A tide of congratulations surged forth.

All the cultivators inside and outside Thousand Bamboo Tower were drawn to the arrivals.

Thousand Bamboo True Man stepped out from the top floor with a smile, bowing to each of them in turn. "To think that Jin Jian, Yusha, and Ming Yan would all grace us with your presence!"

"For the three of you to come together to congratulate my Junior Brother Ming Yue truly makes my Thousand Bamboo Tower shine with splendor. I am deeply honored!"

"Please, the three of you, come inside to join the grand occasion and celebrate this auspicious time."

The three Golden Core True Men had been suspended in mid-air. Upon hearing his words, they strode forward in unison, walking step by step from the clouds into the top floor.

From below, Xiao Chen saw everything clearly.

Thousand Bamboo True Man first greeted Golden Mace True Man in the center, followed by Master Yusha on the left, and finally, his own sect’s Master Ming Yan.

’This sequence is very interesting.’

He carefully observed the long line of Foundation Establishment Cultivators who were currently presenting their gifts one by one to enter.

Matching that order of precedence, Golden Mace True Man had brought the largest number of Foundation Establishment Cultivators from the Azure Flame Sect—nearly one hundred and fifty of them.

However, Master Yusha had brought a surprisingly small number of Foundation Establishment Cultivators from the Four Seas Sect, only about sixty.

That was a difference of more than double.

Xiao Chen asked Elder Chen curiously, "Master, it seems like relatively few cultivators from the Four Seas Sect have come."

Elder Chen was also a bit puzzled. "It is strange. A lot of familiar faces aren’t here. Perhaps they’re held up by some important matter within the sect."

’An important matter?’

’What matter could be more critical than the Immortal Ascension Ceremony?’

Xiao Chen quickly recalled the news he’d heard from Chen Tianfeng: war had already broken out in Hezhou.

’The Four Seas Sect is relatively close to Hezhou. Could it be they’ve already sent people there to fight the Divine Fire Sect?’

’This isn’t a good sign.’ 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

’I hope our fellow cultivators in Hezhou can halt the Divine Fire Sect’s expansion and prevent the flames of war from spreading to Li State.’

Wait!

Xiao Chen suddenly had another conjecture. ’If the Four Seas Sect has really sent Foundation Establishment Cultivators to Hezhou, will the Li Huo Sect follow suit?’

’It’s a classic case of "if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold."’

’From a strategic perspective, reinforcing Hezhou seems necessary.’

"Chen Tianyang of the Li Huo Sect presents three taels of Heavy Water Spirit Sand."

While Xiao Chen was lost in thought, the line had reached the entrance.

Heavy Water Spirit Sand was almost identical to Flame Light Spiritual Sand, except that it was a Water Attribute spiritual sand.

’But is this stuff really that valuable?’

’He had used nearly a jin of Flame Light Spiritual Sand to cultivate his Flame Radiance to the Mastery Realm, which was equivalent to spending over three thousand Spirit Stones.’

’It was very effective, but the progress was basically bought with a mountain of Spirit Stones.’

"Xiao Chen of the Li Huo Sect presents one Four-leaf Golden Peach."

He picked up a brush, wrote his name on the gift registry, and the Host at the side immediately announced it.

Xiao Chen glanced at the other gifts on the registry. Most were similar Spiritual Objects, generally valued at around one thousand Spirit Stones.

All the gifts were displayed on a long table behind the door, stretching all the way to the foot of the stairs leading to the second floor.

’So many good things.’

For a split second, a bold idea flashed through Xiao Chen’s mind.

’Swipe everything in front of him into his Storage Bag, then grab it and run.’

But after a quick assessment of his own Escape Speed compared to the Spiritual Boats parked outside...

...he regretfully dismissed the idea.

"Fellow Daoists, if you have any items you wish to sell later, please come this way first."

On the second floor, an elderly man in the late stage of Foundation Establishment called out cheerfully to the crowd, "If you wish to preview the auction items, please also come this way."

As it happened, Xiao Chen did have something very suitable for the auction.

His previously refined Foundation Establishment Pills.

Although everyone qualified to participate in the auction was already at Foundation Establishment...

...who didn’t have friends or family? Many people would definitely want something like this.

In a venue like this, they were bound to sell for a high price.

So, he followed a serving girl’s lead to a small private room.

A Qi Refining cultivator in a mandarin jacket was waiting inside. "Jia Shiyi pays his respects to Senior. May I ask what item Senior wishes to consign for auction?"

Xiao Chen wasted no words and directly took out his seven Foundation Establishment Pills. "I’m selling a batch of Foundation Establishment Pills. It would be best if they can be sold individually."

"Please wait a moment, Senior."

The cultivator codenamed Jia Shiyi took the pills. A white light coalesced in his hand as he scanned each one.

Then, he placed them in a storage box and sealed it. At the same time, he took a numbered plaque from the lid and handed it over with both hands. "Please keep this as proof of consignment, Senior."

After leaving the small room, the serving girl led him on a winding path to an exhibition hall.

Many of the auction items, prepared in advance by Qianzhu Market, were already on display here.

Many cultivators, whether they had consigned items or not, had come here to browse in advance and select the Spiritual Objects they desired.

Xiao Chen’s gaze swept across the room. It was filled with a dazzling array of Upper Grade Magical Artifacts. There was even a Top Grade Magical Artifact, shaped like a folding fan, displayed right in the center.

Spirit Wine hundreds of years old, Spirit Tea from the Central Domain, Spirit Beasts with rare bloodlines, and Spirit Pills with extraordinary effects.

Every single item was top-notch.

It was simply dazzling.

"Hiss... They even have Six Harmonies Divine Water and Five-Colored Profound Water. I really came to the right place this time."

In the midst of his browsing, Xiao Chen had once again spotted two types of top-tier Spiritual Liquid.

In addition, there was everything one could wish for, from the Eastern Domain Spirit Pearl and Flame Light Spiritual Sand to Beneficial Spirit Pills and more.

The only thing to worry about...

...was that he didn’t have enough Spirit Stones on him to take all these good things home.

He would have to decide in advance which items he had to win at all costs, even if it meant fighting others for them.

And which items he could afford to pass on for now and plan for in the long run.