Heaven-Priced Pills, an Eleven-Year-Old Dou Master Appears!

A wolf-like howl of cheers instantly erupted from below the stage.

In a corner, Lu Heng looked at Ya Fei, radiant beneath the lights onstage, and a faint smile curled his lips.

Sister Ya Fei really was born for the stage. That commanding presence that held the entire room in her grasp was truly captivating.

Meanwhile, inside a private room on the second floor with an excellent view.

Xiao Xun'er sat by the window, idly playing with the teacup in her hand.

In the shadows behind her, Ling Ying stood like a ghost.

"Miss, there are certainly quite a few people here this time." Ling Ying kept his voice low.

"They all came for those three types of pills." Xiao Xun'er spoke blandly.

"Especially the Yuan-Coagulating Pill. It really has some remarkable qualities. But... compared to the pills, I'm more curious about that alchemist."

Ling Ying nodded and habitually spread out his senses, intending to check whether any hidden experts were nearby.

His perception swept through the entire venue like a tide, passing over one Dou Zhe after another, one Dou Master after another...

Suddenly, Ling Ying's body stiffened. His eyes beneath his black robe widened round, and fortunately, no one saw the expression on his face as though he had seen a ghost.

"What is it?"

Sensing that something was wrong, Xiao Xun'er turned back and asked.

"How... how is this possible?"

Ling Ying swallowed, his voice trembling with disbelief.

"Miss, there's a youth in the corner on the first floor..."

"A youth?" Xiao Xun'er was somewhat puzzled.

"That youth looks to be around eleven or twelve..."

Ling Ying drew a deep breath, as though confirming whether his senses had gone wrong.

"But the aura inside him... he is actually a Dou Master! And his aura is deep and powerful, far beyond that of an ordinary Dou Master!"

"What?"

Even Xiao Xun'er, who was normally unruffled, slightly shook the teacup in her hand, spilling several drops of tea onto the table.

A Dou Master barely over ten years old?

That might not be particularly shocking within the Ancient Clan, but in this Dou Qi-starved northwestern region, it was simply a fantasy!

Even Brother Xiao Yan had only just broken through to become a Dou Zhe.

"Are you sure?"

Following Ling Ying's indication, Xiao Xun'er looked over and saw only a thin back. The youth had one leg crossed over the other, absentmindedly cracking sunflower seeds.

"Absolutely." Ling Ying gave a bitter smile.

Elsewhere, in the middle-rear section of the hall.

Xiao Yi Xian sat somewhat uneasily beside Mr. Yao. It was her first time witnessing such a grand occasion.

As for Boss Yao, he had naturally come for the Yuan-Coagulating Pill. Xiao Yi Xian had been brought along by Boss Yao, though no one knew why.

Xiao Yi Xian gazed around idly, and her eyes inadvertently swept over the corner.

That youth's figure seemed somewhat familiar to her.

Though she could not see his face clearly, that lazy, casual sitting posture, as well as that slender and strong hand resting on the armrest...

"Is that him?"

Xiao Yi Xian's beautiful eyes brightened slightly, and her previously gloomy mood suddenly improved.

She had not expected Lu Heng, who had saved her life, to be here as well.

Just then, Ya Fei lightly waved her jade-like hand onstage, and a maid walked up carrying a tray.

"I won't waste any more words. I know you have all been waiting impatiently."

Ya Fei lifted the red cloth from the tray, revealing a neat row of small jade bottles. Her voice suddenly rose.

"The first auction item is a first-grade pill: Spirit-Nurturing Powder!"

"I needn't explain its effects. It can triple cultivation speed during the Dou Qi stage, and its medicinal properties are mild, with no side effects whatsoever!"

Ya Fei's beautiful eyes swept toward the private rooms of the three great families on the second floor, her smile dazzling.

"Patriarchs, if the younger generation in your families use this medicine, their cultivation progress... hehe. The starting bid is five thousand gold coins!"

This was practically naked provocation.

The Xiao Family wanted Xiao Yan to rise, while the Jia Lie Family and Aoba Clan were desperate to prevent Xiao Yan from rising.

This was not buying medicine. This was clearly buying the right to speak in the future!

"Six thousand!" Xiao Zhan was the first to roar, his voice so loud that even the railing trembled.

"Seven thousand!" Jia Lie Bi's sinister voice immediately followed.

