A rich aroma, so dense it was almost tangible, surged out like a tide, instantly sweeping through the entire auction hall.
The aroma carried an indescribable heavenly Dao charm. With just a single breath, everyone present felt their internal spiritual energy circulate on its own, and bottlenecks that had remained unchanged for years began to tremble slightly.
Good heavens, if just smelling it had this effect, what would happen if one actually consumed it?
At the center of the pill, five golden pill veins coiled like living things. Upon closer inspection, each vein seemed to be breathing at an extremely slow, long, and ancient pace, perfectly synchronized with the pulsation of the world's spiritual energy.
The auctioneer's hands were trembling.
He had hosted hundreds of auctions of all sizes and seen countless rare treasures, yet at this moment, he could not control the tremor in his voice. “Everyone—this is the grand finale treasure of this auction, the supreme-grade Mahayana Pill!”
Everyone stared unblinkingly at the stage, unwilling to look away for even a single second.
An old, white-haired man in the front row shakily reached out, pointing toward the pill from afar. His lips trembled for a long time before he squeezed out a cracked, high-pitched voice, “Five pill veins... and it can even resonate with heaven and earth... I have lived for over three thousand years, and today, my eyes have truly been opened!”
The auctioneer took a deep breath. “The supreme-grade Mahayana Pill! The starting price is—five million high-grade spirit stones!”
As soon as his voice fell, a collective gasp swept through the loose cultivator seats on the first floor. Someone blurted out on the spot, “Oh, my sweet mother!”
The sect masters and powerful figures on the second and third floors did not care about that. Each of them raised their bidding plaques like they had been injected with chicken blood—even if the Emperor of Heaven himself came, they would still fight for this pill!
Xue Mingzhao was utterly dumbfounded. “What?! A starting price of five million?!”
Hearing the bids rise as if they were buying cheap cabbage, her ears perked up. She screamed frantically in her heart: Go up! Keep going! The higher, the better!
In a private box on the third floor, Xi Lie suddenly sat up straight with a start, slapping the table as he shouted, “A starting price of five million? Zhao Yunzhou, you're brutal!”
Qi Chong stopped twirling his jade cup, his gaze turning as cold as a knife. “Six million!”
Nan Qiong stroked his beard, smiling like an old fox. “A fine item indeed. Nanli should join in on the fun as well.”
“Seven million!”
Ling Hanshuang, who had been calmly sipping her tea, also set down her cup. Her fingertips tapped lightly on the table, her gaze locked onto the pill. “Eight million!”
In another private box, Huang Siqi slapped the table with a loud thud. “Ten million!”
These old fogies! He hadn't bid on a single one of the previous items, giving them more than enough face! No matter what, he would not yield this Mahayana Pill!
Li Chengzong immediately followed, shouting, “Eleven million!”
What a joke. He could let anyone have this pill except the Heavenly Origin Sect! Otherwise, wouldn't they be riding on his head and taking a dump in the future?
“Thirteen million!”
“Fourteen million!”
“Fifteen million!”
Fuming with rage, Huang Siqi whipped his head around and snapped, “I'm at the Great Perfection of the Mahayana realm and waiting to use it! You're still ages away from a breakthrough, so why the hell are you competing with me?!”
Li Chengzong rolled his eyes. “Who says I can't use it in the future? Besides, I'm not the only one bidding. Those city lords next door are bidding even more fiercely than I am.”
Xi Lie shouted directly, “Eighteen million!”
The entire venue instantly fell silent.
A supreme-grade Mahayana Pill was indeed rare, but this price was simply absurd. Was this highway robbery?
Huang Siqi grit his teeth. “Twenty million!”
Everyone: “...”
Were these powerhouses insane?
It was just a single pill. Was it really worth all this?
Qi Chong's voice drifted out unhurriedly, carrying the confidence of someone determined to win. “Twenty-five million.”
Everyone's eyes instantly locked onto that private box on the third floor.
Huang Siqi cursed in his heart. This shameless old bastard, raising the price so high. Does he have so many spirit stones that he has nowhere else to spend them?
Qi Chong was well aware that the price of this Mahayana Pill was excessively high. However, the moment he first laid eyes on it, he felt a faint sensation that it was different from other supreme-grade pills. He couldn't quite put it into words, but he knew he had to obtain it.
Ling Hanshuang bid, “Twenty-eight million.”
Qi Chong cast a glance at her, his eyes devoid of warmth. This woman knows the price is already ridiculous, yet she still dares to compete with me?
Just because she monopolized a few spirit herbs, she dared to be this arrogant? Where did she get her confidence?
He did not raise the bid immediately. Instead, he raised his jade cup and took a slow, deliberate sip. The soft clink of the cup hitting the saucer was exceptionally clear in the quiet private box, sounding as if it were tapping directly on everyone's hearts.
