Chapter 240: Soul-Refining Pill

A palm-sized spiritual herb drew many eyes; from its appearance, it was a freshly unearthed herb whose medicinal power had not diminished in the slightest.

“This is Dragon Beard Grass!” an old man exclaimed. This type of spiritual herb had become extinct. Dragon Beard Grass could not only strengthen the body but also greatly benefit certain exotic beasts.

“This is Three-Leaf Divine Flower, a sixth-rank spiritual herb.”

“All five of these spiritual herbs are rare goods—what a generous move!”

Some people discussed animatedly, their minds stirred. Seeing this, Yang Tian’s face showed a hint of delight. Among these herbs, Dragon Beard Grass commanded the highest price. How could a spiritual herb cultivated with the color of vitality be ordinary?

Yang Tian had already used half of the Vitality Water he obtained at the Martial Dao Mountain, but there was still a considerable amount left, most of which he used to cultivate spiritual herbs.

“For these five spiritual herbs, the guest requests an exchange for fifth-rank soul spiritual herbs. If you can produce three soul spiritual herbs, these five are yours.”

“Three!” The crowd below was stunned repeatedly. This was an astronomical price. Soul spiritual herbs were exceptionally precious, especially fifth-rank ones.

“Heh, I need not explain the effects of Dragon Beard Grass. Whoever can produce three will take them,” the old man said with a faint smile, unconcerned about failing to sell.

The atmosphere in the hall was oppressive, and Yang Tian’s nerves were taut. The silence lasted about five breaths. Surprise flickered in the old man’s eyes, and just as he was about to give up, a faint voice rang out.

“Add one fourth-rank soul spiritual herb!”

As soon as the words fell, the gazes in the palace instantly shifted to the topmost box, where the most powerful figures sat—reportedly a major force from the Central Region.

Yang Tian breathed a sigh of relief, cold sweat beading on his back. Just as he relaxed, another voice slowly sounded.

“I’m also interested in this. I’ll trade too!”

The faint voice spread, and many in the palace were stunned. The bid came from another topmost box—two superpowers were vying for these five spiritual herbs.

In the box, the youth in spotless white frowned slightly. Even the graceful woman beside him knitted her brows. They were clearly opposing the Alchemy Dao Alliance.

“Go on, bid—better yet, drive up the price.” Rubbing his hands, Yang Tian laughed inwardly. These people were dripping with wealth, especially the Alchemy Dao Alliance crowd, whose fortunes were surely substantial.

Hearing the tense atmosphere, the old man smiled. “This gentleman has raised the bid. Is there any higher offer?”

“Two fourth-rank spiritual herbs.”

“Three fourth-rank spiritual herbs.”

With the price quickly escalating, the youth in spotless white clenched his fist, but his voice was stopped by the old man beside him.

“Damn, why did it end?!” The deal was struck, and Yang Tian scratched his head, thoroughly displeased. At this rate, they could have driven the price up several more herbs.

In that box, the youth in spotless white asked the old man beside him, “Uncle De, why didn’t we buy it? This Dragon Beard Grass is extremely rare; it can be used to refine a precious medicine for tempering the body!”

The old man called Uncle De smiled without a word and simply tossed out a jade slip. “This is what’s up for auction at the grand meeting. Take a look yourself.”

A hint of doubt flickered in the youth’s eyes as he swept his soul power over the jade slip. His face immediately showed a look of sudden understanding. “I didn’t expect there to be supreme-grade bloodstones here.”

“Indeed. Even within the clan, we don’t have many supreme-grade bloodstones. Save the soul spiritual herbs for bidding on them.”

The subsequent auction brought out many top-tier treasures. A fifth-rank spiritual herb was offered, but Yang Tian failed to secure it—it was bought by the top-floor box.

“Now I have three soul spiritual herbs, but it’s far from enough—far too little.” Yang Tian clenched his fist. Yang Xiao’s soul origin had been severely damaged and required a large amount of soul spiritual herbs; fourth-rank herbs were virtually useless.

The auction lasted half a day, the venue extremely lively. The items on offer grew increasingly rare. When a dozen supreme-grade bloodstones were presented before the crowd, the auction’s fervor reached its peak.

