34: Red Jade

An advance credit of three million Spirit Stones sounded like a lot, but Zhang Daobai had to set aside two million first to ensure there would be no issues paying for the later five elements spirit items.

Therefore, he could only advance about five hundred thousand Spirit Stones at most.

After all, he still didn't know what price that flame flood dragon bone would eventually fetch at auction.

“Then I thank Steward Wang for his kindness,” Zhang Daobai said, pulling back his thoughts and cupping his hands in gratitude.

“No need for thanks! This is just what I should do.”

Steward Wang waved his hand and continued, “I still have matters to attend to, so I won't chat further. If you need anything, just command the servants.”

After taking his leave, Steward Wang hurriedly left the private booth.

“You can use that three million Spirit Stone advance credit; just leave enough for the five elements spirit items' payment,”

Zhang Daobai said, turning to Lin Laxue after Steward Wang left.

“You aren't using it?” Lin Laxue asked, looking at Zhang Daobai in confusion.

“My current cultivation resources are already quite sufficient. I'm not lacking anything for the time being.”

“Moreover, the faster you Cultivate, the more it helps my own cultivation,” Zhang Daobai explained with a slight shake of his head.

“You were the one who found the flame flood dragon bone. I'll consider this as owing you one.”

Lin Laxue did not refuse upon hearing this, but she held onto her bottom line.

She wasn't being pretentious; she simply didn't want to owe Zhang Daobai too much, so that she could maintain her status as an equal to him.

Zhang Daobai didn't say much after hearing that; he just nodded calmly and waited quietly for the auction to begin.

After a while, once the venue below was filled with people and the lights in every booth were lit, the scheduled start time for the auction quietly arrived.

A young woman wearing a red sleeveless gown, with a hot figure and a charming face, stepped out from behind the curtain of the high stage below.

“Fellow Daoists and Seniors, welcome to our Wanbao Chamber of Commerce auction. I am the auctioneer for today, Hongyu.”

“Now, I declare the official start of this auction!”

As Hongyu's voice fell, a maid carrying a tray stepped out from the backstage. On the tray sat a white jade pill bottle.

“This is the first item of this auction: Second-Grade Foundation Establishment Pills!”

“There are ten in total, to be auctioned in two batches. Every single Foundation Establishment Pill is of High Grade quality!”

“The starting price is ten thousand Spirit Stones! Each bid increment must not be less than five hundred Spirit Stones!”

As soon as Hongyu finished speaking, the first-floor venue below began to grow lively.

“Five High Grade Foundation Establishment Pills! I bid thirty thousand Spirit Stones!”

“I bid thirty-four thousand Spirit Stones!”

“I bid thirty-five thousand Spirit Stones!”

“...”

Zhang Daobai noticed that the people participating in the bidding were basically all on the first floor, while the private booths on the second floor and above remained quiet, as if they were watching a play.

Ultimately, the first set of Foundation Establishment Pills was auctioned off for eighty-five thousand Spirit Stones.

The people below argued until they were red in the face, while the people above seemed to be watching a good show.

“If we didn't have the flame flood dragon bone, maybe we would be among that crowd right now,” Zhang Daobai spoke softly at the sight.

“No.”

Lin Laxue shook her head upon hearing this. “If we didn't have the flame flood dragon bone, I would have auctioned some Cultivation Techniques. Combined with my Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivation, we should still have been able to enter a second-floor booth.”

Amidst the idle chatter back and forth with Lin Laxue, the thunder liquid she wanted to bid on was soon brought onto the high stage.

“The next auction item is a Yellow-Grade Peak-Tier lightning-attribute spirit item condensed from ten thousand bolts of lightning—thunder liquid.”

“If used for Artifact Refining...”

Under Hongyu's detailed introduction, many Cultivators couldn't help but develop an interest in this thunder liquid.

Artifact Refiners and Body Cultivators who practiced Body Refining, in particular, stared at the thunder liquid on the stage with eyes glowing.

Seeing this situation, Zhang Daobai couldn't help but admire the eloquence of this auctioneer named Hongyu.

“Yellow-Grade Peak-Tier spirit item thunder liquid, starting price one hundred thousand Spirit Stones! Each bid increment must not be less than one thousand Spirit Stones!”

The fall of Hongyu's voice on the high stage signaled the official start of the bidding for the thunder liquid.

“Two hundred thousand Spirit Stones!” Lin Laxue used the transmission jade to bid without hesitation.

“The guest in the Earth-Grade booth bids two hundred thousand Spirit Stones!”

As soon as Lin Laxue placed her bid, Hongyu below heard the transmission and immediately spoke out loudly.

Two hundred thousand Spirit Stones!

A direct doubling of the price!

Lin Laxue's bid immediately intimidated most people.

“Earth-Grade booth?”

Hearing this, the crowd below subconsciously looked up toward the various booths on the third floor, wanting to see exactly who was bidding.

“Two hundred thousand Spirit Stones once!”

Hongyu ignored the crowd's reaction and instead reminded them loudly.

Inside a second-floor booth,

“Third Uncle, didn't you want to bid? Why aren't you bidding?”

A young man looked at the middle-aged man beside him in confusion and asked.

“Directly doubling the price means the other party is determined to get it. It's not worth offending someone in an Earth-Grade booth for a bottle of Yellow-Grade Peak-Tier spirit item,” the middle-aged man explained with a shake of his head.

“We don't have to show our faces, how would they know who won it?” the young man asked, somewhat unwilling to give up.

“Heh! There are plenty of ways to find out.”

The middle-aged man gave a cold laugh and did not explain further.

Perhaps because Lin Laxue's bid was too aggressive, or perhaps because they didn't want to offend someone in an Earth-Grade booth, no one else spoke up to bid for this thunder liquid.

Of course, another reason was that although the thunder liquid was indeed a Yellow-Grade Peak-Tier spirit item, its attributes were violent and there were few places it could be used, so not many people wanted to bid for it.

In the Earth-Grade booth, Zhang Daobai looked at the thunder liquid brought up by the maid and couldn't help but be stunned.

It was won that easily?

Zhang Daobai had initially thought they would have to compete for at least a few rounds to win it, but in the end, no one else bid except for Lin Laxue.

After Lin Laxue paid the Spirit Stones directly, she put the thunder liquid away.

“What is it?”

Lin Laxue asked in confusion, seeing Zhang Daobai's strange expression.

“It's nothing.” Zhang Daobai withdrew his gaze and looked back down.

As the treasures flowing out of the auction became more and more precious, the atmosphere in the venue also grew increasingly heated.

Even the people in the booths above began to bid.

“These people are truly rich.”

Listening to the high prices called out one after another by the crowd outside, Zhang Daobai couldn't help but complain.

Soon after all the ordinary auction items were sold, the first grand finale item was finally brought out.

“This auction item is the first grand finale item of today's auction—thousand-year primordial earth spirit milk essence!”

Hongyu carefully picked up a transparent crystal bottle filled with white liquid and held it above her head to show everyone.

The crowd in the venue below and the people in the booths above all had their gazes turn heated upon seeing this glass bottle.