Chapter 155: Fierce Struggle

As the Spirit-Enhancing Pills made their appearance, the atmosphere throughout the entire auction house instantly surged to a boiling point.

The previous items on the auction block felt merely like a warm-up; the arrival of the Spirit-Enhancing Pills was the real deal. Such a phenomenon was entirely natural, as medicinal pills were inherently rare, and high-quality pills were scarcer still. Leaving aside Earth-grade divine-quality pills, even standard Earth-grade pills were exceedingly rare among most sects. As for Earth-grade divine-quality pills, there were likely only a handful across the entire Kuangwu Empire.

More importantly, Spirit-Enhancing Pills differed from other elixirs because they directly elevated one's cultivation realm. Not only in the Kuangwu Empire, but across the entire Divine Dragon Continent, martial prowess was supreme, prompting martial artists to exhaust every possible method to enhance their cultivation.

Today, a single Earth-grade divine-quality Spirit-Enhancing Pill could elevate a cultivator from a tenth-rank Martial Spirit all the way to a third-rank Martial King. Who could resist such a temptation? For an ordinary martial artist, reaching the first-rank Martial King realm from a tenth-rank Martial Spirit might take a lifetime of breakthroughs. Even for individuals with exceptional natural talent, it would still require several years of painstaking breakthroughs alongside a massive expenditure of wealth and energy. Consequently, the Spirit-Enhancing Pills were destined to be fiercely contested by multitudes.

"The reputation of our Auspicious Wind Chamber of Commerce is absolute and guaranteed. Everything I have just stated is completely true: a supreme-quality Spirit-Enhancing Pill can elevate a cultivator from a tenth-rank Martial Spirit to a second-rank Martial King, while a divine-quality Spirit-Enhancing Pill can elevate them to a third-rank Martial King. If any of our esteemed guests harbor doubts, you are more than welcome to come up and conduct an on-the-spot appraisal," Dongfang Jin said with a smile, addressing everyone from the stage.

"No need for appraisals! Start the bidding already!"

"Precisely! Damn it, I can't wait another second!"

"..."

No one stepped forward to conduct an appraisal. Everyone attending today's auction was a prominent figure: the five major powers of the imperial capital, representatives of the imperial family itself, alongside various large and minor factions. Practically all the top-tier forces of the Kuangwu Empire were encompassed here. No matter how bold the Auspicious Wind Chamber of Commerce might be, they would never dare to auction counterfeit goods under such scrutiny, a fact that was clear to everyone present.

"Very well! Since everyone is so enthusiastic, the bidding shall commence immediately. We will start with the supreme-quality Spirit-Enhancing Pills. The starting bid for a single pill is one million taels of silver, with each increment no less than one hundred thousand taels! Therefore, the bidding for the first supreme-quality Spirit-Enhancing Pill begins now!"

"One million one hundred thousand!"

"One million two hundred thousand!"

"One million three hundred thousand..."

The moment Dongfang Jin's voice trailed off, the bidding commenced in an uninterrupted stream, instantly skyrocketing toward the two-million mark. However, the current bidders were still confined to the general seating area; the occupants of the VIP section had yet to make a move.

At this moment, within the central VIP section reserved for the imperial family:

"Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince, the bidding has begun. Shall we make our move?" an attendant by the Crown Prince's side asked.

The Crown Prince shook his head and replied indifferently, "None of the other major powers have moved yet; what is there to rush for? The emergence of the Spirit-Enhancing Pills is bound to trigger a frenzy of contention. Who wouldn't want such a formidable pill? A price of one or two million taels is far too low. We must wait until it passes three million."

"Your Highness speaks wisely!"

Over at the location belonging to the General's Estate, a similar discussion was taking place.

"Young Master, does our General's Estate need to secure one of these Spirit-Enhancing Pills?" an estate steward asked the young man beside him.

The young man rubbed his chin and responded, "There is only one divine-quality Spirit-Enhancing Pill, and the factions vying for it will undoubtedly be numerous. We may not possess the financial resources to compete for that one. However, there are three supreme-quality Spirit-Enhancing Pills; I must secure one of them!"

"Young Master, we could direct our focus toward the third one. There is no need to contend for the first or second, as the competition for those will surely be fierce."

"Then let it be the third one!"

"Understood, Young Master!"

