Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 955

So Po-ui, his expression serious, drew a dagger from his other hand. The sharp, antique dagger was not something one would commonly see. Soon, the dagger flew towards the red mass of liquid.

*Tss!*

The sharp light, into which the dagger had transformed, made a strange sound and melted the instant it touched the red liquid. It was a moment that demonstrated the terrifying power of the liquid.

“Did you see that clearly? Even if it’s a flawed product, it still retains the property of melting metal and stone. No matter what you create with this, you will see great results,” So Po-ui explained slowly, looking around at the crowd. Then, he emitted a blue energy from his mouth, enveloping the red liquid.

*Kwarurung!*

The red liquid blazed up and turned into a bead the size of a human head. The scorching heat made it feel as if the auction hall had instantly transformed into a lava zone. Although those gathered here had no reason to fear the heat due to their cultivation, many of their expressions changed.

This was because everyone had witnessed the liquid explosively emitting heat as So Po-ui injected pure spiritual energy. They had not imagined that even a flawed product like the Glazed Heavenly Fire Liquid would possess such great power. The hall began to buzz again, and many people stared at the fiery bead with greedy eyes.

The blazing flames turned back into a red liquid and re-entered the jade bottle.

“Now, please present your bids!” So Po-ui declared the re-opening of the auction for the Glazed Heavenly Fire Liquid.

“30 million!” As soon as the auction restarted, an astonishing bid was heard from a corner of the hall. It was almost double the initial price. Many people were surprised and looked in that direction. There, a man with a pale face, wearing a jet-black robe, was sitting.

That man was none other than Han Li.

As soon as they heard the price he called out, some of the Nascent Soul cultivators immediately gave up. No matter how precious it was, it was a flawed product, and if the price escalated like this, there would be more losses than gains even if they won the bid.

Han Li appeared calm on the outside, but he was inwardly excited.

‘It’s a flawed product, so its effects will be greatly reduced, but it’s still the Glazed Heavenly Fire Liquid.’ It would be useful for Qing Yuanzi. Moreover, if he missed this opportunity, where in the world would he find the Glazed Heavenly Fire Liquid?

That’s why he deliberately started with a preemptive bid. He knew he wouldn’t win the bid so easily, but he thought it was better to reduce the number of competitors first. When several cultivators competed to raise the price, it often went beyond imagination.

“30 million has been offered. Is there anyone else? After I count to three, the Glazed Heavenly Fire Liquid will go to that person,” So Po-ui glanced at Han Li and called out in a clear voice.

“One!”

“32 million!” As So Po-ui began to count, an old voice was immediately heard. Han Li narrowed his brows and glanced in that direction. The old man in a yellow robe, sitting in the center of the hall, had yellow hair, thick eyebrows, and blue eyes.

“So, Elder Bu was also interested in the Glazed Heavenly Fire Liquid,” someone recognized the old man and whispered.

“40 million,” before Han Li could speak, a beautiful woman’s voice was heard from the third floor.

“…….”

Upon hearing that, Elder Bu hesitated and looked up at the third floor. The old man, who had been moving his lips, eventually shook his head and closed his mouth.

“40 million! One!” “Two!” So Po-ui smiled and quickly began to count. The price was already higher than expected, and since a member of a Saintly Clan [a powerful and influential clan] from the third floor had stepped in, he thought everyone else would have given up.

“45 million,” however, Han Li did not waver and called out a price. At that sound, not only the other cultivators in the hall but even So Po-ui looked at him with puzzled expressions. It was rare for a High Clan [a clan of considerable power, but below the Saintly Clan] cultivator to compete in price with a Saintly Clan member at an auction.

“47 million!” The Saintly Clan woman on the third floor also seemed dumbfounded and called out coldly. Han Li raised the corners of his eyes and called out 50 million without hesitation. Such a high price was beyond his expectations.

If the other party still didn’t give up, there was nothing he could do. However, the woman on the third floor seemed to think that it was not worth it to win the bid at a higher price, so she closed her mouth.

“Very well. The half bottle of Glazed Heavenly Fire Liquid will go to this cultivator for 50 million spirit stones. The winner of the bid is requested to pay the spirit stones immediately.” Han Li immediately got up, went to the stage, and handed over a bag containing a pile of top-grade spirit stones that he had prepared in advance. So Po-ui, who had checked the bag with his divine sense, nodded in satisfaction and handed him a small bottle.

Han Li opened the lid, checked the contents, and returned to his seat with a happy heart. Meanwhile, he felt many people scanning him. Since he was hiding his identity with an illusion technique, no one would recognize him if he left the auction house and returned to his original form. Even if someone had mastered a special technique, they would only be able to tell that it was an illusion, not his real face.

Even a Combined Body cultivator like Dan Cheon-in could not easily recognize his real face, so there was no need to mention those below that level. Also, it was unlikely that a being above that level would cause trouble over a mere flawed product. After returning to his seat, Han Li closed his eyes and did not pay much attention to the subsequent auctions. After that, the auction proceeded smoothly, and two more treasures comparable to the Glazed Heavenly Fire Liquid appeared. However, they were not the top-grade items that would decorate the end of the auction.

One of them was an ancient relic called the ‘Myriad Beast Conch,’ which was not a Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure [a treasure of immense power], but it was amazing that one could control low-level spirit beasts within a certain range by playing this instrument. And the other was the ‘Ascending Dragon Pill’ that Han Li had put up for auction.

When So Po-ui explained the effects of the pill, many people in the hall showed interest. Originally, pills that increased magical power and helped one overcome bottlenecks were welcomed by everyone, and pills that helped the Nascent Soul stage were very rare, so the atmosphere in the hall became heated. Even cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage participated in the competition. Moreover, Nascent Soul-level alien races who were approaching a bottleneck participated in the competition, causing a commotion.

