Thinking of the Scorched Poison within his body, Nalan Jie's heart was shrouded in gloom.
Once the Scorched Poison erupted, it would be incurable.
As the pillar of the Nalan Clan, if he fell while Yan Ran had yet to mature, the Nalan Clan would be in grave danger.
Knock, knock, knock!
Just then, a series of knocks came from outside the private room, pulling Nalan Jie from his misery.
"Come in," Nalan Jie said calmly toward the door.
Creak!
As the door to the private room opened, a delicate-looking maid slowly walked in with a list in hand.
"Honored guest, the supervising elder asked this servant to deliver the auction item list for your perusal." The maid placed the list gently on the table before Nalan Jie.
"An auction item list?"
"Hadn't he already given me one?"
Nalan Jie frowned in confusion.
The maid smiled slightly and explained, "The supervising elder said that another auction item has been added to this auction. This is the latest revised list."
"An item was added?" A trace of surprise flashed across Nalan Jie's face at her words.
"This servant shall take her leave." After delivering the list, the maid gave a graceful bow and slowly withdrew from the private room.
Could it be some extraordinary treasure? Nalan Jie looked at the list on the table, curiosity rising in his heart.
After all, if it were merely an ordinary item, the Mittel Auction House would not have gone to such lengths to send him an updated list.
With that thought, Nalan Jie reached out, picked up the list from the table, and examined it carefully.
A moment later, Nalan Jie's breathing suddenly quickened, and his expression changed drastically.
"Sixth-grade Dou Ling Pill!"
"The grand finale of this auction is actually a Sixth-grade Dou Ling Pill!"
Nalan Jie's eyes widened as he stared at the list in his hand in shock.
Then he came to his senses, and his breathing grew rapid once more.
"I must get this Dou Ling Pill!"
Ever since he had been afflicted with the Scorched Poison, Nalan Jie had been stuck at the Six-star Dou King realm for a full four years, unable to make a breakthrough.
Whenever the Scorched Poison flared up, Nalan Jie had to expend a great deal of cultivation to suppress it.
Forget breaking through—even his cultivation had shown signs of declining over the past few years.
Now, the appearance of this Dou Ling Pill had undoubtedly given Nalan Jie hope.
As long as he consumed this Dou Ling Pill, he would be able to break through to the Seven-star Dou King realm.
Then, perhaps he could suppress the Scorched Poison within his body in one stroke.
He might even be able to remove it completely!
At that thought, Nalan Jie became somewhat agitated.
He was determined to obtain this Dou Ling Pill today.
At the same time, in another private room not far away, Mu Chen, the head of the Mu Family, had likewise received the updated list delivered by a maid.
"Dou Ling Pill!"
"Hahaha, there's actually a Dou Ling Pill up for auction! Heaven is helping me!"
Mu Chen was even more excited than Nalan Jie as he looked at the list in his hand.
Although the Mu Family, the Nalan Family, and the Mittel Family were all known as the three great aristocratic families of the imperial capital,
Mu Chen knew that in terms of strength, the Mu Family still lagged far behind the other two.
If not for the Mu Family's close ties to the Jia Ma Empire, along with its considerable influence within the military, it likely would not have been able to contend with the other two great families.
Furthermore, Mu Chen's cultivation was at the Four-star Dou King realm. Though he was also ranked among the Jia Ma Empire's ten strongest experts,
he was unfortunately at the very bottom, in last place.
At this moment, Mu Chen stared at the list in his hand, his face filled with excitement.
If he obtained this Dou Ling Pill, his strength would rise greatly.
It would narrow the gap between the Mu Family and the other two great aristocratic families.
It would also allow the Mu Family to firmly establish itself among the three great families.
The same situation was unfolding in the private rooms of the other great families of the imperial capital.
During the early stages of the auction, no particularly astonishing treasures appeared.
Moreover, those placing bids were merely people seated in the auction hall. The powerful factions occupying the private rooms, with their vast wealth, had yet to make a single move.
Ding...
Another crisp chime rang out from the crystal platform. Mite'er Tu Shan, smiling broadly, took a small silver tray from a maid. On the tray were two transparent jade bottles, each containing a pale green medicinal pill rolling within.
The moment these pills appeared, they drew many gazes. On the Dou Qi Continent, medicinal pills were prized on the same level as cultivation methods and Dou Techniques. Pills that could directly increase one's strength, in particular, drove countless people wild with desire.
"Hehe, this pill is called the Qing Ling Pill. I imagine many of you have heard its name. It can help those who have lingered at the peak of the Dou Master realm for a long time break through their bottleneck in one stroke. Furthermore, these Qing Ling Pills are of the Two-pattern grade. If one is lucky after consuming one, their strength may even soar by two stars." Mite'er Tu Shan pointed at the pills in the bottles and spoke with a smile.
The moment Mite'er Tu Shan finished speaking, waves of commotion erupted throughout the auction hall. Countless heated gazes fixed on the jade bottles atop the silver tray.
Even within the imperial capital, pills capable of helping people break through the barriers between ranks were almost impossible to come by.
Though there was only a single word's difference between a Dou Master and a Da Dou Shi, only upon reaching the latter could one truly be considered to have entered the halls of Dou Qi cultivation. It was a near qualitative transformation, which was why countless people remained stalled at the peak of the Dou Master realm, unable to take that step.
Yet all these problems could be easily resolved with a single Qing Ling Pill. Thus, the moment this pill appeared, even some of the great families seated in the front rows showed a degree of interest.
After all, one Qing Ling Pill could cultivate a Da Dou Shi. In the long run, it was quite a worthwhile deal. While Dou Emperors were considered the true rulers in the Jia Ma Empire, Da Dou Shis were the backbone of many factions. Naturally, the more they could gain, the better.
"Of course, since you have all heard of the Qing Ling Pill, I assume you also know of some of its side effects." The auctioneer smiled, a sly glint flashing through his eyes. He did not explain the Qing Ling Pill's backlash too clearly, merely glossing over it before waving his hand. "The starting bid is three hundred and thirty thousand!"
"Three hundred and forty thousand!" The auctioneer had barely finished speaking when someone in the back rows shouted loudly.
"Three hundred and fifty thousand!" There were clearly quite a few people interested in the Two-pattern Qing Ling Pills. Thus, in less than a minute, the previous bid had already been surpassed.
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