Chapter 367
The disciple before him lowered his head, speaking in a muffled tone, yet he did not refuse. Instead, he said, “Yes, I may not compare to Senior Brother Sun and the others, but being able to contribute to the sect and offer some advice to my junior brothers is still a good thing.” It was clear that he understood Zheng Fa's intentions.
Zheng Fa felt a sense of relief in his heart. He gave the disciple a hearty pat on the back and laughed, “You’re only a little short of forming your Golden Core; it’s not beyond redemption.”
The disciple suddenly lifted his gaze to meet Zheng Fa’s smile, nodding gently in response.
“...Yes!”
Instantly, the disciple was invigorated.
The onlookers below, including Tongming Shangren and others, were utterly bewildered...
Wait, can someone explain to me what it means to have no regrets in forming the Core?
What does it mean that it can still be salvaged?
Zheng Fa’s words seemed utterly nonsensical.
Yet, strangely enough, as soon as Zheng Fa spoke, not only did this disciple beam with joy, but several others in the crowd behind him also wore bright smiles, showing no signs of doubt whatsoever.
Tongming Shangren: ...
He felt that the people from the Jiushan Realm were a bit peculiar...
What Zheng Fa referred to was, of course, the "Jiu Zhuan Jin Dan Fa" (Nine Transformations Golden Core Method).
The group of disciples received their tokens and walked to the back of the high platform, where the older generation of Golden Core disciples had gathered.
Originally, there were only about ten Golden Core disciples in the Jiushan Sect, but now their numbers had doubled, making the change quite noticeable.
Moreover, among the previous Golden Core disciples, aside from Senior Sister Yuan, there was only one other male disciple with a high-quality Golden Core.
Now, with the addition of seven high-quality Golden Cores, their strength had more than doubled!
As Sun Daoyu and the others approached, the expressions of these older Golden Core disciples turned somewhat dim... After all, their Golden Cores were relatively lower in quality.
Seeing their expressions, Sun Daoyu understood and said softly, “Senior Brother, why be so concerned?”
“Hmm?”
“Think about it, I’ve wasted years in the Foundation Establishment stage, but thanks to the sect leader’s breakthrough, I was able to achieve a high-quality Golden Core... Now that the sect leader has reached the Golden Core stage, if he were to achieve the Nascent Soul, just imagine…”
He didn’t finish his sentence, but the faces of the older disciples around him changed rapidly, as if they immediately grasped his meaning.
Then, recalling Zheng Fa’s words to that mid-quality Golden Core disciple...
In an instant, those older disciples who had felt a bit despondent just moments ago turned their gazes toward Zheng Fa, wishing fervently for their sect leader to achieve a complete Golden Core in a day and a Nascent Soul in three days...
So that they too could enjoy the joy of rising to greatness!
After the celebration, Zheng Fa stepped down from the platform and specifically thanked the Nascent Soul elders from the outside world for attending.
“What’s this? To see so many talented individuals is a blessing for us,” one of the Nascent Soul cultivators said with a smile.
“Indeed! Your sect has so many high-quality Golden Cores; it’s truly eye-opening!” another added.
“It’s been worth the trip, absolutely worth it!” the others chimed in, clearly satisfied with their experience at the Jiushan Sect’s Golden Core ceremony.
The only one who was not satisfied was Tongming Shangren...
He looked at these people, his eyes filled with confusion:
What’s worth the trip?
Didn’t you come here at my invitation to witness the Hundred Immortals Dharma Assembly?
After exchanging a few words with the crowd, Zheng Fa finally got to the point:
“Our Jiushan Sect’s market on Jinkai Island will open soon, and there will be a small auction held then. If any of you are interested, feel free to come and take a look.”
The crowd exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.
Zheng Fa took out some colorful brochures from behind him and handed them out, saying, “These contain the items we’re preparing for the auction. By the way, our sect accepts both spirit stones and magical treasures. If anyone wishes to sell something through our sect, you can approach Senior Sister Zhang.”
“Sounds good, sounds good…”
As he left, the crowd gathered together, flipping through the various auction items in the brochures. After a quick glance, they all shook their heads.
“It seems there’s nothing of value in the Jiushan Realm? Why are there so many external elixirs?”
“Hmm, these magical treasures seem to be from that Great Freedom Demon Sect?”
“I recognize this coffin; it belongs to that Copper Coffin Elder.”
“Actually, it’s not too bad; the Jiushan Sect’s foundation isn’t very deep to begin with.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. After this Golden Core ceremony, their expectations for the Jiushan Sect had risen significantly.
Now, looking at this brochure, they felt a bit disappointed instead.
