Chapter 152: First Encounter with a Dao Pill

The price of the three Heavy Water Thunder Pearls had already been called to a thousand top-grade spirit stones, which silenced almost everyone present. It wasn't that no one could afford it, but everyone felt the price was not worth it.

After all, this was a one-time consumable treasure, while a thousand top-grade spirit stones under normal circumstances might be enough to purchase a low-quality acquired immortal artifact.

Thus, everyone's gaze began to shuttle back and forth between Han Li and the bald burly man, adopting a completely spectator-like mentality.

Of course, the happiest person at this moment was none other than the auction's host, Wen Hua.

The more the auction item's price could be raised, the higher his final commission and reputation would rise accordingly.

"One thousand top-grade spirit stones, first call! Is there any fellow Daoist willing to bid higher?" Wen Hua cleared his throat and said, but his gaze directly fell on Han Li.

Han Li, however, was frowning deeply and remained silent.

Seeing this, the bald burly man's eyes flashed with a hint of pride, and his gaze swept around casually.

Seeing that the others remained expressionless and no one intended to bid, and Wen Hua had already called out "second call," the pride in the man's eyes grew even stronger.

On the auction stage, Wen Hua, seeing no one bidding, was about to strike the gavel.

"I don't have enough spirit stones on me. Fellow Daoists, please take a look at this item of mine and see how much it's worth." A voice suddenly rang out, and it was Han Li.

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire hall erupted in uproar.

The bald burly man also paused slightly, but then a disdainful sneer curled at the corner of his mouth.

Han Li, in the guise of the bearded burly man, flipped his hand and took out a strip-shaped jade box, handing it to the attendant beside him.

The attendant's heart jolted, and she quickly held the jade box in her hands, hurrying to the auction stage under the gaze of tens of thousands, placing the jade box on the long table in front of the three individuals: the gray-robed old man, the blue-shirted burly man, and the middle-aged woman.

The blue-shirted burly man and the middle-aged woman sat motionless, clearly not very interested in what Han Li could produce as collateral.

After all, they were well-traveled and had already appraised countless treasures during the auction, most of which were mediocre. The most valuable item so far was a small piece of Sea Soul Stone with a trace of water-attribute law, which had fetched only four hundred and eighty top-grade spirit stones.

Seeing his two companions indifferent, the gray-robed old man casually reached out, picked up the jade box, and gently lifted the lid, opening it a crack.

"Oh!" The old man's white brows twitched slightly, and he let out a soft exclamation. Then he glanced in Han Li's direction and handed the jade box to the blue-shirted burly man beside him.

The burly man noticed the change in the white-browed old man's expression and, somewhat suspiciously, opened the jade box a crack. His expression immediately turned to surprise. After a brief deliberation, he handed the jade box to the middle-aged woman.

After the middle-aged woman looked at it, a flicker of surprise appeared in her eyes, but she only glanced in Han Li's direction without saying much.

The three exchanged a few words via voice transmission. The gray-robed old man cleared his throat and looked at Han Li, saying, "Fellow Daoist, we estimate this item of yours to be worth one thousand top-grade spirit stones. Are you willing?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the smile on the bald burly man's face completely froze, and a considerable stir arose in the hall.

"What?"

"Did I hear that right? What is this thing, worth a thousand top-grade spirit stones?"

"Could it be an acquired immortal artifact... It doesn't look like it!"

"Maybe it's some kind of elixir?"

...

According to auction rules, the appraisers did not necessarily have to disclose what the collateral was. Thus, the first floor immediately buzzed with discussion, and on the second floor, many acquaintances began whispering and speculating via voice transmission.

"I'll add one hundred, making it one thousand one hundred spirit stones."

Han Li frowned slightly but then relaxed, nodding to the gray-robed old man to indicate his acceptance, and then directly called out a bid.

The item in the jade box was none other than the thirty-thousand-year Soul Birth Flower he had cultivated, which was an absolute hot commodity in the Black Wind Sea. So, although he was not entirely satisfied with the price, on one hand, he needed the spirit stones now, and on the other, such rare medicinal herbs to others meant nothing to him. After a brief consideration, he agreed.

"One thousand... one hundred fifty!" The bald burly man hesitated slightly before quoting another price.

"One thousand two hundred."

"...One thousand three hundred!"

"One thousand five hundred." Han Li said calmly.

"Hmph!" The bald burly man's face changed color several times before he finally snorted coldly, crossed his arms, and leaned back in his chair, not bidding further.

"Three Heavy Water Thunder Pearls, one thousand five hundred spirit stones, sold!" Wen Hua's face lit up with joy as he announced immediately.

Immediately after, a black-clad young woman walked up to Han Li, smiled sweetly, and said softly:

"Senior, would you like to complete the transaction now or after the auction ends? If now, you'll need to step into the back hall."

"Let's do it now." Han Li said without a second thought, stood up, and followed the black-clad young woman toward the side of the venue.

In a certain private room on the third floor, Black Wind Island Lord Lu Jun was seated upright, beside him a stunningly beautiful white-clad young woman, none other than Lu Yuqing.

