I Have Medicine

Chapter 633 - (The Final Round) Bartering

However, almost immediately, the crowd realized they were mistaken once again.

Because after auctioning off roughly thirty types of Profound-Level Pills that mirrored the first batch in species but differed in level, the pill names called out by Ming Wanzhu changed once more: “The Profound-Level 11th-grade Butian Pill! From the Celestial Realm to the Royal Realm, it can remedy congenital deficiencies. The starting bid is six hundred Spirit Crystals. Bidding starts now!”

The moment these words were uttered, many martial artists couldn’t help but exclaim:

“The Butian Pill?”

“That is a very familiar name…”

“Could it be from that… Wait, quiet!”

Martial artists capable of securing a foothold in the imperial capital of the Longque Dynasty were naturally well-read, highly experienced, and privy to a fair amount of hearsay. The Butian Pill had appeared in rumors before, so everyone naturally had some understanding of it.

However, the miraculous effect of the Butian Pill was extraordinary. Compared to a pill like the Huangu Pill that focused on a single targeted remedy, its utility was far broader and its refinement considerably more difficult. Thus, even if someone managed to obtain one, they would mostly keep quiet about it; only in extremely rare places could anyone ever be found selling such a thing.

Who would have imagined that at a small-scale auction like this, it would actually make an appearance… and even be a supreme 11th-grade Butian Pill!

Naturally, the bidding was even more fierce than before!

In no time at all, the price climbed straight up to two thousand five hundred Spirit Crystals. Yet, quite a few people continued to bid relentlessly. Even though they realized there might be even better items in the upcoming third batch, who was to say Grade 11 wasn’t good enough already? Besides, what if their guess was wrong and there wasn’t anything better…

In the end, at three thousand two hundred Spirit Crystals, the bidding ground to a halt.

This 11th-grade Profound-Level Butian Pill was secured by a noble young master in one of the private boxes.

Ming Wanzhu smiled: “The Liujin Pill, Xing Tu Pill, Yun Mu Pill, Rou Shui Pill, and Jin Yan Pill—these five types of pills correspond to the Five Elements. They assist peak Celestial Realm martial artists in breaking through to the Noble Realm, while simultaneously enhancing their corresponding elemental power. There are five pills of each type available; the first two of each type will be auctioned individually, while the remaining three of each will be auctioned as complete Five-Element sets.” Pausing briefly, she continued, “First up for auction is the Liujin Pill, starting at five hundred Spirit Crystals. Bidding begins!”

Just being able to aid in breaking through cultivation realms already made a pill exceptionally rare, to say nothing of its ability to boost elemental power. A Five-Element set like this had never been seen before, but that did not hinder everyone’s purchasing enthusiasm in the slightest.

Soon, bids erupted in endless waves.

The Liujin Pill was eventually snapped up for over two thousand Spirit Crystals. Following that were nine consecutive rounds, auctioning off the remaining nine individual pills, all fetching prices above two thousand Spirit Crystals with very little difference between them. Afterward, when Ming Wanzhu auctioned the combined sets, the starting bid opened at three thousand Spirit Crystals, with the final transaction price surpassing twelve thousand—a higher rate than if they were sold individually.

As Ming Wanzhu auctioned off item after item, the bidders were left thoroughly dazzled. Certain martial artists who hadn’t managed to gather additional funds in time wished they could travel back to the day before just so they could quickly assemble more capital, avoiding the embarrassment of having their hands tied now when competing against others.

Meanwhile, those martial artists who had placed their full faith in Gu Zuo earlier were beaming with joy, reaping a truly staggering harvest…

In another private box, a young man who had successfully bid four thousand Spirit Crystals for a Baizhuan Cuishen Pill revealed a smile. He signaled for someone to open the door, exchanged funds directly with a lean, capable young man, and quickly took possession of the jade vial. Uncorking it to take a gentle whiff, he felt a dense medicinal power surge toward his face. He instantly re-capped the vial and, with a flick of his wrist, tossed it to a tall, stalwart man standing nearby: “Cui Yong, this Baizhuan Cuishen Pill is most suitable for you. Take it!”

The tall man revealed an honest, rustic smile: “Many thanks, Senior Brother Shen!”

The Baizhuan Cuishen Pill possessed miraculous effects when tempering the physical body; from inside to outside, every part—from the five internal organs and six viscera to the meridians and bones—could be strengthened simultaneously. Naturally, nothing could be more enticing.

Inside this private box sat more than ten people. One individual acted as the leader, while the rest sat off to the side.

A handsome young man smiled with effortless charm: “As expected of Senior Brother Shen. Earlier, the rest of us merely came to join in the fun, yet Senior Brother Shen made thorough preparations, enabling him to secure so many fine pills.” Shifting his tone slightly, he added, “Could it be that Senior Brother Shen knew in advance that this auction would be anything but ordinary?”

The leader smiled faintly: “I have long heard of Junior Brother Gu’s capabilities. For him to hold this auction, he was bound to be completely confident… Since I believe in his ability, making thorough preparations was only natural.”

Another slightly plump youth chimed in with flattery: “Senior Brother Shen’s foresight is indeed something our generation simply cannot match.”

This person leading the group was none other than Shen Wenhan, who had previously extended an invitation to Gu Zuo and Gongyi Tianheng.

Earlier, upon learning who was behind this auction, he immediately invited a few junior brothers and sisters who were subordinate to him to attend the event together. Among these junior brothers and sisters, some had served as accompanying guests when Shen Wenhan invited Gu Zuo and his brother, while others had merely heard of the duo. Regardless of who they were, none held Gu Zuo in as high regard as Shen Wenhan did, and they had felt a slight hint of surprise at how much weight Shen Wenhan placed on Gu Zuo.

