The subsequent pills up for auction were all rare treasures seldom seen in the market. Many of the buyers present were affluent and influential figures; quite a few were veteran alchemists who had been secluded for years, dedicating themselves to refining their alchemy skills. Naturally, their collections were extensive.
As a result, the competition became exceptionally fierce. For one or two of the auction items, the bids even surpassed Xiao Yan's expectations.
"Good heavens! Is this necessary? It's just a high-grade tier 4 pill, yet they're bidding with Dong Quai Earth Spirit Root, the main ingredient for the Tier 6 Returning Spirit Ointment! Who is that old man? I've never heard of him before."
"Do you see he's missing a finger on his right hand? That's Nine-Fingered Alchemist Lin Zhen, who came second in the Alchemist Grand Meeting the same year as Pill King Gu He. He narrowly lost to Gu He back then. In the final competition round, his medicinal cauldron ended up exploding due to inferior fire control compared to Gu He's, blasting off his thumb."
"To remember that humiliation, Lin Zhen has never restored his severed finger. Moreover, the Fire Control Heart Pill that Xiao Yan is auctioning is no ordinary item. It can help alchemists enhance their fire control abilities. Most importantly, it was refined using a Heavenly Flame, which significantly boosts one's control over fire. This is equivalent to directly improving one's alchemy skills!"
Many veteran alchemists began placing bids one after another. The intensity of the competition was such that even Xiao Yan sometimes found it difficult to decide. The medicinal ingredients offered were exceedingly precious; he almost wished he could bring out more pills to auction.
However, he didn't put all his pills up for auction. Because he possessed a Heavenly Flame and the Flame Mantra, he could often produce multiple pills in a single batch. Thus, he had only taken out half of his reserves and kept a portion for himself.
"Tsk tsk tsk, you little brat will probably be the wealthiest person in the entire Jia Ma Sacred City after today. Even the imperial treasury might not have as many medicinal ingredients as you," Hai Bodong said as he watched the heated bidding in the auction hall. He almost wished he were an alchemist himself.
The alchemist profession was truly formidable, especially for an incredibly powerful alchemist like Xiao Yan, who could make a fortune with minimal investment.
During the auction, the most extravagant bidder who secured the most items was surprisingly the Mu Clan, with whom Xiao Yan had a bit of a grudge!
Mu Chen's opening bids were often significantly higher than others, fully displaying the Mu Clan's attitude of 'money is no object.'
As a result, when the Mu Clan made a bid, many people were reluctant to compete with them. Even if they tried, they would likely be outbid.
In fact, it was quite simple to understand. Among the three major clans, only the Mu Clan, who had no friendship with Xiao Yan, still had some resources left and hadn't been depleted.
The Nalan Clan had nearly given Xiao Yan the clothes off their backs, and the Miteer Clan was even worse off. Not only had they given half of their auction house to Xiao Yan, but even Ya Fei was about to be thrown in as well.
Apart from the Mu Clan's lavish spending, the only ones with substantial wealth remaining were the Jia Ma Imperial Family and that group of veteran alchemists from the Alchemist Association. Once they set their sights on a medicinal pill, they basically always won the bid.
Finally, after every pill was auctioned off, the item that everyone had been eagerly anticipating finally appeared.
With the sound of a gong, Ya Fei smiled and remained silent for a long time. The previously lively auction hall quieted down along with her silence.
Ya Fei's intention wasn't to calm people down. On the contrary, it was precisely this silent atmosphere that made people's hearts beat faster and adrenaline surge.
"This little lass Ya Fei truly has skill. Next up is the main event. A brief moment of silence and tension makes it easier for people to get nervous. Once the atmosphere is ignited, it will be quite frightening," Hai Bodong commented slowly.
Xiao Yan nodded in agreement. The fact that his pills could sell so well in this auction was partly due to his reputation and the genuinely excellent quality of the pills, but Ya Fei's promotion the previous day and her control over the auction today were also crucial.
