Lin Shiming handed over the Spirit Stones and followed the bluestone corridor to a grand hall.
The lighting in the hall wasn't very good, with only a few Moonlight Stones serving as lamps.
In front of the hall, there were three vertical rows of red nanmu chairs perfectly aligned.
At this moment, many cultivators were already seated. Surprisingly, the back row was packed to the brim, a few cultivators in the front row were without a Spirit Shielding Veil, and the middle was sparsely populated.
He found a seat towards the back of the middle row, sat down quietly, looked around the hall, and then decided against any further gawking.
Most people were wearing Spirit Shielding Veils, so even if he looked, he couldn't make out anything significant.
While Lin Shiming closed his eyes to rest his spirit, more people came in, nearly all wearing Spirit Shielding Veils.
When the hundred nanmu chairs in the hall were almost all occupied, a square-faced cultivator in a blue robe appeared at the front of the hall.
The blue-robed cultivator looked around, then cleared his throat before speaking,
"It seems that nearly everyone has arrived. As the initiator of this Foundation Establishment Gathering, allow me to introduce myself first. I am Xiao Chen, also a Deacon of Duo Bao Tower, so fellow Daoists can trade with confidence. In this hall, I guarantee that no one will harbor ill intentions!"
Xiao Chen spoke with utmost seriousness, and even employed a low-level spell so that even those sitting at the back felt as if Xiao Chen were speaking right beside their ears.
"This Foundation Establishment Gathering will proceed in a barter format, and I shall begin by casting the first stone to attract jade!"
As he said this, he took out three treasures: a pair of Purple-Gold Liuli Boots, a piece of Cold Iron Precious Jade, and a Demonic Beast egg.
"These Purple-Gold Liuli Boots are a Supreme Grade Third Rank Magical Artifact. Wearing them, one naturally possesses a Superior Grade Light Body Technique. A mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator wearing these boots can definitely achieve a speed no slower than that of a late-stage or even an average great-perfection stage Foundation Establishment cultivator!"
"This Cold Iron Precious Jade is a Fourth Rank Precious Material, fully suitable as the main material for a Fourth Rank Magical Artifact!"
"As for the last item, this Demonic Beast egg is from a Purple Wind Hawk of the Fourth Rank. It is a Second Rank late-stage Demonic Beast upon hatching and has a great possibility of reaching the Fourth Rank in adulthood!"
"I will exchange these three treasures only for items that can increase the probability of breaking through to the Purple Mansion. If someone has Purple Mansion Jade Liquid, they can take all three!"
Xiao Chen finished speaking and began to look around.
His display caused an uproar among the cultivators. These were not mere stones he was throwing, but golden bricks!
Lin Shiming had not expected someone to trade cultivation techniques, and he instantly agreed to the offer.
It must be known that the best body refining technique available to the Lin Family was only of the Yellow-Rank Superior Grade, barely adequate for reaching Foundation Establishment.
Both the Great Elder Lin Yuqing and his second brother Lin Shiyi practiced that technique.
Now having a body refining technique of the Profound Rank Inferior Grade naturally made him extremely satisfied, and now that he had reached Foundation Establishment, he already had a lifespan of two hundred fifty years.
He had plenty of time to cultivate the body refining technique, and in the face of a potential invasion by the demonic sects, the body refining technique would yield the greatest benefits.
Shortly, a somewhat plump cultivator approached from behind and kept his visage hidden behind a spirit veil, concealing his true face from being seen.
Upon arriving, the cultivator gently picked up the spirit wings and scything legs of the Six-Winged Demonic Mantis, inspecting them closely. After realizing there was almost no damage, he clicked his tongue in wonder and could not contain his joy.
The Six-Winged Demonic Mantis was notoriously difficult to deal with, and it was well-known in the ranking of demonic insects. Those who could kill it often had to utilize every means at their disposal, risking damaging the wings or the scything legs in the process.
After inspecting the items, the plump cultivator handed Lin Shiming a Jade Slip.
Engraved within the Jade Slip was a body refining technique named Mountain Ape Body Refining Technique.
Lin Shiming used his Divine Sense to briefly examine it and discovered that it was indeed a body refining technique inspired by mountain apes and definitely a Profound-Rank Inferior Grade technique; thus, the deal was made.
Both parties were extremely pleased with the transaction.
The former party's technique was static, and in any case, it could be duplicated, while the latter currently did not lack such spirit beast materials; his treasures were already quite numerous.
Whether it be the Heavenly Demon Bag, Fiery Flame Flag, Tiangang Sword Formation, Purple Wood Sword Formation, or the Mother-Child Sword and Kuimu Shield, he had also purchased the Cang Bee Blood-Breaking Needle previously.
Now with the Mountain Ape Body Refining Technique in hand, even if he couldn't obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill, the trip was not in vain.
After exchanging treasures, Lin Shiming continued to sit on the nanmu chair, quietly watching others trade their items.
At that moment, he wished he could exchange for everything, but unfortunately, his previously considered substantial fortune of over four hundred thousand was likely to be consumed by just a few spiritual objects here.
After the trading event, Lin Shiming felt as if his exposure had increased threefold, and he also gained an understanding of the extent of wealth among Foundation Establishment cultivators.
It was clear that the cultivators from Qingzhou and the Qingxuan Sect were far beyond the reach of even the Qian Family or the Li Family's cultivators.
Once the small trading event concluded, Lin Shiming got up to leave, but what he didn't expect was to receive a message from Xiao Chen at that moment.