Archfiend

Chapter 146: The Auction (7)

Exhilaration! Those words just now had deeply exhilarated Grandmaster Fivetastes! He had resolved himself to win this medicinal pill!

“70,000!” “70,000!”

Before his voice even fell, two different voices resonated in the venue, different voices but their intent the same.

“Old thief…” Grandmaster Fivetastes’s gaze immediately seized onto those who had spoke. One of them was a person he couldn’t be even more familiar with! Holding post at Heavens Law, this figure was Grandmaster Knowledge! The other… was Grand Artificer Gao Muya! Dazed for a few seconds, he faced upwards and roared in laughter, “Good! Good!”

After having his fill of laughter, he studied the two men deeply. “In that case… let us compete. We three grand craftmasters, in the end, of the great heights we have attained throughout our entire lives, who will be able to move the heart of this pill master?!”

He extended a finger and the smile on his face somewhat warped because of his over excitement and expectation. “My first formula is from when I was at the initial stage of Foundation Establishment. On the day I reached the rank of master, I charged together with thirty Fellow Daoists into a palace buried underwater. 2,300 meters below the water, a copper ocean palace was found. It had not rusted for several hundred years.”

“Within this great palace, there was a coffin, a ten-meter-long gold coffin. Within the coffin was an encasing coffin and a chain of nine coffins. In order to open this destiny, I was the only one left among my thirty Fellow Daoists. This is how I came to possess this pill formula.” He strenuously licked his lips and looked deeply at the two people. “It is known… as the Nascent Soul Pill.”

Swoosh! At this moment, twelve frenzied divine senses, akin to landslides and tsunamis, all fell on Grandmaster Fivetastes!

Nascent Soul!

If said, Core Formation and even Foundation Establishment was the ultimate dream of a majority of cultivators in the world. However, to these twelve grand and towering Core Formation ancestors, they only had one wild hope remaining!

Nascent Soul!

Buzz buzz buzz… In a gray pavilion, mist filled the air. In this twinkling, inside the ashy mist which was tens of meters in radius, a great seam suddenly split open. Without warning, a completely bloodshot eye with a golden pupil looked at Grandmaster Fivetastes who was down below.

In a green pavilion filled with pure waters, waters so clear that the bottom was visible, a tens-of-meters-wide lotus suddenly bloomed. On nine several-meter-wide lotus leaves, there were nine Great Circle Foundation Establishment. In the center terrace of the nine-petal lotus, there was the indistinct figure of a “person” made from graceful red light, who suddenly opened her eyes.

In a white pavilion, a giant no less than 2.34 meters was gorging himself on food and drink, seemingly not concerned with everything below at all. Nonetheless, as the three words “Nascent Soul Pill” fell into his ears, he stopped gnawing on the leg of an unknown animal and wiped his hand on his body. For the first time, he looked down with rapt attention.

Grandmaster Fivetastes was drenched in sweat. The Core Formation ancestors had already painstakingly inhibited the might of their pressure, yet at this instant, it also reminded him. 

Do you know of how great the responsibility of these words are?

He clenched his teeth and continued to speak, “In addition… I made an attempt at this pill formula in Foundation Establishment, but the success rate was merely too low…”

No one spoke. Although everyone didn’t realize what Nascent Soul represented, the Core Formation oppressive might that presently swept over the entire audience illustrated everything.

“Bear your words in mind.” After an unknown amount of time, an insipid female voice spoke. Down below, everyone’s spirits were immediately invigorated. All the representatives of the CSIB bowed deeply. Ancestor Hiddenscent! The sole woman among the twelve Core Formation! The head of the CSIB!

Grandmaster Fivetastes took a long sigh. Afterwards… he looked challengingly towards the other two people.

“Crap!” At this moment, a clan elder suddenly wished to slam his hands together, but he didn’t dare to disturb the present tranquility. His hands suspended in the air, neither moving nor retreating. He choked on the air in his chest, and his complexion somewhat blushed! 

“Clan Elder?” 

“Clan Elder! What happened?”

“Pill formula!” the clan elder gnashed his teeth and said, “Pill formula!!!” His voice was trembling!

