Before the second half began, the Thousand Bamboo Tower had also arranged a music and dance performance.
Not until the sun had completely set were the prepared Everlasting Lamps lit, one by one, brilliantly illuminating the tower’s interior.
Afterward, Spirit Tea was even served to help everyone refresh themselves.
Just as everyone was starting to get anxious, the second half of the auction finally began.
It was the sa auctioneer from the first half, though he had changed into a sharper set of clothes.
"Fellow cultivators, this next elixir is a true marvel of nature."
Xiao Chen already knew from the brochure that it was a Yellow Ginseng Life-extending Pill.
Its effect was quite simple: it could extend the life of a Foundation Establishnt Cultivator by five years upon the first consumption, two years upon the second, and one year upon the third.
After the third ti, it would have no effect.
Of course, the brochure’s description was brief.
As it was the first item of the second half, the auctioneer tirelessly went into detail about the Yellow Ginseng Life-extending Pill’s ingredients, the background of the Refining Alchemist, and its previously demonstrated effects.
"The starting bid for this item is one thousand Spirit Stones, with each incrent no less than fifty Spirit Stones."
As soon as he finished speaking, several Cultivators quickly made their bids, vying with one another until the price was driven up to three thousand one hundred.
’It can actually sell for so much?’
Xiao Chen was surprised at first.
The price of this Yellow Ginseng Life-extending Pill was actually approaching the highest price he had gotten for his own Foundation Establishnt Pills.
But he quickly realized sothing.
Compared to helping a junior in their clan get a chance at Foundation Establishnt, it was clear that far more Cultivators hoped to live a few more years themselves.
’If that’s the case, then this is a good market, too.’
Xiao Chen mused that he could also use this Lifespan Extension Pill to make money in the future.
However, the Evergreen Pill Technique didn’t contain many Tier Two Pill Formulas, and it certainly didn’t include many of the rarer ones.
Fortunately, he wasn’t an unaffiliated Loose Cultivator who had to find Pill Formulas on his own.
Xiao Chen turned to glance at Elder Chen. ’After this, I have to rember to go learn from him.’
The next few Spiritual Objects were sold one after another, and soon it was the Five-Colored Golden Lotus’s turn.
This ti, the auctioneer’s introduction was much simpler: "Fellow cultivators, you should be familiar with the Golden Lotus in my hand. It is the main ingredient for refining the Foundation Establishnt Pill."
"The starting bid is two thousand Spirit Stones, with each incrent no less than one hundred Spirit Stones."
As before, Xiao Chen was the first to bid: "Three thousand!"
The mont he spoke, the third floor fell silent.
First, the market price for a Five-Colored Golden Lotus was pretty much that amount; paying more would bring diminishing returns.
Second, most Cultivators who wanted the Five-Colored Golden Lotus simply wanted it to obtain a Foundation Establishnt Pill.
Xiao Chen had already released a batch of Foundation Establishnt Pills during the first half, and the few Cultivators who were in desperate need of them had already acquired one.
Third, everyone now knew that Xiao Chen was not short on Spirit Stones at all. They couldn’t outbid him, and trying would only risk offending him.
So, after Xiao Chen’s bid, the others weighed their options and decided to give up the competition.
This bizarre turn of events left even the auctioneer dumbfounded.
’What is happening?’
As the auctioneer for this event, he naturally hoped every item would spark fierce competition and be sold at a premium.
That was the only way he would get a larger commission of Spirit Stones afterward.
The situation in the first half with only three bids was already outrageous; he would probably have a chunk of his Spirit Stones docked for it.
He never imagined that the second half would see the even more ridiculous situation of no one bidding at all.
And both incidents were related to Xiao Chen.
At this thought, he couldn’t help but curse under his breath, mourning his lost Spirit Stones.
"Three thousand Spirit Stones, going twice! Is there anyone with a higher bid?"
The auctioneer deliberately drew out his words, hoping soone would raise the price.
Yet, there was still no response.
"Three thousand Spirit Stones, going three tis..."
"I bid three thousand one hundred."
Suddenly, a voice cut in at the last possible mont.
Everyone looked over curiously in the direction of the voice. The one who had raised the price was, surprisingly, Zhang Ruihao.
Originally, the Five-Colored Golden Lotus was not on the Ruibao Comrce Association’s list of planned purchases for this event.
But Zhang Ruihao, on a whim, had deliberately made a bid, wanting to make Xiao Chen bleed a little.
He looked at Xiao Chen smugly, his gaze filled with provocation.
’You like aggressive bidding, don’t you?’
’Go on, keep bidding if you’ve got the guts.’
Under normal circumstances, if Xiao Chen bid up to four thousand Spirit Stones, it would beco a purely loss-making transaction.
If he chose to give up, Zhang Ruihao naturally had channels to offload the Five-Colored Golden Lotus.
"The Ruibao Comrce Association has bid three thousand one hundred Spirit Stones. Are there any other fellow cultivators who want the Five-Colored Golden Lotus?"
Although the auctioneer addressed the "other fellow cultivators," his eyes were fixed directly on Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen shot a cold glance at Zhang Ruihao and raised his hand. "Four thousand!"
With his [Buy One Get One Free] ability, he still had enough of a profit margin.
Of course, if the other party continued to bid maliciously, he would just give up and let them experience the feeling of their own clever trick backfiring.
"Xiao is so magnanimous!"
Zhang Ruihao smiled and clapped. "Since you’re so capable, I’ll yield this Five-Colored Golden Lotus to you."
Xiao Chen’s breath hitched.
His eye twitched at the man’s audacity in taunting him so openly.
He first admonished himself internally: ’Calm down. Don’t start cursing at him in front of so many people. That would be undignified.’
’But this definitely isn’t over. Later, whatever the Ruibao Comrce Association tries to buy, I’ll be sure to help them bid up the price.’
Seeing that no one else was bidding, the auctioneer quickly concluded the process.
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