31: Chapter 31 Auction

For the next few lots, whenever Wang Shouren made a bid, the entire hall fell dead silent.

A bottle of Soul-Nourishing Pill, originally priced at three hundred, was secured by him for four hundred Spirit Stones.

A bundle of century-old spiritual bamboo, originally priced at four hundred, was pocketed by him for five hundred and fifty Spirit Stones.

A set of Five Elements Formation Flags with a base price of three hundred and fifty was obtained for three hundred and fifty Spirit Stones, without even a single person driving up the price.

Wang Shouren's expression remained unchanged as he silently noted in his heart that the Soul-Nourishing Pills were for the brothers of the Shou generation, the spiritual bamboo happened to be just right for repairing the Formation of Lotus Pier, and the Formation Flags were prepared for a combined attack Formation.

Since he came on behalf of his second uncle, he had to bring some useful things back.

Zhiyao wore a professional smile on her face, but with every fall of the gavel, her heart was bleeding.

In past years, these items could have been sold for at least thirty percent more. Today, however, not only did Wang Shouren monopolize all of them by himself, but he also took them all away at the base price.

"One barrier-breaking pill."

She took a deep breath and motioned for the maid to bring a cyan jade porcelain bottle to the front of the stage.

"As everyone knows, the barrier-breaking pill specializes in breaking Bottlenecks, and is especially effective for Cultivators in the early and Middle Stages of Qi Refining. The base price is four hundred Spirit Stones, and each bid increment must not be less than fifty."

A commotion immediately broke out in the hall.

The barrier-breaking pill was truly a good item.

The gazes of quite a few people subconsciously drifted toward the third floor—what if that lord wanted it too?

After waiting for several breaths, there was no movement from the third floor.

Finally, a bold and uninhibited man on the first floor raised the placard in his hand: "Four hundred Spirit Stones."

As his voice fell, an old man in gray beside him also raised his placard: "Four hundred and fifty."

The price slowly climbed up, but when it was raised to five hundred and twenty, it began to lack momentum.

In previous years, the barrier-breaking pill could fetch up to eight hundred Spirit Stones, but today it only reached five hundred and twenty before the bidding voices gradually and sparsely died down.

Zhiyao was anxious inside, but she forced a smile on her face and cast her gaze toward the second floor.

"Are there any more bids? One barrier-breaking pill; miss it, and who knows when you will get another chance."

A low voice suddenly came from the second floor: "Five hundred and fifty."

Zhiyao breathed a sigh of relief.

She paused, waited for another moment to build up the atmosphere, and then slowly raised the gavel: "Five hundred and fifty for the first time, for the second time..."

"Six hundred."

Wang Shouren's voice drifted down indifferently from the third floor.

Someone in the hall gasped in cold air.

The hoarse-voiced bidder seemed to want to raise his placard again, but a hand suddenly reached out from beside him and pressed down on his arm.

A whisper as soft as a mosquito's buzzing drifted over: "Are you courting death? Haven't you heard how the Dadao Sect was wiped out? Those are people from the Wang Family!"

The person on the second floor fell silent for a few breaths and slowly put down the placard in his hand.

The smile on Zhiyao's face froze.

Six hundred Spirit Stones!

The barrier-breaking pill that could fetch eight hundred in previous years only sold for six hundred today!

She took a deep breath, tried hard to maintain her smile, and raised the wooden gavel: "Six hundred Spirit Stones, sold."

Over the next few rounds, the situation became increasingly bizarre.

As long as it was something Wang Shouren took a fancy to, once he called out a price, the entire audience would collectively fall silent as if they had prearranged it.

He won a bottle of Meridian-Nourishing Pills, two bundles of lightning-struck wood, and a fist-sized piece of millennium cold iron, all at prices one to twenty percent lower than in previous years.

Even if others called out a price first, as long as he spoke up, there would be no more sound afterward.

In a private room on the second floor, a young Cultivator clenched his fists and stared at the third floor with a face full of unwillingness.

Just as he wanted to raise the placard to increase the price, the elder beside him slapped him on the shoulder and lowered his voice to say:

"Shut up! Do you want our Family to follow in the footsteps of the Dadao Sect?"

The young Cultivator clenched his teeth and finally slammed the placard hard onto the table.

