Why did you provoke that old man? He's a reincarnation of a deity!

"Then the internal auction shall begin," an elderly man who was in charge announced.

A waiter in a gray short jacket walked to the center of the long table with a jade plate and gently placed the plate down.

Those present were whispering among themselves.

"Without further ado, the first item in this auction is something everyone has been eagerly anticipating—the Spirit Nourishing Pill."

On the jade plate sat a small celadon bottle, its mouth sealed with a thin layer of wax, yet the medicinal fragrance emanating from the bottle was still unmistakable.

The moment that fragrance entered their noses, everyone fell silent.

Chen Daoxuan was the first to open his eyes. His cloudy gaze fell on the celadon bottle, and his originally relaxed brows furrowed.

He took a deep breath, and the medicinal fragrance seeped into his lungs with each breath, making him sit up straight as if he had been pricked by a needle.

Qi Yuanshan's teacup stopped in mid-air, and a layer of fine sweat appeared on his shiny bald forehead.

Zhao Han clenched all ten fingers wearing thumb rings, his knuckles turning white.

Su Wan paused, the tea in the cup swaying slightly. She put down the cup and stared intently at the celadon bottle.

Lu Ming sprang up from his chair, his arrogant expression completely overshadowed by the pill: "This is a Spirit Nourishing Pill? Its quality is simply amazing."

The masked man in black sitting in the corner also moved slightly, his eyes flashing for a moment in the candlelight.

Chen Daoxuan reached out and took the celadon bottle, broke the wax seal, and poured out a pill into his palm.

The pill was perfectly round, with a warm, pale blue sheen on its surface.

"The Spirit Nourishing Pill is an essential pill for the mid-stage of Qi Refining, considered a basic or higher-grade pill, but is this one of superior quality?"

Qi Yuanshan leaned closer for a look, his voice rising several decibels, "No, this isn't just top-grade! This is absolute perfection!"

Zhao Han suddenly stood up, shoving Qi Yuanshan aside, and leaned close to Chen Daoxuan, examining him carefully three times, his hands trembling slightly.

"The Spirit Nourishing Pill can be refined to the highest grade? In the entire Great Xia Dynasty, apart from the one known as the Pill Emperor, I can't think of anyone else who can achieve this."

Su Wan also came over. She stood beside Chen Daoxuan, looked down at it for a moment, and said softly, "If this pill were taken to the Pill Guild for grading, it would be at least level five. I wonder if your grandfather is capable of it?"

The old man was none other than Chen Yuanji, the sect leader of the Leyu Dan Sect.

Chen Daoxuan shook his head: "The old man has rarely refined Spirit-Nourishing Pills lately, and even if he did, I believe he would only just reach this level."

Lu Ming smiled wryly, unable to find a reply.

He had just passed the Level 3 exam last year and considered himself unmatched among the younger generation, but he couldn't even imagine the quality of this Spirit Gathering Pill in front of him.

It must have been made by some reclusive old monster! Lu Ming comforted himself with this thought.

Chen Daoxuan placed the pill back into the jade plate and looked up at the waiter carrying the plate: "Is the seller of this pill present?"

The waiter shook his head: "The seller only instructed an agent to bid on their behalf; they won't show their face. The starting price is 50,000 taels, and each bid must increase by at least 1,000 taels."

The starting price is 10,000 taels.

The people present exchanged glances without speaking, but each of them was rapidly calculating in their minds.

The Spirit Nourishing Pill is merely an auxiliary pill for those below the Foundation Establishment stage. Even a top-grade Spirit Nourishing Pill only improves Qi cultivation efficiency. If the seller were present, they could easily raise the price to buy the pill.

Dan (the product/service) isn't important; the seller's network is the most important!

Qian Yukun sat at the far end of the table, glancing at Xiao Nian out of the corner of his eye. He was filled with even greater admiration for him, wondering just who this old man was.

This elixir was personally refined by Xiao Nian.

He recently refined dozens of Spirit Nourishing Pills. He kept the good ones for himself, and had Qian Yukun exchange the average ones for money, since Xiao Nian's wallet was already empty.

