Chapter 427: Chapter 427: An Astronomically Priced Pill
The Martial Artists in the common area below stared blankly at the scene, completely unable to comprehend the thinking of the great families.
’They’re just a few Pills that can change one’s appearance. Is it really worth this frenzy?’
These ordinary Martial Artists lived under immense pressure just to survive. Sometimes, after getting injured, they even had to hesitate before taking a Healing Pill. How could they possibly understand the minds of the upper echelon?
To those powerful experts in high positions, Profound Stones were mere worldly possessions. Just as the auctioneer had said, youth was a priceless treasure.
"Fifty thousand."
After a round of fierce competition, a bid finally came from one of the Celestial Level private boxes that had remained silent until now.
"It’s the Zhou family! Why would the Zhou family be interested in the Pill of Eternal Youth?"
"Sixty thousand!"
A hoarse voice immediately followed from another Celestial Level box not far away.
"It’s Granny Golden Flower!"
The expressions of many in the crowd changed.
"What’s she doing here?"
"Granny Golden Flower has always been a loner, appearing and disappearing like a ghost. I never thought she’d show up at an auction in the Imperial Capital."
Granny Golden Flower was a famous female Martial Artist in the Sky Empire, a Tier Seven Martial King of the King Martial Realm. Her methods were cruel, her strength was supreme, and she acted without restraint.
Her husband, Dragon Duke, was also a renowned expert in the empire.
Years ago, the couple had traveled the martial world together, supporting each other through thick and thin, and made a great name for themselves in the empire.
But as the years passed, Granny Golden Flower’s beauty faded with age. During one of his trips, her husband became infatuated with another woman. He even conspired to set a trap for Granny Golden Flower, which nearly led to her death.
After escaping with her life, Granny Golden Flower dedicated herself to bitter training and broke through to become a Tier Seven Martial King. A year later, she found Dragon Duke and that wretched woman. Not only did she torture them both to death, but she also annihilated the woman’s entire clan down to the ninth degree of relations. The cruelty of her methods was unmatched.
From then on, Granny Golden Flower harbored a strong animosity toward all men. Any male Martial Artist who offended her was guaranteed a miserable end.
And so, Granny Golden Flower’s reputation spread throughout the empire.
"Sixty-five thousand!"
"Sixty-eight thousand!"
"Seventy thousand!"
"Seventy-five thousand!"
Following that, the Yuan family, the Murong family, the Qin family, and other major houses frequently placed bids.
Everyone was dumbfounded, completely baffled as to why these great families were acting so crazed.
"That last bid came from the Murong family’s Patriarch, right? Does he want to stay young forever too?"
Someone muttered to themselves, utterly perplexed.
An Alchemist nearby sneered, "Are you an idiot? Did you not hear what was said earlier? This Pill of Eternal Youth doesn’t just restore one’s youthful appearance; it also returns the user’s body to its youthful state."
The people nearby were all shaken.
A wave of realization washed over the crowd. One by one, they turned to look at the Pill of Eternal Youth on the auction stage in horror.
No matter how powerful an expert was, as they aged, their physical vitality would decline, and the explosive power they could muster in combat would continuously weaken.
But by taking this Pill of Eternal Youth, even for a Tier Seven Martial King like the Murong Patriarch, while their rank and Profound Power wouldn’t change much, their life force would be significantly enhanced. As a result, their combat strength would increase by at least twenty to thirty percent.
This was a temptation that no expert could resist.
After several great houses joined the bidding, the price of the Pill of Eternal Youth rapidly climbed, fast approaching the one-hundred-thousand mark.
"One hundred thousand!"
Finally, this price was called out from private box number fifteen.
"That should be the box for the Imperial Capital’s Vast Light Commerce Association."
"The Vast Light Commerce Association is one of the four great Alchemy Dao giants in the Imperial Capital. They specialize in the Pill business and must have their eyes on the market for this Pill of Eternal Youth."
"One hundred and five thousand."
Another bid was called out.
"That voice... that should be Master Mu En from the Royal Pill Pavilion, right?"
"The Royal Pill Pavilion has joined the fight for the Pill of Eternal Youth."
The crowd was shocked. Now, even the Royal Pill Pavilion had entered the fray.
Inside the Qin family’s private box.
Qin Feng’s face was ashen.
"Elders, how many more Profound Stones can our Qin family afford?" he asked in a cold voice, his eyes narrowed.
"Replying to the Patriarch, one hundred thousand Lower Grade Profound Stones at the absolute most."
"Can’t we go any higher?" Qin Feng said icily, his expression ugly.
The elders all wore bitter expressions.
"Patriarch, the bidding for the Heaven-Burning Fire Skill and the Clear Fire and Bright Heart Pill cost our Qin family a direct loss of three hundred thousand Lower Grade Profound Stones. We’re already stretched thin. That one hundred thousand includes some of the family’s upcoming operating expenses. If we spend any more, I’m afraid our Qin family will have to shut down the Pill Pavilion."
"Dammit."
Qin Feng cursed, his expression incredibly foul.
’This Pill of Eternal Youth has such miraculous effects, and it’s only a Peak of Fifth Grade Pill. If our Qin family could win it, we might be able to break it down, analyze its ingredients, and figure out the refinement process. If we could do that, the Qin family would absolutely become the number one Alchemy Dao power in the empire.’
Qin Feng was well aware of the market for appearance-enhancing Pills. It was an absolutely massive cake. The thought that his Qin family would miss out on such a huge prize filled him with frustration and annoyance.
