The next day.
The Myriad Treasures Pavilion auction went ahead as scheduled.
Led by Li Yanzhao, the group set out for the Myriad Treasures Pavilion early that morning.
About half an hour later, they arrived outside the Myriad Treasures Pavilion.
After presenting their invitations, they were led inside by a welcoming maid.
As the largest auction house in Ascending Dragon Prefecture, the Myriad Treasures Pavilion occupied a truly vast area.
Upon entering, the first thing that met their eyes was a broad square paved with blue bricks.
The square was shaped like a bowl. Li Xinge estimated that it could hold tens of thousands of people.
All around it stood rows of robust Green Robed Warriors, as upright as pines.
They kept their eyes straight ahead, hands on their curved sabers, maintaining a constant state of high alert.
These Green Robed Warriors were all at least at the Body Forging Realm.
In some corners, Li Xinge even sensed wisps of danger.
"As expected of the largest auction house in Ascending Dragon Prefecture. It really is unfathomably powerful."
Li Xinge thought to himself.
Those whom the Myriad Treasures Pavilion took the initiative to invite were all major clients in its eyes.
Naturally, major clients received different treatment, including private VIP rooms.
Li Xinge was no exception.
The welcoming maid led Li Xinge and his group to a VIP room called Earth Character No. 29.
The room had already been stocked with all kinds of expensive fruit and exquisite pastries.
There were even two maids with delicate features and light, airy outfits waiting on them throughout their stay.
This scene.
For some reason, it felt a little familiar.
The corner of Li Xinge's mouth curled into an inscrutable smile.
Li Xinge settled into his seat, sweeping his robe aside. Beside him, two charming maids gently offered him fruit and pastries.
From here, he could take in the entire auction house.
As guests arrived one after another, the venue quickly grew noisy.
Fortunately, the VIP room where Li Xinge sat was undisturbed.
After waiting for about a quarter of an hour,
the auction officially began.
A graceful, beautiful woman slowly ascended the auction stage, accompanied by a Green Robed Elder.
Li Xinge's gaze was instantly drawn to them.
Not to the beautiful woman, but to the Green Robed Elder.
He sensed an intensely dangerous aura from the old man.
It was a feeling Li Xinge had never experienced since breaking through to the Qi and Blood Realm.
This old man was an exceedingly fearsome expert.
"Honored guests, welcome to the Myriad Treasures Pavilion. You have come here from every corner of the land."
"I am Wang Xuanyuan, Chief Auctioneer of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion. It is my great honor to host this auction!"
"Myriad Treasures Pavilion has spent nearly a year preparing for this auction, gathering rare treasures from all over. I'm sure we won't disappoint you."
"At the same time, I hope everyone will abide by the rules set by the Myriad Treasures Pavilion. Regardless of your strength or background, no one may break them. Anyone who does will be considered an enemy of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion."
"Now, I hereby declare the auction open!"
On the auction stage,
the spirited Chief Auctioneer, Wang Xuanyuan, made her announcement.
A wave of applause immediately swept through the auction hall.
"Patriarch, the Myriad Treasures Pavilion is no ordinary place. Several decades ago, an outsider who had reached the great completion of the Qi and Blood Realm tried to rely on his strength to rob the pavilion. The very next day, the Myriad Treasures Pavilion hanged him outside its gates."
Li Yanzhao spoke from beside him.
Li Xinge nodded to show he understood.
"The first item up for auction today is a Purple Spirit Vine, the primary ingredient for refining Solidify Essence Pills... Bidding starts at five hundred taels of gold!"
The items appearing so far were rare, but they were merely appetizers, unworthy of the major factions' attention.
Only minor factions were bidding below.
As the auction continued in full swing, it soon reached its climax.
One rare treasure after another appeared.
The major factions began making their bids as well.
Among them, a pair of twin slaves at the Great Perfection of Body Realm fetched the staggering price of fifteen thousand taels of gold.
The further the auction progressed, the more valuable the items became.
Some of the rare treasures that appeared even made Li Xinge's heart stir.
Unfortunately, his purse was too light.
"The next item up for auction is sure to interest everyone!"
Wang Xuanyuan declared, brimming with confidence.
Under the curious gazes of the crowd,
"Up for auction now is a second-order pill: Qi and Blood Pills, refined by Master Tongming, the only Second-order Alchemist in Ascending Dragon Prefecture. There are ten in total, all of superior quality. They can increase the chance of a Body Realm cultivator breaking through to the Qi and Blood Realm by forty percent!"
The moment she finished speaking, everyone's breathing quickened.
After all, few Body Realm cultivators could resist the temptation of breaking through to the Qi and Blood Realm.
But when Li Xinge heard those words, his expression suddenly turned cold.
"Damn it, I miscalculated!"
With the amount of gold he had prepared, he could have easily secured ordinary Qi and Blood Pills.
But now that they were superior-quality pills, things were looking uncertain.
Though the difference in success rate between ordinary and superior Qi and Blood Pills was only ten percent, their prices were worlds apart.
