Chapter 952: Chapter 952
Ding Fan initially sat in the corner to avoid drawing attention, but now all eyes were focused on him. It seemed that keeping a low profile was impossible.
The elder on the stage continued speaking. "Let us now announce the starting price..."
As soon as the elder finished speaking, everyone turned their attention to him.
Normally, even a second-grade ordinary pill was considered a treasure. But now, this profound-level first-grade pellet was the treasure among treasures. For a moment, everyone was eager to find out how much this treasure was worth.
In full view of the crowd, the elder on the stage said indifferently, "The starting price for the Spirit Level First Grade Pill is 150,000 Spirit Stones!"
The crowd was stunned by the elder's words. Updates are released by 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹✶𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲✶𝗻𝗲𝘁
It was important to note that since the start of the auction, such a high starting price had never been seen. The highest previous starting price was only 30,000 Spirit Stones. But now, for this Spirit Level pellet, it started at 150,000!
This was absolutely record-breaking.
However, after a brief shock, people found this price quite reasonable. After all, the previous seventh-grade pellet was sold for 130,000 Spirit Stones. This Spirit Level pellet was indeed worth its starting price.
In fact, the auction house had deliberately set the starting price for this pellet so high. Their rationale was clear.
The main reason was that if the starting price was too low, the bids would inevitably be raised to this level anyway. So it was simpler and less troublesome to set the starting price directly at 150,000.
"I bid 150,100 Spirit Stones!"
Even though the elder had set the starting price at 150,000, someone quickly made a bid.
Ding Fan now felt like a banner figure.
The disciple of that Taoist Nun had already successfully advanced using the seventh-grade pellet. So now, no one doubted the efficacy of this Spirit Level First Grade Pill.
Furthermore, even in the unlikely event it was a fake, the auction house would refund the buyers.
"150,500 Spirit Stones..."
"160,000 Spirit Stones..."
"170,000 Spirit Stones..."
The prices rose steadily, quickly stirring up a second wave of frenzy in the auction hall.
At this moment, Spirit Stones seemed to have lost their value, as people eagerly threw them down.
But these attendees weren't foolish. For those at the peak of the Heavenly Level trying to advance to the Profound Level, the success rate was far lower than advancing from the Earth Level to the Heavenly Level. Although it was just one step, countless individuals remained stuck for their entire lives.
Utilizing a Spirit Level Foundation Building Pill to advance to the Profound Level was a priceless opportunity.
Across the world, there were no more than a few dozen Profound Level warriors.
Amid the competitive bidding, the price for the Spirit Level First Grade Foundation Building Pill shot up to 200,000 Spirit Stones.
200,000 Spirit Stones. That was outrageous. Originally, people thought the seventh-grade Foundation Building Pill's sale price of 130,000 was already absurd. But now, this pellet had reached 200,000.
What was most frightening was that the competition for this Spirit Level pellet showed no signs of stopping. The price kept climbing.
Luo Li felt restless.
From the moment she met Ding Fan, Luo Li had known he was no ordinary man. Yet now she realized Ding Fan wasn't just extraordinary—he was exceptional.
With just two pills, Ding Fan had already amassed nearly 400,000 Crystal Stones...
This amount of Crystal Stones was astronomical for Luo Li...
When Luo Li glanced at Ding Fan, she saw that he remained utterly calm. From his demeanor, it seemed that 400,000 Foundation Building Pills were utterly insignificant in his eyes.
At this moment, Luo Li recalled a phrase her parents had taught her since childhood...
"One whose chest hides thunder, yet whose face remains like a peaceful lake, is worthy of serving as a General."
This saying perfectly described someone like Ding Fan...
"Zhou Fan..." Luo Li murmured Ding Fan's name thoughtfully...
As Ding Fan watched the auction rise to 230,000 Spirit Stones, his mood lifted.
With such Spirit Stones, Ding Fan's cultivation resources would suffice for a long time.
"I bid 300,000 Spirit Stones!" Right then, another voice directly raised the price from 250,000 Spirit Stones to 300,000.
The crowd fell silent upon hearing this bid. 300,000 Spirit Stones—it wasn't something an ordinary person could bear.
Ding Fan looked toward the bidder. This person turned out to be the same gaunt elder who had previously competed with him for the Emperor Pit Bronze Mirror.
Ding Fan hadn't expected that this elder would have such deep pockets.
Recalling the matter with the Bronze Mirror, if not for the auction house's prohibition on raising bids, the mirror would likely have been snatched away by that gaunt elder.
"The Spirit Level First Grade Pill, bid 300,000, first call!..." On the stage, the elder raised his wooden mallet while surveying the attendees. "The Spirit Level First Grade Pill, bid 300,000, second call... The Spirit Level First Grade Pill, bid 300,000, third call!"
After the elder finished speaking, he raised the wooden mallet and brought it down heavily. "Sold!"
The crowd erupted into cheers.
300,000 Spirit Stones—this was the highest transaction of the auction thus far.
"Did you hear? Last time's highest transaction was only 180,000, and this time it soared to 300,000!"
