``` Master He truly commands great respect, with many Foundation Establishment Cultivators giving up the competition one after another. Even quite a few people called out greetings, planning to visit Master He after the event, bringing along auxiliary materials in hopes of requesting a Foundation Establishment Elixir. "Thirteen thousand Spirit Stones!" But Lu Changsheng didn't care in the slightest, showing no regard for Master He, he called out his bid. The moment this voice rang out, the other people in the venue turned their gaze towards the private box where Lu Changsheng was seated. Enjoy new tales from empire "Thirteen thousand five hundred Spirit Stones!" Master He also looked towards the private box where Lu Changsheng was, snorted coldly, and raised the bid by five hundred Spirit Stones. The price of a Foundation Establishment Elixir is around twenty thousand Spirit Stones. The price of this Monster Core, plus the auxiliary materials, comes to about twenty thousand Spirit Stones. If it's only used to refine a single Foundation Establishment Elixir, there's hardly any profit to be made. However, for Alchemists, many times being able to break even isn't too bad. After all, each alchemy session is also a chance to accumulate experience and improve proficiency. "Fifteen thousand Spirit Stones." Lu Changsheng directly made a substantial increase to the bid. With Second Rank alchemy skills at his disposal, he was confident that he could refine three Foundation Establishment Elixirs. Even amongst the three Foundation Establishment Elixirs, one could be a Supreme Foundation Establishment Elixir. Thus, he was determined to win this special Monster Core. "Fellow Daoist, I am He Mao..." Seeing Lu Changsheng bidding like this, Master He said coldly. "What, can one use their status to oppress others at an auction? Lu Changsheng spoke indifferently. At these words, He Mao's face turned from green to white. He was, after all, a prominent figure in Jiuxiao Immortal City. Even revealing his identity, the price for this Monster Core was about at its limit. Unexpectedly, Lu Changsheng was giving him no face at all. He gritted his teeth and bid: "Sixteen thousand Spirit Stones!" "Seventeen thousand Spirit Stones." Lu Changsheng spoke calmly. "Eighteen thousand Spirit Stones." Master He continued to bid. "Twenty thousand Spirit Stones!" Lu Changsheng spoke out blandly. Facing this situation, Master He stopped bidding. Although he had a fifty percent chance of refining two Foundation Establishment Elixirs, collecting auxiliary materials and the time and effort spent on alchemy wasn't worth a higher bid. Moreover, Lu Changsheng's bids, which showed no regard for Master He's status, made him cautious, not wanting to offend him. "Who is this person, actually spending twenty thousand Spirit Stones to buy this special Monster Core?" "The price of a Foundation Establishment Elixir is just that, could this person also be an Alchemy Master, or perhaps he knows an Alchemy Master." "How is that possible, where would so many Alchemy Masters come from!" "Right, there are only so many renowned Alchemy Masters in Immortal City." "Maybe he just needs this special Monster Core, like for helping a spirit beast to advance." In the venue, the high price fetched by this Monster Core stirred up quite a bit of discussion. After all, usually, the price for a special Monster Core maxes out at fifteen thousand Spirit Stones. Shortly after, the Second Rank special Monster Core was delivered. After Lu Changsheng examined it, he stored it away in a jade box. In the Cultivation World, many heavenly and earthly treasures must be stored in special treasure boxes; otherwise, they will leak spiritual energy. After the auction of the Second Rank Monster Core ended, Lu Changsheng lost interest in the subsequent items and did not participate. Besides, having spent more than thirty thousand Spirit Stones at this auction on three items and flaunting his wealth, he might attract unwanted attention. "Fellow Daoists, the auction has now concluded, and next is the exchange meeting, the free trade segment." "Interested Daoists may head to the side hall." The woman in the red dress spoke, declaring the auction over. Hearing this, Lu Changsheng spoke to the auction's maid, expressing his interest in participating in the exchange meeting. This was one of his reasons for attending the auction. Within the Cultivation World, many cultivators obtain rare heavenly and earthly treasures and prefer not to sell them for Spirit Stones. Instead, they engage in bartering to seek the items they need. Upon hearing this, the maid asked Lu Changsheng if he needed to conceal his identity. The venue provided capes and masks. "Truly fitting of Immortal City, such thorough arrangements." Lu Changsheng, hearing this, picked up a cape and mask. However, this set of mask and cape required three hundred Spirit Stones. Lu Changsheng made his way to the side hall through a secret passage. Upon entering the hall, he perceived that a certain formation was in place that could affect others' divine senses. Combined with the mask and cape, one's identity could hardly be discerned. However, in the side hall, only about half of the people had chosen to conceal their identities. Many openly revealed their true appearances. Presumably, these individuals either had lived in Jiuxiao Immortal City for a long time or weren't afraid of being targeted. A quarter hour later, when the side hall gathered around forty to fifty people, the exchange meeting officially began. The way of trading was straightforward: each person spoke in turn to present the resources they were selling or to specify what they wanted to buy. "Foundation Establishment spiritual object 'Earthly Gang Qi' to trade for a Gold attribute Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object, 'Radiant Primordial Gold Qi' preferred, can also add Spirit Stones..." "An Exquisite Level Qi Cultivation Technique to exchange for a Divine Consciousness Technique, or can be traded for another technique of the same level, of course, if someone offers enough Spirit Stones, I would sell..." "Transforming Dragon Ginseng, a rare Second Rank Spiritual Medicine that can serve as an auxiliary for Foundation Establishment Elixirs, to exchange for a Youth-Preserving Elixir..." One after another, people voiced their offerings. "This exchange meeting surely has some good items on hand." Lu Changsheng gazed at the people and mused to himself. For instance, that Transforming Dragon Ginseng seemed excellent to him as it is one of the main auxiliary ingredients for a Foundation Establishment Elixir; later, he would ask the other party if they were willing to sell for Spirit Stones. Just then, a woman in a blue dress spoke up. "Near Third Rank Formation inheritance, an Inverted Five Elements Formation set for a forbidding magic artifact, or I can set up a Second Rank Formation for someone, in exchange for Yin-cold attribute Spiritual Medicine, any heavenly or earthly treasures, the more the merrier." ```