The appearance of Spirit Liquid immediately attracted attention.
Normally, these small forces had difficulty accessing Spirit Liquid, let alone whether they had purchasing channels. Even if they did, the Spirit Liquid would be prioritized for major forces, and they couldn't buy it even with wealth.
"Spirit Liquid! This is truly a fine treasure. With this, our family disciples' breakthroughs will be far more stable, and it would even be immensely beneficial for people like us to use for a breakthrough."
"It's a pity our Spirit Stones fall short; we can't possibly win the bid."
"Fellow Daoists, ten drops of Spirit Liquid is too much for a single family to swallow. Why don't we pool our funds, make a joint bid, and then divide the share according to our contribution? Otherwise, we have no way to compete with those major forces and will let this Spirit Liquid slip through our fingers."
At this moment, someone in the main hall proposed this idea. A single family was no match for the major forces, but by joining hands, who had more Spirit Stones was anyone's guess.
"An excellent proposal. I'm willing to join."
"Count me in."
Soon, cultivators throughout the hall began forming small alliances, all eager to acquire the ten drops of Spirit Liquid.
"I won't elaborate further on the uses of Spirit Liquid. Those who wish to bid may now state their offers."
Seeing that the timing was right, Ling Ruoxue announced the opening of the bidding.
"Fifty thousand."
A small faction in the hall spoke up first, leaping straight to fifty thousand. They knew this price was merely an appetizer, but jumping straight to fifty thousand demonstrated their considerable financial strength.
"Sixty thousand."
Another voice immediately added ten thousand.
"Seventy thousand."
"Eighty thousand."
"One hundred thousand."
With numerous small groups pooling their resources, the price rapidly broke through to one hundred thousand.
"Disciple, it's merely ten drops of Spirit Liquid. Are these people really going to such lengths?"
Although Qin Xiao knew Spirit Liquid wasn't cheap, it had climbed to one hundred thousand in just a few bids-ten thousand per drop. Wasn't that a bit exaggerated?
"Master, in the eyes of the major forces, Spirit Liquid may only be somewhat precious, but for these smaller factions with no other access, it's their one and only chance. Naturally, they're desperate."
Yun Man explained calmly.
The major forces naturally possessed their own acquisition channels. While precious, they usually had some reserves. But these minor factions only heard tales of it; lacking channels, they couldn't buy it with Spirit Stones alone, leaving auctions as their sole opportunity.
"One hundred fifty thousand Spirit Stones."
After the small factions in the hall raised the price twice more, a private room on the third floor joined the fray.
"One hundred sixty thousand."
Unwilling to miss out, the Li Family Ancestor stepped in.
"One hundred seventy thousand."
Ye Tianyi made her bid as well. Although the Heavenly Clothes Pavilion could source supplies elsewhere, quantities were still limited. Winning these ten drops would be an unexpected windfall for the pavilion.
As the various factions continued bidding, the lot was finally secured by Ye Tianyi for five hundred thousand. There was no helping it; none of the others could match the wealth of the Heavenly Clothes Pavilion, and even those who still possessed Spirit Stones felt the price had exceeded its true worth.
This gave Qin Xiao his first direct understanding of the value of Spirit Liquid. A single drop could fetch fifty thousand Spirit Stones, meaning the amount of Spirit Liquid he had consumed lately would convert into a veritable mountain of wealth.
Still, Spirit Stones were the one thing Qin Xiao didn't lack, so he didn't feel any sense of loss. Having risen from an ordinary mortal to someone capable of going toe-to-toe with Golden Core stage experts, his gains couldn't be measured in mere Spirit Stones.
"Congratulations to Pavilion Master Ye for winning the Spirit Liquid. The next auction item is a sacred healing medicine-the Immortal Spirit Pill. For anyone below the Soul Formation stage, as long as they retain a single breath, this pill can preserve their life. It was acquired at great cost by our Immortal Dao Merchant Association, so the starting price is twenty thousand Spirit Stones, with each increment no less than one thousand."
Satisfied that the first two items had exceeded expectations, Ling Ruoxue presented the Immortal Spirit Pill.
While the pill was remarkable, it had its limitations, working only for those below the Soul Formation stage-otherwise, the starting price wouldn't be a mere twenty thousand. Cultivators at or above the Soul Formation stage possessed a primordial spirit, whereas this pill acted strictly upon the physical body, hence the restriction.
"That's not bad at all. The Soul Formation stage is still far off for me, and this pill is practically a life-saving treasure."
Hearing the introduction, Qin Xiao felt tempted. The Soul Formation stage was distant, and his disciple was only at the late Golden Core stage. Even when she reached the Nascent Soul stage, it would still prove useful. For now, this Immortal Spirit Pill was the finest life-preservation treasure available.
