"Six hundred spirit stones!"
"Congratulations to this Daoist friend for winning the top-grade magical artifact Blazing Fire Ring at six hundred spirit stones!"
On stage, Zhong Quying announced loudly, and the crowd below buzzed with excitement.
"Under normal circumstances, even though top-grade magical artifacts are mostly used by Foundation Establishment cultivators and are usually the crown jewels of many shops, their price rarely exceeds five hundred spirit stones…"
"This Blazing Fire Ring does seem quite powerful, but whether it's a bargain or a rip-off at six hundred spirit stones is hard to say."
Qu Zijian commented calmly, though a glint of desire flashed in his eyes.
With his late-stage Qi Refining cultivation, he could already unleash a good portion of a top-grade artifact's power.
Whether he truly believed what he said or was simply trying to make peace with a price he couldn't afford only he knew.
Li Ye, hearing this, replied,
"For Xuanbao Hall to start the auction with such an item, there might very well be more top-grade artifacts coming later. If this one was a bit too pricey, maybe there's still something suitable to be found."
"That'd be best. But if they're all this expensive…"
Qu Zijian shook his head. "Might be better to just use the spirit stones to buy some herbs and ask you to refine a few batches of pills that'd be more cost-effective!"
His words carried clear sincerity.
In the previous battle, the Zimo Forest Market had secured a decisive victory. While much of the credit went to Elder Yu's strategic planning, it was the overwhelming number of Zimo Powders mostly low-grade, but with a significant number of mid- to high-grade ones that had truly ensured success.
Afterward, those paying attention could quickly discover that many of those high-quality Zimo Powders hadn't come from old stock but were freshly refined…
Highly likely by Li Ye, the stationed alchemist himself!
This meant that his alchemy skills were probably approaching the second-tier level. Otherwise, it would've been impossible to produce so many mid- to high-grade pills in such a short time.
Once this conclusion spread, even those cultivators who had previously been skeptical of Li Ye's capabilities and hesitant to entrust him with valuable ingredients began to reconsider.
Originally, Li Ye only received commissions for low- and mid-grade Tier One pills, but now, more and more late-stage Qi Refining cultivators were coming to him.
Especially after word of the auction spread, cultivators from outside the Zimo Forest Market began arriving in droves, drawn by his growing reputation.
Li Ye's name as an alchemist was now known throughout the surrounding regions.
"In that case, Senior Brother, let me thank you in advance for the business," Li Ye said with an easy smile.
As they continued chatting, one auction item after another brought out various magical artifacts, pills, and techniques. Though none matched the opening top-grade artifact, they still drew spirited bidding from the audience.
"Very good! This set of Long River Flowing Techniques goes to this Daoist friend…"
A glimmer of excitement appeared on Zhong Quying's face as he announced:
"The next item… even this old man finds it quite tempting. For those of you troubled by dwindling lifespan don't miss this chance!"
His words were practically a direct reveal.
At once, the eyes of the audience lit up. Many of the older cultivators with graying hair and beards immediately sat up straight, their expressions growing serious.
In the private room, Li Ye watched this scene and shook his head.
"It's just a recipe… He makes it sound so dramatic as if it were the finished pill!"
Still, judging by the reaction, the competition he'd face might be more intense than he expected.
"This Longevity Pill recipe is being sold by the Luo family and has been personally verified by a second-tier alchemist of our Purple Profound Sect guaranteed to be accurate…"
Zhong Quying lifted the jade slip placed on the stage by a maid and presented it to the eager crowd.
"Starting bid: 100 spirit stones!"
"Just the recipe?!"
Someone in the crowd immediately shouted, sounding quite disappointed.
The fiery enthusiasm that had filled the audience dimmed considerably.
If it were the actual pills, perhaps they could still compete. But a recipe…? Where were they supposed to find an aged Earth Dragon Ginseng?
Even so, those from various Foundation Establishment clans still maintained a strong level of interest.
To them, while Earth Dragon Ginseng was indeed an incredibly rare treasure, it wasn't entirely unattainable.
This pill recipe still held significant value if they could obtain it, then in times when their family was at a low ebb, it might grant their clan elder another ten years of life. That could be enough to see a new Foundation Establishment cultivator rise!
But before they could place a bid, a voice rang out from one of the private booths:
"Four hundred spirit stones!"
The opening bid was already this high, instantly drawing the attention of many cultivators, who turned toward the source of the voice.
Then, the voice spoke again:
"I am Li Ye, the resident alchemist of this area. Should I be fortunate enough to win this recipe, fellow Daoists are welcome to seek me out for refinement services."
Li Ye was already quite well-known in the market, and participating in this bidding even from a private room meant he'd likely be recognized regardless.
So there was little point in hiding it. Better to be open about it and make it a bit of free advertising while he was at it.
Of course… if the bidding got too intense, he had no intention of spending spirit stones unnecessarily!
As soon as he said this, the crowd below burst into excited chatter.
Those who had the means to attend an auction like this were rarely unfamiliar with Li Ye's name. Some had even already commissioned him for pill refinement and had firsthand experience with his skills.
Most of them were rogue cultivators. Even if they managed to acquire the primary ingredients, they had no other option but to find an alchemist to refine the pill and Li Ye was, by all accounts, a trustworthy one.
This situation even appealed to many smaller families without in-house alchemists of their own.
From their perspective, if Li Ye ended up with the recipe, it might not be a bad thing at all.
However, on stage, Zhong Quying and the members of the Luo family mingling in the crowd couldn't help but frown slightly.
This move of his was a bit out of line!
"Weren't you determined to win that recipe? Why have you gone silent now?"
In another private booth, someone turned to Alchemist Luo with a frown.
Alchemist Luo gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "If it were someone else, perhaps I would continue. But this is Li Ye his alchemy skills are already at the peak of Tier One. How can I compete with that?"
"When he first arrived, my behavior already showed a hint of hostility. He simply chose to ignore me back then..."
"But if I offend him, and he's willing to retaliate… with his skill, he could easily monopolize the market in Zimo Forest, and I'd see my commissions dry up fast!"
"Rather than let things go that way, perhaps it's better I find an opportunity to show goodwill. Who knows he might even be willing to offer me some guidance."
His tone was half self-deprecating, half sincere.
Ever since he'd learned that the Zimo Powders used in that pivotal battle were likely all refined by Li Ye alone, the last traces of competitiveness and animosity in Alchemist Luo had all but disappeared.
There was just too large a gap between them.
He was still struggling to improve his mid-grade pill success rate, only daring to refine high-grade pills occasionally when he was in peak condition yet even then, his success rate was dismal.
Meanwhile, Li Ye had already achieved stable, large-scale production of high-grade pills. How could he possibly compare?
Better to admit defeat and stop causing trouble… maybe even curry some favor and hope to gain a little insight that could help him improve.
Of course, not everyone was so ready to back down.
"Five hundred spirit stones!"
Another voice suddenly cut in, raising the price by a full hundred spirit stones.
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