Lu Yuqing looked through the private room, her gaze falling on Han Li, and her brows slightly furrowed.

"Yuqing, what's wrong?" Lu Jun asked upon seeing this.

"Nothing. It's just that for some reason, that person gives me a familiar feeling." Lu Yuqing tilted her head and thought for a moment before saying.

"Familiar? Have you seen this person before?" Lu Jun followed her gaze and glanced at Han Li, who at that moment happened to walk into a room beside the venue.

"Nothing, probably just a misconception." Lu Yuqing shook her head and didn't dwell on it.

At that moment, the auction continued, and with the appearance of the next item, her attention was immediately drawn away.

Inside the room, a black-clad old man sat cross-legged, with a strip-shaped jade box at his side.

"Please have a seat, fellow Daoist." The old man stood up, a smile on his face, and cupped his hands in greeting.

Han Li sat down opposite him without speaking, and with a wave of his hand, a small pile of top-grade spirit stones appeared on the table, exactly five hundred.

"Hehe, fellow Daoist is truly straightforward." The black-clad old man chuckled, and with a wave of his hand, three jade boxes appeared on the table.

Han Li flicked his sleeve, and the lids of the jade boxes opened, revealing three Heavy Water Pearls lying quietly inside. He nodded with satisfaction.

After the transaction was completed, he nodded to the old man, showing no intention of staying longer, and stood up to leave.

"Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment." The black-clad old man quickly stood up as well, calling Han Li to stop.

"Do you have any further advice?" Han Li said indifferently.

"Advice is not warranted. I am merely entrusted by someone to ask if you have any more Soul Birth Flowers for sale? Those above twenty thousand years are acceptable. Our association is willing to purchase at a high price, and the price is naturally negotiable." The black-clad old man quickly said.

"Hehe, if I had more Soul Birth Flowers, I would have brought them out during the auction earlier. How could I let a treasure slip away? This one was obtained by sheer chance." Han Li shook his head and said somewhat self-deprecatingly.

Hearing this, the black-clad old man showed a hint of regret.

Han Li turned to leave, but just as he took a step, he suddenly paused, turned around, and asked, "Speaking of which, I also have a question for you, fellow Daoist. Do you know who refined these three Heavy Water Thunder Pearls?"

"These three Thunder Pearls were also purchased by our auction house by chance, and we are not clear about who refined them. However, as far as I know, they should be from a master outside the Black Wind Sea." The black-clad old man was taken aback and then answered.

Han Li nodded silently, stepped out of the small room, returned to the auction venue, and sat down again.

By now, many around him were casting sidelong glances, and quite a few people were intentionally or unintentionally sweeping their gazes toward him.

He, of course, paid no attention and remained composed.

"The next treasure is a pair of horns from a late True Immortal stage alien beast, the Split Sky Howl. They are perfectly preserved with no loss of spiritual nature. The starting price is six hundred top-grade spirit stones, and each bid must be no less than ten." On the auction stage, Wen Hua waved his hand, and a pair of purple-light-flowing horns appeared on the stage, radiating myriad purple rays.

In the hall, the cultivators' enthusiasm surged, and they immediately began a fierce competition.

Han Li naturally had no intention of participating. He just watched the auction calmly for several more rounds without leaving early.

Over an hour later.

"Fellow Daoists must have been waiting long! Next up is the grand finale of this assembly!" Wen Hua's expression was somewhat excited as he waved his hand and placed an item on the auction stage.

It was a crimson wooden box, covered with layers of talismans, sealed extremely tightly.

Even so, the spiritual energy around the wooden box began to ripple faintly, forming circles of flame-like light.

Han Li's pupils contracted slightly, and a trace of curiosity emerged deep in his eyes.

Other cultivators were even more impatient, releasing divine thoughts to probe the wooden box, but all were blocked by the talismans on it.

Wen Hua showed no displeasure at their probing. With a smile on his face, he muttered incantations and waved his hands, sending out streams of hand seals.

The talismans on the wooden box flew off one by one. After the last talisman flew off, with a click, the wooden box opened automatically, revealing a round, crimson pill inside.

The pill was only the size of a thumb, entirely crimson like fire, emitting strands of flame-like red light that rippled outward in circles.

On the surface of the pill, there was a rather conspicuous red pattern, which upon closer inspection seemed to be formed by countless law runes, giving a sense of profound mystery, almost akin to the Dao of Heaven.

Instantly, countless exclamations of amazement arose one after another, and the entire hall seemed to explode.

"You see correctly, fellow Daoists. This is a Dao Pill, known as the king of pills!" As Wen Hua said this, his voice carried a hint of excitement.

As an Earth-rank alchemist, his pursuit and longing for Dao Pills were beyond the understanding of ordinary people.

"Everyone is well aware of the value of Dao Pills, so I won't say much here. This is a first-grade fire-attribute Dao Pill. If any of you practice fire-attribute techniques, with the power of this Dao Pill, you might be able to grasp the Law of Fire in one go! The starting price is two thousand top-grade spirit stones, and each bid must be no less than one hundred!" Wen Hua's voice was full of temptation as he succinctly announced the starting price.