The other city lords looked down and focused on their own business, pretending not to notice.
One was wealthy, and the other was powerful. Since the two of them were clashing, why would anyone else butt in? Did they have a death wish?
The auctioneer called out, “Twenty-eight million once!”
“Twenty-eight million twice!”
The other powerful figures had already given up. It was a good pill, but they weren't fools.
“Twenty-eight million thrice—”
“Thirty million!” Huang Siqi felt like his lungs were about to burst from anger. Were these city lords ever going to stop?! Can they even use it right now? Why the hell were they blindly bidding like this!
Qi Chong bid, “Thirty-five million.”
The entire venue fell dead silent.
Was this what a grand figure was like? Throwing away so much money even when they knew it wasn't worth it? Even if they owned a spirit stone mine, they shouldn't squander it like this!
Li Chengzong had wanted to follow up with a bid, but after some thought, he closed his mouth. Forget it, it wasn't worth the trouble.
Ling Hanshuang raised her teacup, gently blowing on the tea leaves as a barely perceptible cold smile played at the corners of her lips.
Thirty-five million, huh.
Huang Siqi stopped bidding as well, thinking that Qi Chong must have some sort of mental illness.
The last time a supreme-grade Mahayana Pill appeared, it had been auctioned in Yunque Heavenly Capital for fifteen million, which was already considered a high price. Even if this one's quality was indeed several grades higher, it shouldn't have shot straight to thirty-five million, right?
Were the spirit stones in Yunque Heavenly Capital blown in by the wind? Or was he afraid he wouldn't live long enough to see the next supreme-grade Mahayana Pill appear, and was rushing to spend money to buy his life?
He had been so angry that his chest ached, his fists clenching until his knuckles cracked. But on second thought—wait, although he hadn't won the bid, he was the one who had helped drive up the price!
Thinking about how that old bastard Qi Chong had to spend over twenty million extra made him feel incredibly vindicated!
With this thought, Huang Siqi instantly felt much better, almost letting out a laugh.
The auctioneer's voice grew more excited with each call.
“Thirty-five million once!”
“Thirty-five million twice!”
“Thirty-five million thrice!”
“Sold!”
Qi Chong withdrew his gaze with satisfaction. Yunque Heavenly Capital was indeed wealthy; they didn't fear any bidding war.
The two happiest people in the entire venue were undoubtedly Xue Mingzhao and Zhao Yunzhou.
Xue Mingzhao nearly jumped for joy in her private box, her grin stretching from ear to ear. She calculated the math frantically in her head: Thirty-five million! After deducting the commission... Oh my goodness! I'm rich, I'm rich!
The elders beside her also smiled like blooming flowers, their faces glowing with excitement.
Zhao Yunzhou's eyes crinkled into slits of laughter in his private box. He reached out and patted Qi Chong's arm. “Brother Qi, congratulations, congratulations. This Mahayana Pill is yours.”
He couldn't hide the excitement in his voice. Su Mingyuan had promised him thirty percent of the profits! Thirty percent!
Xi Lie felt sour inside. So what if you have a little more money? Big deal.
Yet on the surface, he still wore a brilliant smile, cupping his hands toward Qi Chong. “Congratulations, City Lord Qi, on securing this supreme-grade Mahayana Pill. Truly impressive!”
Nan Qiong stroked his beard with a warm smile, cupping his hands in Qi Chong's direction. “Congratulations to City Lord Qi on obtaining this supreme treasure. Your strength will surely advance significantly in the future.”
Ling Hanshuang remained expressionless, her voice cool yet clear. “Congratulations, City Lord Qi.”
Just as everyone was preparing to leave, the auctioneer on the stage spoke once more.
“Please wait, everyone! A month ago, a nine-colored glow suddenly appeared over the Eastern Territory, cascading down from the horizon and painting half the sky in glazed colors. I am sure everyone witnessed it.”
“Some said a rare treasure had emerged, some said a powerful cultivator had broken through, and even now, some still believe that this supreme-grade Mahayana Pill triggered that anomaly.”
The auctioneer paused and shook his head.
“None of those are correct.”
Everyone instantly perked up, turning their full attention to the stage.
The auctioneer shifted his tone, bowing deeply toward Zhao Yunzhou's private box. “This matter is of grave importance. We invite City Lord Zhao to take the stage and explain it in detail to everyone!”
Zhao Yunzhou cupped his hands slightly toward the others in his box. With a flash of spiritual light around him, he reappeared, landing steadily on the auction stage.
He raised his hand, signaling for everyone to quiet down.
He cleared his throat, unable to hide the excitement in his voice. “Everyone, the nine-colored glow from a month ago was not caused by a rare treasure or a breakthrough, but rather...”
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