Chapter 108: The Demon Ape's Reinforced Armor

The forty-five White Tiger Pills were sold in fifteen batches. Although they did not fetch the high price of 120 gold coins every time, the average price reached 100 gold coins per batch. The total revenue of 1,500 gold coins made Ye Chen grin from ear to ear. A quick calculation revealed that his total investment in refining these pills was only 800 gold coins, even including the cost of the recipe; otherwise, the materials would have cost only 500. It was an absolute windfall.

Following the White Tiger Pill auction, Ling Tong immediately brought out the Spirit Awakening Pills. These instant mana-recovery potions were clearly a tier below the White Tiger Pills, but they had the advantage of being an exclusive offering. With Ling Tong’s silver-tongued persuasion, the 400 pills were sold in five batches for a high price of 8 gold coins each. This met the initial estimate, and Ye Chen was quite satisfied—a net profit of nearly 2,000 gold coins. It would be strange if he weren't happy. Ling Tong, however, seemed slightly disappointed, as the Spirit Awakening Pills had not outperformed expectations like the White Tiger Pills.

The Intermediate Strength Pills were not presented next; it seemed they were being saved for the finale. The atmosphere at the venue, rather than cooling down after the two types of pills were auctioned, became even more intense. This fervor reached a near-peak when Ling Tong smilingly brought out a piece of silver-grade equipment—a gleaming longsword. It was rumored that the auction house had gone to great lengths to acquire it from another city. The swordsmen in the room erupted once more. After a round of competitive bidding, the silver-grade weapon, named "Lilan’s Radiance," was sold for 1,250 gold coins. This made Ye Chen marvel at the power of auctions. Recalling how he had sold his silver dagger to Thief-Never-Returns for only 800 gold coins and felt he had made a profit, he now realized how incredibly naive he had been. If that dagger had been auctioned, it would have been worth at least 1,000 gold coins. He had lost out—lost big.

On the other side, Thief-Never-Returns was feeling fortunate about his wise decision. With this Yehua Liujin Auction House, it would be almost impossible to buy equipment above silver grade at a fair price in the future.

After "Lilan’s Radiance" came Ye Chen’s "Holy Radiance Staff." The staff’s bonus attribute increased critical hit rates for Holy-type magic by 7%, and its other stats were quite decent. The price quickly climbed to 1,100 gold coins. Seeing the number of bidders dwindle, Ye Chen shamelessly participated in driving up the price with the help of 2058. Finally, amidst the furious glares of a beautiful female Holy Priest, the "Holy Radiance Staff" was sold for a staggering 1,800 gold coins. Many people in the room began to look at Ye Chen strangely, but fortunately, he was hidden under a cloak, and no one could recognize him; even if he blushed, no one could see.

Following the Holy Radiance Staff, Ling Tong finally brought out the Intermediate Strength Pills. The incredible attribute of adding 30 points of strength at once without any restrictions caused the auction house to boil over again. All melee players gasped, especially the low-attack ascetics—like the bald man who had bought the most White Tiger Pills. He looked almost frantic; had security not intervened, he would have charged onto the auction stage.

The appearance of the Intermediate Strength Pills left all the melee players unable to sit still, including those from various clans. As he watched the price climb, Ye Chen was delighted. The members of Longteng were torn between pain and joy: the pain of knowing that without an auction house, they could have monopolized such powerful pills at a low price, and the joy of knowing that the more popular Ye Chen’s pills were, the greater their contribution to the auction house, which would increase their future dividends.

"180 gold."

The Intermediate Strength Pills were auctioned in ten batches of five. This was the final batch. The bald ascetic shouted the highest bid, but his expression was grim. His large, bull-like eyes glared fiercely at Ye Chen, who sat not far away, his heart filled with resentment.

"200 gold," Ye Chen said, raising his bidding paddle as if nothing were the matter.

"220 gold. If you bid again, I’m out!" The bald ascetic glared at Ye Chen. This was the fifth time Ye Chen had disrupted his bidding, and each time he had been put through the wringer. Several times he had wanted to give up, but he couldn't bear to let go because the opponent’s bids were always incredibly precise, never exceeding his psychological limit. He was furious but could only swallow the bitter pill. If he didn't trust his companions so implicitly, he would have suspected one of them was leaking information, as only two people beside him knew his limit, and they communicated only via private messages. He couldn't fathom how the stranger knew exactly where to stop.

"Hehe, then it's yours." Ye Chen smiled contentedly. Through his shameless price-hiking, the fifty Intermediate Strength Pills had averaged no less than 40 gold coins each. He had earned even more than he had from the White Tiger Pills. It felt fantastic.

Watching Ye Chen sit down calmly, not only the bald ascetic but also the other players who had participated in the bidding glared at him with hatred. Ling Tong, who had recognized him from the stage, sent a private message, expressing her extreme admiration and joking that if he ever hit rock bottom, he could come to the Yehua Liujin Auction House to work as a professional shill.

"My skin is thick enough to stop a machine gun; let them glare if they want." Ye Chen chose to ignore the strange and hostile gazes around him. How could he pass up such a good thing when playing the shill a few times had netted him over 500 gold coins?

"Next is the final featured item of this auction: the [Demonic Ape Heavy Armor]. Suitable for ascetics, berserkers, swordsmen, and knights. An essential piece of equipment for team tanks, and the only gold-grade heavy armor in Lieshan City. Its attributes are incomparable..."

Looking at the majestic and imposing gold-grade heavy armor, Ye Chen’s heart skipped a beat. Good heavens, Yehua Liujin really had ways; they had actually managed to secure a gold-grade tank item for the finale. Look at the venue—everyone’s eyes were bloodshot. Even the executives of the various clans could no longer sit still. A fierce battle was inevitable.

"The attributes have been introduced. The opening bid is 2,000 gold. Please place your bids." Ling Tong did not use any fluff or provocation to sell this gold-grade item; it wasn't necessary. A gold-grade item only needed to be placed on display to make people go crazy, especially since it was the most sought-after gold-grade tank equipment.

The 2,000 gold opening bid brought a momentary silence to the auction house. Although there were many wealthy people present, the starting price still deterred most. Yet, Ling Tong’s expression remained unchanged. She was waiting—waiting for the top-tier players to clash, especially the clans that hadn't truly exerted their strength yet. This wasn't just an ordinary luxury item; it was a piece of gold-grade heavy armor that could cause a clan to leap forward. With it, they could challenge high-difficulty dungeons and sweep through powerful wild bosses. Forget 2,000; even at 4,000, there would be buyers. Players would go bankrupt to own it.