Dragon Crocodile

"Exactly. It is the Ginseng Baby. This Ginseng Baby stands three inches tall, with a hundred roots and a thousand hairs, and is already five hundred years old. It is a peerless spiritual medicine. Had it not been discovered, perhaps in another five hundred years it might have cultivated itself into human form. Of course, the fact that it was discovered means its fate was lacking. Being refined into medicine is simply Heaven's will."

The silver-robed elder picked up the Ginseng Baby and showed it to everyone. "Honored guests, you are all people of great discernment, so there is really no need for me to say more. You all know that the Ginseng Baby is a peerless medicine for healing wounds and prolonging life. As long as a person still draws breath, no matter how badly injured they are, they need only pluck a handful of its roots and chew them raw to keep themselves alive. You are all practitioners of Martial Arts, so you know that we martial artists are constantly threatened by conflict and face countless opportunities to be injured. With this spiritual medicine on hand, it would be like having another life. All right, enough talk. Such a spiritual medicine is difficult to come by. The bidding starts at five hundred gold, with each bid no less than ten gold. Make your offers!"

This time, Xu Yi's eyes were truly opened. Even something as legendary as the Ginseng Baby had been brought out for auction.

Just as Xu Yi gaped in astonishment, the price of the Ginseng Baby shot sky-high in an instant.

"Six hundred and eighty gold! Guest number twenty-four bids six hundred and eighty gold. Does anyone have a higher offer?"

"Seven hundred gold!"

"Seven hundred gold! Guest number three bids seven hundred gold. Seven hundred gold, once!"

"Seven hundred and twenty gold!"

"Seven hundred and twenty gold! Guest number seventeen bids seven hundred and twenty gold!"

"Eight hundred gold. I am Qi Ming of the Pill Cauldron Sect. I'm acquiring this thousand-year-old Ginseng Baby to make pills. Everyone knows that eating a thousand-year-old Ginseng Baby raw can prolong life and heal wounds, but pills with the same effects are available on the market. Why should you all compete with me?"

The moment Qi Ming revealed his identity, the entire hall erupted in commotion.

"It's Elder Qi, one of the Pill Cauldron Sect's three Pill Kings! I've heard he can even make Grain Abstinence Pills that Body Tempering Realm cultivators can take. He truly is a master of the Way of Alchemy."

"What does a Grain Abstinence Pill matter? I hear Elder Qi is currently experimenting with the Divine Essence Pill. Could it be that he's buying the Ginseng Baby to use in his experiments?"

"If that's really the case, I beseech everyone not to compete with Elder Qi. As everyone knows, the Divine Essence Pill is essential for cultivators in the Body Tempering Realm to open their dantian and advance to the Qi Sea Realm. Unfortunately, such divine pills are monopolized by the royal court, the great sects, and the powerful Aristocratic Clans. We Rogue Cultivators can spend our whole lives seeking one and still fail to obtain even a single pill. If Elder Qi really succeeds in making the Divine Essence Pill, no matter where it is eventually sold, it will bring us Body Tempering Realm cultivators a little more good fortune and opportunity."

At these words, the crowd roared its agreement. In the end, Qi Ming successfully won the Ginseng Baby.

Qi Ming clasped his hands to the crowd. "I thank you all for your noble generosity. I came here seeking only this Ginseng Baby, and now that I have obtained it, I'll take my leave. If I truly manage to make the divine pill, I will set aside a quota and sell it publicly here at Linglong Pavilion." With that, he headed out through a side door.

As soon as Qi Ming left, three people hurried after him. Clearly, the Divine Essence Pill stirred people's hearts. Even though Qi Ming had yet to make it, there were plenty willing to invest in advance for even the slightest hope of success.

Even Xu Yi felt his blood boil. Breaking through the Body Tempering Realm and advancing to the Qi Sea Realm was an enormous temptation to him. He had just learned that the Divine Essence Pill was the key to reaching the Qi Sea Realm. Had he not still possessed his reason and known what mattered most, he might well have rushed out after Qi Ming himself.

