Over the next three days, the level of activity in Heaven Dou City reached an astonishing level.
A buying frenzy for the Blood Coagulation Powder was the first to erupt.
Following Xiao Yan's instructions, Qing Que did not release all the pills to the market at once, but instead released them in batches and at different locations with precision.
The first batch of Blood Coagulation Powder was only available in a few of the most remote herbal medicine shops in Heaven Dou City.
A general store in the slums north of the city, a mobile stall in the old warehouse district in the west of the city, and a small pharmacy on the outskirts of the military camp in the east of the city.
Each batch consists of only a few dozen bottles, and the price is unbelievably cheap.
A bottle costs six Silver Soul Coin, less than a third of the price of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion Hemostatic Spirit Powder.
Because the quantity is small, it will not cause too much of a commotion.
Because the locations are scattered, they will not attract excessive attention from the Spirit Hall.
But the effect was real; the first batch of Soul Hunting teams that bought the Blood Coagulation Powder became the Dark Hall's most loyal free promoters within just a few days.
The news spread quickly among the Soul Hunting and mercenary groups.
A Soul Hunting team that spends most of their time hunting Soul Beast had a large chunk of flesh sliced off their leader's leg by a wind blade while hunting a two-thousand-year-old Wind Wolf, causing him to bleed profusely.
The team's healing Soul Master were helpless and could only watch as their captain's face grew paler and paler.
A newly recruited member of the Dark Hall's outer perimeter took out a bottle of Blood Coagulation Powder from his pocket, uncorked it, and sprinkled the white powder on the wound. The bleeding stopped within three breaths.
Three breaths—that's how the hunter captain said he counted them clearly.
In the first breath, blood was still gushing out; in the second breath, the blood at the wound began to congeal; and in the third breath, a light red film formed on the surface of the wound, and the bleeding stopped completely.
The wound began to scab over the next day, and pink new flesh grew under the scab.
He would show off the scar on his leg to everyone he met, exaggerating the benefits of the Blood Coagulation Powder.
"I've been hunting for so many years, and I've never seen such a miraculous medicine!"
Previously, when I used Hundred Herbs Pavilion's Hemostatic Spirit Powder, the wound would hurt for at least ten days to half a month, but now I can get out of bed in three days.
The medicine from the Dark Hall —in a word, it's worth it!
One tells ten, ten tell a hundred, a hundred tell a thousand.
The reputation of the Blood Coagulation Powder spread rapidly throughout Heaven Dou City like wildfire.
Those who initially bought the Blood Coagulation Powder just to try it out have now become the Dark Hall's most loyal supporters.
They not only bought it themselves, but also brought their teammates, friends, and relatives to buy it together.
Long queues form outside the pharmacies in the north of the city every day before dawn.
Among those queuing were Soul Hunting in leather armor, wounded veterans with canes, academy Soul Master in robes, and even a few students from the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
They hadn't even had time to change out of their school uniforms; they ran all the way after class and arrived at the end of the line, panting.
The effects of the Qi Gathering Pill are even more astonishing.
The first person to publicly speak out in support of the Qi Gathering Pill was an old mercenary who had been stuck at the peak of the 39th level Soul Elder for half a year without being able to break through.
His name is Old Zhao. He is over forty years old, and his Martial Soul is just an ordinary wild wolf. His cultivation talent is as mediocre as can be.
He served as the captain of the bodyguard team in the Heaven Dou City Mercenary Guild for most of his life. His greatest wish was to break through to level 40 Soul Ancestor and obtain his Fourth Soul Ring before he died, so that his Martial Soul could have another useful skill.
However, despite trying all the cultivation pills available in every pill shop in Heaven Dou City, he remained unmoved at the level 39 bottleneck.
He was ready to give up. A forty-year-old mercenary with poor cultivation talent, he would probably only ever reach the Soul Elder in his lifetime.
Someone suggested he try the Qi Gathering Pill from the Dark Hall.
He initially refused.
Fifteen Silver Soul Coin per coin is no small amount for him; it's enough to feed his entire family for half a month.
But after being persuaded by his old friends, he finally gritted his teeth and took out his savings from half a year to buy one.
That very night, after taking the Qi Gathering Pill, Old Zhao broke through to level 40.
He burst into tears in front of everyone at the Mercenary Guild's tavern. The forty-year-old man, wearing dirty leather armor and with scars on his face, sat at the table wailing, his tears making the peanuts on the table salty.
He said that since he joined the Mercenary Guild at the age of twenty, his biggest dream has been to become Soul Ancestor.