Almost all the major factions were making their calculations. Some genuinely desired the pills, others sought to disrupt the situation, while some harbored malicious intentions. Regardless of the motives, Wu Tian welcomed every single one of them, because the fiercer the competition, the greater his profits would be.

"Teacher, those are Spirit-Enhancing Pills! A supreme-quality one can actually elevate someone from a tenth-rank Martial Spirit to a second-rank Martial King? Is it really that powerful?" Tong Yixin asked, blinking her wide eyes in astonishment.

"Rumor has it that these were refined by a grandmaster alchemist, and their exact potency remains unknown. However, since the Auspicious Wind Chamber of Commerce dares to auction them so openly before so many factions, they certainly cannot be fake. Our objective today is to secure a supreme-quality Spirit-Enhancing Pill and bring it back," Yue Shishi said, keeping her gaze fixed on the pills upon the stage.

"However, the quantity of Spirit-Enhancing Pills is far too small, and too many factions are contending for them. Securing one will likely prove quite difficult," Tong Yibing said, her brow furrowing slightly.

"The Seven Stars Academy is declining day by day, and our pool of high-tier martial artists at the Martial King realm is far too sparse. We urgently need to cultivate Martial King experts, so regardless of the cost, we must win one," Yue Shishi said with a resolute expression.

At this point, Wu Tian waved his hand and interjected, "Elder Sister Yue, in truth, there is no need for you all to fight tooth and nail over a supreme-quality Spirit-Enhancing Pill. It simply isn't worth it."

Guo Yuemen, seated nearby, finally found an opportunity to mock Wu Tian. He immediately let out a disdainful chuckle and said, "Young Master Wu, could it be that you look down upon the financial resources of our Seven Stars Academy? Or perhaps you belong to the Heaven-Emptied Sect and are unwilling to see our Seven Stars Academy grow stronger?"

"What the hell! Does your mouth grow thorns, fellow? I don't recall provoking you, so why must you be so utterly unreasonable?" Wu Tian felt as though Guo Yuemen had a screw loose, constantly picking fights with him for no apparent reason.

"Xiaomen, what Tiandi says does carry some logic. The competition is so fierce that it might indeed not be worth the cost. Yet sometimes, one must take action even while knowing it is unwise. Today, we must secure a Spirit-Enhancing Pill," Yue Shishi intervened, halting the two men whose exchange was rapidly heating up with hostility.

"Elder Sister Yue, if you truly need one, I can simply give you a pill—and moreover, it will be a divine-quality Spirit-Enhancing Pill," Wu Tian said, looking at Yue Shishi with a completely earnest expression.

"What? Big Brother Wu, are you saying you're going to gift us one?" Tong Yixin asked, shock plastered across her face.

"As if that's true," Tong Yibing chimed in, tossing a bucket of cold water on the remark.

"Ha... Haha!" Guo Yuemen was momentarily stunned before bursting into laughter. "Young Master Wu, you really know how to brag. You're going to gift one to the Teacher, and a divine-quality one at that? Why don't you just claim you can fly up to the heavens?"

Yue Shishi didn't believe it either. She shook her head with a smile and said, "Tiandi, that joke isn't very funny. Divine-quality Spirit-Enhancing Pills aren't something just anyone possesses."

"Elder Sister Yue, I genuinely have one. It's just not convenient to take it out right here; I'll hand it over to you once we head outside," Wu Tian said, feeling somewhat helpless. With so many eyes and ears around, it was unwise to produce it openly.

"Young Master Wu, there's a limit to how much you can put on airs. Let's not repeat such a joke a second time. If you actually possess a divine-quality Spirit-Enhancing Pill, I'll eat the sword hanging at my waist," Guo Yuemen said, casting a look of utter contempt at Wu Tian as he made his vow with absolute certainty.

Wu Tian rolled his eyes, glanced strangely at Guo Yuemen, and replied, "I'm genuinely looking forward to seeing how you manage to eat a sword later."

"Pfft! Talk big once you actually have one!" Guo Yuemen crossed his arms, wearing an expression of supreme disdain.

"Three million taels of silver!" At that exact moment, Xu Jianren suddenly stood up and shouted aloud.

Seeing Xu Jianren make his bid, Wu Tian immediately bellowed right after him, "Four million taels of silver!"

Damn it! After waiting for so long, the opportunity for revenge had finally arrived. Xu Jianren, you bastard, if I don't make you take a massive tumble this time, my surname isn't Wu!