Master Dong Ye remained unperturbed. There wasnât even a hint of frustration on his face.
â1.61 billion going once, twice, thrice... and sold!â Jiang Chen flicked a glance at Master Dong Ye and smiled. âCongratulations! The Pinecrane Pill is yours. Iâve engraved my personal seal onto the pill, so do take good care of it. Remember to break the seal before taking the pill. Iâm not liable for any damage incurred after the seal is broken.â
The young lord was extremely wary of the monk. The bald donkey seemed loyal and kind on the surface, but harbored all kinds of malice within. If it wasnât for him, the fake wandering cultivator from before wouldnât have been able to stir up such a large ruckus.
Jiang Chen had no choice but to take some precautions when selling the Pinecrane Pill to him. It was better to be safe than sorry as there was no guarantee that the monk wouldnât stir up trouble in the future.
âYoung lord Zhen, Iâm already aware of that.â The monk answered blandly.
âThatâs good. You can still withdraw as the money hasnât been paid. Youâll only lose some of your deposit. Itâll be too late for regrets once the item has exchanged hands.â One had to make the terms clear when dealing with someone like Master Dong Ye. Jiang Chen didnât feel the need to withhold anything in front of so many people.
Master Dong Ye snorted coldly. âLetâs verify the goods.â He walked up and observed the pill meticulously for over an hour before nodding. âItâs a deal.â
Jiang Chen hadnât expected Master Dong Ye to be that wealthy. The monk didnât wrinkle his forehead in the slightest when counting out 1.61 billion saint spirit stones.
The other auction items underwent verification as well. The items were collected after the money was paid.
With that, the grand auction finally came to an end. Almost every great faction had bought something they desired. The only group that had gotten nothing out of the auction were the wandering cultivators. Emperor Inferno was the only one who won a bid in the auction for the Rakshasa Fire.
âEveryone, thank you all for coming. Iâm truly flabbergasted by your opulence and sheer wealth. Veluriyam Capital will host similar auctions in the future. For all we know, something even more rare or desirable might show up then! Weâll definitely make you feel that youâve gotten your moneyâs worth!â
Jiang Chen raised a cupped fist salute. âThe trading event has officially come to an end! From tomorrow onwards, Iâll be giving lectures and having pill dao exchanges with everyone. But a few things before that. The pill dao lectures will involve a wide range of topics ranging from pill dao fundamentals to interesting theories, but no open discussion of pill recipes. Iâll also be answering questions on final day of the lecture to relieve you of any confusion. Priority will be given to our wandering friends as they are the main audience of the Dragon and Tiger Meet. Ninety percent of the questions will be theirs, while the remaining ten will be given to the representatives of the great sects. I hope to be enlightened by all of you.â
âAlright! Thatâs wonderful!â
âYoung lord Zhen! You have our support!â
âAs expected of young lord Zhen! Weâll forever support you just for this reason alone!â
âTo think that young lord Zhen is so considerate of us! Young lord Zhen, you âre too kind!â
âYoung lord Zhen, you truly are a man amongst men!â
The wandering cultivators broke into thunderous applause. They were completely touched by Jiang Chenâs actions. They didnât care if it was just for show. It was a good gesture all the same.
Many powerful factions were participating in the event, yet young lord Zhen was showing favouritism towards the wandering cultivators instead.
The crowd felt that young lord Zhen was a man of his word and an extremely charismatic person. The auction came to a close amidst cheers from the wandering cultivators.
âItem owners please rest assured that all proceeds from the auction will be handed over to you. Also, we wonât be taking a cut since this is our first auction.â
No cut?!
Even the guests were shocked by the announcement. Such generosity! The proceeds from the auction were in the tens of billions. Even a low cut of ten percent wouldâve netted him at least a billion! And yet, the young lord had chosen not to collect a single spirit stone.
âHmm... that kid is a lot more astute than he appears.â The elder from the Empyrean River Palace was extremely taken aback. âHow can he remain so composed in front of so much wealth? His actions doesnât really reflect his youth. In fact, heâs much more excellent than Emperor Peafowl in his youth. The disciple has already surpassed the master.â
You little fame-seeking brat! Emperor Dragontyrant was also quite shocked. How is he so astute at such a young age? One can only imagine the heights heâll reach in the future. Is he trying to recruit those wandering cultivators by currying favor from them? Hmph! Wishful thinking. Those ingrates can never be bought with money or favor. Giving up his cut is far from enough to gain their undying loyalty!
