After Lin Zhen made his bid, countless eyes turned towards him.
Everyone participating in this auction could afford at least two billion, but such a large jump in bid price was quite eye-catching.
âWho is that guy? He looks quite young.â
âA Fifth Grade Alchemist? Is he a newly promoted elder in the guild? How come I havenât seen him before?â
âA Tier Nine Star Systemâ¦this person seems to be an alchemy genius. He really is ostentatiously wealthy.â
âYouâve actually never seen this person before, he is Lin Zhen, the Ice and Fire Alchemist who has been selling elixirs like crazy recently. His elixirs are incredibly effective and have no side effects from fire poison. Everyoneâs been fighting over them.â
âOh! Just a mere alchemist? Seems like heâs here to sell medicinal materials. I wonât compete with him then.â
People whispered among themselves. Although few people had ever seen Lin Zhen, the Ice and Fire Alchemist had gained quite a reputation recently. Hardly anyone didnât know about him.
Some people cast glances at Gu Yunting, suspecting enmity between the two. They presumed Gu Yunting wouldnât let Lin Zhen get the white tiger blood so easily.
Lin Zhenâs gaze also fell on Gu Yunting, a hint of provocation in his eyes.
After giving Lin Zhen a quick glance, Gu Yunting began laughing and chatting with the people next to him, completely ignoring Lin Zhen.
The auctioneer called out several times, but seeing no one willing to compete with Lin Zhen, he immediately declared the white tiger blood to be Lin Zhenâs.
Lin Zhenâs bid of two billion was well thought out, directly discouraging those trying to get a bargain, while also demonstrating his determination to obtain the item. With this display of resolve, most people wouldnât compete with him.
But he didnât expect Gu Yunting to give up too. What exactly was this man planning?
No matter what, the white tiger blood was now his. Lin Zhen was only missing Vermilion Bird blood to complete the Four Spirits, which would unseal the Bloodthirsty Divine Needle.
Elsewhere, a World King Powerhouse beside Gu Yunting asked, âPresident, arenât you going to compete with Lin Zhen?â
âHeh, why would I compete with him over mere medicinal materials? White tiger blood isnât something that canât be bought, and if I did compete, it would only make me look petty.â
âBut it seems like Lin Zhen was provoking you.â
âLet him provoke me all he wants. He is just playing a psychological warfare, but heâs too naive. Iâm sure he wants to push up the price of the white tiger blood, have me make a losing purchase, and then aim for something else.â
âWhat does the president meanâ¦?â
With a gesture towards one of the auctioned items, Gu Yunting said, âDonât forget, Lin Zhen is an alchemist, and a genius one at that. I am certain he must have been obsessed with alchemy from a young age, otherwise, he wouldnât have achieved such success. So anything advantageous to alchemy is what heâs truly after, just like this.â
âAn Ancient Alchemy Recipe!â
âExactly! Ancient Alchemy Recipes have incredible effects. If an alchemist obtained it, it would mean endless wealth. If Lin Zhen got this Ancient Alchemy Recipe, then in Xianle Countyâs alchemy market, he will establish a strong foothold, and no one would be able to drive him out. So no matter what, I canât let him have this.â
Smiling, Gu Yunting said, âIâll give up the white tiger blood, but I must beat him to this recipe. I know heâs made quite a bit of money recently, but no matter the cost, this Alchemy Recipe will be mine, because I am also an alchemist, a Sixth Grade Alchemist at the peak of my skill!â
The World King beside him nodded and praised Gu Yunting for his foresight.
In his opinion, Gu Yunting, who controlled the elixir market for so many years, had amassed an astronomical fortune. No one could compete with him when he wanted to buy something.
If he were Gu Yunting, he would ensure Lin Zhen didnât get anything, that would be far more satisfying.
But he didnât know that most of Gu Yuntingâs income had to be handed over to the people behind him. Without them, Gu Yunting wouldnât be able to maintain his position in the market.
The amount of money that truly ended up in Gu Yuntingâs hands wasnât much! Gu Yunting currently had, at most, thirty to forty billion in his card. He was well aware of Lin Zhenâs sales over these past days, so taking aim at Lin Zhen should be manageable.
**********
After obtaining the white tiger blood, Lin Zhen didnât buy anything else, even though the dazzling array of items were indeed tempting, he knew his objective and he wasnât going to lose sight of the bigger picture.
In his heart, Lin Zhen hoped that the Taiyuan Sword Skill would be auctioned before the Ancient Alchemy Recipe would be. That way, he would have enough money to compete for the Ancient Alchemy Recipe.
Because in his eyes, Gu Yunting wouldnât just let the Recipe go. A competition was sure to ensue, and he had to think of some strategies.
Unfortunately, reality didnât go as he wished, and the Ancient Alchemy Recipe was announced first.
