In the East Sea, most merchant guilds host specialized auctions for spiritual elixirs, magic artifacts, materials, and more, attracting high-level cultivators to expand their influence.

Baifu City, as the foremost metropolis in the Northern Isles and the most prosperous primary hub within the Heavenly Dao Alliance’s sphere of influence, houses millions of cultivators. It boasts numerous Immortal Palaces, Nascent Soul stage cultivators, a vast core demographic of Golden Core cultivators, and countless Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining practitioners.

Surrounding Baifu City are innumerable spirit islands and settlements, continually radiating outwards across tens of thousands of miles of ocean, forming an unimaginably powerful cultivator stronghold.

The supreme importance of Baifu City has drawn the headquarters of numerous merchant guilds to congregate within this massive city. The volume of goods flowing in and out daily amounts to colossal quantities. Among these guilds, the most significant is unquestionably the "Heavenly Dao Merchant Guild."

The Heavenly Dao Merchant Guild reports directly to the Heavenly Dao Alliance and stands as one of its core enterprises. Alongside the "Heavenly Demon Merchant Guild" under the Heavenly Demon Alliance, they are known as the two titans of the East Sea commerce.

Within the territories controlled by the Heavenly Dao Alliance, the Heavenly Dao Merchant Guild’s position is as unshakeable as bedrock, a status no other guild can challenge.

The auction Huangfu Bing’er intended to attend was one hosted by a branch pavilion of the Heavenly Dao Merchant Guild within Baifu City. This was also an annual event of considerable influence in the city; elixirs such as the "Core-Forming Pill," typically strictly controlled by various Immortal Palaces and never released for general sale, were present in significant numbers up for auction here.

Ye Qin spent a day at the Azure Pill Workshop, gaining a general understanding of the cultivation progress of all his fellow sect members within.

During his thirty years of secluded cultivation, while the four Golden Core cultivators, including Sun Ran, had each advanced one or two minor realms, the remaining forty or fifty Foundation Establishment disciples had mostly jumped four or five stages, with over half reaching the late Foundation Establishment phase, and several hitting the ninth stage of Foundation Establishment. Their cultivation speed here was markedly faster than it would have been in the Central Lands cultivation world.

In truth, this contingent of Azure Pill Sect Foundation Establishment disciples had been selected from a much larger pool, meaning their spiritual root potential was certainly not poor to begin with.

Even the disciple with the poorest spiritual root potential among them would absolutely reach the ninth stage of Foundation Establishment before their 200-year lifespan was exhausted, giving them a chance to challenge the Golden Core bottleneck. Whether they could actually obtain a "Core-Forming Pill" and break through that bottleneck, surviving the Minor Heavenly Tribulation, was an entirely separate matter.

"Looking at this, all forty or fifty of these Foundation Establishment disciples have the potential to form cores. The number of Core-Forming Pills required will definitely not be a small sum..." He would need to refine several batches of Core-Forming Pills just to suffice. He would first have to front a large sum of spirit stones to procure the auxiliary materials for core formation.

Ye Qin felt a headache coming on.

He wasn't worried about his fellow disciples being unable to repay this debt.

Once they became Golden Core cultivators, settling this debt would not be difficult.

His concern was that aiding such a large group of Azure Pill brethren to enter the Golden Core realm in one sweep might draw suspicion from observant parties. "However, with my stature as a veteran grandmaster alchemist, refining a batch of Core-Forming Pills is within reason. Coupled with my position as an elder of the Purple Sword Palace, I possess the necessary financial means. Few would dare to question me."

"Moreover, the benefits are substantial. Each fellow disciple who becomes a Golden Core cultivator gains the qualification to seize a spirit island during the Heavenly Dao Alliance’s Island Seizing Assembly. If we can secure dozens of spirit islands, concentrating them for planting spiritual herbs, it should be enough to supply the Azure Pill Workshop, this small alchemy site. It will also provide Bing’er with a stronger financial and power base with more Golden Core cultivators when she establishes the Azure Pill Palace later." Ye Qin weighed the pros and cons in his mind.

