Zhi Xuan sat in the back row of the middle area, his dark robe contrasting sharply with the luxury surrounding him. The air in the Falling Water Pavilion was thick with the expensive aroma of sandalwood, blended with the spiritual essence from the hundreds of Jade Coins carried by the participants.

  Above, on the second level, towering silk curtains concealed private rooms shrouded in isolation formations. From there, the auras of Consciousness Transformation and the Five Elements realm felt oppressive, reminding Zhi Xuan of the gap in power he had to face.

  The main stage, made of pure white jade, shone under the light of spiritual orbs. There, an elegant middle-aged woman, dressed in a silk robe embroidered with silver stars, ascended the podium. She was the auction host.

  The elegant elderly woman named Wei Hua, wearing a silk robe embroidered with silver stars, stood at the podium, her formal yet intriguing smile sweeping the hall. Her voice, protected by a sound amplification formation, echoed with an attention-grabbing tone, "Welcome, distinguished guests, to the Silver Moon Auction! Tonight, we begin transactions that will determine the fate of Shoutuo City for the next hundred years!"

  In the back area, Zhi Xuan sat silently, his cold aura sharply contrasting with the surrounding luxury. His sapphire blue eyes were fixed on the stage, but his hearing was focused on the spiritual curtains on the upper level.

  "Very well, you must already know the rules of the Silver Moon Auction. The auction will be fast and will not wait for the slow. Tonight's auction will be divided into three phases. We begin with Phase One, High-Grade Spiritual Pills!" Wei Hua announced, with a dramatic hand gesture.

  The first phase immediately began. A spiritual jade plate was lifted onto the podium, displaying the first pill, the Dual Heart Strengthening Pill. This pill emitted an alluring red and green aura, capable of strengthening the dual element cultivation foundation for Divine Wheel cultivators.

  "The Dual Heart Strengthening Pill! Perfect for Divine Wheel cultivators who wish to strengthen their foundation for the Organ Transformation realm! Starting price: ten thousand Spiritual Jade Coins!" Wei Hua exclaimed, her smile widening.

  Instantly, the hall became noisy. Hands were immediately raised.

  "Twenty thousand!" a cultivator in the front row shouted.

  "Thirty-five thousand!" another cultivator countered, his eyes radiating greed.

  "Fifty thousand!" A loud offer came from a private room on the upper level—not from the Zhu Clan or the Jade Star Sword Sect, but from a room shrouded in a pungent poisonous aura: the Poison Sect.

  Wei Hua smiled with satisfaction. "Fifty thousand, from the Lord in the Poison Chamber! Anyone higher?"

  "Fifty-five thousand," a wealthy mortal noble offered, his voice slightly trembling.

  "Sixty thousand!" A calm voice, full of familiar authority, came from the Ice Orchid Chamber, where Zhu Qinglan was located. It was Young Master Gu's voice. He bid just to demonstrate power and dominance.

  "Sixty thousand from the Ice Orchid Chamber! The Dual Heart Strengthening Pill is sold for sixty thousand!" Wei Hua exclaimed. The offer stopped all other bidders. No one dared to challenge Gu if he had set his target.

  Zhi Xuan watched the Dual Heart Strengthening Pill being lifted. It was a useful pill, but not vital for him. He had passed that phase, and his focus was on bone reconnection and the Flame of Sunrose Flower foundation.

  The pill phase continued, with eight pills auctioned progressively. The second, third, and fourth pills—all rare items for Divine Wheel and Consciousness Transformation cultivators—were immediately bought by the Poison Sect or monopolized by Young Master Gu, who bid arrogantly to show power to Zhu Qinglan.

  In the Ice Orchid Chamber, Young Master Gu laughed. "See, Holy Maiden, they are all trembling. This auction is nothing more than a boring spectacle without meaningful competition."

  Zhu Qinglan merely sipped her tea, her light gray eyes cold. "Young Master Gu, do not waste your capital on trash. The fifth pill is coming soon."

