66: Auction controversy: Is the miracle drug being treated like candy?

The journey was chaotic and rushed.

The Hidden God Sect group of five embodied the spirit of “as long as I run fast enough, trouble can't catch me,” crossing half of Central State in one breath.

Finally, they stopped before a giant city a hundred times more prosperous than Tianyong City.

Wanbao City.

It was the largest commercial capital in Central State, and also the most chaotic and mixed place.

“Phew... we should have shaken them off.”

Xiao Chen leaned on his knees, panting heavily. Several days of extreme flying escape had left him, a Cultivator of the Golden Core Stage, feeling overwhelmed.

“Senior Brother, I'm hungry.” Shi Tian weakly lay on Ye Fan's back, feeling like he was about to starve thin.

“Let's find a place to rest first.”

Leng Yanran looked at the “Three-No-Care” sign at the city gate, her eyes shifting slightly. A place like this was perfect for “fugitives” like them to hide their identities.

The five paid the entry fee and walked into Wanbao City.

As soon as they entered the city, they were stunned by the bustling human noise and the dazzling treasure light soaring into the sky.

Inside the city, lanterns were hung, and crowds gathered. Countless Cultivators surged from all directions toward a magnificent, extremely extravagant pavilion in the city center.

“Hurry up! The Wanbao Pavilion's once-in-a-century grand auction is about to begin!”

“I heard there's a finale treasure appearing this time! Even the Elders of the Holy Land have been alarmed!”

“Let's go, let's go! If we're late, there won't even be standing room left!”

An auction?

Xiao Chen glanced at his Junior Brothers and Junior Sister beside him, who looked like country bumpkins entering the city, their faces full of curiosity, and his heart stirred.

An auction house, with its large, diverse crowd, was undoubtedly the best place to hide.

“Let's go, we'll check it out too.”

The five followed the crowd and arrived in front of the Wanbao Pavilion.

It was a nine-story octagonal pagoda, built entirely of unknown golden Divine Wood, shining brightly in the sunlight, utterly extravagant.

The entrance was heavily guarded, but one could enter simply by paying Spirit Stones.

The five pooled some fragmented Spirit Stones, bought the cheapest spot in the main hall, and sat down in an inconspicuous corner.

The auction hall was enormous, capable of holding tens of thousands of people. It was already packed, and the atmosphere was extremely heated.

“Senior Brother, it's so lively here.” Shi Tian whispered, looking at the powerful Cultivators around them.

“Don't talk, just watch.” Xiao Chen lowered his voice, reminding everyone to restrain their aura so as not to cause any more trouble.

Soon, the auction officially began.

A captivating woman in a fiery red qipao with a voluptuous figure walked onto the high stage. She was the chief auctioneer of the Wanbao Pavilion, Elegant Concubine.

Her appearance immediately drew a chorus of wolf whistles from the audience.

“Next, we begin the auction for the first item!”

Elegant Concubine waved her jade-like hand, and a maid walked up carrying a jade platter covered with a red cloth.

The red cloth was unveiled.

A plant, entirely crystalline, shaped like a human, and sporting several long roots, lay quietly on the platter.

A rich medicinal fragrance instantly permeated the entire venue.

“ten thousand year blood ginseng!”

“Heavens! The very first item is a Heaven And Earth Treasure of this caliber!”

“This item is the main ingredient for refining the ‘Life Extension Pill,’ its value is immeasurable!”

The audience instantly exploded into chaos, and countless Cultivators revealed greedy looks in their eyes.

Elegant Concubine watched the crowd's reaction with satisfaction and parted her red lips:

“One stalk of ten thousand year blood ginseng! Starting bid, one hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones! Each subsequent bid must not be lower than ten thousand!”

“I bid one hundred and ten thousand!”

“One hundred and twenty thousand!”

“I bid one hundred and fifty thousand! Nobody try to snatch this from me!”

The price soared all the way, quickly surpassing the three hundred thousand mark.

Shi Tian and Ye Fan, attending an auction for the first time, watched the intense scene dumbfounded.

This broken radish is actually worth so much money?

