Led by a maidservant, Xiao Yan entered the ongoing auction house.
The moment he stepped inside, the surroundings grew dim, and the incessant clamor pouring into his ears made Xiao Yan feel an unavoidable headache.
The auction house was vast, easily accommodating a thousand people. At this moment, in the center of the hall, beneath the lights, a beautiful woman in a red dress stood, using her enchanting charm to mesmerize everyone as she explained the item being presented.
Under the woman's alluring and clear calls, the item, which wasn't particularly precious, was rapidly increasing in price.
Finding a secluded spot, he sat down. Xiao Yan's gaze swept across the room; with his keen eyesight, he easily noticed that quite a few people were here for the woman standing up there.
The chief auctioneer, Ya Fei, was a beauty almost everyone in Wu Tan City knew. Her mature charm was enough to make many men willing to prostrate themselves at her feet.
Xiao Yan sat quietly, his brows suddenly furrowing. He looked towards a spot not far from him, where a man sat hidden in the shadows. His gaze, burning with desire, was fixed on Ya Fei on the stage, his lips slightly pursed, and his lower body constantly shifting.
"Good heavens!" he muttered softly. Xiao Yan thought to himself, "This person is truly too much..."
Cursing inwardly, Xiao Yan gave a wry smile and shook his head slightly. His gaze returned to the high stage, looking at the woman's graceful curves, and he muttered softly, "Seductress..."
His eyes lightly swept over the item in Ya Fei's hand. Xiao Yan sighed softly; he didn't have money to spare for such a useless item, even if it was being auctioned by a beautiful woman. His gaze slowly swept across the room, then continued to observe everyone in the auction house.
"Father...?" Xiao Yan suddenly saw a middle-aged man sitting in the very front row, and his expression couldn't help but turn strange. "Could Father also be interested in this woman?"
That strange thought in Xiao Yan's mind only lasted for a moment, because he discovered his father's gaze wasn't fixed on Ya Fei. His father's expression was very calm, as if he was waiting for something.
"What is Father doing here?" he wondered inwardly. Xiao Yan was then surprised to discover that the patriarchs of the two other prominent clans in Wu Tan City, alongside the Xiao Clan—the Jia Lie Clan and the Ao Ba Clan—were also present.
"What is about to be auctioned here that could attract them?" Xiao Yan was a little curious, and rubbed his nose. What exactly could it be, to draw the three great patriarchs here?
It had to be said, this woman named Ya Fei was truly skillful. Every time she smiled, the bidding price would jump. And at times, she would even cast a flirtatious glance at the person who just made a bid, making him, despite the pain in his wallet, feel invigorated.
The atmosphere in the auction house, thanks to this woman, remained at a fever pitch.
"Ladies and gentlemen, our auction house has just received a new item. Everyone will certainly find it interesting..."
Having just finished auctioning an item, Ya Fei spoke with a smile and waved her hand. Immediately, a servant brought up a jade tray, on which sat a small jade bottle.
"This is a Tier 2 medicinal pill." Gently picking up the bottle, Ya Fei's alluring voice immediately silenced the entire hall. A moment later, murmurs erupted. On this continent, what everyone pursued most were the medicinal pills concocted by alchemists.
“This item is called the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid. It is effective for those below the Dou Zhe stage. If you use this in water and cultivate within it, it can increase your cultivation speed! If you wish for your descendants to become young geniuses, then you absolutely cannot miss this item.”
Ya Fei’s full, alluring red lips parted slightly, and her coquettish voice rang out, making quite a few men feel their bones turn to jelly.
“Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid? It can increase the speed of Dou Qi cultivation? Miss Ya Fei, at that stage, it seems elixirs cannot be used?” Many couldn’t help but ask.
“This spirit liquid has been appraised by Master Gu Ni of our auction house. Its grade is second-rank, absolutely no problems. Please rest assured, everyone,” Ya Fei said with a smile.
