Chu Yunfei did not respond.
He stared at the gray stone tablet on the platform, his gaze lingering for only a moment before casually looking away.
Within his sea of consciousness, Xiaoxiao Dragon's expression became solemn.
"This stone tablet is encased in at least three layers of seals. The outermost layer seals off spiritual power, the middle layer blocks divine sense, and the deepest layer contains an even more ancient restriction that even I cannot see through."
"This kind of technique is far beyond the capabilities of martial artists of this era. The stone tablet most likely contains the legacy left by some ancient powerhouse. If you miss it, you'll have nowhere to turn to regret it later."
Chu Yunfei tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, responding in his mind, "I saw it."
The surface of the stone tablet appears rough, but there is a very faint aura of sealing inside. If one were to scan it with ordinary divine sense, one would only feel that it is a stubborn rock devoid of any spirit.
But Chu Yunfei had cultivated for ten thousand years in his previous life.
No matter how deeply the seal is hidden, it cannot completely erase the traces left by time.
He couldn't tell what was sealed inside the stone tablet either. It could be a cultivation technique, martial arts skill, insights from a powerful expert, or even a wisp of a remnant soul.
"Don't rush to make a bid."
Chu Yunfei said in his mind, "Since the Pill Pavilion placed it after the Soul-Consolidating Origin-Returning Pill, they must know it's somewhat special. We'll decide how to acquire it after Su Mei finishes her introduction."
Xiaoxiao Dragon gave a soft snort.
"I'm just reminding you, don't let something slip away just to save a few spirit stones. You've already offended enough people. The more ancient inheritance you have, the more trump cards you'll have."
On the auction stage, Su Mei didn't rush to explain.
She raised her hand, gesturing for everyone to investigate on their own.
Dozens of divine senses surged from all parts of the venue, sweeping across the surface of the stone tablet one after another. Several experts at the Divine Sea Realm even condensed their divine senses into thin lines, attempting to probe into the interior of the stone tablet.
The result remained unchanged.
The stone tablet showed no spiritual energy fluctuations, nor did it display any array patterns.
Some tried to envelop it with their divine sense, but only felt a cold, deathly silence.
Han Kui also released a wisp of his divine sense.
When he had previously peered into the private room on the third floor, his soul was injured and he dared not investigate with full force. He only scanned the stone tablet once before withdrawing his gaze.
"There is no artifact spirit, no array patterns, and not even the slightest trace of inheritance."
Han Kui leaned back in his chair and sneered, " The Pill Pavilion is certainly trying to whet people's appetites by placing a broken stone after a sixth-grade pill."
Several martial artists nearby nodded in agreement.
"Even Elder Han couldn't see anything unusual about it, so this thing is most likely just an ordinary stone."
"It came from the same client as the Soul-Consolidating Origin-Returning Pill. Perhaps that person used the promise of a sixth-grade pill to force the Pill Pavilion to sell this piece of junk for him."
Some people still haven't given up.
Surely the Pill Pavilion can't be so bad as to not be able to distinguish between treasures and stones?
Someone nearby immediately scoffed.
"If the Pill Pavilion could truly see the secret, would they have put it out for you to snag?"
After a few words, the interest that had just been piqued in many people quickly faded.
Qin Hao also released his divine sense to investigate for a moment.
The stone tablet felt heavy and hard to him, but there was nothing about it that caught his attention.
He withdrew his divine sense, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes.
Chen Xuanhai stood by the window and said in a deep voice, "The material of the stone tablet is somewhat strange; divine sense cannot penetrate it. However, there are many minerals that cannot be penetrated by divine sense. This alone is not enough to prove that it holds any secret."
Qin Hao sat back down on the soft couch.
"Let's hear how the Pill Pavilion explains it first. If it's just a hard, stubborn rock, then there's no need to waste spirit stones."
At this moment, his mind was no longer on the stone tablet.
Ling Xueyao lives next door.
During the earlier bidding for the Purple Lightning Heart-Devouring Vine, a young man's voice could be heard coming from Ling Xueyao's private room.
The man spoke without any restraint, even daring to ridicule Han Kui in public.
Qin Hao had been so focused on winning the Soul-Consolidating Origin-Returning Pill that he hadn't thought much about this matter. Now that the auction was nearing its end, he suddenly realized that the man had been in the same private room as Ling Xueyao the whole time.
He had heard the voices of all the princes of the royal family.
Clearly, it wasn't any of them.
Qin Hao's fingertips caressed the jade cup, a shadow falling over his eyes.
Ling Xueyao has never liked being close to men.
Three years ago, Seven Sects Grand Competition, he took the initiative to speak with them, but only received a polite response.