The next day, Ye Qin, Huangfu Bing’er, along with Bai Xiuer, Yan Xuan, and Shen Bao who tagged along for the excitement, headed to the bustling central district of Baifu City to attend the Heavenly Dao Merchant Guild’s auction.

Among the layers of immortal towers and jade pavilions, the central structure stood over three hundred and ten zhang high, occupying a hundred acres: a Dragon Phoenix Jade Stone Pavilion. Three enormous, blazing gold characters—"Heavenly Dao Pavilion"—adorned its massive plaque. This was the headquarters of the Heavenly Dao Merchant Guild in the Northern Isles region.

In the East Sea, any establishment bold enough to use "Heavenly Dao" in its name belonged to the East Sea's paramount cultivator force, the Heavenly Dao Alliance. No other cultivator faction dared to employ these two characters, lest they face a truly tragic end.

The Heavenly Dao Pavilion rested on a foundation of a massive guardian formation, shrouded in a pale white light screen. The entire structure, like a mountain, hovered suspended in the air, towering above the surrounding commercial buildings. Divine light and precious radiance emanated from the pavilion, suggesting countless rare treasures and magic artifacts lay within its immense frame. A rainbow bridge, shimmering with colorful light, spanned directly from the ground to the main gate of the Heavenly Dao Pavilion. Ye Qin and the others were stunned into awe by the magnificent grandeur of the Heavenly Dao Pavilion.

Perhaps due to the impending auction, the open plaza outside the pavilion was already filled with numerous spirit beast conveyances. Five identical carriages drawn by black ink leopard-dragon steeds; over a dozen carriages pulled by snow-white spirit cranes; palanquins carried by six-legged, four-winged, double-headed luan birds...

Nearly a hundred well-trained spirit beasts rested quietly on the plaza, occasionally emitting a low snort. Banners displaying the sigils of various Immortal Palaces were affixed to the conveyances, making it instantly clear which sect’s cultivators owned the mounts. These transports served as proud displays for the various Immortal Palaces. Golden Core and Foundation Establishment cultivators arrived in a continuous stream, entering the pavilion. Ye Qin, Huangfu Bing’er, and their party approached the entrance of the grand structure.

Two rows of sumptuously dressed, beautiful, and dignified female attendants stood at the entrance; all were late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. As attendants of a great Immortal Pavilion, they generally did not venture out to greet ordinary incoming guests.

Nearby, a steward-like middle-aged man, possessing mid-stage Golden Core cultivation, was peering out. Upon seeing the incoming crowd, he initially paid little mind to Ye Qin’s group of five, whose highest cultivation barely reached the fifth stage of Golden Core. However, the moment he clearly spotted the Purple Sword Palace emblem on Ye Qin’s sleeve, along with the badge denoting an Immortal Palace Elder, he froze.

The steward’s face shifted subtly, and he let out a soft hiss, "A Golden Core Elder of the Purple Sword Palace! ...Could it be Elder Ye?" He instantly flickered forward out of the pavilion to greet Ye Qin.

Though he had never met Ye Qin, he immediately divined the elder’s identity. In Baifu City, the only Golden Core cultivator holding the rank of Elder in a major Immortal Palace with only early Golden Core cultivation was indeed the one from the Purple Sword Palace, privately dubbed the 'Junior Elder' by many.

"Elder Ye’s honored presence! Forgive my failure to welcome you sooner. My surname is Jiang; simply call me Steward Jiang. I shall immediately arrange a private box and a bidding number for you." Steward Jiang approached Ye Qin, offered a slight bow, and spoke with warmth. He then led the way, inviting Ye Qin’s party of five into the Immortal Pavilion, while smilingly inquiring, "May I ask if Elder Ye is here to purchase items or to auction goods today? I will handle all necessary transaction procedures for Elder Ye." In terms of raw cultivation, Steward Jiang and Ye Qin were both mid-stage Golden Core.

