Chapter Ninety-One: Astonishment

Immediately after, the third, fourth, and so on—the auction items passed by in a blink, more than ten of them sold one after another. The highest price among them was only a hundred thousand Thunderstones, and there was even a token with unknown purpose that failed to sell.

“Next up, one of the three highlight items of the first half: the Thousandfold Thought Pill!”

At the announcement, several gazes lit up among the crowd, though most remained bewildered and unaware. The slightly plump elder smiled gently.

“This pill may not be familiar to you all. It is one of the three ancient pills, renowned for greatly enhancing divine sense. It is invaluable not only to inscribers and alchemists, but also aids ascendant lords in breaking through their limits!”

“However, this pill was obtained by our establishment from the relics of the primordial era. Due to the passage of time, there are certain flaws. While it can greatly augment divine sense, its effect is limited in duration—each pill lasts only about an hour.”

“Even so, those on the verge of ascension can greatly increase their chances by using one at a critical moment!”

“There are three pills in this bottle. The starting price is three hundred thousand Thunderstones, with each bid increase no less than ten thousand!”

With these words spoken in a single breath, the auction hall erupted.

For those not familiar with the Thousandfold Thought Pill, the price alone was startling. But those who knew the secret were exhilarated!

“Three hundred fifty thousand!”

“Half a million!”

“Five hundred fifty thousand!”

The price soared rapidly, soon approaching a million—a sky-high sum. Those competing for it gradually became only a handful of ascendant lords from the VIP chambers.

Tu Lu noticed that once an auction item reached the million mark, it was essentially a contest among the VIPs.

“Thousandfold Thought Pill.”

Wu Hao chewed over the words for a moment, then called out an offer.

“One million five hundred thousand!”

Tu Lu’s eyelid twitched.

Indeed, the son of one of the three great families—he named such a high price without a hint of hesitation. No wonder he had casually gifted ten stalks of Sword Grass the other day; in their eyes, it must hardly matter...

After Wu Hao’s sky-high offer, the auction fell silent for a moment. Clearly, the price was becoming excessive.

But before the plump elder could begin the countdown, a voice rang out from a neighboring chamber.

“One million six hundred thousand.”

Was it that sinister old eccentric?

Tu Lu was startled.

Yet Wu Hao simply smiled and immediately called out again, “Two million!”

This time, no one followed.

Within moments, a seductive woman brought over the Thousandfold Thought Pill.

Once she had left, Wu Hao casually tossed the pill bottle to Tu Lu.

“Brother Wu!”

Tu Lu’s expression changed.

Wu Hao shook his head. “No need to fuss. The Thousandfold Thought Pill is somewhat useful to ascendant lords, but for us, it’s meaningless. Brother Tu, as an inscriber, this pill is best suited for you.”

“But...”

“That’s enough. Two million Thunderstones is hardly worth fretting over. Consider it a gift from me to you, Brother Tu,” Wu Hao said, somewhat annoyed.

Hearing this, Tu Lu opened his mouth, but only managed a bitter smile before accepting.

“The next auction item: the Five-Word Heavenly Tablet...”

...

The auction lasted an entire day before the first half drew to a close.

The final highlight item of the first half sold for a staggering eight million, once again revealing the terrifying scale of this auction.

Throughout, Wu Hao bid several times, each time at least two or three hundred thousand, scattering Thunderstones as if they were worthless—leaving Tu Lu utterly dumbfounded.

He realized that aside from unsold items, everything auctioned fetched prices well above their actual value.

His own ten-odd thousand Thunderstones, once thought substantial, could barely purchase a few relatively ordinary auction items.

Pitifully few, in fact!

Among those attending the auction, he probably didn’t even reach the average level.

“All right! Now, the second half of the auction begins. The first item is once again a festive opener: three rare spirits of vegetation, painstakingly collected by our establishment!”

After a rest of an hour or two, the plump elder appeared once more on the high platform, announcing in a loud voice.