Yet these two words, absent of both beginning and end, left everyone dumbfounded. Promptly, all their faces wore an aggrieved and pained expression! Yes… pill formula! No one continued to answer these words.

“Pill formula… Before today, this item might’ve been a collector’s piece, but now it’ll be a priceless treasure!” A cultivator at his side gritted his teeth and said, “We forgot! How could we forget about this?!”

“No one could’ve predicted that the Dao of Pills would be restored! How many clans can even find these pill formulas?” Another cultivator pondered this as well and immediately said to the person besides him, “Right now! Think it over! Do we have ancient formulas?!”

This… was possibly the sole opportunity to directly meet the last pill master! Likewise, Grandmaster Knowledge’s and Gao Muya’s complexions were cautious. Both of them hadn’t expected that the first item thrown out would be such a great killing tool!

Knowledge mumbled to himself for a while, and his gaze flashed. He looked to the stage and said, “Young friend Xu, This Throne shall entrust you to carry some words.”

“Please instruct me,” Xu Yangyi cupped his hands and said. Naturally, he wouldn’t act on the folly of relying on favor and conducting himself arrogantly. 

“Tell the pill master… he should know what a pill spirit is…”

The brows of Xu Yangyi’s lowered head raised but followingly smoothed over. A pill spirit… This grand master actually knew about pill spirits! Xu Yangyi had subdued a pill spirit, so he knew… however, this wasn’t the main point. Could it be… Grandmaster Knowledge’s pill formula was related to pill spirits?

“What I have here is not a pill formula but rather a method of absolute assistance for the pill master. Its name… is the Spirit Summoning Art.”

“With this art, I too intended to restore the Dao of Pills. From the look of this ancient manual, this art is certain to summon a pill spirit when refining a new pill at or above the Foundation Establishment realm.” Grandmaster Knowledge studied Xu Yangyi deeply. “For the Nascent Soul Pill, it is unknown when the pill master will arrive at this step, but as for this art, it can be used at Foundation Establishment. Moreover, I will also provide three kinds of Foundation Establishment pill formulas!” 

Grandmaster Fivetastes looked at Grandmaster Knowledge in astonishment. He didn’t expect the other actually had an alternative. To the pill master, the value of this art absolutely wasn’t below his own! To the extent that this bid even surpassed his!

Although the fame of the Nascent Soul Pill was great, it only considered Core Formation cultivators. For this novice pill master who could only refine Qi Condensation medicinal pills, Foundation Establishment was number one! The value of the Spirit Summoning Art far exceeded the Nascent Soul Pill in height!

Gao Muya was taciturn for a few moments. “An A-rank magik treasure prototype and an additional 70,000 spirit stones.”

Nobody presently spoke further. It was quite obvious that they couldn’t give something on the level of Grandmaster Fivetastes and Grandmaster Knowledge’s price! Only fellows of the same industry knew their colleagues the best! Before this current auction round, they hadn’t made a move, but they were bound to be the final competitors of this struggle.

Hundredtongues was stunned as well. These two items… He truly had no way to assess them! In the past, a pill master was a general reference to a pill elixirist, but now… perhaps an ancient pill formula would fetch a tiger’s price tomorrow! The value of a Nascent Soul Pill simply couldn’t be dared imagined! As for the Spirit Summoning Art’s value, he’d never heard of it before!

“Young friend…” He looked towards Xu Yangyi, soliciting an opinion.

Xu Yangyi also found it fairly awkward. He fancied both these items! However, by no striving could he want for them now! At the moment, if he judged one of them the winner, everyone would immediately know that he was the pill master! Otherwise, why would he understand what the pill master required so well?

Alas, I desire the fish’s fin but also the bear’s paw, to possess two without the sacrifice of one.

Xu Yangyi couldn’t hesitate too long! His gaze flashed, and he cupped his hands. “I’ll have to request the two Seniors to stay behind after the auction. I will certainly please both of you.

The answer couldn’t be given in the current venue. The value of both sides was incalculable, and while he was only at the middle stage of Qi Condensation at the moment, what if he had the chance for Nascent Soul one day? Or would he be weathered and seated like the present Dao Masters in a century? On the contrary, though, he desired the Spirit Summoning Art now!

