A crisp bell chime echoed slowly throughout the auction hall.
As the sound rang out, the noisy clamor within the venue gradually died down. Countless gazes converged on the crystal-built auction stage, eyes blazing with anticipation.
Upon the crystal platform stood an elderly man with white hair, dressed in luxurious robes. His narrowed old eyes swept calmly across the densely packed crowd.
"The Black Seal City Auction—officially begins!"
The moment his announcement fell, Little Fairy Doctor's already flushed face turned even redder. She lifted her delicate hand and viciously pinched Xiao Se at the waist.
"Ouch! Xian'er, are you trying to murder your husband?" Xiao Se hissed, rubbing the spot that had instantly turned red.
"Hmph, you deserve it. Who told you to misbehave?" Little Fairy Doctor shot him a glare, tidying her slightly disheveled collar as she snorted softly.
"Ahem."
Xiao Se cleared his throat and quickly shifted his gaze toward the crystal stage. "The auction's started. Later, if you see anything you like, we'll buy it."
A sly glint flashed through Little Fairy Doctor's eyes as the blush on her face faded. She smiled sweetly.
"Then you'd better be ready to bleed heavily."
As they spoke, the elder in fine robes accepted a silver tray from a maid.
On it sat an exquisite jade box.
He placed it atop the crystal platform and gently opened it.
Inside lay a pale-green pill.
Upon closer inspection, three pill patterns could be seen embedded on its surface—one cyan, one pink, and one violet.
The moment the pill appeared, it instantly attracted countless gazes.
"I didn't expect the Three-Pattern Clear Spirit Pill to be the first item up for auction," Xiao Se murmured softly, smiling as he looked at the familiar green pill now repackaged.
"Hehe. I'm sure many of you recognize this pill," the elder said with a smile, gesturing toward the jade box.
"This pill is known as the Clear Spirit Pill, and this one is of the highest grade—Three-Pattern Clear Spirit Pill. Not only can it help a Dou Shi break through to Da Dou Shi, but even those stuck at the peak of Da Dou Shi for many years stand a great chance of shattering the Dou Ling barrier."
"With sufficient luck, one might even surge forward two or three stars in a single leap."
As soon as his words fell, the atmosphere ignited.
Countless heated gazes locked onto the pale-green pill.
Unlike the Mitel Auction House, this was the Black Corner Region—a land where the strong devoured the weak.
Dou Shi cultivators had virtually no place here, not even the qualification to enter an auction house.
Only Da Dou Shi could barely survive.
And among them were many who had stagnated at peak Da Dou Shi for years.
For a pill capable of breaking into Dou Ling, madness was inevitable.
"Of course, everyone here is aware of its side effects," the elder continued smoothly, his eyes flashing cunningly. He deliberately avoided explaining the backlash of the Three-Pattern Clear Spirit Pill.
"Enough talk. The starting price is seven hundred thousand gold coins. Each bid must increase by no less than ten thousand."
The moment his voice fell—
"Seven hundred ten thousand!"
"Seven hundred fifty thousand!"
"Eight hundred thousand!"
"I bid one million two hundred thousand!"
The competition erupted instantly.
The price skyrocketed in moments, the shouts overlapping without pause.
"A bunch of poor trash. This young master bids one million five hundred thousand."
Just as the price stalled at 1.3 million, a cold and sinister voice rang out from one of the private rooms.
Unlike Xiao Se and Little Fairy Doctor, the owner of this voice hadn't concealed himself behind a curtain.
Instead, he brazenly revealed his identity to everyone.
It was a young man with an eerily handsome face and skin pale to the point of sickness—like a vampire from Xiao Se's past life films.
He exuded a chilling, sinister aura.
At this moment, he was holding two scantily clad female attendants in his arms, violently kneading their voluptuous bodies. Their figures twisted painfully, faces pale, yet they dared not make a sound for fear of angering him.
Xiao Se's attention was also drawn to the youth.
A trace of curiosity flickered in his eyes.
From the aura around him, Xiao Se could tell he was only a Da Dou Shi—but his Dou Qi felt extremely unstable, as if it hadn't been cultivated naturally, but obtained through some twisted shortcut.
"Don't look!"
Seeing Xiao Se glance in that direction, Little Fairy Doctor mistakenly thought he was staring at the provocatively dressed maids. Her cheeks flushed as she blocked his view.
Xiao Se clasped her hand, immediately understanding the misunderstanding.
"With such a beautiful little wife beside me, would I bother looking at powdered faces like those?" he said helplessly.
"Then what were you looking at?" she asked suspiciously.
"Nothing important," Xiao Se smiled. "Just felt that that spoiled brat's cultivation method is rather strange. His Dou Qi is far too hollow."
At that moment, someone in the crowd recognized the youth.
"It's Fan Ling—the Young Sect Master of the Blood Sect!"
As soon as his identity was revealed, many bidders who had been eager immediately fell silent.
The Blood Sect was not something to trifle with.
In terms of power, it was even more terrifying than the Eight Gates Sect backing this auction house.
And its sect master ranked among the top experts of the Black Corner Region—a genuine Dou Huang.
"So it's the idiot who gets killed by Xiao Yan in the original story?" Xiao Se sneered faintly.
He said nothing more.
If that man happened to bid on something Xiao Se wanted, he wouldn't mind robbing him afterward.
After all, this fellow frequently increased his cultivation by drinking others' blood.
Death would be well deserved.
With the Blood Sect's young master present, no one dared bid further.
Not everyone feared him—but for a single Three-Pattern Clear Spirit Pill, offending the Blood Sect simply wasn't worth it.
After the pill was sold, the rest of the auction became rather dull.
Mostly Xuan-rank techniques and weapons embedded with magic cores appeared—nothing that interested Xiao Se.
And the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame fragment he had been waiting for still hadn't appeared.
"The seventh item up for auction—an ancient fragment map."
The elder stood atop the crystal stage holding a transparent jade box.
Inside lay a palm-sized piece of parchment.
Time had eroded it severely; it looked so fragile that it might crumble into dust with a single touch.
"Starting price—one hundred thousand gold coins."
As his voice fell, the hall fell briefly silent.
No one showed the slightest interest.
Clearly, this fragment map had appeared on this auction stage more than once before.
If it were a complete ancient map, perhaps someone would research it—but such a tattered fragment was completely useless.
However, what others ignored—
Xiao Se did not.
"It's finally here…"
As he stared at the fragment in the elder's hands, Xiao Se's pupils shrank sharply.
With the powerful soul perception of a sixth-grade alchemist, he could clearly sense the faint trace of hidden spiritual fluctuation within it.
Moreover—
The appearance of this fragment was extremely similar to the two he already possessed.
There was no doubt.
This was one of the four fragments.
(End of Chapter)
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