The words had barely left his mouth.
The entire venue fell silent.
Immediately afterwards, exclamations of surprise rang out from all directions.
Three million mid-grade spirit stones!
That's equivalent to a whopping 30 million low-grade spirit stones.
This resource is enough to support a second-rate sect in cultivating a group of the Heavenly Origin Realm martial artists.
Many sects with weaker foundations may not be able to raise the money in a short period of time even if they sell most of their assets.
Although the power of the Great Qian Imperial Family is not as great as it was a hundred years ago, its accumulated strength over ten thousand years is still beyond the imagination of ordinary forces.
Han Kui stared at the private room on the third floor, his eyes flashing.
Three million.
The fact that Ling Xueyao dared to quote such a price is enough to demonstrate the importance of the Soul-Consolidating Origin-Returning Pill to the royal family.
The disciple behind Han Kui asked telepathically:
"Elder, should we send someone to follow the man in black? He seems to know something about the royal family."
"No need."
Han Kui answered quickly.
"This person dared to provoke the royal family in the Pill Pavilion; he must have powerful backing. Following him rashly will only bring trouble upon ourselves."
He squinted.
"Report what happened tonight back to the sect. The sect will decide how to proceed with further probing."
Qin Hao hadn't expected it to go that far.
He assumed that Ling Xueyao urgently needed the Soul-Consolidating Origin-Returning Pill for cultivation or to save a royal retainer.
Three million mid-grade spirit stones is outrageously high, but as long as Ling Xueyao can secure the pill, his decision to withdraw from the auction will still be meaningful.
If the man in black robes continues to raise the price, he might even take the opportunity to help.
In this way, Ling Xueyao would owe him a favor.
Thinking of this, Qin Hao's expression softened slightly.
He even hoped the man in the black robe would continue to raise the price.
However, the man in black remained silent.
His gaze, hidden beneath the hood, was firmly fixed on the private room on the third floor.
Three million mid-grade spirit stones.
Judging from Ling Xueyao's tone when she made the offer, she wouldn't back down even if the price continued to rise.
This result is sufficient.
Su Mei waited a few breaths before raising the auction gavel.
"Three million mid-grade spirit stones, for the first time."
The man in black robes did not respond.
"Three million mid-grade spirit stones, for the second time."
The venue remained quiet.
The man in black robes then stood up from his seat.
He didn't offer any more prices, but just glanced up at the private room on the third floor.
His pale chin lifted slightly, seemingly revealing a cold smile.
Then, he turned and headed towards the exit.
The nearby martial artists quickly moved aside.
No one saw how he moved.
There was no fluctuation of spiritual energy.
There is no space for oscillation.
But with each step he took, he covered a distance of several feet.
Su Mei frowned and spoke up to remind her:
"Sir, the auction is not over yet."
The man in black robes did not stop walking.
"The elixir is hers."
As his hoarse voice faded, he had already stepped into the corridor.
In the shadows of the Pill Pavilion.
The Late Divine Sea Realm expert released a wisp of divine sense, attempting to investigate the origins of the black-robed man.
As soon as their divine sense tracked the man out of the auction house, the black-robed man's aura completely vanished.
It was as if it had never existed.
Inside the venue, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.
No one expected that the black-robed man, who had just been so determined to win, would retreat so decisively.
He pushed the price up from 1.8 million to 2.5 million, forcing Ling Xueyao to quote 3 million before turning and leaving.
From beginning to end, there was not a trace of resentment.
There was something strange about this bidding process.
Shen Qianyue stared at the exit of the corridor, his voice low and deep. "Such superb footwork."
"Even if this person hasn't reached the Divine Sea Realm Ninth Level, he's probably not far off. The sudden appearance of such a powerful figure in the Imperial City is definitely not just for participating in the auction."
Chu Yunfei tapped the table lightly with his fingertips.
"He never intended to bid on the elixir."
Ling Xueyao turned her face away.
"You mean he's deliberately driving up the price?"
"If it was just to annoy the royal family, they would at least have said a few more provocative things before leaving."
Chu Yunfei looked in the direction where the man in black had disappeared.
"He was observing your reactions the whole time."
"Two million, two and a half million. Every price increase is forcing you to show your determination."
Shen Qianyue's gaze darkened.
He wanted to test why His Highness needed the Soul-Consolidating Origin-Returning Pill.
The atmosphere in the private room immediately became heavy.
Ling Xueyao personally participated in the auction.
They even spared no expense, spending three million mid-grade spirit stones, to compete for a sixth-grade pill that could repair the soul.
