I Can See Through Everything-Chapter 577

In the end, the white-haired elder still failed to win the bid for the first Dust-Cleansing Golden Core Pill.

Over the years, he had spent most of his savings in pursuit of longevity.

The spirit stones he had left were already few to begin with.

With the burly man showing no intention of backing down, he simply couldn’t compete.

He could only watch helplessly as the burly man drove the price of the first Dust-Cleansing Golden Core Pill to a figure he simply couldn’t afford.

“Is there anyone willing to bid higher? If not, this first Dust-Cleansing Golden Core Pill will go to this Fellow Daoist.”

Silence fell over the entire hall.

The burly man was clearly targeting the white-haired elder, and the final price he offered exceeded what many had expected.

There was no need for them to offend others over this.

Seeing no one else raise the bid, the Treasure Master let out a faint sigh.

With one final tap of the gavel, he announced, “Then this first Dust-Cleansing Golden Core Pill goes to Fellow Daoist number 187.”

Upon hearing this, despair instantly welled up in the white-haired elder’s eyes.

He knew that if he couldn’t even win the first one, there would be even less hope for the remaining nine.

The others in the hall had already done him a favor by letting him compete for one.

The rest of the bidding would likely show no such courtesy.

As expected, the competition for the remaining nine Dust-Cleansing Golden Core Pills turned incredibly fierce.

Each pill quickly fetched more than ten thousand lower-grade spirit stones, causing the elder’s gaze to grow increasingly despondent.

This scene also left many observers in silence.

“Look at that. This is the hardship of rogue cultivators.”

In one of the Earth-designated rooms, a late-stage Golden Core Realm cultivator with a commanding presence was instructing the disciples behind him.

“These rogue cultivators, due to weak foundations and insufficient accumulation, end up condensing Golden Cores of the lowest grade with the least potential.

Although they’ve stepped into the Golden Core Realm, they must then struggle to refine their cores to improve their grade, unable to relax for even a moment.

A single misstep, and their time will be up before their Golden Core improves.

So in your cultivation, never be too hasty. You must fortify your foundation and build your heritage.

Only then can you, when facing your Golden Core Tribulation, rely on deep foundations to leap forward and condense a mid-grade or even high-grade Golden Core in one stroke.

Otherwise, if you condense only a low-grade core...

That white-haired elder down there—that could be your future.”

The disciples behind him, gazing down at the elder with white hair and a face full of despair, all involuntarily shivered.

Then, in unison, they respectfully responded, “We will remember your teachings, Master!”

“Watching these rogue cultivators struggle... only then do we realize how fortunate we are to be part of a sect.

Had we not joined back then, we’d probably be down there ourselves, wasting a lifetime’s savings on a mere Dust-Cleansing Golden Core Pill.”

In a Heaven-designated room, another voice sighed with emotion.

“Brother Hong, you underestimate yourself. With your talent, as bright as the sun and moon, how could those mediocre cultivators below compare to you?”

The person beside him shook his head.

“Even without a sect’s nurturing, with your aptitude, as long as you had access to cultivation techniques, you would have soared skyward.

Condensing a high-grade Golden Core would be no harder than eating or drinking.

How could those who can only form low-grade cores ever measure up to even a tenth of your potential?”

“You flatter me, Brother Xie. Without the sect’s support, I would never have achieved what I have today.”

“Haha! Brother Hong, you’re hailed as the number one genius of Xuanzhou. How could you be so modest?”

“This so-called genius label is just praise from outsiders. Brother Xie, you’re the foremost core disciple of the Fangcun Sect. That’s a true achievement forged through your own strength.”

The two exchanged compliments, while behind them stood a row of young men and women with no weak aura, all gazing at them with eyes full of admiration.

“Grandpa, I didn’t know your pills were this popular!”

In another Earth-designated room, a little girl exclaimed in surprise to the elderly man beside her.

The old man had a rosy complexion, wore flowing white robes, and carried an aura of an immortal.

“The Dust-Cleansing Golden Core Pill isn’t of the highest grade, but it can refine and purify a Golden Core. For rogue cultivators in the Golden Core Realm, it’s a life-saving medicine to prolong their path. Of course they value it.”

The white-robed elder sighed softly.

