Inside the auction hall, when everyone heard Qian Song's words, they all looked over with interest.
Only those inner sect disciples whose cultivation had surpassed the eighth level of Qi Condensation mostly didn't pay attention. Some were quietly chatting among themselves, while others sat with their eyes closed, resting.
"This pill, everyone can take a look at it first, then I'll announce the starting price," Qian Song said, his expression growing even more peculiar. He cleared his throat, and from the light gate beside him, a young woman stepped out holding a wooden box.
The surrounding crowd grew even more curious, craning their necks to see what kind of Purple Qi Rising Spirit Pill could make Qian Song look like this.
Bai Xiaochun was even more nervous. He stood there breathing rapidly, staring at the auction platform as the young woman slowly lifted the lid of the box and carefully took out the deep purple pill inside.
Her fair hands made the pill stand out even more. Under the light, three faint silver patterns could be clearly seen shimmering on its surface — and next to the spirit lines, there was even a tiny carved turtle.
For a moment, countless people stared intently, and the entire hall fell silent. But soon, a huge uproar erupted!
"Three refinements! Heavens, am I seeing this right?!"
"Insane! Someone actually refined a second-grade pill three times — and succeeded!!"
"This is too crazy! They actually refined the Purple Qi Rising Spirit Pill!!"
The voices rose and spread like a tidal wave. Every outer sect disciple was stunned, and the shocked uproar filled the entire auction house.
"Damn it! Who did this? Such wastefulness!"
"Three refinements — what kind of twisted hobby do you need to come up with this crazy idea?!"
Even the inner sect disciples who hadn't paid attention earlier all looked over in surprise. When they saw the pill's three silver lines, they widened their eyes and gasped. Some even stood up abruptly, dumbstruck.
Everyone knew that the success rate for refining was not high. One refinement was already hard enough; a second was even riskier. But three times — that depended on sheer luck. Even master refiners wouldn't dare say they could guarantee success.
In the Spirit Creek Sect, many people had lost valuable treasures when they failed their third refinement, heartbroken beyond words. So when it came to spirit refining, cultivators both loved and hated it. If someone around you succeeded, they'd become the envy of everyone.
A magic treasure refined three times would be several times more powerful, enough to shock everyone and become a coveted treasure. But now… they were seeing a second-grade pill refined three times!
And it was just a pill!
It felt like seeing an exquisite pattern — beautiful when tattooed on a butterfly, but a total waste if drawn on a pig!
Everyone's expressions turned complicated. Many clenched their fists, veins bulging, especially the inner sect disciples from the Violet Cauldron Peak, who specialized in spirit refining. They looked like they'd been stabbed in the heart.
"With such luck, you refine a pill instead of a treasure?! If it were me, I'd have an amazing spirit-refined weapon!"
Even some Foundation Establishment cultivators up in the private booths had odd looks, stunned by this extravagance.
Standing at the balcony, Bai Xiaochun watched all this unfold, taking in a sharp breath, feeling a little nervous. He stared blankly at the flushed, furious faces below and suddenly realized… maybe he'd gone a bit too far. He quickly put on an outraged look, pointed at the pill on stage, and shouted indignantly, "So wasteful! Such outrageous wastefulness!"
Off to the side, Sun Chen gave a helpless smile. When he'd first seen the pill, he'd felt the same way. Now, seeing Bai Xiaochun pretending to be outraged too, he broke into a cold sweat.
At that moment, someone at the front of the crowd suddenly noticed the tiny turtle carved on the pill.
"Eh? Why does that little turtle look so familiar…" As soon as he said this, the people nearby all leaned in for a better look. Before, they'd all been focused on the three silver lines and hadn't paid attention to anything else. But now that they looked closely, they all saw the tiny turtle.
"Wait a minute… that turtle — I remember now! Isn't that the same turtle carved on the ten stone tablets at Fragrant Cloud Mountain's Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion?!"
"It's identical — even the artistic vibe is the same. This must be drawn by the same person!"
"Could it be… that the one who refined this pill and actually had the guts to refine it three times is that mysterious genius — the 'Little Turtle' of Fragrant Cloud Mountain?!"
The hall exploded once again. Many of the sect's disciples were present — plenty were from Fragrant Cloud Mountain too — and when they all spotted the turtle, they instantly cried out.
More and more people noticed the turtle. One by one they gasped and even stood up. Everyone knew the legend of Fragrant Cloud Mountain's 'Little Turtle'. Though it had gone quiet for a long time, its fame still lingered in the sect. Many often wondered who was behind it.
