Chapter 24 - Heaven-grade Treasure

"6,000 Gold!" Xuan Wuhan immediately bid for the Soul Strengthening Pill once the auction began.

"6,100 Gold!"

"6,200 Gold!"

A few minutes later, Xuan Wuhan managed to secure the Soul Strengthening Pill for 7,500 Gold.

"Yes! Now I will be able to breakthrough to the third level Spirit Warrior Realm!" she made a victorious fist.

However, Xuan Wuhan was not satisfied with just a single bottle, so she proceeded to bid on the other two bottles.

After a few more minutes, two more bottles of Soul Strengthening Pills were handed to Xuan Wuhan, and she ended up paying 25,000 Gold for all three bottles.

"Hey, Yuan." Xuan Wuhan suddenly called for him.

"What's the matter?" he turned to look at her.

Xuan Wuhan smiled and opened one of the pill bottles to retrieve a Soul Strengthening Pill.

"Here you go. It's not much but I hope we can be friends for years to come!" she said while handing it to him.

Yuan accepted the pill with slightly widened eyes.

"Thank you!" he said with a smile on his face.

When Yuan held the Soul Strengthening Pill in his hands, the system automatically analyzed it for him.

[Soul Strengthening Pill] [Tier 3] [Purity: 82%]

[Effects: Permanently increases Soul Strength by 1,000]

[Description: A Spiritual Pill concocted by Bai Ming.]

[Limit: 3]

"It increases my Soul Strength permanently! And by 1,000!" Yuan exclaimed.

Xiao Hua then spoke, "Most pills have a limitation on how many you can consume before it no longer benefits your body. These Soul Strengthening Pills can only be eaten 3 times before it stops benefiting your body. With that being said, even if it won't improve your body, it still has other benefits such as calming your mind during Cultivation, hence why she bought so many of them."

"I see…" Yuan nodded.

"Hey, why don't you give us one of those pills too, Lady Xuan. Aren't we also friends?"

The Du Brothers asked her after seeing her give one to Yuan.

"If you wanted some, why didn't you even try to buy it?" Xuan Wuhan asked them.

"That's because you were very eager to have them, so we didn't fight for them with you," said Du Hai with a cheeky smile.

"Are you saying that I only won because you allowed me to win?" Xuan Wuhan narrowed her eyes at him.

Du Hai's cheeky smile quickly became an apologetic one and said, "T-That wasn't my intention…"

"Then forget it!"

"..."

After Xuan Wuhan turned her eyes away from him, Du Hai looked at Yuan with narrowed eyes, almost like he blamed Yuan for being responsible for the situation.

Sometime later, after ten more items were auctioned, Yuan's monster cores finally made its appearance.

"Umm… for our next item, we have a few monster cores…" Qing Qing sounded less confident and somewhat embarrassed by her own words.

"Monster Cores? Could it belong to a Beast that was at the Spirit Master level?" The people were slightly surprised by the appearance of monster cores, as they are rarely sold in Auction Houses.

"They are Spirit Apprentice level monster cores," said Qing Qing with a weird tone.

"Spirit Apprentice monster cores? Did the Auction House mess up? How could they sell such trash here?"

"There must've been a mistake. I cannot imagine the Azure Phoenix Auction House purposefully selling trash."

"The Azure Phoenix Auction House does not make mistakes. Although I don't know the reason, these monster cores were approved by Senior Chang herself," said Qing Qing, and she continued, "The starting price for all four of these monster cores will be 500 Spirit Stones."

However, nobody made a bid even after many minutes. It was an unprecedented event for the Azure Phoenix Auction House.

"Just take those trash away from our sights! Are you mocking us with them? Nobody wants it!" Du Bai shouted loudly.

"That's right! What kind of joke is this? Even if you are the Azure Phoenix Auction House, there is a limit."

Following Du Bai, other guests also began complaining. To sell something worth so little in this high-end Auction House with treasures worth tens of thousands of Gold was akin to selling street meat in a luxurious restaurant. The guests were feeling as though they were being mocked by the auction house.

"What should I do…? Senior Chang told me to sell these even if we have to lose face!" Qing Qing cried inwardly.

