"Martial Brother Wu, there's no need to be so tense," Lin Shiming said as he saw the middle-aged man before him visibly becoming anxious. "I mean no ill will, I simply wish to inquire if you would be willing to part with your Heavenly Wood Heart. The reduced rent for the shop we from the Lin Family offered still stands."
"What price are you offering?" The voice of Martial Brother Wu carried a discernible hint of annoyance. Last time, Lin Shiming had used the dubious origin of the Beast Rearing Art to force down the price of the elixir formula by a great deal, so naturally, he harbored no good feelings toward Lin Shiming.
Besides, this time, he was very likely to get his price undercut again!
"How about 4,000 Spirit Stones?"
"You must be joking with that price, Martial Brother. Even an ordinary Heavenly Wood Heart can fetch two to three thousand Spirit Stones." After saying so, the middle-aged cultivator turned and walked away, seemingly not even interested in attending the auction anymore.
"I'll throw in an extra half catty of Spirit Honey! Won't you reconsider, Martial Brother?" Lin Shiming called out again.
This time, the middle-aged cultivator finally stopped, turned around to look at Lin Shiming, and sized up his cultivation level, discovering that the latter had indeed ascended from the initial sixth level to the Qi Cultivation seventh level in the span of three years.
"It must be a full catty of Spirit Honey," the middle-aged cultivator said.
The price of half a catty of Spirit Honey was roughly five to six hundred Spirit Stones, but due to its rarity, it was also common for half a catty to be worth over a thousand Spirit Stones.
"Only half a catty," Lin Shiming shook his head.
"Then add another thousand Spirit Stones!" Martial Brother Wu continued to speak.
Lin Shiming didn't answer but simply stared at Martial Brother Wu; then, he spoke.
"Do you really wish to put this Heavenly Wood Heart up for auction, Martial Brother Wu? Yunzhou isn't too big, nor too small, but news of a Heavenly Wood Heart from a Second Rank Wood Demon will certainly travel far."
Lin Shiming emphasized the words "Second Rank" heavily.
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged cultivator, who clearly hadn't considered this before, thought back and suddenly glared fiercely at Lin Shiming.
If he had been uncertain in Qingxuan City whether Lin Shiming had caught onto something, now he was completely certain that Lin Shiming had guessed the rough origins of his treasures.
"Fine! But I would hope that Martial Brother Lin could keep the identity of the seller confidential. Should I have other treasures in the future, I will also consider the Lin Family," the cultivator agreed, not insisting any further on negotiating.
Lin Shiming readily agreed as well, for the Elixir recipe he had obtained was to remain a secret, so naturally, he wouldn't reveal it. On the contrary, he was wary of Martial Brother Wu.
After taking out the Spirit Stones and half a catty of Spirit Honey for inspection by Mister Wu, Lin Shiming watched as he produced a Jade Box.
A Spirit Talisman was also affixed to the box.
"Inspect it yourself, Martial Brother. Once the transaction is complete, I will not accept any returns," Mister Wu stated.
Lin Shiming took the Jade Box, carefully removed the Spirit Talisman, and opened the lid to reveal a Radiant Heart of Red Wood, carrying a persistent aura belonging to a Wood Demon.
A day passed, and the Foundation Establishment Conference began as scheduled.
Red lanterns were everywhere in Xing County Square Market, with the liveliest place being the square in front of the Lin family's shops, where large red tables, except for the central area, were already full.
It was also the time for the Foundation Establishment families to arrive.
"The Ling Family of Beihe wishes the Lin Family's new Foundation Establishment disciple success. May Daoist Lin soar up to the Purple Mansion, auspiciously presenting a hundred-year-old, Third Rank Purple Cloud Mushroom!"
"The Tian Qian Family presents its wishes to the Lin Family's new Foundation Establishment disciple. May Daoist Lin's fame spread far and wide, offering a bottle of Third Rank Consolidation Pills!"
...
As various Foundation Establishment families from Yunzhou came to congratulate, the Lin Family also specially arranged cultivators to cheer and receive gifts from the visiting families.
Auspicious clouds continuously appeared in the sky, with stronger families bringing more clouds.
At that moment, nine auspicious clouds floated by.
"Qingxuan Sect's Xie An, on behalf of the Qingxuan Sect, presents a gift to Lin Family's Foundation Establishment cultivator! Specially offering a Third Rank, Intermediate Grade Magic Artifact, a Thunderclap Spear!"
With the arrival of Xie An, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, the atmosphere reached its climax.
Lin Houyuan joined Lin Xianzhi in inviting Xie An to the main seat at the main table.
After the Foundation Establishment families had cheered, it was time for the Qi Cultivation families and loose cultivators to offer their congratulations.
"Qi Cultivation Family, the Xu Family, presents a hundred-year-old Second Rank ginseng!"
"Loose Cultivator Chen Ping'an presents a hundred-year-old Fire Cloud Fruit!"
...
Unlike the Foundation Establishment families, the Qi Cultivation families and loose cultivators' congratulations did not bring auspicious clouds, and hence, Lin Family's Qi Cultivators were responsible for guiding them to their seats.
After everyone had finished cheering, Lin Houyuan raised his glass and began to toast all the guests at the VIP seats.
But just then, dark clouds began to drift in the sky.
Suddenly, several cultivators descended from the dark clouds.
"The cultivators from the Huang Yun Li Family have come uninvited to seek a few cups of Spiritual Wine, and also to present a Second Rank Spirit Water as a gift."
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