“Unfortunately, several of the ingredients needed to refine the Dust-Cleansing Golden Core Pill are monopolized by powerful forces.

Even if I can make them, I still can’t cook without rice.

Otherwise, I would have brought more to auction today.

That elder likely wouldn’t be so desperate then.”

“Yeah, that grandpa looked really pitiful,” the girl said, a tinge of sympathy in her voice.

“Grandpa, can we give him one of your pills?”

“That’s absolutely out of the question.” The white-robed elder immediately shook his head. “Xiaoling, remember this—people’s hearts can be treacherous. As an alchemist, you may have compassion, but never be fooled by appearances or act on blind kindness.

That elder may seem pitiful now, but you know nothing of his past. How can you be sure he deserves help?”

“I... I guess not...” The girl was momentarily speechless.

Seeing this, the white-robed elder smiled and said earnestly, “So, don’t offer help to those whose nature you don’t fully understand. Otherwise, not only might you fail to truly help them, but you could end up aiding evil instead. Xiaoling, you must remember this.”

“I understand, Grandpa.”

The girl was still a bit bewildered, but she knew her grandfather’s advice would never steer her wrong.

“A pill that can refine a Golden Core... is really this precious?”

In Room Earth-19, Lu Qing watched the frenzied bidding below, stunned.

“Of course,” Daoist Wubao replied with a smile. “The Tianyuan Great World is overflowing with spiritual energy, and the path of cultivation is widespread. As long as someone’s aptitude isn’t too bad, and their luck not too poor, they have a good chance of reaching the Golden Core Realm.

But most Golden Core cultivators survive ordinary tribulations and end up condensing low-grade cores.

So the demand for pills that can refine their Golden Cores is naturally huge.

However, I’ve heard that the best pills for refining Golden Cores require certain primary ingredients that are always monopolized by major powers.

Take this Dust-Cleansing Golden Core Pill, for example. One of its key ingredients is a spiritual liquid called Clear Spirit Azurewater, which comes from a spiritual spring.

That spring is controlled by the Qingling Clan, one of the Thirty-Six High Clans.

Only a small amount of Clear Spirit Azurewater is released into the world each year.

Because of this, although the Dust-Cleansing Golden Core Pill isn’t that high-grade, it’s still extremely rare.

Now that it’s available, of course all the low-grade Golden Core cultivators are going crazy for it...”

“So that’s it. The path of advancement is locked down by the major powers.”

Lu Qing suddenly understood.

Indeed, resource monopolies are the same no matter what world you’re in.

Even in this Tianyuan Great World, where spiritual energy was abundant and mystical items were everywhere...

Because of this, the number of rogue cultivators had grown exceedingly large.

If all these rogue cultivators were allowed to reach profound cultivation realms, it would undoubtedly deal a heavy blow to the sects and aristocratic clans.

It might even threaten their standing in the Tianyuan Great World.

Naturally, they would never allow such a thing to happen.

Thus, the rise of rogue cultivators had to be suppressed.

And accomplishing this wasn’t particularly difficult.

For rogue cultivators, the early stages of cultivation weren’t overly challenging. But once they reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, a major hurdle awaited them—

The Golden Core Tribulation.

Due to their weak foundations and lack of heritage, unless one’s cultivation aptitude was truly exceptional, most rogue cultivators—even if they could survive the Golden Core Tribulation—would end up condensing a low-grade Golden Core.

Low-grade Golden Cores had limited potential and could, at most, cultivate to the third transformation.

To go further, they would have to refine and purify their Golden Core, upgrading its quality.

And this step, without a doubt, was the perfect way for sects and clans to restrict the emergence of powerful rogue cultivators.

As long as they controlled the supply of pills that refined Golden Cores, the chances of a rogue cultivator reaching the Nascent Soul Realm would drop drastically.

In this way, their status would remain secure.

“As expected, internal strife is what the human race is best at,” Lu Qing muttered, shaking his head.

From what he knew, the humans in the Tianyuan Great World also faced a formidable external threat: the demon race.

In fact, in their ongoing struggle with the demon race, the humans were far from dominant.

In such a situation, if rogue cultivators were allowed to rise—bolstered by their sheer numbers—it would undoubtedly strengthen the human side.

Yet these major powers, for the sake of preserving their own positions, still chose to suppress the growth of rogue cultivators.

