Qin Ruqing sat in the audience, tightly gripping her fists as she heard the sound of the auctioneer’s hammer.

Finally!

The competition at this auction was indeed intense, testing everyone’s mental fortitude.

Now that everything was settled, Qin Ruqing finally breathed a sigh of relief and asked her own question, “Mother, didn’t we use up the three Four-Leaf Spirit Mushrooms we found in the medicinal garden last time for alchemy? Where did another one come from?”

Luoxian also showed a pleased expression.

She replied, “A few days ago, the Qin family found another one in the Secret Realm. Originally, it was stored in the clan treasury, but I didn’t expect the Elder to be willing to use it to compete for the Spiritual Nurturing Secret Technique for you.”

“Ancestor…” Qin Ruqing sighed inexplicably in her heart, feeling infinite respect for the Ancestor.

She was determined to repay her kindness in the future, at least by helping her recover from her injuries.

Inside the private box, the Grand Elder couldn’t help but speak up, “Ancestor r, isn’t 100,000 Spirit Stones plus a Four-Leaf Spirit Mushroom too much? Even for a middle-grade Spiritual Nurturing Secret Technique, it shouldn’t be worth over a hundred thousand Spirit Stones!”

Qin Deming, who had been happy on the sidelines, gradually lost his smile upon hearing the Grand Elder’s words.

This middle-grade Spiritual Nurturing Secret Technique was mainly auctioned for his daughter Qingqing.

As a father, he naturally felt joy.

However, he also understood that the Qin family had spent a considerable sum this time.

The Grand Elder’s question was valid.

Qin Deming remained silent.

Qin Dexin sat in the corner with crossed arms.

Although she was somewhat surprised by the Ancestor’s willingness to spend a large sum to acquire the Spiritual Nurturing Secret Technique, her favorable feelings towards the Ancestor remained due to Qin Deming’s previous decision to give up the Foundation Pill.

She decided not to voice any objections to this matter and even planned to support the Ancestor when necessary.

Unaware of the varied thoughts among the others.

The Ancestor remained calm and said, “Qin Ruqing likely possesses the Ancient Blue Lotus Physique, with limitless potential.

However, a low-grade Spiritual Nurturing Secret Technique is insufficient to unlock the potential of her physique.

At the very least, she needs a middle-grade or higher technique for cultivation.

If we miss this opportunity, in two years when Qingqing’s nurturing period ends, her physique may never awaken. Wouldn’t that be a waste?”

Furthermore, since the discovery of that spiritual mine in the clan, the situation in the clan hasn’t been as difficult as in previous years.

It’s not a big deal to divert the two-year mining output of spiritual stones.

Acquiring a middle-grade Spiritual Nurturing Secret Technique will benefit not just Qingqing, but the entire younger generation of the Qin family.”

“As for the newly discovered Four-Leaf Spirit Mushroom, Qin Dexin has already reached Foundation Establishment.

The Qin family is not urgently needing another new Foundation Establishment cultivator, and with only one mushroom, it’s not enough to produce Foundation Pills. It’s better to use it to solve the urgent issue at hand.”

The Ancestor’s considerations were far-reaching.

After hearing this, the Grand Elder found the reasons impeccable and nodded, saying, “We’ll follow your decision, Ancestor.”

The Ancestor nodded in acknowledgement.

With the Grand Elder’s agreement, the Second Branch was unlikely to raise any further objections to this matter.

With a unanimous decision, the Qin family successfully secured the middle-grade Spiritual Nurturing Secret Technique.

After the auction ended, the manager of the marketplace personally delivered the technique and reminded the Qin family to deliver all the spirit stones within three months.

Otherwise, the Southern Auction House would send people to retrieve the technique and impose heavy fines.

No one dared to ignore the marketplace manager’s words because behind the Southern Auction House stood an immortal-grade noble family.

Back at the Qin family estate, in front of Qin Ruqing’s parents, the Elder presented this hard-won middle-grade Spiritual Nurturing Secret

The secret technique was handed over to Qin Ruqing.

Qin Ruqing respectfully accepted the Spiritual Nurturing Secret Technique, bowing deeply.

In her hands, it appeared as an ordinary jade slip, yet it had cost the Qin family tens of thousands of Spirit Stones.

Qin Deming stood by, watching his daughter.

Unable to resist, he reminded her, “Qingqing, you were present at the auction. You know how much the Qin family spent on this. I hope you diligently cultivate and do not disappoint the Ancestor and the expectations of the Qin family.”

Qin Ruqing responded clearly, “Yes, I understand.”

The Ancestor said, “Let’s begin. Affix the jade slip to your forehead and recite the incantation I just gave you. Then, you can receive the contents inside.”

Usually, jade slips containing advanced techniques could only be used once.

Therefore, the Ancestor and others dared not probe into it, only feeling reassured once it was in Qin Ruqing’s hands.

As for the younger generations of the Qin family, if they needed to use this middle-grade Spiritual Nurturing Secret Technique, they only needed Qin Ruqing to refine another copy after cultivating her Qi, adding her own insights and experiences, thus passing it down through the generations.

Rare techniques were often transmitted in this manner.

Sure enough, after Qin Ruqing recited the incantation, the jade slip shimmered brightly and quickly turned into a glow that entered Qin Ruqing’s body.

