What Do You Mean, Venerable Yao Han Feng?

Entering the open-air auction house, they took their assigned seats. The moment Xie Dong and Flame Wolf sat down, they were like country bumpkins entering a grand estate, astonished by the exquisite plush seats and almost overcome by the urge to curl up inside them.

"Wow, these soft seats are said to be premium goods from the Central Plains." Flame Wolf stroked the texture of the padded seat and wriggled his butt twice. Even with his body temperature, he had not burned through the cushioning, nor was there the slightest scorch mark.

"This texture... is this human skin?" Xie Dong began analyzing it instead, deeply curious about the leather-like feel.

Unlike those two, Zhu Jin was much calmer. He showed little interest even in the items being auctioned onstage. It was not that he had no interest in the auction goods, but because his heart was filled with anticipation for Yao Chen's pills. He had already entered a state of pilgrimage.

"Pills refined by Yao Lao... If I have enough money, I absolutely have to get one and taste it. The Flame Emperor's teacher." Zhu Jin's heart was filled with endless yearning. After all, as a fan of Battle Through the Heavens, few people disliked Yao Lao.

He was the teacher who had passed the Flame Mantra to Xiao Yan and personally taught him alchemy. Wasn't the most tear-jerking scene in Battle Through the Heavens the part where Yao Lao was captured by the Soul Hall? It had taken away the tears of countless fans. Yet today, having transmigrated into Battle Through the Heavens, Zhu Jin actually had the fortune to see pills refined by Yao Lao.

The auction had already begun, but Zhu Jin had not paid attention. Even regarding his own two Black Iron Red Copper Cauldrons, he had only noticed that they had sold for a total of 1.5 million gold coins. The price was neither high nor low, equivalent to the price of three low-grade Grade Four pills.

Still, that was enough for the "airfare."

Finally, after item after item was auctioned off, Zhu Jin's Black-Yellow Cauldron, capable of sealing flames, was brought out.

Zhu Jin's Black-Yellow Cauldron was delivered onto the auction stage. It was a medicinal cauldron with an extremely ancient and simple appearance. The only difference from the Black Iron Red Copper Cauldron was probably its color.

"Why is it another medicinal cauldron? And another four-flame-port one at that." Seeing yet another medicinal cauldron brought out, some waiting Magical Beasts below voiced their displeasure.

"Exactly. Even if this is a charity auction for Venerable Yao's pills, you can't just put medicinal cauldrons up for sale one after another." Some alchemists were equally speechless.

A four-flame-port medicinal cauldron did not mean it could only be used to refine Grade Four pills. Xiao Yan had also used a two-flame-port medicinal cauldron to refine the Three-Mark Green Spirit Pill; it had merely exploded in the end. Four-flame-port medicinal cauldrons generally required the control of Grade Three or even Grade Four alchemists. After all, the more flame ports there were, the stricter the demands on one's control over soul power. Thus, not every alchemist could use a medicinal cauldron with four flame ports.

Hearing the dissatisfied voices below, the auctioneer could barely conceal his awkwardness as he forced himself to explain, "Like the previous two, this medicinal cauldron is a four-flame-port cauldron. They were all forged by the same forging master, and were medicinal cauldrons personally created by that master. They were likewise forged with Heavenly Flames."

Upon hearing the introduction, the bidders in the venue showed little interest. After all, two had already been auctioned off earlier. The third one had nothing particularly special about it, so naturally it could not stir anyone's enthusiasm.

"This cauldron starts at 500,000. Everyone may begin bidding." As soon as the auctioneer's words fell, the entire venue fell silent, just as expected. No one intended to bid.

"Just as expected." Zhu Jin, seated in the audience, seemed to have anticipated this outcome and was not surprised in the slightest.

The Nine Nether Commerce Association had deliberately arranged for the Black-Yellow Cauldron to appear last in order to intentionally suppress its price. Furthermore, the Nine Nether Commerce Association had not told the bidders that this medicinal cauldron's greatest feature was its ability to seal.