Meanwhile, in the VIP Room, Yuan was slightly trembling from anger. Even though the complaints were directed at the auction house and Qing Qing, he felt as though they were all directed at him, who wanted to sell these monster cores.

Xuan Wuhan noticed the irritated expression on Yuan's face and wondered if the monster cores belonged to him. After all, he gave her one of them at the city's entrance.

"It's just a few hundred golds. If these monster cores really belong to him, it'll definitely benefit our relationship, and he might even owe me for giving him face. It might also be another one of his tests..."

Thus, Xuan Wuhan spoke the next moment, "I will bid 600 Gold for these monster cores."

"Lady Xuan! Why would you bid for the monster cores? They are just trash! Don't waste your money on them. If you want, I can give you some at the Spirit Warrior level for free as a gift!" Du Hai said to her.

"Shut up! Do I need your permission if I want to buy something? I just happened to need these monster cores, so I am buying them!" she coldly snorted.

"..." Yuan looked at her with wide eyes.

'Not only did she give me a Soul Strengthening Pill worth hundreds of Gold but she's also buying my monster cores… I will definitely thank her properly in the future...' he thought to himself with a warm smile on his face.

"Would you like to pay for the monster cores now?"

An assistant from the auction house asked Xuan Wuhan after she easily won the bid due to a lack of competitors.

Xuan Wuhan retrieved 600 Gold and handed it to the assistant. "I want it now," she said.

"Understood."

The assistant accepted the money and returned a few minutes later with the monster cores.

Meanwhile, on the stage, a new item was already being auctioned.

"For the next item, we have this piece of crystal that is of unknown origin. Although we cannot tell you the purpose of its existence, it has a large amount of Qi flowing within like a monster core. In fact, if it was a monster core, it would be comparable to one at the Spirit Grandmaster level." Qing Qing showed them the cobble-sized piece of crystal to the guests.

"Comparable to a Spirit Grandmaster monster core!"

The people were shocked, as monsters at the Spirit Grandmaster level were exceedingly rare and terrifying, and they have the power to wipe out a large city like this Spirit City with ease. In fact, the last time a Spirit Grandmaster monster appeared in this world was 1,000 years ago, killing millions of people and nearly destroying the world if not for the Spirit Grandmasters that sacrificed their own lives to kill it.

When Xiao Hua saw the cobble-sized crystal, her eyes slightly widened.

"Brother Yuan, that's a Spirit Crystal."

Xiao Hua's voice suddenly resounded in his head.

"Spirit Crystal? Like the Ancient Spirit Jade I have?" he asked.

"No, it's not real Spirit Jade. Real Spirit Jade, even at the lowest quality, would have more Qi. And even though it's not comparable to Spirit Jade, it'll still provide a big boost to your Cultivation. It can also be used as a currency in the upper Realms."

'I wonder how much Qi I would get from consuming it,' he pondered.

"Brother Yuan, you should bid for it." Xiao Hua suddenly said.

"What? But I don't have any money."

"We may have no money now but we will have plenty once we sell the Heavenly Frost Dagger. It'll be more than enough to buy something like this Spirit Crystal, and the people here seem to be unaware of its true value."

Yuan pondered for a moment and asked, "Are you sure? It's still your money."

Even if Xiao Hua allowed him to use the money from selling the Heavenly Frost Dagger, Yuan was not shameless enough to accept it. In fact, if he accepts it despite everything that she's already given him, it'll make him feel guilty instead.

"Buy it, Brother Yuan." Xiao Hua nodded with a resolute face.

"Okay, if you say so."

"I must get this piece of crystal that is overflowing with Qi! If I can cultivate the Qi inside, I might even breakthrough and become a Spirit Master in no time!"

Xuan Wuhan's eyes glittered with excitement.

"There's no way something that contains so much Qi is not a treasure! It must be a treasure with a powerful ability!"

Not just Xuan Wuhan but Du Brothers and the others in the VIP room were also trembling in excitement.

"Since we do not know its true value, we will let the guests decide. The auction begins now!" Qing Qing announced loudly.

"10,000 Gold!"

"30,000 Gold!"

"100,000 Gold!"

The people immediately began bidding, and the price fluctuated quickly.

Within mere minutes, the price for the Spirit Crystal reached half a million Gold.

