Wanxing Pavilion

Wanxing Pavilion was the premier auction house in the Eastern Territory.

The entire building was built upon a foundation of thousand-year warm jade, with beams forged from meteoric iron. Its layered, upturned eaves were embedded with starry sand, subtly symbolizing the concept of ‘treasures as numerous as the stars.’

During the day, it shimmered with flowing colors, and when night fell, it would naturally emit a faint, starry glow. From afar, it looked like a river of stars falling into the mortal realm.

Powerful figures from all over the cultivation world had gathered here. From the loose cultivator seats on the first floor to the private boxes on the top floor, not a single seat was empty.

Zhao Yunzhou stood beside the high platform, dressed in a cloud-patterned brocade robe. As his gaze swept over the packed crowd of mighty cultivators, the abacus in his mind clicked and clattered rapidly.

He had spared no expense to renovate Wanxing Pavilion and had widely distributed invitations to summon all the top cultivators of the Tianyan Continent. All of this was for today's grand finale treasure—a flawless, supreme-grade Mahayana Pill.

Those who came today were all wealthy individuals who did not lack money. Once the bidding started, the prices would surely skyrocket to astronomical heights.

Before long, the background music throughout the venue ceased. Maidservants stood with lowered heads in neat rows on both sides, and everyone's gaze converged on the glazed platform in the center.

The auctioneer stepped onto the stage, cleared his throat, and called out in a loud voice, “Welcome, everyone, to Wanxing Pavilion! Today's special auction officially begins now!”

“The first item up for bid is a thousand-year Soul-Condensing Grass! The starting price is five hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones!”

Bids immediately rang out one after another from below. “Six hundred thousand!”

“Seven hundred thousand!”

Some of the grand figures merely cast a casual glance before averting their eyes.

Their only goal today was the supreme-grade Mahayana Pill. Ordinary spirit herbs could not catch their interest at all, and they did not care to participate.

The group from the Grand Primordium Sect sat in a private box on the third floor, looking down through the barrier window.

This was a spot City Lord Zhao had specially reserved for them. It had a perfect view of the central auction stage, allowing them to see everything below with absolute clarity.

This time, Xue Mingzhao had not only had Su Mingyuan consign that supreme-grade Mahayana Pill, but she had also taken out several supreme-grade talismans and pills. She had anonymously consigned them to the City Lord's Mansion to be mixed in with the other auction items.

In another private box, Qi Chong, the City Lord of Yunque Heavenly Capital, sat in the seat of honor. He casually twirled a jade cup between his fingertips, his gaze piercing through the barrier to look downstairs.

Suddenly, he spoke, “The heavenly anomaly that occurred this time caused such a massive disturbance. Was it truly triggered solely by this supreme-grade Mahayana Pill?” His tone was flat, as if he were merely asking a casual question.

Zhao Yunzhou replied, “City Lord Qi must be joking. How could such a massive spectacle be caused by a single Mahayana Pill? It was just a coincidence that they happened at the same time. There is another reason for the anomaly.”

The other city lords nearby pricked up their ears to listen. But after waiting for a while, they found that Zhao Yunzhou had suddenly stopped speaking, leaving them hanging.

Nan Qiong, the City Lord of Nanli Heavenly Capital, could not help but press, “Then what on earth is the reason?”

Zhao Yunzhou merely shook his head and said mysteriously, “No rush. Once this supreme-grade Mahayana Pill is sold, everyone will naturally find out.”

Xi Lie, the City Lord of Xiji Heavenly Capital, curled his lip. He silently cursed Zhao Yunzhou for being deliberately mystifying, but he could only suppress his curiosity and wait for the auction to proceed.

Ling Hanshuang, the City Lord of Beixuan Heavenly Capital, maintained a calm expression. She took a slow sip from her teacup, the surrounding clamor seemingly unable to reach her ears at all.

The auction downstairs continued.

“The next pill is relatively ordinary. It is only useful for those below the Golden Core realm, and can only be taken once in a lifetime.”

Hearing this, the crowd showed little reaction.

The people present were all renowned figures of the Tianyan Continent. A pill for those below the Golden Core realm? It was barely worth their attention.

They had come today specifically for the supreme-grade Mahayana Pill. Other items? Even a single glance felt like a waste of time.

Seeing the crowd's reaction, the auctioneer smiled slightly. “The Sacred Spirit Creation Pill can expand a Qi Condensation cultivator's dantian by three times. As everyone knows, the larger the dantian's capacity, the more spiritual energy it can store, and the stronger one's endurance in battle becomes...”

Before he could even finish his sentence, the previously relaxed venue suddenly fell dead silent.

The grand figures who had been resting with their eyes closed, too lazy to even look up, all opened their eyes.