He thought he would never achieve it in his lifetime. Now he has, Medicine Gang from the Dark Hall.
News of the Qi Gathering Pill spread rapidly among the rogue cultivators through the mouths of countless low-level Soul Master like Old Zhao.
The price of 15 Silver Soul Coin for a Qi Gathering Pill caused a complete uproar among the rogue Soul Master in Heaven Dou City.
Any pill on the market that can directly increase Soul Power costs at least a hundred Silver Soul Coin.
The Dark Hall was almost ten times cheaper, but the effect was just as good.
The long queues outside the pharmacies in the north of the city stretched from morning till night, forcing the shopkeepers to put up wooden signs with charcoal writing on them.
"Each person is limited to three Qi- Qi Gathering Pill and ten bottles of Blood Coagulation Powder. Please do not purchase on behalf of others or hoard goods."
The wooden sign was crooked from being jostled by the crowd, and the charcoal writing was blurred by sweat and moisture, but that didn't stop people from repeatedly checking it word by word.
The news of the Qi Gathering Pill inevitably reached the ears of the major sects.
Inside the Clear Wind Pavilion, the largest teahouse in Heaven Dou City, the initial discussion among the sect representatives, who were carrying purple clay teapots, was somewhat dismissive.
"How much power can a mere underground organization possibly have?"
But after witnessing firsthand the effects of the Qi Gathering Pill being verified by one rogue cultivator after another, everyone's attitudes underwent a complete 180-degree turn.
"I have personally verified the effectiveness of the Blood Coagulation Powder; it is completely genuine."
The representative of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect stationed in Heaven Dou City was an elderly man in his fifties.
His surname is Xu, and he is also a Soul Saint level expert. He holds a high position in the sect and is mainly responsible for intelligence gathering and material procurement for Heaven Dou City.
He lowered his voice and spoke to his assistant in the private room of the teahouse.
"The price of the Blood Coagulation Powder is less than one-third of that of the Hemostatic Spirit Powder Hemostatic Spirit Powder from the Hundred Herbs Pavilion, but its efficacy is at least twice as strong."
The Qi Gathering Pill can help Soul Elder break through bottlenecks, but its price is only one-tenth of similar pills on the market.
If this Dark Hall were just an ordinary underground organization, it would be impossible for them to produce pills of this caliber.
Investigate, find out who is the mastermind behind the Dark Hall, is it Xiao Yan from the Star Luo Empire back then?
" Xiao Yan, the one who used bluish-white flames in the Soul Master Tournament? Wasn't he wanted by the Spirit Hall?"
The deputy frowned, clearly familiar with the name.
"If they could really capture Xiao Yan, they would have made a big fuss about it long ago."
They're telling everyone Xiao Yan has escaped, but the Dark Hall just happened to appear at this moment, and they still have Blood Coagulation Powder in their possession.
" Blood Coagulation Powder was Xiao Yan's exclusive elixir back in the Star Luo Empire."
Representative Xu tapped his fingers heavily twice on the table.
Don't you think this is too much of a coincidence?
After receiving a Three Yang Blazing Fire Pill from the Dark Hall as a gesture of goodwill for prior communication, Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect made a decision that surprised everyone.
He put aside all his official duties and personally led Ning Rongrong to Heaven Dou City. Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong also accompanied them.
The news of the Three Yang Blazing Fire Pill was even more secretive and shocking than that of the Blood Coagulation Powder and the Qi Gathering Pill.
The method of spreading the You Ying was extremely ingenious.
She had several of her associates disguise themselves as drunk mercenaries and " Xiao Xin " let slip the secret in a private room of the teahouse, through a hidden eavesdropper.
She personally scouted and confirmed every possible leak of information about the Three Yang Blazing Fire Pill, ensuring that it would be overheard "accidentally" by the target force.
Because Xiao Yan applied for the auction house, he staged a play with Xue Qinghe, the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire. Naturally, the Heaven Dou Imperial Family was the first to receive the news.
Having resolved the auction issue and enhanced the reputation of the Dark Hall with the two types of pills, Xiao Yan immediately arranged for You Ying to send auction invitations to various major powers.
Qian Renxue sent a reply to the Dark Hall that same day, indicating that the Heaven Dou Imperial Family would definitely participate in the auction.
Next up is Representative Xu from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect.
He overheard several "drunk mercenaries" in the next private room loudly discussing the Three Yang Blazing Fire Pill.
He immediately ordered his deputy to stake out the entrances of several pharmacies in the north of the city, hoping to extract more information from the shopkeepers.