Tongming Shangren also remarked, “The Jiushan Realm must be quite barren; many items have to be purchased through our Hundred Immortals Alliance.”
Upon hearing this, the other Nascent Soul cultivators understood that the Jiushan Sect likely didn’t have many good items.
To be honest, they felt a bit more balanced in their hearts...
“Are you all going or not?”
“I’m not going; there’s nothing I want.”
“I’m not interested.”
“I want to go take a look; the magical treasures from the Great Freedom Demon Sect have their unique merits.”
“I also want to buy some lightning-type spirit materials.”
Tongming Shangren estimated that more than half of the people had little interest in this auction.
He glanced at Chengkong Shangren beside him, only to see that he hadn’t even looked at the brochure...
Noticing Tongming’s gaze, Chengkong Shangren smiled and explained, “The Jiushan Realm only has some interesting lightning materials, but what they’re auctioning off is of no use to me.”
His tone was lazy, clearly looking down on this so-called auction from the bottom of his heart.
However, Tongming Shangren understood him...
Having joined the Taishang Dao, he wouldn’t be easily swayed.
Wasn’t he just taking advantage of such a powerful backing?
Let alone speaking in front of Zheng Fa; even if he did, would Zheng Fa dare to say anything?
To be honest, he wasn’t planning to go either.
As a Transformation Stage cultivator, the items here were of no use to him.
...
But Tongming Shangren didn’t rush to leave. After all, some disciples and elders from the Hundred Immortals Alliance were also interested in attending the auction.
Moreover, with the market on Jinkai Island opening soon, he decided to delay for a few more days; he wasn’t in a hurry.
That night, he suddenly heard a gasp from the courtyard outside.
Furrowing his brows, he extended his divine sense and realized it was two Foundation Establishment disciples from the Hundred Immortals Alliance talking.
“Are you saying that those Jiushan disciples can form high-quality Golden Cores because of those external elixirs?”
“Exactly!”
“Is that for real?”
“Can’t be fake! My uncle’s sister’s brother used to be from the Jiushan Sect!” another voice asserted confidently. “I’ve checked this thoroughly!”
“This batch of Golden Core disciples from the Jiushan Sect has all participated in some ‘Golden Core Project’ courses!”
“What’s the Golden Core Project?”
“How would I know? I just know that those external elixirs are also related to the Golden Core Project!”
Tongming Shangren was taken aback, his expression immediately turning serious as he continued to eavesdrop.
“Is that true?”
“Don’t believe me? Do you have any spirit stones on you? Lend me some; I’ll go to the auction and see if I can buy an external elixir!”
“...Not lending!”
The two of them tugged at each other as they walked away, and Tongming Shangren glanced at the beam above, his mind racing with thoughts.
...
Three days later, on Jinkai Island, at the entrance of a spacious two-story wooden building, people were bustling about.
Tongming Shangren timed his arrival perfectly and stood at the door. Peering inside, he was taken aback:
Hey, didn’t you say you didn’t want anything?
You there!
Didn’t you say you weren’t interested?
He watched in disbelief as those previously uninterested Nascent Soul cultivators were all streaming inside!
“Tongming, what are you doing standing there?”
A somewhat familiar yet unrecognizable voice came from behind him.
He turned around sharply to see Chengkong Shangren standing behind him, also heading into the building.
“Shangren? You’re here for the auction too?”
“Mm.”
“Aren’t you...”
“Mm?”
Chengkong Shangren glanced at him, and Tongming Shangren had no choice but to close his mouth. He could understand Chengkong Shangren’s position:
Having joined the Taishang Dao, he wouldn’t go back on his word or misrepresent things...
Wasn’t that just wasting such a powerful backing?
He didn’t dare to say anything further.
(End of this chapter)
**Chapter 322: Tongming’s Sigh, the Roots of Heaven and Earth**
The Jiushan auction was held in a wooden building resembling a two-story theater, with a square courtyard in the center.
At one end of the courtyard stood a wooden platform, on which was a small table with a bell, beside which lay a small golden hammer, used by the host to announce the auction items.
Below the platform, rows of chairs were tightly arranged, designated for cultivators below the Golden Core stage.
The second floor had several private boxes; if cultivators above the Nascent Soul stage attended, they would be led to these boxes—this was a customary practice at auctions in the Xuanwei Realm, which, to some extent, provided relief for those of lower cultivation...
Zheng Fa and Uncle Pang stood in a box directly facing the platform, watching as the seats below gradually filled up. They saw Chengkong Shangren and Tongming Shangren enter a box before Zheng Fa turned to Uncle Pang with a smile and said, “Uncle, your rumors have had quite the effect.”
The rumors among the disciples had all been spread by Uncle Pang.
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