Nie Kong nodded approvingly at Long Xuechan, then turned his gaze to Ye Haoran and Zhan Tianfeng: "Now, have you two understood?"

Ye Haoran's face turned grim: "Understood what?"

"..."

You Li and Hua You exchanged glances, utterly bewildered. The sentence Long Xuechan just recited was clear enough; could there be some hidden meaning?

"Medicinal herbs! This auction will only accept bids in medicinal herbs!"

Nie Kong smiled faintly. "Is a six-year-aged Changyang Tree Silver Flower a medicinal herb? Of course, it is! But its effect is likely inferior even to the Fragrant Silk Glazed Root." "The Fragrant Silk Glazed Root can refine a first-grade elixir, the Chunyu Dew, while what can a six-year-aged Huo Tree Silver Flower do?"

"Is it the main ingredient for some elixir, or a subsidiary ingredient?"

"An herb that cannot be used for refining medicine, while certainly still an herb, does it have any connection to the word 'precious'? What do you all think?"

"..."

The crowd suddenly realized. Although Nie Kong’s reasoning was sophistry, it made a strange kind of sense. If the six-year-aged Huo Tree Silver Flower were considered a medicinal herb, it was indeed useless for alchemy.

However, just because the Huo Tree Silver Flower was unsuitable didn't mean every other herb was inferior to the Emerald Sparrow Pearl. At least several Heavenly Spirit Realm experts felt that the value of the herbs they had listed far surpassed the Emerald Sparrow Pearl, yet Nie Kong still hadn't selected them. Could there be a secret within that Emerald Sparrow Pearl?

"Nie Kong, you, you..."

Ye Haoran finally understood and was nearly spitting blood from anger. Zhan Tianfeng’s face also flushed red, the fat on his cheeks quivering, clearly having reached the limit of his endurance.

"There is no need for agitation. If you two are truly interested in the Ruyi Fire Lotus, you can spend about a hundred years growing the Huo Tree Silver Flower larger, then bring it to me. I will gift you each ten Ruyi Fire Lotuses, and the medicinal potency integration of each one will reach ten-tenths perfection."

Nie Kong teased, but the information conveyed in his words startled many in the room.

Refining Ruyi Fire Lotuses with ten-tenths potency integration... Perhaps only Nie Kong on the entire Heavenly Spirit Continent dared to boast such a claim.

"Seeing how tense everyone is, I was just joking around for fun. Now that the initial selection is over, let's discuss the Emerald Sparrow Pearl again..."

Nie Kong’s smiling statement nearly blew the noses off Ye Haoran and Zhan Tianfeng. This Nie Kong was actually using the two of them to entertain the crowd? Ignoring their icy stares, Nie Kong spoke with grave sincerity, "The main reason I deem the Emerald Sparrow Pearl most precious is that its medicinal age has reached two thousand years. The power contained within it is no longer suitable for refining eighth-grade elixirs, but can be used as the main ingredient for ninth-grade, or even tenth-grade elixirs. If any senior here believes their medicinal herb can compare to it, feel free to state it."

"..."

The room fell silent; the crowd was utterly convinced.

A two-thousand-year-old Emerald Sparrow Pearl truly could not be compared with the Golden Top Tassel or the Cold Snow Divine Heart Grass, which were only several decades or a few centuries old.

Nie Kong smiled: "Since no one has any objection, today’s auction concludes here. Tomorrow, His Majesty the Dragon King will personally deliver this Ruyi Fire Lotus. I hope the friend who submitted the Emerald Sparrow Pearl can immediately contact their sect or family upon leaving and make preparations."

Saying this, Nie Kong crumpled all the papers into a ball and rubbed them into fine powder.

"The Ruyi Fire Lotus is truly not destined for this old man."

"What a pity. I submitted the Cold Snow Divine Heart Grass. If it had been an ordinary Emerald Sparrow Pearl, I would have been sure to win, but an ancient two-thousand-year-Emerald Sparrow Pearl appeared."

"Although I couldn't obtain the spirit medicine, it wasn't a wasted trip just to see a ninth-grade elixir up close."

