Chapter 51: Chapter 33: Lotus Seats Rise in the Moon Pool, the Treasure Fair Reveals the Dragon Pearl (Part 2)
"Settle down, Lieyun. Stop making a scene." Xuzhuang calmly tucked his sleeves behind his back and asked, "I wonder, which lot number is the Dragon Pearl?"
Fairy Shi turned and glanced at Zhang Ji. Visibly flustered, Zhang Ji answered automatically, "The Dragon Pearl is the centerpiece item for tonight, listed as the seventh lot."
"Oh? I see." Xuzhuang took note of Zhang Ji’s reaction, nodding thoughtfully before returning his gaze to the stage.
The auction had now reached the sixth item: a Pill Furnace. It had been refined with thirty-two Celestial Spirit restrictions. Although it hadn’t reached a full set of restrictions, Pill Furnaces were always among the most expensive types of Magical Artifacts, and the bidding had already reached the high price of 8,600 Three Mountains Immortal Treasures.
Xuzhuang suddenly remembered that he possessed a dual-purpose Pill Furnace with a full set of restrictions—the very one used to refine the Sixth-Transformation Golden Core. Because he wasn’t skilled in the Alchemy Dao and had no time to refine the furnace for his own use, it was still sitting untouched in his Qiankun Bag.
’It seems this Pill Furnace was actually the most precious treasure Chen Yuanji had on him. If it were put up for auction at the Pengxuan Treasure Assembly, its value would surely surpass even the Hanguang Sword. For the items on his person to be this valuable... as an elder of the Danxia Institute, who knows how much wealth that fool must have amassed.’
Naturally, Xuzhuang had no idea that at this very moment, far away on the Divine Continent, in a small courtyard of the Tai Su Danxia Institute, Chen Yuanji was drinking nonstop with a look of utter dejection. Beside him, Junior Brother Mo was struggling to manage a Pill Furnace and couldn’t help but plead, "Senior Brother, you still haven’t finished refining the pills you owe the institute, and we still have the quota to hand in! You can’t keep languishing like this!"
Meanwhile, back at the Pengxuan Treasure Assembly, the sixth item, the Pill Furnace, was finally sold for 9,200 Three Mountains Immortal Treasures. Xuzhuang’s brow furrowed. ’At this rate, the price of every item is staying sky-high. Even if I converted all the Tai Su Magic Coins I have into Three Mountains Immortal Treasures, I’d only have about six thousand. That’s nowhere near enough to win the Dragon Pearl.’
’However, I do have some other treasures,’ he thought. ’The pills and Magical Artifacts I took from Yang Lian... They aren’t suitable for my use and could be sold for Three Mountains Immortal Treasures. But I didn’t think of this before the assembly started, so I didn’t make any preparations.’
After a moment’s thought, Xuzhuang turned to look at Zhang Ji and called out, "Brother Zhang!"
Zhang Ji replied, "Brother Xu, what is it?"
Xuzhuang quietly explained his idea to Zhang Ji. Zhang Ji nodded and said, "That’s a simple matter. Brother Xu, you just go ahead and make your bids. After the assembly, I’ll have someone coordinate with you on the value of the items you want to sell. If that’s still not enough, we can just put it on my account."
"There’s no need for that. The items I have are quite valuable." The pills and Magical Artifacts he possessed, though unsuitable for his personal use, were after all the belongings of a direct sect disciple, a cultivator with a Top-grade Golden Core. Xuzhuang smiled. "I’ll have to trouble you then, Brother Zhang."
While the two were talking, the auction for the seventh item officially began. An attendant came forward carrying a tray, and the middle-aged Daoist walked to their side. He announced in a clear voice, "Next up is the centerpiece of today’s assembly. For this treasure, I need only speak its name; no further embellishment is necessary. You will all naturally understand its preciousness."
After building up the suspense, the middle-aged Daoist smiled slightly and whisked away the red cloth.
"The seventh auction item: a Dragon Pearl!"
The announcement immediately sent waves of shock through the hearts of many present.
Given the status of those in attendance, they wouldn’t stoop to a noisy uproar, but the countless streams of Spiritual Sense and divine consciousness that immediately swept over from all corners of the void said more than enough.
On one of the lotus platforms, Young Master Lian and Zheng Zhang sat next to each other. Zheng Zhang, dressed in a yellow robe embroidered with dragons, exclaimed, "A Dragon Pearl! How can there be a Dragon Pearl?! The Dragon Palace has existed for ages, and the number of true dragons has never been seen to increase. Every single one is incomparably rare..."
The magnificently dressed Young Master Lian opened his folding fan, covering the lower half of his face as his eyes radiated with delight. ’A Dragon Pearl! There really is a Dragon Pearl! Thank goodness I caught wind of this and made preparations in advance.’
"A Dragon Pearl... a Dragon Pearl! The rarest and most precious Demon Pill in the world! We of the Zheng Family possess the bloodline of the Dragon Race. If one were to forge a Golden Core with this, would their Magical Power and Divine Techniques be comparable to those of a Middle Grade or even a Top-grade Golden Core?" Zheng Zhang’s fingertips trembled, a fire of hateful envy burning in his eyes. "Why? Why have I already formed my Golden Core!"
Young Master Lian said impassively, "Who on earth would dare to slay a dragon and steal its pearl? Incurring the wrath of the Dragon Palace... even if they fled to the ends of the earth, escape would be impossible!"
"Why would the Pengxuan Pavilion auction a Dragon Pearl? Could it be a signal that their conflict with the Dragon Palace has escalated?"
"That’s right!" Amid his envy, a look of gloating relief appeared on Zheng Zhang’s face. "A Dragon Pearl! Who would dare bid on it? If the Dragon Palace found out, even a hundred lives wouldn’t be enough to escape their wrath!"
"The starting bid is five thousand Three Mountains Immortal Treasures."
The moment the Daoist’s voice fell, a hoarse voice immediately responded, raising the price directly. "Six thousand!"
Once the bid of six thousand was made, it didn’t trigger a rapid bidding war as one might expect. Instead, the hall grew somewhat quiet.
"What? Someone actually dared to make a bid?" At the sound, gazes from all directions—some overt, others extremely covert—swept toward the bidder. The person was completely shrouded in a veiled hat and black robes, sitting alone on a lotus platform. Sensing the countless eyes upon them, the figure instantly released a bone-chilling aura.
"Damn it!" Zheng Zhang cried out again. "Damn it all! Why didn’t the treasure list released by the Pengxuan Pavilion mention the Dragon Pearl? Otherwise, who wouldn’t have known to come in disguise!"
’Hmph.’ Young Master Lian sneered inwardly. ’If they had announced it beforehand, what chance would there be? It’s precisely because the attendees of the Pengxuan Treasure Assembly are prideful and rarely wear disguises that my Lian family has this opportunity to snatch up a bargain.’
