“The hidden treasure everyone’s been waiting for has finally arrived,” Miss Si Li announced with a smile. “The owner of this item is none other than Immortal Master Drake.”

  The hall exploded into noise.

  Just the mention of Drake’s name was enough to send a thrill through the crowd. Whatever the man brought out was never ordinary.

  “Come on, come on—show us already!”

  Miss Si Li lifted the lid of a large ornate chest. Inside was a smaller box, carved from crystal jade and sealed with layers of talismanic light. She opened it carefully.

  Inside lay a single blood-red pill, pulsing faintly, as if it had a heartbeat of its own.

  “One Blood Qi Pill,” she said. “Starting price: thirty million low-grade spirit stones. Increments no less than one million.”

  A murmur of awe rippled through the hall.

  The hidden item might not have been the most expensive thing in the world—but it was the rarest. The kind of treasure that could make or break a cultivator’s fate.

  Most people in the audience weren’t anywhere near the Spirit Transformation stage; to them, this was just entertainment. They were here to watch the giants fight.

  Still, word spread like wildfire. Within minutes, every sect’s Spirit Transformation cultivators had been informed.

  For them, spirit stones were nothing compared to a few hundred more years of life and a second chance at power.

  “Thirty-eight million.”

  “Thirty-nine million.”

  “Forty million…”

  The bids climbed relentlessly, spirit stones clattering into the storage boxes under each table until they were overflowing.

  By the time it hit fifty million, the smaller bidders had all dropped out. Only two were left standing: Gerald and Herbert.

  Herbert’s expression was dark enough to curdle milk. He already had a damn good guess who was in Room Thirty-Eight.

  That reckless idiot had to be Gerald. Who else would keep throwing spirit stones like a drunk god tossing thunderbolts?

  The number on the display climbed higher and higher—eighty million—and Herbert’s face turned an alarming shade of purple.

  He slammed a handful of spirit stones into his disciple’s hands. “Keep bidding. I’ll deal with this personally.”

  Then he stormed out.

  In Room Thirty-Eight, Gerald was sweating. His own stones were long gone; now he was burning through Dante’s reserves.

  “Go borrow some from Tarot!” he barked.

  Dante hesitated. “Master, maybe we should—”

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  .....

  There was a sharp knock on the door.

  “Oh, good, you’re back already—” Gerald started, swinging it open.

  Only to find himself face-to-face with a very pissed-off Herbert.

  The smile on Gerald’s face vanished instantly. “Oh. It’s you.”

  Herbert stood in the doorway, voice tight with fury. “Gerald, are you fucking with me right now?”

  “What are you talking about?” Gerald asked, all false innocence.

  “It’s just one damn Blood Qi Pill, and you’ve already driven the price to eighty million! What the hell are you trying to do?”

  Gerald blinked, feigning confusion. “Don’t raise the price? I’ll give you two million spirit stones as a thank you, okay?”

  Herbert glared. “Don’t mock me.”

  Gerald shrugged. “What? It’s Immortal Drake’s pill. Why shouldn’t I get one?”

  Herbert frowned. “I think he’ll give it to you for free.”

  “Of course not,” Gerald snapped. “I told him not to put it up for auction, to just sell it directly to me—but he refused. And then he went and told you about it!”

  Herbert froze, his anger faltering for a moment. Drake had told him? Personally?

  The thought twisted in his chest.

  Drake had always been cold to him. Why the sudden generosity? Did he… not want he to die?

  Why was he being kind now, of all times?

  “Hey!” Gerald’s voice yanked him back to the present. “What are you standing there daydreaming for? If you don’t have enough spirit stones, I’ll buy them!”

  And before Herbert could answer, Gerald dumped the rest of Dante’s spirit stones into the box.

  Dante winced. That’s my entire savings, you lunatic.

  Herbert’s eyelid twitched. His jaw clenched.

  “Son of a—fine!” He spun on his heel, stomped back to his own room, and started cramming more spirit stones into his storage box.

  “Ninety million.”

  The price hit ninety million, and the auction hall erupted like a storm.

  Everyone was whispering, eyes darting toward the two private rooms locked in battle.

  Who the hell were these people—throwing around spirit stones like pocket change? Whoever they were, they’d clearly come prepared to burn money.

  “Ninety-two million.”

  Tarot grimaced. He’d already loaned Gerald another ten million spirit stones, but the neighbor across the hall still wouldn’t back down.

  Gerald slammed his palm against the table. “That damned old Herbert! He’s dead set on getting that Blood Qi Pill. Dante, keep going—raise it again!”

  Dante rubbed his temples, looking like he might cry. “Master, there’s no more to raise.”

  “What do you mean no more? Didn’t I tell you to borrow more?”

  “I did! Master Tarot gave us ten million, and we already threw it all in!”

  “Ninety-three million!” the auctioneer called. “The bid is now at ninety-three million from Guest Thirty-Nine! Any higher offers? Ninety-three million once…”

  Gerald clutched his hair, pacing like a madman. At this rate, it would be too late to borrow more.

  “Master,” Dante said through gritted teeth, “why are you so desperate? You already have two Blood Qi Pills. We can just buy the other one later.”

  “What do you know?” Gerald snapped. “It’s a Blood Qi Pill—how could I ever have too many?”

  Dante blinked at him. What are you going to do, Master—eat one and play catch with the other?

  At this point, even the auctioneer was pausing between words, probably wondering if anyone was truly insane enough to push it further.

  “Ninety-three million, twice… anyone else?”

  Gerald was fidgeting, eyes darting to Dante, then to the storage cabinet under the table.

  Dante instinctively clutched his robe. “Master… please tell me you’re not planning to shove me in there. It only accepts spirit stones.”

  “Ahhh!” Gerald groaned, slumping back in his chair. “What a disaster!”

  Dante exhaled a long, suffering sigh. Never again, he swore silently. Never going to another auction with him as long as I live.

  The gavel came down.

  “Sold! To Guest Thirty-Nine, for ninety-three million!”

  The crowd broke into applause and laughter, half in disbelief, half in admiration.

  Herbert, the buyer, wasn’t smiling. Not even close.

  Ninety-three million for one Blood Qi Pill? Normally, it would’ve gone for sixty, maybe seventy million tops. But thanks to Gerald’s reckless bidding, the price had ballooned far beyond reason.

  Herbert scowled the entire walk back to the inn, muttering curses under his breath. Gerald, who hadn’t even gotten the damn pill, was right beside him, cursing just as loudly.

  By the time they reached the inn, the two were on the verge of a brawl.

  “Who said I couldn't outbid you? You trying to buy the whole damn auction house for your sect?” Gerald snapped.