Zhou Xun's heart tightened.
He was absolutely a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator!
The mere pressure made it hard for him to breathe—only a Foundation Establishment cultivator could do such a thing.
It seemed this so-called Black Market was far from simple.
To be able to invite a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, it was surely inseparable from Red Leaf Square's Four Great Clans.
"Four major forces, Four Great Clans!"
"That's it. These four major forces must be the spokesmen supported by Red Leaf Square's Four Great Clans!"
Zhou Xun instantly understood the mystery behind it all.
It seemed that behind the Black Market still stood the Four Great Clans.
Just as he was thinking, that aged voice sounded again, though it had become somewhat flustered.
"This junior was presumptuous. This junior is willing to offer one hundred spirit stones for this item!"
"Hmph. Let this be the last time!" As soon as the words fell from the stage—
The bidding Elder let out a muffled groan and spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Thank you, Senior, for showing mercy!"
Before long, this mid-grade magic artifact was purchased by the Elder for one hundred spirit stones.
"The second auction item: ten bottles of the foundation-strengthening and essence-nurturing Qi Induction Pill."
As he spoke, the middle-aged host waved his hand, and five bottles of pills flew out from a Storage Pouch, landing on the table beside him.
"You all know of Qi Induction Pills. They can assist cultivation and save several months of time. They can also help one break through a realm, making them rare and precious Dan."
"Each bottle contains ten pills. The starting bid is three spirit stones, with each increase no less than ten Spirit Essence!"
"Three spirit stones and ten Spirit Essence!"
"Three spirit stones and twenty Spirit Essence!"
Bids rose and fell in waves.
Very quickly, the pills were purchased by a cultivator who bid three spirit stones and eighty Spirit Essence.
"The second item."
"The third item."
One treasure after another was sold amid the calls of the auction. At last, it reached the purpose of Zhou Xun's visit.
"The twenty-third item: a Tier 2 Spirit Herb, Spirit Condensing Herb. The starting bid is forty spirit stones!"
This chapter came a little late.
It was here. Zhou Xun's spirits lifted.
After purchasing talismans and magic artifacts that day, Zhou Xun had only seventy-one spirit stones left in hand.
To secure the Spirit Condensing Herb, Zhou Xun had borrowed another twenty spirit stones from an alchemist he knew in the pavilion.
"Forty-one spirit stones!"
As soon as the middle-aged host's words fell, someone bid. Forty spirit stones was considerably below the market price of the Spirit Condensing Herb.
Thus, someone had made a bid, hoping to fish in troubled waters. If he managed to win it, he could resell it to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion and earn a difference in price.
"Forty-two."
"Forty-three."
The price rose one spirit stone at a time, quickly climbing to fifty.
This was already the market price of the Spirit Condensing Herb.
"Fifty-three!" The price continued to leap upward.
Yet the moment this price was called, no one continued bidding.
"Is there anyone offering higher?" Seeing this, the middle-aged host swept his gaze around, his tone carrying a trace of unwillingness.
But no one answered.
"I hereby announce that the Spirit Condensing Herb goes to—" The middle-aged host was just about to announce the result when he was suddenly interrupted.
"Sixty spirit stones!"
The speaker was Zhou Xun. He raised the bid by seven spirit stones in one breath, hoping to overwhelm any hidden competitors with sheer momentum and make them retreat in the face of difficulty.
"Good! This fellow Daoist has bid sixty spirit stones. Is there anyone offering higher?"
Though interrupted, the middle-aged man was not angry in the slightest. Instead, his spirits rose, and he continued asking with an expectant look.
"Sixty-two spirit stones!" The person who had bid earlier spoke again, his voice carrying a hint of needle-against-awl confrontation.
He had originally thought fifty-three spirit stones would be enough, but now the price had risen by nine more.
"Seventy spirit stones!" Zhou Xun's expression remained blank, his voice as still as an ancient well.
"Good! Good! Good!"
That person said "good" three times in succession. If this item had not been extremely important to him, he would already have stopped bidding.
"I offer seventy-four spirit stones. If Fellow Daoist can bid higher than this, then this Spirit Condensing Herb shall be yours!" The man laughed in anger, and his voice became shrill.
From the meaning in his words, seventy-four spirit stones were already this man's limit!
"Seventy-five spirit stones." Zhou Xun smiled faintly and named a number.
After that, the man indeed did not speak again.
"Though this price is somewhat above market value, it is still worth it."
To him, there was no distinction between precious and unprecious Tier 2 Low-Grade spirit herbs. In any case, he was refining their essence; as long as their rank was the same, that was enough.
"Seventy-five spirit stones! Is there anyone offering higher?" The middle-aged host's voice carried a note of delight.
This price was already nearly double the starting bid.
Seeing that no one responded for a long while, the middle-aged man nodded and was about to announce the result.
"One hundred spirit stones!"
A hoarse voice rang out.
Everyone present was startled.
This number had already exceeded twice the price of the Spirit Condensing Herb.
The crowd turned around one after another, only to see that the bidder was a middle-aged man in a dark brown robe, with another person dressed the same way beside him.
Presumably, that person was his companion.
Raising the bid by twenty-five spirit stones at once was truly a lavish move.
But it was indeed effective.
Zhou Xun truly could not compete. He did not have enough spirit stones left.
Zhou Xun wore a helpless expression. One hundred spirit stones—unless he pawned every treasure on him, he would not be able to gather that amount.
However, this man had bid so readily that he was most likely extremely wealthy. Even if Zhou Xun barely scraped together enough spirit stones, he feared he still would not be able to defeat him.
Besides, after pawning his magic artifacts and talismans, he would have no safety guarantee on his return to the square. The loss would outweigh the gain.
"Fine. I might as well save up for a while longer and buy that spirit herb from the Hundred Treasures Pavilion then!" Zhou Xun felt helpless, but quickly made his choice.
"One hundred spirit stones. The Spirit Condensing Herb belongs to this fellow Daoist." The middle-aged host brought down the hammer, confirming its ownership.
Once the decision was made, even higher bids afterward would not count.
The spirit herb had been bought, but Zhou Xun did not leave. He continued watching.
The treasures at the auction were all rare, exceptional items. It was a good chance to broaden his horizons.
"The twenty-fourth item: a Tier 1 Low-Grade spirit beast, Gale Wind Steed. The starting bid is ten spirit stones, and each increase must be no less than ten Spirit Essence."
The auction continued.
"The twenty-seventh item: a mid-grade magic artifact, Radiant Light Twin Blades."
"Although this magic artifact is mid-grade, both its materials and refining design were made according to the standards of a high-grade magic artifact."
"It was only because something went wrong during the refining process that it fell to mid-grade!"
"Yet its power is tremendous, far surpassing ordinary mid-grade magic artifacts."
"However, it has one restriction. Because it was refined according to the standards of a high-grade magic artifact, one must possess divine sense to wield it. Otherwise, its true power cannot be unleashed."
"The starting bid is forty spirit stones, and each increase must be no less than one spirit stone."
Forty spirit stones. Once this price was announced, everyone shook their heads.
"Fifty spirit stones already exceeds the range of mid-grade magic artifacts. Some lower-quality or flawed high-grade magic artifacts only cost this much!"
Before you continue