"Xiao Hua… it's already at 500,000 Gold. Are we still going to buy it?" Yuan asked her.

Xiao Hua did not hesitate for a second and nodded.

"500,100 Gold!" Yuan made a bid for the first time in this auction and in his life.

"This brat... he's not a simple one, as expected…"

The people in the VIP room glanced at Yuan with the corner of their eyes.

'You want to buy something when I am here? Then you will have to ask me for permission first!' Du Hai coldly sneered in his heart and raised his hand.

"510,000 Gold!"

"510,100 Gold." Yuan calmly responded.

Du Hai gnashed his teeth and spoke loudly, "Are you purposely trying to provoke me by adding so little every time?!"

Yuan raised an eyebrow at Du Hai's words, as he truly didn't understand why Du Hai would be upset about that. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"..."

Du Hai trembled in anger at Yuan's response, thinking that he was being mocked.

"520,000 Gold! This is how you bid in an auction! What is the point in adding so little?!"

"520,100 Gold. What if I add too much and waste money? I'd rather play it safe." Yuan innocently shook his head.

After all, it was not his money that he's using to bid.

Xuan Wuhan chuckled after hearing Yuan's words, which only fueled Du Hai's rage even further.

"Good! Since you want to play that game, then I will also play!"

"520,200 Gold!"

"520,300 Gold."

"520,400 Gold!"

"520,500 Gold."

After a few minutes of bidding back and forth, Du Hai was finally unable to endure it and burst with anger, "You mother f.u.c.ker! How dare you play with me like this!"

Seeing Du Hai lose control of his temper and preparing to strike Yuan, Na Ying, who had been standing in the background in silence stood forward and spoke, "Esteemed guest, please behave yourself. If you continue any further, we will have to ask you to leave."

"Du Hai, sit back down!" Du Bai grabbed Du Hai's robes with a frown.

"Che!" Du Hai coldly snorted and returned to his seat. However, his narrowed gaze remained on Yuan even after many moments later.

"We cannot afford to offend the Azure Phoenix Sect! And give up on this treasure. Our money won't last till the end if you spend so much at once. If you want to deal with him, we can do it after the auction." Du Bai whispered in Du Hai's ears afterward.

"Yuan, the Du Brothers are unforgiving people. They will surely try to cause trouble for you afterward. I will speak to them later." Xuan Wuhan whispered in Yuan's ears when she noticed their suspicious gazes.

"Thank you for the warning. " Yuan nodded.

Although he was not afraid of them, he'd rather not have to deal with them.

A few minutes later, Yuan won the bid with 550,000 Gold.

"Esteemed guest, would you like to pay for the item now, or would you like to pay for it afterward?" Na Ying asked him with a polite tone and a respectful demeanor.

"You can subtract it from that item afterward." Xiao Hua said to her.

"I understand." Na Ying nodded and walked away.

Xuan Wuhan raised her eyebrows at Xiao Hua words, and she pondered. 'That item? Did they put something else besides the monster cores up for auction?'

After selling the Spirit Crystal, a few more items were sold.

"Before we start the auction for the final item we have today, allow me to introduce the owner of this auction house, Senior Chang!" Qing Qing suddenly said, dumbfounding the people there.

"Madam Chang will be making an appearance today? How rare."

The people thought.

A few moments later, an old lady appeared on the stage with a wooden box in her hands.

"Thank you all for coming to my auction house today. Since the last item we have for today is a little bit special, I will be conducting the final auction." Senior Chang spoke in a low voice, yet her voice echoed in every corner of the room.

After saying those words, Senior Chang opened the wooden box and revealed the beautiful dagger resting inside.

"T-That aura! It's a Heaven-grade treasure!"

Without even needing Senior Chang to introduce the Heavenly Frost Dagger, the people there were already able to tell what kind of treasure it was from the profound aura that was shrouding the blue dagger.

"It's really a Heaven-grade treasure! Hahaha! I have lucked out by coming here today!"

"Even though I won't be able to afford it, I am already satisfied to witness something so valuable with my own eyes!"

The crowd went into an uproar after the appearance of the Heavenly Frost Dagger, as the last time something this precious appeared in the public was 100 years ago!