Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!

"Goodness, is this making us compete against each other?" A cultivator immediately reacted, laughing at himself: "I only came to this auction today for a single spirit medicine, bringing just some Immortal Jade. How am I supposed to compete for opportunities with all of you?"

"If they obtained the Immortal Peach only to auction it, perhaps there's a flaw with it?"

"Yes, back when everyone rushed to Wo Hu Mountain, it was all for the Immortal Peach. Why wouldn't someone eat it themselves if they managed to seize it?"

The auctioneer waved his hand in the air and waited for the venue to quiet down before continuing: "The Immortal Peach has been inspected by our Treasure Pavilion's expert appraisers, and it is guaranteed to increase one's lifespan by a hundred years, fair and dependable. But!"

He paused, raising his voice: "You all witnessed how this Immortal Peach was cultivated. It's said that evil causes produce evil consequences; using the lives of cultivators as the cause results in an evil fruit.

While consuming it can extend your life by a century, you must also take on the karmic consequences. Please deliberate carefully before making a decision."

With those words, everyone fell silent.

No wonder the guy who got the Immortal Peach didn't eat it himself and put it up for auction instead. It turns out that's the root of it!

But a century of lifespan is... well...

The Immortal Peach sat on the stage, capturing everyone's eyes, a huge temptation laced with traps, leaving everyone undecided on whether to bid.

"This auction seems rather uninteresting." Jiang Yuan glanced at the somewhat cold venue, casually flipping through tonight's auction items—mostly magical treasures and cultivation techniques, none of which he urgently needed—and quickly lost interest.

He figured instead of wasting time here, he might as well go to the Cyan Fish Mountain Market to coordinate with the little fox spirit about tomorrow night's official opening, at least to inform her that Immortal Jade exchanges would only accept Spirit Stones, not silver notes.

Otherwise, exchanging large amounts of silver notes for Spirit Stones at a money shop would be very troublesome...

As he was pondering this, someone in the audience suddenly spoke up: "I am willing to offer a Profound Tier magical artifact, along with ten pieces of Immortal Jade."

"I'll offer two Profound Tier magical artifacts!"

"One Intermediate Profound Tier cultivation technique; one Profound Tier magical artifact!"

...…

After a moment of silence, someone placed a bid, which fueled others' enthusiasm as well. However, they were all crafty old foxes and weren't foolish enough to start with high bids and offend others.

The bids remained within an acceptable range, though each bidder offered different magical artifacts, and soon the venue was filled with the aura of many magical artifacts, making the scene below very lively from Jiang Yuan's vantage point in the upper-level box.

"I have a Longevity Pill Pill Formula." Just as the auction atmosphere was heating up, an elderly voice suddenly came from the adjacent box, "The formula can be verified by the appraisers of Treasure Pavilion to ensure its authenticity!"

Longevity Pill?

Jiang Yuan was intrigued, but unable to verify it or search for it, he couldn't quite grasp whether it was what he thought it was.

Cultivators below apparently recognized the elderly gentleman in the box, and someone chuckled: "Elder Xue, why bother?

With a Longevity Pill Pill Formula and your exceptional alchemy skills, you could always concoct a batch of Longevity Pills to extend your lifespan. Why vie for this flawed Immortal Peach?"

Without seeing any reaction from the auctioneer, Elder Xue sighed and raised his bid: "I will also add the Pill Formula for the Grain Avoidance Pill. This pill is essential for cultivators who have not yet achieved fasting, crucial for either traveling or seclusion due to its high demand."

He then stood up, cupped his hands towards the audience and said: "Please forgive me, as I am elderly and face difficulties advancing to higher realms. If I can extend my life by a century, accepting some consequences is manageable.

As for the Pill Formula... to be honest, although a Longevity Pill can be successfully concocted to extend one's life without worry, the spirit medicine required is rare. Even if I know how to make a Longevity Pill, I can't resolve my immediate predicament."