“How is it? Have you received it?” Luoxian couldn’t help but ask.

Qin Ruqing opened her eyes, sparkling, and nodded, “Yes, I’ve received it!”

“The Spiritual Nurturing Secret Technique requires the use of Pure Sinking Water, Vitality Grass, and supplementary materials…” Qin Ruqing reported the names of the medicines based on her memory, “There’s also a meridian circulation diagram that Qingqing seems unable to describe or manifest.”

The Ancestor nodded knowingly, “This meridian circulation diagram is probably the core of this middle-grade Spiritual Nurturing Secret Technique, and its mechanism is not meant to be divulged. It doesn’t matter; when you cultivate in the future, you can record this diagram.”

At this moment, Qin Deming voiced the Ancestor’s concern, “Ancestor, those two main medicines are extremely rare and hard to find, especially the Pure Sinking Water, which is invaluable.”

What Qin Deming didn’t say was that “rare” in this context typically meant “expensive.”

Looking at it this way, the resources required for the middle-grade Spiritual Nurturing Secret Technique were more than doubled compared to the low-grade version.

The three adults present fell into a dreadful silence at the same time.

They all shared the same thought: raising children really costs a lot of money!

And so, after acquiring the middle-grade Spiritual Nurturing Secret Technique, the Qin family began searching for the main medicines needed for Qin Ruqing’s nurturing.

Among them, purchasing Vitality Grass cost the Qin family a large amount of Spirit Stones.

Fortunately, they unexpectedly found the extremely rare and valuable Pure Sinking Water in the Secret Realm, saving them a substantial amount of money.

After gathering all the materials, the Ancestor personally took action to refine the nurturing elixir for Qin Ruqing, enough to last her for a period of time.

At this moment, Qin Ruqing held the elixir, about to take it.

She felt its weight; these were countless Spirit Stones!

Just as she was about to bring the cup to her lips, her mind suddenly connected with the stubborn system.

[Are you sure you want to use this middle-grade Spiritual Nurturing Secret Technique? Believe it or not, your Elder has also told you that the middle-grade Spiritual Nurturing Secret Technique is not enough to support the development of your Dao Body to the third stage]

Qin Ruqing paused, feeling oddly about the system today.

It was unusually personable compared to its usual straightforward manner.

Suppressing her surprise, Qin Ruqing set down the medicine bowl and asked, “You know something? What’s going on?”

Her ancestor had carefully explained the pros and cons of the mid-grade spiritual cultivation technique to her.

Qin Ruqing remembered clearly the slight regret in the old ancestor’s expression at the time.

The ancestor had said that although they had spared no effort to acquire this mid-grade technique, it still might not be enough for her.

With abundant resources and no accidents, it might ensure she reached the second stage of spiritual cultivation.

However, reaching the third stage seemed almost hopeless.

Yet, the ancestor had reassured her that it wasn’t all bad news.

Unlike low-grade techniques, using a mid-grade one meant that even if there was a deficit in her current cultivation, she could potentially make up for it in the future.

So, there was still hope for her to advance to the third stage of spiritual cultivation.

Understanding this clearly, Qin Ruqing decided to use the mid-grade technique.

She hadn’t considered exchanging it for a higher-grade one through the system because the required points were exorbitant and beyond her means.

She wasn’t particularly regretful about this decision.

As long as the path wasn’t completely blocked, she could find a way forward in the future.

Unexpectedly, the system brought up this topic again.

Qin Ruqing asked curiously, “Why are you asking about this now?”

[The mid-grade spiritual cultivation technique your family auctioned is a completely new type. It’s not listed in the system’s store. If you’re willing to sell the copyright to this technique to the system, combined with your current points, you should be able to exchange it for a higher-grade technique.]

“Hmm? Is this really possible?” Qin Ruqing asked cautiously, “What do you mean by selling the copyright?”

The system explained, [The “Establishing the Top Aristocrat Family in the Cultivation World” system won’t have only one host in the future.]

Items in the system’s store aren’t created out of thin air; they’re collected from various worlds.

If the host owns the full rights to an item and is willing to sell it, the system’s store will include it and sell it as a product to other hosts.]

“I see.” So, it’s like collecting illustrations here!

Qin Ruqing quickly understood something and said with a gleam in her eyes, “So, by enriching the store catalog… there should be benefits, right?”

Normally as robotic as a machine, the system rarely spoke more than necessary.

Today, however, it seemed to have transformed from a machine into a chatterbox, which made Qin Ruqing suspect there must be benefits in it for her.

Sure enough, the system remained silent longer than before. Eventually, it replied:

[Yes, I gain benefits from it. But it’s a win-win situation.]

Qin Ruqing’s eyes sparkled.

She immediately responded, “Wait! That’s not just a win-win. If I exchange…Even if I use up all my points, it might not be enough for the high-grade technique. So in the end, it’s only you who wins,” Qin Ruqing remarked.

After observing her for a while, the system understood her well.

She was full of cunning and always had a plan. While others might suffer losses, she never would.

“What do you want?” the system asked.

Qin Ruqing grinned and replied quickly, “I could sell the copyright, but only if you give me a discount.”

…This host really leaves me speechless, thought the system.

“I’ve already used up one favor for you before. Remember when you exchanged for the Divine Elixier?” the system reminded her.