stage, and the noisy crowd quieted. Though he wore a set of plain blue robes and his appearance was unremarkable, the man's presence was stifling—the mark of a foundation-establishment elder.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Li Taihou, the president of the Fairweather City auction house. The contents of this auction have already been explained, so without further ado, I will proceed to the main event." Even without a voice amplification device, Li Taihou's voice resonated throughout the entire auction house.

"I would like to remind you before continuing, however, that only those with silver voting paddles can participate. The rest of you may continue to watch at your leisure. The first item up for auction is the first custom pill-concoction slot. The winner will be entitled to three batches of custom pill concoction from Master Zhang Yifeng.

"Please note that while this price includes labor, it does not include the cost of materials. Success is guaranteed with three batches of materials, as long as the grade of pills requested does not exceed low-grade magic pills. Master Zhang has guaranteed that he will make an attempt to concoct pills with each batch of materials provided, to a maximum of three. Additionally, I would like to note that this is very unusual—alchemists will usually keep excess materials when they guarantee success.

"The starting price is one hundred mid-grade spirit stones. Each subsequent bid must raise the price by one mid-grade spirit stone. To place a bid, please yell out your offer and reveal your bidding paddle."

Despite his permission to begin, the people in the auction house were strangely quiet. A lone woman's voice broke the silence, yelling out, "One hundred spirit stones." This voice came from the sheep booth.

The voice was answered by that of a young man, who was seated in the ox booth. "I can't let you take a slot so cheaply. That would be an insult to Master Zhang's skill. One hundred and ten spirit stones."

A third voice rang out from the white tiger booth, that of a middle-aged man. "You youngsters think you can get everything for cheap. One hundred and twenty spirit stones!"

The trio continued bidding, and no one dared interrupt them. "Who are these three, and why does no one else bid?" Cha Ming inquired.

"Ah, they are from the younger generation from each of the three prominent families in Fairweather City," Hong Lai said. "While I wouldn't go so far as to say that no one dares offend them, I think that everyone here is grateful that they are participating in the mission. As a token of respect, they will naturally let these three fight over the first three slots. Even a foreign influence wouldn't haggle over these slots with them unless they are exceptionally arrogant. Conversely, they won't fight over the remaining slots as a reciprocation of their goodwill. The rest of the slots are fair game."

Cha Ming wasn't one to rock the boat unless someone greatly offended him. If this was the custom here, so be it. True to Hong Lai's words, they won the first three batches with no competition. Surprisingly, they did not pursue rock-bottom prices. Instead, they kept each other in check and ensured that the item did not go for below 210 spirit stones.

Hong Lai explained the phenomenon. "Cha Ming, you'll notice that the minimum bid was 210 mid-grade spirit stones. This serves as a signal to the other competitors. Two hundred ten mid-grade spirit stones is the minimum acceptable price in this auction, and they will snatch away slots if this minimum price isn't offered."

The auction was a lot tamer than Cha Ming imagined it would be.

Then the fourth auction started at a record price. "Two hundred forty spirit stones!" a man shouted out passionately from the general seating area. He was a fat, middle-aged man.

"Two hundred forty-five spirit stones!" a much younger man yelled out.

Cha Ming knew that the prices could only increase as the quantity decreased. "Two hundred eighty spirit stones!" he increased the price sharply to deter other bidders. The auction hall was quiet for a brief moment, until the fat man bid once more.

"Two hundred eighty-five spirit stones!" he yelled out nervously.

"Three hundred twenty!" Cha Ming yelled out immediately. Silence ensued. After thirty breaths had passed, the auctioneer yelled out.

"Three hundred twenty, going once! Three hundred twenty, going twice! Sold, to the man in the mastiff booth!" The elder proceeded with the remainder of the auction, but no one else in his booth participated.

The final prices ended up ranging between 280 spirit stones and 380 spirit stones. While Cha Ming didn't get the lowest price, he also avoided competing at the tail end of the auction, when the prices were sky high.

With nothing better to do, their group stuck around for the final auction, the weapon auction. These slots fetched up to 400 mid-grade spirit stones, slightly higher than the pill-concoction slots. Instead of bidding, they enjoyed chatting about weaponsmithing, talisman crafting, and other things. At one point, Wu Jin recounted the story of how he had accidentally been betrothed to a fey creature.

"I was walking by myself in the Lonely Woods, a spirit wood not far from here. It was a lucrative mission, one where we had to search for a mobile target that had been terrorizing local adventurers. At one point, I desperately needed to relieve myself. Naturally, I found a nearby tree to 'water.'

"Little did I know, the tree I chose was a dryad! She mistook my urination for a courting ritual, after which she became completely infatuated with me. It was impossible to separate myself from her, and I could hardly go back to town with such an innocent, untamed fey. After much effort, I was able to convince her that it would be best if I meet her elders. They were very understanding of my plight, as this sort of thing had happened to younger fey many times. It took many days, but they finally convinced the young dryad that it was a misunderstanding, and I was finally able to return to town. I had trouble peeing for a week!" Wu Jin's story provoked a storm of laughter.

