Heaven Refining physique-Chapter 86: Too Desperate

"The starting bid for this will be 200,000 spirit stones; you may commence bidding now."

Juast as Mei Lan stoped, first bid was made.

"240,000."

This bid hailed from Blazing Valley. The others were unsurprised; this might be their ploy to inflate prices for everyone else. They were still bitter about their own purchases and certainly would not allow others to secure a bargain.

"250,000" came from room number 10.

It was the first time someone outside the three top sects had joined in.

"260,000." Room number 4 also placed its first bid.

"Finally, others are bold enough to raise their bids. They fear they might leave empty-handed. After all, how many pills can a single alchemist produce in a year? Not to mention these are of perfect tier.

Even Grandmasters cannot guarantee a 100 percent success rate for Grade 5 pills, and the odds are even slimmer for Grade 6 pills.

We had already sold 20, and counting these, it makes 30. Refining this many pills would take about a year—not to mention that not every alchemist would tirelessly refine pills for an entire year; they require resources too, which are scarce in this region.

These thoughts must have compelled them to bid, as this batch might truly be the last. Well, wait until the Grade 6 pills appear; that will be a grand spectacle indeed."

Even Jiang Hao felt that these people were remarkably eager to acquire Grade 5 pills for their sect disciples. How much more would they pay for pills that could enhance their chances of a successful breakthrough?

Many elders and peak elders had lingered in the Void Reversion realm for years. A peak Grade 6 perfect-tier pill might be their sole opportunity to advance.

He might truly earn far more than he had initially estimated before.

"290,000." This was the final bid from room number 4, and it secured the lot.

"Very well, it seems we have successfully sold quite a lot of pills, but fear not, we still have more."

The crowd was genuinely surprised to hear this. Thirty pills had already been sold—how long had the Heavenly Fortune Pavilion been hoarding them? Why hoard them this long? Wouldn’t it have been wiser to sell them annually? They couldn’t fathom their intentions.

"It seems I must heed the advice of Lady Mei Lan. I hope the outcome favors you, for I suspect you’ve been concealing an alchemist for a long time—perhaps even against his will."

These words were spoken by none other than the representative of the Alchemy Hall.

"You are free to investigate."

"I shall."

Mei Lan merely smiled and waved her hand.

Jiang Hao found the Alchemy Hall’s stance amusing. He wondered if those two sects would permit such an inquiry.

Given that the Alchemy Hall hailed from the central region and alchemists were revered everywhere, they might indeed gain the chance to employ a Truth Seeker with ease.

Mei Lan said nothing more and observed everything with keen interest.

When Mei Lan unveiled the next lot, it was another set of 10 pills. The crowd hardly knew whether to feel shocked anymore; they simply began bidding. Still, they harbored suspicions that this might not be the end, so they refrained from going all out.

This time, the bid was won by the Mountain Sword Sect for 270,000 spirit stones.

Mei Lan waved her hand once more, and a new jade tray appeared.

"This is it—the final lot. No, it won’t be just another 10 pills or some such; this truly marks the end of auctioning Grade 5 pills. So, prepare yourselves; this is your last chance to obtain them."

She placed her hand on the cloth and removed it. There were 20 pills on the tray.

The crowd drew a collective sharp breath. A total of 60 pills had been sold today, all of perfect grade.

They weren’t disappointed—quite the contrary. Seeing so many pills, they grew excited. Perhaps the Heavenly Fortune Pavilion would now sell such pills regularly. They earnestly hoped this alchemist wouldn’t abandon the eastern region.

"Twenty pills in total. The starting bid is 400,000 spirit stones. Please begin."

"440,000."

"460,000."

...

Everyone seemed to be participating this time. Even Blazing Valley appeared interested.

They already possessed 10 pills; if they won this lot too, they would have 30—15 more than the Mountain Sword Sect.

The Mountain Sword Sect didn’t seem overly enthusiastic this time. They were content with the 15 pills they had secured.