Sure enough,
"Superior Qi and Blood Pills! Bidding starts at ten thousand taels of gold. Each bid must be at least five hundred taels higher!"
The starting price alone had already reached ten thousand taels.
Though he knew his chances were slim, Li Xinge still wanted to try.
He decided to bid on the first Qi and Blood Pill.
The later ones would only get more expensive.
"Eleven thousand taels!"
Li Xinge called out.
"Eleven thousand taels from the honored guest in Earth Character No. 29! Does anyone offer more?"
By raising the bid by a thousand taels at once, he wanted to show the others how determined he was and make them back down.
After all, there were still nine pills to come.
People always held on to a bit of hope.
At the same time,
in Earth Character No. 37 across from Li Xinge,
"Damn it. I didn't expect the competition for the very first pill to be this fierce."
A Purple-Robed Middle-Aged Man said coldly.
Beside him, an old man frowned. "Patriarch, why don't we give up on the first one? There are still nine more."
The Purple-Robed Middle-Aged Man shook his head decisively.
"No. The later ones will sell for even more. If we can't get the first pill, we'll have even less chance with the rest."
"You know the state our Lineage is in. If we can't secure this Qi and Blood Pill, our Lineage may well decline in our hands."
"But we haven't brought enough gold."
The old man spoke with some hesitation.
The Purple-Robed Middle-Aged Man gritted his teeth, seemingly making a difficult decision. "Put the family's iron mine up as collateral with the Myriad Treasures Pavilion!"
The old man's expression changed dramatically.
He cried out, "Patriarch, that iron mine is the lifeblood of our Lineage!"
"We can't worry about that now. If we can't secure this Qi and Blood Pill, our Lineage is sure to fall into decline. All we can do is take a gamble."
The old man sighed.
Thinking of the awkward predicament facing the Lineage, he finally nodded.
The Myriad Treasures Pavilion was highly efficient. Before long, it had appraised the iron mine.
"Esteemed guest, we can offer five thousand taels of gold for this iron mine!"
The maid in the room spoke with great respect.
The Purple-Robed Middle-Aged Man's face immediately darkened.
"The Myriad Treasures Pavilion really knows how to bleed you dry."
He cursed inwardly.
But when you're beneath someone else's roof, you have to bow your head. Though it pained him, the Purple-Robed Middle-Aged Man still nodded.
With enough funds now at his disposal,
the Purple-Robed Middle-Aged Man called out confidently, "Eleven thousand five hundred taels!"
"An offer of eleven thousand five hundred taels from the honored guest in Earth Character No. 37!"
Wang Xuanyuan called out from the auction stage.
"Twelve thousand taels!"
Li Xinge said without expression.
"Twelve thousand five hundred taels!"
Seeing how determined his opponent was to win, Li Xinge's expression grew colder and colder.
Li Yanzhao hurriedly said, "Patriarch, we don't have enough gold on us, so we can't raise the bid any further. But the Myriad Treasures Pavilion accepts assets as collateral."
"No need."
Li Xinge sneered.
"Then will we leave empty-handed?"
Li Yanzhao asked dejectedly.
"Who says that? We're just letting them hold it for us for now."
Hearing the murderous intent in those words,
Li Yanzhao's expression changed. He hurriedly said, "Patriarch, we can't cause trouble in the Myriad Treasures Pavilion!"
"Relax. I'm not that foolish."
Li Xinge's expression settled back into calm.
Hearing that, Li Yanzhao finally let out a sigh of relief.
He had been worried that Li Xinge would let his youth and hot temper get the better of him.
Seeing that Earth Character No. 29 had been silent for some time,
Wang Xuanyuan called out, "Earth Character No. 37, twelve thousand five hundred taels, once!"
"Twelve thousand five hundred taels, twice!"
Seeing that no one else was bidding, Wang Xuanyuan brought the auction hammer down hard.
"Twelve thousand five hundred taels, thrice! Sold! Let's congratulate the guest in Earth Character No. 37 on securing the first Qi and Blood Pill."
Inside Earth Character No. 37, the Purple-Robed Middle-Aged Man let out a long breath when he heard those words.
"We finally got it."
Soon, a Myriad Treasures Pavilion warrior brought over an exquisite Sandalwood Box.
The Purple-Robed Middle-Aged Man accepted it carefully.
His hands trembling, he opened the box. The instant it opened, a rich medicinal fragrance wafted out.
The Purple-Robed Middle-Aged Man hurriedly shut it again.
He turned to the old man beside him, whose face was full of envy, and said decisively, "Let's go! We're returning to the Lineage immediately."
Meanwhile,
Li Xinge looked toward Earth Character No. 37. His gaze seemed able to pierce through everything.
Sure enough, floating above the Purple-Robed Middle-Aged Man's head were rows of red text.
"I didn't expect him to be an old acquaintance."
Li Xinge chuckled.
Yet no matter how he tried, he couldn't conceal the killing intent lurking beneath that smile.
Before you continue