Chapter 135: The Cauldron of Five Elements
“Mister Mei? A member of the Mei Family?” Yunxiao was surprised as he looked at the old man on the stand. “Myriad Treasures Store is indeed wealthy. Although this is just an auction held by your Firecrow branch, you can still hire a member of the Mei Family to host it.”
“Well, all our previous auctions were hosted by this same Mister Mei,” said Yin Zhaoyang with a smile. “Young Master Yun, I’ve arranged for your item to be auctioned during the halftime. May I know what that item is?” He asked carefully. He was still a little nervous, fearing it would just be some ordinary item.
Yunxiao smiled at him and said, “Thank you for the help, Elder Yin! You will know when the time comes. With Mister Mei here, I don’t have to worry about nobody knowing the value of my item.”
He was accompanied by Xiao Qingwang, Chen Dasheng, Luo Yunshang, Meng Wu, and Meng Bai. They all had the same puzzled look on their faces while Meng Bai asked, “Master, who is this Mister Mei? Is he very famous?”
“I don’t know this Mister Mei. Everyone who comes from the Mei Family is called Mister Mei, but I do know their family head is called Mei Yixian. Members of this family all have a strange quality, that is, they are innately sensitive to all kinds of treasures, and they always provide the most reasonable price of the treasure they appraise. Therefore, any auction that is slightly famous across the continent must be hosted by them.”
Amazed, Xiao Qingwang said, “Oh, they can do that? Is it because they have an art of appraisal passed down from their ancestors?”
Yunxiao said, “I’ve thought about that before, but I think their bloodline is the reason. There must be an ability to identify treasures in their bloodline. And together with some appraisal techniques, they are able to achieve such results.”
Yin Zhaoyang was so shocked that he could hardly speak. The Mei Family had always been mysterious; few knew the name of their family head, and he was not one of them. He did not expect Yunxiao to say the name and seem to understand this family quite well. ‘Heavens, he is only fifteen years old! How does he know so much?’
Meng Bai’s eyes lit up when he heard that, and he said excitedly, “There is actually such an ability? I want to learn it, then use it to look for treasures in deep mountains and ancient forests! I will be rich!”
“Don’t embarrass me!” Yunxiao kicked him away.
Yin Zhaoyang laughed dryly. “Young Master Yun, among all the auction items, which one do you need?”
Yunxiao smiled and said lightly, “Elder Yin will know when the time comes.”
The snub sent Yin Zhaoyang to stand lamely to the side and shut his mouth. Xiao Qingwang and others exchanged a look, all smiling wryly in their hearts. Of all the people they knew, perhaps only Yunxiao alone dared to treat a Martial Grandmaster like that, and they had begun to get used to it.
Soon, the auction began. The first item was a fourth-tier Purple Spirit Pill, which could reinforce the vital essence, strengthen the Primordial Qi, and greatly increase the efficiency of meditation and breaking through bottlenecks. It was one of the few rarest fourth-tier medicinal pills.
However, such a medicinal pill was only in high demand among those lone warriors, because aristocratic families with deep reserves usually had large stockpiles. As a result, the bidders were all lone warriors, and no one from the twelve distinguished rooms on the second floor had called a bid.
“Elder Yin, do the Cheng Family and Xingyang Family have representatives here in this auction?” Yunxiao asked suddenly.
With a wry smile, Yin Zhaoyang said, “No. We didn’t prepare a distinguished room for the Xingyang Family, and when the members of the Cheng Family died, their room was vacated, which was given to you, Young Master Yun.”
“The people in the other distinguished rooms are not ordinary people either,” said Xiao Qingwang in a deep voice. “Although each room is tightly sealed, I can still sense waves of powerful aura leaking out of them. They are likely no common aristocratic families.”
A faint smile brushed Yunxiao’s lips. He had long found out the situation of all the other distinguished rooms with his divine sense. “Which room is taken by the Zhou Family?”
Xiao Qingwang and the others were taken aback, and they immediately thought of Zhou Yushan. While frowning, Yin Zhaoyang said, “The third room from the left.”
Yunxiao nodded slightly and did not speak another word. Everyone was a little confused as to the intention of his question.
“Two thousand medial-grade Primordial Stones!”
“Two thousand five hundred!”
“Three thousand!”
The bid of the first item, a Purple Spirit Pill, stopped at three thousand medial-grade Primordial Stones. A warrior with a scar on his face breathed a heavy sigh of relief, but he had a pained expression at the same time.
Three thousand medial-grade Primordial Stones were almost half his wealth, but he had been stuck at the peak-level of a nine-stars Great Martial Master for two years. If he could make the breakthrough with this Purple Spirit Pill, it would be worth it even if it cost thirty-thousand.
“Congratulations to our friend in seat 133 for winning the first item! What a great start for today’s auction! The second item is a third-tier Spirit Severing Saber, which is a work of Master Luotian,” said Mister Mei.
“What? A third-tier Spirit Severing Saber refined by Master Luotian?”
