Chapter 18

Song Moran pursed his lips, a hint of a contemptuous smile appearing at the corners of his mouth, then he turned his head away.

He had already heard about what happened in the Golden Hall and naturally knew that Song Li's sudden breakthrough in cultivation was due to the pills his mother had given him. In his heart, he thought, a waste of a talent is still a waste of a talent. Even with a few miraculous pills, he is still just a medicine pot, and there's no way he can compare to a genius like himself. Song Li is now at the sixth level of Body Tempering, while he, Song Moran, has already broken through to the ninth level and is at the peak of the tenth level. He will soon break through the Body Tempering stage and enter the Qi Induction stage, with a bright future ahead. How can a medicine pot like Song Li compare? From the outside to the inside, he looked down on Song Li, a complete waste of a talent.

Song Li, seeing the contemptuous expression on Song Moran's face, knew exactly what he was thinking. This guy must still think I'm that useless young master Song Li. Even with a few miraculous pills, I'm still far from a genius like him. Very well, the more you underestimate me, the worse it will be for you when you fall into my hands. He enjoyed the feeling of suddenly bursting out and beating the other party to the ground when they least expected it. Cheng Zhengxiang and Little Levis had already tasted this bitter experience, and the next one might be Song Moran.

Song Li ignored him and looked around, but he didn't see the massive figure. However, he wasn't worried at all. This guy is very clever and must have already entrusted the "Purple Heart Crystal Fire" to the auction house. Today's auction will definitely include this treasure, and he was eager to see how much of a stir this little flame would cause among the crowd.

Not long after, a woman in a pink gauze dress, with a slender and graceful figure and a beautiful face, stood behind the auction platform and announced with a smile that the auction was officially beginning. When this charming and beautiful auctioneer stepped onto the stage, the majority of the men in the audience showed a lustful expression, their eyes fixed on the woman's trembling bosom. Song Li secretly laughed, it seemed that the Mandala Auction House really knew how to do business, using the beauty effect to attract customers.

Men, the upper half is an illusion, the lower half is the essence, no matter which time and space.

The first item up for auction on the stage was a first-grade Ice Wolf's crystal core, which quickly rose from 10,000 gold coins to 50,000 gold coins. This was already a very high price, and the old man who won the crystal core was delighted. The charming and beautiful auctioneer, seeing that the first treasure had been auctioned at a good price, smiled sweetly and said, "Next, I will introduce the second item for auction today, a high-grade human-level spirit pill, 12 'Qi Gathering Pills.' This pill is of great benefit to cultivators in the Body Tempering stage, especially at the peak of Body Tempering. With the help of the Qi Gathering Pill, it can quickly refine the energy in the body into true qi, increasing the success rate of breaking through to the Qi Induction stage to 30%. The starting price is 50,000 gold coins."

Song Li looked at the irregularly shaped pills in the ancient and transparent pill bottle and shook his head. This kind of pill, to be auctioned, is really a bit embarrassing. It can't even compare to the "Mystic Ice Qi Gathering Pill" his mother refined. In his eyes, it was just a waste of a pill. A truly high-grade pill should be as smooth as silk, as round as a pearl, with no flaws, and its fragrance should be pervasive, even when placed in a bottle, it could be smelled from a distance. But this so-called low-grade human-level "Qi Gathering Pill" not only looked terrible but also had a faint smell.

However, just because he, the son of a mid-level alchemist, found it trash, it didn't mean others would also think so. As soon as the beautiful auctioneer finished speaking, a sharp voice called out, "My young master offers 60,000 gold coins!"

Everyone in the hall turned to look. The one who called out was a middle-aged man dressed as a servant, standing next to a teenager about seventeen or eighteen years old. This teenager was Song Moran, who was lightly fanning himself, looking very confident. He had already reached the peak of the tenth level of Body Tempering, and this "Qi Gathering Pill" was just right for him, so he decided to make a bid.

Song Li also smiled, but his smile had a somewhat sinister meaning.

He originally had no interest in this trashy "Qi Gathering Pill," but since Song Moran was interested, he couldn't just stand by and do nothing, right? Even if he didn't want to buy it, causing some trouble and making Song Moran bleed a bit was still good.

At this moment, Song Li noticed that Pang Da had also appeared in the auction hall, not far from his seat. Pang Da had changed his appearance, but only Song Li recognized him. When Pang Da noticed Song Li looking at him, he actually gave a very flirtatious "wink," which made Song Li feel a chill and almost vomit.

"I offer 70,000 gold coins," Song Li raised his hand and called out loudly.

The discerning people finally realized that these two rich kids were just trying to outdo each other, so those who were about to bid promptly stopped, to avoid becoming cannon fodder.

"This noble guest offers 70,000 gold coins. Is there anyone who can offer more?" The beautiful auctioneer's smile became even brighter.

