"Is this one of the perks of being an alchemist?"
"No wonder everyone wants to become an alchemist..."
Inside VIP Room No. 1.
Xiao Ze saw the Tier 5 magical beast egg ultimately go to a fourth-grade alchemist, and couldn't help sighing inwardly.
Alchemists really were in demand.
If he didn't have the system, he would have been itching to become an alchemist himself.
With the final auction item sold,
it was time for the last and most prized item of the auction.
Everyone in the hall stared unblinkingly at Ya Fei, curious about what kind of treasure the auction house had saved for last.
It had even outshone the Tier 5 magical beast egg!
"Is the most important item finally coming up?" Xiao Ze couldn't help sitting up straight.
At that moment, he sensed the three Dou Wang experts in the box below him also perk up, their eyes fixed intently on the auction stage below.
Clearly, this was the item they had come here for.
"What could it be?" Xiao Ze's curiosity grew stronger.
Since it had drawn three Dou Wang experts all the way here, the item was surely no ordinary thing. He just didn't know what it was that made it so enticing.
On the auction stage,
Ya Fei stood tall and graceful, her lovely figure bathed in the light, exuding bewitching charm. Every movement seemed to brim with temptation.
Yet this peerless beauty couldn't draw the men's attention just then.
They were all waiting for the final item, eager to see it with their own eyes.
"Hehe, now, let us welcome the final item of this auction!"
"And the Mittel Auction House's most prized treasure!"
After her clear, alluring voice rang out, a maid stepped forward slowly with a golden tray in her hands. Everyone held their breath and watched the object resting on it.
They kept guessing to themselves: What kind of treasure could it be?
A rare and precious artifact? A profound cultivation method or combat skill? Or perhaps an ancient pill recipe passed down from antiquity?
All kinds of guesses swirled through their minds.
At last, under everyone's watchful gaze, Ya Fei lifted the red cloth covering the golden tray and revealed the treasure beneath.
"This..."
The moment they saw what was on the tray, everyone fell silent in astonishment.
The object on the tray was no rare treasure, no cultivation manual, and no ancient pill recipe.
It was... an ordinary-looking piece of ancient beast skin?
"Just a piece of beast skin? They're putting that up as the final item?"
"What a disappointment. I thought the last item would be some rare treasure, but it's just a piece of beast skin!"
"How could this thing be more valuable than a Tier 5 magical beast egg? What a rigged auction! A blatant fix!"
"Everyone, stop arguing and look! Isn't there a pattern on that ancient beast skin?"
"Huh? There really is! Could it be a treasure map?"
"If it's a treasure map, then it does deserve to be the final item..."
Just as everyone was grumbling about the final item, someone with sharp eyes noticed something unusual about the ancient beast skin.
Before long, rumors that it might be a treasure map spread rapidly through the hall.
"Hm? A piece of ancient beast skin? Could there be some hidden secret?"
Inside VIP Room No. 1, Xiao Ze froze when he saw the ancient beast skin.
He couldn't understand why the auction house had saved a piece of beast skin for its final item. Was there something special about it?
He studied it carefully. Suddenly, he noticed something was off. "No, there's something strange about this ancient beast skin!"
He hurriedly sent his soul power toward it and was shocked to find that the ancient beast skin could withstand his soul power!
"How is that possible?" Xiao Ze abruptly sat up straight. "This is the skin of a Tier 6 magical beast?!"
Only the skin of a Tier 6 magical beast, whose strength rivaled that of a Dou Huang expert, could withstand his soul power.
He had never imagined that this unremarkable-looking piece of ancient beast skin had come from a Tier 6 magical beast.
As the auction hall buzzed with discussion,
Ya Fei spoke up, raising her jade-white hand as she said sweetly, "Our Mittel Family has appraised this ancient beast skin and confirmed that it comes from a Tier 6 magical beast!"
"Someone also drew a mysterious Ancient Map on the hide. As for what the map means, our Mittel Family has no way of knowing."
"It might represent someone's identity, be a treasure map, or point to the ruins of some predecessor..."
"In short, its origins are shrouded in mystery."
As soon as she finished,
the hall fell silent once more.
Many people widened their eyes, as if they had heard something unbelievable.
Had they heard that right?
Tier 6 ancient beast skin?
Could this ordinary-looking ancient beast skin really have come from a Tier 6 magical beast whose strength rivaled that of a Dou Huang expert?
What kind of information would warrant being recorded on the skin of a Tier 6 magical beast?
At the thought, some people began breathing faster. Their eyes burned as they stared at the ancient beast skin on the auction stage. Although no one knew what information it recorded,
they didn't want to let this chance pass them by.
After all, information recorded on the skin of a Tier 6 magical beast had to be extremely important.
It could even be a tremendous opportunity!
"Considering that the information is recorded on the skin of a Tier 6 magical beast, our auction house has decided to put it up for bid last. We hope a discerning guest will buy it."
"Enough talk. Now, I announce—"
"This final item, the Tier 6 Ancient Beast Map, is officially up for auction!"
"Starting price: one gold coin!"
Ya Fei held up a slender jade finger and announced the starting price.
But the very next second,
a low, hoarse voice suddenly rang out: "One million gold coins!"
In an instant, someone had driven the price of the Tier 6 ancient beast skin up to one million gold coins.
That staggering price immediately drove off many people in the hall.
Just as some were still hoping to join the bidding,
a mighty aura suddenly erupted through the auction hall. Its powerful pressure drained the color from the faces of the thousands in attendance. Some of the weaker ones even felt they could no longer breathe.
"A D-Dou Wang expert!"
More than a dozen Dou Ling experts in the hall turned pale. They hadn't expected this auction to draw Dou Wang experts!
"With a Dou Wang expert bidding, it seems this Tier 6 ancient beast skin isn't meant for people like us." Many in the hall sighed, their faces tinged with helplessness.
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