Jiang Chen suddenly felt a sense of shame. He hadnât quite brought himself to respect Wei Xingâer all along, and it wasnât just because of Ling Biâerâs warning. Rather, it was because Wei Xingâerâs previous style of doing things had been overly unruly and sinister. To put it succinctly, sheâd been poisonous. She would achieve an end regardless of the means. Naturally, Jiang Chen wasnât fond of that.
In reality, Ling Biâer had never slandered Wei Xingâer. Sheâd only warned Jiang Chen to be on her guard around the other girl. Everything Ling Biâer had said was true, because Wei Xingâer had decided to make a move against Jiang Chen soon afterwards. The Wei Xingâer at that time had truly possessed all the attributes of a succubus. Only, as things changed with the passage of time, the paradigm shift within the Myriad Domain had given Jiang Chen the chance to see another side of Wei Xingâer.
Jiang Chen might have saved a fair number of people in the Myriad Domain, like the group young geniuses heâd rescued at the entrance of the Paramount Realm. However, in his heart, he would never have expected Wei Xingâer to do the same. And yet, that girl had done exactly that. It was just that their individual methods at been different, that was all!
As they spoke, the remaining customers of the auction had more or less all arrived. Following that, the voice of the auction master echoed throughout that the auction would be entering its preliminary stage.
âThe situation of your Regal Pill Palaceâs prisoners is more complicated. They normally donât enter the markets, nor do they appear at auctions. But it appears that every faction regards your Regal Pill Palace as a very important entity. They all want to lay hands on a few disciples for interrogation about the Longevity Pill recipe.â Wei Xingâer explained, âThe highlight of this auction is the sale of slaves. However, there definitely wonât be anybody from the Regal Pill Palace. Right now, everybody wants to use the people from your sect to get rich. Even if theyâre not interested in the Longevity Pill, they still hope that they can lure you out by seizing members of the Palace. You know how much youâre worth, no?â
Jiang Chen smiled indifferently. If those people really thought that way, he could only laugh at them for being too naive. If they could force him to show himself by simply capturing a disciple of Regal Pill Palace, then something must be wrong with his brain. There were many people he cared about in the Regal Pill Palace, but very few people would cause him to show himself. There were some people Jiang Chen had never even interacted with. Naturally, he wouldnât out himself for the sake of the so-called âsect righteousnessâ.
That wasnât righteousness. It was foolishness.
âMiss Wei, you said that your sectâs Elder Wu Hen retreated with the Regal Pill Palace Head and others. Perhaps you have some information regarding them?â Jiang Chen abruptly brought up this matter.
Wei Xingâer shook her head helplessly. âIf there was news about Elder Wu Hen, I would definitely seek help from him. Heâs the only one in the sect with knowledge and experience. He was more open-minded than that obstinate sect head.â
Jiang Chen had a deep impression of this Elder Wu Hen. Initially, when heâd acquired a Invisible Chameleon Cloudpine in the restricted area of Mt Rippling Mirage, that Elder Wu Hen had pursued him endlessly with a thousand strategies. Finally, they had engaged in a battle of wits that had ended with Elder Wu Henâs retreat. The elder was able to advance or retreat according to the situation. He was a rather impressive being. Only, he, Palace Head Dan Chi and the others were only a group of sage realm cultivators. How long could they last under such merciless pursuit? How were they doing today? Jiang Chen was quite worried on their behalf.
Huangâer suddenly asked, âMiss Wei, Iâm curious. Weâve completely disguised ourselves. How did you recognize us? I feel that I have some confidence in my ability to change my looks.â
The answer to this question was something Jiang Chen was also curious about. It was just that he hadnât asked it yet. Wei Xingâerâs delicate smile was rather ambiguous. Her clever eyes turned towards Huangâer, âIâm afraid that you wonât like the answer to that question.â
Huangâer smiled softly, shaking her head instead.
âAlright, Iâll tell you then. I, Wei Xingâer, was born with a very sensitive nose. Detecting a manâs scent is especially easy for me. The scent of your man here, do you know how unique it is to me, how memorable? Moreover, you two were so close to me. I might still be able to detect it even if you were a few hundred meters away.â
There were various talents within the world of cultivators. Some people seemed to have received heavenâs favor and were born with exceptional eyesight, which helped tremendously in training various arts of the eye. Others had keen ears that were incredibly sensitive to all kinds of sounds and movements. Naturally, there were also people with a good sense of smell as theyâd been born with a exceptional nose. Whoâd have thought that this Wei Xingâer possessed such a unique advantage? For anyone who wanted to refine pills, this talent was truly akin to receiving a gift from the heavens. In terms of pill refinement, sense of smell was vital in identifying spirit herbs and evaluating pills.
The preliminary stage of the auction concluded as they chatted. The real stage was about to begin.
âHonored guests, we welcome everyone to the Dragon & Phoenixâs monthly auction. The format of this auction will remain the same as usual. It is split into two parts, an auction for goods and an auction for slaves. We will begin with the goods. As everyone knows, ever since the Myriad Domain collapsed, there have been an outflow of valuable items and slaves from that domain. We will never run out of business in the next hundred years.â
There were numerous big and small sects in the Myriad Domain that were now tens of thousands of slaves. Valuable items were also indeed flowing out like a gushing river. Even the Great Scarlet Mid Region would need at least a hundred years to fully assimilate the Myriad Domain.
