The Imperial Martial Pill Venerable

Chapter 289: Chapter 288: Muddy Water Black Lotus

At the Four Seas Auction, all the major powers had gathered.

Sun Qing straightened his clothes and walked onto a high platform in the grand hall.

"Everyone, today the Four Seas Auction will be presenting a total of thirty-six items. Each one is a rare and priceless treasure. And now, let’s bring out our very first item... the Ninth-Grade Profound Soldier, the Phoenix Flame Saber!"

As he spoke, two burly men carried a large table draped in red cloth onto the platform and promptly retreated. Sun Qing smiled faintly and ripped off the cloth. In an instant, a brilliant light flared, and waves of scorching aura washed over the crowd. Everyone looked up. Resting on a stand was a great saber, its entire body a fiery red, with a hilt shaped like a phoenix. The sight alone felt like it could burn their eyes.

"What a fine Phoenix Saber."

"This Fire Attribute Ninth-Grade Profound Soldier is a perfect match for me! With it, my combat power will definitely rise to the next level. I have to get it."

"The very first item is a Ninth-Grade Profound Soldier. What an extravagant start. Heh, I can only imagine how precious the upcoming items will be."

Sun Qing glanced at the astonished crowd and said with a faint smile, "The starting price is 80,000 Primordial Stones, with a minimum bid increment of 1,000. Let the auction begin!"

"One hundred thousand Primordial Stones!" A maidservant emerged from one of the Elegant Pavilions, holding a placard high in the air. The number displayed was a stunning one hundred thousand!

"One hundred and two thousand Primordial Stones!"

"One hundred and five thousand Primordial Stones!"

"One hundred and twenty thousand Primordial Stones!"

...

After a fierce round of bidding, the Phoenix Flame Saber was won by a Martial Artist who specialized in the Mysteries of Flame for one hundred and thirty-five thousand Primordial Stones. Following that, a variety of other items were auctioned: a Glazed Moon, a Divine Sea Thought Crystal, a Ninth-Grade Elixir, a Thousand-Year Scroll... The sound of bids rose and fell one after another.

Nearly an hour later, twenty-seven items had been sold. Qin Ya had yet to make a single bid. It wasn’t just him; the Shangguan Family had also bid only once, purchasing a set of rare treasures imbued with the Mysteries of Gold.

This wasn’t surprising. For Qin Ya, the preceding items were of little use; the treasures he had his eye on were far more valuable and would appear later. As for the Shangguan Family, their clan was large and their enterprise vast, so ordinary treasures held no appeal for them.

"Alright, our twenty-eighth item is next. This one is exceedingly special. To an Alchemist, it is a priceless treasure. But to an ordinary Martial Artist, it is a poison they would do anything to avoid. It is... the Muddy Water Black Lotus!"

Sun Qing pulled back the red cloth. Inside a massive, transparent, sealed glass case, a black lotus the size of a human head grew in a pool of murky black water. It bloomed bewitchingly, a faint, sinister light seeming to flow across its petals, like a seductive siren—infinitely alluring, yet lethally dangerous.

’Forty-six petals... a four-hundred-and-sixty-year-old flower. It’s older than some Martial Arts Kings. The medicinal power is even stronger than I imagined!’ Qin Ya murmured to himself, a rare, fiery passion flickering in his eyes.

Aside from him, an old man in Shangguan Bei’s Elegant Pavilion was also staring at the black lotus, his face filled with excitement. "What a fine Muddy Water Black Lotus, four hundred and sixty years old! It would be absolutely perfect for refining a Poison Pill. With a Poison Pill like that... even a Martial Arts King might not be able to withstand it."

"Master Ming, is this black lotus really that incredible?" Shangguan Bei asked.

Master Ming’s tone was fervent. "But of course! You must understand, the older the medicinal ingredient, the more potent it becomes, with each century marking a new threshold. This Muddy Water Black Lotus grows in a place of utter filth, so its medicinal properties far surpass those of ordinary herbs. Although it is only four hundred and sixty years old, its potency is on par with that of a thousand-year-old medicine."