With Master Gu Ni himself appraising it, the noise in the hall immediately quieted down significantly. Who doesn’t know that Master Gu Ni is a second-grade alchemist? Even the three great clan heads wouldn’t dare show him any disrespect.
Xiao Yan sat leisurely on his chair, surveying the auction hall. He secretly took a deep breath. It seemed this Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid was quite a valuable find.
He couldn’t help but glance at his father and found his father’s expression was a little agitated.
He was slightly stunned for a moment, then suddenly remembered something. Xiao Yan felt a touch of emotion in his heart.
“The starting price for the spirit liquid is eight thousand gold coins. Please begin your bids.”
Ya Fei said with a smile, her gaze sweeping around. It finally settled on the three great clan heads in the very front. She knew very well that these three were the main contenders.
“Eight thousand five hundred!” As soon as Ya Fei finished speaking, someone immediately made a bid.
“Nine thousand five hundred!” The sound of a higher bid followed closely.
The bids in the hall continuously rose. In just a short while, it had already reached thirteen thousand.
Although Xiao Yan’s father’s expression was a little agitated, he didn’t bid, but closed his eyes, waiting for the bidding to subside.
The struggle for the item continued for a moment, and the bidding voices gradually weakened. At the same time, an old man sitting in the very front with Xiao Zhan calmly spoke up: “Twenty thousand!”
As soon as the bid was made, the noise in the hall immediately died down. A few people, seeing this old man, couldn’t help but slump back into their seats. They truly didn’t have the strength to compete with the Jia Lie Clan.
“Heh heh, Jia Lie Duan Bi, isn’t your son already a Dou Zhe? Why are you still buying this Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid?” a middle-aged man said with a laugh.
“Ao Ba Ma, can’t I buy it for my grandson?” Jia Lie Duan Bi clearly disliked this man, and said with a cold laugh.
“Well, that depends on whether you have the good fortune for it. Who knows, your son might have his life cut short one day…” Cursing inwardly, Ao Ba Ma then called out: “Twenty-three thousand!”
“Twenty-five thousand!”
In less than ten minutes, under everyone’s astonished gazes, the two men, like vicious dogs fighting over food, had pushed the price up to thirty thousand.
“Forty thousand!” Xiao Zhan, who had kept his eyes closed until now, suddenly spoke.
The grand hall suddenly fell silent. All eyes turned to Xiao Zhan. Even Ao Ba Ma and Jia Lie Duan Bi were shaken by this figure.
“Heh heh, Clan Head Xiao, it seems you’re determined to get this Foundation Establishment Elixir…” Jia Lie Duan Bi said with a laugh.
Xiao Zhan glanced at him and said calmly:
“If you want it, then bid. I absolutely won’t follow.”
Jia Lie Duan Bi's face twitched slightly, as if wondering if Xiao Zhan was telling the truth or lying. A moment later, he shook his head. He had come here specifically for that item; he absolutely could not afford to waste his funds.
Ao Ba Ma, standing to the side, saw Jia Lie Duan Bi retreat and shrugged. While the Foundation Establishment Elixir was tempting, it wasn't his objective, so he let it go.
"Patriarch Xiao Zhan has bid 40,000 gold coins. Is there anyone else who wishes to raise the price?" Ya Fei said with a smile, looking at the quiet hall.
"If there are no further bids, this Foundation Establishment Elixir will be purchased by Patriarch Xiao Zhan." Seeing that no one spoke up, Ya Fei gently tapped the small hammer in her hand onto the table, officially selling the Foundation Establishment Elixir.
In a secluded spot, Xiao Yan felt a mix of amusement and exasperation. After all that, it turned out his own father was the buyer...
"Next up, the highlight of today's auction!!" As the jade bottle was carried away, Ya Fei, with a sweep of her delicate hand, caused the lights on the stage to dim. Ya Fei paused slightly, then slowly took out a silver tray, on which rested an ancient, rustic green scroll.
The scroll shimmered with a faint green light, and placed on the silver tray, it truly had a mysterious air about it.
"Profound-tier High-grade Cultivation Technique: Azure Wind Art!!!"