The excitement Qi Ming had stirred up did not last long. Soon, everyone's attention was drawn once more to the latest auction item on the high platform.

An hour later, thirteen auction items had been sold, including divine weapons, Precious Medicine, and even a three-eyed Demon Monkey. Yet the item Xu Yi wanted still had not appeared.

Just as Xu Yi was growing impatient, the silver-robed elder held up a piece of hide about the size of a palm. "The next item is a piece of dragon crocodile hide. According to historical records, dragon crocodiles have existed since ancient times and live for over a thousand years. It is said they possess the bloodline of true dragons. They are violent by nature, fond of the cold during the day and the heat at night, and so they mostly live in the volcanic depths of the most frigid lands, swallowing ice and breathing fire. Their power is extraordinary, and every part of them is a treasure. The skin on the crown of the head, no bigger than a square inch, is the most wondrous of all. It is thin as a cicada's wing, yet exceptionally hard; impervious to blades and swords, unharmed by water or fire. And when a dragon crocodile flies into a rage, its body swells enormously, so that this square inch of skin atop its head can change in extraordinary ways, growing or shrinking at will."

As he spoke, the silver-robed elder summoned an attendant to demonstrate the palm-sized piece of pitch-black hide.

First, four attendants each grabbed a corner of the hide and pulled in different directions. It stretched until it nearly covered half the room, yet showed no sign of tearing.

Then an attendant drew a treasured sword and stabbed and drilled at it with all his might. Another brought down an iron mallet with all his strength. The hide did not wrinkle or dent, and not even a white mark was left behind.

Afterward, they tossed the hide into a fire and let it burn for a long while. When they took it out, it was still pitch-black and gleaming, without the slightest scorch mark.

Xu Yi watched, dazzled, when someone called out, "It resists fire and water and withstands blades and spears. It's certainly unusual, but it can hardly be called the finest of its kind. Everyone here is a martial artist. I assume anyone buying this hide would want to make armor out of it. When martial artists face their enemies, the most important thing is being able to withstand a powerful opponent's attacks. The attendants just now had feeble martial skills, and their blades and swords were too soft. If a martial arts expert attacked with a blade, how can we know the hide would still remain undamaged?"

"Besides, when martial artists fight, they don't just face blades and spears. Punches and kicks are common too. Good armor should not only turn aside blades and spears, but also absorb shock and protect against impacts. We don't know whether this hide has those qualities. If it doesn't, then it's hardly anything miraculous. Even if someone bought it, it would be more suitable for the likes of blacksmiths who need to stoke their fires."

Faced with these doubts, the silver-robed elder neither grew anxious nor angry. Stroking his beard, he smiled. "Does Linglong Pavilion sell defective goods? Since an honored guest has doubts, I'll put it to the test right here. I know there are several Qi Sea Realm experts in the hall. Would any of you be willing to come forward and try it?"

"I'll do it!"

The black-robed figure in the third seat of the first row stood up.

The silver-robed elder said, "To ensure fairness, would you mind removing your mask? Otherwise, people might think you're a plant arranged by Linglong Pavilion. Besides, since you're a Qi Sea Realm expert, you must be a notable figure in Guang'an. Even if you bought a treasure, I doubt anyone would dare covet it. Why not be a little more open about it?"

The black-robed figure laughed heartily. "Well said! Old Li, it's not that I'm afraid of revealing myself. I just wanted to come to Linglong Pavilion and try something new."

As soon as he finished speaking, the black-robed figure lifted his mask, revealing a square face radiating power, with swordlike brows sweeping toward his temples and eyes shining with brilliant light.

The hall erupted once more.

"Gao Junmo!"

"Director Gao!"

"Gao the Black Robe!"

"Gao the Seven Swords!"

For a time, shouts filled the air, and these four names rang out above all the rest.