The location of the auction held by Sea King Pavilion was set in the Black Seal Auction House, the former core of Black Seal City, which had been the predecessor of Eight Gates.
To prepare for this auction, Xiao Yi Xian ordered the clearing of all auction rooms, large and small, from the former Black Seal Auction House, breaking through walls and floors to remodel the entire building, turning over two-thirds of the space into a single giant auction hall.
Yet even so, it seemed they had slightly underestimated the allure of the Medicinal Pills refined by a Seventh-Rank Alchemist to the major powers of the Black-Corner Region.
When Xiao Se and the other four entered the auction hall through the exclusive passage and saw the nearly endless sea of people, a dark and oppressive crowd, they felt speechless. These guys were crazier than one another.
Excluding Maple City, Blood Sect, Earth Flame Sect, Eight Gates, and Demon Flame Valley, which had already been incorporated into Sea King Pavilion's domain, almost every notable force in the Black-Corner Region had come.
Among them, Black Emperor Sect and Jia Nan Academy were the most conspicuous. Both were long-established super-first-rate powers of the Black-Corner Region, each with a Dou Zong powerhouse as their backbone. The latter was particularly close to Sea King Pavilion, even to the point that several of Sea King Pavilion's founders had come from Jia Nan Academy. Thus, the Jia Nan Academy delegation, led by Su Qian, received the highest level of treatment from Sea King Pavilion upon arrival.
Aside from Black Emperor Sect and Jia Nan Academy, many other forces with Dou Huang expert, such as Rakshasa Sect and Mad Lion Gang, had also come. Their goal was clear: the Huangji Pill and the Break-Sect Pill. For these, they were even willing to take out their most treasured possessions. After all, the temptation of breaking through to Dou Zong was too great.
Of course, the majority were lone strong practitioners, the most representative being Eagle Mountain Old Man, who in the original novel had competed with Xiao Yan for the bodhi transformation saliva. As soon as he appeared, even Sea King Pavilion had to treat him with caution. That is, of course, as long as he didn't cause trouble; otherwise, no one thought he could leave alive. After all, Earth Demon Old Ghost was a stark example.
Inside the largest luxury box of Black Seal City Auction House, after handing over the Medicinal Pills he had refined over the past month to Xiao Yi Xian, Xiao Se took out a jade bottle from his storage ring and gave it to Die.
"What is this?" Die asked curiously.
"This is a pill formula I stumbled upon, called the Appearance Pill," Xiao Se said with a mysterious smile.
"Appearance Pill?" The women's eyes lit up.
"Indeed, I think you've guessed it. Appearance Pill, as the name suggests, can preserve one's appearance forever. Of course, one's lifespan remains unchanged," Xiao Se explained with a smile. This formula was something he had exchanged from the World of A Mortal's Journey to Immortality using his System. He had not refined it before due to a lack of Materials. Now, with the entire Sea King Pavilion helping to gather them, it was time to consider his women.
Hearing Xiao Se's words, Die uncorked the bottle without hesitation and swallowed the pill.
The Appearance Pill dissolved upon entering her mouth, turning into a strange energy that flowed through her limbs and meridians. Then, Die's body began to undergo subtle changes. Her already fair and smooth skin seemed to become even more supple and radiant.
"Wow, Xiao Se, I feel like my skin has become even better. Thank you." Saying this, Die, ignoring the presence of Xiao Yi Xian and the others, excitedly threw herself into Xiao Se's arms, pressing her delicate red lips against his cheek.
Feeling the softness and tenderness on his cheek, Xiao Se was momentarily stunned, thinking to himself, Sha Sha, don't blame me for this; Die threw herself at me.
Seeing this scene, the other women felt a twinge of envy—not of Die, but of the pill. In their minds, Die would eventually become Xiao Se's woman; it was only a matter of time. What they truly envied was the Appearance Pill.
Preserving one's appearance forever—what a great temptation. No woman in this World could resist it.
Yet, such a precious pill, Xiao Se had only given to Die.
Could it be that Xiao Se doesn't love me anymore?
That was the common thought in the hearts of Xiao Yi Xian and Zhu Zhuqing at that moment.
As for Zi Yan, who was always a foodie, she directly stepped forward, grabbed Xiao Se's hand, looked up with her big black eyes blinking innocently, and said pitifully, "Xiao Se, I want an Appearance Pill too."
"It's not impossible to give you one," Xiao Se said, releasing Die and Zi Yan, stepping back a few paces, propping his chin, and looking Zi Yan up and down. A sly smile curled at the corner of his mouth. "But are you sure you want it now? After taking the Appearance Pill, you'll never grow up. Even if you later dissolve the medicinal power of the Transformation Grass in your body, you'll still remain as you are now."
