Chapter 241: The Alchemist from the Southwest
As the auctioneer's voice echoed across the room, Xiao Yan's gaze locked onto the purple crystal in the woman's hand.
The crystal gleamed with a deep violet hue, its translucent surface seemingly housing a faint purple gray flame that flickered deep within. Through the crystal's outer layer, Xiao Yan could distinctly sense the presence of an unfamiliar yet peculiar Heavenly Flame aura.
To his surprise, such an intriguing artifact had appeared in Black Seal City's auction.
The alluring auctioneer's voice soon confirmed Xiao Yan's suspicions:
"This is a Poison Fire Crystal. By channeling Dou Qi into it, it will release a wisp of flame laced with a deadly toxin. Any who come into contact with this poisonous fire will suffer grave consequences."
She paused, her voice taking on a grave tone.
"For fighters below the level of Da Dou Shi, death is instantaneous. Even a Dou Wang will find it impossible to expel the toxin from their bodies. Of course, while it poses a severe threat to Dou Shi and below, the poison's effects on a Dou Wang are not typically life threatening."
Her gaze swept over the crowd as she continued with a charming smile.
"This crystal can serve as a highly unconventional weapon. The starting price is 100,000 gold coins, with each bid no less than 10,000 coins."
As the auctioneer's mallet came down, there was only mild interest among the crowd.
The Poison Fire Crystal's limitations were evident. Its toxic flames did not distinguish between friend and foe, making it as dangerous to allies as it was to enemies. Furthermore, its lethality was significantly reduced against higher tier fighters, rendering it a niche item primarily sought after by eccentric alchemists.
Bids trickled in sluggishly:
"200,000."
"250,000."
"300,000."
The bidding climbed at a steady yet unremarkable pace.
Suddenly, a lazy voice from a VIP booth cut through the air.
"One million."
The entire auction house fell silent.
Murmurs quickly followed, rippling through the crowd:
"Is this guy insane?!"
"That thing's barely worth 600,000 or 700,000 at most! Who in their right mind jumps straight to one million?"
"Looks like we've got a rich fool here!"
The crowd's scorn was matched only by their envy.
Inside Xiao Yan's booth, the Jia Nan Academy students stared at him with awe. His calm demeanor, coupled with such an extravagant bid, left many of them starstruck.
"Not only is he terrifyingly strong, but he's also ridiculously wealthy," a female student whispered, her voice filled with admiration.
Even so, many of the young women quickly tempered their hopes. Seeing that even their beautiful mentor, Ruo Lin, couldn't seem to catch Xiao Yan's interest, most doubted they had any chance of winning his favor.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yan's nonchalant demeanor drew respect and envy from the male students, who now idolized him even more.
Just when everyone thought the bidding was over, another voice rang out:
"1.1 million!"
The new bid sent another wave of whispers through the crowd.
"Another fool with too much money?"
"Why is this junk crystal attracting so much attention?"
Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow, seemingly amused.
"Two million," he said flatly.
His calm response sent a ripple of shock through the auction house. A bid that doubled the price so casually was almost unheard of.
From his tone, one might think he was throwing away pocket change.
"2.1 million!" The opposing bidder's voice trembled, barely masking their excitement.
By now, the entire room was abuzz. Many began to wonder if the Poison Fire Crystal held some hidden value they had overlooked.
Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly as he sensed the bidder's emotions. With a slight frown, he silently released his soul force, letting it sweep through the auction house.
Unseen and undetected, his soul power quickly locked onto the bidder: a middle aged alchemist seated in another VIP booth.
The man wore an elegant alchemist's robe adorned with the insignia of a fifth tier alchemist. Clutching a crystal identical to the one on stage, his face was flushed with excitement.
Xiao Yan's lips curled into a cold smile.
"So, the Poison Fire Crystal was his to begin with."
This alchemist was using underhanded tactics, deliberately driving up the price of his own item to maximize profit.
"Three million," Xiao Yan called out, his tone as indifferent as before.
The crowd erupted into chaos.
"Three million?! Is he insane?!"
"This is ridiculous! Even a Dou Huang would think twice about spending that much!"
The opposing bidder hesitated but soon gritted his teeth and called out, "3.1 million!"
Amused, Xiao Yan decided to play along.
"Four million."
The auction house exploded.
"Four million! This is no longer an auction it's a battle of egos!"
The alchemist's breathing grew labored. Even for a fifth tier alchemist, four million gold coins was an astronomical sum. Yet his greed pushed him to raise the bid again.
"4.1 million!"
Xiao Yan's calm voice rang out once more, sending shivers down the spines of everyone present:
"Five million."
The room descended into stunned silence.
The Poison Fire Crystal, an item many had initially dismissed, was now being bid on for a price rivaling that of a high tier Earth grade technique.
The alchemist froze. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he realized he had crossed a dangerous line.
Before he could speak, Xiao Yan's voice echoed again, this time tinged with mockery:
"You win. I'm no longer interested."
The entire room buzzed with disbelief.
In his booth, the alchemist's face turned ashen. While he had succeeded in "winning" the bid, the realization of his mistake hit hard: he had overplayed his hand and would now be forced to pay the exorbitant price he had driven up.
As Xiao Yan leaned back in his chair, a faint smirk played across his lips.
(End of Chapter)
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