The silence was so thick that the air inside the hall felt as though it had frozen into a crystal, ready to shatter at any moment. No one dared to speak. Even the sound of the guests’ bated breath rang out loudly, filling a space that suddenly felt suffocatingly small. Hundreds of eyes were transfixed on a single point: the emerald-green pill resting serenely inside a jade box.Its glow was soft, barely blinding, yet that very tranquility caused the heart of every cultivator in the room to beat twice as fast as usual. A faint medicinal scent slowly wafted outward, permeating every corner of the room. It was not a pungent or intoxicating aroma, but rather a cool, refreshing one. Upon inhaling it, every breath seemed to trigger the Qi within their bodies to resonate softly, coaxing the spiritual energy in the surroundings to gather.Elder Luo slowly rose from his seat. His hands, known to be steady and unyielding, now trembled slightly as he gripped the armrest."This..." his lips moved

On the other side of the room, the leader of the Hunter’s Guild could only offer a bitter smile as he watched the two VIP booths, which had now become an arena for giants. "I just realized something. We thought we came here to attend an auction. As it turns out, from the very beginning, we were merely spectators who happened to be in the wrong place."On stage, Mu Yanshan stood tall, but beneath his composed exterior, his blood was racing. Eighty thousand gold for a single recovery pill? Even in his wildest dreams, he had never imagined such a staggering figure. His gaze flickered momentarily toward Qin Zilong’s booth. 'Young man... you have truly brought a massive storm upon the Spirit Pill Pavilion.'In booth number nine, the old man in grey robes looked at his young mistress with growing anxiety. "Young Miss, shall we continue to pursue it? That price has already crossed the line of reason."The girl in the white veil did not waver. Her gaze remained locked on the stage, but a flas

The sound of wood meeting wood signaled the end of the war for her. "We stop," she whispered softly."Young Miss, are we giving up?"The girl shook her head, her eyes reopening with cold composure. "No. That price... is reasonable enough. Any more than that, and it is no longer about the pill, but about ego. And I am not interested in wasting resources on something that is no longer logical."Mu Yanshan, who had been observing the booth closely, caught the small movement. The corners of his lips slowly curled upward.He finally raised his gavel. "One hundred and twenty thousand gold... going three times!"CLACK!"The auction is concluded! This Qi Recovery Pill is officially sold!"A roar of applause erupted, not from joy, but as a form of respect for the history that had just been made. That number would become a legend discussed in Black Cloud City for years to come.Mu Yanshan let the commotion subside, then flashed a mysterious smile. "Dear guests, thank you for the extraordinary e

"Five hundred."Qin Zilong’s voice was not loud, but in the hall that had begun to lose its fervor, that short sentence sliced through the atmosphere like a dagger. No one was surprised by the number; what kept them silent was the reality that someone was finally willing to trade gold for a piece of iron that even the experts of the Spirit Pill Pavilion had given up on understanding.Mu Yanshan shifted his gaze toward the VIP booth on the left. The corners of his lips rose slightly, a faint smirk he rarely displayed. "Five hundred gold coins from our VIP guest," he announced firmly.He raised his wooden gavel. "Five hundred... going once."Clack.The sound was light, far from the prestigious strike of the previous pill auctions."Five hundred... going twice."Clack.In the audience seats, several guests had already begun to rise. The sound of chairs scraping against the floor and weary murmurs began to dominate. To them, the night had peaked when the Qi Recovery Pill changed hands. Th

Meanwhile, on the top floor of the Spirit Pill Pavilion, the atmosphere felt vastly different. A pressing silence replaced the hall's uproar.Tok. Tok.Two soft knocks broke the silence in front of the door to a private room."Please, come in," Qin Zilong’s calm voice sounded from within.The teak door creaked softly. Mu Yanshan stepped inside first with a steady gait, followed by Elder Mo carrying a report document. Behind them, four servants bowed deeply, carrying two long wooden chests reinforced with iron plating.Thud.The chests were placed right in front of Qin Zilong. The thud was dense, emphasizing the weight of their contents. Mu Yanshan reached for a silver key from behind his robes and unlocked them meticulously.Click.As the lids were lifted, the light from the crystal lamp in the room reflected off thousands of gold pieces neatly arranged. That golden glimmer filled the room, creating an atmosphere that could make anyone’s breath hitch.Mu Yanshan then laid out a transa