  The fifth pill was the High-Grade Sea of Consciousness Recovery Pill—a vital pill that could repair damage to a cultivator's Sea of Consciousness, vulnerable to essence deviation or mental attacks. This pill attracted the attention of many Consciousness Transformation cultivators. The price immediately jumped from one hundred thousand to two hundred thousand Spiritual Jade Coins.

  Young Master Gu did not bid. He was targeting a more important item. The Poison Sect, however, immediately claimed the High-Grade Sea of Consciousness Recovery Pill for two hundred twenty thousand.

  Zhi Xuan remained silent, his hand resting on his fake Identity Jade. He observed, analyzing the bidding patterns. Gu bid for dominance and to attract Zhu Qinglan's attention. The Poison Sect bid for genuine need and to accumulate their illicit wealth.

  The sixth pill was soon announced: the Dried Dragon Heart Pill—a pill that strengthens bloodlines, extremely rare, and highly valued.

  "The Dried Dragon Heart Pill! Starting price: three hundred thousand Spiritual Jade Coins!" Wei Hua exclaimed, the breath of the participants held.

  This was real wealth. Zhi Xuan clenched his Jade Pouch containing three hundred fifty thousand coins. The Dried Dragon Heart Pill was a pill he needed to perfect his spiritual foundation, but he knew he would lose this bid.

  "Three hundred ten thousand!" a Consciousness Transformation cultivator in the middle area shouted.

  "Three hundred twenty thousand!" a room on the upper level countered.

  Young Master Gu, with a voice filled with undeniable power, cut off all offers, "Three hundred forty thousand!"

  Silence descended upon the hall. Young Master Gu had monopolized the Dried Dragon Heart Pill. Zhi Xuan felt a stabbing pain, not only because the Pill was vital, but because he knew he could not fight back.

  'Leave that Pill, Monkey!' Ruo Xianxue hissed, surprised. 'It is just a waste of your coins. Save your coins for an artifact weapon or a more important flying artifact!'

  Zhi Xuan clenched his jaw, forcing himself to let the Dried Dragon Heart Pill go. The seventh and eighth pills, the Thousand-Year Detoxification Pill and the Jade Body Strengthening Pill, were immediately bought by the Poison Sect and Young Master Gu's allies. The Pill Phase ended with full dominance from the two major powers, Young Master Gu and the Poison Sect Emissaries.

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  "Now," Wei Hua exclaimed, her smile blazing with excitement. "We enter Phase Two! The phase for ancient artifacts and ancient scrolls!"

  The stage was cleared. The light in the hall dimmed slightly. Wei Hua pointed to a small platform in the center of the stage, where a black crystal box shrouded in a cooling formation was placed.

  "The first item in Phase Two is a highly sought-after item, coveted by great sects across the continent," Wei Hua exclaimed, her eyes glancing at the room where the Poison Sect Emissaries were. "A celestial flower, a newly picked Scarlet Lotus! A rare herb that is the main ingredient for many Poison Pills and Supreme Cultivation Strengthening Pills!"

  Suddenly, the air in the Falling Water Pavilion felt tense. In the upper room, the auras of the Poison Sect Emissaries and Young Master Gu immediately surged. Zhi Xuan, sitting in the back row, felt a cold throb of vengeance in his heart. Scarlet Lotus. The same, or similar, herb used by the Poison Sect to dominate mortal villages.

  "Scarlet Lotus! Starting price: two hundred thousand Spiritual Jade Coins!" Wei Hua exclaimed.

  Instantly, Young Master Gu immediately cut in. "Three hundred thousand!" he shouted with dominance. Gu had doubled the price just to show Zhu Qinglan that he was not playing around.

  "Three hundred thousand from the Ice Orchid Chamber! Young Master Gu bids with dominance!"

  Suddenly, amidst the oppressive aura of power, Zhi Xuan raised his hand slightly trembling.