"300,000... In my lifetime, I haven't even seen or heard of such a thing..."
Some young women in the crowd began glancing toward Ding Fan.
This was the epitome of a rich family heir, the very definition of splendor…
Ding Fan was all of that!
Some young women even brazenly threw flirtatious glances his way...
At this moment, Ding Fan felt immensely pleased. Initially, he thought selling these four pellets for 100,000 Crystal Stones would be good enough, but now, they had fetched nearly 400,000.
How could Ding Fan not feel delighted?
After the atmosphere in the hall calmed somewhat, the elder resumed the auction.
The subsequent items included a few pills and Spirit Grass, but they all paled in comparison to what Ding Fan had sold. Even fifth-grade pills now seemed dull and lacking luster.
During the continuing auction, Ding Fan purchased some Spirit Grass and materials for array refinement.
Time passed quickly, and the auction began nearing its end.
"Now, as the auction draws to a close, those of you who've participated in our auctions before know that the last item is usually our grand finale," the elder announced from the stage.
The crowd immediately turned its attention.
"We are now auctioning the Spirit Level Grade Three Artifact of Attack—the trident halberd!"
The trident halberd? Spirit Level Grade Three Artifact of Attack?!
Ding Fan used his Divine Sense to scan the trident halberd.
What puzzled Ding Fan was that the halberd carried an aura strikingly similar to the one from Wen Yizhou's transmission of legacy.
"This belongs to my Spirit Sect... Why is it here!" While Ding Fan was still pondering, Elder Luv Shanqi from the Spirit Sect suddenly stood up.
"Elder Luv, we're only responsible for auctioning the item. As for its origins, we are not at liberty to disclose," the elder replied indifferently.
Elder Luv Shanqi was infuriated and wanted to continue arguing, but Ding Fan sent a wisp of his Divine Sense over.
"Don't act rashly. I'll think of something."
Upon receiving the message in his Sea of Consciousness, Elder Luv Shanqi hesitated briefly before sitting back down.
The elder's words weren't entirely unreasonable. They were only tasked with selling the goods; the origins of the items had nothing to do with them. There was no need to antagonize the auction house.
Seeing that Luv Shanqi had sat down, the elder continued, "Trident halberd, starting price, 100,000 Spirit Stones!"
Upon hearing the starting price, Luv Shanqi looked extremely grim. After Ding Fan had asked him to sit down, he began considering how to win back the trident halberd. But such a high price posed a great challenge.
Luv Shanqi was discontented, but given Ding Fan's earlier instructions, he refrained from speaking.
"Make your bid..." Ding Fan sent another Divine Sense message to Luv Shanqi.
Yet Luv Shanqi didn't call out a price.
Ding Fan quickly understood Luv Shanqi's concerns.
The 100,000 Spirit Stone threshold was no trivial sum. While the Spirit Sect was one of the Hidden Sects' top three Great Gate Sects, they couldn't simply conjure up such a large amount.
"I have Spirit Stones—up to 400,000 is no problem. Just go ahead and bid," Ding Fan transmitted his message to Luv Shanqi once more.
"I bid 110,000!" After a moment of hesitation, Luv Shanqi made his offer.
"This halberd is quite fine. I bid 150,000." At that moment, the gaunt elder who had previously contended with Ding Fan for the Emperor Pit Bronze Mirror spoke.
Ding Fan glanced at the gaunt elder.
This elder had just spent 300,000 to purchase Ding Fan's Spirit Level First Grade Pill, and now they offered such a high price. How deep were this elder's pockets?
"I bid 160,000!" Luv Shanqi countered.
To the Spirit Sect, this trident halberd was highly significant, so Luv Shanqi was determined to win it.
"180,000!" The gaunt elder showed no signs of yielding, firmly holding his ground.
"190,000!" Luv Shanqi gritted his teeth and raised the offer.
The auction hall grew silent as only the gaunt elder and Luv Shanqi continued their bidding war for the trident halberd.
The Spirit Level Grade Three Artifact of Attack was indeed powerful. However, those with low cultivation levels dared not buy it, as they wouldn't be able to keep it safe. Those with high cultivation levels deemed it less worthwhile. Now that the price approached 200,000, it had far exceeded the inherent value of the halberd.
Many would-be buyers didn't have enough funds, and they didn't want to antagonize the Spirit Sect or the gaunt elder either...
"I bid 250,000 Spirit Stones!" The gaunt elder indifferently raised the bid.
The crowd erupted once more.
"This elder has too much wealth. He just spent 300,000, yet now he can still throw in 250,000!"
"This elder's feud with the Spirit Sect seems unshakable..."
"This trident halberd looks good; 250,000 isn't too high a price." After saying this, the gaunt elder cast a glance toward Ding Fan.
The implication was clearly provocative.
Ding Fan was momentarily startled. He hadn't made a single bid thus far, yet the gaunt elder seemed to know Ding Fan was secretly supporting the Spirit Sect...
Could it be that he could detect the Divine Sense messages Ding Fan had sent?