Chapter 50: Unexpected Harvest

Leaving the mist-shrouded mountain gate of the Primordial Holy Land, Chen Chuan did not head directly to the Demon Beast Mountain Range to complete his assessment mission.

Following the route he had inquired about beforehand, he headed toward Tianyu City, the most prosperous city within the Tianyu Empire.

A day later, the silhouette of a towering and majestic giant city appeared on the horizon.

The city walls were very high, built from unknown black boulders, stretching for hundreds of miles like a sleeping ancient beast.

This was the undisputed number one city of the Tianyu Empire, where merchants gathered and powers were intertwined; its prosperity was far beyond that of any ordinary prefecture city.

After paying the entry fee, Chen Chuan stepped into the city.

The streets were wide enough for ten carriages to pass side-by-side, lined with buildings featuring carved beams and painted rafters, with crowds as dense as woven fabric, shoulder to shoulder.

The streets were a scene of bustling noise and excitement.

Chen Chuan had no time to appreciate this worldly prosperity.

His goal was clear: the largest auction house in Tianyu City, the Wanbao Tower.

With its grand storefront and the constant flow of people, Chen Chuan easily found the Wanbao Tower located in the city center.

After explaining his status as a Disciple of the Primordial Holy Land and his purpose, he was led by a pretty maidservant to an elegant reception room.

Chen Chuan revealed his identity primarily because he wanted the Wanbao Tower to be wary of the Primordial Holy Land, so he wouldn’t be cheated.

Before long, a middle-aged manager dressed in a brocade robe, with a sharp face and a goatee, walked in quickly.

He had a professional, warm smile on his face:

"My surname is Wang, one of the stewards of the Wanbao Tower. I wonder what advice the esteemed high Disciple of the Primordial Holy Land has for us today?"

Chen Chuan didn’t beat around the bush and got straight to the point.

He took out the jade bottle containing three top-grade Soul-Congealing Pills from his Storage Ring and placed it gently on the table.

"Steward Wang, I have some items I wish to auction at your esteemed establishment."

Steward Wang’s gaze fell upon the jade bottle. He could feel a faint, cool medicinal power seeping through the bottle, giving his spirits a slight lift.

He carefully picked up the jade bottle, pulled out the stopper, and took a light sniff.

The next moment, the professional smile on his face instantly froze, replaced by a look of deep shock.

He quickly replaced the stopper, his movements cautious as if he were holding some rare treasure, and his voice carried a faint, almost imperceptible tremor:

"Is this... a top-grade Soul-Congealing Pill?"

He suddenly looked up at Chen Chuan, his eyes filled with disbelief.

As a steward of the Wanbao Tower, he had seen many treasures.

But a top-grade Soul-Congealing Pill among Grade Five Medicinal Pills was definitely rare.

Furthermore, Medicinal Pills of this level were not something people would just sell off casually.

"Young Master, are you sure you want to auction all three of these top-grade Soul-Congealing Pills?"

Steward Wang took a deep breath, suppressed the excitement in his heart, and confirmed once more.

He knew the value of these three pills; they were enough to drive many Cultivators stuck at the Peak of the Mountain Sea Realm, and even some True Domain Realm experts, into a frenzy.

"I’m sure," Chen Chuan said flatly, as if what he had produced was just an ordinary item. "I wonder if your tower has any suitable auctions coming up soon?"

"Yes!" Steward Wang said hurriedly.

"Tomorrow at noon, our Wanbao Tower will hold a monthly auction. At that time, many distinguished guests from all over the Empire and even neighboring territories will participate."

"Among them are many experts who have come specifically seeking an Opportunity for a Breakthrough."

"These three top-grade Soul-Congealing Pills can definitely serve as one of the grand finale items."

He paused and added, "According to the rules, our Wanbao Tower will take five percent of the final price as a commission. What does the Young Master think?"

"That’s fine," Chen Chuan nodded in agreement. This commission rate was considered fair in the industry.

Steward Wang took out a purple-gold medallion engraved with the Wanbao Tower’s mark and handed it respectfully to Chen Chuan.