Qian Yukun had just finished asking for 5,300 taels of silver for the medicinal herbs, and then he had spent a lot more of his own money. Now Xiao Nian was penniless and could only exchange the pills for money.

Qi Yuanshan was the first to raise his hand: "Fifty-one thousand taels."

Zhao Han snorted coldly: "Fifty-five thousand taels."

Su Wan calmly replied, "Sixty thousand taels."

Lu Ming gritted his teeth and shouted, "Sixty-five thousand taels."

"Why are you taking this pill back? You're not some kind of supernatural cultivator. This thing is all show and no substance."

The Extraordinary Immortal Cultivators are a group of people who traditionally cultivate immortality in the Great Xia Kingdom. On this blue planet with scarce spiritual energy, they still use bloodlines or ancestral techniques to cultivate immortality.

"Such beautiful pills are practically works of art! I'm going to hang them in front of my family tree so I can admire them every day and be inspired to move forward!" Lu Ming sneered.

Qian Yukun almost burst out laughing: "Brother, the person you're supposed to admire is right behind you."

Chen Daoxuan did not make a bid.

He stared at the pill, and then suddenly laughed, "One hundred thousand taels!"

Everyone looked at Chen Daoxuan in astonishment. Why was this old man being so stupid today? Buying this thing for ten times the price? Did he really want to buy it to hang in the family genealogy?

Next up for auction were several batches of ordinary medicinal herbs and semi-finished elixir materials.

Qi Yuanshan bought several Poria cocos plants that were over 500 years old, Zhao Han bought a bunch of fire-attribute ores, Su Wan took a fancy to a piece of thousand-year-old ice jade ginseng, and Lu Ming bought a few fragments of ancient prescriptions.

Qian Yukun watched from the sidelines without making a single bid.

The auction's excitement gradually subsided, and everyone thought the night was over.

The waiter then brought out another sandalwood box from the inner room. It made a dull thud when placed on the table, indicating that it was quite heavy.

"This set of materials," the waiter said, opening the box to reveal seven or eight kinds of medicinal herbs neatly arranged inside, each individually wrapped in a silk handkerchief.

"The main ingredients for Jade Returning Pill and Qi Gathering Pill, a complete set. There are five boxes. How many pills you can refine depends on your skill. The seller only asks for spirit stones or the equivalent in silver. The starting price is 300,000 taels."

Jade Rejuvenating Elixir. Qi Gathering Elixir.

Xiao Nian's gaze fell on the medicinal herbs in the wooden box, and she narrowed her eyes slightly.

The Jade Rejuvenating Herb, three hundred years old, has intact roots and is of excellent quality. The Qi Gathering Fruit, over fifty years old, has a firm peel and a subtle aroma. There are also several auxiliary ingredients, each of which is a core ingredient in refining these two elixirs.

Qian Yukun turned around and glanced at Xiao Nian.

Xiao Nian had already planned it out in his mind. The main ingredients of the five boxes of Jade Returning Pill and Qi Gathering Pill were enough for him to refine pills to reach the eighth level of Qi Refining.

So he didn't stand on ceremony and slowly said, "Three hundred and fifty thousand taels."

Everyone turned to look at the white-haired old man in the corner; it turned out that this old man was Qian Yukun's customer.

Lu Ming and Su Wan, who were whispering just moments before, stopped now. Was this old man an alchemist? Or a supernatural cultivator?

Qian Yukun was dumbfounded. He had expected Xiao Nian to make a move, but he didn't expect him to be the first to bid.

Moreover, the pills only cost 100,000, where did he get so much money?

Did they rob the imperial court's birthday tribute a couple of days ago?

Chen Daoxuan's gaze also fell upon Xiao Nian, lingering for a moment before he slowly raised his hand: "Four hundred thousand taels."

Xiao Nian glanced at him: "Four hundred and fifty thousand."

Chen Daoxuan remained calm and composed: "Five hundred thousand."

The two went back and forth, and the price skyrocketed. It eventually reached 700,000.

Qi Yuanshan's mouth was agape, Zhao Han's fingers were constantly rubbing the ring, Su Wan's hand holding the teacup stopped completely, and Lu Ming's face was blank.

They just couldn't understand why the old fox Chen Daoxuan would inflate the price of medicinal herbs to such a high level.