Chapter 20

“Miss Yaolao, please start the auction quickly!”

Someone in the VIP room couldn’t help but urge, clearly there for the true essence pill.

Yaolao looked at the excited crowd in the auction hall and didn’t hesitate, directly stating, “For this auction’s hidden treasure, the starting bid for the third-grade true essence pill is one hundred thousand low-grade essence stones. The auction begins now!”

The starting price of one hundred thousand low-grade essence stones left the crowd in shock, and even the heads of the three great families of Tai’an City wore incredulous expressions.

“How much…?”

“One hundred thousand low-grade essence stones?”

“Is this a bidding war for essence stones? Even if it were a bidding war, it shouldn’t escalate so quickly!”

A typical true essence pill usually wouldn’t exceed about one hundred thousand low-grade essence stones, yet this true essence pill’s starting bid was set at one hundred thousand low-grade essence stones!

“Master, it turns out that alchemists are indeed the wealthiest profession in the world. I must become an alchemist!”

Lin Yan was overwhelmed with excitement at this moment; a third-grade pill was worth all the resources his Lin family could gather in a year without eating, drinking, or practicing. If he could refine a few more, wouldn’t he be rich instantly?

Little money, so much little money!

Lin Yan imagined the scene where he became an alchemist and received everyone’s attention.

“Hehe, if my brother Lin Xuantang comes to ask me for alchemy advice, what kind of conditions should I propose?”

A sly smile appeared on his face, causing confusion for his master in his mind, but his master was already accustomed to Lin Yan’s silliness.

…….

“Two hundred thousand low-grade essence stones.”

“Two hundred thirty thousand low-grade essence stones.”

“Three hundred thousand low-grade essence stones.”

“…….”

The VIP rooms in the auction hall erupted into a frenzy, with everyone taking turns to raise their bids.

The heads of the three great families of Tai’an City wanted to join the bidding but, seeing the high price, they hesitated and began to withdraw.

“How could this true essence pill be worth so many essence stones?”

No matter how hard they tried to figure it out, they couldn’t understand why this true essence pill was selling for such a high price and attracting all the VIPs to bid.

“It seems that putting the pill up for auction was the right decision,” Lin Xuan thought to himself. He didn’t expect the true essence pill to reach three hundred thousand low-grade essence stones so quickly and seemed to still have room to grow.

If he sold the pill casually, wouldn’t he be taken advantage of, or even expose his identity?

Actually… he initially wanted to sell it for around one hundred fifty thousand low-grade essence stones.

…….

“Young prince, should we place a bid now?”

The old man with a white beard looked at the young man beside him with an ingratiating expression.

“Spirit Snake, just raise the bid by one low-grade essence stone. This counts as giving the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce an explanation,” the young man said, waving his hand. This small matter wasn’t as important as his larger affairs.

Upon hearing this, the old man nodded, showing no discontent on his face, as if he was accustomed to it. The young man, being the only son of the ruler of the Chu Ling royal family, had enough status to ignore most rules.

This time, raising the bid by one low-grade essence stone was already a show of respect for the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce.

At other auction houses, it wouldn’t have been just a one low-grade essence stone bid; it would have been a bid of one low-grade essence stone straight out!

“Three hundred fifty thousand and one low-grade essence stone.”

The old man said calmly, “Everyone, my young prince will take this item.”

Hearing the old man’s words, everyone held their breath, and the auction hall fell into silence.

“I should have realized that this young prince was also here for this item,” sighed Wang Jun, the lord of Tai’an City. A pill with dan rhythm could enable his foolish son to take a powerful master from the Dayan Academy as a teacher, a truly coveted item that would drive alchemists in the Dayan Dynasty crazy.

“This young prince has spoken… well, this young prince’s reputation isn’t great; it’s not worth it to oppose him,” one guest who desperately wanted the true essence pill also conceded.

…….

In the No. 5 VIP room,

Lin Xuan frowned slightly behind his mask upon hearing the surrounding silence.

A pill selling for three hundred fifty thousand… of course, he would profit.

But… three hundred fifty thousand and one low-grade essence stones?

“Do you know who the person in the No. 1 VIP room is?” Lin Xuan asked Mei’er beside him.

“Reporting to you, sir, the guest in the No. 1 VIP room is the legitimate son of King Chu Ling, Chu Changfeng,” Mei’er replied. The identities of the VIP guests were not exactly a secret.

The news of Prince Chu Changfeng attending the Tai’an City auction had already circulated widely. Only Lin Xuan had remained secluded and unaware of anything happening outside.

Mei’er’s face showed a hint of worry: “Sir, this young prince doesn’t have a good reputation outside. He holds grudges and seeks revenge; anyone who offends him ends up suffering greatly. You shouldn’t go against him.”

Mei’er seemed a bit concerned; although these words were not her business, and could even bring her danger, she still kindly reminded him.

“The legitimate son of King Chu Ling, huh?”

Lin Xuan had heard of King Chu Ling’s reputation. He was a powerful figure commanding hundreds of thousands of elite troops and a top expert in the Divine Passage realm, notorious for his ruthless deeds, once slaughtering ten cities and silencing crying children at night.

“Four hundred thousand low-grade essence stones.”

Lin Xuan spoke nonchalantly under Mei’er’s astonished gaze.

Ding! Detected that the host is provoking a strong enemy. A series of tasks have been issued.

Task Stage One: Kill the son of King Chu Ling. Reward: Basic inheritance once.

“I didn’t expect there to be an unexpected joy.”

Lin Xuan was somewhat surprised; he didn’t expect this situation to trigger a system task.

He carefully considered raising the bid. If he hadn’t attended the auction, how the young prince bid was his business. Even if it were just one hundred thousand low-grade essence stones, he wouldn’t have bothered because it would be troublesome.

But… he was right there!

If he didn’t bid, Wanbao Chamber of Commerce would definitely choose to sell it cleanly, and even he, the rightful owner, would fear King Chu Ling’s intimidation. Wanbao Chamber of Commerce would naturally not offend King Chu Ling for him unless he revealed his identity.

After all, alchemists, especially powerful ones, tend to have a lot of pride. The young prince’s actions would be akin to trampling an alchemist’s dignity.

Although Lin Xuan wasn’t a full-fledged alchemist, that didn’t mean he was a mere nobody!