In the end, Han Li’s Ascending Dragon Pill was surprisingly sold for a whopping 63 million spirit stones. It was a much higher amount than the amount Han Li had won the Glazed Heavenly Fire Liquid for. The Ascending Dragon Pill went to the Saintly Clan woman who had competed with Han Li for the Glazed Heavenly Fire Liquid. It was clear that she was not going to use it herself but was buying it for her disciples or juniors.

As she won the bid, sighs were heard endlessly among the cultivators on the first and second floors. Han Li smiled bitterly when he heard the final price. While he was lost in thought, the fifteenth treasure was being auctioned on the stage. A dark navy blue puppet went into someone’s hands, and So Po-ui scanned the crowd with a serious face.

“You have waited a long time. From now on, we will show you the items that the auction house has carefully selected to decorate the finale of this auction. Two of them are precious items that our four clans have put out, and the other two were provided by other cultivators.”

*Whoosh!*

As soon as he finished speaking, light flowed on the transfer array on the stage, and four cultivators appeared. A small old man with a long beard, a huge armored soldier wearing a golden mask, a slender woman covered in turquoise scales, and a two-headed jet-black monster. They all looked different, but they were all calm and collected even while receiving the attention of the audience. The auction participants stirred at the sight of them.

“Those seniors are here!” “That’s right. Aren’t they the four great guest elders of Yunseong? For the four clans’ auction house to invite them!” At the commotion in the hall, Han Li also opened his eyes wide. The four cultivators who appeared on the stage were all in the mid-stage of the Combined Body realm, and most of them seemed to know who they were.

So Po-ui smiled and clasped his hands. “The four of you will have to work hard.” “Work hard? We are doing this for a reward,” the bearded old man smiled, and the other three also greeted So Po-ui and stood there calmly. So Po-ui turned his head to the front of the stage and continued his explanation.

“The last items include spirit beasts, materials, and treasures. We will definitely not disappoint you. Elder Yuk, please show us your item first.” The bearded old man nodded and suddenly began to chant a spell. Then, a black pouch the size of a palm flew out of his sleeve.

*Poof.*

The ordinary-looking black pouch turned into a large black cage at the old man’s spell. And inside, a purple beast was crouching, tied with ropes. The small, fluffy beast looked like just a ball of fur from a distance. However, the cultivators in the hall, including Han Li, watched the spirit beast with serious faces. Even the 4th level High Clan puppet that had been auctioned off earlier did not take the final spot of the auction.

‘Could it be that this spirit beast is at the Saintly Clan level?’ The black cage seemed to have special abilities, and even when he tried to examine the small beast’s cultivation with his divine sense, a black light flashed and bounced it all away.

“Haha, it seems everyone has high expectations. Elder Yuk, please introduce it yourself,” So Po-ui said with a smile when he saw that. “That’s right. Actually, there’s not much to explain about this spirit beast. Those who know about the Eight Great Rare Beasts, which are said to be next to the True Spirit level in the Spirit World, should know,” Elder Yuk stroked his beard.

“The Eight Great Rare Beasts! Is that spirit beast one of them!” “If it’s really one of the Eight Great Rare Beasts…” The hall was in an uproar with surprised cultivators. Even from the private rooms on the third floor, murmuring sounds of surprise were heard.

“Everyone, please don’t misunderstand! Even if the Eight Great Rare Beasts of the Spirit World are not as good as the True Spirit level, would they be easily captured by a Saintly Clan cultivator? The spirit beast in our cage is a mixed-blood demonic beast that has received the blood of the Human-Faced Jiaolong [a mythical dragon-like creature], one of the Eight Great Rare Beasts. Although it is a mixed-blood, it contains a large amount of the Human-Faced Jiaolong’s blood, so who knows what kind of power it will unleash later if it is raised well.

Even though it has not been 100 years since it was born, it already has a spiritual energy wave comparable to the early stage of the High Clan. It would have been impossible to capture if the Saintly Clan cultivators had not joined forces. Just so you know, it was the four of us who joined forces to capture this spirit beast.” The old man smiled and reached out towards the black cage.

*Bang!*

The ropes that had been binding the small beast burst and turned into thin rays of light, returning to the old man’s hand. The auction hall became as quiet as a mouse. Everyone was curious about what the spirit beast that had inherited the blood of the Human-Faced Jiaolong would look like. The beast that had been released from its restraints surprisingly did not get up right away but remained lying down. Just as the cultivators were about to be disappointed, an unexpected change occurred inside the cage.

*Thump!*

A purple energy exploded from inside the small beast, filling the cage. Han Li narrowed his eyes and did not take his eyes off the cage for even a moment.

“Huh!” “Where did the spirit beast go?” “This can’t be.” The alien races were confused as the light faded. This was because the black cage was empty. However, there was no change in the expressions of the cultivators on the stage.

“To try to play tricks even after being dragged all the way here. You haven’t tasted enough bitterness,” Elder Yuk snorted and raised his rough hand, grabbing in the direction of the black cage.

*Swish!*

A bean-sized ball of light shot out from Elder Yuk’s fingertip and exploded in a corner of the black cage. At that moment, the purple small beast was spotted tumbling down from the air. However, it was as if a very light cotton ball was falling, and no sound was heard. What appeared before the public was surprisingly a purple beast that looked exactly like a fox. Its black eyes, which were looking around, were similar to human eyes. It was proof that it was a spirit beast with high intelligence.

The only difference from an ordinary fox was that there were a few silver scales on the spirit beast’s nose and two ears, but the scales were so small that it was difficult to find them unless one looked closely.