Void Merging Pill

The VIP boxes on the second floor of Lingxiao Workshop seemed to number at least forty to fifty. However, perhaps due to it being a smaller auction, only about twenty or so VIP boxes appeared to have occupants. Most of these people were quite low-key, sitting further back, unlike Li Honglin who deliberately put himself on display as if wanting Wei Suo to see him.

Before long, as nearly two hundred cultivators gathered in the main hall, Shopkeeper Tian of the Golden Jade Pavilion, dressed in a purple robe, slowly ascended the platform. After a brief greeting to everyone, without any lengthy preliminaries, the auction officially began.

"This is Silver Gang Essence, a high-grade refined gold for artifact refining. The starting bid is five hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones."

A young man in ornate robes carried a jade box to Shopkeeper Tian's side and opened it. The first item up for auction was a small piece of silver refined gold, about the size of a fist, which glittered within the jade box, emitting a cold and solemn aura.

"Holy crap, is that Silver Gang Essence?!" Wei Suo's attention was immediately captured.

Silver Gang Essence was an exceptionally tough refined gold. When mixed into ordinary refined gold, even a small amount would significantly enhance the overall toughness. This type of refined gold was also a material that most cultivators sought after when refining Flying Swords. By adding a bit of Silver Gang Essence to a Flying Sword made from ordinary refined gold, the entire sword's quality would greatly improve, becoming many times tougher and sharper.

Flying Swords were currently a relatively simple type of Magic Treasure for cultivators on the Tianxuan Continent to refine. Wei Suo had also witnessed the power of formidable cultivators wielding Flying Swords, and their might was truly astonishing. Although the most common Flying Swords required cultivators at or above the second level of the Circulation Realm to wield them, otherwise, the True Essence of cultivators below the second level of the Circulation Realm could only control the Flying Sword to attack within a very short range around their bodies, rendering it not very useful. With Wei Suo's current cultivation, it was impossible for him to wield a Flying Sword. However, thinking about the power of Flying Swords and looking at this piece of Silver Gang Essence that could significantly enhance the quality of ordinary Flying Swords, Wei Suo still felt a strong yearning.

There were quite a few powerful cultivators above the Circulation Realm present at this auction, so it was unlikely that this item wouldn't be bid on.

"Five hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones, I'll take it!" As expected, as soon as Shopkeeper Tian finished his brief introduction and quote, a thin, middle-aged cultivator in a red robe, with a somewhat sinister expression, immediately raised his hand and said coldly.

Instantly, many gazes turned towards this thin, red-robed cultivator.

"Six hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones!"

Suddenly, from a VIP box almost directly facing Wei Suo, a slightly hoarse voice calmly stated a price.

"Six hundred and fifty Low-grade Spirit Stones!"

The sinister-looking, thin, red-robed cultivator abruptly turned his head, his gaze sharp as he glared at that VIP box.

However, the slightly hoarse voice from the VIP box above seemed completely unfazed, continuing calmly, "Seven hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones."

"Eight hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones!" A sinister smile appeared on the red-robed cultivator's face, and traces of killing intent welled up in his eyes.

"One thousand!" The person in the VIP box still spoke placidly.

One thousand!

The entire hall erupted in an uproar. Although this Silver Gang Essence was not common, for those who desperately needed it, one thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones was not a prohibitive amount. However, to increase the bid by two hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones in one go, the calm voice from that VIP box indicated an intention to acquire this Silver Gang Essence regardless of how much the opponent raised the price.

The thin, red-robed cultivator was taken aback, and the ferocity in his eyes subsided considerably. He did not bid again, as he knew very well that he might not be able to afford to offend someone who could casually bid one thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones without batting an eye.

Since no one else bid, and with Wei Suo clutching his Spirit Stone pouch, his eyes filled with longing, the young man in ornate robes who had been holding the Silver Gang Essence by Shopkeeper Tian's side walked off stage and delivered it directly to that VIP box.

The first auction item sparked a bidding war, and the atmosphere of the entire auction venue was immediately ignited.

"This is a mid-grade Level Four Stone-Eating Beast Inner Core. The starting bid is three hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones."

"Holy crap, these are all good things!"

The second item up for auction was a yellowish-brown Demonic Core of a Stone-Eating Beast, emitting a very strong, earthy smell. Normally, a mid-grade Level Four Demonic Core was worth around two hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones. However, the Inner Core of a Stone-Eating Beast contained unique Earth elemental energy, which was very beneficial to those who cultivated Earth-elemental techniques. Furthermore, Stone-Eating Beasts were naturally adept at earth evasion, immediately burrowing underground when sensing danger, making them difficult to capture. When Shopkeeper Tian announced the starting bid of three hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones, Wei Suo knew that this price was definitely too low.