"I offer 80,000 gold coins!" Seeing Song Li also bid, Song Moran coldly snorted and personally raised his hand to bid. How could he lose to this waste of a talent?

"100,000!" Song Li didn't even look at him this time, lazily raising his hand to bid.

"120,000!"

"150,000!"

"200,000!"

"250,000!"

"300,000!" Song Moran called out a shocking price.

Everyone, including the beautiful auctioneer, was stunned by the rapid bidding between these two rich kids. They never expected to encounter such extravagant spenders at the auction. A bottle of ordinary high-grade human-level pills was bid up to 300,000 gold coins, truly a limit of brain damage!

However, when Song Moran called out 300,000 gold coins, Song Li suddenly stopped.

Pang Da couldn't help but glance at Song Li. He had grown up with Song Li and knew him very well. Seeing his posture, Pang Da knew that the boss was up to no good. He was clearly trying to deliberately upset Song Moran. If Song Moran didn't compete with him, he would lose face. For a rich kid, losing anything was unacceptable, especially not losing face in front of a well-known waste of a talent like Song Li! If Song Moran competed with Song Li, he would fall into his trap. Song Li didn't really want to buy this bottle of Qi Gathering Pills. The Duchess was a mid-level alchemist, and Song Li had grown up eating pills like candy. How could he possibly be interested in such trash?

Pang Da understood that the boss was purely trying to inflate the price and make Song Moran bleed. Spending the most money to buy the worst goods. He had to admit, he felt quite satisfied. Song Moran had indeed bullied them a lot in the past, even if not personally, he would incite his lackeys to do it. He secretly cheered for the boss, hoping that Song Moran would bleed even more. The more he lost, the more satisfied Pang Da would feel. Who could blame him for always putting on a high and mighty act, which was truly disgusting.

"This noble guest offers 300,000 gold coins. Is there anyone who can offer more? 300,000 for the first time, 300,000 for the second time, 300,000 for the third time, sold! Congratulations to this noble guest, this bottle of Qi Gathering Pills belongs to you!" The beautiful auctioneer hammered down, deciding that the bottle of pills belonged to Song Moran.

Song Li remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was laughing. This bottle of trashy Qi Gathering Pills was worth nothing to him. At the normal market price, it would be around 100,000 gold coins, but Song Moran had spent 300,000 gold coins to get it, clearly a complete waste of a talent.

Song Moran looked at Song Li with a hint of satisfaction, thinking, "You, a waste of a talent, dare to compete with me? The wealth of a small county's mansion can't possibly rival the prestigious Jingwang Mansion."

Pang Da noticed the silent battle of glances between Song Moran and the boss, thinking, "Song Moran, you bastard, you've been duped by our boss, and you're still gloating!"

The auction continued, and the next few items were auctioned without any surprises, with prices not too outrageous. Neither Song Li nor Song Moran participated in the bidding.

When the beautiful auctioneer introduced the seventh item, it was finally the highlight of the auction. She took the tray from the attendant, which was covered with a red cloth, and carefully placed it on the display stand, taking a deep breath, her face flushed with excitement, and her voice trembling, "You can't imagine what the highlight of this auction is. It's a Fire Seed!"

Fire Seed! These two words seemed to have a mysterious power, combined with her tone and expression, immediately piquing everyone's interest. Then she suddenly lifted the red cloth, opened the black soil jar, and revealed the treasure to everyone!

Indeed, it was a Fire Seed! In the black soil container, a small red flame flickered, crystal clear and transparent, radiating a strong energy wave.

Whoosh! Everyone in the hall was moved, standing up and stretching their necks to observe this small flame.

"It's really a Fire Seed, and the energy it contains is very pure!"

"Heaven! Someone actually put a Fire Seed up for auction, this is a real treasure!"

"A Fire Seed is more precious than any spirit pill!"

"How is this possible, this is incredible!"

"I'll go all out, even if it means going bankrupt, I have to buy the Fire Seed!"

"..."

The people in the hall, witnessing this treasure, the most precious in the entire continent, were instantly buzzing like a swarm of flies, each one excited beyond measure, trembling all over, and speaking incoherently.

Pang Da was really shocked, his mouth wide open, almost big enough to fit an ostrich egg. His entire family had no alchemists, so he wasn't very familiar with Fire Seeds. Plus, he was more interested in playing and having fun, so he didn't pay much attention when his father talked about it. He had no idea that this Fire Seed would be so popular!

Damn! Is this Fire Seed really so popular? Song Li was shocked but more secretly delighted. He glanced at Song Moran out of the corner of his eye and saw that his gaze was intensely eager, his usual casual and elegant demeanor completely gone, replaced by a look of intense desire.

"Hehe, looks like you want it too, so you'll have to bleed a lot more..." Song Li's lips curled into a mischievous smile again.