Inside the private room, Mu Renlong's expression darkened, his brows furrowed deeply.
'I need that item... I still lack a proper defensive type magic item. But challenging him now would be foolish. That haul from earlier made him several times richer than before.'
Beside him, Wu Sheng understood the dilemma clearly. If the Mu Family wanted to compete for the Foundation Establishment Pill later, they would need to conserve their spirit stones and avoid unnecessary bidding wars.
But before they could breathe a sigh of relief, a new voice echoed through the hall.
"Ten thousand!"
The bid cut through the room like a blade. Both Mu Renlong and Wu Sheng immediately turned toward the source. It came from another private room on the second floor.
Mu Renlong clenched his jaw.
"Damn Old Li," he muttered under his breath.
Everyone recognized the voice. No one dared to compete not out of fear, but because they knew the outcome. If they pressed forward, they would only lose. Moreover, the Li Family had already pushed the bid to the maximum value for a low-grade magic item.
The old man on stage, standing calmly under the flickering lights of the auction hall, began the count.
"Then thousand Going once!"
"Going twice!"
"Going Trice!"
"Sold!"
He offered no flowery compliments this time. The deal was done. He handed the item to a waiting maid and proceeded to reveal the next treasure.
Once more, the second floor private rooms ignited into a flurry of bids. The ground floor audience and first floor private rooms watched in silence, many wearing expressions of awe and admiration.
They couldn't compete. The amounts being casually thrown around by Foundation Establishment cultivators were enough to equal decades of savings for the average Loose Cultivator.
After about an incense stick's worth of time, the old auctioneer raised a new item. He carefully held out a jade box, and the moment he opened it, a potent herbal fragrance surged into the air, spreading across the entire hall, reaching even the upper floors.
Inside the box lay a single green pill, glowing faintly. Its scent was invigorating and enticing. The moment the aroma reached the audience, people visibly salivated. Some had to restrain themselves from leaping forward in desperation.
Just a breath later, the old man closed the jade box with practiced care.
"As many of you may already know," he began with gravitas, "This is a Foundation Establishment Pill. The quality is low grade, which grants approximately a twenty percent chance of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm..."
In their private room, Lan Rui quietly observed Wei Xin. Her normally calm, aloof expression was now overtaken by longing and deep desire. He noted the change and asked softly,
"Sister Wei, does the pill's quality affect the breakthrough chance?"
Without taking her eyes off the jade box, she nodded.
"Yes. A Lesser grade pill offers only ten percent. Lower grade pill like the auctioneer mentioned can grant you twenty percent chance. Middle grade gives thirty percent and a high grade pill grants you fourty percent chance."
She paused for a moment, her voice lowering with a touch of reverence.
"As for a Perfect Grade pill... I can't say for certain. But according to an ancient alchemy manual I once read, a perfect-grade Foundation Establishment Pill could provide over a ninety percent chance."
"But it's just a theory," she added.
"Perfect-grade pills are nearly a myth and I have never seen one myself."
Lan Rui nodded solemnly and returned his gaze to the auction stage.
The old man surveyed the crowd once more, letting the tension build.
"The starting price is ten thousand spirit stones. Minimum increments of one hundred. Let the bidding begin!"
The audience stirred from their reverent silence, voices rising in succession.
"Ten thousand!"
"Ten thousand five hundred!"
"Eleven thousand!"
"Eleven thousand one hundred!"
"Eleven thousand four hundred!"
The numbers climbed steadily, weeding out the unqualified. Soon, only a handful remained in the competition.
"Fourteen thousand one hundred!" came a call from a private room on the first floor.
"Fourteen thousand five hundred!" another responded from a neighboring room.
The crowd fell silent again as the count resumed.
"Going once..."
Just then, a voice rang out from a private room that had remained silent until now.
"Fifteen thousand!"
Gasps and hushed murmurs rippled through the hall.
"Fifteen thousand going once!"
"Twice!"
"Thrice!"
"Sold!"
The old man bowed slightly toward the successful bidder, though his expression remained unreadable. He handed the jade box to a maid, then prepared to unveil the next item.
A few moments later, a maid arrived at the winning bidder's private room. On the tray she carried was the same jade box.
The man inside the room accepted it with care, opening it briefly. The fragrant aura burst forth again before he sealed it with a quick motion. With a satisfied nod, he placed the box into his storage bag and waved his hand. In a flash, a neat pile of spirit stones appeared on the table.
The maid silently counted the amount, then offered a respectful bow.
"Thank you for your purchase."
Once she departed, the man calmly brushed his hand across his storage bag, then turned his focus back to the auction without a word.
Meanwhile, in another private room, three figures sat in tense silence two men and a woman. One of the men slammed his palm against the table, his voice brimming with frustration.
"Why did we back out? We have enough spirit stones! Even if it went up to twenty thousand, we could've bought that pill!"
The second man exhaled slowly, his tone calm but resolute.
"Calm Down. Yes, the Foundation Establishment Pill is important to us but we can't afford to draw too much attention. If our presence is exposed, the entire mission could be compromised."
The first man still looked unsatisfied. But the moment the woman's cold, piercing gaze fell on him, he froze. A shiver ran down his spine.
She spoke with a voice like ice.
"The mission takes priority. But that doesn't mean we can't profit along the way."
Her eyes narrowed slightly, voice turning more dangerous.
"We'll investigate who won the pill. If it's a loose cultivator..."* she let the threat hang in the air, "We'll kill him and take it."
"If it's a minor family..." she paused again, thinking carefully.
"We'll try to rob them discreetly without alerting the market. If that fails, we'll drop it. We cannot risk exposure before the time is right."
The two men exchanged glances, then nodded grimly. Silently, they turned their attention back to the auction, the room filled with a sense of quiet menace.
.....