Spirit-Gathering Pills Go Up for Auction

Long Xuan naturally agreed to Qian Duoduo's request. He had already prepared the incomplete map, keeping back the most crucial portion. Now, it seemed his preparations had been unnecessary.

Led by a young maid, Long Xuan entered the venue and took a seat in the VIP section marked Number Ten, quietly waiting for the auction to begin.

The auction hall was enormous, large enough to accommodate a thousand people. Rows of seats filled the front, while an expansive standing area lay behind them. Many Rogue Cultivators stood there simply to watch the excitement, their clamor rising in waves.

Even among those seated in front, most had already arrived. Judging by their attire, everyone sitting there possessed considerable wealth. Compared to the rear, this area was much quieter.

Seeing that so many people had already entered, Long Xuan knew he had indeed arrived at just the right time. An auction really was about to begin.

But precisely because it was happening so soon, his map had received no publicity. The true deep-pocketed buyers likely had no time to rush over.

Yet that was exactly what Long Xuan wanted to see. If Qian Duoduo had wanted to promote it for two months before auctioning it off, he would have refused instead.

Speed had its advantages. He had always been overly cautious; even if it meant earning much less, he did not want even a few more dangerous variables.

He knew all too well how tempting a Fossil Ore Vein was to a Lineage.

Gu cultivator Lineages could wage war over the struggle for several mortal villages, let alone a Fossil Ore Vein.

A Fossil Ore Vein was absolutely something that could ignite a war.

At present, the highest realm in the market was only the Marrow Cleansing Peak.

If the Qian Clan Merchant Association truly promoted it for several months, there was no need to think about it—Far Western Market would draw in a large number of Gu Kings. Even superpowers from extremely distant lands would come rushing over upon hearing the news.

He would earn more then, but who would guarantee his safety? He was not foolish enough to believe those Gu Kings would truly leave him untouched simply because they feared the market's rule against killing.

By then, forget about him—an all-out melee among Gu Kings might even erupt in Far Western Market.

In their eyes, Far Western Market's rule against killing was less than fart.

So he wished for the auction to happen as quickly as possible. There was not even a Spiritual Sea Stage Gu cultivator in the market right now, so his safety was absolutely guaranteed.

Long Xuan did not have to wait long. Before the VIP section had even filled up, the Qian Clan Merchant Association impatiently began the auction.

With the toll of a bell, the auction hall instantly fell silent. Qian Jinjin, dressed in a white gown, walked to the auction table and gave the crowd below a faint smile. Her peerless beauty left many people staring blankly on the spot.

When Long Xuan's gaze swept over that face, he could not help calling her a seductress in his heart. In this world washed clean by spiritual power, the beauties here truly surpassed the celebrities of his previous life by far.

Never mind how strong her professional skills were or how eloquent she might be—merely standing there was enough to ensure that today's auction would not lack sales.

At this moment, many people revealed looks of surprise. They had not expected her to serve as auctioneer for this event. Unless this auction contained an exceptionally special item, the Qian Clan's eldest daughter would never personally take the stage.

Many people with poor information networks still had no idea what had happened, but the outside world had already exploded. Considerable chaos had appeared in some parts of the market, and insect messengers flew toward distant places from time to time.

Although the auction had received no publicity, explosive news was impossible to suppress. Quite a few powerful figures were already hurrying this way.

Thus, Qian Jinjin did not dare waste any time. She skipped even the lengthy opening remarks and directly began introducing the first auction item in her hand.

"Everyone, this is the final item the auction house has just taken in. I trust you will all be very interested."

Qian Jinjin beckoned toward the rear. A maid of equally exceptional appearance approached carrying a jade tray, covered by a red cloth that concealed its contents.

The unknown and mysterious were often what seized people's attention most firmly. A single red cloth was enough to arouse the interest of everyone below.

"Alright, time is limited, so I will not keep you in suspense."

"These are Spirit-Gathering Pills refined by a mysterious alchemist. There are ten pills in the bottle. I believe every Gu cultivator knows what Spirit-Gathering Pills do, so I will not waste time explaining further."

"A bottle of ten Spirit-Gathering Pills starts at one hundred thousand Spirit Stones. The quality of all Spirit Stones must meet the average standard. Bidding begins now."

Qian Jinjin yanked away the red cloth. At once, most people in the hall began breathing rapidly, their eyes turning red.

Most of those present were Spirit Gathering Stage Gu cultivators. Precisely because heaven and earth's spiritual power was thin, cultivators of this era could only rely on medicinal pills to break through, resulting in Spirit Gathering Peak Stage Gu cultivators being as common as hairs on a cow.

The attraction of Spirit-Gathering Pills, which could aid breakthroughs, was therefore self-evident. This first auction item alone was enough to drive every Gu cultivator in the hall mad.

At this moment, quite a few Gu cultivators who had been stuck at the Spirit Gathering Peak for decades without budging completely went mad. The instant bidding began, someone shouted, "I bid three hundred thousand Spirit Stones! None of you better compete with me!"

Long Xuan's heart trembled. The starting price was one hundred thousand Spirit Stones, yet it had tripled in an instant?

Was selling Spirit-Gathering Pills really this profitable? Had he been too cautious before? If he had boldly put Spirit-Gathering Pills up for sale earlier, he might have long since gathered the materials needed to refine the Divine Ice Flame.

What had all his caution upon caution upon caution brought him? He had been cautious to the point of excess, yet he still ended up being murdered for treasure.

Just as Long Xuan was crying out inwardly, this bottle of Spirit-Gathering Pills quickly soared to one million Spirit Stones.

That was equivalent to one hundred thousand Spirit Stones per Spirit-Gathering Pill. It was simply a sky-high price. With that much money, who knew how many ordinary Gu insects could be refined?

By this point, the pace of bidding had slowed. Many people wore deeply conflicted expressions, sweat beading across their foreheads.

It was only because Spirit Gathering Stage Gu cultivators were the poorest group, all dirt-poor, that a group of Rogue Cultivators had to pool their money just to raise the bid to one million Spirit Stones. Otherwise, the price might have multiplied several more times.

How much an item could sell for did not depend entirely on how much it was worth, but on how much money the buyers possessed in total.

Take the Spirit Stone Vein about to be auctioned later. Its total value might reach hundreds of billions, yet no force possessed that much liquid capital. Naturally, the price would have to fall by hundreds of times. There was no helping it.

Therefore, around one million Spirit Stones for a bottle of ten Spirit-Gathering Pills was already close to the limit.

But just as Qian Jinjin raised her small golden hammer, preparing to settle the matter with one decisive strike, a rough voice suddenly rang out from outside.

"My Long Family bids one million one hundred thousand!"

The arguments in the hall fell silent as a group of people filed in beneath everyone's gaze.

Seeing this group enter, Qian Jinjin's pupils contracted slightly.

The Far West Seven Great Clans had all arrived? So fast—had they flown here?

Then she saw that the leaders of several other merchant associations had also entered with large groups of people behind them, and her heart jolted even more.

The Qian Clan Merchant Association was an outsider that had only moved here in recent years. It was far less deeply rooted than the merchant associations that had long been established here. These merchant associations could certainly mobilize no small amount of capital. It seemed that today, a heavy loss of blood would be unavoidable.