"And how many medicinal herbs in this world even survive for a thousand years? That’s why this Muddy Water Black Lotus is, without a doubt, one of the most precious medicinal ingredients in existence." Master Ming was so excited his face was flushed. He turned to Shangguan Bei and said urgently, "Patriarch, we must get our hands on this Muddy Water Black Lotus! If I can refine even a single Poison Pill from it, it will be an incredibly potent weapon!"

Shangguan Bei nodded. "Rest assured, Master Ming. No one here can compete with the Shangguan Family. This black lotus is as good as ours."

Master Ming nodded. He didn’t doubt Shangguan Bei’s words in the slightest, because in his eyes, it was the absolute truth. As the Overlord of Lieyang City, the Shangguan Family’s financial might was far greater than that of the other Noble Families.

"The Muddy Water Black Lotus. Starting price: two hundred thousand Primordial Stones. Minimum bid increment: ten thousand Primordial Stones. Let the bidding begin," Sun Qing announced with a smile.

"Two hundred and fifty thousand Primordial Stones!"

Just then, a maidservant emerged from an Elegant Pavilion, holding a placard high. As the crowd looked on, someone remarked, "Isn’t that the pavilion where Master Tang is staying? Ah, that makes sense. Master Tang is an Eighth-Grade Alchemist, so it’s only natural he’d want the Muddy Water Black Lotus. It’s useless to the rest of us, though."

Next, another Alchemist placed a bid.

"Two hundred and seventy thousand Primordial Stones..."

"Three hundred thousand Primordial Stones..."

This round of bidding was somewhat subdued, with most of the bids coming from Alchemists. Nevertheless, the price was already the highest of the auction so far. This gave the crowd a true sense of what it meant for Alchemists to be the wealthiest people in the world of Martial Artists.

"Five hundred thousand Primordial Stones!!"

Suddenly, a maidservant emerged from the sixth floor—the second-highest level of pavilions—holding up a placard that displayed a shocking number.

"Five hundred thousand Primordial Stones for a single lotus flower. The Shangguan Family is truly rich."

"Heh, don’t forget, the Shangguan Family has Master Ming, whose skill is approaching that of a Ninth-Grade Alchemist. It’s not surprising they’d bid on the black lotus."

"True. Master Ming is the most formidable Alchemist in Lieyang City. I hear he’s recently been attempting to refine a Ninth-Grade Elixir. If he succeeds, he’ll become a Ninth-Grade Alchemist, and the Shangguan Family’s power will take a quantum leap."

"The most powerful Noble Family in Lieyang City, combined with its most formidable Alchemist... Sigh. No one in this city is their match."

"The Shangguan Family has made its move. Looks like the black lotus is theirs."

"Five hundred and twenty thousand Primordial Stones." At that moment, Master Tang placed another bid.

"Six hundred thousand Primordial Stones." The Shangguan Family shot back without hesitation, crushing the previous offer with an overwhelming price advantage. Their arrogance and disdain were palpable.

Inside his Elegant Pavilion, Master Tang sighed in resignation. As an Eighth-Grade Alchemist, his personal wealth was no less than a million Primordial Stones, but he knew that with the Shangguan Family in the running, there was no way he could win this black lotus.

Still, his heart was filled with unwillingness, and his expression shifted uncertainly.

Gritting his teeth, he decided to make one last bid.

"Seven hundred thousand Primordial Stones!"

Seeing this, the corner of Shangguan Bei’s mouth curled up. He called out his new bid: "Eight hundred thousand!"

After placing his bid, he stated indifferently, "The Shangguan Family is determined to have this Muddy Water Black Lotus. I ask that you all do me the favor of backing down. I would be most grateful."

In his Elegant Pavilion, Master Tang sighed. "Forget it. So be it."

If he forced another bid, not only would he fail to get the Muddy Water Black Lotus, but he would also offend the Shangguan Family. That would bring no good to him or the family he was affiliated with.

Sun Qing, however, furrowed his brow slightly. Shangguan Bei was so domineering, using his influence to suppress the bidding. Because of this, the price for the Muddy Water Black Lotus was much lower than he had anticipated. He scanned the crowd and called out, "Is there anyone else willing to place a bid?!"