The white-bearded old man sighed heavily, thinking, do you think I am foolish? Why eat an Immortal Peach if I have a Longevity Pill?

I have my pride, don't I? The problem is, I can't make them!

The Longevity Pill is certainly a Fifth Grade Elixir. I've worked hard my entire life to reach just a Third Grade Alchemist level. Even if I luckily obtained the formula, I cannot fathom its mysteries.

Moreover, making the Longevity Pill requires a main ingredient—the Centenarian Fruit, a rare treasure said to extend one's life by a year upon consumption, but it has vanished completely.

Without the main ingredient and insufficient skill, holding onto the formula is pointless.

It's better to seize this chance to exchange it for the Immortal Peach, to at least extend my life by a century rather than face an imminent demise in just a few years.

"Elder Xue's transaction is a smart move; after all, he is already a Third Grade Alchemist and has thoroughly deciphered the two pill formulas. Trading for the Immortal Peach doesn't cost him much, but we are the ones at a disadvantage!"

"That's the legendary Longevity Pill! With the formula, would we still worry about lifespan?"

"You mentioned 'legendary.' Have you ever seen it with your own eyes? Elder Xue says the spirit medicine is rare, and it probably is..."

...…

The crowd discussed fervently, and Jiang Yuan waited to see if anyone would increase the bid again but soon realized it was time to conclude the transaction.

"Congratulations to Elder Xue for securing the top bid!" The auctioneer quickly received the news, struck the copper gong with a wide smile, and said, "Please present the pill formulas for verification, and once confirmed, the Immortal Peach will be yours!"

Upon hearing these words, Elder Xue immediately felt relieved.

Finally secured!

The Longevity Pill is indeed good, but understanding it is beyond my reach, and finding the long-extinct Centenarian Fruit is impossible, so it's useless in my hands;

I've completely grasped the Grain Avoidance Pill formula, and my success rate in concocting it is high, even without a comprehensive guide. The other formulas I'm still comprehending aren't ready for trade.

Moreover, pill formulas, just like secret technique manuals, cannot be copied or replicated. Using the allure of the Longevity Pill to swap for the Immortal Peach today meant a huge win for me collectively!

I even made it clear that the spirit medicine is hard to come by. If they get hold of the formula without the main ingredients, I haven't misled anyone—it's a clear trade!

[Longevity Pill: A life-extending elixir made from multiple spirit medicines, with each pilL extending life by ten years. Usable in a Level Five Alchemy Room]

[Grain Avoidance Pill: Assists low-realm cultivators in temporarily avoiding food intake, with potency increasing with grade. Usable in an Alchemy Room]

An exchange of one peach for two pill formulas, one of them a perpetual Money Tree, delighted Jiang Yuan endlessly.

The only current issue is to swiftly gather special materials to upgrade the Alchemy Room to level five!

"Mr. Jiang, the next auction of the Immortal Peach will need to be spaced out to leave room for Treasure Pavilion's promotion, allowing more cultivators to hear about it; in addition, the resurfacing of the Immortal Peach after disappearance is sure to spark a frenzy, and giving it some time will allow it to fetch higher prices."

Cang Lingdong said cheerfully, leading him to a prepared counter on the second floor: "This counter has been specially prepared for you.

Don't be fooled by its seemingly secluded location; it is, in fact, the safest spot! Since you're trading money, and since Hu Jiu is of a low realm, we've placed her here to avoid unnecessary troubles."

Saying this, she opened the small door behind the counter and patiently explained: "I've arranged for someone to purchase a similar set of magical artifacts at a high price from a money shop. You recognize their storage, right?

When the time comes, Hu Jiu will sit inside, undetectable, without needing to show herself. She'll verify the authenticity of Spirit Stones and bring them in, then push Immortal Jade, also verified, out. The transaction completes that way!"

Jiang Yuan took a closer look and exclaimed, Ha! Isn't this just like a bank?

The only difference is that the small window isn't made of transparent glass, so outsiders can't see in; once inside, you can clearly see everything outside.