The Strange Flame Rekindles in Battle Through the Heavens

Chapter 21 Drug Testing

Just then, Ya Fei on the stage spoke again: "Everyone here today must be here for the Foundation Establishment Elixir. Although our auction house has promoted it extensively beforehand, no amount of advertising can compare to personal experience. Today, a wooden basin has been prepared on stage. I will select one person from the audience who has not yet reached the Dou Zhe level to try it personally, so that everyone can witness the wonders of this Foundation Establishment Elixir. Would I have the honor of inviting Young Master Xiao Yan of the Xiao family to experience it?"

Upon hearing Ya Fei mention Xiao Yan, everyone in the auction house turned their gaze to him. Xiao Yan had recently become famous in Wutan City. Whether it was his sudden return to his cultivation talent or his defeat of Jia Lie'ao, who possessed nine levels of Dou Qi, it was all the talk of the town.

"What's this? Did you find a manufacturer through a shill?" Xiao Yan was slightly taken aback when Ya Fei suddenly brought him up.

Shaking his head helplessly, Xiao Yan was about to refuse outright, but Xiao Zhan beside him smiled and said, "Since Miss Ya Fei has invited you, then go and give it a try! We also want to see just how miraculous this Foundation Establishment Elixir really is."

Seeing that his father had said so, Xiao Yan could only helplessly rub his nose and walk onto the stage.

Xiao Yan walked to Ya Fei's side, took off his coat, and casually handed it to her.

Ya Fei smiled and accepted Xiao Yan's coat, then gestured for him to enter. Xiao Yan didn't stand on ceremony, took off his shoes, stepped into the wooden basin, and sat cross-legged. His hands formed strange hand seals as he entered a meditative state.

Seeing that Xiao Yan had already begun cultivating, Ya Fei, under the watchful eyes of everyone in the auction house, took out a small jade bottle, uncorked it, gently tilted the bottle, and dripped a drop of emerald-green liquid into the wooden basin. The liquid dissolved instantly upon contact with the water, and the clear water in the basin gradually turned blue.

When everyone saw the wisps of pale blue gas emanating from the blue liquid in the wooden basin gradually enveloping Xiao Yan, their eyes widened. They could naturally sense that those wisps of blue gas were being rapidly refined into Dou Qi by Xiao Yan.

Everyone present had experience cultivating battle qi, but they cultivated by absorbing the meager energy emanating from the air into their meridians and slowly refining it into battle qi before infusing it into their dantian. This was many times inferior to using foundation-building elixir.

Having witnessed the miraculous power of the Foundation Establishment Elixir firsthand, everyone present had no more doubts and eagerly awaited the start of the auction. Xiao Yan, of course, didn't intend to cultivate continuously; a mere show of it was enough. He couldn't bear to be watched like a guinea pig on stage. Xiao Yan shuddered, and the pale blue aura surrounding him dissipated, spreading throughout the entire auction house.

When everyone present inhaled the wisp of pale blue gas, they felt a jolt of comfort. Those who hadn't reached the level of a Dou Zhe (Battle Master) absorbed it even more greedily, some even starting to cultivate, trying to refine the energy they had inhaled.

When Ya Fei saw that Xiao Yan hadn't continued cultivating but instead dispersed the precious energy, she was slightly taken aback, but then appeared quite pleased. Xiao Yan's action meant that everyone present had experienced it firsthand, making it easier for her to fetch a high price during the auction. She casually beckoned a maid to take Xiao Yan to change his clothes, and then summoned two servants to carry the wooden basin away.

Led by a maid, Xiao Yan entered a room where a set of clothes, quite valuable, had already been prepared. He removed his water-soaked clothes, changed into the new ones, and followed the maid back to the auction house. Upon entering, he heard Ya Fei's alluring voice.

"The Foundation Establishment Elixir not only increases the speed of cultivating Battle Qi, but also has excellent healing effects, so if you are seriously injured, you should not miss it. Now, let's start the auction for the first bottle of Foundation Establishment Elixir. The starting price is... 15,000 gold coins," Ya Fei said to the crowd with a smile.

"Holy crap! Wasn't the original starting price eight thousand gold coins? That's doubled!" Xiao Yan was shocked by the price Ya Fei mentioned as soon as he sat down.

However, Xiao Yan's shock had only just begun. As soon as Ya Fei's voice fell, people in the audience started bidding wildly.

"Twenty thousand gold coins, twenty-two thousand, twenty-five thousand... thirty thousand, forty thousand... fifty thousand."

The noise in the room gradually subsided when the price soared to 50,000. However, everyone present understood that this was just the beginning.

"Hehe, I'll offer 60,000 gold coins. My grandson is currently at the seventh level of Dou Qi. If he can break through this year, he might even be able to enter Canaan Academy." Obapa said with a smile.

Hearing Obapa mention Canaan Academy, everyone present became even more excited. Canaan Academy was renowned throughout the Dou Qi Continent, and many families wanted to send their children there to study.

Canaan Academy not only offers advanced cultivation techniques and combat skills, but also renowned instructors. If one has the opportunity to enter the inner academy, their entire family will rise to prominence. However, Canaan Academy's admissions process is extremely rigorous, with the minimum requirement being eighteen years old and having reached the eighth level of Dou Qi, which already eliminates a large number of applicants.

"I'll offer 70,000 gold coins!" The bidder was a burly middle-aged man, the owner of the largest weapons supplier in Utan City.

"I'll offer 75,000!" The owner of the largest medicinal herb supplier in Wutan City followed suit with his bid.

Besides the three major families, these two are the wealthiest in Wutan City, and both families have junior members at the stage of developing fighting spirit. Although they are juniors, their ages, while not yet over eighteen, are not far off. Now that Foundation Establishment Elixir is available, who wouldn't want to try their luck? However, with more monks than porridge, these five bottles of Foundation Establishment Elixir will most likely end up in the hands of these families.

"Eighty thousand gold coins!" Xiao Zhan was surprised to see the price of Foundation Establishment Elixir rising so quickly, but the Xiao family would definitely buy it.

"Ninety thousand gold coins!" Seeing Xiao Zhan make a bid, Jialiebi also quoted his own price. The Foundation Establishment Elixir actually had healing effects, and his son needed it very much.

"One hundred thousand gold coins!" Xiao Zhan shouted generously.

Upon hearing the price of 100,000 gold coins, Xiao Yan's heart skipped a beat. He never expected the auction for the Foundation Establishment Elixir to be so popular; he had originally thought that a bottle would fetch at most 50,000 or 60,000 gold coins.

This is understandable, as he auctioned off the Foundation Establishment Elixir almost a year earlier than Xiao Yan in the original story, precisely when the major families of Wutan City were in dire need of it. In the original story, when Xiao Yan was auctioning it off, the young masters of the major families were either already Dou Zhe or had passed the age for Canaan Academy's admissions.

Upon hearing Xiao Zhan's exorbitant price of 100,000 gold coins, most people had already given up. 100,000 gold coins exceeded their expectations, and this was only the first bottle; there were still four more to come. Recently, the Xiao family's power had grown significantly, and they dared not offend them easily, so they decided to yield.

Jialiebi wanted to bid again, but considering his family's current situation, he couldn't afford to be extravagant. If he were to be tricked by Xiao Zhan again, he would be in an even more passive position, so he stopped bidding.

And so, the first bottle of Foundation Establishment Elixir fell into Xiao Zhan's hands for 100,000 gold coins. Although he had acquired the Foundation Establishment Elixir, the price… He had originally wanted to buy two bottles, but now it seemed unlikely.

(End of this chapter)