Chapter 37

The clear bell chime rang slowly throughout the auction house, and as the bell sounded, the extremely noisy clamor in the venue gradually weakened; countless gazes turned toward the crystal stage, eyes burning with fervor.

Hehe, ladies and gentlemen, you must be getting a bit impatient waiting, so I won't bother with any polite official talk to avoid annoyance. The white-haired old man in splendid robes smiled narrowly as he gazed at the sea of black heads in the venue; his furtive glance swept over the powerful forces seated in the front rows, and his resonant voice echoed throughout the hall.

As an experienced auctioneer, the old man clearly knew what the people below wanted to see and what they didn't, so he outright discarded the pointless opening remarks; indeed, this move of his truly earned him a round of applause from the entire audience.

As this is the annual auction convention, I believe the one hosted by our Eight Gates will certainly not disappoint you. The old man lightly clapped his hands and proclaimed loudly: "I declare the Black Seal City auction now underway!"

As the old man's loud voice faded, the huge crystal stage suddenly burst into blinding light; after a while the light gradually dimmed, and on the crystal stage, before the white-haired old man's auction table, a stalk of blood-red medicinal herb appeared.

A fourth-grade Blood-Slaying Ginseng, if a skilled alchemist removes its murderous qi and combines it with other medicinal ingredients to refine into pills, its pure energy would even make Fighting Spirit experts covetous.

Seeing the crowd's emotions being stirred, the old man narrowed his eyes.

Starting bid, one hundred thousand gold coins.

Medicinal herb… Xiao Li murmured while gazing at the stalk of Blood-Slaying Ginseng.

How so, do you need it? Qian Lao asked.

If possible, I certainly would want it, but it's not a necessity; better to save the money for where I truly need it later. Xiao Li replied.

Qian Lao nodded silently, mentally noting the buyer of the Blood-Slaying Ginseng; upon seeing that the person looked like a bad sort, he had already added them to his kill list in his heart.

After a few minutes of bidding, the first item was successfully purchased by a thin, weak-looking man full of excitement for 180,000 gold coins.

Following the smooth progress of the first auction, the stage subsequently began to display a dazzling array of treasures—armor, combat techniques, cultivation methods, medicinal herbs, and so on.

At one point, Xiao Li even stared in astonishment at a young beauty pushed onto the stage; she appeared to be only about twelve or thirteen years old, yet her figure was developed to an astonishing degree.

After a round of bidding, it actually fetched a high price of 100,000, and the old man on stage grinned so widely his mouth was skewed.

After once again witnessing the darkness of Heijiao Yu, Xiao Li shook his head, thinking that having killed someone here, let alone punishment, not even a heavenly blessing would be forthcoming—if the heavens weren't blind.

Xiao Li sat on a soft chair, indifferently observing the surrounding ugliness, eyes slightly closed, waiting for something that could stir his heart.

In the early stage of the auction, no overly explosive curiosities appeared, and the bidders were merely a few people sitting in the back; the powerful forces with vast wealth occupying the front rows had not yet made a single move.

Ding~

Another clear bell rang down from the crystal stage, and the white-haired auctioneer, smiling broadly, looked at the item being pushed onto the stage.

Xiao Li's eyes narrowed; this item was none other than a medicinal cauldron.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the Spirit-Raising Cauldron, a fifth-tier medicinal cauldron that noticeably amplifies the refinement of pills of fifth tier and below; according to our practice, even a fifth-grade pill can have its efficacy increased by one to two tenths, and although the effect diminishes for higher grades, it still provides amplification.

The old man's face accumulated a cunning smile, highlighting strengths and obscuring weaknesses—a trick they always pulled at their auction house.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is a rare treasure cauldron; the starting bid is 500,000 gold coins.

Heijiao Yu is not lacking in alchemists, and alchemists happen to be extremely wealthy; although this cauldron has a limited audience, its competitiveness is certainly not small.

I bid 550,000, hoping everyone will give this old man Wan some face. An old man in the front row spoke; he was determined to obtain this item.

But most alchemists are proud and arrogant; how could they possibly back down just because of his words?

Hmph, I, Zhang, also want to see how this cauldron fares—650,000!

The Wan-surnamed alchemist's face darkened: "Damn it, Zhang Qiong, arguing with me again—700,000!"

The price jumped by 200,000 in an instant, making Xiao Li catch his breath; good grief, these people truly don't treat money as money—their total net worth can't even meet the base price, yet they spend fifty or sixty thousand as if it's nothing, truly astonishing.

Do you need it? Qian Lao turned his head to look at Xiao Li.

My younger brother is an alchemist, but… it wouldn't be right to trouble Qian Lao further, after all, this is a family matter.

Xiao Li scratched his head embarrassedly; forget it, let it be—after all, I'm a student of Canaan Academy; if I kept taking and grabbing while still thinking of family, that would really be inappropriate.

No problem, just a casual favor. Qian Lao closed his eyes and mentally noted another person.

950,000, deal.

At that moment, the old man on the auction stage struck the hammer, temporarily confirming the cauldron's owner as the alchemist surnamed Zhang.

Item after item passed by; as the annual grand event of Heijiao Yu, the quality was beyond reproach, with no unsold lots—some of the items even made Xiao Li's eyes burn with desire.

Qian Lao watched, continually enriching his kill list; this was a perfect opportunity to clear out some of the scum of Heijiao Yu.

It was evident that the old man was quite pleased with today's results; he proclaimed loudly: "Today, thank you all for your patronage; this final box‑bottom lot is a sixth‑tier spirit pill, the Fighting Spirit Pill!"

Saying this, the old man produced a jade bottle; the pills inside glowed brightly, drawing the gaze of the entire crowd.

The old man chuckled hehe: "The maker of this pill has concealed his name; sorry, I cannot reveal it. Everyone knows the effect of the Fighting Spirit Pill—it can help a Fighting King increase their strength by one star, a rare opportunity indeed; the starting bid is 500,000 gold coins."

As soon as the old man's words fell, the crowd below erupted; present were not lacking major powers of Heijiao Yu such as the Blood Sect and the Black Skeleton Tomb, whose sects all harbor Fighting Kings and Fighting Emperors, making them extremely eager for the Fighting Spirit Pill.

600,000!

700,000!

Xiao Yan's three‑pattern Azure Spirit Pills sold for 1.5 million each; Xiao Li estimated that the Fighting Spirit Pill would certainly fetch no less than 2 million.

This pill's effect is not bad; you can keep it for when you become a Fighting King. Qian Lao said softly, but the words made Xiao Li's mouth twitch.

As expected of Qian Lao—coming to the auction, spending not a single coin, yet wanting to take everything home.

Thanks, Qian Lao. Xiao Li curled the corner of his mouth into a smile; this is what it feels like to have a backer—simply exhilarating.

In the end, the Fighting Spirit Pill sold for 2.3 million, taken by a member of the Blood Sect.

Alright, kid, the excitement is over—go claim your items; I'll also go collect what I have stored with others.

Qian Lao rose, pulling his black hood down a bit further, his eyes flashing with a bloodthirsty light.

Now, clearing out some people will make Heijiao Yu a bit more stable, preventing a bunch of bored individuals from trying to gain prestige by targeting Canaan Academy.

Little brother here thanks everyone for their strong support; I successfully obtained the first‑round recommendation on Friday, deeply grateful—this chapter counts as an extra release, and there will be two more chapters today, Saturday, making three in total.

Please keep following, especially tomorrow's Sunday chapter; I beg all you big shots to find a moment amidst your busy schedules to help little brother tomorrow—this concerns my second‑round recommendation.

(End of chapter)