Jiang Chen obviously disagreed. His understanding of the Radiant Celestial Grass was deeper than Pill King Blue Phoenix. It didnât take long before someone brought the spirit herb to Jiang Chen. He generously handed over 400 million saint spirit stones to the Temple. For this auction, money was to paid immediately after the bid was won. The transaction was incredibly straightforward and direct, which caught the eye of many.
A 400 million bid for the first item wasnât something one could see everyday. In fact, it was the first time it had ever happened throughout the Templeâs history. Jiang Chen tended to the plant and placed it in a spirit container for safekeeping before storing it in his storage ring. He smiled as though heâd received an extremely good deal. Emperor Peerless couldnât help but wonder why.
âLittle brother, the Radiant Celestial Grass is a spirit herb meant for refining the Sage Smile Pill. The biggest yield from this amount is at most fifty pills. Even if you sold it for ten million saint spirit stones per pill, youâd only get back 500 million! Youâll also have to consider the price of the remaining ingredients and this is before considering the cost for your time, energy, and expertise spent! This is bad deal no matter how I look at it. Pill King Blue Phoenixâs estimations should be correct. Is there something weâre missing?â
The emperor was intrigued. The pill king was also staring at Jiang Chen suspiciously. Jiang Chen quickly realized that theyâd never put the matter to rest if he didnât spill the beans.
âI was fortunate enough to have received a lecture about the Radiant Celestial Grass from my esteemed master. It has a hidden attribute that not many know of.â
âHidden attribute?â Pill King Blue Phoenix was stunned. âWhat hidden attribute?â
Wang Xuetong stretched his neck closer to hear what it was all about. The four of them squeezed together like a rice ball.
Jiang Chen laughed. âWell itâs not like I canât tell any of you. The herb wonât be as valuable anymore if the secret is exposed, so please keep it a secret.â
Pill King Blue Phoenix immediately swore a vow. âI swear upon my inner demons to never reveal the secret to anyone else!â
Wang Xuetong immediately followed. âI, too, swear upon my inner demons to never reveal the secret! Well... as a formation master, I know nothing about your herbs and pills!â
Emperor Peerless laughed. âVery well, I shanât be an exception. I swear upon my inner demons to never divulge the secret.â
They werenât the sort to let their curiosity get the better of them, but Jiang Chenâs actions had truly bewildered them. They simply couldnât understand his reasoning behind the purchase!
Jiang Chen smiled and spoke mysteriously. âCome to think of it, the hidden attribute is truly a well hidden secret. Indeed, the Radiant Celestial Grass is an ingredient for refining the Sage Smile Pill, but it possesses another very unique attribute. Itâs capable of regrowth.â
âRegrowth? What do you mean?â The pill king was puzzled. âCan a spirit herb regrow?â
âI donât mean reincarnation, but like the common chive. If you cut it in half, itâll regrow from its cuttings.â
Many plants had a similar attribute. It was how they bloomed and wilted with the change of the seasons. However, spirit herbs didnât share this attribute. Most of them were only meant for one time use. There were some that could be used more than once, and even a few that could last for thousands of years without degrading. However, in the world of pill dao, the Radiant Celestial Grass had always been known as a herb with only one use. It was a consumable item, not to be reused over and over again.
Pill King Blue Phoenix immediately disagreed. âItâs widely known that the Radiant Celestial Grass is not capable of regrowth in the pill dao world. Are you perhaps... mistaken?â
âIndeed, thatâs the case. But just because itâs widely known doesnât mean itâs true. There are a few conditions that must be fulfilled for it to regrow. Without extensive research, one can never unearth these conditions.â
âWhat are the conditions?â Pill King Blue Phoenixâs curiosity was piqued.
âFirst of all, one must never pluck more than a quarter of the plant or else risk harming its ability to grow back. Secondly, it takes at least three years for the plant to grow back, and in rare cases it might even take five. Thirdly, to stimulate its regrowth, one must apply an ample amount of spirit fertilizer. This is the most critical step. The spirit fertilizer must fully complement the attributes of the plant and its growth rate. Only by meeting all three conditions will the plant regrow. This process can be done in endless succession until the plant reaches the state of decline, which can take at least two thousand years.â
The pill king was utterly baffled. Emperor Peerless and Wang Xuetong had awe written all over their faces. The emperor smiled wryly. âare you going to say that your master has coincidentally lectured you on this too?â
He chalks it up on luck whenever he does something extraordinary. If this is also luck, then he must be the luckiest person ever to walk the realm.