âThe next item we have is of great significance. As you all know, there are countless ancient sites in the Original World. Numerous talented martial artists have lost their lives there and countless treasures await the adventuring explorer, including this Ancient Alchemy Recipe originating from the tomb of a legendary alchemist, his most precious wealth left behind at death.â
âA new elixir entering the market will invariably send everyone into a buying frenzy. Can you imagine the wealth it would bring, my alchemist friends? There should be no need for me to elaborate further on that. Hence, the starting price for this recipe is thirty billion, with each increase by one billion! Letâs begin!â
âThirty billion! I want this recipe!â
âThirty-one billion! Youâre not even an alchemist, so donât interfere. This is a battle for alchemists.â
âIf itâs a battle for alchemists, then show some sincerity. Whatâs the point in increasing the bid by one billion at a time? I bid thirty-five billion!â
âThirty-five billion will only get you a look. Forty billion!â
The bidding voices at the venue were incessant. Some alchemists were so excited that they even threw off their robes and stood on their chairs to shout their bid. The atmosphere immediately heated up.
Lin Feng whispered to Lin Zhen from behind, âBoss, arenât you going to fight for this prescription? If we get it, weâll earn even more money and quickly break even.â
âI certainly intend to contend for it, but itâs not the right time.â
After a while, the current price escalated to 75 billion and fewer people continued bidding.
Per the initial estimates, the price of this ancient alchemy recipe should be around 100 billion. Naturally, many bidders would drop out as it approached this price.
Only a muscular barbarian Martial Artist and a robed Alchemist were left in the competition.
When the price reached 80 billion, Lin Zhen made his move.
â100 billion~!â
He didnât speak until necessary, and when he did, it was a startling outcry.
The barbarian seemed stunned. Once the price exceeded 100 billion, he was at a loss.
Shaking his head, the barbarian sat down, indicating his bowing out from the competition.
The robed Alchemist was also a member of the Alchemist Guild, a very experienced Elder, a Fifth Grade Alchemist.
Seeing Lin Zhenâs bid, the robed Alchemist chuckled, âElder Lin, itâs just you and me now. But I seem to have hit a roadblock in my alchemy. I need some fresh inspiration. So, you should let me have this prescription â 105 billion!â
âI can yield on other matters, but not on this prescription. Elder Wang, you should know that a prescription is like life to an alchemist. How about you let me have it? After I win, I can give you two pieces for your research â 110 billion!â
Elder Wang also felt the pressure. Adding an extra 5 billion each time isnât something a mere man could bear. He was reaching his limit, but still, he desired to strive.
âIâm stubborn, and wish to test Elder Linâs purchasing power â 115 billion!â
âIâm afraid Elder Wang might be disappointed â 120 billion!â
When Lin Zhen said this without any emotion, Elder Wangâs face changed, he gritted his teeth, but ultimately did not dare to continue.
After Elder Wang sat down, defeated, Lin Zhenâs face broke into a triumphant smile.
120 billion won him an ancient alchemical recipe. The price was absolutely worth it.
The auctioneer started making inquiries, and people began to applaud softly for Lin Zhen. After all, according to etiquette, such a high turnover is worth encouraging.
Lin Zhen waved in the midst of their applause and just waited for the auctioneer to announce his win so he could receive the prescription.
But just before the auctioneerâs third announcement, Gu Yunting suddenly spoke.
âYoung man, your alchemy skills arenât perfect yet. In your hands this ancient recipe is wasted. How about giving me a shot? 130 billion~!â
All applause ceased abruptly, and peopleâs faces lit up in excitement.
The auctioneer shouted excitedly, âMr. Gu, our chairman from the pharmaceutical association, has made a bid. With a raise of $10 billion, this prescription is definitely worth this price. I wonder if there are others who dare to compete with Mr. Gu!â
From a previous raise of $5 billion to now $10 billion, everyone wanted to see if Lin Zhen still had the courage to continue.
After all, this price had already exceeded the prescriptionâs normal range.
Lin Zhenâs face turned red as he straightened up when he saw Gu Yunting raise the bid.
âAlthough Mr. Gu is wealthy, I, Lin Zhen, still want to give it a shot â 150 billion!â
He raised the bid by 20 billion at once~!
Gu Yunting was surprised. He didnât expect Lin Zhen to dare to raise the price. However, this was within his expectation. He had come today to defeat Lin Zhen at any cost.
No! He intended to defeat Lin Zhen in every aspect!
âWell! The merits of being young and fearless. Letâs play then â 180 billion!â
The room buzzed immediately.
This time, Gu Yunting had raised the bid by 30 billion. This was indeed going big.
The purchasing power in the Original World was massive, but the price of 180 billion was a stretch â even for a World King, or for some financially weaker Martial Artists in the Longevity Realm.
This price was far beyond the normal range for the prescription.
Indeed, when Lin Zhen heard this price, his face showed helplessness as he finally took his seat.
Gu Yunting broke into a victorious smile. Everything was going as he had predicted. He basically had a rough idea of how much money Lin Zhen made by selling medicine these past few daysâ at most 160 billion, no more than 170 billion. If he bid 180 billion, Lin Zhen would not be able to follow.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
The auctioneer announced that Gu Yunting won the prescription, winning him the round.
Lin Zhen sat there, finally letting out a long sigh, everything was proceeding according to plan!