Chapter 951: Chapter 951
Everyone present looked at Ding Fan with expressions of disbelief.
Luo Li was also staring at Ding Fan, utterly astonished.
What kind of person is this, that even the auction house won't accept any further bids for him?
The essence of an auction lies in competing for the highest price and selling to the highest bidder. Yet now, the auction house outright refuses to accept any increased offers.
What kind of background does one need for the auction house to act in this manner? This was outright flattering him.
Ding Fan was also stunned; even he didn't expect the auction house to refuse further bidding. Nevertheless, being a shrewd person, he quickly realized that the refusal to accept raises in bids might have something to do with the pills he was selling.
The auction house had clearly set its sights on his pills.
"What's going on? Aren't auctions supposed to be about skill?" The gaunt elder's gaze turned sharp as he angrily said, "What's this? Is this person your father? Do you need to pay him filial respect?"
The gaunt elder's words brought a heavy tension to the auction hall. His tone was brimming with hostility.
The elder presiding over the auction visibly stiffened. "The items in our auction house are sold however we decide to sell them. Why, do you think you can act unruly here?"
As soon as the elder finished speaking, his aura exploded forth.
Instantly, a powerful energy swept through the hall.
Following the elder's outburst, a dozen martial artists emerged from the crowd. Though their cultivation levels were not particularly high, each wielded Grade Nine attack-based magic artifacts. If a conflict were to arise, the combination of numbers and the formidable artifacts would certainly leave the gaunt elder at a disadvantage.
The gaunt elder's eyes scanned his surroundings, and his brows furrowed tightly together.
He quickly analyzed the situation and realized that if he caused trouble here, he might very well lose his life.
The gaunt elder chose not to engage further with the elder on stage. Instead, he cast a fierce look at Ding Fan, made a throat-slitting gesture toward him, and sat back down heavily.
The elder on stage saw that the gaunt elder had backed down, withdrawing his aura. The surrounding martial artists also retreated.
Ding Fan, however, remained nonchalant. Although the gaunt elder was at Profound Level Grade Three, Ding Fan, now at the Middle Stage of Golden Core, could easily take on a Profound Level Grade Five expert. A mere Grade Three opponent posed no challenge at all.
With this brief interruption resolved, the auction resumed.
The items presented afterward seemed unremarkable to Ding Fan. With nothing better to do, Ding Fan folded his arms and closed his eyes to rest.
About twenty minutes later, the auction reached a new climax.
The person responsible for driving the auction to this peak was, once again, Ding Fan.
To be precise, it was Ding Fan's Seventh Grade Foundation Building Pill.
The Taoist nun who had previously purchased a Seventh Grade Foundation Building Pill had already tested it on a young disciple of hers. The pill had indeed helped her disciple successfully break through to the Heavenly Level.
In an instant, the Seventh Grade pill became a coveted treasure sought by all. After all, who wouldn't want a prodigious martial artist in their sect who could achieve Heavenly Level before the age of fifty?
When Ding Fan used a Seventh Grade pill and fifty thousand spirit stones to trade for the bronze mirror earlier, many present had worried whether he had exhausted his supply of Seventh Grade pills.
But now, another Seventh Grade pill had appeared. How could the gathered crowd remain calm and refrain from fighting over it?
"The Seventh Grade Foundation Building Pill has already been confirmed effective. This auction starts at the initial price of ten thousand crystal stones," the elder on stage announced calmly.
Although the auction house did not raise the starting bid for Ding Fan's pill, Ding Fan remained confident in its value. He believed this pill would fetch an excellent price.
"I bid thirty thousand!" One bidder immediately shouted after the elder announced the starting price.
With the opening bid jumping straight to thirty thousand crystal stones from ten thousand, this marked a first for the current session.
However, thirty thousand crystal stones were merely the beginning.
"I bid thirty-five thousand crystals."
"Thirty-eight thousand crystals…"
"I bid forty thousand crystals…"
"I bid sixty thousand crystals."
"I must have this pill. I bid sixty-five thousand crystals." …
In no time, the pill's price doubled. The first pill sold earlier only fetched thirty thousand crystals, but this one had climbed to a staggering sixty-five thousand crystals.
Luo Li watched Ding Fan from afar.
Her Huangshan Shi Family was a small hidden clan. During monthly cultivation, she and her brother each received just one crystal stone as a resource, considered an extravagance for them.
Yet Ding Fan had earned tens of thousands of crystal stones in mere moments.
Sitting beside Luo Li, Xiao Wei's brows furrowed deeply. Thıs text ıs hosted at 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭·𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮·𝙣𝙚𝙩
By now, Xiao Wei couldn't deny that Ding Fan was extraordinary. Tens of thousands of spirit stones—forget seeing them, he had never even heard of such a number before. And all of this belonged to Ding Fan.