“Senior Brother, they are so rich.” Ye Fan quietly sighed.

Xiao Chen also wore a grave expression.

The prices in Central State were somewhat beyond his imagination.

Just at this moment.

“Gulu lulu...”

An extremely untimely sound echoed from the corner.

Ye Fan covered his stomach, looking at the blood ginseng on the stage that countless people were fighting over, feeling... a little hungry.

Mainly because the medicinal fragrance was too tempting.

Subconsciously, he fumbled in his robes.

It was a pile of “snacks” that Revered Master had stuffed into their hands before they departed.

He said he pulled them specifically from the medicine garden on the back mountain, afraid they would go hungry on the road.

Ye Fan dug around for a long time and finally pulled out a... large radish... that looked almost identical to the blood ginseng on the stage.

This radish was a size larger than the one on the stage, entirely crimson, still bearing fresh dirt, and its medicinal fragrance was over a hundred times stronger.

“Crunch!”

In the instant of absolute silence across the venue.

Ye Fan took a huge, forceful bite out of the “large radish” in his hand.

The sound was crisp and loud.

“Mmm... it's a bit sweet.”

Ye Fan mumbled his evaluation while chewing the radish.

“It's just a bit dry. It's not as tasty as the white radishes Revered Master grows.”

As he spoke, he took another “crunching” bite.

The entire audience: “...”

Everyone was dumbfounded.

The Cultivators who had been frantically raising the price froze in place.

On the high stage, Elegant Concubine, who had been smiling charmingly, found the smile on her face frozen.

Countless gazes, synchronized like searchlights, focused on the youth gnawing on a radish in the corner.

Their expressions moved from bewilderment to shock, and then to... seeing a ghost!

Because.

The moment Ye Fan bit into that “large radish.”

A terrifying medicinal fragrance, hundreds of times richer than the “ten thousand year blood ginseng” on the stage, instantly swept through the entire auction hall like a tsunami!

That fragrance was overwhelmingly potent.

Just taking a single whiff made one feel all the pores in their body expanding, and the spiritual power within them cheering joyously!

Several veteran Cultivators who had been stuck at a Bottleneck for years actually... broke through on the spot under the stimulation of this medicinal fragrance!

“This... what is this smell?!”

“My god! My Bottleneck... the Bottleneck I was stuck at for thirty years has loosened!”

“Divine Medicine! This is absolutely Divine Medicine!”

The venue instantly erupted.

Everyone went crazy.

They stared intently at the half-eaten “large radish” in Ye Fan's hand, their eyes red with desire.

ten thousand year blood ginseng?

Compared to this radish, that is simply roadside weeds!

This damn thing is at least... a Hundred Thousand Year Ginseng King!!

Divine Medicine of this caliber—forget eating it—just smelling a whiff can extend one's lifespan!

Yet... this kid... is actually... gnawing on it like a snack?!

And he even complained that it wasn't tasty?!

What a waste of Heaven's resources!

This is absolutely insane!

“J-Junior Brother...”

Xiao Chen looked at the innocent-faced Ye Fan beside him, feeling like his brain wasn't functioning properly.

“That... that thing you're eating... doesn't seem to be a radish...”

“If it's not a radish, what is it?”

Ye Fan took another “crunching” bite, his face full of innocence.

“Revered Master said this is his ‘Red-Core Large Radish,’ and the taste is pretty good.”

Xiao Chen: “...”

He suddenly recalled the medicine garden on the Sect's back mountain that Fat Aunt treated as a vegetable patch.

He recalled the Speckled Hen that laid phoenix eggs as if they were ordinary chicken eggs.

He recalled the Revered Master who used an Emperor Scripture to prop up a table leg.

He understood.

He completely understood.

In this Sect, nothing should ever be judged by common sense!

What Revered Master calls “trash” might be a supreme treasure in the eyes of others.

What Revered Master calls a “radish” might be Divine Medicine that the outside world fights desperately for!

“Uh... Junior Brother...”

Xiao Chen swallowed hard and spoke with difficulty.

“That radish in your hand, could you... share a bite with me?”