Paraj's Big Auction (7)

Alicia eventually won the gem for less than 200 high quality spirit gems.

"I didn't know you were interested in that famous gem," said Alex.

"It's just a whim really."

It seemed too expensive to be a simple whim, but maybe that was just from Emily's perspective. Regardless, with the gem out of the way, there was a collective gulp from the audience as the surrounding lights dimmed. The spotlight shone on the auctioneer, whose charm appeared to increase at this moment.

"Now, let's move on to the main event. To explain the origins of this item, we must go back in time by a few months, to the Spirit Nest Disaster that occurred in the five cities' region. News of the incident has spread throughout the kingdom, but many details are still cloaked in mystery, for example, what is the creature, dubbed chimera lord, that destroyed Silver City and claimed it as territory? That and many other questions remain unanswered, but tonight, I present what might be a major clue to several answers."

With the room void of chatter, everyone heard the sound of a cart being pushed and focused their gaze on the left of the stage. Coming from behind the curtains was said cart, with a dish that had a single cloth spread on top of it. The employee who pushed the cart then picked up the dish and carried it to the auctioneer. It was at this time that a Master jumped out of their seat with the intent of stealing the item before it was revealed.

"No!"

"Stop right there!"

Several other Masters got up to stop him, but he was too close to the stage. However, before his fingertips could reach the stage, the hidden expert that Alicia and Shui had sensed, opened their eyes and looked at him. As if he was struck by a cannonball, the Master was knocked to the wall and then four bladed weapons appeared in front of him and stabbed his limbs, pinning him in place. He was still a Master so this wasn't enough to severely wound him, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move from the wall and eventually even his struggles were brought to a complete stop. Staff members then came to restrict his stiff body and removed him from the room. Everyone wondered about the identity of the hidden expert that took action, but their gazes returned to the stage once the auctioneer started speaking again.

"Please pay close attention so that even if you don't win this item, you'll be able to brag about seeing it."

She then removed the cloth over the plate, revealing the scarlet red pill on it. There was nothing special about the colour or size of the pill, but the moment it was released from its covering, even those in the VIP rooms could feel a burst of hot air smack their faces. The pill didn't radiate any heat, it was the vitality contained within it that raised the room temperature. Such vibrant lifeforce was hard to find even from energetic young geniuses, so the audience already felt their expectations rising.

"I believe everyone understands the power contained within this pill, but allow me to explain its origin and effects in greater detail. The core ingredient of this pill, is the heart of one of the chimera lord's shadows. As some of you may know, the chimera lord's shadows are unclassified creatures that spawn from the chimera lord's body, and although they are made of flesh, they possess no intelligence. According to public knowledge, any man, plant or beast that dares to consume the flesh of a shadow will enter a state of over-mutation characterized by excess regeneration. However, this pill is free from such side-effects."

Several gasps came from the audience, but no one interrupted the auctioneer. As if they were simple students eager to learn, they listened attentively.

"This pill concentrates the strong vitality of the shadow, allowing it to be easily absorbed by our human bodies. When taken by the young, this pill can improve the constitution, instantly heal severe wounds and cure major illnesses, and in the case of an elder, it performs like a relatively simple life nourishing pill. For a Master approaching their last days, it can provide around ten more years at minimum. Should be the perfect gift for any dying ancestors."

If the room was quiet for one full of people before, then now you couldn't even hear the sound of breathing. The best life nourishing pills available on the market had a similar effect, but one word of the auctioneer changed the significance. The same pill could have stronger or weaker effects depending on the state of the one taking it, so for those on the market, ten years was an optimistic estimate. However, this pill guaranteed it, and the most shocking part was yet to come.

"One more thing to note before we start the bidding is that the heart used in this pill was taken from a shadow with the strength of a Sky Realm expert. I'm sure the brilliant minds before me understand what that means."

With that, the anticipation that had already reached its peak, exploded into blazing excitement. Even an idiot could understand what she was implying with a bit of thinking. If the heart of a Sky Realm level shadow was useful for Masters, then it was natural to assume that hearts taken from stronger creatures could be used to make pills effective for True Masters. Furthermore, if it was the heart of the chimera lord itself, then perhaps even the heaven-set limit of 500 years could be broken, and this pill was the only clue to the recipe.

However, the excitement only lasted until the bidding began. That was the start of an open war. The pill was clearly advertised for powerful elders and ancestors because wealth and lineage generally came hand in hand in the cultivation world, but that didn't mean the talented younger generation didn't want it for themselves. It might seem like a waste to use medicine capable of extending one's life for strengthening the body, but any true genius knew how essential a firm foundation was to their future success.

The bidding started at 100 high quality spirit gems, even so, almost all members of the general audience started bidding, but the bid made by one VIP reminded them of who the true warriors on this battlefield were.

"500."

While they were raising it by 5 or 10, he added hundreds to the price. However, this was just the beginning.

As the price war began among the VIPs, Shui also looked at the pill with greed in his eyes. Putting aside its source, the pill would be very beneficial to his energy cultivation since his body was his phantom palace.

"The final bid is probably going to be ridiculous, I wonder how many people will remain by then." Shui commented.

"If you ask me, fun is probably the most you can get out of this. Good thing we didn't get ordered to buy it," said Alex.

"Then is your clan giving up on it?"

"I'm not sure. It'll be hard for the winner to protect it, but there are benefits to getting it legitimately. Still, since we weren't informed, if the elders decided to get it then they're probably assuming an obscure identity."

"That's naïve. They might not have had the idea before, but after that introduction those geezers might use us as bait and then escape."

Alicia didn't sense such a malicious plan in the works when they were allowed to come here, but even if she could read the heavens, the hearts of men were more complex.