Sky-High Price

After the Silver-robed elder finished his demonstration, he continued, "The White Gallbladder's transformation and sword qi are just one of the marvelous uses of Iron Essence. Do you all know how Sword King Feng Xifeng, one of the Great Yue Royal Court's three Martial Kings, obtained his Divine Intent Sword? It was forged with this Iron Essence as the main material!"

"What! The Divine Intent Sword, whose single strike once chilled fourteen prefectures, was forged from this? Rumor has it that the Sword King once cleaved half a mountain peak with a single sword. The divine might of the Divine Intent Sword is evident!"

"The divine might of the Divine Intent Sword is indeed astonishing, Steward Li, but do not exaggerate. To my knowledge, the Divine Intent Sword is a deep crimson all over, like the setting sun reflecting blood, not white at all. How can you claim it was forged from this Iron Essence?"

As this remark was made, a clamor erupted throughout the hall.

The Silver-robed elder struck his silver hammer heavily and said coldly, "Our Linglong Pavilion has stood in Guang'an Prefecture for two hundred years. When have we ever engaged in deception or sought fame falsely? Please do not be anxious. This fellow Daoist knows only one part of the story, not the other. Iron Essence is no ordinary material, so any divine weapon forged from it will naturally be extraordinary. To my knowledge, twenty years ago, when Sword King Feng was still young and had not yet earned the title of Sword King, the treasure sword in his hand was snow-white. Twelve years ago, the sword was pale red. Eight years ago, the Divine Intent Sword became famous throughout the land, its blade a deep red like blood. Do you all think Sword King Feng changed his treasure sword three times in twenty years?"

"Could it be that weapons forged from Iron Essence can advance? Over the past twenty years, the treasure sword forged from Iron Essence has changed from white to red!" Xu Yi blurted out.

The Silver-robed elder nodded gently, his eyes filled with delight.

The entire hall erupted, and many tables and chairs were shattered on the spot.

A weapon that could continuously advance, how enticing was that?

Martial artists loved divine weapons; it was the same everywhere in the world.

Martial artists could increase their cultivation as they practiced, but divine weapons remained stagnant. Eventually, martial artists often had to bid farewell to divine weapons that no longer matched their abilities.

And how could one easily abandon a divine weapon that had accompanied them for years?

Firstly, humans were not made of wood; they were emotional beings. Even a pen or a piece of paper used for a long time could evoke feelings, let alone a divine weapon that had traveled the world with them.

Secondly, a divine weapon that had accompanied them for many years was already perfectly suited to their hand. Replacing it suddenly would require a long period of adjustment.

Now, the fact that divine weapons forged from Iron Essence could advance completely circumvented these two shortcomings, naturally stirring everyone's desire.

Moreover, with the renowned Divine Intent Sword as a shining example, everyone knew that any weapon forged from Iron Essence would undoubtedly be exceptionally sharp.

To gain both precious armor and a divine weapon was a double blessing. Although Xu Yi was filled with excitement, his mind remained clear. He spoke loudly, "I still have one matter I do not understand. As we all know, we martial artists value divine weapons the most. With Iron Essence being so extraordinary, why would its owner be willing to sell it?"

Originally, Xu Yi did not wish to be the one to spoil the mood, but if this mystery remained unsolved, he could not find peace. After all, a piece of Iron Essence was steadily lying in his waist pouch.

As soon as Xu Yi's question was posed, the entire hall fell silent, for Xu Yi had hit the nail on the head.

After all, Iron Essence was not like the items sold previously. Although it was miraculous, it was not necessarily a rare treasure. In other words, the probability of obtaining it again was extremely high. Even Dragon Crocodile Hide was considered a precious item, but as long as Dragon Crocodiles were not extinct, there was a chance for Dragon Crocodile Hide to appear.

Only this Iron Essence was almost a legendary item. In the entire Great Yue Royal Court, it was only heard that Sword King's Divine Intent Sword was forged from this material, and no other Iron Essence had been heard of appearing.

Given that it was such a rare treasure, why would the owner be willing to sell it? What secret was hidden within?

Suddenly being challenged, the Silver-robed elder was neither surprised nor angry. He calmly said, "The distinguished guest asks a very good question! The reason the owner is willing to sell it is very simple: the owner has possessed this piece of Iron Essence for many years but has been unable to forge it. I do not know the reason for this. It is likely either that the forging method is difficult to obtain or that the forging technique is difficult to master. In conclusion, the original owner did not have the fortune to enjoy it. Rather than keeping it and growing weary, it is better to sell it. At this point, I must remind everyone that although treasures are good, one must also have the strength and fate to obtain them. Therefore, when bidding later, please consider carefully and do not let the treasure blind your eyes."

As soon as the Silver-robed elder finished speaking, Xu Yi almost clapped his hands in admiration, thinking that the old fellow was truly cunning and shrewd, able to turn a disadvantage into an advantage.

Consider this: among those who had cultivated Martial Arts to the Body Tempering Peak and beyond, who did not consider themselves extraordinary? Who would admit to lacking strength?

With a single sentence from the Silver-robed elder, everyone's blood was likely boiling. They would not think about how much effort and energy the original owner had spent for decades trying to forge this Iron Essence, but would only think that this person lacked intelligence or fortune. If it were them, they would surely succeed.

As expected, after the Silver-robed elder finished his explanation, he announced the starting bid of "two thousand gold," and the scene instantly spiraled out of control.

Xu Yi was even calculating if the final selling price would double, but in the blink of an eye, the price was being driven sky-high by the frenzied crowd.

Elder Shui shouted hoarsely, "Five thousand gold!" Before he could utter his next threat, several voices immediately followed, and the price rapidly climbed to six thousand gold.

Finally, to Xu Yi's dazed amazement, the auction concluded.

In the end, the Iron Essence fell into Elder Shui's hands.

When Elder Shui held up a golden pill and shouted, "I'll trade one Divine Essence Pill for it, who dares to compete further?" Xu Yi's strong nerves shattered. His eyes were filled with stars.

All the commotion was extinguished at this moment, and finally, no one responded.

With a crisp hammer strike, everything was over.

It wasn't until he returned to the private chamber, paid the money, retrieved the Dragon Crocodile Hide, and passed through the intricate and deep secret tunnels that Xu Yi's surging blood had not completely calmed down.

Divine Essence Pill! That was a divine pill that those in the Body Tempering realm dreamed of.

Advancing from the Body Tempering realm to the Qi Sea realm was comparable to ascending to immortality. Qi transformed into energy, true qi could be released externally, making one incredibly powerful.

And the prerequisite for all of this was opening the Dantian to store true qi.

The Divine Essence Pill was specifically used by experts in the Body Tempering realm to open their Dantians, making it extremely precious.

During the previous trade fair, when Elder Qi of the Pill Cauldron Sect bid for the Ginseng Baby, he was merely testing the Divine Essence Pill, which had already earned him immense praise from the crowd.

Elder Shui, however, produced a genuine Divine Essence Pill, whose value was immeasurable.

Xu Yi himself bit his tongue hard to prevent himself from exclaiming, "I'll trade you!"

Xu Yi calmly stepped out of the secret tunnel, his black robe shed, and the Dragon Crocodile Hide secured in his waist pouch. Logically, he had gained a great deal from his visit to Linglong Pavilion, yet a sense of loss lingered in his heart, difficult to shake.

"Master, you've kept me waiting. How was it? The Linglong Pavilion's auction was extraordinary, wasn't it? Did you gain anything, Master?"

As Xu Yi stood in a daze, Yuan Qinghua suddenly appeared from who knows where.