Auction, Marrow Cleansing Pill Acquired

Time passed.

In the blink of an eye, it was April 18th.

Tomorrow was the day the Treasure Pavilion would hold its auction.

Chen Xuan arrived at the prefecture city one day early.

This city was even more magnificent than he had imagined.

The city walls stood over fifty meters high, constructed entirely of massive bluestone. Weathered by time and the elements, the mottled walls only appeared more imposing and solid. Every hundred meters along the top of the wall sat an arrow tower with upturned eaves, exuding a grand and majestic aura.

The city gate was wide enough for six carriages to pass through side-by-side. Above the gate, the four characters "Tiannan Prefecture City" were carved with vigorous, sweeping strokes, conveying a sense of vastness.

The gate was bustling with people: merchants driving carriages, martial artists carrying weapons, peddlers carrying shoulder poles, and noble scions dressed in fine silks.

The city guards checked the passersby, but not strictly; as long as one paid a few copper coins as an entry fee, they could enter.

The prefecture city had a City Lord's Mansion.

Nominally, everything was managed by the City Lord.

But in reality, the City Lord was merely a puppet pushed forward by the three great sects, serving more as a symbolic figure responsible for handling trivial daily affairs.

Chen Xuan paid the entry fee and stepped through the gate.

A wave of prosperity and clamor rushed toward him.

The streets of the prefecture city were several times wider than those in Lianshan City, all paved with neat, mirror-smooth bluestone slabs.

Shops lined both sides of the street—restaurants, teahouses, weapon shops, pill workshops, pawnshops, banks... everything one could imagine, standing row upon row.

The streets were packed with pedestrians, and carriages flowed in an endless stream.

The sounds of hawking, haggling, and laughter mingled together, forming a lively and vibrant portrait of city life.

Chen Xuan walked along the main street for about a quarter of an hour until he reached the east side of the city.

The Treasure Pavilion was located in the most prosperous area of the east side. It was a three-story building constructed entirely of bluestone, featuring upturned eaves and carved beams. Two stone lions stood before the entrance, looking exceptionally grand.

A golden plaque hung above the lintel, inscribed with the three characters "Treasure Pavilion" in vigorous calligraphy. It was said that the Treasure Pavilion had paid a high price to have a martial arts master above the Zhuqi Realm write it personally.

Chen Xuan found a restaurant on a street near the Treasure Pavilion to have a meal.

This restaurant was crowded with diners.

There were martial artists in various attires, wealthy merchants in fine clothing, and some noble scions who appeared to be of extraordinary status.

These people gathered in small groups, whispering to one another.

"Have you heard? The Treasure Pavilion's auction tomorrow features a divine weapon as the finale!"

"What kind of divine weapon?"

"It is said to be the sword once used by the former dynasty's Marquis of Tiannan, named 'Seven Kill'. This sword followed the Marquis into countless battles and killed countless enemies. The blade carries an inherent baleful aura; ordinary martial artists can't even hold it."

"The former dynasty's Marquis of Tiannan? That was a powerhouse who had surpassed the Zhuqi Realm and reached the ninth stage of the Grandmaster Realm. Tiannan Prefecture was his fiefdom. But after the former dynasty was overthrown and the world fell into chaos, the Marquis met with an accident. How did his sword end up at the Treasure Pavilion, and why are they auctioning it off?"

"Who knows? But for a treasure of that level, we can only look; we can't afford it."

Chen Xuan sat by a window on the second floor of the restaurant, ordering a pot of tea and a few signature dishes, eating in a leisurely manner.

The discussions of these wanderers filled his ears, and he filtered through the information for anything useful as he listened.

Seven Kill Sword!

Chen Xuan picked up his teacup and took a sip, his heart stirring slightly.

He hadn't expected the Treasure Pavilion to auction off such a divine weapon.

However, that had nothing to do with him.

A treasure of that caliber was not something he could afford.

"Besides the Seven Kill Sword, what other good things are at this auction?"

Someone asked.

"Plenty," a tall, thin man said, counting on his fingers: "Marrow Cleansing Pills that can improve one's constitution, Pulse Breaking Pills that can help Body Tempering ninth-stage martial artists open their energy meridians, as well as superior Zhuqi Realm cultivation techniques, top-tier weapons..."

"As expected of the biannual auction, the Treasure Pavilion has brought out so many good things. Many factions under Tiannan Prefecture have sent people to attend."

Someone sighed in admiration.

Marrow Cleansing Pill!

Chen Xuan's heart skipped a beat.

The Marrow Cleansing Pill—that was his goal.

After eating and drinking his fill, Chen Xuan found an inn to stay in, waiting for the Treasure Pavilion auction to begin the next day.

The next day.

At 8:45 AM.

Chen Xuan changed into clean clothes, tucked his silver banknotes and gold leaves into his inner pockets, and walked out of the inn.

A long line had already formed at the entrance of the Treasure Pavilion, all of them people waiting to attend the auction.