No wonder there were rumors that in recent years, the battles between humans and demons had mostly ended in defeat for the human side.

Of course, Lu Qing merely pondered this briefly and didn’t dwell on it.

Such sweeping trends were not something one person could change.

Besides, he wasn’t even a native of the Tianyuan Great World. Why waste time thinking about it?

Still, seeing how sought-after the Dust-Cleansing Golden Core Pill was reminded Lu Qing of something.

Back in his home world, he had slain two alien invaders.

Later, from the storage artifacts they carried, he had acquired a supreme-grade spiritual plant—the Lotus of Tranquility.

One of its effects was precisely the ability to refine and purify Golden Cores, improving their grade.

But after Lu Qing overcame his Golden Core Tribulation, he had condensed an unprecedented Perfect Golden Core and never needed to refine it further.

Later on, his master, Xiao Yan, Xiao Li, and Wuxing had all also condensed high-grade Golden Cores, so there was no need for them to refine their cores either.

And since he didn’t have a pill recipe to turn the Lotus of Tranquility into a proper elixir…

He had forgotten all about it, simply storing it away in his Heaven and Earth One Qi Bag.

Then there was the other supreme-grade spiritual plant he owned—the Five Elements Treasure Lotus.

“Maybe it’s time I found an opportunity to refine them into pills,” Lu Qing thought to himself.

Supreme-grade spiritual plants were exceedingly rare. Even Nascent Soul Realm cultivators would covet them.

If he could refine them into pills, it would be a tremendous boon—not only for himself, but also for Xiao Li and the others.

It could allow them to take their cultivation even further.

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Lu Qing continued watching the auction below.

By now, all ten Dust-Cleansing Golden Core Pills had already been auctioned off.

The white-haired elder had ultimately failed to acquire even a single one.

He sat there, completely disheartened, his face ashen, full of despair.

This scene left many cultivators sighing deeply, struck by the sheer cruelty of the cultivation path.

After the Dust-CleansingGolden Core Pills were sold, the Treasure Master gave a wave of his hand, and a jade sword appeared on the platform.

The moment it emerged, the surrounding temperature dropped, and even a faint layer of frost began to form.

“Next up is a Cold Jade Flying Sword—an upper-grade magical artifact with an ice-type attribute…”

The white-haired elder’s ordeal, in the end, was just a minor episode.

The auction continued with its usual fervor.

One treasure after another was brought out by the Treasure Master for bidding.

There were spiritual herbs, elixirs, magical artifacts, and even raw materials for crafting treasures.

All kinds of items were on display.

Some of them were so powerful and rare that not only did the cultivators in the main hall bid madly, but even guests in the VIP rooms upstairs were tempted and placed bids several times.

Still, perhaps in an effort to save their spirit stones for the final highlight of the auction—the top-grade spiritual artifact—the VIPs rarely made bold bids, mostly testing the waters.

Throughout this process, Lu Qing kept using his innate ability to examine the information of each item on the jade platform.

In doing so, he significantly expanded his knowledge.

However, he only watched and never placed a single bid.

First, although the Treasure Master presented many items, none truly piqued Lu Qing’s interest.

He wasn’t lacking in magical artifacts; the few spiritual artifacts he already had were more than enough.

As for elixirs—unless they were top-grade pills solely for enhancing cultivation—

Those that improved aptitude or comprehension didn’t offer him much value.

After all, with a Perfect Golden Core, his talent was already nothing short of monstrous.

And with his innate ability, what pill could possibly surpass that in boosting comprehension?

Secondly, although Lu Qing had a decent number of spirit stones,

They didn’t amount to much in the context of this auction.

So unless he encountered something that truly moved him, he had no intention of bidding rashly.

If nothing extraordinary appeared, this visit could still serve as a valuable learning experience.

Just as Lu Qing was thinking this—

The Treasure Master below waved his hand again and placed another item onto the jade platform.

Before he could even see what it was, Lu Qing’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.

As if something below was extremely important to him.

“Hm?”

Startled, Lu Qing immediately looked toward the object.

And at that moment, the Treasure Master began to speak:

“What we have next is a very peculiar item—an extraordinary treasure whose origin even our appraisers here in Tianxu City were unable to identify.”