Chapter 279: Nightmare Grass and the Wild Ambition of Zhang Yi (Second update, requesting all)

On the auction stage sat a Jade Box, inside which were three plants faintly emitting a deep blue luster; the starting bid was 300 Soul Crystals!

This is a rare material known as Nightmare Grass. Due to its rather unique properties, one can see its presence in some obscure Alchemical Pill, potion, Spirit Beast food, and even Treasure formulas.

Among them, in the Ancient Speed Enhancement Potion formula that Li Zhangsheng obtained, Nightmare Grass happens to be one of the main ingredients.

Unfortunately, due to environmental and climatic reasons, Nightmare Grass cannot be artificially cultivated for the time being, which has led to Nightmare Grass becoming a scarce resource; it is no wonder Li Zhangsheng searched for over half a month without finding any.

"400 Soul Crystals!" The moment the auctioneer struck the wooden gavel, Li Zhangsheng took the initiative to seize the lead, increasing the bid by 100 Soul Crystals at once.

His goal was simple: he wanted to scare off the numerous competitors.

At this moment, the auctioneer could not help but glance at the location of VIP Room No. 2; he knew that his boss was in that VIP room, and that no one else was there.

Not only the auctioneer, but some buyers also could not help but look toward VIP Room No. 2; after all, being in VIP Room No. 2 meant that the other party must be someone wealthy or noble.

Unfortunately, Nightmare Grass is a popular material after all, causing this price to be maintained for only a few seconds before being replaced by a higher price.

Li Zhangsheng had no reason to give up, so he chose to continue increasing the bid.

Under these circumstances, the price of the Nightmare Grass began to climb steadily, and the atmosphere in the venue became increasingly frenzied.

However, when the price exceeded 500 Soul Crystals, most bidders chose to give up and began to wait and see.

Because the price of Nightmare Grass was on the high side, those remaining were basically the big shots in the VIP rooms; they had sufficient Soul Crystals.

Of course, only a small handful of big shots participated in the bidding for the Nightmare Grass, as many big shots had their eyes set on the five major finale items.

Why were there five major finale items? Because during these three days, the auction house had received an item worthy of being a finale.

"600 Soul Crystals!" Li Zhangsheng never had the thought of giving up.

When the price rose to 600 Soul Crystals, the remaining few buyers were clearly hesitant; this price point was almost the upper limit for Nightmare Grass.

"600 going once, 600 going twice, 600 going three times, sold!"

However, compared to before, the auctioneer's rhythm inevitably sped up a lot; there was no helping it, the one calling the bid was his boss, could that be the same?

As the auctioneer struck the wooden gavel, it signified that Li Zhangsheng had successfully won the three stalks of Nightmare Grass; those buyers who were still hesitating were clearly stunned for a moment.

"My apologies everyone, this old man has a stomach upset and needs to go down to take care of it!" The auctioneer made up an excuse, deliberately putting on a constipated expression, clutching his stomach with his right hand, and 'struggling' to leave the auction stage while leaning against the wall.

Life is like a play, it all depends on acting!

With decades of experience and seasoning, the auctioneer's acting skills had long since reached perfection.

Seeing the auctioneer's state, those few buyers who were originally a bit dissatisfied could only express their understanding; when nature calls, it is very normal, not to mention the other party was an old man.

Five minutes later, the auctioneer wore an expression of relief and arrived at the auction stage looking relaxed.

"Sorry to have kept you all waiting, but please rest assured, this old man will try his best to perk up and strive not to make any more mistakes! Without further ado, let's bring out the next auction item!"

The auction proceeded in full swing, with buyers competing for one dazzling item after another, heating up the atmosphere.

However, occasionally some obscure items were met with a cold reception, with no one bidding, and ultimately they were left unsold in frustration.

After about two hours, as the last ordinary item was bought by a bidder, it was clear that the final finale segment was about to begin.

The auctioneer took a sip of water to moisten his throat; his expression carried fatigue, but his eyes remained bright.

An auctioneer's work is complex; sufficient stamina and patience are the basic qualities of an auctioneer.

This old auctioneer himself was also a Second-Rank Beast Master, so even though he was old, he could still grit his teeth and carry on.

"Now, the finale segment begins! There are a total of five finale items; now, let us welcome the first finale item!"

With the help of a loudspeaker, the auctioneer's voice spread throughout the entire venue.

At this time, a long-legged beauty stood beside the auctioneer holding a tray, and on the tray was a Jade Box.

Without hesitation, the auctioneer opened the Jade Box, revealing a green grass with a shape like a *jian*, square stems, yellow flowers, and red fruit.

The auctioneer pointed to the Xun Grass in the Jade Box and shouted: "Now auctioning the first finale item—Xun Grass! Its effect is quite special; it is one of the rare Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure that can increase charm. Alright, the starting bid is five hundred Soul Crystals, each increment must not be less than 50 Soul Crystals, let us begin!"

Whoosh~

As soon as the auctioneer finished speaking, some buyers began to roll up their sleeves and prepare; if one observed carefully, they would find that most of these buyers were rather unpleasant to look at.

Of course, there were also some good-looking fellows, whose goal was nothing more than to further increase their own charm.

In VIP Room No. 25, Zhang Yi stared fixedly at the Xun Grass on the auction stage, his eyes filled with burning intensity as he looked at the grass.

For this stalk of Xun Grass, he was determined to win!

"550!"

"600!"

"700!"

……

The Xun Grass was definitely a popular item, leading many buyers to jump in, including several big shots from the VIP rooms.

Under their competition, in just a few breaths of time, the price of the Xun Grass reached 700, and the price continued to climb.

Soon, the price of the Xun Grass exceeded 1000 Soul Crystals.

Only then did the speed of bidding slow down significantly; most buyers, limited by a lack of Soul Crystals, had to choose to give up.

Most of those still bidding were the big shots in the VIP rooms; they had sufficient Soul Crystals, and furthermore, the Xun Grass was a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Object that was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so it was naturally very popular with certain specific groups of people.

"Hoo!"

Zhang Yi suppressed his excitement and once again entered a number into the bidding device.

For a long time, he had been very dissatisfied with his appearance; his parents were both good-looking, and logically speaking, their offspring shouldn't look bad, but Zhang Yi happened to be born looking like this; his lips looked as if they had been pinched by a door, with both lips protruding very high, looking just like a Thunder God Mouth.

When Zhang Yi was born, his father subconsciously thought his wife had cheated on him, but after testing with special methods, he discovered it was indeed his own seed; he just didn't know why Zhang Yi's mouth had turned out like this.

Because of this striking Thunder God Mouth, Zhang Yi had lived under the strange gazes of others since he was a child, and this feeling became even more obvious when his deskmate became Li Zhangsheng.

Where there is comparison, there is a gap!

Where there is comparison, there is hurt!

Whenever he was with Li Zhangsheng, Zhang Yi would always clearly feel the strange gazes of others, which made him eager to improve his appearance.

(End of chapter)