Next to Xiao Wei, Song Jiacheng stared at Ding Fan pensively, his expression shifting like the changing weather…
The bidding continued.
"One hundred thousand crystals… I bid one hundred thousand!"
Finally, after intense competition, the price broke the hundred-thousand barrier.
Smaller clans and families abandoned bidding altogether. At this point, the debate wasn't whether the pill was worth it; it was that they simply couldn't afford it.
Now, those continuing to bid represented only the major sects and powerful organizations.
Ding Fan sat quietly. Although he was internally astonished, he maintained a calm façade.
As mentioned earlier, a Seventh Grade Foundation Building Pill would never reach this price in the Cultivation World. But here on Earth, it had somehow achieved astronomical levels…
"One hundred twenty-three thousand…"
"One hundred twenty-five thousand…" …
"One hundred thirty thousand!" A portly elder shouted firmly.
The surrounding bidders lowered their heads in defeat.
One hundred thirty thousand spirit stones far exceeded their limit. They had no choice but to surrender.
"Seventh Grade Foundation Building Pill, one hundred thirty thousand going once… one hundred thirty thousand going twice… one hundred thirty thousand going three times!"
Bam! The elder struck the wooden mallet heavily. "Sold!"
Cheers erupted from the crowd. Applause filled the auction hall, drowning out all other sounds.
The attendees turned envious eyes toward Ding Fan.
One hundred thirty thousand spirit stones! That was an overwhelming sum!
Forget others; even some sects couldn't amass such a wealth of crystal stones in total!
At this moment, the crowd understood why the auction house hadn't allowed further bidding earlier—they had clearly recognized the potential value of Ding Fan's pill.
When Ding Fan traded fifty thousand spirit stones and a Foundation Building Pill for the bronze mirror earlier, many thought the auction house had made a bad deal. But now it seemed the opposite was true.
A single Seventh Grade Foundation Building Pill had sold for one hundred thirty thousand spirit stones.
By calculation, the price of the bronze mirror Ding Fan acquired was effectively eighteen hundred thousand spirit stones.
Savvy observers couldn't help but admire the auction house's foresight.
In truth, the auction house hadn't intended to exploit Ding Fan for profit. Their goal was simply to establish friendly ties with him.
Following this climactic transaction, the auction returned to a state of dullness.
The remaining auction items consisted of various cultivation techniques, materials, and magic artifacts…
Several attendees made minor acquisitions…
"Next up, we're auctioning something truly extraordinary." The elder on stage teased, building suspense.
The audience eagerly turned their attention to him. Even Ding Fan opened his eyes.
"The next item…" The elder paused dramatically, scanning the crowd before declaring, "is a pill…"
Merely hearing the word "pill" reignited the crowd's enthusiasm.
The three Foundation Building Pills Ding Fan had brought to the auction had already stirred up intense envy. So just hearing about another pill made the audience restless.
"Elder, what kind of pill is it? Don't tell me it's another Seventh Grade Foundation Building Pill?" someone impatiently asked.
Upon hearing the suggestion of a Foundation Building Pill, the atmosphere grew lively again.
"Elder, if you have one, bring it out quickly! Such treasures demand immediate bidding!"
"Yeah, stop teasing us; present it already!" …
Luo Li heard there was another pill up for auction and instinctively glanced at Ding Fan from afar. Could the pill for sale belong to Ding Fan?
Just how many treasures does Ding Fan possess?!
The elder on stage gestured for silence and continued, "What I'm about to present is far superior to the Seventh Grade pills…"
The crowd's curiosity peaked instantly.
"What kind of treasure is it? Hurry up and show us!"
"Yes, show us already! Stop teasing us!" …
Seeing the collective excitement, the elder performed an air-grabbing gesture.
A pill materialized from backstage into the elder's hand.
"This pill is a Spirit Level Grade One Foundation Building Pill, capable of elevating a martial artist at the Heavenly Level Peak directly to the Profound Level. Those of lower cultivation levels will also experience notable breakthroughs. Since we cannot fully verify its efficacy, preliminary testing will proceed first."
The hall burst into an uproar.
Evolving from Heavenly to Profound Level was an exceptionally difficult threshold to cross. Only a handful of Profound Level martial artists existed in the entire world, yet this pill claimed to facilitate such a leap…
Tempting! It was incredibly tempting!
"Elder, is this pill from the same person who sold the Seventh Grade Foundation Building Pills earlier?" someone asked.
All eyes immediately turned to the elder on stage.
The elder nodded. "Indeed!"
Suddenly, the crowd's gaze shifted en masse to Ding Fan.
Ding Fan had deliberately chosen a corner to avoid attention. But given the current circumstances, it was impossible for him to stay low-profile!