However, the efficacy of the Jasper Moon Fruit suffered from diminishing returns.

The second fruit provided only half the potency of the first, and a third would yield merely a quarter. Compared to its exorbitant cost, repeated consumption was hardly worth the price.

Yet, Wang Hao felt it was essential.

If he could cultivate a tree of this fruit in his farm, even the tenth fruit would still provide several days’ worth of cultivation progress. Moreover, this item had no side effects. He had to acquire it.

The problem was that Wang Hao had already drawn too much attention. Bidding recklessly now might invite malicious price inflation. Even if he secured a fruit, the cost would likely far exceed its actual value, which was unwise.

A tree that stands taller than the forest will be toppled by the wind.

Purchasing large quantities of Foundation Establishment Pills could be excused as a necessity for his family, but buying this item would lead others to believe he intended to consume it himself, marking him as a target.

Thus, he stood up and spoke.

“Hold on. I have some knowledge regarding spirit fruits. May I examine them closely?”

“Fellow Daoist, this goes against the rules.” The old man on stage frowned and refused immediately. “With the Treasure Clarity Pavilion’s reputation as a guarantee, these three spirit fruits are flawless!”

Wang Hao remained calm. “I have already purchased over two hundred thousand Spirit Stones’ worth of goods in this auction consecutively. Naturally, I trust your establishment. However, spirit fruits are not like spirit pills, where one can judge quality merely by scent. I simply wish to inspect them up close. Surely your esteemed shop can accommodate such a simple request?”

The old man fell silent for a moment, seemingly communicating via voice transmission with a superior.

After a pause, he nodded. “Very well, young friend. You may come up to the stage to inspect them.”

Wang Hao composed his expression and walked onto the stage, beginning a careful examination.

The three fruits were about the size of apples, white with a faint blush of red, crystal clear and translucent. A single whiff of their fragrance invigorated the spirit; they indeed possessed the potent effect of enhancing cultivation.

Wang Hao reached out and picked up one fruit.

The old man initially moved to stop him, but seeing that Wang Hao only touched it briefly before placing it back without causing harm, he remained silent.

Mission accomplished—the seeds were recorded.

Wang Hao clasped his hands apologetically towards the old man. “The spirit fruits are genuine. I was overly cautious.”

“Since Fellow Daoist has inspected them, please step down now.”

Having obtained the genetic template for the seeds, Wang Hao had no reason to linger.

The audience below clamored, demanding to come up and inspect the goods as well. However, the Treasure Clarity Pavilion was not without its temper. They announced that anyone who had purchased two hundred thousand Spirit Stones’ worth of goods was welcome to inspect the items freely.

Instantly, the hall fell silent. No cultivator dared to speak further.

When the bidding began, Wang Hao made only a couple of symbolic bids. He then feigned that his financial resources were exhausted and gave up. This convinced the crowd that he had indeed come solely to purchase Foundation Establishment Pills for his family and did not possess unlimited personal wealth.

“Everyone, today’s auction concludes here,” the old man announced. “In two months, we will hold another small-scale auction. Furthermore, one year from now marks the Treasure Clarity Pavilion’s two-hundredth anniversary. We will host a grand auction event to celebrate.”

He paused for effect. “At that time, items aiding in Golden Core formation will appear. While I cannot promise other treasures, Dustfall Pills refined by our very own Treasure Clarity True Person will definitely be available!”

With that bombshell, the old man clasped his hands and departed.

The mention of the Dustfall Pill caused a stir. The cultivators in the hall did not leave immediately, gathering in small groups to discuss the news excitedly.

Forming a Golden Core required condensing liquid True Essence into a solid state. The Dustfall Pill assisted in this process—the name literally implied settling the dust of one’s cultivation into a solid form.

There were many items that aided in Core Formation, and cultivators often used multiple types in combination to maximize their success rate.

Undoubtedly, the most effective was the Golden Core Jade Liquid. Consuming it alone offered a thirty percent chance of forming a Golden Core. It was refined from the Golden Origin Fruit—a tree that took a thousand years to mature, a hundred years to flower, another hundred to bear fruit, and yet another hundred for the fruit to ripen.

Such treasures were extremely precious and typically only cultivated by established Nascent Soul forces.