"This is your VIP credential. With this, you can enter the second-floor VIP booth directly tomorrow to participate in the bidding."

"Additionally, there might be other rare treasures at the auction. If the Young Master is interested, you may keep an eye out."

Chen Chuan took the medallion. His heart stirred slightly, but he showed no emotion on his face, only nodding.

...

By noon the next day, the Wanbao Tower’s auction hall was already packed to capacity.

The hall was circular, with a high platform in the center surrounded by ordinary seating, while the upper level consisted of individual booths to protect the privacy of important guests.

Using the purple-gold medallion, Chen Chuan was led by a maidservant to a booth on the second floor.

Through the specially treated crystal glass, he could clearly see the situation on the auction stage below, while the outside world could not peer into the interior of the booth.

Soon, the auction officially began.

A female auctioneer dressed in a red cheongsam, with a graceful figure and a charming face, stepped onto the high platform.

Her voice was sweet and infectious, easily stirring up the atmosphere in the hall.

The items auctioned earlier were varied.

There were rare Artifact Refining Materials.

There were Spiritual Artifacts of impressive power.

There were ancient Spiritual Plants.

Although there was competition, it did not reach a particularly intense level.

Clearly, many people were still waiting for the main highlights later on.

Finally, when the auction reached its mid-to-late stage, the red-clothed beauty auctioneer’s voice suddenly rose an octave, carrying a hint of excitement:

"The next auction item is a Medicinal Pill that I believe many guests have been looking forward to for a long time."

"It has incredible effects on nourishing the Divine Soul and breaking through Realms."

As soon as she finished speaking, two maidservants carefully carried a jade tray onto the stage.

On the jade tray was the bottle of top-grade Soul-Congealing Pills provided by Chen Chuan.

When the beautiful auctioneer personally opened the jade bottle and displayed the longan-sized pill, which emitted a shimmering treasure light and a refreshing Divine Soul fragrance, to the crowd.

The entire auction hall first fell into a strange silence, then erupted into an earth-shaking uproar.

"Top-grade Soul-Congealing Pill! It’s really a top-grade Soul-Congealing Pill!"

"Heavens! A Soul-Congealing Pill of this quality hasn’t appeared in how many years?"

"If I can obtain this pill, my chances of breaking through to the True Domain Realm will increase by at least sixty percent."

"More than that! Even for True Domain Realm experts, this pill has the effect of stabilizing the Divine Soul and enhancing Divine Sense."

Exclamations and discussions rose one after another, and everyone’s eyes became fervent.

Especially those Cultivators with powerful auras who had clearly been stuck at a Bottleneck for many years—their breathing grew rapid.

The beautiful auctioneer was very satisfied with the effect on the scene. She smiled sweetly and struck the gavel in her hand:

"One top-grade Soul-Congealing Pill, starting price: ten million gold tickets."

"Each bid increment must not be less than one hundred thousand gold tickets. Now, let the bidding begin."

As soon as she finished speaking, someone immediately began bidding.

"Eleven million!"

"Twelve million!"

"Fifteen million!"

"Eighteen million!"

The price soared as if it were on a rocket, and the intensity of the competition far exceeded any previous auction item.

Not only were the wealthy guests in the hall competing, but even some of the booths on the second floor frequently called out bids.

Sitting in his booth, Chen Chuan listened to the rising bids outside and felt the ever-increasing numbers; a satisfied smile couldn’t help but appear on his lips.

He knew that putting the Soul-Congealing Pills up for auction was the best choice.

If he had traded them within the Holy Land, he might have exchanged them for some contribution points or other resources.

But it would have been impossible to directly receive such a massive amount of gold tickets as he was now.

For him, who urgently needed gold tickets to gain a sense of security, this was the optimal solution.

Finally, after a nearly white-hot struggle, the three top-grade Soul-Congealing Pills were purchased by a mysterious True Domain Realm expert in one of the second-floor booths.

Each pill went for twenty million gold tickets, a sky-high total of sixty million gold tickets.

