Chapter 150: Chapter 117: Lost One’s Mind
"The conventional Foundation Establishment Pill Formula circulating on the market has three main ingredients: Purple Mist Red Fruit, Profound Ice Jade Marrow, and Illusion Heart Grass."
"The Purple Mist Red Fruit is the most difficult to obtain. It grows atop a Thousand-Year Phoenix Tree and must absorb the Essence of the Sun and Moon for a century as it condenses with Purple Mist Qi to take form."
"It has three primary effects: Opening the Spirit Root to harmonize the body’s Five Elements Spiritual Veins and repair impurities, allowing Spiritual Qi to flow like a great river."
"Bolstering the Essence Foundation to replenish Innate Qi, reinforce the Physical Body’s organs, and resist the pain of Rebirth during Foundation Establishment."
"And providing a Heaven-Attracting Splendor, where the fruit’s purple mist patterns connect with nature’s spiritual energy to form a rudimentary Spirit Gathering Array in the Qi Sea Dantian, accelerating Spiritual Qi absorption."
As Chen Jianghe listened to Alchemist Zhuang’s telepathic explanation, he was secretly shocked, and his gaze involuntarily shifted to the object on the auction stage covered by red silk.
No wonder all these Cultivators looked so excited, especially the Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivators in the back, whose eyes were filled with greed.
’So it’s a main ingredient for the Foundation Establishment Pill—and the most difficult one to acquire, at that.’
"A conventional formula? Are there other formulas, then?"
Chen Jianghe asked in confusion.
"In the Cultivation Realm, the Alchemy Dao has had countless masters, so naturally, there’s more than one Foundation Establishment Pill Formula. It’s just that the conventional one circulating on the market is the most complex and requires the most ingredients: three main and thirty-six auxiliary."
"It’s rumored that the Celestial South Sect’s Foundation Establishment Pill Formula also uses three main materials, but only requires twenty auxiliary ones."
Alchemist Zhuang gave a light laugh. This was no secret, so there was no harm in telling Chen Jianghe.
’He figured Chen Jianghe could just ask Gao Peiyao to learn about the different Foundation Establishment Pill Formulas.’
The conventional Foundation Establishment Pill Formula is much like the one for the Youthful Pill; basically any High-Grade Alchemist knows it.
But knowing it was useless.
Not only were the main materials hard to find, but even several of the spiritual objects among the auxiliary materials were extremely rare.
That’s why many Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Cultivators choose to pool their resources for the materials, then hire a Tier Two Alchemy Master to refine the pill.
But the price of hiring an Alchemy Grandmaster to refine a Foundation Establishment Pill was extremely high: two thousand Spirit Stones, or one Foundation Establishment Pill.
Alchemist Zhuang was interested in befriending Chen Jianghe, so naturally he wouldn’t hide such things, greatly satisfying Chen Jianghe’s curiosity.
He even mentioned the practice of crowdfunding for alchemy, which was quite popular among Cultivators.
When refining the Foundation Establishment Pill, if you’re lucky, one batch can yield three Genuine Foundation Establishment Pills, and maybe even one Top-Grade Foundation Establishment Pill.
Even with bad luck, a batch would still yield one Genuine Foundation Establishment Pill and two Low-Quality ones.
As for a cauldron explosion?
It happens, but not often.
It might happen once in a hundred attempts.
That’s why many Cultivators choose to crowdfund the alchemy. It’s often their only hope of obtaining a Foundation Establishment Pill.
After all, even a Low-Quality Foundation Establishment Pill can save your life during the breakthrough attempt to Foundation Establishment.
’I’m already at the Eighth-Layer Qi Refining stage. A Foundation Establishment Pill isn’t a distant dream for me, but it’s just so difficult to get one.’
Chen Jianghe sighed internally.
His gaze fell upon the auction stage. The elderly auctioneer slowly lifted the red silk cloth, revealing a fist-sized fruit. It had purple veins and emitted a cyan glow.
"I don’t need to explain the effects and uses of the Purple Mist Red Fruit, do I? I imagine you fellow Daoists are even more familiar with it than this old man, haha~"
"Alright then, without further ado, let’s begin the auction for the Purple Mist Red Fruit."
"The starting bid is five hundred Spirit Stones! Each increment cannot be less than ten Spirit Stones!"
The starting bid was extremely low.
But no one cared, because everyone knew it would be impossible for anyone to win the Purple Mist Red Fruit at a low price.
Not even the Foundation Establishment Cultivator behind the Qinghe Marketplace could do it.
"Nine hundred Spirit Stones."
The first bid went straight to nine hundred Spirit Stones, an increase of four hundred.
A Genuine Foundation Establishment Pill had a market price of just two thousand Spirit Stones.
There was a price, but no supply.
At auction, a Genuine Foundation Establishment Pill usually sold for around three thousand Spirit Stones.
The Purple Mist Red Fruit was the rarest main material for refining the Foundation Establishment Pill, so its price naturally wouldn’t be low.
"One thousand three hundred Spirit Stones."
The second bid shot straight up to one thousand three hundred Spirit Stones, instantly extinguishing the ambitions of those eager Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivators.
But there were also disciples from powerful families, as well as High-Grade Craftsmen.
"One thousand three hundred ninety Spirit Stones."
"One thousand five hundred twenty Spirit Stones."
"..."
"A Foundation Establishment Pill costs two thousand Spirit Stones, but this Purple Mist Red Fruit is just one of the main ingredients. How can it be bid up to such a high price?"
Jiang Ruxu asked Alchemist Zhuang in a hushed, surprised voice, her mouth slightly agape.
"A successful batch of Foundation Establishment Pills yields at least three. Besides, where are you going to find a Foundation Establishment Pill for sale at two thousand Spirit Stones?"
Alchemist Zhuang glanced at Jiang Ruxu and said with a chuckle.
"Grandpa, didn’t you tell us that Foundation Establishment Pills were two thousand Spirit Stones each?"
"Er... that’s the normal price. At an auction, it’ll naturally fetch a premium."
"Alchemist Zhuang, what price do you think this Purple Mist Red Fruit will ultimately sell for?" Chen Jianghe asked.
"Around two thousand Spirit Stones."
Chen Jianghe nodded.
’He felt that was about right, too. Any higher, and it would far exceed the Purple Mist Red Fruit’s actual value.’
’Even though it was the rarest main ingredient, it couldn’t possibly be worth as much as a complete Foundation Establishment Pill.’
’After all, while one batch might yield three pills, the quality of those pills was what truly mattered.’
Just as Alchemist Zhuang had said, the bidding for the Purple Mist Red Fruit stabilized around one thousand nine hundred Spirit Stones, and only a few cultivators were still bidding.
Ultimately, it was won by a Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Cultivator for two thousand and ten Spirit Stones.
"Ji Wujin. He arrived in Qinghe Marketplace ten years ago. He’s a High-Grade Puppet Master and lives next door to this old man. No one knows where he came from. Very mysterious."