The Holy Palace’s announcement did not state the reason, causing speculation within the Immortal City.

The only one who knew the truth, Li Ji’an, sat on the second floor of a tavern in the Immortal City, holding a wine cup with eyes closed, resting, while his divine sense constantly communicated with Gugu.

Gugu had now burrowed nearly thirty yards underground, which was its limit.

Initially, when Li Ji’an had just left, he instructed it to try to escape from the locked area underground. Upon reaching the boundary, it sensed a restriction array extending into the ground. Although the array was only temporarily set up and not strong, Gugu, with its strength, could indeed break through, but doing so would expose it, forcing it to conceal all its aura and patiently wait for the opportunity.

Thankfully, for more than half a month, no abnormalities appeared where Gugu was hiding, and by then the auction in Profound Light Immortal City finally commenced.

Li Ji’an now could only wait for the auction to end, and when a large number of cultivators left, he might find an opportunity to leave.

Blending into the crowd of Foundation Establishment cultivators, Li Ji’an entered the auction hall.

The auction hosted by the Ten Thousand Laws Palace was unprecedented in its grandeur, unlike any Li Ji’an had seen in his lifetime.

He cautiously guarded his sea of consciousness, keeping his gaze steady to avoid meeting anyone’s eyes.

However, just from the front row and the guest rooms on the second and third floors, one could see that True Pill Masters present accounted for over seventy percent of the entire region.

Among them, he spotted the guest room belonging to the Biyun Sect on the third floor.

It was situated under the Fiery Sun Sect’s room, led by Elder Tian, and Master Jade Pill was also present.

Meanwhile, the Fiery Sun Sect was represented by only one Fake Pill Elder.

The current auction by the Ten Thousand Laws Palace was advertised to deal with a batch of unused Tier Three Spirit Medicines and various materials, attracting alchemists from various sects.

Previously, Li Ji’an hadn’t given it much thought, but now, from knowing what Divination Master Zou Yan’s ancestor predicted at the cost of his life, he suspected that the Ten Thousand Laws Palace might be tightening efforts to train the next generation True Monarch of Ten Thousand Laws out of necessity.

The Magic Pill Embryo is the most difficult hurdle in the entire Great Marsh Cultivation Realm; the refined pill’s quality, personal fortune, mental refinement, cultivation technique excellence, accumulated foundation, spirit vein dao field, and spirit treasure support are all indispensable.

Even the Ten Thousand Laws Palace, which dominates the entire Celestial Cyan Domain, almost needs nearly a millennium of accumulation and nurturing for each generation of True Monarchs.

However, the current True Monarch of Ten Thousand Laws may have encountered an unexpected mishap during a deadly battle with the Golden Puppet Holy Monarch, forcing them to shorten the cultivation time.

As the first auction item was presented, it displayed the Ten Thousand Laws Palace’s sincerity to all.

"The Spirit Treasure ranked on the Core Formation Spirit Treasure List, Five Elements Earth, starting price fifty thousand Spirit Stones!"

Everyone knew the first item in an auction was supposed to stir emotions, so it must be valuable.

However, no one expected the Ten Thousand Laws Palace would be willing to offer such a Spirit Treasure.

The Five Elements Earth, as a Core Formation Spirit Treasure, is ranked beyond the top hundred, mainly effective for Earth Element cultivators to congeal Magic Pills in Core Formation, yet it is also an excellent material, rare in artifact refining and puppet making, capable of enhancing the success rate of Magical Treasures.

Although the auctioned Five Elements Earth was only a small pot, it was enough to astonish the attendees, increasing anticipation for the subsequent items, especially the finale.

Li Ji’an’s eyes flickered with heat, realizing that if this Five Elements Earth were used to create a Second Tier puppet, the defense power could be significantly enhanced.

However, he ultimately suppressed his longing.

He merely watched calmly as various sects and families in the guest building bid vigorously.

In the end, it was obtained by the Wan Jianqi Family.

The Wan Jianqi Family was the very True Pill Clan that once acquired the Biyun Sect’s century-long management rights over Golden Splendor Immortal City.

The family was renowned for artifact refining and is one of the powers the Ten Thousand Laws Palace supports for connecting with the Ten Thousand Merchants Domain Commerce Association.

The subsequent auction items did not disappoint anyone, with frequent appearances of Second Tier Spirit Medicine, Third Tier Spirit Medicine, and for the first time, Pill Medicine crafted by a Pill King was put up for sale.

Midway through, a boutique Foundation Establishment Pill shocked all attendees again, and they praised the Pill King’s alchemy skill excessively, since a boutique Foundation Establishment Pill had not appeared in the Celestial Cyan Domain for many years.

Li Ji’an also secretly nodded; the gold content of a boutique Foundation Establishment Pill is a level higher than that of other boutique pills of the same tier, as it concerns the Dantian Origin, requiring mastery over the Heaven and Earth Spirit Mechanism besides normal alchemy skill.

Over the years, Li Ji’an had only crafted one such boutique Foundation Establishment Pill, thanks to Little Fire Spirit consuming a wisp of Fire Spirit Origin.

However, it’s not that he couldn’t do it; with the growing might of Little Fire’s Spirit Flame and his increasingly strong divine sense, coupled with years of crafting Foundation Establishment Pills for the sect, accumulating enough experience, nowadays, he has a high success rate for boutique Foundation Establishment Pills, with even the potential for supreme quality.

The auction lasted seven days and nights, and Li Ji’an almost entirely acted as a spectator, making five bids, but three times he faced determined True Men bidders, and he conceded decisively.

In the end, he secured a main ingredient for a Crystal Condensing Pill and a set of Second Tier puppet materials.

To his joy, Master Jade Pill bid generously, acquiring dozens of Third Tier Spirit Medicines, including the last two needed for the Crystal Condensing Pill, which he could exchange for upon returning to the sect.

However, the anticipated final auction item ended up being somewhat disappointing.

It was merely a fist-sized piece of Spirit Marrow, with five percent of the outer layer refined and absorbed, leaving only an egg-sized portion of azure inside.

Spirit Marrow is an essential item for Nascent Soul True Monarchs’ cultivation; especially within the Celestial Cyan Domain, where the highest is a Tier Three Pill King, without Tier Four Spirit Pills for True Monarchs to consume, and ordinary Spirit Stones do not contain the Spiritual Qi required for True Monarchs to absorb and refine. Only the dense, rich Spiritual Qi within Spirit Marrow suffices.