Chapter 225: Iron Essence, Spiritual Herb

Seeing the situation getting out of control, the thin tall man had already cleverly retrieved the pair of puppet beasts back into his storage bag!

Now, seeing this burly man pull out a black, seemingly worthless piece of scrap metal, and trying to force him to produce his already greatly appreciated auction item, he couldn't help but roll his eyes and say bluntly:

"Sir, please calm down! We will assess the value of this item ourselves, but right now, you must return to your seat—that is the proper course! Otherwise, our shop will regard this as deliberate disruption, and we will not hold back!"

Upon hearing the thin tall man's threat, the burly man flew into a rage.

What was his status? In his own sect, he was a man whose word commanded thousands—when had he ever endured such humiliation? He immediately clenched his fists, ready to strike!

But when he glanced at the hooded stranger, he noticed the man was motionless, staring directly at him, his eyes revealing a hint of malicious delight. This gave him pause. After a moment's thought, he forcibly suppressed his fury, turned abruptly, and walked back to his seat.

Some cultivators who had expected a good show were left disappointed.

The auction of the puppet beasts would continue! But the black object had already been passed into the hands of the trio seated on the sandalwood chairs. They were now whispering among themselves about it. Though their masks concealed their expressions, their extremely cautious demeanor made every cultivator realize something was amiss!

After the trio examined the palm-sized, black, iron-like object repeatedly, they finally reached a consensus. Then, the man in the center stood and announced loudly:

"One piece of high-grade iron essence, valued at two thousand spirit stones!"

Then he sat down without another word.

"Iron essence?"

Upon hearing those two words, every cultivator was stunned! Those who had been about to bid immediately fell silent.

Everyone wondered in shock: Could this man really be a Golden Core cultivator? How else could he have obtained iron essence?

Iron essence could only be refined using the fire of a Golden Core cultivator's dantian. Normally, cultivators who refined such material would immediately fuse it into their own magic treasures to enhance their power—they would never let such material slip into the open.

If even three or half a tael of iron essence were mixed into an ordinary magic weapon, its power would surge dramatically—possibly even elevating its rank! Its value thus skyrocketed further.

Could this burly man, then, be a Golden Core cultivator deliberately suppressing his aura, pretending to be a Foundation Establishment cultivator? After all, low-level cultivators could not discern the true depth of a Golden Core cultivator!

As all cultivators grew wary and suspicious—

At the signal from the three behind him, the thin tall man finally spoke again:

"Is there anyone willing to bid more than two thousand nine hundred spirit stones? If not, this pair of puppet beasts goes to this brother!"

The thin tall man, still hoping to drive the price higher, spoke slowly, clearly buying time.

But no cultivator in the hall dared to bid again!

These people had come to this auction precisely because they were no ordinary figures—either important members of cultivation families or Foundation Establishment cultivators at their peak. Yet before a suspected Golden Core cultivator, who would dare invite trouble?

And even if this man were not a Golden Core cultivator, he certainly had one behind him. So even if they were desperate to uncover the puppet beasts' secrets, none dared be the first to step forward—they could only glare helplessly.

Meanwhile, the hooded stranger who had initially clashed with him sat silently as well. Whether he was frightened by the iron essence or simply lacked the spirit stones to match, he made no move.

When Han Li heard "iron essence," he was also taken aback. His cheap master had once lost a bet to the Qiong Old Monster, surrendering two pieces of iron essence. At the time, seeing his master's gloomy expression, Han Li knew the substance was extraordinarily precious.

Thus, the pair of puppet beasts was unchallengedly awarded to the burly man. As he received them, his hands trembled with excitement!

But this only intensified the burning curiosity of every cultivator present. Most of them longed to snatch the puppet beasts and study their secrets firsthand!

The hooded burly man, upon receiving the puppet beasts, immediately rose from his seat and headed for the stone door. But when he reached it, he found the door had been locked from the outside! He pushed hard twice—the stone door did not budge!

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Does buying something here mean you can't leave?" His voice turned dark, and his already odd tone grew even more unpleasant.

"Of course not! Once the auction ends, we will open the door and let you leave immediately. But not now." The speaker was no longer the thin tall man, but the black-robed man on the far left, whose voice was sharp.

"What? That makes no sense! I'm leaving right now!" The man grew angry, raising his voice.

"Regrettably, this is our shop's rule—a minor precaution to prevent unpleasant incidents. Sir, surely you can wait a little longer?" The deep, hoarse voice of the black-robed man on the right echoed, cold and sinister.

"Hmph! Of course I can wait—do you think I'm afraid of you? I'd like to see what other treasures appear next!" The man, as if struck by some thought, suddenly changed his demeanor and returned to his seat with casual confidence.

This left everyone stunned and bewildered. What was his plan? Didn't he realize that the longer he stayed, the greater his danger?

At this point, most cultivators had realized the man was indeed a Foundation Establishment cultivator—otherwise, he wouldn't be so composed. Yet the secret shop's staff had clearly known his true level from the start, and showed no sign of backing down!

Since the burly man had not left, the auction continued. But most cultivators' minds were no longer on the items. Two consecutive lots went unsold, leaving the thin tall man deeply embarrassed.

Yet the auction was nearing its end. The true climax was finally about to appear!

"Top-grade spiritual herb: one thousand-year Huang Jing Zhi. I won't waste words—everyone here surely knows better than I do its value!"

As soon as the thin tall man finished speaking, a jade box of emerald green appeared in his hand.

He feigned a casual glance at the cultivators, and when he saw all their attention fixed on the thousand-year herb, he secretly smiled and added:

"This thousand-year spiritual herb is one of only a few to have appeared in the past century. If you take it home and refine it into a spirit pill, it will be your best chance to break through your realm and enhance your spiritual power. Starting bid: five hundred spirit stones!"

After speaking, he pulled open the lid of the jade box and held it upright, displaying it to the cultivators.

Instantly, a thick, rich herbal fragrance filled the entire hall, leaving the cultivators both astonished and delighted!

Astonished, because they never expected such a rare treasure to appear at this auction! Delighted, because if they could buy it and refine it, it would be even more valuable than any top-tier magic treasure—after all, this enhanced their own cultivation, not mere external tools!

Thus, as soon as the thin tall man announced the starting bid, someone immediately shouted out:

"One thousand spirit stones!"

The first bidder instantly doubled the price of the herb! Many who had been waiting to bid cursed inwardly—but soon, others continued raising the price.

"One thousand two hundred spirit stones!"

"One thousand…"

…

Bidders rose one after another; in the blink of an eye, the price surpassed two thousand. Yet Han Li sat staring at the thousand-year herb on the table, lost in thought!

When he first heard "thousand-year herb," he hadn't cared—he assumed someone else had found another such herb.

But when the thin tall man unveiled the Huang Jing Zhi from the box, Han Li instantly recognized it: this was one of the two herbs he had sold to Wanbao Tower. After all, he had personally cultivated them—he could never mistake them.

Yet since the herb was already in Wanbao Tower's hands, how they handled it was none of his concern. After a brief moment of daze, Han Li snapped back to reality and watched the cultivators' bidding as if nothing had happened.

Listening to the frantic bidding, Han Li felt a quiet sense of pride.

After all, something born from his own hands was causing such frenzy—wasn't that a kind of honor?

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