"Eight thousand!" Ao Ba Pa refused to be outdone.

It was only the first exchange, yet the smell of gunpowder was already thick enough to choke on. Lu Heng sat in the corner, listening to the rapidly escalating bids as he spat out sunflower seed shells even faster.

These were not gold coins. They were clearly components for his luxurious equipment set.

"Fifteen thousand!"

Xiao Zhan's roar nearly cracked, and he looked as though he were about to blow the roof off the entire auction house.

The independent buyers in the hall had long since fallen silent, each of them hunching their necks as they watched the show.

To ordinary people, spending this much on a few bottles of medicinal liquid that accelerated Dou Qi cultivation meant someone had been kicked in the head by a donkey. But to the three great families, this was a battlefield.

Jia Lie Bi sat in the private room opposite, rapidly rolling two iron balls in his hand. His face was so grim it seemed ready to drip water.

"Twenty thousand!"

Jia Lie Bi gritted his teeth and announced the number.

It was not that he absolutely needed the medicine. He simply did not want Xiao Zhan to have it easy.

As long as the Xiao Family had to spend even one more copper coin, he felt the money was well spent.

"Twenty-five thousand!"

Xiao Zhan did not hesitate at all and immediately called out the price.

Ya Fei stood onstage, her lovely face blooming with a smile, while the little hammer in her hand stubbornly refused to fall. Instead, she added fuel to the fire at just the right moment.

"Patriarch Xiao bids twenty-five thousand gold coins. Patriarch Jia Lie, Patriarch Aoba, such a fine opportunity—if you miss it, I'm afraid you can only watch helplessly as another family's genius leaves you in the dust."

That final jab was precise and vicious.

"Twenty-eight thousand!"

Ao Ba Pa was provoked until the veins on his forehead bulged, and he joined the fray as well.

In the end, the first batch of Spirit-Nurturing Powder was driven up to the outrageous price of thirty-eight thousand gold coins amid the three sides tearing at one another like rabid dogs, and it was claimed by Xiao Zhan.

This was only the beginning.

For the next several batches of Spirit-Nurturing Powder, the three great families took turns bidding, raising one another's prices. In the end, none of them came out ahead, but the atmosphere in the auction house was pushed to its first climax.

Lu Heng silently did the math in his corner. Those few batches of Spirit-Nurturing Powder alone had already brought in over two hundred thousand gold coins.

"This makes money faster than robbing magical beasts." Lu Heng clicked his tongue. No wonder alchemists were all filthy rich. This was practically daylight robbery.

"Next..."

Ya Fei's voice suddenly became somewhat more impassioned. She personally lifted the red silk cloth from the second tray, revealing a lone jade bottle inside.

"Everyone, the main event has arrived."

Ya Fei picked up the jade bottle. Her alluring peach-blossom eyes swept over the important figures on the second floor before finally settling on the entire venue.

"A peak second-grade pill: the Yuan-Gathering Pill!"

"A Dou Zhe who consumes it can directly advance one star without side effects. If a Nine-Star Dou Zhe consumes it, there is a fifty percent chance of directly breaking through to Dou Master!"

"What?!"

The entire auction house instantly became like a pan of boiling oil. The uproar nearly blew the ceiling apart.

If Spirit-Nurturing Powder was merely a toy for children laying their foundations, then the Yuan-Gathering Pill was genuine strategic material!

A Dou Master, in a small place like Wutan City, was the backbone of a family.

It could save years of bitter cultivation and even shatter bottlenecks. The temptation was enough to drive any faction mad.

"Starting bid: ten thousand!"

The moment Ya Fei's voice fell, the people below began shouting themselves hoarse.

"Twenty thousand!"

"Thirty thousand!"

"Fifty thousand! Nobody better compete with me!"

A bare-chested mercenary captain stood up and roared, his eyes bloodshot.

"Hmph, you think fifty thousand can buy a Yuan-Gathering Pill? Poor trash should stop coming out to embarrass yourselves!" Ao Ba Pa sneered from the second floor. "Eighty thousand!"

That was the foundation of a great family. With one bid, he directly crushed all the smaller factions.

The price soared wildly, quickly breaking through the one-hundred-thousand mark.

At this point, even Frank, the president of the Black Rock City Alchemist Guild, who had remained seated without moving, could not help raising an eyebrow.