Frenzied Bidding

"Anyone below level twenty who takes one pill will gain at least one level of Soul Power."

"Permanently increases Innate Soul Power by half a level to one full level."

"There is no limit on how many times it can be taken."

With every claim Ye Guchen made, the hall fell quieter. It wasn't that they weren't shocked. They were so utterly stunned that all that remained was their heavy breathing.

When he finished with the last point and closed the wooden box again, the entire Hundred Treasure Pavilion remained silent for a full three breaths.

Then—

A buzz erupted, like a hornet's nest being kicked open.

"Ten pills! There are only ten in total!"

"If I could take these back, my two good-for-nothing sons..."

"Forget it. Do you think we could ever get our hands on something like that?"

The whispers from the first-floor public seating swelled into a great buzzing roar. Countless gazes fixed on the darkwood box—greedy, feverish, and resentful.

Some were already calculating the entirety of their fortunes, while others sighed in despair, knowing that treasures of this caliber were beyond their reach.

The reactions from the private seats on the second floor were even more direct.

The Wind Sword Sect elder sprang to his feet and strode to the railing. He gripped it tightly with both hands, staring down at the box on the auction stage as if afraid it might sprout wings and fly away.

The other sect representatives behind him also rose, their faces flushed and their breathing quick.

In the Elephant Armor Sect's private room, Huyan Zhen's hand froze halfway to his mouth, teacup in hand. Ripples spread across the tea inside—his hand was trembling.

It wasn't fear. It was excitement. The indignation he'd felt after being cowed by the pressure of a Titled Douluo had long since vanished into the clouds. At that moment, his mind held only one thought: Get it! Get it at any cost!

The six private rooms on the third floor, their beaded curtains hanging low, remained silent. But the faint fluctuations of Soul Power seeping from behind those curtains were impossible to miss. The powerful figures inside were waiting with rapt attention, too.

Ye Guchen took in everyone's reactions. The smile at the corner of his mouth never changed, as though the people below weren't powerful figures from every faction, but children who couldn't sit still at the sight of candy.

He raised a hand and pressed it down gently.

With that simple gesture, the clamor throughout the hall miraculously fell silent.

"Before the auction begins, I have a few more things to clarify." His voice remained unhurried. "This auction will be conducted in Gold Soul Coins. The highest bidder wins. You may bid as many times as you like, but please know your limits. By the Hundred Treasure Pavilion's rules, those who bid maliciously without the means to pay will bear the consequences."

As he spoke the words "bear the consequences," his tone didn't change at all. Even the smile on his face didn't fade in the slightest.

And yet, everyone inexplicably felt a chill creep up their spines. It was the instinctive sensation of being watched by a predator.

The private room on the fourth floor, which had remained silent all this time, seemed to silently affirm the weight behind those words.

Ye Guchen shifted his tone, returning to his warm manner. "Now, for the first lot—ten Mystic Water Pills, divided into two groups of five. This is to give more people a chance to get them, rather than letting one buyer take them all."

At this, the representatives of the major factions, who had already been planning to take all ten in one go, furrowed their brows. The smaller and mid-sized factions, however, perked up.

"Two groups? Then we still have a chance?"

"Now, the first lot is officially up for auction!"

He opened the darkwood box again, and the medicinal fragrance filled the air once more.

"The starting price—"

Everyone present pricked up their ears. A pill this heaven-defying had to start at at least five hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins, right? Even a million wouldn't be too much!

"Two hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins."

Ye Guchen secretly clicked his tongue. I should play it safe with the first lot. The price has only quadrupled. On the Dou II timeline, they usually go for ten thousand Gold Soul Coins each. For now, I'll set the starting price at forty thousand per pill!

But when Ye Guchen's voice fell, the entire hall was silent for a moment.

Two hundred thousand?

The heads of several small families on the first floor froze for an instant, then felt their hearts leap.

Two hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins was no more than a drop in the ocean to the Upper Three Sects and the two great empires. But for small families like theirs, they could scrape together that much without even selling off their property!

These pills could permanently improve one's talent! Two hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins? It was practically a giveaway!

The public seating on the first floor stirred at once.

Several family representatives who believed they had some resources began to eye the auction eagerly. Some were already reaching into their robes for money notes, planning to call out a bid and see what happened.

But before they could open their mouths—

"Five hundred thousand."

The Wind Sword Sect elder's steady, decisive voice came from a private room on the left side of the second floor. He jumped straight from two hundred thousand to five hundred thousand.

The commotion on the first floor was doused like a bucket of cold water. Five hundred thousand? More than double the price in one leap?

Several small-family representatives who'd been about to bid froze, swallowing the words on their tongues.

But it wasn't over yet.

"Five hundred and fifty thousand." An old voice promptly followed from a private room on the right side of the second floor. It came from someone in the Wuding Sect.

"Six hundred thousand." Huyan Zhen of the Elephant Armor Sect spoke in a muffled voice. It wasn't loud, yet it brought the entire hall to silence.

The brawny man who'd made a scene at the second-floor staircase earlier now spoke without a trace of bluster. His voice was filled with sheer determination to win.

"Six hundred and fifty thousand."

"Seven hundred thousand."

"Eight hundred thousand."

The bids from the private seats on the second floor followed one after another, each one striking the hearts of the first-floor crowd like a heavy hammer.

The original starting price of "two hundred thousand" seemed like a joke now. Everyone thought it was cheap, but the price had already more than tripled in the blink of an eye, and it was still climbing.

After only four rounds of bidding—

"One million."

A warm yet authoritative voice came from a private room on the third floor. It wasn't loud, but it instantly silenced the entire Hundred Treasure Pavilion.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

The man known as Uncle Sword didn't even call out the bid himself. One of his attendants spoke in his place, his tone so calm it was as if he were mentioning some trivial matter.

One million Gold Soul Coins truly was nothing to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

But when that "one million" fell, the entire second floor sank into dead silence.

The Wind Sword Sect elder slowly loosened his grip on the railing. Deep marks had already been pressed into his knuckles.

He took a deep breath and sat back down, his face livid but his lips sealed. It wasn't that he didn't want to fight for it. He simply couldn't win.

The combined annual income of the Wind Sword Sect probably wasn't enough to match the number the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's attendant had casually named.

Huyan Zhen of the Elephant Armor Sect fell silent for a moment, then gave a snort, picked up his teacup, and drained it in a gulp. He didn't speak again.

He had brought enough Gold Soul Coins to bid for several more rounds, but he didn't dare. Not because he lacked the money, but because his opponent was the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Was it worth offending the richest sect on the continent for two Mystic Water Pills? He knew how to weigh the cost.

The public seating on the first floor was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The small-family representatives who had thought two hundred thousand was "cheap" now wore complicated expressions. Some smiled wryly, others shook their heads, and a few leaned back in their chairs and abandoned their unrealistic hopes altogether.

The starting price of two hundred thousand really wasn't high. But had it ever been meant for them?

It was only there to give them the hope of taking part. In the end, the only ones with a place at this table would always be the few people on the third floor.

At that moment, everyone in the Hundred Treasure Pavilion turned their eyes, openly or discreetly, toward the other private rooms on the third floor.

The only ones who dared to contend with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect were those few.

"One million two hundred thousand!"

Yu Luomian, who had been silent all this time, set down his teacup and spoke at last.