Auction for the "Rock Fire Seed"

The clamor within the Miteer Auction House ceased at a single moment, coming to an abrupt halt.

A beam of bright light descended from the dome, landing precisely upon the rosewood dais at the center.

Below the stage, everyone present found themselves involuntarily holding their breath.

The preceding auction items, whether sharp weapons or rare medicinal herbs, had been nothing more than appetizers for this grand feast.

Now, the main course was about to take the stage.

A faint, fragrant breeze arrived before the figure itself.

Ya Fei, clad in a tight-fitting, fiery-red qipao, moved with lotus-like steps as she entered the beam of light.

She wore no superfluous jewelry, yet the moment she appeared, the entire gilded auction house seemed to fade into a mere backdrop for her alone.

A perfectly measured professional smile graced her stunning face, which was capable of toppling kingdoms.

"I have kept you all waiting."

Her voice, carried by a special sound-amplifying magic stone, reached every corner of the venue with a peculiar charm that effortlessly quelled the restlessness of the crowd.

A maidservant carrying a silver tray walked onto the stage respectfully and placed it on the display stand before Ya Fei.

Resting quietly upon the silver tray was a plain, unremarkable small green jade bottle.

Hundreds of gazes from across the hall instantly converged upon it.

"I presume many of you here have come specifically for this."

Ya Fei's slender fingers lightly picked up the jade bottle, her movements as elegant as if she were displaying a rare work of art.

"Its name is the Rock Fire Seed."

"A type of... flame never heard of before."

No sooner had her voice fallen than an irrepressible wave of discussion erupted from the floor.

"Rock Fire Seed? Never heard of it."

"Hmph, the Miteer Auction House is best at playing tricks; it's likely just another gimmick."

In the front row, several invited first-grade alchemists wore expressions of scrutiny and disapproval.

They had spent their lives dealing with flames and considered themselves well-versed, yet they had never heard of such a name.

Ya Fei turned a deaf ear to the reactions below.

She merely smiled radiantly and, under the gaze of the multitude, gently pulled out the stopper.

There was no billowing black smoke as one might expect.

Nor was there the characteristic sulfurous, violent aura of inferior beast fire.

A cluster of flames rose from the mouth of the bottle.

It was only the size of a fist, glowing with a warm, pure orange-red hue, and it hovered quietly above Ya Fei's fair palm without the slightest flicker.

It was too stable.

It was so stable that it did not look like a living flame, but rather like a piece of top-tier, glowing amber meticulously carved by a master craftsman.

In that instant, the entire auction house fell into an eerie, deathly silence.

"This... this is..."

A white-haired old alchemist leaned forward abruptly, his cloudy eyes wide as he stared fixedly at the flame, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

"Such pure fire-attribute energy!"

Another master blacksmith's eyes shone, his breathing becoming noticeably heavy.

They might not have recognized the origin of the flame, but they could clearly perceive the sheer purity and docility of the energy contained within it.

"You are all experts, so I am sure you have already recognized its extraordinary nature."

Ya Fei's voice rang out once more, shattering the silence.

"Its purity means that during alchemy, the contamination of medicinal power by impurities can be minimized."

"Its stability means that alchemists no longer need to expend vast amounts of mental energy to suppress the violence within the flame."

"I believe the masters present here know better than I what this signifies."

Her words struck like a heavy hammer against the hearts of every alchemist and blacksmith present.

Higher pill success rates!

More perfect weapons!

For those who viewed their craft as their life, this was a temptation of lethal proportions.

Inside the Purple Gold Private Room on the third floor.

Su Chen leaned back against the soft sofa, taking in everything below through the crystal wall.

He watched the undisguised greed and longing on the faces of the alchemists, and he watched the gazes of Jialie Bi and Aoba Pa turn suddenly sharp.

He knew that the fish had already taken the bait.

"The Rock Fire Seed, starting bid, fifty gold coins."

Ya Fei's voice carried a hint of seduction.

"Each increment must be no less than five gold coins."

"Now, let the bidding begin!"

Her voice had not yet fully faded.

"Sixty gold coins!"

A wealthy merchant sitting in the back row was the first to raise his paddle, his voice distorted by excitement.

"Seventy gold coins!"

Another mercenary captain followed suit, refusing to show weakness.

"Eighty!"

"I bid one hundred gold coins!"

In just a dozen breaths, the price had doubled.

The atmosphere in the hall was instantly ignited.

However, the true big shots sitting in the front row remained unmoved.

Whether it was Jialie Bi or Aoba Pa, they merely watched everything with cold eyes, as if observing a pack of wild dogs fighting over scraps.

Soon, the price climbed to one hundred and fifty gold coins.

This figure had already exceeded the limits of most small factions, and the bidding in the hall gradually thinned out.

Just then.

An indifferent voice rang out from the front row.

"Three hundred gold coins."

The one who spoke was the Aoba Clan head, Aoba Pa.

He did not raise a paddle; he simply leaned back in his chair and nonchalantly announced a number that instantly silenced the entire hall.

He had doubled it in one go!

Everyone's gaze fell upon him in unison.

"The Aoba Clan head has made his move!"

"Hiss... three hundred gold coins for a bottle of flame of unknown origin, what a display..."

Aoba Pa ignored the gasps around him; his gaze crossed the crowd and landed on another figure not far away.

Jialie Bi.

No joy or anger could be discerned on Jialie Bi's face.

He merely picked up the teacup at his side and blew on the steam, as if he did not care at all about Aoba Pa's provocation.