There were wealthy merchants dressed in luxurious brocade robes, martial artists with steady temperaments, and some scions of noble families who looked extraordinary.

Chen Xuan stood at the back of the line, following along at a leisurely pace.

The line moved forward slowly.

A quarter of an hour later, it was Chen Xuan's turn.

He paid the fifty-tael entrance fee, received a numbered tag, and walked up to the auction hall on the third floor.

The entrance fee alone was enough to deter most Body Tempering martial artists.

The auction hall was a spacious room with a high platform in the center, upon which sat a long table covered in red velvet cloth.

Below the platform were rows of seats, many of which were already occupied.

Chen Xuan found a corner seat in the back row and sat down, waiting quietly for the auction to begin.

Two quarters of an hour later.

The auction hall was packed with people.

A middle-aged man wearing a brocade robe walked onto the platform, smiling as he cupped his hands in greeting: "Welcome, everyone, to the Treasure Pavilion for our biannual auction. I am Zhou Wenbin, the manager of the Treasure Pavilion, and I will be presiding over today's auction."

Zhou Wenbin paused, scanned the crowd in the hall, and continued: "Without further ado, let us look directly at the first item up for auction."

He clapped his hands, and a maidservant walked up carrying a tray covered with a red cloth.

Zhou Wenbin lifted the red cloth, revealing a long sword that was silvery-white from hilt to tip.

"The first item is a superior-grade sharp weapon, the Hanfeng Sword. The blade is forged from century-old cold iron; it can sever hair blown against it and slice through iron as if it were mud. The starting bid is three thousand taels, with a minimum increment of one hundred taels."

As soon as he finished speaking, the hall immediately erupted into activity.

"Three thousand one hundred taels!"

"Three thousand two hundred taels!"

"Three thousand three hundred taels!"

"..."

Bids rose one after another.

Chen Xuan watched quietly, not placing a bid.

His goal was the Marrow Cleansing Pill; only after securing the pill and seeing if he had any surplus silver would he consider whether to purchase a sword.

The first item was eventually sold for five thousand taels to a burly martial artist.

The next few items were all weapons, medicinal pills, and the like, none of which interested Chen Xuan.

However, any treasure that made it to this auction was worth thousands of taels of silver; there were no items worth only a few hundred.

It wasn't until the seventh item.

Zhou Wenbin clapped his hands again, and a maidservant walked up with a tray holding ten white jade porcelain bottles.

"The seventh item: ten Marrow Cleansing Pills." Zhou Wenbin's voice rose slightly: "There is no need for me to elaborate on the effects of the Marrow Cleansing Pill. Martial artists with low or medium-grade aptitude can consume them to improve their innate talent. The ten pills will be auctioned individually. The starting bid is ten thousand taels, with a minimum increment of one thousand taels."

The hall went silent for a moment.

Immediately afterward, an even greater uproar broke out.

"Eleven thousand taels!"

"Twelve thousand taels!"

"Fifteen thousand taels!"

The bidding was several times more intense than before.

Chen Xuan did not rush to bid.

He sat quietly in the corner, listening to the bids rising one after another until the price quickly climbed to twenty-one thousand taels.

The number of people bidding had been cut in half.

By the time it reached twenty-five thousand taels, only two people remained in the bidding war.

"Twenty-six thousand taels!"

A middle-aged man in a black brocade robe raised his tag.

"Twenty-seven thousand taels!"

Another white-haired old man refused to back down.

"Thirty thousand taels!"

A calm voice rang out from the corner of the hall.

The eyes of the guests in the nearby rows all turned toward the back.

Chen Xuan held up his numbered tag, his expression calm.

The white-haired old man hesitated for a moment before putting down his bidding paddle.

"Thirty-one thousand taels!"

The middle-aged man in the black brocade robe hesitated, then raised his paddle.

"Thirty-two thousand taels!"

Chen Xuan raised his paddle without the slightest hesitation.

"Thirty-two thousand taels!" Zhou Wenbin's voice carried a hint of excitement as he called out, "Is there any higher bid?"

The middle-aged man in the black brocade robe turned ashen-faced. After a long period of hesitation, he ultimately did not raise his paddle again.

"Thirty-two thousand taels, sold!" Zhou Wenbin struck the gavel to finalize the deal. "Congratulations to this young master for winning the first Marrow Cleansing Pill."

Chen Xuan stood up, walked to the front desk, pulled a stack of banknotes from his robes, counted out thirty-two thousand taels, and handed them to Zhou Wenbin.

Zhou Wenbin took the banknotes, verified their authenticity, and then handed a white jade porcelain bottle to Chen Xuan.

"Young master, please keep this safe."

Chen Xuan took the porcelain bottle, pulled out the stopper, and took a sniff.

A rich, medicinal fragrance wafted into his nose; the Marrow Cleansing Pill was indeed inside the bottle. He tucked the porcelain bottle close to his body and left the auction venue immediately.