"This auction features ten items."
Su Mei stood where the lights were brightest.
The scarlet dress clung to her figure, exuding a captivating charm with every gesture.
Having been assigned by the Pill Pavilion to preside over tonight's auction, she naturally knew how many people she couldn't easily offend were sitting in the audience.
She didn't waste time on pleasantries and gestured for the maid to bring out the first item for auction.
Two maids carried a long, narrow wooden box up the platform.
The wooden box is opened.
A long, crimson sword was revealed, its blade surface shimmering with fine fire patterns. Even before spiritual energy was infused into it, the surrounding temperature had already risen several degrees.
"The first item up for auction is Mystic Rank High Grade spiritual weapon, the Crimson Flame Saber."
Su Mei gripped the hilt of the knife and channeled her spiritual energy into it.
Buzz!
A three-foot blade of light shot out from its edge, and a scorching wave of air swept outwards.
"This sword is forged from Earthfire Mystic Iron, and its blade is engraved with three fire-gathering array patterns, making it most suitable for martial artists who cultivate fire-attribute techniques."
"Starting price: 150,000 low-grade spirit stones. Each bid must be at least 10,000 higher."
No sooner had he finished speaking than bids began to rang out in the hall.
"Sixteen thousand!"
"180,000!"
Two hundred thousand!
Many martial artists participated in the auction, but the private room on the third floor remained silent.
While Mystic Rank High Grade spiritual weapon is quite valuable to Rogue Cultivator and disciples of second-rate sects, it is considered an ordinary item by the seven major sects, the royal family, and the Pill Pavilion.
In the end, the Crimson Flame Saber was sold for 310,000 low-grade spirit stones.
The second item auctioned was a fourth-grade healing pill, which was bought by a second-rate sect deacon for 760,000 low-grade spirit stones.
The third item was a set of Mystic Rank High Grade armor, which also failed to arouse the interest of the people on the third floor.
Chu Yunfei leaned against the window, his expression calm, and did not make a bid.
Ling Xueyao sat at the tea table, her gaze never leaving the auction stage. Her fingers occasionally tapped the surface, the rhythm seemingly steady, but the intervals becoming shorter and shorter.
The Soul-Consolidating Origin-Returning Pill has not yet appeared.
More people came tonight than she had expected.
Once a sixth-grade elixir is presented, the competition will be anything but easy.
When the fourth item was brought to the platform, Little Purple, which had been coiled around Chu Yunfei's wrist, suddenly raised its snake head.
A pair of purple vertical pupils stared intently at the jade box on the stage.
It seemed to have smelled some extremely attractive scent, its tail tightening slightly around Chu Yunfei's wrist, and it emitted a rapid hiss.
Little Purple and Chu Yunfei had signed a contract.
That intense longing flowed into his mind through the contract, and even Chu Yunfei could feel it clearly.
His gaze then fell on the jade box.
A purple vine, about half a foot long, lay inside the box.
The surface of the vine stem is covered with fine black thorns, and the roots are wrapped with pale purple lightning arcs. A few drops of dark purple sap seeped from the broken end and fell to the bottom of the jade box, corroding it and producing wisps of white smoke.
Su Mei was clearly prepared.
She didn't touch the vines directly, but introduced them to everyone through the sealing formation.
"The fourth item up for auction: a fifth-grade spiritual herb, the Purple Lightning Heart-Devouring Vine."
"This thing grows in places where lightning poison gathers. It takes fifty years to take root and a hundred years to become a vine. The sap of the vine contains a deadly poison. It is of no benefit to ordinary martial artists, but it can be used to refine fifth-grade poison pills and can also help poison-attribute spirit beasts cleanse their bloodlines."
Su Mei glanced around the room and said with a smile, "The starting price is 500,000 low-grade spirit stones, and each bid must be at least 50,000 higher."
Upon hearing the words "grade five spiritual medicine," many people immediately became interested.
Upon learning that the substance was highly poisonous, most people's expressions calmed down.
Poisonous medicinal herbs have limited uses; if there's no corresponding formula, they'll just gather dust in your storage ring after you buy them.
Five hundred and fifty thousand.
On the second floor, an elderly man in gray was the first to speak.
His face was thin and his knuckles were thick. Behind him stood two disciples in brown robes. All of them had a black puppet embroidered on their sleeves, so their identities were not hard to recognize.
"It's Elder Han Kui of the Puppet Sect."
"I've heard that this person Divine Sea Realm Middle Stage cultivation level and is most skilled at crafting poisonous corpse puppets. Purple Lightning Heart-Devouring Vine falls into his hands, it will most likely be refined into corpse poison."
People nearby were whispering among themselves.
