Chapter 105. Rank 8 [5]
Lin Xuan briefly inspected the contents of the spatial ring before a trace of surprise flashed across his eyes.
There were more than twenty million spirit stones stored within.
Not only that, every single one of them was a medium-grade spirit stone.
At least they’re only of poor quality, he thought to himself with a subtle nod.
Without another word, he tossed the spatial ring back toward Qin Xishu.
She caught it with a casual smile before slipping it back onto her finger.
Lin Xuan nodded.
"The bidder has sufficient funds."
He raised the auction hammer once more.
"Two million spirit stones, going once—"
"Three million."
Shangguan Zhengda’s calm voice interrupted him.
He had already questioned the legitimacy of the bid once.
Now, he would respond with action instead.
The hall erupted into another wave of discussion.
Lin Xuan looked toward him.
"Elder Shangguan. Is that in small-grade spirit stones or medium-grade spirit stones?"
The elder hesitated for the briefest moment.
"...Small-grade."
An ominous feeling suddenly crept into his heart.
Lin Xuan nodded.
"In that case..."
He looked around the hall before announcing in an even voice,
"Young Lady Xu’s bid was made using medium-grade spirit stones. Based on the standard exchange rate, her current bid is equivalent to four million small-grade spirit stones."
Shangguan Zhengda’s expression darkened slightly.
He clenched his jaw and the words felt as if it was forced out through gritted teeth.
"...Five million."
Qin Xishu smiled brightly and gently nudged Xu Qingyue’s shoulder.
"Come on, don’t be shy."
Xu Qingyue didn’t hesitate in the slightest, she calmly raised her small hand.
"Five million."
Lin Xuan turned his gaze toward Qin Xishu who simply smiled and gave a small nod.
Receiving her confirmation, Lin Xuan raised the auction hammer once more.
"Five million medium-grade spirit stones, going once."
The banquet hall fell silent.
Every pair of eyes turned toward Shangguan Zhengda.
The elder sat motionless, his brows tightly furrowed.
Pure Quality pills were indeed extraordinarily precious.
There was no denying that.
However..... paying the equivalent of over ten million small-grade spirit stones for a single bottle was no longer a sensible investment.
A normal Golden Core Pill cost roughly ten thousand spirit stones.
At the current price, each Pure Quality Golden Core Pill had reached nearly one million spirit stones apiece.
The premium was simply too great.
For the same amount of wealth, the Shangguan Family could purchase a hundred ordinary Golden Core Pills and distribute them among their promising younger generation.
The benefits would undoubtedly outweigh buying ten flawless pills.
After weighing the gains and losses, Shangguan Zhengda slowly closed his eyes.
He chose to remain silent.
Seeing that no one else intended to bid, Lin Xuan raised the hammer again.
"Five million medium-grade spirit stones, going twice."
"Sold."
Bang!
The hammer struck the jade table with a crisp, resounding sound.
"The first bottle of Pure Quality Golden Core Pills goes to Young Lady Xu Qingyue."
Polite applause echoed throughout the banquet hall.
Lin Xuan smiled faintly.
"Congratulations, Young Lady Xu."
Xu Qingyue merely gave a small nod in acknowledgment.
The transaction was completed swiftly before the second bottle was brought onto the stage.
However., before anyone else could even organize their thoughts Xu Qingyue calmly raised another bid.
"Five million medium-grade spirit stones."
The hall immediately fell silent once more.
This time, no one challenged her.
With Shangguan Zhengda already choosing to withdraw, the remaining guests had little confidence in competing against someone backed by Qin Xishu.
The second bottle was sold without incident.
Soon afterward, the third bottle followed the same fate.
"Five million medium-grade spirit stones."
Bang!
"The third bottle is sold to Young Lady Xu Qingyue."
In less than the time it took to brew a cup of tea, all three bottles had been claimed by the same person.
An unusual silence settled over the banquet hall.
Many guests exchanged uncertain glances.
Some couldn’t help but wonder whether everything they had just witnessed had been arranged from the very beginning.
After all, the Lin Family had announced a public auction, yet every bottle had ultimately ended up in the hands of someone associated with Qin Xishu.
One merchant lowered his voice and leaned toward the man beside him.
"Do you think the Lin Family never intended to sell the pills in the first place?"
The other man frowned thoughtfully.
"It does seem rather coincidental."
Before either of them could continue, the man seated across from them let out a knowing chuckle.
"Tsk... Don’t you understand?"
He took a sip of his wine before continuing.
"The pills were never meant to be sold."
He glanced around the banquet hall.
"They were simply baits to make their promotion banquet grand.
We all came rushing here because of the Pure Quality pills and we fell for it."
The two merchants were momentarily stunned.
The man beside him nodded repeatedly.
"That makes sense."
Another guest at the same table clicked his tongue.
"Tsk, tsk. I’d even wager that Qin Xishu was invited behind the scenes."
He looked toward the woman in azure robes.
"The little commotion earlier was probably nothing more than an act."
Several people nearby murmured in agreement.
"I think so as well."
"Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence?"
"The Lin Family really knows how to build momentum."
The quiet speculation gradually spread from one table to another.
Some believed the auction had been genuine.
Others became increasingly convinced that it had all been carefully orchestrated from the start.
Lin Xuan, however, paid no attention to the whispers drifting through the banquet hall.
He calmly accepted the three storage pouches containing the payment before storing them inside his own spatial ring.
Fifteen million medium-grade spirit stones.
That alone had already exceeded his original expectations.
Truthfully, he had never imagined that Pure Quality Golden Core Pills would command such an outrageous price.
Even after deducting the cost of the herbs, selling it for ten thousand would have been a profit.
A pleasant surprise, Lin Xuan thought with a faint smile.
As for the rumors circulating among the guests, he couldn’t have cared less.
They were free to speculate however they wished.
The spirit stones now resting inside his spatial ring were real enough.