Beyond that, there were various spirit waters and natural treasures that offered success rates varying from ten to twenty percent. However, many required corresponding Spiritual Root attributes. For example, Snow Jade Spirit Water worked best for those cultivating water-attribute techniques or possessing ice Spiritual Roots; for others, the effect was minimal and hardly justified the immense cost.

Carrying the Foundation Establishment Pills, Wang Hao did not linger. He quickly returned to the Pill & Talisman Pavilion.

As he left, a few cultivators approached him, hoping to trade for his pills. However, they offered only common goods, trying to fool him as if he were a novice like Xiaobai. Wang Hao couldn’t be bothered with them and brushed past.

Later, he met with Li Derong.

Wang Hao took out two Foundation Establishment Pills along with the remaining Spirit Stones. “Fortunately, I did not fail. Here are two Foundation Establishment Pills and the leftover funds.”

Wang Hao charged the Li Family an average price of forty-three thousand Spirit Stones per pill—a reasonable market rate.

Li Derong smiled contentedly. “Well done! What are your plans going forward?”

“My suggestion is to have your clan members consume the Foundation Establishment Pills as soon as possible. We also need time to process the materials obtained from the last hunt.”

The Li Family had lost two members, and two more were now preparing for Foundation Establishment. That left only six active members, not all of whom were Proficient talisman crafters. With the massive quantity of beast hides they had harvested, they would be busy for a year or two just processing the raw materials.

Wang Hao pondered for a moment before adding, “Purchasing four Foundation Establishment Pills consecutively drew a lot of attention. It is best we lay low for a couple of years. Let the newly advanced Foundation Establishment members consolidate their cultivation and gain a better understanding of Wanxiang City before we embark on the next beast hunt.”

Li Derong agreed that staying put temporarily was advisable. “That works too! By the way, do you have any ready-made Vein Protection Pills? Sell me a bottle.”

“I happen to have a spare bottle.” Wang Hao guessed she intended to use them for her clan members’ breakthroughs.

Li Derong handed over two thousand Spirit Stones, and they bid each other farewell.

Wang Hao then distributed the Foundation Establishment Pills to Wang Wenmei and Wang Yanyuan, along with several Vein Protection Pills each. After offering some advice, he commenced his own closed-door cultivation.

Aside from cultivation, his priority was the farm.

The black plots were insufficient, and the time flow was still too slow. He needed to upgrade to a gold plot to plant the Jasper Moon Fruit tree. The gold plot offered an eightyfold time acceleration, meaning he could harvest the fruit in a little over three years instead of the centuries normally required.

He checked the upgrade conditions. He needed eight black plots before he could unlock a gold one.

The cost of a gold plot was one hundred times that of the first red plot—fifty thousand Spirit Stones. The eighth black plot itself cost five thousand Spirit Stones.

Given his current production output and the considerable reserves of non-essential items he had sold off from the warehouse, it was affordable.

After waiting another month, Wang Hao upgraded his first gold plot and planted the Jasper Moon Fruit. He spent a month’s worth of farm output purchasing fertilizer, shaving a century off the growth period. This left just a two-century wait. Once it flowered, he could continue fertilizing to reduce the fruiting phase by fifty years, obtaining the fruit in under two years total.

Time passed quickly.

Nearly two years later, Wang Hao reached the early second layer of Foundation Establishment. He opened his status panel:

Name: Wang Hao Age: 40 years Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Layer Two (10,500/15,000) Cultivation Method: Red Lotus Illusory Wood Heart Sutra (Fourth Layer) Body Refining: Ice Muscle Jade Bone Technique (Fourth Layer) Qi: 10,496/10,496

Skills:

Alchemy: Second Rank Mid-Grade

Talisman Crafting: Second Rank Low-Grade

Artifact Refining: First Rank Mid-Grade

Puppet Crafting: First Rank Low-Grade

Spells: (First Rank spells omitted), Essence Fire Three Transformations, Sword Flight Art, Spirit Concealment Art, Profound Origin Swordplay. Divine Abilities: Spirit-Splitting Cone, Red Lotus True Fire.

Over the past two years, he had not only advanced a layer in cultivation, but his Divine Consciousness had also been significantly enhanced thanks to the Nine Revolutions Spirit Forging Liquid.

Although the effects were less than ideal due to his previous use of other enhancement methods—and the fact that he was limited to refining century-old herbs—he still achieved a thirty percent increase. His current Divine Consciousness was nearly six times that of his peers, and his overall combat strength had elevated substantially.