At first, the crowd lost their interest when they heard it was a third-tier item, but as soon as they heard that it was refined by Luotian, they became high in spirits and their eyes shone with curiosity, while some alchemists straightened their bodies. A third-tier weapon was useless to them, but they could study Master Luotian’s refining techniques through it.
In alchemy, it was extremely difficult for one to make progress, and all alchemists were willing to pay any price for even just the smallest progress. It was also the reason why Zhang Qingfan and the others were so grateful for Yunxiao.
“Oh? An item refined by Luotian?” There was a surprising look in Yunxiao’s eyes as he smiled and said, “Even if it is real, it should be his work when he was young, not worth looking at. These alchemists are going to waste their money.”
Meng Bai leaned over again and asked carefully, “Now, who is this Luotian? A third-tier weapon is nothing, my Master can refine it as well!” He paid close attention to Yunxiao, and when he saw the first sign he was turning around, he covered his head with both hands and jumped away with a wary look.
His funny look made Luo Yunshang chuckle, and she said, “Master Luotian is an elder at the headquarters of the alchemist association, a renowned ninth-tier Alchemy Sovereign!” When she had finished, her glance drifted over to Yunxiao, and she thought, ‘That man is also a ninth-tier Alchemy Sovereign…’
A ninth-tier Alchemy Sovereign!
Xiao Qingwang and Chen Dasheng were taken aback. To them, a ninth-tier Alchemy Sovereign was like a god, and they could only look up at one in reverence.
Meanwhile, the price for the saber had shot up to five thousand medial-grade Primordial Stones. Alchemy truly was the richest profession, for bids were called and countered heatedly and no one seemed to find it expensive. Eventually, it was sold for eight thousand.
Yunxiao was amazed by the price, and he could not help but say, “With Luotian’s current strength, he can refine at least one hundred third-tier items in a day. Wait, that means he can make eight hundred thousand medial-grade Primordial Stones every day?” Even he was shocked by that figure. With eyes lighting up and an evil smile on his face, he said, “Next time when I see him, I should lock him in a room for a few days and make him refine items for me…”
That frightened everyone behind him, while Yin Zhaoyang said with cold sweat breaking out of his forehead, “Young Master Yun, you shouldn’t make that joke. A deadly disaster will befall you if someone were to spread it!”
Yunxiao only smiled and said nothing as the auction continued. Most of the items were third-tier and fourth-tier, and there were occasionally fifth-tier items, all of which were sold at astronomical prices. The rule of the auction was that Myriad Treasures Store would deduct twenty percent from the winning bids as fees. At this rate, the claim that Myriad Treasures Store was the richest organization in the world should be true.
Before very long, an item caught Yunxiao’s attention, and his eyes gradually grew large.
Mister Mei gently caressed a small purple cauldron, his eyes filled with deep admiration as he said with a faint smile, “This is a fifth-tier purple cauldron, named the Cauldron of Five Elements. It is refined by the legendary ninth-tier Alchemy Sovereign Lord Gu Feiyang. It is not only an ordinary fifth-tier alchemy cauldron, but also contains the complete essence of the Five Elements Realm. When a fourth-tier alchemist is using it, he can muster the natural power of five elements, producing an alchemy product that is beyond the fourth-tier.”
“A cauldron left behind by Lord Gu Feiyang!”
“What? The complete essence of the Five Elements Realm? Doesn’t that mean it contains the Dao Fruit of Five Elements? Damnit! If I can get it and study the essence, I can immediately become a peak Martial King!”
“You bet! This is not a wisp of martial arts conception, but martial essence!”
“Isn’t that nonsense? This is not just a simple alchemy cauldron. By itself, it is already a fifth-tier mystic weapon with great power!”
“A fifth-tier purple cauldron doubling as a mystic weapon that contains the Dao Fruit of Five Elements…Heavens, how could there be such a heaven-defying thing in the world?”
“Hmph! You know nothing! Have you forgotten that Gu Feiyang is the Martial Sovereign Vanquisher? I won’t be surprised even if the cauldron contains a wisp of the Nine Heavens conception, let alone the Dao Fruit of Five Elements.”
A trace of a smile appeared on Mister Mei’s face as he listened to the chatter. “That’s right, this Cauldron of Five Elements is one of the rarest items of today’s auction. Its value is beyond measure, so we have not set a base price for it. You may call your bids at will.”
The crowd fell silent in an instant. Everyone knew a storm of bidding was coming, and the atmosphere in the hall grew intense.
“It is his thing…” Luo Yunshang had a look of shock in her eyes. She glanced at Yunxiao, hoping to see something from his expression, but she was disappointed. Yunxiao’s face was as calm as the still water of an ancient well.
Suddenly, Yunxiao smiled and said, “Elder Yin, do you also want to bid on this cauldron? I can sense the restlessness in your heart, and your palms are sweating.”
There was a flicker of shock in Yin Zhaoyang’s eyes, but then he sighed. “Although I’ve reached the perfection of the Five Elements and stepped into the realm of Martial Grandmasters, this is, after all, a fifth-tier mystic weapon, and is of the best quality! Yes, Myriad Treasures Store is wealthy, but a fifth-tier mystic weapon is not something you will find every day.”