They might not need it themselves, but who among them did not have a few promising juniors in their clans or sects?

The dantian was something one was born with. To be able to widen it even a tiny bit later in life required an extraordinary natural treasure.

But to expand it by three times?

This was no mere pill; this was practically a cheat code for their juniors!

Elders from various sects and ancestors of great families sat up straight. The sound of whispering exploded with a loud buzz, and their previous indifference vanished instantly.

Looking at the suddenly excited crowd below, the auctioneer's lips curled into a smug smile. He continued in a loud voice, “The expansion effect is permanent with no side effects. Miss this, and you will never get another chance! The starting price for this pill is five hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones!”

As soon as his voice fell, a barrage of rising bids immediately echoed through the entire auction hall.

“Six hundred thousand!”

“Seven hundred thousand!”

“Eight hundred thousand!”

A cool, aloof voice drifted down from a private box on the third floor. “One million.”

Zhao Yunzhou raised an eyebrow as he watched Ling Hanshuang bid. He had heard that City Lord Ling's daughter had just entered the Qi Condensation realm. This pill was likely meant for her daughter.

The other city lords exchanged glances and abandoned any thoughts of raising the bid.

They still had to show her some respect. Competing with someone over something meant for their child was simply beneath them.

However, the loose cultivators and sect elders downstairs did not care about such courtesy and continued to call out.

“One million two hundred thousand!”

“One million three hundred thousand!”

Ling Hanshuang bid, “Two million.”

Seeing that someone was still shouting “two million two hundred thousand,”

Ling Hanshuang did not even lift her eyes. “Three million.”

The entire venue instantly fell silent.

Spending three million high-grade spirit stones to buy a pill for the Qi Condensation realm—this was an incredibly bold move.

Zhao Yunzhou chuckled and smoothed things over. “City Lord Ling did not even blink at spending three million high-grade spirit stones for her child. Such parental love is truly admirable.”

Sitting in her private room, she merely nodded slightly upon hearing this. Her gaze remained fixed on the pill on the stage, her voice as cold as ice. “Three million is worth it.”

Xi Lie curled his lip, feeling rather sour. The Northern Territory is truly wealthy.

Treasures like the Ice Soul Snow Lotus and Black Ice Marrow only grew in extremely cold lands, and Ling Hanshuang held a complete monopoly over them. She certainly did not lack this kind of money.

Downstairs, the auctioneer spoke once more, “The eighth item up for bid is a supreme-grade Yuan-Slaying Talisman. Once activated, it transforms into a strand of sword intent. Anyone below the Nascent Soul realm will die instantly upon contact, and even a Nascent Soul realm cultivator will be severely injured if they try to block it head-on.”

Qi Chong's half-squinted eyes snapped open. His sharp gaze pierced through the barrier, locking onto the talisman on the stage.

A talisman that could instantly kill anyone below the Nascent Soul realm?

A talisman of this power was definitely not something Zhao Yunzhou could produce.

Seeing Qi Chong's reaction, Zhao Yunzhou said, “A mysterious fellow daoist commissioned the City Lord's Mansion to auction this.”

The crowd below began bidding one after another. Mo Jiu stared at the talisman, his eyes narrowing slightly as he muttered to himself, Why does this talisman paper look so familiar? Could it have been drawn by Fellow Daoist Xin's master?

The auctioneer shouted excitedly, “Six million once!”

“Six million twice!”

“Six million thrice!”

“Sold!”

Inside her private box, Xue Mingzhao spun around in excitement. Six million! She had never expected this Yuan-Slaying Talisman to fetch six million!

Su Mingyuan and the others sat nearby, watching her silently with incredibly calm expressions.

There was nothing they could do. Xue Mingzhao had already given them more than enough shocks. At this point, even if she suddenly pulled out an immortal artifact, they would not even bat an eye.

As one treasure after another made its appearance, the crowd, who had initially only cared about the Mahayana Pill, could no longer sit still. They all watched with rapt attention, terrified of missing out on any good items.

The atmosphere in the venue soared from chilly to boiling hot, until they finally reached the grand finale.

The auctioneer cleared his throat, his voice carrying an irrepressible excitement. “Everyone, next up is the true highlight of today's event—our grand finale item, the supreme-grade Mahayana Pill!”

As soon as those words were spoken, everyone's gaze snapped toward the entrance of the backstage, burning with an intensity far greater than any before.

Two guards clad in silver armor walked out from the backstage, carefully carrying a jade box step by step.

Though the jade box did not look large, it seemed to weigh a thousand pounds. With every step they took, the breathing of the crowd below grew quieter, until the room became so silent that a pin drop could be heard.

The auctioneer took a deep breath and lightly swiped his fingertip across the restriction seal of the jade box—