"..."

The crowd sighed in regret or reflected on their luck, yet their eyes closely observed the expressions of the surrounding Heavenly Spirit Realm experts. Everyone wore the exact same look of regret and wistfulness; judging purely by expression, it was impossible to tell which Heavenly Spirit peer had submitted the Emerald Sparrow Pearl.

Finally, everyone could only secretly sigh that this person hid their identity deeply enough and dispersed with resignation.

"Uncle, this transaction has troubled you," Nie Kong said to Long Tiangong after everyone had gone. "The one who bid with the Emerald Sparrow Pearl is..."

"I already know," Long Tiangong rose from his seat, waving his hand with a smile, before Nie Kong could finish speaking.

"Huh?"

Nie Kong shot Long Tiangong a surprised glance. He had kept his eyes closed since entering, speaking not a word, neither using his spiritual sense to probe nor looking at the slips. How could he possibly know... Long Xuechan, who had walked beside Nie Kong, also had a look of confusion on her charming face.

Long Tiangong laughed heartily: "There is only one such two-thousand-year-Emerald Sparrow Pearl in the entire Heavenly Spirit Continent, and I happened to admire it exactly a hundred years ago. Do you think I would or would not know?"

"So that's how it is." Nie Kong exchanged a look with Long Xuechan, and they finally understood.

"Leave this matter to me. It's a good chance for me to visit an old friend anyway." Long Tiangong snatched the medicine box from Long Xuechan's hand, and his golden figure instantly vanished from the room.

Long Xuechan couldn't help but ask, "Little Brother Nie Kong, whose Emerald Sparrow Pearl was it?"

Nie Kong smiled slightly and whispered three words into her ear.

"The Feathered Spirit Clan?"

Long Xuechan was startled and quickly lowered her voice, "The Feathered Spirit Clan's residence is extremely mysterious. I wanted to send them an invitation, but couldn't find where to send it. I didn't expect them to come on their own accord. During this period, the Feathered Spirit Clan seems to be collecting spirit herbs everywhere; I wonder what they are planning?"

Back when they were at the Red Chamber branch in Lingyu City, the Feathered Spirit Clan had successively purchased the Thousand Sand Purple Basil Pill and the Green Shadow Pill Bead. Now they had managed to obtain the ninth-grade elixir Ruyi Fire Lotus. Furthermore, according to the news Long Xuechan received, in the last two years, any auction featuring a superior spirit herb would have a mysterious buyer making a move.

Previously, Long Xuechan didn't know who the mysterious buyer was, but now it was highly likely to be the Feathered Spirit Clan.

Nie Kong chuckled: "Whatever they are planning, trading a two-thousand-year-Emerald Sparrow Pearl for the Ruyi Fire Lotus... I definitely made a huge profit."

Long Xuechan nodded, then suddenly burst into laughter. "But compared to the Huo Tree Silver Flower, the Emerald Sparrow Pearl is indeed a bit lackluster. Little Brother Nie Kong, you used that specious argument to disqualify the Huo Tree Silver Flower because you didn't want the Ruyi Fire Lotus to fall into the hands of the Spirit God Hall, didn't you?"

Nie Kong nodded: "Precisely. Although I am very dissatisfied with that Ruyi Fire Lotus, it was still refined through my hard work. How could I let the Spirit God Hall acquire it so easily? Besides, those two Huo Tree Silver Flower seedlings in the Spirit God Hall will be mine sooner or later. Why should I let them exchange my herbs for my elixirs?"

Hearing the latter half of Nie Kong's sentence, Long Xuechan couldn't help but smile charmingly: "Are you perhaps thinking of sneaking into the Spirit God Hall to steal those two Huo Tree Silver Flowers?"

Nie Kong smiled mysteriously: "You'll know in the future. For now..."

"For now... do you want to punish this older sister, the enchantress?" Long Xuechan's eyes swirled with allure, her delicate body pressing tightly against Nie Kong, her waist twisting like a water snake.

"Now, there is still one matter to attend to... Be good, clean yourself up, and wait for me in the room..."

"..."