If anyone was already suspicious of Ling Zhantian's condition, everything that happened tonight was enough to confirm their suspicions.
A hint of annoyance flashed in Ling Xueyao's eyes.
She was only focused on obtaining the elixir, neglecting the implications of her identity.
"It was my oversight."
Chu Yunfei shook his head.
"Once your identity is exposed, there's no escaping this step."
Even without the man in black robes, Han Kui's and the man next door's identities were already a mystery when their spiritual senses probed into the private room.
He paused for a moment.
"There's another possibility."
Ling Xueyao looked up at him.
"He and the client who commissioned the pills were in cahoots. They deliberately inflated the price, waiting for you to reach your limit before withdrawing."
"This way, the client can obtain more spirit stones, and he can also ascertain the royal family's reaction."
Ling Xueyao's gaze turned cold.
Regardless of the possibility, the men in black robes were up to no good.
Shen Qianyue said in a deep voice, "After the auction, I will personally go and investigate."
"No."
Chu Yunfei immediately rejected it.
"His cultivation level is higher than Elder Shen's, and his movement technique is also flawed. Your foundation is currently damaged; rashly following him will only lead you into a trap he has laid in advance."
Shen Qianyue did not refute.
In his prime, he might still be willing to take the risk.
But chasing after them now would certainly be unwise.
Ling Xueyao nodded as well.
"Get the pills first."
"As long as Father Emperor wakes up soon, no one outside will be able to cause any trouble."
She looked back at the auction table.
Su Mei has raised the auction gavel again.
"Three million mid-grade spirit stones, for the third time."
No one raised the price inside the venue.
The auction gavel fell.
"Three million mid-grade spirit stones, sold!"
A gasp of amazement followed.
Everyone witnessed the highest auction bid in recent years.
Ling Xueyao slowly exhaled.
Regardless of the black-robed man's purpose, he ultimately obtained the Soul-Consolidating Origin-Returning Pill.
Once the transaction is completed, return to the palace immediately.
The Emperor is only one step away from awakening.
On the auction stage.
Su Mei neither immediately sent out the pills nor announced the end of the auction.
She waited until the murmurs in the hall gradually subsided before revealing a meaningful smile.
Inside the venue, many people were already preparing to get up and leave.
In their view, the sixth-grade Soul-Consolidating Origin-Returning Pill was the real grand finale of the evening's auction.
Now that the elixir has been sold, even if there are other items later, their value will hardly surpass it.
Su Mei raised her hand.
"Please wait a moment, everyone."
The martial artists who were preparing to leave all stopped in their tracks.
Su Mei turned her head to look at the curtain behind the high platform.
" Pill Pavilion started building hype for tonight's auction a month ago, but has only released information on the first nine lots."
"As for the tenth item, it has never been disclosed to the public."
She paused for a moment.
"Because this item is rather special."
The room fell silent again.
"It and the Soul-Consolidating Origin-Returning Pill came from the same client."
"That guest has only one request."
Su Mei's gaze swept across the entire room.
"This item must be auctioned after the Soul-Consolidating Origin-Returning Pill."
The words had barely left his mouth.
Two stewards at the Heavenly Origin Realm Ninth Layer emerged from behind the high platform.
They had neither a jade box nor a storage ring.
The two people, one on the left and one on the right, drew back the curtain.
A gray-white stone tablet appeared before everyone's eyes.
A gray-white stone tablet appeared before everyone's eyes.
The stone tablet is about ten feet tall and is fixed on a black iron base.
The surface is pitted and uneven.
There are no words.
There are no array patterns.
There wasn't a single spark of inspiration.
No matter how you look at it, it's just a broken stone that you can find anywhere.
Disappointed voices soon echoed through the hall.
"This is the tenth item?"
"There isn't even a single array pattern. Could the Pill Pavilion have taken the wrong thing?"
" The Soul-Consolidating Origin-Returning Pill and this broken stone tablet came from the same person. Could it be that the client made some strange demands, forcing the Pill Pavilion to put it on the stage?"
Han Kui glanced at it only once before looking away.
Qin Hao also lost interest.
Only Chu Yunfei.
The moment the stone tablet appeared, his pupils contracted sharply.
Within his sea of consciousness, Xiaoxiao Dragon stared intently at the unremarkable gray-white stone tablet.
She has always been arrogant and sharp-tongued.
For the first time, his voice at that moment carried an undisguised urgency.
"You brat."
No matter the cost.
"This stone tablet must be taken down!"
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