"You don't need me to explain the effects of the Meridian-Opening Pill, do you? The starting price is three thousand taels. Each bid must increase by at least one hundred taels. The auction begins!"
"Three thousand five hundred taels!"
"Three thousand seven hundred taels!"
"Three thousand eight hundred taels!"
As chief auctioneer Song Tao's voice fell, bids immediately began coming from all around.
The Meridian-Opening Pill had already been mentioned earlier. It was a treasure useful even for increasing the strength of Innate Realm experts, so its price naturally wouldn't be low.
Zheng Qian had also made inquiries over the past few days. The most recent sale price of a Meridian-Opening Pill had been over five thousand taels of silver.
But that didn't mean the Meridian-Opening Pill was worth only that much.
The reason was simple: demand exceeded supply!
The main ingredient of the Meridian-Opening Pill, the Meridian Flower, was extremely difficult to find. Whether one encountered it depended entirely on luck.
Moreover, even if most people found a Meridian Flower, they would usually gather the auxiliary ingredients themselves and find someone to refine it, rather than let it enter the market.
With both factors combined, the Meridian-Opening Pill was naturally always something that had a price but no market. Its sale price was merely for reference.
However, the Meridian-Opening Pill was completely useless to Zheng Qian, so he simply watched the show.
Before long, when the price reached five thousand seven hundred taels, no one bid any higher.
After all, the Meridian-Opening Pill wasn't unique. There were many treasures with effects similar to those of the Meridian-Opening Pill.
These people weren't fools. It was impossible for them to stake everything on a single tree.
When the bidding ended, the Meridian-Opening Pill fell into the hands of a burly man who had reached the Half-step Innate Realm.
From the discussions around him, Zheng Qian learned that the burly man was named Liu Yidao and had been stuck at the Half-step Innate Realm for seven years.
He presumably wanted to use the Meridian-Opening Pill's power to open the Ren Meridian and thereby break through to the Xiantian Realm.
Once the Meridian-Opening Pill had found its owner, Song Tao immediately had a maid bring out the second auction item: an incomplete treasure map. Its starting price was two thousand taels of silver, with each bid required to increase by at least one hundred taels.
According to the auction house's appraisal, this treasure map had been left behind by a Grandmaster Realm expert named Elder Qiankun two hundred years ago.
The treasure map had been divided into four parts, and the one being auctioned this time was one of them.
As for what was hidden in the treasure, only Elder Qiankun himself knew.
Perhaps it was an extraordinary cultivation manual, perhaps miraculous pills, perhaps divine weapons, gold, silver, and jewels... but it was also possible that there was nothing at all.
Zheng Qian naturally had no interest in something so completely uncertain.
However, although he wasn't interested, plenty of others were.
Soon, people began bidding, and there were quite a few of them.
In the end, the incomplete treasure map was bought by Private Room A-12 on the second floor for the high price of three thousand five hundred taels.
Afterward, Song Tao quickly brought out the third auction item: a low-grade Innate Realm saber manual—Whirlwind Falling Leaves Saber.
The starting price was three thousand five hundred taels, with each bid required to increase by at least one hundred taels.
Zheng Qian was somewhat interested in this saber technique. It could help improve his Dugu Nine Swords.
However, he had to save his money to bid on that incomplete Grandmaster Realm manual, so he could only continue watching from the sidelines.
And so, time continued to pass, bit by bit, while one auction item after another was sold in an orderly fashion.
The third, fourth, fifth...
After who knew how long, a long saber that was entirely crimson was carried onto the auction platform. Song Tao immediately introduced it in a loud voice:
"Everyone! Coming up next is the second-to-last auction item of this auction: a high-grade Innate Realm long saber!"
After a brief pause, Song Tao continued:
"This saber was forged by the Gongyang Family, a renowned forging family from Fengyang Commandery. Its name is Crimson Firmament. It was forged entirely from Crimson Sun Iron. The saber is three feet seven inches long, three inches wide, and weighs twenty-three pounds..."
Listening to Song Tao's enthusiastic presentation from the auction platform, Zheng Qian's eyes lit up, and he muttered in surprise:
"A high-grade Innate Realm long saber? I didn't expect this auction to have something this good..."
A high-grade Innate Realm weapon was, as its name implied, capable of withstanding the full infusion of Innate True Qi from a peak Xiantian Realm expert without suffering damage. It could even increase the power of Innate True Qi to a certain extent.
Zheng Qian currently didn't dare to use the astral qi within his body. In terms of realm, he was therefore no different from an ordinary peak Xiantian Realm expert.
So this Crimson Firmament saber could also increase his strength.
"Too bad it isn't a sword. Otherwise..."
After thinking it over briefly, Zheng Qian shook his head and gave up on bidding for the long saber.
Before long, the Crimson Firmament saber was bought for the high price of twenty-one thousand five hundred taels by Private Room A-4 on the third floor.
The auction then entered its final climax—the star item: a Grandmaster Realm cultivation manual!
As a pretty maid placed a red-cloth-covered tray on the auction platform, Song Tao immediately introduced it in an excited voice:
"Coming up next is the star item of this auction, an incomplete Grandmaster Realm cultivation manual—Morning Sun One Qi Art!"
As Song Tao's voice fell, waves of discussion immediately rang out throughout Auction Hall One.
The focus of everyone's discussion was precisely the copy of Morning Sun One Qi Art on the auction platform.
This was a Grandmaster Realm cultivation manual. Even though it was incomplete, it was still enough to make anyone below the Grandmaster Realm feel tempted—even driven mad.
Unfortunately, this auction had been jointly organized by the Four Great Families, and each of the Four Great Families had a Half-step Grandmaster Realm expert backing it.
To ensure absolute safety, at least one Half-step Grandmaster would certainly be stationed at the auction, preventing anyone from taking the risk of trying to seize it by force.
Thus, although many people's eyes were filled with intense possessiveness, no one dared to overstep the bounds.
As chief auctioneer, Song Tao had clearly seen plenty of major occasions.
He swept his gaze around the room, completely ignoring the heated looks around him. Then he gave a light cough to draw everyone's attention and continued loudly:
"According to the appraisal by our auction house's chief auctioneer, the original grade of the Morning Sun One Qi Art should have reached at least the mid-grade Grandmaster level. Unfortunately, only about one-third of the incomplete text remains.
"Very well, enough with the nonsense. The starting price for the incomplete Morning Sun One Qi Art is thirty thousand taels of silver. Each bid must increase by at least one hundred taels. The bidding begins now!"
"Only one-third remains? Whatever. I'll get it first and worry about the rest later!" After hearing Song Tao's explanation, Zheng Qian knitted his brows slightly and muttered in disappointment.
He hadn't expected the Morning Sun One Qi Art to be missing a full two-thirds!
Still, having something was better than having nothing.
Breaking through from the Xiantian Realm to the Grandmaster Realm was entirely different from breaking through from the peak Body Tempering Realm to the Houtian Realm. The process was far too dangerous.
Without guidance from a cultivation manual, one might not even know how one had died.
Thus, after only a moment of thought, Zheng Qian opened the bidding without hesitation:
"Forty thousand taels!"
Before you continue