It was not until the auctioneer was about to drop the gavel.

That he finally set down his teacup, unhurriedly.

"Three hundred and fifty gold coins."

His voice was not loud, yet it carried an unquestionable sense of oppression.

The scent of gunpowder quietly permeated the air.

Everyone understood that the real confrontation was only just beginning.

"Four hundred!"

Aoba Pa's expression darkened, and he followed up without hesitation.

"Four hundred and fifty!"

Jialie Bi's voice remained flat.

"Five hundred!"

A vein was already pulsing slightly on Aoba Pa's temple.

The price, like a wild horse breaking free from its reins, soared upward at a heart-stopping speed.

The entire auction hall was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

Everyone was stunned by the cutthroat financial duel between these two giants.

What they were fighting over was no longer just a bottle of flame.

It was the face of the two great clans in Wutan City!

"Six hundred gold coins!"

Jialie Bi slowly stood up, looking down at Aoba Pa with a hint of chilling coldness in his voice.

This price had already far exceeded the actual value of that bottle of flame.

Aoba Pa's breathing grew heavy.

The several clan elders beside him had already begun whispering to him anxiously.

Six hundred gold coins was by no means a small sum for the Aoba Clan.

Aoba Pa's expression shifted between light and shadow.

He stared fixedly at the orange flame burning quietly on the stage, then glanced at Jialie Bi's face, which wore an expression of absolute certainty.

In the end, he slammed his fist hard against the armrest.

"Hmph!"

He let out a heavy, cold snort and slumped back into his seat, saying nothing more.

He had given up.

The entire venue erupted in an uproar.

A cruel, victorious smile finally appeared on Jialie Bi's face.

He looked around, savoring the awe-filled gazes of the crowd, as if declaring who the true hegemon of Wutan City was.

"Six hundred gold coins, going once!"

"Six hundred gold coins, going twice!"

The auctioneer's high-pitched voice echoed throughout the hall.

Ya Fei's face still wore that charming smile, as if she had long anticipated this result.

"Are there any higher bids?"

"Six hundred gold coins..."

Just as the small hammer in the auctioneer's hand was about to fall.

A clear, calm voice drifted faintly from a VIP box on the second floor.

"One thousand gold coins."

BOOM—!!!

If the previous bidding had been a surging river.

Then this voice was like a meteorite falling from the heavens, smashing violently into the hearts of everyone present and stirring up monstrous waves!

One thousand!

To jump straight from six hundred to one thousand!

How insane! How contemptuous!

The heads of everyone in the hall "buzzed," and they all looked upward in unison.

That room was crafted entirely from black crystal, making it impossible to see anything inside.

But everyone knew what kind of noble existence could sit there.

The smile on Jialie Bi's face froze completely.

His complexion turned from flushed red to a deathly pale, his body trembling slightly from extreme rage.

He could never have imagined that in this Wutan City, someone would actually dare to snatch food from the tiger's mouth!

"Who is your Excellency?"

Jialie Bi suppressed his fury, his voice hoarse as he shouted toward the floor above.

"Could you provide a name so that my Jialie Clan might broaden its horizons?"

Silence filled the room.

No one answered him.

This silent contempt was more heart-piercing than any verbal insult.

"You!"

Jialie Bi shook with rage, his breath catching in his chest; he nearly spat out blood on the spot.

"Clan Head, calm your anger! The other party's background is unknown; do not act rashly!"

Liu Xi, standing to the side, hurriedly held him back.

Ya Fei stood on the stage, watching this scene with a smile, and spoke at the opportune moment.

"This honored guest has bid one thousand gold coins; are there any higher bids?"

Her gaze landed pointedly on Jialie Bi.

Jialie Bi's chest heaved violently, his fists clenched so tightly they creaked.

He stared fixedly at the mysterious room upstairs, his eyes filled with resentment and unwillingness.

But in the end, he did not speak again.

One thousand gold coins had already exceeded the limit of the funds he could mobilize this time.

"One thousand gold coins, going once!"

"One thousand gold coins, going twice!"

"One thousand gold coins... going three times!"

Clang--!

The crisp sound of the gavel echoed throughout the hall.

The deal was sealed!

"Congratulations to our honored guest on the second floor for successfully winning this bottle of Rock Fire Seed!"

Ya Fei's voice carried a hint of perfectly measured delight.

Below the stage, the crowd instantly erupted into an uproar.

"Good heavens! One thousand gold coins! Who on earth is this person?"

"Terrifying! The Jialie Clan has truly kicked an iron plate this time!"

"Wutan City is about to get lively now..."

Amidst the clamor of heated discussion, Jialie Bi flicked his sleeves violently and stormed out of the venue without looking back, his heart filled with humiliation and rage.

Watching his disheveled retreating figure, Aoba Pa felt not a shred of schadenfreude, but rather a growing sense of gravity.

A mysterious person who could toss out a thousand gold coins without a second thought, and who held no fear of the Jialie Clan...

The waters of Wutan City were about to be stirred into a frenzy.

On the third floor, inside the Purple Gold Private Room.

Su Chen remained reclined on the sofa, his posture unchanged from the very beginning.

He watched the chaotic scene below and the exasperated back of Jialie Bi, his expression devoid of even the slightest ripple.

He picked up the glass of crimson fruit wine beside him and gave it a gentle swirl.

The liquid shimmered with a captivating luster in the crystal glass, reflecting his eyes, which were as dark as ink.

Deep within those eyes, there was only stillness.

He slowly brought the glass to his lips and took a light sip.

"Pleasure doing business."