Mittel Tengshan motioned for everyone seated there to settle down, a smile on his face.
"No need to be so courteous. I only came here today to look in on things."
Everyone laughed at Mittel Tengshan's words. As a merchant, he soon warmed up the atmosphere.
Seeing that the moment was right, Mittel Tengshan's expression grew much more serious.
"Today, I originally came as just another customer, hoping to join in the fun. However, the staff backstage just informed me that a mysterious gentleman has added an item to the auction at the last minute.
Based on our current appraisal, its value is beyond measure. To ensure the item's safety, these old bones of mine have had no choice but to come out and do some work.
All right, enough idle chatter. Let the auction begin. Ya Fei."
"Understood."
At Mittel Tengshan's words, Ya Fei nodded, then turned toward the audience and spoke with a smile.
"Then please welcome our first auction item today, the [Black Obsidian Sword].
This precious weapon was forged using a rank-two fire-attribute magic core. It is incomparably sharp, and conducts Dou Qi very smoothly... the starting bid is five hundred gold coins."
"Five hundred and ten!"
"Five hundred and twenty!"
Han Chen leaned against the back of his chair, watching the heated atmosphere below as his fingers tapped incessantly.
They've made such a grand show of this that even Mittel Tengshan came... then the Imperial Family will probably send someone too. Should I slip away early?
Time passed amid the feverish bidding, until Ya Fei raised her voice again.
"Everyone! Our next auction item is something quite rare for all of you here."
As she spoke, Ya Fei clapped her hands, and a maid carried a tray onto the stage.
Ya Fei took the jade bottle from the tray and held it up for everyone to see, her voice alluring.
"This item is called Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid, and it is ranked second tier. It is effective only for those below the Dou Zhe level. Cultivating while soaking your body in this spirit liquid can accelerate your cultivation speed if you are below that level.
Hehe, if any of you wish to turn your grandson into a young genius, you mustn't miss this opportunity.
The Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid starts at eight thousand gold coins, with each increase no less than five hundred."
"What? It can be used at the Dou Qi stage? Didn't they say you can't take medicinal pills at the Dou Qi stage?"
"Obviously, some master alchemist must have invented it himself."
"Wutan City truly has crouching tigers and hidden dragons."
After discussing it in low voices for a while, everyone began placing bids. After all, who wouldn't want their sons and grandsons to break through to Dou Zhe sooner?
"Ten thousand!"
"Eleven thousand!"
Han Chen watched the jade bottle in Ya Fei's hand. Honestly, if he hadn't already had the Yellow Dragon Pill, he really would have wanted to buy it. Although Xiao Yan had diluted it, it was still quite valuable.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yan, sitting at the rear of the auction hall, was delighted when he saw the price of his Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid soar, easily breaking past thirty thousand.
"Teacher, did you see that? Thirty thousand! I've never had that much money."
"Look at you. Such a little bit of money already has you beside yourself with joy? Once you become an alchemist, even a casually made pill will fetch an astronomical price.
This bottle of Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid will fetch forty or fifty thousand at most. Don't get your hopes too high. Remember our main objective."
Inside the Storage Ring, Yao Lao stroked his beard, his expression solemn. Naturally, both he and Xiao Yan had read the item list, and they were very interested in the Foundation Establishment Pill.
However, he didn't hold out much hope. Before entering, he had seen those carriages. Their occupants had probably all come for that pill.
As expected, events unfolded just as Yao Lao had predicted. The Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid was finally won by someone on the second floor for fifty thousand.
"The next auction item is the Xuan-class cultivation method, [Wind Scroll Technique]. The starting bid..."
"The next auction item is a rank-three Earth Scorpion Beast magic core. The starting bid..."
Han Chen sat there watching quietly. Then, after Ya Fei finished auctioning off an item, several sturdy men suddenly surged onto the previously calm auction stage.
When the people in the private rooms and those below the stage saw these men, they knew the main event had arrived.
The men onstage formed a circle, separating Ya Fei from the audience. Once they were in position, they each let out a thunderous shout. Dou Qi surged around their bodies, forming suits of brilliantly colored armor.
"What? They're all Da Dou Shi experts! As expected of the Mittel Family. They certainly do things on a grand scale."
Not only the audience below, but even the people in the private rooms were somewhat surprised by these seven or eight Da Dou Shi.
Ya Fei took a sandalwood box from Mittel Tengshan, opened it, and walked a circuit of the stage.
"Everyone, next is tonight's grand finale, the breakthrough pill you have all been eagerly awaiting.
We have already described its effects in the item list, but we will repeat them here nonetheless.
The mid-grade fourth-tier medicinal pill, [Foundation Establishment Pill], was created by an expert wandering the lands. Not only can it be used for cultivation, it can also cleanse the meridians and marrow, temper one's foundation, and strengthen one's constitution and vital energy.
Moreover, it can help you break through cultivation realms, and has a broad range of applications. Dou Shi, Da Dou Shi, and Dou Ling can all use it.
You all understand the value of such a pill, so let the bidding begin. The starting bid is 'three hundred thousand,' with each increase no less than ten thousand!"
As Ya Fei finished speaking, Mittel Tengshan, who had been sitting behind her all this time, also rose. His aura burst forth, and a pair of wings gradually solidified behind him, displaying his strength as a Dou Wang.
The lively atmosphere cooled considerably when everyone saw the pair of Dou Qi Wings behind Mittel Tengshan.
Seeing that he had achieved the desired effect, Mittel Tengshan narrowed his eyes and spoke slowly.
"Although the minimum bid increase for today's item is only ten thousand, that is merely to give more people a chance. I hope you will all cherish it, rather than disrupt proceedings and cause trouble for us."
After he finished, the hall fell silent for only a moment before plunging back into heated bidding.
"Three hundred and ten thousand!"
"Three hundred and thirty thousand!"
"Three hundred and fifty thousand!"
The Foundation Establishment Pill received an enthusiastic response, and its price soon broke past four hundred thousand. Xiao Zhan and the others had initially kept bidding, but once it passed four hundred and fifty thousand, their bids slowed noticeably.
Even in a good year for business, the Xiao Clan's normal annual income was only around three hundred thousand, barely putting the pill's current price within reach.
Five hundred thousand would be enough to force any of Wutan City's three great clans to live on a shoestring for the next two years. Any more, and a clan might go bankrupt outright.
Although they were sorely tempted by the Foundation Establishment Pill, they also understood that it was beyond their reach. Thus, Xiao Zhan and Jia Lie Ao both gave up bidding in succession.
Watching the Foundation Establishment Pill's price break past five hundred thousand, Xiao Yan was so shocked that his mouth hung open.
"Heavens, five hundred thousand! The Xiao Clan might not earn that much even in two or three years."
"Hehe, that already shocks you? An ordinary fourth-tier pill costs about this much. This Foundation Establishment Pill is probably worth twice that."
At Yao Lao's words, Xiao Yan scratched his head and smiled. But then he realized something was wrong.
"Twice... wouldn't that be one million!"
Before you continue