“These supreme-grade bloodstones are all to be exchanged for soul spiritual herbs, with no reserve price!”

As these words fell, many who had been holding their breath instantly deflated, on the verge of cursing. Supreme-grade bloodstones were rare in themselves, and now they were being traded for soul spiritual herbs—what kind of spendthrift was this?

“Five fifth-rank spiritual herbs!”

The top-box people made their move, calling out an astronomical price that nearly frightened a few into fainting.

“Six!”

“Seven!”

“This old man offers ten!”

The powerful declaration rang out, stunning the entire audience. Their gazes shifted to another box, and they showed looks of sudden realization.

That was the box reserved for the Alchemy Valley. It seemed the experts of Alchemy Valley were not content to remain silent and had blurted out an astronomical price. These supreme-grade bloodstones were rare treasures for nurturing juniors, and the three fist-sized pieces were an incredible fortune.

With this bid, the other two boxes ultimately fell silent. Compared to this native-born tycoon, they had come from afar and naturally couldn’t prepare so many rare treasures.

In a box on the fourth floor, Meng Yunxi and Meng Hao exchanged glances. Meng Yunxi leaned lazily against her chair and sighed slowly, “Alas, I thought we could win it, but I didn’t expect Alchemy Valley to interfere.”

“Yes, what excellent supreme-grade bloodstones.” Meng Hao sighed deeply, looking as if he wanted to beat his chest and stamp his feet.

Hearing their voices, Meng Lie raised an eyebrow, cast a veiled glance at the young man beside him, and sighed slowly, “Too bad we’re broke.”

As the three sighed, the corners of the two old men’s mouths twitched involuntarily. Just then, the extremely formidable young man’s face lit up with joy.

“I bid one sixth-rank soul spiritual herb!” The domineering words rang out, and the entire venue fell dead silent. Many were petrified. A sixth-rank spiritual herb—a rare treasure!

Seeing the stunned expressions around him, the young man couldn’t help but show a hint of pride. Then, catching sight of Meng Yunxi’s beautiful face, his pride grew even more pronounced.

“Damn, who’s this fool bidding so high?” Qing Yuan’s eyes bulged as he couldn’t help exclaiming. A sixth-rank spiritual herb could even be exchanged for a seventh-rank one—a truly lavish move.

“It seems to be the Meng family’s box,” Qing Yuan said, his gaze shifting to that box.

“The Meng family?” Yang Tian’s face showed a hint of surprise. The formidable youths he had seen earlier were among that group. Apart from that young man, who had such boldness, he doubted the two old men had that kind of nerve.

Meng Yunxi and Meng Hao exchanged glances, unable to suppress a smile. Meng Lie’s eyes showed a contemplative look. The many soul spiritual herbs that had appeared at the auction house recently might be related to this.

Meng Lie looked over eagerly, thinking that when the deal was concluded, Wan Teng would surely give the supreme-grade bloodstones to Meng Yunxi, and perhaps he could get a larger share later.

“Young friend, you have great boldness. This old man bids one sixth-rank soul spiritual herb plus three fifth-rank spiritual herbs!” The old man from Alchemy Valley slowly spoke, extremely domineering, revealing the profound底蕴 of Alchemy Valley.

Hearing this, Wan Teng frowned slightly, his gaze darting around. When he noticed the disappointment on Meng Yunxi’s face, his heart tightened. But then he thought it over—he only had one sixth-rank soul spiritual herb on him, no more. Yet asking to borrow some was something he couldn’t bring himself to do.

“If no one raises the bid, these supreme-grade bloodstones will be sold.” On the palace stage, the old man licked his lips and smiled slightly.

“Wait…” Wan Teng was extremely anxious. He couldn’t back down in front of a beauty. Gritting his teeth, he said, “I’ll add one Soul-Refining Pill!”

The almost shouted words stunned the venue into silence; even the sound of swallowing could be heard. The Soul-Refining Pill, a fifth-rank high-grade soul pill, had remarkable effects for breaking through from Force Tempering to the Soul Refining stage. Such pills were extremely precious, and even ordinary sixth-rank alchemists were not confident in refining them successfully.