As expected, after only a moment, this Stone-Eating Beast Inner Core was purchased for five hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones by a cultivator with a somewhat sallow complexion, who looked like he had cultivated some kind of Earth elemental technique.

"Next is a Sky Frost Armor..."

The next treasure was a piece of armor refined from the shell of a Level Four demonic beast, the Ice Centipede. This armor possessed formidable defensive capabilities and could also emit icy energy. However, it was quite heavy and seemed more suitable for cultivators with a strong, close-combat style like Ye Xiaozheng. Although Wei Suo was a bit tempted, he wasn't particularly interested.

As he continued to look, the next five or six items were all special materials for refining Magic Treasures and magical artifacts, such as Fire Dragon Crystals containing astonishingly hot True Fire, Thousand-Year Iron Banana Wood which had good compatibility with elemental energy and could be used to refine wood-elemental Magic Treasures, and Wind Spirit Stones that could grant Magic Treasures self-suspension capabilities and reduce their weight. Wei Suo estimated that the Green Robe Old Man knew many ordinary artifact refining methods, but he wasn't telling Wei Suo because his cultivation was insufficient. Therefore, like the Silver Gang Essence, these items were of no use to him.

"Next is the Void Merging Pill, personally refined by Ji Ya, a alchemist from the Golden Jade Pavilion. For cultivators below the Mind Splitting Realm, taking this pill will allow them to directly break through one realm. However, the medicinal properties have certain side effects on the cultivator's Divine Sea and physical body, and their cultivation may stagnate for the next five years. The starting bid is one thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones."

After five or six items, the next item Shopkeeper Tian revealed caused almost all the cultivators, including Wei Suo, to gasp in a low voice.

It was a round, blood-red pill, about the size of a pigeon's egg, placed in a golden box.

The Void Merging Pill was a pill refined by combining the Demonic Cores of the Void Merging Beast and the Sky Void Blood Bird with other Spiritual Herbs. It was extremely difficult to refine but was renowned throughout the Tianxuan Continent. For instance, if a cultivator was just slightly weaker than their opponent in a battle against a demonic beast or another person and was about to be killed, having a pill that could directly increase their cultivation by one realm could completely turn the tide. Compared to their own life, even five years of stagnant cultivation was insignificant, let alone the fact that some people might not even break through one realm in five years.

This kind of pill was bound to cause a bidding war, and the price would undoubtedly be astonishing. Moreover, this pill was refined by Ji Ya, known as the "Ice and Snow Beauty" of Lingyue City. Wei Suo had never met Ji Ya, but he had heard that this Ice and Snow Beauty was reputed to be the most beautiful woman in Lingyue City. Just her name alone would surely attract many admirers.

"One thousand five hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones!"

Wei Suo desperately wanted to buy this pill, but as he had anticipated, the first bid from the VIP box on the west side was already far beyond his reach, even if he sold his underwear.

"Four thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones!"

Finally, this Void Merging Pill, refined by the renowned Ice and Snow Beauty Ji Ya, was sold for an astonishing price of four thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones.

Wei Suo, who desperately wanted the pill, was practically in tears.

Although Wei Suo had made several successful bids earlier, giving him a slight feeling of a nouveau riche, compared to the cultivators at the auction, Wei Suo felt like he was still dirt poor.

"It seems I really need to work hard to earn Spirit Stones, earn more Spirit Stones!"

"Golden Silk Talisman Brush! Refined from the tail hairs of the Level Four Golden Mane Beast, a premium product from the Heavenly Crafts Workshop in Luoyue City. The starting bid is three hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones."

However, the next item immediately made Wei Suo involuntarily freeze.

A straight, golden talisman brush lay quietly on a red brocade cloth on the tray. The entire brush, as thick as a little finger, was carved and polished from a single, pure gold-like coarse hair. It was truly unimaginable that a single hair from a demonic beast could be this thick.

After spending a long time with the Green Robe Old Man, Wei Suo's knowledge had greatly increased. He knew that a good talisman brush would absorb Fire Scorpion Blood more evenly and draw more smoothly on talisman paper, greatly improving the quality of the Talismans and the success rate of refining them.

"What do you think, Grand Alchemist Wei? Tempted?" Seeing Wei Suo's expression, Nangong Yuqing lightly chuckled beside his ear.

"What's the use of being tempted? I can't afford it even if I'm tempted," Wei Suo said with great frustration.

"If you're tempted, then buy it. If you need to borrow a few hundred Spirit Stones, I can manage," Nangong Yuqing said with a slight smile.