Jiang Chen didnât panic or overreact. Instead, he responded with unabashed laughter. âThis isnât a coincidence. The attribute of spirit herbs was part of my basic education when I was young. A lot of emphasis was placed on the study of earth and sky rank spirit herbs.â
The pill kingâs eyes glimmered when he heard that. âIs that so? Brother Shao, does that mean you know earth and sky rank spirit herbs like the back of your hand?â
âNot quite, but I do know a lot about them.â
Pill King Blue Phoenix was speechless. They were equally envious as they were jealous, but there was nothing they could do about it. It was the discrepancy between the Myriad Abyss Island and the human domain. The pill king was almost like an ant when compared to the upbringing and legacy shown by a genius from the Myriad Abyss Island. If a person of his age could be so monstrous, then the Myriad Abyss Island must be ten times stronger than the human domain at the very least!
The auction went on as usual in the midst of their discussion. The bid for the second item was nearing its end. It was a pill that was auctioned off at an astronomical price.
Jiang Chen had no interest in pills. Only a spirit herb as rare and precious as the Radiant Celestial Grass could catch his attention. Spirit herbs were created by nature, and thus remain untainted from the hands of other pill masters. Pills however, had to be refined by pill masters, and he wasnât interested in the work of others.
The third and fourth items quickly followed. Not a single item was of subpar quality. Every one of them caught as much attention from the crowd as the Radiant Celestial Grass. Unfortunately, none of them could catch Jiang Chenâs eye. He truly desired the Radiant Celestial Grass, but the others were mere trash to him. He wondered if Mu Gaoqi was going to be put on auction. Were the Star Harvesters really telling the truth?
Out of eight items for auction, four were already sold.
âNext up is our fifth item. Every single item before this was incomparably precious, but our fifth item takes it to the next level! What we have next is an actual human! A living breathing human!â Madame Man smiled radiantly. âI believe various Pillfire City factions have already begun to move in anticipation. Yes itâs true, our fifth item is Master Mu, a pill king with an innate wood constitution of high order, entrusted to us by the Star Harvesters!
âIâm sure everyone has heard of him, and is well aware of what heâs capable of. An innate constitution isnât something you can see everyday and a wood innate constitution is as rare as a phoenix, but an innate wood constitution of high order? A constitution like his has never been seen within our city gates throughout our thirty thousand years of history! Heâs practically an uncut diamond! The Star Harvesters have put him up on auction before heâs cut and polished so that his magnificence can be unearthed by a better candidate! Is everyone ready to place your bids?â Madame Manâs crisp and stirring voice reverberated throughout the auction house.
âAn innate wood constitution of high order?â Emperor Peerless was slightly taken aback. âSuch a great seedling! The Star Harvesters are one of the strongest factions in the city, are they not? How can they be so foolish? They shouldâve given him time to grow before selling him!â
Emperor Peerless wasnât aware of the situation in Pillfire City as he wasnât a citizen here. A person of his stature had no interest in such things.
Master Wang Xuetong laughed in response. âEmperor Peerless, youâre aware of one thing, but not the other. The Star Harvesters are in a terrible spot. After all, it isnât presumptous to say that an innate wood constitution of high order is wasted in their hands. Many various factions have been giving them pressure lately. Theyâre only putting Master Mu on auction because they have no other choice.â
Pill King Blue Phoenix sighed. âItâs a pity that Master Mu is a slave as one cannot free themselves from slavery. Heâll have to live the rest of his life as a puppet pill king, never to fully realize his true potential. I must say, theyâve truly butchered a real talent.â
The pill king had spoken the fair truth.
The emperor seemed a little sullen. âI canât help but wonder who invented slavery. Theyâve single-handedly ruined so many talents. Master Mu, do you know of his background? Is Pillfire City so boneless that they canât even accommodate a pill dao talent of his caliber?â
Wang Xuetong sighed. âItâs not that we canât. The main issue is that Master Muâs background remains uncertain. What if he was a spy sent by an enemy faction to trick us? He might become a huge threat if he regains control of his body and mind...â
The words wasnât pleasant to the ear, but it was the truth. It was the common consensus towards slaves. Theyâd rather waste talent than allow a slave freedom.
Madame Manâs voice was heard yet again. âAn innate wood constitution of high order is almost certain to become a pill emperor. His starting bid will be 300 million. Isnât that such a good deal for a seedling as excellent as him? Thatâs right! Weâll begin at 300 million, with minimum increases of ten million!â
The starting bid wasnât too exorbitant, but the ten million minimum bid was indeed a little over the top.