âWe would like to thank everyone for your honorable patronage. Without any further ado, we will cut straight to the point. The first article is a treasure from the Myriad Domainâs Dark North Sect. Named the Dark North Bell, is the sectâs treasured legacy and can be used for both offense and defense. The Dark North Sect has not even used thirty percent of its might. Only in the hands of an emperor realm heavyweight will this Bell be able to display its power on a greater scale. The starting bid is ten million saint spirit stones. Every bid must exceed five hundred thousand saint spirit stones.â
The Dark North Bell? Jiang Chen had heard of this bell. It was pride and joy of the Dark North Sect. After the sectâs collapse, even this protective treasure had been brought out for auction. Moreover, the price of ten million saint spirit stones wasnât actually very high.
âThis first article is usually be considered one of the most valuable items in this auction. Itâs intended to whet our appetites,â Wei Xingâer sneered.
Although the Dark North Sectâs relationship with the Regal Pill Palace hadnât been bad, Jiang Chen obviously wouldnât help them buy this in present circumstances. As he carried numerous treasures, he wasnât too concerned about adding this Dark North Bell to his collection. Hence, he only watched emotionlessly as the others clawed eagerly at each other for the Bell.
It had to be said that the wealth possessed by inhabitants of the Great Scarlet Mid Region was a far cry to that of the nobles of Veluriyam Capital. During his time in Veluriyam Capital, heâd seen firsthand how fierce competition had been at the auctions there. Items that were above average could easily be inflated to a few dozen million spirit stones. And although this Dark North Bell had been touted so highly, everyone remained restrained while raising the bid, adding only five hundred thousand every time. The price finally rose to twenty million after a long period of time.
âDo you want me to bid?â Wei Xingâer asked.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Jiang Chen shook his head. âNo itâs fine. This is just the first item.â With how much he had seen by now, Jiang Chen found himself spurning this Dark North Bell. It wasnât that the item itself was a failure but rather that Jiang Chen already possessed enough equipment. There was no benefit to bidding for this Dark North Bell other than to attract attention. Even if he won it, was he supposed to return it to the Dark North Sect as a sign of goodwill in the future? Jiang Chen certainly had much better things to do. Moreover, he didnât even know if there was anyone from the Dark North Sect who was still alive.
The price plateaued when it reached twenty million. In the end, this Dark North Sect was sold to a noble of the Great Scarlet Mid Region. The second item was a batch of talismans. They appeared to be of rather high level ones. However, Jiang Chen remained indifferent. He possessed many similar talismans, some of which were even superior to the ones for auction.
Wei Xingâer had been observing Jiang Chen all along. When she saw his calm demeanor and faceful of disinterest, she felt a prickle of curiosity in her heart. This little boy has his sights set so high? Not only did he turn his nose down at the Dark North Bell, he even scorns these life-saving talismans? Everyone has turned into stray dogs with the fall of the Myriad Domain. Why is it that heâs only gotten wealthier instead?
Women were mysterious creatures. Although Wei Xingâer had made a name for herself as a succubus back in the Myriad Domain, she actually had very high standards, perhaps even higher than Ling Biâer. It was just that their personalities were expressed in polar opposite ways. Wei Xingâer wouldnât even spare most men a second glance. It was only Jiang Chen who had attracted her attention during the Mt. Rippling Mirage Pill Battles.
Afterwards, when her Azure Smokesnare Powder had failed to work on Jiang Chen and sheâd been spanked thrice instead, her heart had truly been pried open. The harder something was to attain, the more curious she was about it and the more she yearned for it. That was why her impression of Jiang Chen had not faded even after these years. Instead, it had grown deeper everyday. At this moment, as she faced the man sheâd yearned for all along, Wei Xingâer wanted to present her best side, but she was curious as to how heâd been for the past few years. Today, she could sense from Jiang Chenâs attitude that he hadnât spent those years worse for the wear. She could infer all these clues from his standards alone. Just as Wei Xingâer pondered upon this, the third item was brought out for display.
âThe third item for auction is a set of constructs from the Regal Pill Palace. The Regal Pill Palace was founded on pill dao. The Longevity Pill that everyone is familiar with also initially originated from them. I believe everyone is familiar with this sect. The items for auction today are four of the Regal Pill Palaceâs Five Great Cauldrons. The Skyscatter, Skypeak, Skyorigin, and Skywood Cauldrons. Apart from the Skyweave Cauldron, the four of the five great cauldrons have been gathered in this room. Everyone must be curious as to why there is one cauldron missing, right? You might have already guessed it. The remaining Skyweave Cauldron lies in the hands of that thieving Jiang Chen. Whoever can catch and kill that thief can take the Skyweave Cauldron to complete the set. These five cauldrons can contain the fortunes of a fourth ranked sect. I believe everyone is clear on the starting price of twenty million.â
Jiang Chen was naturally completely in the know about these five treasured cauldrons. It was exactly like the auction master had said. The last of the five cauldrons, the Skyweave Cauldron was in his possession. Huangâer and Wei Xingâer both turned their gazes towards Jiang Chen. Clearly, both women knew that Jiang Chen would not ignore matters that involved the Regal Pill Palace.
âOutbid everyone else. I donât care how much it costs. Help me win those cauldrons.â Jiang Chen immediately took out a storage ring. âThere are over a hundred million saint spirit stones in here. If thatâs not enough, I have more.â He was a tycoon even in the ranks of Veluriyam Capital now. Was there anything more to be said about the degree of his wealth in this insignificant Great Scarlet Mid Region?