That was an elderly man, exceedingly obese, his face perpetually wreathed in a smile, resembling the Maitreya Buddha from a past life. Yet, if Nie Kong remembered correctly, this man’s likeness had appeared in Hua Mei’s memories, and it was he who had secretly implanted the seal within Hua Mei’s soul.
A strange look flashed through his eyes, then vanished. Nie Kong smiled faintly and said, “May I ask your names, two friends?”
“This old man is Zhan Tianfeng, and he is Ye Haoran.”
The stout elder remained beaming, but the long-bearded man beside him, whose beard swept his chest, wore a frigid expression, his eyes sharp as blades: “You are Nie Kong?”
“It turns out you are the two Medicine Kings from the Spirit God Temple. A pleasure, a pleasure.”
Nie Yan laughed heartily. “Although I dispatched an invitation to the Spirit God Temple via the Red Chamber, I never expected the two Medicine Kings would actually grace us with their presence. Please, come inside!”
“With such a grand event, how could this old man and my companion not attend?”
Ye Haoran replied with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, and he crossed the threshold with Zhan Tianfeng. After watching their figures disappear, a trace of killing intent flared uncontrollably in Nie Kong’s eyes. The list provided by Long Xuechan only mentioned Ye Haoran as the Spirit God Temple expert attending the auction.
He hadn't expected Zhan Tianfeng to also come to Luo City—truly, enemies always cross paths! If the opportunity arose after the auction, Zhan Tianfeng would definitely not be leaving alive!
Soon, Nie Kong forcibly suppressed the thoughts raging in his mind and continued to greet the other Heaven Spirit Realm experts.
Half an hour later, the door was closed.
The brightly lit room was now packed, dozens of Heaven Spirit experts from various sects and aristocratic families gathered together, almost everyone gazing at the small circular platform at the very front.
Placed upon that platform was a small wooden box, and everyone knew it contained the Ninth-Grade Spirit Medicine.
Inside the room, many Heaven Spirit experts were itching to rush forward and open the box to catch a glimpse of the true form of the ‘Ruyi Fire Lotus,’ yet the moment their eyes caught the golden figure sitting cross-legged in the front left corner, they could only forcefully suppress their eager desires and wait quietly.
That figure sitting in the corner with closed eyes was Long Tian Gong.
Even though the Dragon King of the Dragon Spirit Clan displayed no aura whatsoever, almost every Heaven Spirit expert present could sense the terrifying power hidden beneath that golden sheen. If that power were to erupt fully, few of the Spirit Masters attending the auction would likely be able to withstand it.
The time had come. Nie Kong nodded toward Long Xuechan.
Long Xuechan immediately understood, gracefully moving to the side of the circular platform. She smiled and said, “I imagine all you seniors have grown impatient. Your junior will waste no more words. This is the only spirit medicine being auctioned today—the Ruyi Fire Lotus.” With that, Long Xuechan lifted the wooden box.
With a soft kacha, the lid slowly opened.
A blaze of fiery crimson light immediately shot out from the gap of the opening box, dazzling and mesmerizing. The occupants of the room held their breath, some widening their eyes in excitement. On the Heaven Spirit Continent, Ninth-Grade Spirit Medicines were always things heard of but never seen; today, they would finally have their eyes opened.
In an instant, the wooden box opened completely, the brilliant crimson light bathing the entire room in a dreamlike, illusory glow.
This wooden box was a specially crafted Spirit Patterned Medicine Box made by the Red Chamber, capable of absorbing and condensing spiritual energy elements within the box. When a spirit medicine is placed inside, it is nourished and stimulated by the spiritual energy elements, causing it to exude an exceptionally dazzling and lustrous sheen upon opening the box, maximizing its attraction to the eye.
Long Xuechan’s slender, jade-like fingers reached into the box, then slowly lifted. A radiant ball of red light floated gracefully up from within the box, resembling a proudly blossoming lotus flower.
The Ruyi Fire Lotus was finally revealed in its entirety.
Instantly, the room fell silent. A hundred gazes were fixed tightly on the spirit medicine, the anticipation in their eyes having long since transformed into wonder, excitement, and even shock.
Especially the Alchemists like You Li and Hua You, who felt the spirit medicine most profoundly. Before this, they never imagined the power contained within a spirit medicine could be manifested externally to such a degree. For spirit medicines, Spirit Masters could sense the aura they contained, but they could never sense the power itself.
If the power were revealed, how could the spirit medicine ever take form?
Yet, the power contained within this spirit medicine could be felt clearly and tangibly. However, on the surface of the spirit medicine, there seemed to be a thin membrane sealing all that immense power within, without any leakage whatsoever. This miraculous sight left the alchemists in the room dumbfounded.
“This… this is a Ninth-Grade Spirit Medicine?”
“Ninth-Grade Spirit Medicines are indeed extraordinary. With its power externalized to this extent, how did Nie Kong manage to refine it?”
“This old man must obtain it through auction. Even if I cannot decipher the method for refining Ninth-Grade Spirit Medicines, constant observation and contemplation should surely enhance my ability to refine Eighth-Grade medicines.”
“……”
Several minutes passed before the Heaven Spirit experts began to whisper amongst themselves in hushed tones.
You Li glanced at Nie Kong, who stood with his arms crossed not far away, and took a sharp breath. “Young lady, are you truly planning to trade medicine for medicine with this Ruyi Fire Lotus?”
“Precisely.”
Long Xuechan’s voice was crisp. “Seniors, this auction will not accept gold coin bidding; only medicinal herbs will be accepted. Whoever offers the most precious herb will obtain the Ruyi Fire Lotus…”
She paused, then continued, “Seniors need not worry about leaks. Paper and pens have been prepared at each seat. Everyone simply needs to write down their name and the herb offered on the paper. After the most valuable herb is publicly announced, His Majesty the Dragon King of my Dragon Spirit Clan will personally take the spirit medicine to the senior’s sect or family for the transaction.”
Upon hearing this, everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Their biggest fear was having the Ruyi Fire Lotus stolen on the way back after winning the bid. After all, this Ninth-Grade Spirit Medicine was unlike anything else; in ten thousand years, this was the only one to publicly appear on the Heaven Spirit Continent—its value was immense.
Now that Long Tian Gong himself would deliver the spirit medicine to the destination, what was there to worry about? But a moment later, one elder suddenly asked, “Who can judge the quality of the medicinal herbs?”
“With the number one Medicine King of the Heaven Spirit Continent who refined this Ruyi Fire Lotus present, does this senior still need to worry about that issue?” Long Xuechan smiled faintly. Almost as soon as her words fell, everyone’s gaze fell upon Nie Kong, some wearing smiles, others nodding slightly, still others frowning and shaking their heads.
“That is true; this old man worried needlessly,” the elder said sheepishly.
“If there are no further questions, all seniors, please begin now,” Long Xuechan said, sweeping her gaze around with a gentle smile.
You Li, Hua You, and the others, upon hearing this, no longer hesitated and simultaneously picked up the paper and pen placed before their seats to begin writing. Each seat was equipped with a partition, ensuring that whatever they wrote would not be seen by their neighbors unless they used their spiritual senses to probe—and using one’s spiritual sense under such circumstances would absolutely provoke public outrage.
Therefore, no one looked around, some finishing their writing in a flash, others pondering for a long while before laboriously setting pen to paper, and some even erased their writing after finishing and rewrote it… Nearly ten minutes later, Long Xuechan walked past the seats of the Heaven Spirit experts and collected all the papers.