"Ah? Can't grow up?" Upon hearing that taking the Appearance Pill would prevent her from growing up, Zi Yan's delicate face turned pale. She quickly waved her hands and said, "No, no, I don't want to preserve my appearance forever."
Smiling slightly, Xiao Se shifted his gaze to Xiao Yi Xian and Zhu Zhuqing. "Xian'er, Zhuqing, if you think you're perfect enough, you can take it now too."
"Uh..." Hearing this, Xiao Yi Xian and Zhu Zhuqing looked down at their own figures. Their faces flushed slightly. One was eighteen, the other fifteen. The latter was fine, thanks to her strong genes, she possessed a figure that was wildly disproportionate to her age. The former, however, was not quite satisfied. She looked at Die's perfect curves, then at Zhu Zhuqing's—both were ample. Why was hers...
"No, I'll wait another two years, another two years," Xiao Yi Xian quickly refused. Although she wasn't exactly flat-chested, she was far from well-endowed. Xiao Se had once said that the age at which females stop developing is between nineteen and twenty, so she wanted to try a bit harder.
Xiao Se nodded with a smile and looked at Zhu Zhuqing, teasing, "And what about Zhuqing?"
"I'll wait a few more years too," Zhu Zhuqing said, her pretty face slightly red as she avoided Xiao Se's gaze. Although she was very confident in her figure, her face still seemed a bit young. What if Xiao Se's child grew up and mistook her for a sister? So she also wanted to wait until she was nineteen or twenty.
"Alright then," Xiao Se said, not continuing the teasing. Next, it was time to prepare for the auction.
Meanwhile, in a certain treasure appraisal room in Black Seal City Auction House.
Xiao Yan, draped in a large black cloak, sat before a gray-robed old man.
"Sir, are you here to have a treasure appraised?" the old man asked Xiao Yan.
"Mm." From under the black cloak, an aged voice suddenly sounded, and then Xiao Yan took out a jade bottle from his robes.
Seeing the jade bottle in Xiao Yan's hand, the old man frowned. But out of professional duty, he still took the bottle to appraise it. After a moment, he shook his head.
"What? Is there something wrong with the pill?" Seeing the old man shake his head, Xiao Yan felt displeased. This was a Two-Pattern Green Spirit Pill he had painstakingly refined, intending to use it to gain entry to this grand auction and profit from it.
The old man sighed and said, "Apologies, old sir. It's not that the pill has issues. In normal times, this Two-Pattern Green Spirit Pill of yours could sell for eight or nine hundred thousand gold coins without problem. But this time is different. The auction is personally organized by the Pavilion Master, and the minimum items are at the Peak of fourth grade, like the Three-Pattern Clear Spirit Pill and the Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill. Your Two-Pattern Green Spirit Pill will have to wait for the next auction. Perhaps... you could see if you have any other pills?"
"Next time?" Xiao Yan frowned. Where could he find a Peak fourth-grade pill at a time like this?
Seeming to sense Xiao Yan's displeasure, the old man changed the subject. "If you wish to enter the auction quickly, you could also show assets worth over two million gold coins."
"Two million..." Xiao Yan's mouth twitched. At this moment, he couldn't even produce twenty thousand gold coins. Buying the ingredients for this Three-Pattern Clear Spirit Pill had already spent almost all his savings.
"You could also use treasures of value not less than the Three-Pattern Clear Spirit Pill or the Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill," the old man said, having figured out that this mysterious fellow was broke.
"Teacher, what do we do?" Xiao Yan asked Yao Lao in his mind, troubled.
"Just auction this," Yao Lao said without answering Xiao Yan directly. He took control of Xiao Yan's body and pulled an ancient-looking stone from the pitch-black storage ring.
"Na Ling..." The old man's eyes lit up. This was a good item.
"Is it enough?" Yao Lao asked impatiently.
"Enough, enough. This Na Ling is of good quality, worth over a million gold coins," the old man nodded repeatedly. Without much hesitation, he took out a black iron token engraved with the character'Sea' from his storage ring and handed it to Yao Lao. "This is your token. Someone will guide you to your seat later."
"Teacher, why did you sell the Na Ling? How will I subdue the Heavenly Flame later?" Xiao Yan said, dissatisfied in his mind after seeing Yao Lao hand over the Na Ling.
"Don't worry, I have more than one piece prepared. Besides, this Na Ling is only a treasure in name. In reality, it's just an ordinary piece of junk—virtually useless except for subduing Heavenly Flames. Having one more or one less doesn't matter," Yao Lao said with a lecherous smile. He took the token from the old man while controlling Xiao Yan's body, then turned and walked out of the appraisal room.
After Xiao Yan left, the old man weighed the Na Ling in his hand, a slight smile curling at the corner of his mouth. He turned around and wrote a letter: "A Black Robed Man suspected to be Xiao Yan has entered the auction house. Seat is ****."
