The auction's requirements had been clearly stated well in advance during its promotion, even specifying the types of items sought.
Moreover, the entire event wasn't strictly a barter-only affair only the rare second-tier pills had this restriction. In competitive bidding, spirit stones could still be added to sweeten the offer.
Most of the Foundation Establishment cultivators attending were well-prepared and had no major concerns about this.
They could all tell that Li Ye was most likely using this opportunity to gather the cultivation materials he needed, paving the way for his future progress.
Since the pills were being sold by him, and chances to acquire such a large number of second-tier pills were rare, it was only natural that everything followed his rules.
Besides, with Li Ye's mastery of alchemy, this likely wasn't going to be a one-time event.
There would be plenty of chances to work with him in the future.
If someone could offer items that he needed, they might even establish a favorable connection, making it much easier to request pill refinement from him later on.
That was how the Foundation Establishment cultivators saw it.
As for the Qi Refining cultivators those who came for first-tier pills or functional second-tier ones, they knew they weren't in a position to speak, so none of them made a sound.
Seeing that no one from below was stirring up trouble, Luo Feibai let out a quiet sigh of relief.
This auction was of great importance, and with Li Ye entrusting him with such a key role, Luo was naturally under immense pressure.
What's more, there were over a dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators seated throughout the hall and private booths, all sending out their divine sense to observe him. The pressure was truly overwhelming!
If anything went wrong due to poor hosting on his part, there might no longer be a place for him within the alliance after this.
He steadied his breathing and forced a smile.
"Then, the first item up for auction is… a batch of Tier-Two Rejuvenation Pills!"
"This is a wood-element healing pill, highly effective in treating a wide range of injuries for Foundation Establishment cultivators…"
As he spoke, a jade bottle was carefully brought to the front of the stage. From it, a single pale green pill was gently poured out for display.
"There will be three batches of this pill up for auction today… Five pills per batch. Bidding for the first batch begins now!"
Luo Feibai was still in the middle of his explanation, but murmurs had already started spreading among the cultivators below.
It was an auction, after all of course they'd kick things off with something impressive to warm up the crowd.
But opening with a second-tier pill? That caught many by surprise.
The healing effects of the Rejuvenation Pill were not quite enough to bring someone back from the dead, but it came close it could regrow flesh and mend bones. For Foundation Establishment cultivators, it could easily mean the difference between life and death in a crisis.
And for a Qi Refining disciple, as long as they still had a single breath left, this pill could pull them back from the brink.
It was an incredibly precious item.
"Looks like the number of second-tier pills being auctioned today is going to be far higher than we originally expected…"
In one of the private booths, Duan Ruisheng muttered to himself in surprise.
With so many pills up for grabs even if most of them were support-type the constant stream of items was sure to bleed everyone's wallets dry.
If that was the case… would there even be a need for him to act as a plant bidder?
He fell momentarily silent, but by then, the bidding on stage had already begun.
"Twenty seedlings of golden cup fruit trees!"
"Half a pound of black cloud grass seeds!"
"One hundred emerald melon seeds!"
In an instant, numerous spirit plants were being offered one after another, many of them rare and precious varieties.
Although most of these would need to be cultivated for several years before they could be used for alchemy, they were now being tossed out like they were free, creating quite a lively and impressive scene.
Hearing all this, Duan Ruisheng couldn't help but click his tongue in surprise. After a brief moment of thought, he made his offer:
"Ten stalks of Tempered Gold Bamboo!"
This particular spirit bamboo grew rapidly and was a hybrid of the gold and wood elements. It was a common primary material for crafting magical artifacts, and its bamboo shoots were also considered a delicacy. Among the various bids being thrown around, this one was among the most valuable.
More importantly, it perfectly matched the wood-element spirit plant criteria listed in Li Ye's request.
Its value might even exceed that of a single batch of Tier-Two Rejuvenation Pills!
Sure enough, once his offer was made, the room fell briefly silent.
After all, the Rejuvenation Pills were not a one-time item there were more batches of them to be auctioned off later, along with other second-tier pills. The Firecloud Pill and the Earthcalm Pill, in particular, were expected to be hotly contested.
If people spent too much on this first item, how would they compete for the rest?
Noticing this hesitation in the crowd, Duan Ruisheng gave a faint, confident smile and turned his gaze toward Luo Feibai on the stage.
Luo also noticed that the moment was just right and was about to begin the final countdown.
But just then, a bold voice suddenly interrupted:
"Half a pound of Qingluo Grass seeds!"
Qingluo Grass!
Although classified as a second-tier spirit plant, it was practically useless for alchemy and had much lower spiritual energy requirements compared to other plants of the same grade.
However, once grown in large enough quantities, it could regulate the ambient spiritual energy in its vicinity, gradually turning it into a wood-element-dominated area ideal for wood-element cultivators and plant growth.
This grass was rare in the outside world. Apart from being stored in the archives of powerful sects, it was usually only found in hidden realms or secret grounds.
For someone like Li Ye, who lived in the Chidi Mountain Range a region where fire-element spiritual energy was dominant this plant was of immense value!
As expected, upon hearing this bid, Luo Feibai's expression changed slightly. He immediately began the final countdown:
"Half a pound of Qingluo Grass seeds going once…"
No one responded.
Duan Ruisheng's face darkened, but he didn't place another bid.
As much as he wanted to build a good relationship with Li Ye, he wasn't about to spend far beyond the value of the pills just to do it. Buying a few batches as a favor was one thing but taking a loss? Not.
Three seconds passed. Luo Feibai promptly raised his hand:
"Congratulations, Senior! The first batch of Rejuvenation Pills goes to the cultivator in Private Booth No. 5!"
Inside Booth No. 5
"To pay that much for Rejuvenation Pills… Fellow Daoist, you're certainly generous,"
The two cultivators who had been scolded earlier were now awkwardly smiling, pretending like nothing had happened as they offered flattery.
"It's just a bit of Qingluo Grass," Deng Tiancheng said with a casual wave of his hand, clearly unconcerned. "It's useless to me anyway, and far less valuable than a life-saving pill like the Rejuvenation Pill."
"Besides, if that was a big move, what are you going to say when even more valuable pills show up later?" he added with a slight smirk.
The man and woman exchanged a glance, their smiles turning slightly bitter.
So this was what it meant to be a genius disciple of a powerful sect… Such wealth and confidence it was completely beyond their reach!
Deng Tiancheng ignored them and simply sat back, calmly watching the auction continue with an air of ease.
"Not bad… not bad at all…"
Inside Booth No. 1, a satisfied smile appeared on Li Ye's face.
It was just a few Rejuvenation Pills easy to make as long as he had the herbs.
But in return, he'd managed to acquire the rare Qingluo Grass.
"Once I saw it all over the mountains and combined its effects with the Voidrealm Tree, my cultivation environment should improve even further… It might even benefit the grand formation."
"This fellow is truly extravagant… If he's willing to trade Qingluo Grass for Rejuvenation Pills, who knows what other surprises he might bring me later…"
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Li Ye couldn't help but feel grateful toward the Ma Clan and Xu Pingyang.
They knew he had just entered the Foundation Establishment stage and lacked resources, so they had come offering everything they'd accumulated over the years.
Without their generous support, who knew how long it would have taken him to amass enough second-tier pills to even hold this auction?
Their selfless help truly made them benefactors of his cultivation journey.
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