The representative of the Elephant Armor Sect reacted most directly. The burly man ran straight to the entrance of the pharmacy in the north of the city and cracked the door frame. The shopkeeper had to temporarily reinforce the door frame and replace the wooden door with an iron door.
Representatives from the other sects also dispatched people to inquire about the Dark Hall's background and the specific date of the auction.
On the day of the auction, the Heaven Dou Auction House was packed with people.
This top-tier auction house on the continent stands beside the central square of Heaven Dou City, its entire structure made of white marble, reflecting a dazzling white light in the afternoon sun.
Six towering stone pillars in front of the gate, each carved with angel reliefs, are so tall that it takes three people to encircle each pillar. The angel wings on the pillars are so lifelike that they seem to break free from the pillars and fly into the sky at any moment.
The square was surrounded by carriages from various powerful forces. The bright yellow imperial carriage of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family was parked in the most conspicuous position. The four white horses were pure white without a single stray hair, and their harnesses were edged with gold.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School's glazed tile carriage followed closely behind, its curtains drawn low, revealing several figures sitting inside.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect's golden chariot with lightning patterns was parked on the left side of the square, the lightning patterns faintly glowing in the sunlight.
The giant elephant chariot of the Elephant Armor Sect was parked a little further away. When Huyan Lie, the representative of the Elephant Armor Sect, got off the chariot, the entire chariot sank under his weight.
In addition, there were several brocade carriages belonging to wealthy merchants and gentry of Heaven Dou City.
A few fast horses were scattered among the carriages; these were independent Soul Master who had come from nearby cities.
Although they were not as wealthy as the powerful sects, they still wanted to witness this unprecedented auction of elixirs.
The royal guards, maintaining order, stood in two rows around the square, their armor gleaming, the tips of their spears reflecting a blinding glint in the sunlight.
These guards were personally dispatched by Qian Renxue in the name of the Crown Prince, ostensibly to "maintain order at the auction."
In reality, this kept the Spirit Hall's people at bay on the perimeter. The two red-clad deacons sent by Salas were stopped by the guards at the entrance to the square.
They were repeatedly questioned for nearly 25 minutes under the pretext that "the invitations require identity verification." By the time they finally entered, the auctions for the Blood Coagulation Powder and Qi Gathering Pill had already ended.
The two red-clad stewards had faces so dark they were almost dripping with gloom, but they dared not lash out because of the Crown Prince's reputation. They could only angrily find a corner to sit down, unable to even enter the private room on the second floor.
The auction hall was large enough to accommodate thousands of people, but Xiao Yan deliberately limited the number of guests present to around two hundred.
He doesn't want a large audience; he wants everyone sitting in the audience to have enough influence.
They were either high-ranking officials or powerful figures in their own right.
The VIP rooms on the second floor, which are not usually open to the public, were all lit up.
Ning Fengzhi, dressed in a blue robe, with a Qing Ya and composed expression, was tilting his head and whispering something to Bone Douluo Gu Rong.
Ning Rongrong sat beside him, wearing a light green dress, her long hair half up and half down, her gaze constantly falling on the auction stage, intentionally or unintentionally.
Sword Douluo Chen Xin still wore a white robe as white as snow, holding an ancient longsword in his arms.
With his eyes slightly closed, the sharp sword intent emanating from him caused the guests sitting around him to unconsciously shrink back.
Bone Douluo Gu Rong stood with his arms crossed, guarding Ning Fengzhi like an iron tower, his gaze slowly sweeping over the surroundings.
Dugu Bo sat in another VIP seat not far from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, still wearing that dark green robe, his hair and beard all white but his spirit vigorous.
His narrow, eagle-like eyes were half-closed, and a faint green halo of poisonous gas enveloped his body, making the guests within a few feet dare not approach.
He sat beside Dugu Yan and Yu Tianheng.
Dugu Yan looked even better than when he last saw her in the valley; her cheeks were rosy, and her emerald green eyes were full of curiosity.
The curtains of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's private room were slightly lifted, revealing glimpses of Crown Prince Qian Renxue's bright yellow court robes.
Representative Xu of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, sat in the private room, holding a newly copied auction price list for the Blood Coagulation Powder. His expression was much more serious than usual.
He had just sent someone to buy several bottles of Blood Coagulation Powder from pharmacies in the north of the city. After confirming that the medicine was effective and genuine, he was in a state of shock and anxiety.
Xiao Yan stood in the dark room behind the auction stage, watching the grand spectacle in the hall through the gap in the curtain.
Zhu Zhuqing stood beside him. Today, she wasn't wearing the dark purple outfit; instead, she had changed into a more concealing black robe.