Today, a young man of unknown origin is sitting next to her.
Who exactly is this person?
On the auction stage, Su Mei and the others calmed down a little before raising their hands to silence the crowd.
" The Pill Pavilion is naturally aware of your questions."
She walked to the stone tablet and reached out to press her hand on its grayish-white surface.
"After this stele was sent to the Pill Pavilion, the Grand Pavilion Master personally examined it. It showed no signs of spiritual energy fluctuations and could not be activated by divine sense; its specific origin was also impossible to determine."
These words deepened the disappointment in the room.
Some people burst out laughing.
These words deepened the disappointment in the room.
Some people burst out laughing on the spot.
"Even the Pill Pavilion Headquarters can't understand it, so what's the point of filming?"
"Buy it back into the sect and use it as a mountain-guarding stone?"
Su Mei remained expressionless and continued, "Although the Grand Master was unable to ascertain the origin of this stele, he confirmed two things."
First, this stele weighs 32,000 jin (approximately 16,000 kg).
Two stewards at the Heavenly Origin Realm Ninth Layer walked to the black iron base and simultaneously activated their spiritual power.
The veins on the two men's arms bulged, cracks appeared in the paving stones beneath their feet, but the stone tablet was only lifted half a foot.
When it was placed back on the base, the entire platform trembled slightly.
Many people's expressions changed slightly.
The weight of 32,000 jin is beyond the limit that ordinary Heavenly Origin Realm martial artists can handle.
Simply being heavy doesn't make it a treasure.
After Su Mei and the others saw clearly, they then mentioned the second matter.
"The Grand Master has tested this stele with three different spiritual artifacts."
"This includes a Earth Rank Upper Grade spiritual artifact and a borrowed Heaven Rank Low Grade spiritual artifact."
Su Mei ran her hand across the surface of the stone tablet, pointing to several faint white marks.
"Under the full force of the attack, the monument remained undamaged. The pits and dents you see were already there, not left from the Pill Pavilion's testing."
The laughter in the hall gradually subsided.
Even Heaven Rank Low Grade spiritual weapon couldn't harm it in the slightest.
Based on its sheer hardness alone, the stone tablet is by no means made of ordinary stone.
Su Mei continued, " The Pill Pavilion cannot confirm the wonders of this stele, nor will it exaggerate its value to inflate its price."
"However, if used directly as a defensive tool, it can at least block the sharpness of a Heaven-grade spiritual weapon."
"As for whether the user can withstand the backlash from the attack, that depends on their own strength."
"The tenth lot, an unmarked stone tablet."
Su Mei raised the auction gavel.
"Starting price: 100,000 mid-grade spirit stones; each bid must be at least 10,000 higher."
After the price was announced, the venue fell silent.
One hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones is not an astronomical price for many of the powerful figures present tonight.
But no one was willing to speak.
The stone tablet was indeed sturdy, but it weighed a full 32,000 jin (approximately 16,000 kg).
Even if a martial artist below the Divine Sea Realm is able to move it, it is difficult for them to control it flexibly in battle.
As for experts at the Divine Sea Realm, which one doesn't possess several handy spiritual weapons?
What's more troublesome is that it can't even cut through a Heavenly-grade spiritual weapon.
For an ordinary weapon refiner to attempt to cut and reforge such a weapon is nothing short of a pipe dream.
Once you buy it, you can almost only use the whole piece.
Han Kui shook his head.
"Ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones to buy a shield that can't be moved or forged."
Anyone who buys this is a fool.
Several martial artists who were initially interested suppressed their bidding ideas upon hearing this.
Su Mei waited for a while, but still didn't hear a bid, and felt somewhat helpless.
Pill Pavilion originally did not intend to accept this stone tablet.
However, the client insisted that the Soul-Consolidating Origin-Returning Pill be auctioned together with the stone tablet, and specifically requested that the stone tablet be the last item to be auctioned.
After studying it for many days, the Grand Master could only confirm its weight and hardness.
There's no point in staying in the Pill Pavilion any longer.
If no one bids, the item will be returned as an unsold item.
Su Mei raised the auction gavel again.
"The material used for this stele is extremely rare."
"Even if its use cannot be found at present, it does not necessarily mean that it has no secrets."
"If any of you are interested, you may now make your bids."
There was still no response from the audience.
Some people had even gotten up, preparing to leave early.
Just as Su Mei was about to announce the failed auction, a calm voice came from the private room on the third floor.
"One hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones."
Su Mei stopped what she was doing.
All eyes turned back to the private room where Ling Xueyao was.
