The hall fell into a brief silence as Elder Yang's words concluded.
Just as Elder Yang raised the auction hammer, believing no one would bid further, a calm voice spoke.
"Fifteen million low-grade spirit stones."
A collective gasp.
The voice did not come from the private rooms occupied by noble families or sects, but from an elder in purple robes within the main hall.
The elder was seated not far from Zhang Ergou and his companions.
Hearing the bid, Zhang Ergou curiously looked over. To his surprise, the elder smiled and nodded at him.
This left Zhang Ergou utterly bewildered.
He had never met this elder in purple robes before, and he had also consumed a disguise pill given by Zilin, which had significantly altered his appearance.
Why would this elder in purple robes show him kindness?
Zhang Ergou was truly perplexed, but unable to fathom it, he decided to stop thinking about it.
Upon hearing a new bid, Elder Yang lowered the auction hammer.
"Is there anyone else bidding? This fellow cultivator bids fifteen million low-grade spirit stones."
"Eighteen million low-grade spirit stones."
The sharp voice from the Poison Sect's private room was still the one making the bid.
"Twenty million low-grade spirit stones."
A bid came from the Flowing Sea Sect's private room. Despite their efforts to control it, Zhang Ergou could detect a hint of anger in the voice.
"Twenty-two million low-grade spirit stones."
"Twenty-five million low-grade spirit stones."
...
Before long, the price of the Divine Wood Ballad had surpassed thirty million low-grade spirit stones, with no signs of stopping.
By this point, the competition among the various families and sects had entered a fever pitch.
"Thirty-five million low-grade spirit stones."
"Fifty million low-grade spirit stones," said the elder in purple robes calmly from his seat not far from Zhang Ergou in the main hall.
A collective gasp.
The cultivators in the hall stared at the elder in purple robes with stunned expressions.
A single bid of an additional fifteen million low-grade spirit stones, a move that even shocked the sects and noble families in the private rooms.
For a moment, an eerie silence descended upon the hall.
"Elder Yang, since there are no more bids, does the Divine Wood Ballad belong to me?"
Elder Yang snapped back to attention.
"Haha, Fellow Cultivator Qin, no need to rush. We must still follow the proper procedures!"
Elder Yang laughed heartily, clearly recognizing the elder in purple robes.
"Someone from the Qin family!"
"That reclusive family, the Qin family?"
"No wonder they are so generous!"
When the cultivators in the hall heard Elder Yang address the elder in purple robes as Fellow Cultivator Qin, those with keen intelligence immediately thought of the reclusive Qin family.
"Are there any more bids?" Elder Yang scanned the private rooms, receiving no response.
Although these families and sects were outwardly powerful, they were no match for reclusive families.
"Fifty million low-grade spirit stones, first call."
"Fifty million low-grade spirit stones, second call."
"Fifty million low-grade spirit stones, third call."
*Crack!*
"Congratulations, Fellow Cultivator Qin. For fifty million low-grade spirit stones, you have acquired the Earth-grade low-tier wood elemental cultivation technique, the Divine Wood Ballad."
Elder Yang smiled faintly in the direction of the elder in purple robes. Upon closer inspection, one could see a trace of fawning on Elder Yang's face.
The fact that the Divine Wood Ballad ultimately fell into the hands of the elder in purple robes left the cultivators in the hall exclaiming their surprise.
"Very well, the cultivation technique auction has temporarily concluded. Next, we will proceed with the final category of auctions. Esteemed fellow cultivators, please remain patient."
Elder Yang announced, and the reactions of the crowd varied.
Meanwhile, in the private room of the Misty Sect, Shi Wuhen, who had been calmly sipping tea, suddenly lost his placid demeanor.
He sat up straight, adopting a stance of full preparedness.
"Next, we will be auctioning a pill recipe. I believe there are alchemists present who will be very interested."
Elder Yang smiled faintly and displayed the sheepskin scroll from the tray brought by a maid.
"This pill recipe is for the Five Beast Coagulating Blood Pill. It is a Grade Four high-tier pill recipe, and refining it requires at least the skill of a Grade Five alchemist."
"Although this is a Grade Four pill recipe, the difficulty in refining it is no less than that of a Grade Five pill."
"As for the Five Beast Coagulating Blood Pill, I believe you esteemed fellow cultivators can understand its purpose without me needing to explain it further. This pill is specifically for spirit beasts."
"The Five Beast Coagulating Blood Pill has a potent medicinal effect and can only be borne by spirit beasts above Earth-grade. Not only can it rapidly heal Earth-grade spirit beasts on the brink of death,"
"but it also offers a certain chance of allowing spirit beasts to advance their rank."
A collective gasp.
There were knowledgeable cultivators in the hall.
Earth-grade spirit beasts were equivalent to Golden Core stage cultivators. Moreover, spirit beasts were naturally tough and possessed extremely high defense.
Ordinary Golden Core cultivators were not necessarily a match for Earth-grade spirit beasts of the same level.
Hearing that the Five Beast Coagulating Blood Pill had a chance to advance Earth-grade spirit beasts, the cultivators in the hall suddenly looked eager.
Even though many were not alchemists, possessing such a pill recipe would be a valuable bargaining chip when seeking the help of an alchemist in the future.
"Very well, since everyone has a general understanding of the value of this pill recipe, I shall not delay you any further."
"Grade Four high-tier pill recipe, Five Beast Coagulating Blood Pill recipe. The starting bid is one million low-grade spirit stones, with each increment no less than one hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones."
Perhaps to deter malicious bids from cultivators without sufficient funds, Elder Yang set the starting bid for the Five Beast Coagulating Blood Pill recipe at one million low-grade spirit stones.
However, this did not dampen the enthusiasm of the cultivators.
"One point five million low-grade spirit stones."
"One point eight million low-grade spirit stones."
"Two million low-grade spirit stones."
In the blink of an eye, the price of the Five Beast Coagulating Blood Pill recipe had doubled.
"Are there so many alchemists in this hall?" Zhang Ergou asked, full of confusion.
"Of course not. It is incredibly difficult to become an alchemist, and those who can become Grade Five alchemists are even rarer,"
Zilin gave Zhang Ergou a sideways glance and explained helplessly.
She found it somewhat baffling that old man Chunyang Sanren had not even taught such basic knowledge to his disciple.
"Then why are so many people bidding? If they aren't alchemists, this pill recipe is useless to them!"
Zhang Ergou said with apparent innocence.
"Haha, young friend, you jest. Although not all of them are alchemists, by presenting this pill recipe to a Grade Five alchemist in the future, one can forge a good relationship with them, can they not?"
At this moment, the elder in purple robes sitting not far from Zhang Ergou suddenly spoke.
"You can see through my disguise?" Zhang Ergou stared at him in alarm.
Having consumed the disguise pill, not only had his voice turned into a hoarse croak, but his face also bore wrinkles, giving him the appearance of a middle-aged man.
"A mere disguise pill cannot withstand my detection," the elder in purple robes said with a slight smile.
Zhang Ergou's heart grew more tense. If not for the kind expression on the elder's face, he would have wanted to drag Zilin and the others and flee immediately.
What kind of auction was this?
Was seeing the sights more important than staying alive?