  "Three hundred forty-nine thousand!" Zhi Xuan shouted, his voice hoarse but firm, breaking the silence. Three hundred forty-nine thousand and leaving one coin—a humiliating and insulting offer. It was a direct insult to Young Master Gu's authority.

  Silence descended upon the hall. All eyes, from Consciousness Transformation cultivators to the Zhu Clan guards above, were fixed on Zhi Xuan's figure in the back row—a Divine Wheel cultivator who was just sitting silently, who had bid only leaving one coin above the already dominant offer.

  In the Ice Orchid Chamber, Young Master Gu was stunned. His handsome, arrogant face flushed with sudden anger.

  "Who... Who is the rat that dares to bid at such a dirty price!" Young Master Gu roared, his voice filled with Consciousness Transformation shaking the Falling Water Pavilion, the isolation formation in his room trembling.

  Zhu Qinglan, sitting beside him, suddenly smiled. A small smile hidden behind her pearl veil, but her light gray eyes shone with cold delight. The game had begun.

  "That is Ming Xu, Young Master Gu," Ling'er whispered, who quickly checked the fake identity in the Identity Jade. "A Divine Wheel cultivator in the middle area."

  Gu sneered, his eyes full of contempt. "Ming Xu? A Divine Wheel cultivator bidding only leaving one spiritual jade coin? This is an insult! Sell that Scarlet Lotus to me, Wei Hua!"

  Wei Hua, the host, quickly regained her professionalism.

  "Young Master Gu, according to auction rules, we accept Ming Xu's offer. Three hundred forty-nine thousand Spiritual Jade Coins! Is there a higher offer?"

  Zhi Xuan, who was now the center of unwanted attention, sat upright, his hand still holding the fake Identity Jade, steady. This was a huge gamble. He had spent almost all his capital on an herb he hated, just to provoke Young Master Gu.

  In the private room, the Poison Sect Emissaries were also astonished by this ridiculous offer. They needed the Scarlet Lotus, and a Divine Wheel had just spent almost all his wealth.

  Wei Hua waited.

  Zhi Xuan, without looking up, muttered in a voice that could only be heard in the surrounding area, "I yield. Please, Young Master Gu. Take your Scarlet Lotus."

  Zhi Xuan withdrew his hand. It was a quick declaration of surrender, which further made his ridiculous offer look like a foolish act by a low-level cultivator wanting attention.

  Young Master Gu, in the Ice Orchid Chamber, burst into laughter, his laughter loud and filled with contempt. "See! The terrified rat! He does not even dare to continue! A ridiculous offer, Wei Hua! I bid one million Spiritual Jade Coins!"

  Gu had raised the price from three hundred forty-nine thousand to one million Spiritual Jade Coins. It was a massive price jump, but Gu wanted to demonstrate his power and control the atmosphere.

  Wei Hua, seeing an opportunity to drain wealth, immediately exclaimed, "One million Spiritual Jade Coins! An offer from Young Master Gu! Is there any higher?"

  The Poison Sect Emissaries in the next room raised the bid to one million one hundred thousand. They could not allow Gu to monopolize their main herb.

  Young Master Gu sneered. "Two million!" he shouted, without even blinking. He possessed two interspatial rings, each containing four million Spiritual Jade Coins. He wanted to crush the competition before his main item—the Five Elements Scroll—appeared.

  Zhu Qinglan smiled. "You are too extravagant, Young Master Gu," she whispered, but her eyes radiated approval.

  The Poison Sect Emissaries were forced to bid again, two million two hundred thousand.

  "Two million five hundred thousand!" Gu cut in, with a firm voice. The Poison Sect finally surrendered.

  "Two million five hundred thousand Spiritual Jade Coins! The Scarlet Lotus goes to Young Master Gu in the Ice Orchid Chamber!" Wei Hua exclaimed, her smile now concealing an internal apprehension at the brutality of the bidding.

  Zhi Xuan sat, his Jade Pouch now still complete with Spiritual Jade Coins. He felt no regret in drawing attention, but rather a cold excitement. He had succeeded in baiting Gu into spending a quarter of his wealth on an herb that should have been worth no more than six hundred thousand.