Upon hearing this, Han Kui gave him a cold glance.
The speaker turned pale, immediately shut his mouth, and lowered his head.
Inside the private room, Little Purple flicked its tongue and kept rubbing its head against Chu Yunfei's wrist, its eyes never leaving the jade box.
Ling Xueyao also noticed its longing.
"Will this poison ivy be useful to Little Purple?"
Chu Yunfei pressed down on Little Purple's head, sensing the restless power of the lightning poison within its body.
"It is a venomous python, possessing both lightning and poison powers within its body. The properties of the Purple Lightning Heart-Devouring Vine are extremely compatible with it."
"If I can swallow and refine it, my cultivation level should be able to advance further."
Ling Xueyao glanced at Little Purple.
This spirit beast recently broke through to the Third Level of the Heavenly Origin Realm Earth Vein Spirit Spring. If it further refines its bloodline with fifth-grade spiritual herbs, its strength is likely to continue to increase.
Chu Yunfei was targeted by the Second Prince as soon as he arrived in the capital. Now that he is in the vortex of the capital, having a Heavenly Origin Realm spirit beast to help him will give him more power to protect himself.
"Take a picture of it."
Ling Xueyao said calmly, "I will provide the spirit stones."
Chu Yunfei didn't stand on ceremony and directly channeled spiritual energy into the auction array patterns in the private room.
"Eight hundred thousand."
The quote came from the third floor, and a murmur rippled through the lobby.
Han Kui had just raised the price to 550,000 when the other party immediately raised it to 800,000, clearly determined to get the poisonous vine.
Han Kui looked up at the third floor, his gaze darkening.
The array in the private room blocked his vision and spiritual sense; he couldn't see the people inside, but he could tell from their voices that the person making the offer was a young man.
Nine hundred thousand.
Han Kui raised the price again.
Chu Yunfei remained expressionless.
"One million two hundred thousand."
The price was increased by 300,000 in one go.
Several poison cultivators who had originally planned to participate in the bidding immediately lost interest.
Although the Purple Lightning Heart-Devouring Vine is a fifth-grade spiritual herb, its normal price is only around one million low-grade spirit stones.
One million two hundred thousand is already a bit overpriced.
Han Kui's expression gradually turned ugly.
He bought this item to refine a poisonous corpse puppet. Once successfully refined, the puppet would possess a deadly poison capable of threatening the Divine Sea Realm Middle Stage.
Just as he was about to get the materials, a young man interfered, and he was naturally unwilling to back down.
"One million four hundred thousand!"
Han Kui raised the price by 200,000 in one go.
The murmurs in the hall quickly subsided.
One million four hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones is far beyond the normal value of the Purple Lightning Heart-Devouring Vine.
If the person on the third floor continues to bid, it will not be a simple matter of buying spiritual medicine, but rather a direct challenge to the face of an elder of the Puppet Sect.
Chu Yunfei did not hesitate.
One million six hundred thousand.
As soon as the offer was made, Little Purple immediately raised its snake head high, as if afraid that he might suddenly give up.
Ling Xueyao found it somewhat amusing.
"It does know that you're stealing things for it."
" Little Purple's intelligence is already quite high, she's just usually too lazy to talk to people."
Chu Yunfei flicked the snake's head. "If you move again, after we take the picture, I'll starve you for three days."
Little Purple's body stiffened.
It immediately coiled back around Chu Yunfei's wrist, leaving only its purple pupils staring at the auction stage, behaving as obediently as could be.
Seating on the second floor.
Han Kui didn't immediately offer a price; he simply tapped his fingers on the armrest of the seat.
As one of the seven major sects, the Puppet Sect is so powerful that few in the Eastern Continent would be willing to offend its elders for a mere fifth-grade spiritual herb.
But the person on the third floor didn't even change their tone.
The other party either didn't know his identity or wasn't afraid at all.
Han Kui spoke in a deep voice, "May I ask who is on the third floor? I am Han Kui, an elder of the Puppet Sect. This Purple Lightning Heart-Devouring Vine is related to a high-level puppet for the sect. I hope you can do me a favor."
Su Mei frowned slightly.
Using one's status to exert pressure at the auction is already somewhat of a violation of the rules.
However, since Han Kui did not directly threaten her, she couldn't interrupt him in public.
Chu Yunfei leaned against the window and responded in a low voice.
"In the auction, the highest bidder wins. If Elder Han truly needs it, he can simply continue bidding."
A low gasp of surprise rippled through the hall.
Even though the other party knew Han Kui's identity, they still refused to back down.
Han Kui's eyes narrowed.
"It's good that young people have some confidence, but Eastern Continent is vast, and once you take the wrong path, it's hard to turn back."