Zhiyao finally couldn't hold on any longer.

She looked up toward the third floor, and a sound transmission flew into Wang Shouren's ears, her tone already on the verge of tears.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, I beg you... please show mercy."

Two low coughs came from the railing on the third floor, followed immediately by a dry voice entering her ears.

"Ahem, Executive Zhiyao, this has nothing to do with me. It's just that they don't dare to bid."

Zhiyao bit her lower lip, wishing she could go up and pinch him.

The auction continued.

"Five bottles of Green Spirit Liquid, base price three hundred Spirit Stones."

"Five hundred."

As soon as Wang Shouren's voice fell, the entire hall fell into silence once again.

When Zhiyao dropped the gavel, her hands were trembling. Green Spirit Liquid, which could fetch up to eight hundred and fifty in previous years, was sold for just five hundred Spirit Stones today.

However, she was also clear in her heart that if the Wang Family did not come, the prices of these items wouldn't be high anywhere either.

Take this Green Spirit Liquid for example; it was originally one of the few Medicinal Pills in the Yue State that assisted the growth of spiritual plants. Except for families with spiritual field industries like the Wang Family, others wouldn't find any use for it even if they bought it.

Take that bundle of spiritual bamboo again; ordinary Loose Cultivators could only use it as firewood, but falling into the hands of the Wang Family, it could be patched into Formations and put to great use.

In previous years, the Wang Family was inherently the largest buyer of these items. Without the Wang Family, they couldn't even gather a decent competing opponent.

After Wang Shouren consecutively won seven or eight items, he felt it was about enough.

The cultivation resources that should have been bought on this trip had all been obtained, and an extra barrier-breaking pill had been prepared, which already far exceeded the scope of simply going through the motions on behalf of his second uncle.

He stopped his hand and no longer called out bids.

The atmosphere in the hall visibly became active.

The people in several private rooms on the second floor began raising placards again, and the price finally had a decent climb.

Zhiyao breathed a sigh of relief. The next few lots finally fetched their deserved prices.

After a few more rounds, Zhiyao returned backstage, changed into a new set of robes, and returned to the stage. She cleared her throat, her tone a bit more solemn than before.

"The next lot is quite rare."

She motioned for the maid to bring up a jade tray, on which was placed a completely transparent glazed bottle, its body sealed with spiritual patterns.

The bottle held more than half a bottle of dark blue liquid, swaying slightly under the light. With every sway, a wisp of extremely faint white mist overflowed from the mouth of the bottle, instantly condensing into tiny ice crystals that scattered down.

"This item is called the hanshui earth fiend."

Zhiyao's voice was clear and steady.

"It is produced in the depths of the extremely northern cold abyss of the Yue State, beneath ten thousand years of ice. Every hundred years, only a single drop condenses. There are a total of ten drops in the bottle, which constitutes a full portion."

"This item is extremely yin and cold; it can refine the physique and make one's own physique fearless of severe cold."

Someone under the stage muttered softly.

"Oh, come on. With just this magical use, I'm afraid only a Body Cultivator would use it. In Wanshan County, only the Dadao Sect..."

The person speaking suddenly shuddered, abruptly shut his mouth, looked left and right, and forcefully swallowed the rest of his words back into his stomach.

Several people nearby also turned their heads away one after another, pretending not to hear.

Zhiyao's facial smile remained unchanged, acting as if she hadn't heard that half-sentence, and continued speaking.

"The hanshui earth fiend has a base price of five hundred Spirit Stones, and each bid increment must not be less than one hundred Spirit Stones."

As her voice fell.

The entire hall was silent.

The Loose Cultivators in the hall looked at each other, and none of them raised a placard.

There was also no movement in the several private rooms on the second floor.

Five hundred Spirit Stones was not a small amount, and this thing couldn't be used anyway, so why waste this unjust money.

Zhiyao sighed in her heart.

Just as she expected, nobody wanted this thing at all.

Although rare, its use was too niche. Righteous Path Cultivators avoided it like the plague; it was goods destined to go unsold from the start.

Just as she was about to drop the gavel to announce it unsold, a sharp voice suddenly came from the private room on the far east side of the second floor.

"Five hundred Spirit Stones."