Riches and honor sought amidst danger… At this instant, he’d already steeled his resolve. There’s no destiny set before me, but I’m scared and on guard for the slightest thing!

No one mentioned Gao Muya. His offered price seemed high and a magik treasure prototype could only be obtained by fate and providence, but it couldn’t compare to the other two. Gao Muya said no more and sighed, sadly sitting back down.

Grandmaster Knowledge and Grandmaster Fivetastes brushed an eye over each other and both happened to snort. Their hearts unreconciled and their emotions unwilling, they sat down.

“Alright, let’s end here. The first five medicinal pills have finished being auctioned.” Hundredtongues punctually followed, “Next, I’ll have to ask everyone to wait for a little while. After twenty minutes, we’ll conduct the auction for the last five medicinal pills.”

Xu Yangyi cupped his hands, and he and Hundredtongues withdrew together.

In the venue, even if the spiritual senses of the countless ordinarily unseen half-step Core Formation and twelve Core Formation were further restrained, they still caused everyone else’s breathing to be impeded. Indeed, Xu Yangyi wanted to rest a bit. But as he left the stage, he saw over a dozen Qi Condensation cultivators holding several jade slips and walking over.

“What’s that?” He looked at these people somewhat curiously.

“Young friend, might this be your first time participating in an auction?” Hundredtongues’s laughter was amiable. “The auctions of Core Formation ancestors and those below Core Formation are two different worlds.” He couldn’t not be amiable. Even a pig knew that after today, the statuses of Xu Yangyi and the Xingtian Legion was bound to soar to an inconceivable stage! Even the Xingtian Legion’s market valuation would double!

Xu Yangyi’s strength wasn’t powerful by any means, but three years prior… he was able to survive a holocaust and was a paragon. Now, in addition to the pill master’s support, his future prospects couldn’t be limited in measure. Hundredtongues was quite willing to plant this good karma.

“Oh? Please dispel my confusion, Senior.” Of course, Xu Yangyi wouldn’t depend on his favor and act arrogantly, cupping his hands and laughing.

“Allow me to first spoil the climax.” Hundredtongues smiled faintly. “You’ll know later… but I can tell Fellow Daoist that this jade slip is a magik artifact. Its function is simple, and it records the entire heavenly treasure ranking, from C-rank to SSS-rank.”

That was to say… in the auctions of Core Formation cultivators… there were no spirit stones at all?

Xu Yangyi raised a brow and caught onto the meaning in Hundredtongues’s words straightaway. His heart too began to flame hotly. The Dao of Pills had received unprecedented popularity. In such a scenario, what would the auction of Core Formation ancestors—their bids—be like? Divine abilities? Arcane efforts? Or perhaps… heavenly treasures which ordinary people could only read about in books?

Twenty minutes swiftly arrived. As Xu Yangyi got on stage again, not a single person on the floor had left. Instead, the atmosphere was even more fervent! The floor center had already changed completely! An enormous light screen, similar to a projection screen, floated in midair over the master stage. On its surface, there were countless names densely recorded! With a mere glance, he was drawn in by the names on the surface.

“Paramita Poppy. A century to grow, a century to bloom, and a century to bear fruit. In another hundred years, the fruit is born. The fruit contains boundless yin spiritual force and is a peerless selection for a cultivator who cultivates a yin-affinity arcane effort. Grade: A-rank.”

“Veinless Mulberry. Grows at the summit of the Kunlun Mountains, 3,000 meters in the air above sky level. It is incorporeal and condensed from the purest qi of heaven and earth. It grows to ten meters in a millennium and to a hundred meters in another. Grade: S-rank.” 

Each named caused Xu Yangyi’s eyes to blossom with flowers. At the same time, he brimmed with anticipation towards the cultivation world. Right now, he really did want to go to the Kunlun Mountains’ summit and see what an invisible tree that was 3,000 meters above the clouds was like. He also wished to go to the seabed 2,000 meters below to see how mystical it was. A bronze palace, eternal for several centuries. 

“This is the world’s true face.” Faintly smiling, he walked onto the master stage. “How are mortals to know of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers’ greatness?”