Just as the atmosphere became awkward, a middle-aged man slowly raised his hand and said, "500,000. I failed to get the first two, but I didn't expect there to be a third one. Haha, what good luck."

Hearing the middle-aged man's words, many people shook their heads helplessly. Especially the alchemists who had fought over the first two medicinal cauldrons—if they had known there would be so many, they would not have competed so fiercely.

The corners of Zhu Jin's mouth rose slightly as he thought, So you're playing the trick of sending one of your own people to bid low and suppress the price?

How could Zhu Jin possibly fail to see through such a petty trick? That middle-aged man was definitely a planted agent of the Nine Nether Commerce Association. But Zhu Jin had his own piece on the board as well.

Not long after the 500,000 bid, a figure wrapped in a black robe raised his hand from a corner and said, "One Dou Ling Pill."

Gasp! Gasp! Gasp!

Hearing the black-robed elder's bid, everyone present was shocked.

"Damn! Is this guy insane? A Grade Five pill for a four-flame-port medicinal cauldron?!"

Although it was called the Dou Ling Pill, it was a Grade Five pill, and its effect was to directly raise a Dou Wang expert's cultivation by one star. As for why the Dou Ling Pill enhanced a Dou Wang's cultivation, Zhu Jin actually wanted to ask Tudou about that.

Upon hearing someone offer a Dou Ling Pill, the most shocked were not the people in the venue, but the Nine Nether Commerce Association hidden behind the scenes.

At that moment, behind the commerce association, Elder Deng stood behind a giant python only a little over two meters long. It had a snake's head with six triangular ears growing from it. Although the giant python's current body was only two meters long, its true size was far greater than that. Once Magical Beasts reached Tier Six, they could freely expand and shrink their bodies. Back when Zi Yan fought the North Dragon King's wing, she had exhausted her Dou Qi and reverted from her mature-woman form into the child form that consumed the least energy.

"Young Master, that black-robed man is likely one of that Dragon Clan forging master's people." Elder Deng quietly sighed. That price was obviously abnormal. It was clear that the elder had been arranged by someone else to prevent the price from becoming too low.

The six-eared giant python flicked out his tongue. His cold gaze passed through the curtain toward Zhu Jin's location, and his eyes narrowed slightly. "Give it to him."

"This... Young Master, isn't a Dou Ling Pill for a four-flame-port medicinal cauldron a little too expensive?"

The giant python fixed his gaze on Elder Deng and said, "As long as it can help me complete that ancient secret technique, one Dou Ling Pill is worth it."

After receiving the soul transmission, the middle-aged man from the Nine Nether Commerce Association was first startled, then raised his hand and shouted, "500,000 gold coins, plus one Dou Ling Pill."

"Whoa, whoa!!"

The entire venue erupted. In an instant, everyone realized one thing: the medicinal cauldron on the auction stage was definitely not as simple as it appeared!

The elder transformed from Old Turtle did not continue bidding. One Dou Ling Pill was already his limit. If he added more and the other side did not follow, he would be stuck with it himself.

"One Dou Ling Pill is enough. There's no way it can go any higher." Zhu Jin did not continue being greedy. If he had not known beforehand that the other party needed this medicinal cauldron, he could never have sold it at such a price.

"Alright, next is the grand finale of this auction. I believe everyone knows why this auction is being held. That's right, all the following pills will start at 0 gold coins, and all auction proceeds will be donated to the Beast Domain Alchemist Guild to support the charity project that helps Magical Beasts become alchemists as well." While the many bidders were still astonished that a medicinal cauldron could sell for the price of a Dou Ling Pill, the auctioneer suddenly announced.

"Distinguished guests, let us all applaud Venerable Yao Han Feng's kindness with the warmest applause possible!!!"

Amid waves of beast roars and thunderous clapping, everyone—humans and Magical Beasts alike—stood up and applauded. Only one person—no, one dragon—fell completely rigid with shock.

"What? Venerable Yao? Han Feng??? Huh?"