After finishing the letter, the old man placed the Na Ling and the letter into a secret compartment in the wall behind him.
Inside the grand box, Xiao Yi Xian looked at the letter handed to her by a maid and said to Xiao Se, "Xiao Se, that guy named Xiao Yan has indeed sneaked in. Should we..."
Clearly, Xiao Yi Xian hadn't given up on Yao Lao's Bone Chilling Flame.
"Let him be. Now is not the time," Xiao Se shook his head, a gleam of cunning flashing in his eyes. Perhaps he could use this auction to do something.
"Alright then," Xiao Yi Xian said, somewhat deflated.
"But we can still mess with him a bit. Do this... and this..." Xiao Se took out a bottle of liquid from his storage ring, leaned close to Xiao Yi Xian's ear, and whispered a few words.
"You're too wicked," Xiao Yi Xian said, a blush coloring her pretty face upon hearing this. But then she smiled, took the liquid, and said lightly, "But... I like it."
Before long, the auction began.
As the Pavilion Master of Sea King Pavilion, Xiao Yi Xian directly ascended the massive crystal platform in the auction hall and sat down, signaling to the auctioneer beside her to begin. Meanwhile, Xiao Se and the others remained in the box to watch.
Xiao Yi Xian's presence at the auction immediately attracted countless gazes, and the originally noisy auction hall fell silent. The title 'Heaven Poison Girl' was not something Xiao Yi Xian had given herself; she had earned it through bloody battles in the Black-Corner Region over the past few years.
Especially after the battle with Demon Flame Valley, when it was revealed that Xiao Yi Xian was a seven-star Dou Zong, capable of firmly suppressing the equally seven-star Dou ZongEarth Demon Old Ghost, everyone knew how fearsome she was.
Even Dou Zong powerhouses like Eagle Mountain Old Man and Mo Tianxing held her in awe and dared not provoke her.
"Pavilion Master, the auction is ready," said the auctioneer, a well-dressed black-haired woman named Makoto. She had been selected by Xiao Yi Xian from the lowest ranks. Due to her good looks and talent as an auctioneer, Xiao Yi Xian had appointed her as the chief auctioneer of Black Seal City. She respectfully bowed to Xiao Yi Xian.
"Then begin, Makoto," Xiao Yi Xian said lazily, raising her hand. Her beautiful eyes swept across the various boxes and stands, pausing briefly at Xiao Yan's location. A hint of mockery flashed across her lovely face, causing a chill to run down Xiao Yan's spine. Then she withdrew her gaze and closed her eyes to rest.
"Yes, Pavilion Master." Makoto did not hesitate. She responded respectfully and began the auction methodically.
The first auction item: Ten Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pills. Divided into five groups, each with a starting price of no less than one million gold coins, each bid increment no less than one hundred thousand gold coins.
The second auction item: Five Three-Pattern Clear Spirit Pills. Divided into five groups, each with a starting price of no less than eight hundred thousand gold coins, each bid increment no less than one hundred thousand gold coins.
The operation of a major force cannot be separated from funds, so Xiao Se deliberately refined these cost-effective fourth- or fifth-grade pills to gather operating funds for Sea King Pavilion.
These pills invariably caused a great response. From lone practitioners to first-rate forces of the Black-Corner Region like Rakshasa Sect, Mad Lion Gang, and Black Skull Tomb, everyone participated in the bidding. They all wanted to rapidly improve the cultivation of their juniors, and for that, they did not hesitate to spend lavishly.
They knew that later on, gold coins would be useless. Once it reached the level of sixth-grade pills, they could not be bought with gold coins; one had to exchange items of sufficient value. There was no need to worry about lacking gold coins and thus being unable to obtain the high-grade pills they desired.
As a result, Sea King Pavilion obtained wealth from the major forces of the Black-Corner Region that would make any force in the region envious.
But envy aside, no one dared to have evil intentions. Not to mention that the Pavilion Master, Heaven Poison Girl, was unmatched in the Black-Corner Region, but behind her stood a Seventh-Rank Alchemist. If he waved his arm and summoned a host of Dou Zong and Dou Huang expert, you would die without knowing how.
After a series of appetizers, the auction finally reached its climax.
Xiao Yi Xian flicked her jade-like hand, and three streams of light flew out from her storage ring, landing on the auction counter, turning into three brocade boxes.
Makoto carefully opened each brocade box, took a deep breath, and announced in a sweet, delicate voice that made one's bones melt:
"The twenty-first auction item: Three sixth-grade Dou Ling Pills, divided into three groups. These pills have the effect of increasing the cultivation of a Dou Wang level cultivator by one star. Exchange only with items, not with gold coins."
As auctioneer Makoto's words fell, the entire auction hall erupted in excitement. Countless eyes stared fixedly at the round pills in the brocade boxes, their pupils filled with craving and greed.
(End of Chapter)
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