The Legend of Fangren

Chapter 117 The Elixir Gathers the Five Elements, Forming a Universe of Chaos

Soon, the old man returned with good news.

"Congratulations, both of you! The auction manager has decided to offer this batch of iron and gold as a surprise item tonight! Here, these are your admission passes for tonight. I specially secured these elevated seats for you. You can sit up high and see if there are any items you like, and you can also bid on them."

Fang Shi asked, "How much commission will be taken from the auction?"

When doing business, you still need to ask questions first.

The old man immediately said, "No, no, you two have brought us good fortune this time. Our manager said we'll give you preferential treatment. Besides taking a 10% cut, we won't collect the deposit for your insurance if the auction fails."

"Alright then." Fang Shi could tell that these businessmen were very shrewd. Good things would never go unsold. They were giving away the deposit that was supposed to be refunded as a favor. They were really getting something for nothing.

The only decent thing about the admission pass for the VIP seating area was that it was for the second floor. I remember when I went up to the second floor, there was a huge venue with an auction stage at the front and a second floor like a corridor on both sides, which was the so-called VIP seating area.

Anyway, it's much better than the crowded seats below.

That night.

Fang Shi pulled Attorney Chu to the elegant seat on the high platform.

As soon as he sat down, Attorney Chu complained, "Oh, Brother Fang, what am I doing getting involved here with nothing to my name? I'm just glad I can sell the stuff; I can't afford anything else."

Fang Shi said, "Just broaden your horizons. This auction will last for more than two hours, and there will be countless good things. Maybe you'll find something you want. By the way, aren't you going to use that piece of gray refined iron ingot I gave you to forge a mystical weapon? Why are you selling it?"

Attorney Chu explained, "Originally, I took it to a weapon-forging master to have a heavy sword made, but the master said that the material was not suitable for my zodiac sign, and it would be a waste to make it. It would be better to sell it and use the money to buy a more suitable material."

"What kind of material is suitable for your zodiac sign?" Fang Shi asked.

"My master said that the best material is fire-element metal, and it should be of grade three. The price I got from selling the gray refined iron might not be enough. There's no market for it, so I'll have to wait. I plan to use the money to buy an ordinary heavy sword to use while I wait and save up money."

"I see." Fang Shi nodded thoughtfully and didn't ask any further questions.

Speaking of fire-related minerals, he thought he should have some. The other day, he had obtained eight reddish-brown crude minerals from the disintegration of rocks at the bottom of the lava lake. He used a blast furnace to burn several metal ingots, but he had not yet found out what metal they were. Judging from their color, they were most likely fire-related.

I didn't think of it during the day. I'll talk to Fellow Daoist Chu about it later. Let's pretend that the gray refined iron wasn't sent. Instead, let's send that reddish-brown metal ingot.

As an angel investor, my main focus is on providing meticulous care.

Before long, the auction began.

A beautiful woman in a long, colorful dress walked onto the auction stage, followed by strongmen carrying the first item up for auction that evening.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Jade Auction House tonight. After a period of collection, our firm has found many fine items for you. Without further ado, let the auction begin! Behind me is the first treasure of the evening, a mysterious crystal core obtained by a cultivator from an underground secret realm outside the city. Our firm has identified it as a second-grade earth elemental material, a rare casting material. The starting price is five hundred, and each bid must be at least fifty."

As soon as the beautiful auctioneer finished speaking, someone raised their bidding paddle, and then someone else followed suit—but soon, after more than ten rounds, fewer people raised their paddles to follow suit.

"One thousand two hundred and one hundred and two hundred and three hundred and sold."

The fast-paced opening set the stage for tonight's auction. These types of crystals have been produced in considerable quantities since the cave was discovered a month ago. To prevent them from piling up in one auction and causing the prices to be diluted, only a few are auctioned at a time, and the auction is still ongoing.

Therefore, the transaction price this time was not very high, and the loss of the auction price was still inevitable.

For a third-tier cultivator, the best materials for their natal artifact are naturally third-tier; anything higher would be unbearable, and if there are no suitable materials, they have to settle for second best.

Crystals, as the essence of earth, have the effect of earth's sedimentation and can store profound energy, making them an indispensable part of every mystical artifact.

Attorney Chu stared longingly at the crystal on the stage. Even if he couldn't afford to buy it, it would be nice to feast his eyes on it.

Fang Shi didn't even glance at the stage. Instead, he flipped through the auction catalog, searching for something that interested him. The items were quite diverse, covering almost everything a cultivator needed. However, only one thing caught Fang Shi's attention.

So he waited for more than half an hour before he finally got to see it.

A transparent crystal box was brought onto the stage, and the auctioneer announced, "The next item is, without exception, a fifth-grade pill refined by Zhu Huan'e, the proprietress of the Xuan Dan Sect's pill shop in Emerald City."

A wave of heads rose from the crowd below, and everyone couldn't help but sit up straight, tilt their chins back, and crane their necks to look at the pill on the stage.

The auctioneer continued, "This pill is called the Spirit Condensation Pill. It is a fourth-grade Yang-attribute auxiliary pill, which has the effect of stopping injuries, gathering Qi, and restoring Yang. It has no particular elemental affiliation and can be taken by cultivators at the second or third level without diminishing its effects. The starting price is three thousand, and each bid must be at least three hundred."

There's nothing to brag about, but it's a simple, effective life-saving pill.

But in an instant, most of the people clenching their fists calmed down. Admittedly, the pill was a life-saving pill, but money was also life-saving money. After realizing that the money to buy this pill would soon cost them their lives, the vast majority of cultivators chose to live in the moment.

Of course, a starting bid of three thousand is not high for a fourth-tier pill, and can even be considered very low. But this is the auction house's trick. In order to keep the city from becoming dull, this price is deliberately left for ordinary cultivators to have some room for imagination.

Sure enough, the bidding for the pills quickly rose to over ten thousand. At that price, it was no longer a chance for ordinary people; only the group of buyers on the platform were still raising their paddles.

The good thing about this pill is that it can be taken by cultivators at the second or third level. Families and sects care about the safety of their descendants, and everyone is willing to spend a lot of money.

This put Fang Shi in a bit of a dilemma, since more than ten thousand was quite expensive, and the reason he cared about this pill was not because it could save his life or anything like that.

His goal was simple: he just wanted to eat.

But this simplicity wasn't quite so simple. He didn't know how others were, but he sniffed, as if he could smell the fragrance wafting from the crystal box. This fragrance triggered a certain instinct in his body.

In short, I really wanted to eat it.

Attorney Chu, standing to the side, felt somewhat embarrassed, because without realizing it, Fang Shi's mouth had become so eloquent that his saliva was almost dripping off the table.

"Brother Fang—are you alright?"

"Uh? Oh, I'm fine."

Fang Shi, regaining his senses, quickly wiped his mouth, wondering what was wrong with him and why he had such a strong craving for the pill.

He had bought a lot of pills from Senior Tu Xiaoqing before, but none of them had this effect.

That's really strange—that's really strange.