  'Good, Monkey. That was an expensive insult,' Ruo Xianxue hissed, her voice slightly proud. 'But now, how are you going to buy anything else?'

  'Do not worry, Ruo. This is just the beginning,' Zhi Xuan countered, his gaze now cold and calm, shifting from the stage to the curtain on the upper level, where he knew the Five Elements Scroll would soon appear.

  Wei Hua, who had regained her composure after the cruelty of the bidding for the Scarlet Lotus, took an internal breath. Two million five hundred thousand coins for one herb—What a crazy auction!

  "Very well," Wei Hua exclaimed, her voice returning to her professional and engaging tone. "Next, we will move to perhaps the most sought-after item tonight! An ancient scroll found in the depths of the Southern Continent's Primordial Forest!"

  The stage was cleared once again. This time, two thick black-suited guards, radiating a strong Consciousness Transformation aura, carried a large ice-blue jade chest. The chest was carefully placed in the center of the platform. From the chest, even though covered, emanated a pulsating five-colored spiritual energy aura, so dense and pure that the Divine Wheel cultivators in the hall, including Zhi Xuan, felt difficulty breathing.

  "This is... the Ancient Five Elements Scroll!" Wei Hua exclaimed, her voice triumphant. "An ancient cultivation technique that perfects the harmony of the five elements, a foundation sought even by those who wish to easily achieve the five elements realm! This item promises an Immortal Dao to anyone who can absorb it!"

  Instantly, the hall became deadly silent. All eyes were fixed on the ice-blue jade chest, as if their eyes could penetrate its sealing formation.

  In the Ice Orchid Chamber, Young Master Gu suddenly stood up. All his arrogance and anger over his Scarlet Lotus were gone, replaced by burning greed. His eyes shone with ambition.

  "The Five Elements Scroll!" Gu snarled, his hand clenched so tightly that the spiritual fruit in his grip was crushed into dust. "It belongs to me! I will use it to stand beside the Holy Fairy Zhu!"

  Zhu Qinglan, sitting beside him, suddenly showed genuine interest. Her light gray eyes, previously filled with boredom, now blazed with a sharp analytical light.

  "The Five Elements Scroll," Zhu Qinglan whispered. "This is the true item. Young Master Gu, do not disappoint me. I came all the way from the Eastern Continent here to see this scroll fall into interesting hands."

  Wei Hua announced the starting price with a fitting solemn tone: "One million Spiritual Jade Coins!"

  Zhi Xuan, sitting in the back row with his coins still intact in his pouch, took a cold breath. He had predicted a high starting price. One million coins—almost three times all the wealth he had ever possessed. He could not bid.

  "One million one hundred thousand!" the Poison Sect Emissaries shouted, their voices hoarse with desire. The Five Elements Scroll was the key to balancing the Zhu Clan.

  "Two million!" Young Master Gu immediately cut in, his voice firm and dominating.

  A rapid price surge immediately occurred, creating a whirlwind of wealth in the auction hall. Young Master Gu, the Poison Sect Emissaries, and several other hidden cultivators from private rooms fought fiercely.

  The price jumped: Three million, four million, five million Spiritual Jade Coins. Young Master Gu led, spending the coins from his first interspatial ring mercilessly, driven by the ambition to obtain the Five Elements Scroll and match Zhu Qinglan.

  When the price reached Five million five hundred thousand Spiritual Jade Coins, the Poison Sect Emissaries, who had spent most of their wealth in the pill phase, were forced to yield. They did not expect Young Master Gu to have such capital.

  Gu, his face flushed with triumph, laughed loudly.

  "Five million five hundred thousand! The Five Elements Scroll will fall to the Jade Star Sword Sect! I won this, Holy Maiden!"

  Suddenly, a subtle, cold, and absolutely authoritative voice cut through Gu's laughter.

  "Six million Spiritual Jade Coins."