Yu Xian finished speaking and began to close his eyes to rest.
Silence enveloped the surroundings. Whether it was Fu Yue on the stage or the crowd below, they all stared at Yu Xian with disbelief.
Even Yun Ze felt the same.
Thirty thousand high-grade spirit stones!
That was enough to buy three Foundation Establishment Pills!
He knew Yu Xian was wealthy, but he never imagined he would bid thirty thousand right off the bat.
Even if one were lazy, they should at least feel some pain for their spirit stones!
Even though it was Yun Ze's first time at an auction, he understood that bidding incrementally would be better than shouting out such a large sum.
Of course, this was only his current thought.
After attending more auctions later, he would understand the brilliance of Yu Xian's move.
By directly stating his bottom line, he could exert pressure and deter those who might maliciously drive up the price.
"Thirty thousand spirit stones, first call."
Fu Yue quickly regained her composure, her astonishment vanishing. A professional smile returned to her lips. "Are there any further bids?"
The surroundings remained silent.
Yun Ze glanced around and noticed many people glaring at Yu Xian with gritted teeth. It seemed they had intended to bid for this Earth Soul Liquid for their Foundation Establishment.
However, they clearly couldn't afford more than thirty thousand spirit stones.
This was rather strange.
Brother Yu should have already established his foundation, so why would he buy this?
"Thirty thousand spirit stones, second call!"
Fu Yue's beautiful eyes swept across the audience. "This is one of the nine essential spiritual materials for Dao Foundation Establishment. If you miss it now, it won't be easy to encounter it again."
"Thirty thousand… one!"
A voice rang out from the crowd. Yun Ze instinctively followed the sound.
He saw an elder with silver hair standing amidst the throng, accompanied by several servants.
It was Yun Ze's first time seeing a cultivator showing such advanced signs of aging, and it felt somewhat surreal.
So, cultivators could grow old too?
"Good!"
Fu Yue smiled charmingly and spoke again. "Thirty-one thousand spirit stones, first call…"
"Forty thousand."
Yu Xian spoke again.
Everyone turned to stare at him, their eyes seeming to say…
Didn't you say you'd only bid thirty thousand? Why did you add more?
Yu Xian ignored them and continued to close his eyes, as if nothing had happened.
His reaction only made the expressions of the others more ferocious.
If it weren't for the presence of people from the Immortal Mansion, they would have likely pounced on this "nouveau riche" and stripped him bare!
Yun Ze finally realized how profitable that one spirit stone ticket had been.
Fu Yue calmed herself and spoke again.
"Forty thousand spirit stones, first call."
"Forty thousand spirit stones, second call."
The silver-haired elder's hand, which was gripping his cane, trembled uncontrollably. He could no longer speak to bid.
"Forty thousand spirit stones, third call!"
Fu Yue quickly brought down her gavel and smiled towards the trio. "Congratulations to this esteemed guest for acquiring the Earth Soul Liquid at the price of forty thousand high-grade spirit stones. Please wait a moment, and I will have it delivered to you."
This was the last item on the auction, and also the most expensive.
To prevent any unpleasantness, such as bid defaulting, Fu Yue naturally had to personally deliver the item and collect the payment.
Fu Yue descended from the high platform, and the crowd before her parted, creating a clear path.
They wanted to interact with Fu Yue more, but considering the Immortal Mansion behind this auction and the mysterious individual who could afford forty thousand spirit stones, they knew they couldn't afford to offend them.
Yun Ze also took a step back, blending into the crowd. He didn't want to attract attention, especially from Chen Xiao!
But before he could fully disappear into the crowd, Yu Xian's voice boomed from above him.
"Hey, where are you going? Go pay!"
Huh?
Pay? Me?
Yun Ze looked up at Yu Xian, tilting his head in utter confusion.
But in the next instant, he felt a pile of things appear in his embrace!
He instinctively reached out and pulled them out, freezing in place!
There were four spirit stones, shimmering with a radiant glow.
The luster and the spiritual energy contained within these four spirit stones were incomparable to the three he possessed.
They were clearly higher-grade spirit stones, equivalent to forty thousand high-grade spirit stones.
But…
When did these things get into his embrace?
As Yun Ze was still in shock, everyone's gaze shifted from Yu Xian to him.
Yu Xian, on the other hand, even had Brother Donkey step back. He then smiled at the crowd, "Don't look at me. I was just sitting higher up and bidding on behalf of someone. The one who actually wants to buy the Earth Soul Liquid is this young man."
What the heck!
Yun Ze looked at Yu Xian in disbelief, his eyes wide. "Brother Yu, you…"
"You have two choices now."
Before Yun Ze could finish speaking, Yu Xian's lips didn't move, but his voice echoed in Yun Ze's ear. "One, tell the truth. However, you will also lose my friendship, and from then on, I can only wish Brother Yun a smooth path to immortality.
Two, pay and take the Earth Soul Liquid!
The item is yours, and all this ill will is also yours.
No matter what means you use, as long as you don't leave the capital and survive these half a month, I will tell you the reason behind all of this, and even help you achieve Dao Foundation Establishment!
The choice is yours!"
As Yu Xian finished speaking, Fu Yue was already nearing the trio.
Yun Ze couldn't help but let out a wry smile.
He finally understood why Yu Xian had immediately bid such a high price of thirty thousand spirit stones, and even increased it to forty thousand!
It turned out all of this was a setup for him!
This must be what Yu Xian meant by "seeing the world."
But… possession of valuable items without the strength to protect them brings disaster. He understood this principle all too well.
Yu Xian's actions now were essentially putting him on the spot!
Was this another test, besides the one at the inn? What exactly did Brother Yu want?
Yun Ze frowned and pondered for a few moments, his gaze falling on Fu Yue, who was approaching.
That was the Earth Soul Liquid!
Ordinary Foundation Establishment could only extend one's lifespan by a hundred years, while Dao Foundation Establishment granted three hundred years!
That was a threefold difference!
Now, the opportunity was right before him. If he didn't take it, he would have truly lived in vain!
Moreover, he also wanted to know what Yu Xian was thinking.
Yun Ze scanned the crowd again and realized that looking at everyone's gazes from this angle felt so different.
Since things had come to this, why not go with the flow!
Whether it was the Earth Soul Liquid or the Dao Foundation Establishment Yu Xian mentioned, he wanted it all!
"Everyone, I apologize!"
Yun Ze stepped forward, idly playing with the four spirit stones of unknown grade in his hand, and placed his other hand on Brother Donkey's head, stroking it gently.
"My attendant here is usually too talkative. He should just bid, but he insisted on making a fuss. If I have inadvertently offended any of you…"
Yun Ze took a deep breath and scanned the entire audience with a look of utter disdain.
"If you have the guts, come and beat me!"