At the same time, in the box belonging to the Divine Walk Commerce Association.
Dongfang Zisi’s eyes shone like stars. "Uncle Ye, we have to get our hands on this Pill of Eternal Youth," she said excitedly. "The Commerce Association is in a precarious situation right now. If we can figure out the formula for this Pill, produce it ourselves, and sell it, the Divine Walk Commerce Association can definitely return to its peak."
"Mm," Dongfang Ye agreed, his eyes also gleaming as he stared at the Pill of Eternal Youth on the stage.
The Qin family and the Divine Walk Commerce Association weren’t the only ones who had thought of this. The Vast Light Commerce Association, the Royal Pill Pavilion, and even the empire’s Alchemist Association had all joined the bidding.
"One hundred and ten thousand!"
"One hundred and twenty thousand!"
"One hundred and twenty-five thousand!"
"One hundred and thirty thousand!"
"One hundred and forty thousand!"
"One hundred and fifty thousand!"
The major families and Alchemy Dao powers bid frantically. In the time it took for half an incense stick to burn, the price had soared to one hundred and fifty thousand.
The entire venue erupted.
Aside from the Heaven-Burning Fire Skill and the Clear Fire and Bright Heart Pill, this was the third-highest price of the auction.
But everyone knew that the prices for the Heaven-Burning Fire Skill and the Clear Fire and Bright Heart Pill were the result of malicious bidding by certain people. The price for this Pill of Eternal Youth, however, had been reached through genuine competition.
Did this Pill of Eternal Youth really possess such Magic Power?
The crowd simply couldn’t understand.
But once the price hit one hundred and fifty thousand, many families gave up on bidding.
In the Divine Walk Commerce Association’s box, Dongfang Zisi had a bitter look on her face.
"Uncle Ye, can we really not bid any higher?" she asked, her expression tinged with unwillingness.
Dongfang Ye gave a wry smile. "Miss, it’s not that I’m unwilling to add more. You know the association’s current situation. The total funds I can mobilize amount to just one hundred fifty thousand Lower Grade Profound Stones. The association simply can’t produce any more."
"And you have to consider this: if we spend more, this expenditure will have a huge impact on the association’s operations. If we fail to develop the Pill of Eternal Youth in time, it will only plunge the association into an even deeper abyss."
After hearing this, Dongfang Zisi could only sigh inwardly. "Perhaps the Divine Walk Commerce Association is just not fated to have this Pill of Eternal Youth."
She had never expected the Pill of Eternal Youth to reach such a high price.
At this point, the only ones still bidding were the Vast Light Commerce Association, the Royal Pill Pavilion, the Alchemist Association, and Granny Golden Flower.
When the price soared to one hundred and sixty thousand, Granny Golden Flower also gave up. As a Loose Cultivator, no matter how much she wanted it, she couldn’t come up with that much money.
The remaining three great Alchemy Dao powers competed with one another.
Soon, the price skyrocketed to one hundred and eighty thousand.
"Two hundred thousand!"
Just then, a lazy yet pleasant voice suddenly rang out from Celestial Level box number one, which had been silent the entire time.
"It’s someone from the imperial family."
The crowd instantly burst into an uproar.
The Celestial Level boxes of the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion were reserved for the noble and esteemed; only people from major powers were qualified to enter.
And box number one was even more exceptional—it was reserved exclusively for the Sky Empire’s imperial family.
No one else was qualified to enter box number one.
"Heh heh, now this is interesting. I wonder which esteemed member of the imperial family wants to get their hands on the Pill of Eternal Youth."
Was that captivating female voice one of the great consorts, or the current Empress? Or perhaps another top-level figure in the imperial family?
The crowd was abuzz with speculation.
"Two hundred and three thousand!"
"Two hundred and five thousand!"
"Two hundred and eight thousand!"
But even though someone from the imperial family had spoken, powers like the Vast Light Commerce Association still hadn’t given up bidding.
"Two hundred and thirty thousand!"
The indifferent voice came from box number one once again.
The entire venue instantly broke into an uproar.
At this moment, even the biggest fool could see that the occupant of box number one was determined to win this treasure.
Most of the powers that had wanted to compete hesitated.
Two hundred and thirty thousand Lower Grade Profound Stones. This was no ordinary number; it had long surpassed the expected value of a Fifth Grade Pill. If they weren’t considering the market for appearance-enhancing Pills, they would have given up long ago.
Now that even a member of the imperial family had joined the competition, they had to consider whether it was worth continuing to bid.
The Pill market was important, of course, but in the Sky Empire, maintaining a good relationship with the imperial family was also a critical matter.
What’s more, the identity of the person who had just bid was particularly special.
"Heh heh, since it is *this person* who wants it, my Vast Light Commerce Association will withdraw our bid for the Pill of Eternal Youth."
"So be it. The Alchemist Association will also withdraw from the competition."
In the silence, the two great powers that had been bidding just moments ago had voluntarily withdrawn.
Listening to their tone, it seemed they had recognized the person in box number one.
This made everyone curious.
Even within the imperial family, there were differences in status.
There weren’t many who could make two great powers give up so willingly.
"Looks like the person in box number one is going to get the Pill of Eternal Youth."
Someone asserted with a smile.
At this point, no other powers were competing. As for the Royal Pill Pavilion, it was part of the imperial family to begin with and had stopped bidding the first time box number one made an offer.
"Two hundred and thirty-five thousand!"
Just as everyone thought it was over, a mocking voice came from Celestial Level box number two.
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