"Twenty-one thousand."
The Li Family Ancestor immediately called out a bid. One could never have too many life-saving pills.
"Twenty-five thousand."
Hearing the old man from the Li family bid, Qin Xiao chimed in, raising it directly to twenty-five thousand. He was determined to secure this Immortal Spirit Pill.
"Is that brat bidding?"
Recognizing the voice echoing from the third floor, the Li Family Ancestor instantly thought of Qin Xiao.
"Twenty-six thousand."
Unwilling to yield, the Li Family Ancestor added another thousand.
Others had wanted to bid, but with a starting price of twenty thousand, most had already given up. Those who could afford it had their own considerations: Ye Tianyi was already at the Soul Formation stage and had no use for it, while City Lord Tan Wang was at the late Nascent Soul stage, likely confident in his own breakthrough to Soul Formation, and thus saw no need for it-nor was he here for this item.
Other potential bidders were simply waiting for the right moment to enter.
"Thirty thousand."
Not wishing to drag things out, Qin Xiao pushed the price straight to thirty thousand.
"Is this brat genuinely wanting it, or is he trying to fleece this old man?"
The Li Family Ancestor hesitated slightly. The Immortal Spirit Pill was indeed fine, but bidding too high would place a heavy burden on his family.
"Thirty-one thousand."
Reluctant to give up, the Li Family Ancestor added another thousand to test the waters.
"Thirty-five thousand."
Qin Xiao immediately piled on another four thousand, bringing it to thirty-five thousand.
The others who had been waiting for an opening abandoned all thoughts of bidding. Thirty-five thousand Spirit Stones already exceeded their expectations; even a life-saving medicine lost its appeal once the price climbed past thirty thousand.
At this point, the Li Family Ancestor hesitated, holding back his bid. He knew the kid upstairs possessed ample Spirit Stones and genuinely wanted the item. His hesitation stemmed from wanting to trick his rival, yet fearing that the kid would drop out and leave him stuck holding the bag-a heavy blow to the Li Family's finances.
"No matter. If the Li Family desires it, this City Lord shall assist."
Noticing the ancestor's hesitation, Tan Wang spoke up.
"Many thanks, City Lord! Then this old man will press on."
"Thirty-six thousand."
Bolstered by the support of City Lord Tan Wang, the Li Family Ancestor's courage surged. Even if the brat backed out now, his own losses wouldn't be too severe.
"Forty thousand."
Indifferent to Spirit Stones, Qin Xiao matched the bid instantly.
"Forty-one thousand."
Gritting his teeth, the Li Family Ancestor made another call, certain that Qin Xiao would continue.
"Forty-five thousand."
Just as the ancestor anticipated, Qin Xiao raised it to forty-five thousand without a second thought.
"Forty-six thousand."
Realizing Qin Xiao was dead set on winning, the Li Family Ancestor relaxed. He resolved to drive the price up and make his opponent suffer a massive loss.
"Fifty thousand."
As expected by the old man, Qin Xiao matched it instantly at fifty thousand.
"Fifty-one thousand."
Convinced he had Qin Xiao right where he wanted him, a smug look crossed the Li Family Ancestor's face. Let's see you try to outspend me, brat!
"I don't want it anymore."
Qin Xiao's mental limit was fifty thousand. He had wealth, but he wasn't a fool; he could clearly see that Old Man Li was trying to trap him, and he had no intention of falling for it.
"What? You don't want it? You were bidding so smoothly, how can you just stop? Raise it one more time, and this old man guarantees he won't snatch it from you!"
The Li Family Ancestor stared in utter bewilderment.
"Old Man Li, it was I who offended your Li Family earlier. Since your family desires this so much, it is only right that I yield. Congratulations to the Li Family."
Qin Xiao wore a wicked grin. Moreover, given his disciple's relationship with Ling Ruoxue, he figured he could simply acquire another life-saving pill privately later. But since Old Man Li had tried to play him, he could just take the prize.
"You... you wretched brat! This old man will remember this!"
Only then did the Li Family Ancestor realize he had acted on impulse. Seeing how instantly Qin Xiao had matched his bids, he had assumed the youth was desperate to win, completely tricked by the maneuver.
"Ancestor, think nothing of it. This pill is worth thirty thousand; I shall cover the remaining twenty thousand for you."
Recognizing that the youth was no simple character, Tan Wang decided to step in. Since he had already given his word to the Li family, he would cover those twenty thousand Spirit Stones-after all, he was also the family's son-in-law.
The subsequent auction items failed to spark Qin Xiao's interest. He only made occasional bids when something genuinely useful caught his eye, ignoring the rest entirely.
Soon, the final auction item was brought out-the very prize that many present had come for.