Han Kui recognized Chu Yunfei's voice, and a hint of sarcasm immediately appeared on his face.
"So it was that brat who was just fighting me for the Purple Lightning Heart-Devouring Vine."
"Young people with some spirit stones always want to buy something unique."
"Ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones went down the drain, but consider it a lesson learned."
Chu Yunfei glanced at Han Kui, a cold smile playing on his lips.
The seal within the stone tablet is extremely high-level, even Xiaoxiao Dragon cannot see through it. If Han Kui could discover its secrets with his divine sense, he wouldn't just be sitting in the position of an elder of the Puppet Sect.
As for who is learning from this experience, it's really hard to say right now.
Ling Xueyao glanced sideways at Chu Yunfei.
What did you discover?
"The material is indeed very good."
Chu Yunfei picked up his teacup and said casually, "If you encounter someone you can't beat in the future, you can take this out to block them. Thirty-two thousand jin of it can crush several Heavenly Origin Realm martial artists to death."
Ling Xueyao stared into his eyes.
She had already witnessed too many of Chu Yunfei's tricks.
This man can even repair the remnants of the earth vein array and can spot Flawless Spirit Physique at a glance. Ling Xueyao simply doesn't believe that he would spend 100,000 mid-grade spirit stones just for the sake of hardness.
Since Chu Yunfei was unwilling to explain, she didn't press him for an answer.
"Since you want it, then take a picture of it."
Ling Xueyao withdrew her gaze.
"I will settle the matter later. It's only 100,000 mid-grade spirit stones. You don't need to be so polite with me."
Chu Yunfei chuckled, "It's rare for Your Highness to be so generous today. If I were to refuse, I would seem ungrateful." Ling Xueyao's ears burned slightly, and she replied coldly, "I'm merely repaying the debt of saving your life."
"Then I should buy more things now."
"If you dare to make any reckless purchases, I will pawn you at the Pill Pavilion."
During their conversation, Su Mei asked the question three times in a row.
No one raised the price.
Snap!
The auction gavel fell.
"100,000 mid-grade spirit stones, sold!"
In the next private room, Qin Hao's hand holding the jade cup tightened slightly.
It was that young man again.
What bothered him even more was that the man's tone was extremely casual, clearly indicating that he was very comfortable with Ling Xueyao.
Qin Hao turned to look at Chen Xuanhai.
"After the auction, don't rush to leave. This holy son needs to see the princess and also check out the man beside her to see what his background is."
Chen Xuanhai sensed the coldness in his tone and frowned slightly.
"This is the imperial city after all. That person is likely not simple to be able to share a room with the princess. Your Highness should find out more first, lest someone find fault with you."
Qin Hao put down the jade cup, and a gentle smile returned to his face.
"Elder Chen, rest assured, I'm merely going over to offer my greetings. If this person truly has a close relationship with the princess, this Holy Son will naturally not be impolite."
Chen Xuanhai did not try to persuade him further.
However, when Qin Hao looked next door, that chill still lingered.
After the auction ended.
The manager of the Pill Pavilion quickly delivered all the auction items to the private room.
Chu Yunfei first opened the jade box and re-examined the Soul-Consolidating Origin-Returning Pill.
After confirming that there were no problems with the pill's markings, aura, or medicinal potency, he allowed Ling Xueyao to put the pill into her storage ring.
The Purple Lightning Heart-Devouring Vine was also resealed into the jade box.
Finally, the gray-white stone tablet was delivered.
The three Heavenly Origin Realm stewards moved it outside the private room together, and then removed the fixing array patterns from the black iron base.
Chu Yunfei stepped forward, raised his hand and pressed it against the stele. Guided by his divine sense, the gray-white stele was put into his storage ring.
Just as the stone tablet disappeared, he vaguely sensed a faint ripple passing through its interior.
That fluctuation was cold, still, and profound, reaching straight into the sea of consciousness.
The next moment, complete silence returned.
Chu Yunfei's eyes narrowed slightly, but he did not investigate on the spot.
There are too many people and too many eyes here.
If the seal within the stone tablet shows any unusual activity, it could attract the attention of powerful figures from the Pill Pavilion. If they wish to study it, they will have to wait until they return to the princess's palace.
Ling Xueyao paid all the spirit stones, giving Chu Yunfei no chance to refuse, and then led the two of them out of the private room.
The Soul-Consolidating Origin-Returning Pill has been obtained.
They must return to the palace as soon as possible so that Ling Zhantian can take it.
The three walked through the hall's corridor and had just stepped out of the Pill Pavilion auction house when Qin Hao's voice came from behind them.
"Your Highness, wait!"