But no one had ever found out — the person behind the turtle was too mysterious, so low-key that no one had any clue. The mystery only made the legend more fascinating, the image of a calm genius unconcerned with fame.
Today, however, it had reappeared! And in such a shocking way — with an outrageous pill that stunned the entire auction!
In the crowd, Zhou Xinqi's eyes flashed with a bright light as she stared at the pill, her chest rising and falling with excitement.
"You finally showed yourself. With your talent, you could never truly disappear into the crowd. You're good at hiding, but your talent makes you stand out sooner or later. I will find you!" Zhou Xinqi took a deep breath. She had secretly been investigating the 'Little Turtle' for a long time and had once suspected Bai Xiaochun — but quickly dismissed the idea. In her mind, she'd built an image of a cold, dedicated, quietly brilliant genius — someone who cared nothing for fame.
In fact, everyone thought the same. Even Hou Xiaomei shared that belief — largely thanks to Bai Xiaochun's own bragging and exaggeration.
They'd even analyzed why this genius used a turtle as a symbol. The answer they agreed on: this person was calm and steady, with grand ambitions — using the turtle to represent his pills' longevity.
Hou Xiaomei wasn't far away. Her eyes widened in an instant, brimming with admiration. Thanks to Bai Xiaochun's influence, she was now the sect's biggest fan of the 'Little Turtle', and she'd even formed a small fan club of disciples devoted to him.
"Ah! It's the Little Turtle!" Hou Xiaomei almost jumped up, pointing excitedly at the auction stage.
The auction hall was now in an uproar again. But this time, there were no more angry scoldings or curses. Instead, everyone fell into thoughtful silence — and then admiration.
"This is his pursuit of perfection!"
"He's a genius — aloof, refining the pill three times not to flaunt wealth, but to push the limits, to chase the essence of the pill path, to remain dedicated!"
Even the inner sect disciples who had been heartbroken now exchanged glances, each taking a deep breath, gazing solemnly at the pill. No one dared dismiss it as mere showmanship now.
"It's this genius! I see now — he's not insane or wasteful. He's a visionary — this shows his unwavering dedication to creating the perfect pill!"
"Amazing! So impressive — this kind of dedication, this spirit to pursue the utmost quality, is something we should all learn from!"
"A pill refined three times means its base quality was already middle-grade. This means… his pill-refining skill far surpasses ours. He truly deserves to be called the Little Turtle!"
"This pill is worth keeping — I have to get it!" The inner sect disciples' eyes now burned with desire. The pill wasn't useful for them to take, but they could feel a certain spirit radiating from it.
As they stared at it, they saw not just a pill — but the image of an aloof genius, single-mindedly pursuing perfection in the Dao of alchemy.
Seeing the crowd's attitude change, Bai Xiaochun, who had been pretending to be outraged with them, slowly raised his hand, eyes wide, and stood frozen as he listened to what they were saying. His face turned red.
"Are… are they talking about me…?" Bai Xiaochun trembled with excitement. He hadn't even realized he was so amazing. Now he wanted to shout out loud and tell everyone he was the legendary Turtle Master!
At that moment, Qian Song on the auction stage coughed, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"Since you all recognize the significance of this pill, its starting price will be five hundred spirit stones, with each bid increase no less than fifty!"
This price made Bai Xiaochun gasp — it was sky-high. Most outer sect disciples couldn't afford it. But right as he was about to react, he was dumbstruck.
"Six hundred spirit stones!"
"Seven hundred! This pill embodies the spirit of alchemy — I must have it!"
"Eight hundred! Who dares compete with me?!" The inner sect disciples began bidding immediately. Their voices thundered through the hall, setting the atmosphere ablaze.
One bid after another pushed the price up — soon it had reached fifteen hundred spirit stones. Bai Xiaochun's mouth went dry, his breath grew rapid — he could hardly believe what he was seeing.
"They're crazy… absolutely crazy! But keep going — you're all amazing!" Bai Xiaochun muttered excitedly.
"One thousand eight hundred spirit stones." Zhou Xinqi's calm voice suddenly rang out from the crowd, drawing countless eyes to her. Bai Xiaochun looked over too — secretly cheering her on.
For most inner sect disciples, this price was already the limit. Many, though unwilling to give up, could only sigh — especially since the bidder was Zhou Xinqi herself. As a renowned alchemy genius, she made her determination clear, and the others couldn't keep competing.
Bai Xiaochun was very satisfied with the price too. He wished he could rush over and bang the gavel himself. But just as the entire hall fell quiet, a crisp, proud voice suddenly rang out, full of defiance and spice.
"I, Hou Xiaomei, am from a cultivation clan — I have plenty of spirit stones. I bid three thousand!"