Ya Fei was very adept at managing the mood.
In such a quiet environment, five beautiful maidservants, each holding an exquisite wooden box, walked onto the stage from backstage.
Many bidders couldn't help but quicken their breathing upon seeing the five wooden boxes appear. Everyone knew what was inside those boxes.
They were Xiao Yan's highest achievements to date!
"I believe everyone has heard more or less about the next auction items, which are also the final items of this auction," Ya Fei said eloquently.
As soon as she finished speaking, the five lovely maidservants simultaneously opened the wooden boxes.
Instantly, a wave of heat surged out from the boxes. Accompanying the heat, colorful medicinal fragrances wafted toward the audience.
Especially notable was the wooden box in the center containing the Four Lines White Spirit Pill. The medicinal mist emanating from it occupied half the space, giving people an indescribable, ineffable feeling.
The buyers present could no longer remain seated the moment the wooden boxes were opened. A commotion arose as countless pairs of eyes fixed on those boxes shone brilliantly.
Whether they were alchemists or heads of powerful clans, they all revealed expressions of greed, wishing they could rush up and seize the pills.
But everyone was desperately suppressing the desires within their hearts. Currently, no one in the Jia Ma Empire would be foolish enough to offend Xiao Yan, this grandmaster alchemist.
"According to Grandmaster Xiao Yan's appraisal, even if the Three-Lined Green Spirit Pill refined using a Heavenly Flame fails upon consumption, it will only cause a regression of one star in cultivation at most, or perhaps no regression at all."
"Moreover, the lower the consumer's cultivation, the higher the success rate. If the consumer is only a 1-star Dou Grandmaster, there's over a 90% chance of success. The success rate decreases by 10% for each additional star in cultivation."
"For Dou Grandmasters at seven stars or above, Ya Fei recommends bidding for the Four Lines White Spirit Pill instead."
Upon hearing Ya Fei's words, no one questioned whether Xiao Yan was exaggerating in appraising his own pills. Many present had personally witnessed Xiao Yan refining the Four Lines White Spirit Pill, knew how extraordinary his techniques were, and understood the divine nature of a Heavenly Flame.
"The Three-Lined Green Spirit Pills will be auctioned together. Everyone, please place your bids. Grandmaster Xiao Yan will select the four highest offers for the transaction. The Four Lines White Spirit Pill will be auctioned afterward," Ya Fei said slowly.
"One stalk of Dou King Grass!" Someone couldn't wait and called out a bid even before Ya Fei announced the start.
"Dou King Grass? Get lost! Our Mu Clan offers a full set of ingredients required to refine the Dou King Pill!" Mu Chen loudly declared.
Dou King Grass was only one of the main ingredients of the Dou King Pill. In addition to Dou King Grass, many other auxiliary ingredients were required, many of which were tier 4 medicinal ingredients. Combined, their value was naturally quite significant.
If Xiao Yan could refine the Dou King Pill himself, it would be equivalent to exchanging a Tier 4 Three-Lined Green Spirit Pill for a high-grade Tier 5 Dou King Pill!
The profit margin was simply astronomical!
Originally, Mu Chen had planned to ask Gu He to refine the Dou King Pill, but in the end, when choosing between increasing his own cultivation by one star and giving Mu Zhan a better chance to break through to the Dou King realm, he chose the latter.
Although it might seem like a simple matter of increasing cultivation by three stars, the key was the time saved. Mu Zhan had decent talent; if he could rapidly increase his strength during his prime years, the sooner he broke through to the Dou King realm, the greater his future prospects.
Hearing the Mu Clan's bid, all the bidders present understood that one of the four Three-Lined Green Spirit Pills was as good as taken!
"Simultaneously auctioning four Three-Lined Green Spirit Pills is truly a brilliant move. It forces them to calculate in their minds where the price for the fourth pill might land, continuously pushing the bids higher," Xiao Yan praised Ya Fei's clever methods. This was simply a scene of cutthroat competition!