Chapter 46: Auctioning the Bone-Transforming Pill

Miss Yi's gaze swept over the yellow-robed maidens carrying trays in the auction hall before she continued, "Originally, the grand finale of our auction was to be a mid-grade Tier One Bone-Easing Pill, and this news had already been shared with the major sects planning to attend. However, Young Master's Bone-Easing Pill surpasses the one our pavilion possesses, so naturally, your pill will become the centerpiece of today's auction."

Jiang Yan chuckled softly and followed her words, "So, if the sects spend too many spirit stones bidding for the mid-grade Bone-Easing Pill, my superior one might not fetch an ideal price. Displaying the auction items ahead of bidding reassures the sects and helps maximize profits."

A glint of pride sparkled in Miss Yi's eyes as she nodded to Jiang Yan.

In the auction hall, Manager Gu had already reached the final two items.

"This is a masterpiece crafted by our pavilion's alchemists—a peerless spirit pill that can alter a cultivator's innate bones: a mid-grade Tier One Bone-Easing Pill," Manager Gu announced with heartfelt enthusiasm, displaying to the crowd what was originally intended to be the main attraction.

In an instant, the hall erupted with excitement.

"What’s going on? Wasn't this pill supposed to be the grand finale? Why is it only the penultimate lot?"

"Could the Oddities Pavilion have acquired an even better highlight for the auction? Makes sense—otherwise, why would they showcase the items before the bidding begins?"

"Looks like the Oddities Pavilion has found something truly valuable. This trip has not been in vain."

All eyes from the Tianshan Sect, Golden Flame Sect, Violet Robe Sect, and other Tier Two and Three sects fixed intently on the last maiden, on the tray she bore...

Manager Gu approached the final auction item, veiled beneath a swath of yellow silk. Facing the audience, he raised his voice, "Ladies and gentlemen, this final lot comes from a mysterious and powerful cultivator. As the item is no longer of use to him, but he is in need of a large quantity of spirit stones, our grandmaster alchemist persuaded him repeatedly before he agreed to consign it to our auction."

A chorus of booing and whistles rose up, as the words only further stoked the curiosity of the sect elders and disciples present, who urged Manager Gu to reveal the item.

Sensing the anticipation had reached its peak, Manager Gu pressed his hands down to quiet the crowd. "Very well. Since everyone is so eager, I shall now present this treasure for your inspection. This, too, is a Bone-Easing Pill that can transform a cultivator’s foundation. But this pill is of superior quality to the last—it is the highest grade among Tier One: a supreme Bone-Easing Pill."

A collective gasp of astonishment swept through the hall.

As Manager Gu drew back the yellow silk, a perfectly round pill, enclosed in a transparent case, was revealed to all. The Bone-Easing Pill had been removed from its milky white porcelain bottle and now lay quietly within its case.

Its color was creamy white, perfectly spherical, and under the white rune lights of the hall, it emitted a misty azure glow. The blue radiance, set against the pill’s pale surface, was strikingly beautiful.

"A top-grade Tier One Bone-Easing Pill?" An elder wearing a blue mask shot to his feet, eyes burning as he fixed his gaze on the pill beside Manager Gu.

"Top-grade Tier One?" An elder at the peak of Qi Refinement from Golden Flame Sect looked on in surprise, muttering under his breath, "I thought Bone-Easing Pills only came in mid-grade at most?"

"Top-grade Tier One Bone-Easing Pill..." Lu Xiya of Tianshan Sect stared greedily at the pill from afar, her eyes flitting between the two Bone-Easing Pills, clearly torn over which to pursue.

A resonant "dong" sounded as Manager Gu returned to the auction platform, mallet in hand, striking the block to signal the start of the bidding.

...

"Fifty spirit stones, first call. Fifty spirit stones, second call. Fifty spirit stones, third call. Done! The Azure Steel Sword goes to buyer number nineteen." Manager Gu hammered down on the first item sold.

With the first lot concluded, the auction hall erupted into a heated bidding war.

"Watercraft, sold for eighty spirit stones to buyer number fifteen..."

"Transformative Powder, sold for forty-five spirit stones to buyer number sixty-five..."

As the value of the items increased, the atmosphere in the hall grew ever more fervent. Soon, it would be time to auction the first Bone-Easing Pill.