Even after deducting the Wanbao Tower’s five percent commission, Chen Chuan would still receive fifty-seven million gold tickets, which was definitely a fortune.

The commotion caused by the Soul-Congealing Pills gradually subsided, and the auction continued.

After several more decent items were auctioned, the beautiful auctioneer brought out a new tray, on which lay a dull-colored, seemingly unremarkable, and ancient-looking Jade Slip.

"The next auction item is quite special," the beautiful auctioneer introduced.

"This is an ancient Jade Slip made of old material, upon which an extremely mysterious and complex Restriction has been placed."

"Our Wanbao Tower invited several Formation Great Masters and Rune Grandmasters to try various methods, but none were able to undo its Restriction."

"Therefore, no one knows exactly what information is recorded inside the Jade Slip."

She paused and looked around the room.

"Perhaps it contains some lost divine technique or Secret Manual, perhaps a treasure map, or perhaps just an insignificant message."

"In short, its value is unknown; it all depends on one’s personal affinity and luck."

"The starting price is one million gold tickets, and each bid increment must not be less than ten thousand gold tickets. Interested guests may now place their bids."

A wave of whispers immediately broke out in the audience.

Everyone looked at the Jade Slip with curiosity, but more so with hesitation.

Being unable to undo the Restriction meant buying a piece of useless jade; one million gold tickets was not a small sum.

For a moment, no one spoke up to bid.

When the Jade Slip was brought out, Chen Chuan used his Eye of Wisdom to observe it.

"Location Map of the Nine Nether Soul Devouring Flame!"

Eight clear words flashed through his mind, making Chen Chuan’s heart skip a beat.

Nine Nether Soul Devouring Flame!

All the information regarding the Nine Nether Soul Devouring Flame quickly appeared in Chen Chuan’s mind.

Source of the Nine Nether Soul Devouring Flame: Born from the depths of an Extremely Yin Land, absorbing the Qi of ten-thousand-year-old resentful spirits.

Ability: Directly burns the Soul, ignoring physical defenses.

Those burned will experience their most painful memories from past and present lives, causing their minds to collapse.

It can devour others’ Souls and convert them into one’s own spiritual power.

He suppressed the excitement and ecstasy in his heart, his face remaining calm like a true bystander.

After waiting for a moment and seeing that no one had bid, a flash of disappointment crossed the beautiful auctioneer’s face.

Just as she was about to announce that the item had failed to sell, someone finally spoke tentatively:

"One million and fifty thousand."

"One million and one hundred thousand."

"One million and two hundred thousand."

Sparsely, only three people were slowly raising the price, clearly hoping for a bargain but unwilling to invest too much.

When the price slowly dragged up to five million gold tickets, it stalled; the three bidders seemed to have reached their psychological limits.

"Five million and ten thousand," one of them added weakly.

Chen Chuan knew the time had come. Through the booth’s voice transmission device, he placed a bid in a calm, steady voice:

"Five million and five hundred thousand."

Once this price was announced, the three bidders fell completely silent.

Spending five and a half million to buy a potentially useless Jade Slip was too great a risk.

In the end, no one else competed with Chen Chuan.

"Five million and five hundred thousand gold tickets, sold! Congratulations to this distinguished guest!"

The beautiful auctioneer dropped the gavel and secretly breathed a sigh of relief; at least it hadn’t failed to sell.

The Jade Slip was delivered to Chen Chuan’s booth by a maidservant.

It felt cool to the touch and had an ancient texture; the Restriction was indeed profound, but it posed no difficulty for Chen Chuan.

He carefully put the Jade Slip away, as if he had acquired a priceless treasure.

After the auction ended, Chen Chuan went backstage to handle the settlement procedures.

After deducting the five and a half million for the Jade Slip and the commission from the Soul-Congealing Pill auction, he netted fifty-one million and five hundred thousand gold tickets.

Carrying a fortune and a secret, Chen Chuan left the Wanbao Tower satisfied, his figure quickly vanishing into the bustling crowds of Tianyu City.

He planned to find a quiet place to rest for a while before heading to the Demon Beast Mountain Range.