Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Price
As Ya Fei announced the price, the entire venue fell silent for a moment. However, very quickly, a young man whose mind had been captivated by Ya Fei's smile hastily shouted, "Sixteen thousand!"
After shouting the bid, the man, his face slightly pale, still feigned elegance as he bowed slightly towards Ya Fei on the stage, completely forgetting that his gaze was fixed intently on her ample bosom.
Silently sneering at how this man's mind was entirely consumed by a woman's body, Ya Fei maintained her perfect smile. She looked down at the audience and chuckled, "Is there anyone else bidding?"
"Seventeen thousand."
"Nineteen thousand!"
After a brief silence, the venue became boisterous again, with bids constantly increasing. The man looked embarrassed, and finally, when the price reached twenty-three thousand, he had to retreat awkwardly.
Hearing the price continuously rise, Xiao Yan, though not overly surprised, still had to marvel. The level of interest everyone here had in the Foundation Elixir clearly far exceeded his expectations. It seemed that the decision to have the Mi Te Er Auction House publicize it was indeed a wise one.
For the first bottle of Foundation Elixir, the three great clans remained on the sidelines, not yet making a bid. This gave the weaker forces an opportunity, and they immediately bid fiercely, wanting to secure it for themselves. After all, spirit medicine that could increase the speed of Dou Qi cultivation was rarely seen even across the entire Jia Ma Empire.
After nearly half an hour of contention, the first bottle of Foundation Elixir finally settled at a price of forty-seven thousand.
Looking at the plump man whose face was beaming with joy from his successful bid, Xiao Yan was truly a little speechless. He hadn't expected these people to be even more frenzied than his father's bid last time... The cost to create a Foundation Elixir was only about a thousand gold coins, yet it instantly multiplied dozens of times. This terrifying profit margin made Xiao Yan somewhat disbelieving.
Stroking his chin, Xiao Yan's eyes widened, and he suddenly thought to himself, if he hadn't met Yao Lao, he probably wouldn't have the qualifications to live so luxuriously, using a bottle of Foundation Elixir every day, would he?
Seeing the first bottle of Foundation Elixir sell for such a high price, Ya Fei also breathed a sigh of relief. She thought to herself, "This price should satisfy that mysterious person, right? As long as it can make him have a bit of goodwill towards the Mi Te Er Auction House, that's enough!"
Gently shaking her head, Ya Fei looked at the disappointed faces of those who had failed to bid successfully in the hall. She smiled, then, under everyone's gaze, took out two jade bottles and said with a smile, "Next are six bottles of Foundation Elixir, which will be divided into three sales, two bottles each time. The starting price is: Thirty thousand gold coins!"
Looking at the two bottles of Foundation Elixir, a strange silence fell over the hall. Eyes began to sweep towards the three great clans; they all knew that this time, these three major powers were likely to make their move.
"Thirty-one thousand." Jia Lie Bi, the clan head of the Jia Lie Clan, slowly made his bid after a moment of silence.
"Heh heh, Jia Lie Bi, didn't you use up all your clan's money buying cultivation techniques last time? Why are you so stingy now? Can you even offer one thousand?" Hearing Jia Lie Bi's bid, which was quite out of character compared to before, Ao Ba Ma immediately scoffed.
Jia Lie Bi's face twitched slightly. He glared coldly at Ao Ba Ma but didn't retort, merely staring grimly at the white jade bottles on the stage.
"Thirty-five thousand." Seeing that his taunt elicited no reaction, Ao Ba Mo felt a little bored. He waved his hand and called out indifferently.
"Thirty-eight thousand." Jia Lie Bi coldly followed suit.
"Forty-five thousand." Ao Ba Mo's expression was provocative.
"Fifty thousand." As soon as the price was announced, Jia Lie Bi's hand trembled slightly. As Ao Ba Mo had said earlier, though unpleasant, it wasn't false. The last time, to snatch that high-grade Profound-tier cultivation technique, the Jia Lie family had almost exhausted the gold accumulated over many years. Recently, the Jia Lie family's assets had shrunk by two or three tenths.
"Fifty-five thousand."
"Fifty-six thousand..."
Watching these two almost furiously competing, everyone in the hall sighed with regret. Even if they had enough capital, they lacked the strength to contend with the three great families. After all, each of Wu Tan City's three great families had at least three Grand Dou Master level experts!
Although economy is considered the foundation of a powerful family, if there's no armed force to protect that economy, no matter how much money one possesses, they cannot truly stand firm.
Therefore, everyone present was sensible enough not to participate in the competition between the two families. Only occasionally, all eyes would turn towards the Xiao family, who maintained a detached attitude.
When the Foundation Establishment Elixir reached seventy-three thousand, Jia Lie Bi finally cleared his throat and retreated. His family could no longer afford to squander.
Watching Jia Lie Bi clear his throat, Ao Ba Mo smugly puffed out his chest, a brilliant smile appearing on his face.
Amidst the competition between the two parties, Ya Fei on the stage maintained her charming smile. She watched the expectant gazes of the two men, which seemed like flowing light. Only when the price was set did she hesitantly bring down the hammer in her hand.
Just as Ya Fei was about to present two more bottles of elixir, Xiao Zhan, who had been silent until now, finally raised his hand. His voice was faint, yet before it even fully registered, Jia Lie Bi already felt a bit dejected.
"Seventy-five thousand!" The calm voice echoed throughout the chaotic hall.
On the stage, Ya Fei was also slightly shaken by Xiao Zhan's imposing aura. After a moment of daze, she smiled and asked, "Does anyone else wish to raise the bid?"
Sitting on his chair, Jia Lie Bi glared viciously at the faintly smiling Xiao Zhan, cursing resentfully in his heart: "Bastard, if you hadn't played me last time, how could my Jia Lie family be so humiliated?"
His pupils flickered slightly. Jia Lie Bi gritted his teeth and suddenly shouted coldly, "Eighty-five thousand!"
"Ninety-five thousand!" Xiao Zhan glanced at Jia Lie Bi dismissively, raising his large hand, his posture clearly saying, "No matter how much you bid, I'll follow to the very end."
Seeing Xiao Zhan's determined stance, Jia Lie Bi's mouth twitched slightly. A hint of a smug, cold smile appeared deep within his pupils. As if with some hesitation, he gritted his teeth and said, "One hundred thousand!"
Hearing Jia Lie Bi's bid, the hall instantly erupted in an uproar. Exclamations of shock filled the air. To buy two bottles of Foundation Establishment Elixir for one hundred thousand gold coins was clearly a huge gamble.
Narrowing his eyes, Xiao Yan watched Jia Lie Bi, who seemed ready to stake everything. He chuckled softly, shook his head, and whispered to Xun Er, "I bet that if Father bids one more time, that guy will immediately retreat."
Xun Er blinked her long, slender eyelashes. She hadn't been paying attention to the two parties' contention and immediately said with some surprise, "Looking at that guy, he seems really eager to finish this."
At the critical juncture, upon hearing Jia Liet Bi raise the price, Xiao Zhan fell silent for a moment. Suddenly, he rose to his feet with force, his gaze, somewhat eerie, fixed on Jia Liet Bi. A moment later, he suddenly smiled and spoke words that made him gape in astonishment: "You win..."