Mysterious Water Pill

Just as he was pondering this, the lights above the auction stage suddenly came on.

A beautiful woman in a qipao walked onto the stage. She wore a smile and had an elegant air about her. She was the auctioneer for the day.

"Welcome to today's auction, honored guests."

Her voice was soft and melodious.

"This auction has been added at short notice because several special lots have just arrived."

"I'm sure they won't disappoint you."

She paused and surveyed the room.

"Now, without further ado, our first lot—"

She gestured, and an attendant carried an exquisite tray onto the stage. A jade bottle sat on it, translucent all over, with pale blue liquid faintly visible inside.

"The Mysterious Water Pill."

The auctioneer's voice rang out.

"This pill comes from the Mysterious Underworld Sect and is one of their exclusive medicines."

"It is made by specially blending and refining the blood essence of more than a dozen water attribute soul beasts with dozens of water attribute plants."

"It has mild medicinal properties and is easy to absorb. It can increase Soul Power and cleanse the marrow and tendons, making it the top choice for young Soul Masters!"

A murmur of excitement rose from the audience.

"The starting bid for each Mysterious Water Pill is one million Federal Currency. Each raise must be at least ten thousand."

"The bidding starts now."

Wang Zhi was slightly taken aback.

One million Federal Currency?!

So expensive!

But worth it!

He knew the effects of the Mysterious Water Pill, too. It really was well suited to Soul Masters with poor talent like him.

Just then, Zhou Tian'er leaned closer.

"Usually, although the starting bid for a Mysterious Water Pill is one million, the final price ends up around five or six million."

She paused, then added,

"If a Soul Master is desperate to get one, it can sell for around seven or eight million, though that's still not too high a price. It's affordable."

Wang Zhi: "..."

Seven or eight million, and that was not too high?

He silently swallowed.

Zhou Tian'er then began telling him about the Mysterious Underworld Sect.

"The Mysterious Underworld Sect is a sect with a history of ten thousand years."

She lowered her voice and spoke mysteriously.

"However, they only accept water attribute Soul Masters, and the core members are all descendants of the Xu Family."

"So even after ten thousand years, they still aren't a major sect."

She paused, then continued,

"The Xu Family's inherited Martial Soul is called the Mysterious Nether Turtle. It's said to carry a trace of the Black Tortoise Bloodline."

"If they awaken that bloodline, their Martial Soul will transform into the Black Tortoise."

A flicker of surprise crossed Wang Zhi's eyes.

He hadn't expected the Mysterious Underworld Sect to have a history of ten thousand years, or to still be on Douluo Continent instead of moving to Dou Ling Continent along with the Dou Ling Empire.

But he said nothing, merely giving a slight nod.

The bidding onstage was fierce.

"Two million!"

"Three million two hundred thousand!"

"Four million five hundred thousand!"

The price kept climbing.

Zhou Tian'er remained silent, watching quietly.

Only when the price reached five million eight hundred thousand and the number of bidders began to dwindle did she slowly raise her paddle.

"Six million."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it rang out clearly in the quiet auction hall.

Someone was about to bid higher, but when they turned and saw a young girl, then glanced at the blue-haired girl beside her, whose bearing was cool and aloof, they hesitated and finally lowered their paddle.

"Six million, once."

The auctioneer's voice rang out.

"Six million, twice."

"Six million, three times..."

"Sold!"

The auctioneer struck the gavel.

"Congratulations to this young lady on winning a Mysterious Water Pill!"

Zhou Tian'er lowered her paddle and turned to Wang Zhi, beaming.

"Done!"

"I'll give you the Mysterious Water Pill once I get it."

Wang Zhi hurriedly waved his hands.

"Tian'er Jie, this is too valuable. I can't—"

Before he could finish, a soft hand gently pinched his cheek.

Zhou Tian'er leaned closer and glared at him, putting on a fierce expression.

"Xiao Zhi, if you dare say you don't want it, I'll get mad!"

"Really, really mad!"

She pinched his cheek. It felt surprisingly soft and tender, and she couldn't help giving it another gentle squeeze.

Wang Zhi was unable to speak with his cheek pinched, so he could only look at her helplessly.

"Did you hear me? You have to accept it!"

Zhou Tian'er threatened.

Zhou Hanyou watched them quietly, a hint of amusement flickering in her eyes before she quickly returned to her usual aloofness.

Only after a long while did Zhou Tian'er let go.

Wang Zhi rubbed his reddened cheek and looked at her earnest emerald green eyes. In the end, he nodded helplessly.

"...All right. Thank you, Tian'er Jie."

Only then did Zhou Tian'er smile with satisfaction and reach out to ruffle his hair.

"Good!"

The auction continued.

One lot after another came up for sale: Soul Tools, rare metals, and all kinds of Rare Treasures.

Every so often, Zhou Tian'er explained a few things to Wang Zhi, telling him what was worth buying and what was all show with no substance.

Wang Zhi listened attentively, silently committing everything to memory.

Then the seventh lot was brought out.

It was a translucent blue jade box. Even through the box, a biting chill could be felt spreading from the stage.

The auctioneer's voice rang out.

"The seventh lot is a thousand-year ice marrow jade marrow."

"It comes from deep within the ten-thousand-year-old ice layer in the Extreme North Land. One must break through a hundred meters of solid ice to find it."

"This item contains extremely pure ice-type energy. For Ice Attribute Soul Masters, it is a treasure worth more than gold."

"Whether used for cultivation or as an auxiliary material to help a Soul Master break through, it is extremely valuable."

She paused and surveyed the room.

"The starting bid is twenty million Federal Currency."

"Each raise must be at least one hundred thousand."

"The bidding starts now."

A murmur of discussion rose from the audience.

Twenty million Federal Currency...

That was already an exceptionally high starting price.

But for Ice Attribute Soul Masters, a thousand-year ice marrow jade marrow was certainly worth it.

Wang Zhi instinctively glanced at Zhou Hanyou beside him.

Sure enough, a flicker of emotion crossed her cool eyes.

"Twenty-one million."

Someone made the first bid.

"Twenty-two million."

"Twenty-three million."

The price climbed steadily.

Zhou Hanyou didn't move, watching quietly.

Only when the price reached thirty-eight million and the number of bidders began to dwindle did she slowly raise her paddle.

"Forty million."

Her voice was still cool, but carried an unquestionable resolve.

The entire room fell silent for a moment.

People turned to look their way and saw a blue-haired girl with a calm expression, as though forty million were a trifling sum.

"Forty million, once."

The auctioneer's voice rang out.

"Forty-one million." Someone tentatively raised the bid.

Zhou Hanyou remained expressionless and raised her paddle again.

"Forty-five million."

Another substantial increase.

This time, the remaining bidders abandoned the idea of competing.

Forty-five million for a thousand-year ice marrow jade marrow wasn't a loss, but it wasn't much of a bargain either.

Besides, the girl clearly intended to win it. Continuing to bid would only drive the price higher.

"Forty-five million, once."

"Forty-five million, twice."

"Forty-five million, three times..."

"Sold!"

The auctioneer struck the gavel.