Emperor Dragontyrant condemned Jiang Chenâs actions. He believed that the young lord was too overzealous and there was no way his plan would work.
Wandering cultivators were loose sand. It was easier to teach a pig flight than to gain sovereignty over the wandering world. Throughout history, thereâd been countless heroes whoâd deemed themselves worthy, only to fail in the end. Some even lost everything during their attempt.
Various factions congratulated Jiang Chen after the trading event came to a close.
âCongratulations, young lord Zhen. The Pinecrane Pill was sold for such a high price that Sacred Peafowl Mountain will be well-fed for many generations to come!â
âYouâve widened my horizons. Only a few pills have ever been sold for such a tantalizing amount in history.â
âAgreed, but itâs understandable. The Pinecrane Pill is likely one of the top five pills throughout history.â The crowd was obviously very impressed by the pill.
It was a pill that everyone yearned for. Unfortunately, the young lord had already mentioned that the pill wouldnât be sold to the public and would only be transacted with his close confidantes. It meant that the only way to get the pill was through an auction or a private deal with the young lord. Thus, everyone quickly rushed to curry favor from the young lord.
Emperor Coiling Dragon sighed. âYoung lord Zhen, Iâve never truly known how much I owed you until this day. To think that the Pinecrane Pill is actually be worth so much! Young lord, Iâm eternally grateful.â
âHaha! Young lord Zhen, the Skysword Sect wishes to reserve two Pinecrane Pills! Surely you wonât reject a brotherâs request!â Han Qianzhan cut straight to the point. There was no reason for him to beat around the bush. âYoung lord, hiring you as our guest pill king is the smartest thing Iâve ever done in my life! I feel damn good!â
A thick skin is of paramount importance if one wished to be well fed. Since they were already collaborating with each other, there was no reason to be shy.
Su Huanzhen laughed. âYoung lord Zhen, Iâve never owed Emperor Peafowl any favors but since Iâve helped you make a hundred million more from that monk, wonât you consider making a Pinecrane Pill for the Celestial Cicada Court as well?ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âYoung lord Zhen... Itâs not easy for me to say this, but the Pinecrane Pill is simply irresistible. We of the Ninesuns Sky Sect...â
âYoung lord Zhen, whenever you have the chance to, do visit us at the Moon God Sect.â The Moon God Sectâs third sectmaster no longer restrained herself as well.
Various other wandering great emperors also went up to the young lord to curry favor. They were filled with regret. Why hadnât they agreed to Jiang Chenâs terms back then? What a wasted opportunity! Hesitation had costed them the deal of a lifetime.
Jiang Chen was overwhelmed by their enthusiasm. âEveryone, the Pinecrane Pill doesnât grow on trees. Its availability depends entirely on fate. When itâs finally available, Iâll definitely prioritize all of you. I give you my word.â
âExcellent! Young lord Zhen, Iâve been waiting for you to say that!â
âSuch straightforwardness! Young lord Zhen, youâre a man worth befriending!â Shangguan Yanqing from the Ninesuns Sky Sect was obviously currying favor with Jiang Chen.
âWonderful!â It took awhile for the crowd to finally disperse. Emperor Peerless and the Jiao brothers were the only ones who remained.
âYoung lord Zhen, the earnings from the auction are quite significant. Not asking for a cut is a huge waste.â Emperor Peerless stated in a low voice.
âAgreed. Theyâll be more than willing even if the cut was a fifth of earnings. Theyâre getting off much too easily.â Jiao Yun sighed.
âYoung lord, youâve been showing so much good will to wandering cultivators. Surely you donât plan on roping in the entire wandering world?â Jiao Feng asked curiously.
Jiang Chen smiled blandly. âThat remains to be seen. However, donât you feel that the wandering world is full of potential?â
âOh? Why is that?â Emperor Peerless smiled wryly. âYouâve now seen the discrepancy of wealth between the leaders of the wandering world and the great sects. Our potential doesnât hold a candle to the great sects.â
He was slightly pessimistic after seeing what had transpired today.