They still had plenty of spirit stones in reserve, but they chose to wait and see if a new treasure might emerge, as the auction was far from over.

Not to mention, there was a possibility that this Grandmaster had refined Grade 6 pills as well. Even if they were merely supreme grade, they would be worth it. Yet there remained a chance the Heavenly Fortune Pavilion might astonish them with a perfect-tier pill.

The strongest cultivators present must have considered this, though they wouldn’t dare hope too fervently, as refining a perfect-tier Grade 6 pill was exceedingly difficult. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

"500,000."

"520,000."

"540,000."

...

"600,000."

"610,000."

"650,000." A brief silence followed this bid from the Thousand Petal Order.

"660,000." Blazing Valley seemed to have forgotten all their prior grievances, though their voice was notably subdued while making the bid.

"Just yield, 670,000."

"You bald monks are certainly wealthy, 675,000."

"Patron, you are too impulsive, 680,000."

"Fine, have it your way. Let’s see if more capable monks will roam the city begging for alms after acquiring these pills."

"Patron, it is merely your blessings."

It appeared 680,000 was the final bid. Jiang Hao was genuinely astonished.

The total amount he had earned from Grade 5 pills alone far exceeded his expectations.

It amounted to 1,790,000 spirit stones—already nearing the figure he had imagined for his entire haul.

How much would he truly earn today? The Grade 6 pills would undoubtedly fetch even higher prices.

"Very well then, this concludes this round. I hope everyone is prepared. If you wish, you may borrow spirit stones now. Do not claim we didn’t warn you, for I will not permit it once bidding resumes."

No one spoke; they had already acquired enough this time.

"Fine, bring forth the next item."

She waved her hand, and a maid presented another tray. When Mei Lan lifted the veil, it revealed not a pill bottle but a sword.

The crowd sighed, realizing the pills were truly sold out. Though they trusted Mei Lan, she was also cunning. What if she went back on her word? Who could challenge her? No one.

"This sword was discovered in a sacred ground owned by us, unearthed just yesterday. It is a Grade 6 perfect-tier weapon, attuned to the laws of fire and metal."

She grasped the sword and channeled some of her qi to demonstrate its authenticity.

Perfect-tier Grade 6 weapons were renowned in this world for good reason. Jiang Hao knew this well, having learned much from Huan Caiyi over the past year.

Upon reaching the Heavenly King Realm, cultivators could nurture a weapon of their choice into an innate weapon, and nearly all preferred a Grade 6 perfect-tier one.

Thus, the value of this sword would be no less than that of a peak Grade 6 perfect-tier pill.

"Let us commence the bidding. The starting price is 25,000 spirit stones."

As expected, the moment bidding began, it soared to 35,000 and continued to climb.

Blazing Valley and the other two sects showed little interest, but others were eager.

In the end, it was sold for 42,000 spirit stones to room number 4.

The next item was already on the stage, but Mei Lan had yet to unveil it.

"So, shall we begin our second round?"

The crowd was puzzled, though some grasped her meaning and were struck with awe. Were they truly about to witness what they had hoped for?

Mei Lan removed the cloth, and as anticipated, there was a pill bottle.

"Please examine it."

At her words, numerous spirit senses descended upon the bottle, inspecting it thoroughly.

Many grew excited. The most thrilled was an elder from Blazing Valley, for it was a fire-attributed pill—perfect for him.

But others were no less eager. Even if they had no personal need for it, their sects and clans certainly did.

Not to mention, they could still consume the pill themselves, though the results would be less than ideal—a waste, in fact.

"The bidding will begin at 25,000 spirit stones. Please start."

"30,000."

"35,000."

"40,000."

"45,000."

"50,000."

Jiang Hao shook his head again as he observed this. This was merely a single pill out of 39, yet the fervor of their bidding made one thing clear: they were utterly desperate for it.

"Shocking? It seems you have not endured the hardship of seeking a desired pill. Even I had to wait two years before you arrived and delivered mine. It is not the spirit stones that pose the issue, but the availability."