Two hours after the auction ended, Cha Ming proceeded to the auction desk and paid with thirty-two pieces of crystalized elemental essence. While the attendant was surprised at seeing this unusual currency, she had dealt with it before and didn't need to call the manager. Cha Ming was then led to a small room where the nine other winners of the pill-concoction slots were waiting.

***

Cha Ming was the fourth to be called in, and he was ushered into a quiet room, where an older man with white hair was seated. In addition to the usual pressure he felt from foundation-establishment experts, Cha Ming felt a little something extra, like a soft pressure on his spirit. Reflexively, he released his spiritual force to counteract this intrusion.

"Oh." The man raised an eyebrow. Simultaneously, Cha Ming felt the pressure undulate, and he was forced to constantly adjust the pressure he felt from the experienced alchemist. After thirty breaths, he was finally unable to endure the fierce wrestling match, and his spiritual force collapsed. The man's spiritual force did not continue its assault, however. Instead, the alchemist clapped and smiled.

"It's so rare to see someone with such a strong spiritual force for his cultivation level, and with such exquisite control. What profession do you practice, young man?" Zhang Yifeng asked.

Cha Ming clasped his hands together and gave him a short bow. "Master Zhang, I'm a mildly proficient talisman artist. My achievements aren't anything worth mentioning."

The old man laughed. "How modest. The talismans for the auction must have come from you, then. They are sixth-grade talismans, so it's very impressive that you were able to craft them at the fifth level of qi condensation. Were you assessed with very high innate soul force?"

"I was fortunate to be assessed with full innate soul force," Cha Ming replied.

Zhang Yifeng nodded. "Very good. I confess myself impressed. What can I help you with today? I owe you three instances of pill concoction, as stated by the auctioneers."

"Master Zhang, I would like to request one batch of a high-level spirit pill that can aid me in making cultivation breakthroughs in qi condensation. I also expect that establishing my foundation will be very challenging. As such, I would like to request two batches of foundation-establishment pills tailored to my qi method."

"Establishing your foundation will be challenging, as you say. As for the high-level spirit pill, it sounds like you are looking for Barrier Breaker pills. What is your talent grade, young man?" the alchemist asked.

"Alas, my talent is only third grade," Cha Ming answered. "I find myself taking more and more time to break through each level of qi condensation. If I can get the batch of Barrier Breaker pills tomorrow, I am confident I can break through to the sixth level of qi condensation prior to our departure. I am also fifty percent confident in breaking through to the seventh level of body cultivation."

"Interesting. Fifty percent success, you say?" Zhang Yifeng said. "Training the body is much more difficult than training qi. You must have a special method. Very well, what you are requesting will cost twelve hundred mid-grade spirit stones. Can you afford it?"

Cha Ming gritted his teeth and withdrew a small mountain of crystalized elemental essence. "Will this be sufficient?" he asked.

The older man chuckled. "So rich at such a young age. Come, stand in front of me, and don't resist. I'm going to take an imprint of the qi in your dantian. I'll be using it to tailor the composition of your pills to your cultivation method."

Cha Ming nodded and immediately stood in front of the experienced alchemist.

Instead of forming some complicated hand seals, the older man took out a plain bronze mirror, which he held in front of Cha Ming's dantian. Of course, the mirror was anything but ordinary. As soon as the older man began pouring qi into it, the plate emitted a sucking sound and began consuming his qi. Cha Ming moved instinctively to resist it.

"Don't resist!" the man yelled, reminding him. Cha Ming relaxed as the plate slowly absorbed increasing amounts of qi. Engravings, which had previously been hidden on the mirror's surface, began to light up one by one. They lit up at five points in five different colors, and the points eventually expanded. After the five glowing engravings ceased their growth, a white circle and a black star had imprinted itself onto the bronze mirror.

"Done!" the man said, breathing quickly. The sweat on his brow indicated that this was no simple process, even for a foundation-establishment expert. "You can go on home now. I've decided to have your first batch of pills ready for tomorrow afternoon. Don't disappoint me, young man."

Cha Ming bowed and quickly exited the room.

***

Seeing the young man scamper off, Zhang Yifeng looked at the imprinted mirror once more. "Five-element cultivation?" he thought out loud. It had been many years since he'd prepared custom pills for someone who cultivated this method.

It seemed that things would be tricky for this batch of foundation-establishment pills, to the extent that he might even have to take a loss. Unfortunately, he'd already quoted a price. He quietly berated himself for this foolish mistake.

Fine, fine, he thought. It's not every day that I get to help out such a promising youngster. If only the situation wasn't so dire.. I don't want to throw so many talented youths to the wolves, but it seems I have no choice.

Looking at the plate again, he finally noticed the white circle and the black star. Is this creation qi and destruction qi? Shit. He was definitely going to take a loss on this one. Who the hell even gave that boy that cultivation method? He'd never heard of a cultivation method that could generate seven types of qi in one body, much less creation qi and destruction qi!

Sighing, he called out to the next person on his list. This time, it was a young lady. Water and wood element cultivation. And a spirit doctor apprentice. Another good seedling who probably wouldn't get to see the next month.

But what choice did he have?