When the mallet fell again, the third-to-last item was finally sold.

Manager Gu glanced at the crowd below, feeling somewhat unnerved by the intensity in the eyes of the sect disciples watching him. "These people aren’t about to lose control, are they?" he wondered anxiously.

"Now we come to the first of the two most anticipated lots of the evening," Manager Gu announced, gesturing toward the mid-grade Tier One Bone-Easing Pill resting in the maiden's hands. "This Bone-Easing Pill was refined by our own grandmaster alchemist, with quality assured. The starting price is two hundred spirit stones, with each bid to increase by no less than ten. The auction begins now!"

The moment his words fell, the hall fell silent—so silent one could hear a pin drop.

"Two hundred and ten," called a short, stout cultivator, raising his bid paddle to make the first offer.

Jiang Yan fixed his gaze on the man, and a transparent interface appeared before him, displaying the bidder’s information.

Name: Weng Xinan
Sect: Western Mountain Sect
Position: Elder
Cultivation: Qi Refinement, Seventh Layer
Weapon: Split-Hook, Tier One
Techniques: Thick Earth Sutra, mid-grade Tier One; Yellow Earth Axe Skill, mid-grade Tier One
Merit Points: —

So he was an elder from the Tier Two Western Mountain Sect—no wonder he dared to make the first bid.

With Weng Xinan's opening, the bidding intensified.

"Two hundred forty spirit stones! Weng Xinan, why don’t you take your spirit stones home and cradle your children instead? You think you can buy a Bone-Easing Pill with a mere ten-stone increase? Dream on!" came a mocking voice, ridiculing Weng Xinan’s conservative bid—clearly, he was not well-liked, and his low increment drew derision.

"I bid two hundred sixty spirit stones!"

"Two hundred ninety!" The crowd plunged into a frenzy over this mid-grade Bone-Easing Pill.

Its effects were unique and the pill itself was exceedingly rare. A mid-grade Tier One Bone-Easing Pill had only appeared in Linqing Prefecture three times.

The first time, the Oddities Pavilion auctioned one off, and it was won at great cost by the then-Tier Two Golden Flame Sect. Five years later, their patriarch broke through the Qi Refinement stage and successfully formed a Foundation, propelling Golden Flame to Tier Three and leadership among the region’s sects.

The second time, again, the Oddities Pavilion auctioned one off, and once more, Golden Flame Sect paid dearly for it. Five years later, their young expert Xu Mingyuan successfully formed a Foundation.

The third time, still the Oddities Pavilion, still Golden Flame Sect; three years later, their third expert Bai Tong succeeded in forming a Foundation.

How could such a pill, capable of producing Foundation Establishment experts, not drive the sects of Linqing Prefecture mad with desire?

"Three hundred thirty!" The bidding had reached a high price; now, some of the lower-ranked Tier Two sects were unable to compete.

"Three hundred fifty," came another bid. At this point, fewer and fewer dared to raise the price, for there was still a superior Bone-Easing Pill to come, and the sects hesitated, weighing their options.

"Four hundred spirit stones!" A woman's voice rang out from a corner of the hall.

All eyes turned to see a group of women in violet robes sitting in the corner. The bidder was also clad in violet, a long sword strapped to her back. Perhaps she was nervous, for the tassel on her sword quivered gently.

Jiang Yan frowned slightly. Members of the Violet Robe Sect had also arrived. Without needing to consult the Sect Leader System, he could see that the bidder was Duo’er. He was puzzled—why had the youngest disciple been chosen to bid when so many others were present?

"Four hundred fifty," another, higher bid overtook the Violet Robe Sect’s offer, and the crowd’s attention shifted to the new bidder.

Relieved to have the scrutiny lifted, Duo’er let out a long sigh and nervously asked Zisu behind her, "Senior Sister, I didn’t bring shame to the sect, did I?"

Zisu comforted her, gently patting Duo’er's back and offering a few words of praise, which made the young girl beam and nearly leap for joy.

"Four hundred sixty," another bid quickly surpassed the last.

"Four hundred seventy," At this stage, those still bidding were clearly intent on securing this slightly inferior Bone-Easing Pill, and each increment was made with the utmost caution.

PS: Thanks to classmate Bergstrom for the reward.