However, once they actually attended the auction and witnessed so many precious medicinal pills, they finally realized that Shen Wenhan possessed truly keen foresight—that Gu Zuo was absolutely not someone to be underestimated.

It was precisely because Shen Wenhan had come well-prepared that at least a third of the pills auctioned off earlier ended up in his hands. Of the remaining two-thirds, more than half were claimed by Lei Pengfei and his companions, leaving only a small portion to be divided among the rest of the crowd.

Almost every man and woman present who was affiliated with Shen Wenhan secured one or two types of pills suited for themselves. Storing these pills away carefully, they intended to find a spot for seclusion the moment the auction concluded to thoroughly digest the medicine—and bring about a major surge in their strength.

Gradually, Ming Wanzhu auctioned off all eighty-one types of pills from the second batch.

The third batch was similar to the second; the first few types partially overlapped with the previous selection, though again, it was only a small fraction that repeated.

When bidding opened this time, the atmosphere grew even more intense, simply because every single one of the thirty-six types of pills in this batch was a 12th-grade Flawless Pill!

Ming Wanzhu raised her voice: “This batch can only be exchanged with Profound Crystals. The starting bid for all items is fifty Profound Crystals. Everyone, please place your bids!”

Item after item, the medicinal pills were sold off one by one.

Flawless Butian Pills, Flawless Five Element Pill Sets, Flawless Huayi Pills, Flawless Leiting Cuiti Pills, Flawless Fengming Qianhui Pills… Everyone could see that this batch of pills was not merely Flawless; each type was among the rarest of Profound-Level pills—names that most had only ever encountered in obscure treatises. No one had expected that at an auction like this, someone would actually present them for bidding, granting everyone the qualification to compete for them!

The majority of those present held a stash of Profound Crystals, especially the offspring of prominent families who had already reached the Celestial Realm or above. Backed by abundant resources, they used the finest possible items for their daily cultivation, often practicing with precious crystals in hand; as their base currency, Profound Crystals were certainly not lacking. Now, these Flawless Pills were exceptionally rare even to them, possessing a value far exceeding that of even top-tier 11th-grade pills—there was no way they would give up on them.

Thus, this round of bidding sparked an even greater frenzy. Certain extremely rare Profound-Level pills actually fetched astronomical prices of several hundred or even over a thousand Profound Crystals!

It must be understood that Profound Crystals and Spirit Crystals were generally not interchangeable, and the value of a Profound Crystal far surpassed that of a Spirit Crystal. Although a thousand Profound Crystals might seem unremarkable to martial artists commanding vast family properties, one need only consider it from a different perspective—most ordinary, unbacked Celestial Realm martial artists sometimes did not even hold that much circulating wealth. If they wished to bid on pills of this caliber, securing just a single one might cost them their entire net worth!

Noticing his pills being continuously bid up to sky-high prices, Gu Zuo couldn’t help but sigh with emotion.

‘This field of refining medicine is truly… enormously lucrative.’

In particular, a pharmacist like him who almost never failed—whose refined pills were entirely converted into resources with virtually no wasted herbs—represented the absolute pinnacle of high profit.

These thirty-six types of pills stirred up a tremendous response, especially since there was only one pill available for each type. Those who managed to win the bids were naturally overjoyed, while those who missed out harbored their own plans, intending to thoroughly inquire about the pharmacist after the auction so they could establish a connection and request medicine in the future.

After this third batch of pills was entirely auctioned off for Profound Crystals, Gu Zuo’s revenue reached tens of thousands of Profound Crystals. Although this was a mere drop in the bucket compared to his and his big brother’s total net worth, for many martial artists, it was by no means a small sum—if used to raise and maintain battle slaves, it would be enough to sustain a sizable force for a long time.

At this moment, Ming Wanzhu’s face was flushed with color, her vibrant allure shining even brighter.

The sheer volume of Spirit Crystals and Profound Crystals that had passed through her hands today reached an astounding figure—a quantity of wealth she personally had never witnessed before.

It can be said that such a successful auction would become an outstanding asset in her resume. Even if the primary reason lay in the superb quality of the medicinal pills, one could hardly deny her own contribution to this triumph.

Therefore, Ming Wanzhu took a deep breath to calm her exhilarated emotions.

The main event was fast approaching—a segment that demanded far greater caution than what had come before. She had to stay composed and absolutely could not allow any mishaps during this second half of the auction.

Then, Ming Wanzhu’s voice suddenly took on a touch of mystery and intense anticipation: “Everyone, the second half of our auction is about to commence. As stated earlier, the rule here is bartering—trading goods for goods. Prior to the auction, the host of this event compiled a comprehensive list of all desired items, which is now displayed on the auction stage. Should any of you take an interest in a particular pill, you may exchange one or several items featured on this list to secure it.”

As her words fell, she flicked her fair wrist, tossing out an enormous bulletin. Crafted from a peculiar material of unknown origin, it shimmered with flashing inscriptions that clearly covered fully half of the auction stage.

Celestial Water Essence, Five-Element materials with over seventy percent purity, the true form of a Heaven-and-Earth spiritual creature or reliable information about it, spiritual herbs possessing over sixty percent spirituality, Heavy Earth Gold Essence…

Along with listing these items, the bulletin clearly detailed which materials were insufficient to exchange for a single pill on their own and needed to be bundled with other objects, which individual items were worth a single pill each, and which exceptional items could be traded for several pills at once.

In short, every single detail was spelled out with meticulous precision and arranged with utmost care.