Longevity through Upgrading Buildings-Chapter 558 - 256: Thunder Refining Body

"Hmm? Dragon Blood Stone!"

Ji Yuan immediately perked up.

After all, this item is a material for upgrading the Level 4 [Fish Pond], which he had previously planned to acquire through a transaction with Master Duomu on Tianmu Mountain.

But now, five pieces of Dragon Blood Stone have appeared at this auction... Ji Yuan was almost certain that it was probably Master Duomu who put them up for auction.

Not many people in this region around Shang Nan can produce so many Dragon Blood Stones at once.

This works out well.

Otherwise, Ji Yuan would have been worried about dealing with a stranger, like a Golden Core Zhenren.

If the person has a bad temperament or is an evil cultivator, it would be trouble if they tried to rob him.

Even if he could escape, it would cost him a lot.

Now encountering it at this auction saves him the hassle.

It’s just a matter of spending more Spirit Stones, sparing him a major headache.

For Ji Yuan now, if something can be solved with Spirit Stones, he should solve it with Spirit Stones as much as possible.

Meanwhile, Ji Yuan glanced at other auction items, but the only thing that caught his eye was the Tier Three Demon Pill.

This item could be used to upgrade quite a few buildings, or even kept for future crafting of Tier Three Elixirs.

Unfortunately, the quantity is somewhat limited, with only two available: one Water Attribute and one Wood Attribute.

Ji Yuan planned to see if he could acquire one.

After a while, he arrived at the South Sea Auction House. Although they were no longer accepting auction items, many cultivators were still moving in and out.

Among them were quite a few Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

Having already changed his appearance, Ji Yuan, now disguised as an elderly man, naturally walked in.

Upon entering, he glanced around and identified his target.

He arrived at the consignment room on the right, where two elderly Foundation Establishment appraisers were quarreling over something.

Seeing Ji Yuan enter, they both fell silent and gave him a polite smile.

"Fellow Daoist, the consignment for this session has concluded; however, if you have good treasures, you may come back next time."

The older man in the blue robe cupped his hands slightly and said.

Ji Yuan unabashedly replied, "That’s because you haven’t seen the good treasure I have."

"Oh?"

The blue-robed elder instinctively raised an eyebrow.

After exchanging a glance with the other man, they refrained from saying anything along the lines of "rules are rules, and we must abide by them."

New appraisers might say that, but experienced ones like them don’t say things that disadvantage themselves.

Ji Yuan didn’t speak further. Instead, he closed the door of the room with his hand.

The other late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator in the black robe instinctively reached for his Storage Bag, seeming ready to act.

Ji Yuan, as if not noticing, casually took out a treasure chest from his Storage Bag, then used the Artifact Manipulation Technique with his right hand to lift the lid, revealing the contents inside.

A piece of Dragon Blood Stone.

A Serpent Jewel.

A piece of Ambergris.

"This..."

The blue-robed elder, who spoke first, seemed to have guessed something.

Ji Yuan then infused the Dragon Blood Stone with a bit of Spiritual Qi, instantly releasing an aura of a high-level trap that scared the two elders back several steps.

Ji Yuan withdrew his right hand, stopped infusing Spiritual Qi, and instead smiled, asking, "Fellow Daoists, what do you think?"

Unlike their previous calm demeanor, the two old appraisers now appeared quite serious.

They crouched near the treasure chest, examining for a while, then exchanged a glance, apparently communicating mentally.

Ji Yuan just waited until the blue-robed elder raised his head and softly asked:

"Daoist friend, is this meant for the Thunderstorm Serpent in the Storm Area laying eggs?"

Ji Yuan gave him a thumbs-up and praised, "You are knowledgeable, Daoist friend."

The blue-robed elder stood up, took a deep breath, cupped his hands towards Ji Yuan, and said, "This is of great importance. Allow me to inquire further, if you please?"

"As you wish, Daoist friend."

Ji Yuan waved his hand casually and said.

The blue-robed elder nodded and departed, while the other black-robed elder gently closed the treasure chest lid and said with a smile, "Please, take a seat, Daoist friend."

He then took out Spirit Qi-rich fruits from his Storage Bag and brewed some excellent Spirit Tea.

"Please have some tea, Daoist friend."

By the second serving of tea, the blue-robed elder had returned, a broad smile on his face.

"Congratulations, Daoist friend! Your item has made a special exception to enter the auction three days later, and will be the finale!"

"Oh?"

Ji Yuan raised his eyebrows, feigning some joy, then cupped his hands towards the two and said:

"Congratulations to all of us."

If the treasure fetches a good auction price, they too will enjoy a commission.

The subsequent matters were simple; they took the "Serpent Capturing Three-Piece Set" and handed Ji Yuan the certificate to participate in the auction.

It was a premium seat on the second floor.

After acquiring this item, Ji Yuan left.

He spent three days in South Sea City gathering information, focusing on the situation in Shang Mountain and all of Shang Dong since he returned from overseas.

It could only be said... the prospects were not optimistic.

Not optimistic at all.

First is the situation on Shang Mountain; over the past year, Shang Mountain was breached several times, although each time it was eventually filled back, the fortifications suffered significant damage.