However, in terms of status, he, a mere steward of a merchant pavilion managing dozens of Foundation Establishment attendants, was far inferior to an Elder of a major Immortal Palace like Ye Qin, who could command groups of Golden Core cultivators. Steward Jiang was supremely adept at hosting distinguished guests—enthusiastic without ever appearing servile. "Both buying and selling. I am new here and unfamiliar with your Pavilion’s trading rules. I must trouble Steward Jiang to make the arrangements!" Ye Qin replied, hands clasped behind his back, with a faint, easy smile. "Everything is under my purview, Elder Ye. Please follow me, esteemed guests," Steward Jiang chuckled.

The group passed through the light screen and filed into the ground floor hall of the Immortal Pavilion. Steward Jiang led Ye Qin and his companions into the first-floor auction hall.

The hall on the first floor spanned nearly a hundred acres, soaring over thirty zhang high—vast enough to accommodate tens of thousands—and was designed for large-scale auctions. In the center was the auction platform, surrounded by tiered seating.

At this time, nearly a third of the seats were already occupied by cultivators, all either Golden Core or Foundation Establishment stage.

In the semi-suspended area on the first floor, there were no luxurious private boxes, only light screens with shielding formations. From the outside, one could not discern the situation within the boxes, but from inside, everything outside was perfectly visible. "Our Pavilion reserves these deluxe boxes exclusively for Nascent Soul cultivators, or Palace Lords and Elders of distinguished status. Ordinary Golden Core and Foundation Establishment cultivators must use the seats in the main hall for bidding." Steward Jiang explained with a smile, "Therefore, you will not see any Nascent Soul ancestors in the first-floor auction hall. Elder Ye, please follow me to Deluxe Box Number Nine." Ye Qin nodded in understanding. The party entered the box.

The luxury within the private box was extreme. The materials were made of golden cinnabar spirit wood; the carpet was woven from the hide of a Rank Seven Golden Core level tiger-leopard demon beast; and the cushions were crafted from the fur of an eighth-rank multi-tailed Golden Core demon fox, exquisitely smooth.

With a signal from Steward Jiang, several young, beautiful, charmingly featured, and voluptuous attendants entered the box, gracefully presenting tea.

One attendant poured the sweet, clear spirit spring water into a Lingyu rhinoceros horn cup. A faint wisp of flame appeared above her palm, cradling the cup, quickly bringing the liquid to a steaming warmth. Two or three pale white spirit tea leaves were added, and the mist rising from the tea transformed into nimble spirit birds and beasts of various colors, seeming to possess sentience as they leaped and danced—undoubtedly a top-grade treasure tea. "How many spirit stones is a cup of this spirit tea worth?" Shen Bao gasped.

"This Void Spirit Mountain Mist Tea is a supreme Grade Nine spirit tea, produced in extremely small quantities, reserved solely for the tasting pleasure of Nascent Soul ancestors. A single small cup can fully restore the spiritual power of a late-stage Golden Core cultivator. Only the Heavenly Dao Merchant Guild has the connections to procure such a tea, used to entertain honored guests like Immortal Palace Lords and Elders. Ordinary Golden Core cultivators rarely have the chance to sample this sort of brew."

Steward Jiang spoke with a touch of pride. "Of course, although Elder Ye is a Golden Core cultivator, according to the rules of the Heavenly Dao Pavilion, an Immortal Palace Elder is a distinguished guest of our Pavilion and is entitled to enjoy this spirit tea. Elder Ye, please sample it."

Ye Qin glanced around the box. There was only one cup of spirit tea, but there were six people present: himself, Bing’er, Bai Xiuer, Yan Xuan, Shen Bao, and Steward Jiang. It would be improper for him to monopolize it. With a wave of his hand, he evenly divided the tea from the jade rhinoceros horn cup into five smaller jade cups on the tea table.

A small sip for everyone, though minimal, was enough for a taste.