Chapter 153: Refining the Strange Stone

Xin Lang's ninth-grade treasure-tier marrow-cleansing pill was hammered down at a price of four hundred and sixty thousand gold coins. This already exceeded Xin Lang's prior expectations, and such a price was only reached because the crown prince and the second prince had joined forces to suppress the bidding. Had everyone fully participated in the auction, the final transaction price of this ninth-grade treasure-tier marrow-cleansing pill would have been significantly higher.

In the private box, Huangfu Shaoqi and Huangfu Huijing exchanged flickering glances, both calculating in their hearts the worth of the third-grade saint-tier marrow-cleansing pill currently in Xin Lang's possession.

If a ninth-grade treasure-tier marrow-cleansing pill cost four hundred and sixty thousand gold coins, then a tenth-grade treasure-tier pill would approach a million gold coins. Doubling that value for a first-grade saint-tier medicinal pill would mean two million gold coins, and a second-grade saint-tier pill would reach four million. By the time it reached the third-grade saint-tier, the price would approach a staggering ten million gold coins!

However, the value scaling between saint-tier medicinal pills and mortal-tier treasure pills did not increase linearly. Huangfu Huijing had previously asserted that the value of a third-grade saint-tier pill was over a hundred times that of a ninth-grade treasure pill. One hundred times four hundred and sixty thousand gold coins amounted to forty-six million gold coins!

At this calculation, Huangfu Huijing's heart skipped a beat. Even as the primary princess of the Great Xia Dynasty, the realization of casually consuming over forty million gold coins inevitably caused her distress. Moreover, even if Xin Lang still possessed a third-grade saint-tier marrow-cleansing pill, they could no longer afford it. Even with a fifty percent discount, it would still cost over twenty million gold coins—an amount she simply could not afford!

In truth, once a medicinal pill reached the tier of a third-grade saint, it transcended worldly goods, becoming completely unpurchasable with mere secular wealth.

Huangfu Huijing and Huangfu Shaoqi exchanged a look. Huangfu Shaoqi offered a helpless, bitter smile, and Huangfu Huijing fell silent as well!

Seeing their expressions, Xin Lang smiled and said, "Now you should be able to gauge the value of the marrow-cleansing pill, right? Whenever you have the funds prepared, you may come to me to claim the medicine at any time!"

Having said that, Xin Lang left the private box first. He wanted to give Huangfu Huijing and Shangguan Ningyu a little time to seek him out of their own accord, which would allow Xin Lang to set even higher conditions!

Although Shangguan Ningyu had mentally prepared herself, she never imagined the price of a third-grade saint-tier marrow-cleansing pill would be so terrifying. Originally, she had intended to purchase one, but that now seemed entirely out of the question! Let alone a third-grade saint-tier marrow-cleansing pill, she couldn't even afford a ninth-grade treasure-tier one.

However, Shangguan Ningyu suddenly recalled Xin Lang's earlier remark: as long as she agreed to go on a date with him, he would freely gift her a third-grade saint-tier marrow-cleansing pill!

"It's just a date, after all; surely I won't suffer any terrible loss!" Shangguan Ningyu weighed the pros and cons in her mind.

She cast a furtive glance at Huangfu Huijing beside her, fearing her own thoughts might displease the princess! At that moment, Huangfu Huijing wasn't looking at her at all; instead, her brows were tightly furrowed as she seemed lost in deep thought.

Shangguan Ningyu and Huangfu Huijing's relationship went far beyond that of ordinary intimate friends; at a single glance, she could read what the other was thinking. Seeing Huangfu Huijing's cloud-veiled, troubled expression, Shangguan Ningyu secretly made up her mind in her heart...

Xin Lang arrived first at the accounting room of the Jiuzhou Auction House to settle his accounts. The ninth-grade treasure-tier marrow-cleansing pill had fetched four hundred and sixty thousand gold coins, while Xin Lang had spent twenty-one thousand gold coins on the essence-origin stone. Deducting the cost of the essence-origin stone and the auction house's commission, Xin Lang's total net revenue came to four-hundred and twenty thousand gold coins!

Afterward, Xin Lang collected the essence-origin stone that had been mistaken for mere crystal.

Just as he collected the stone and was about to leave, he was intercepted by a stranger. This middle-aged man of about forty cupped his fists toward Xin Lang and said with extreme politeness, "I am Yan Yizhou, the chief manager of the Jiuzhou Chamber of Commerce in Capital City!"

"Ah, Manager Yan. How may I help you?" Xin Lang cupped his fists in return, maintaining a poised and egalitarian posture.

Yan Yizhou deferentially replied, "Our Jiuzhou Auction House operates by the rule of not inquiring into the origins of treasures; we handle only the auction and collect our commission. However, I am personally quite covetous of this ninth-grade treasure-tier marrow-cleansing pill. If Young Master Xin manages to acquire such medicinal pills again in the future, I am willing to purchase them at a price of five hundred thousand gold coins!"

"About that..." Xin Lang said with a hint of regret, "For the time being, I cannot procure pills of this caliber."

Hearing this, a look of disappointment surfaced on Yan Yizhou's face. But Xin Lang continued, "However, I might perhaps be able to acquire medicinal pills of even higher quality!"

"Ah!"

Xin Lang's words gave Yan Yizhou a profound shock. A medicinal pill of even higher quality than the ninth-grade treasure tier—what concept was that? Tenth-grade treasure tier? Wasn't that approaching the saint tier?

Yan Yizhou asked excitedly, "Young Master Xin, is what you said true?"

"Hehe! I only said 'perhaps'!" Xin Lang weighed the essence-origin stone in his hand and said, "I quite like this kind of high-quality crystal stone. If you can manage to procure more high-quality crystal stones of this sort, perhaps my chances of obtaining higher-quality marrow-cleansing pills will be somewhat greater!"

Yan Yizhou glanced at the crystal stone in Xin Lang's hand. Although its quality was somewhat superior to ordinary crystal stones, he could not discern anything fundamentally different about it. Nonetheless, Yan Yizhou resolved in his heart to thoroughly investigate the origin of this crystal stone and see if he could acquire some.

After exchanging a few more polite pleasantries with Yan Yizhou, Xin Lang hurried away from the Jiuzhou Auction House!

Xin Lang knew the essence-origin stone was peerlessly precious, yet he remained unsure whether he could absorb the refined primordial energy within it. Thus, he was anxious to return to the Martial Arts Academy and put it to the test.

Walking the path back to the male dormitory room 2012, Xin Lang thought to yourself, "I wonder which of the two women, Murong Yueyin or Hu Qingqing, will be waiting for me in the dormitory."

Upon returning to his room, he discovered with disappointment that his quarters were cold, desolate, and completely empty. The anticipated beauty had failed to grace his room, let alone any gorgeous woman lying in his bed to warm it for him.

"Could it be that the two of them actually believed I was concocting aphrodisiacs, got scared, and didn't dare come back?" Xin Lang mused to yourself.

"Well, nobody coming to disturb me is even better," Xin Lang thought. "It gives me just the right opportunity to study this essence-origin stone!"

After locking the door securely and preparing some dinner for the little calico cat Rourou, Xin Lang returned to his bedroom, drew out the essence-origin stone, and began to examine it closely.

In his previous life, Xin Lang had not practiced martial arts. Although he had once seen Hongxiu use an essence-origin stone, he had never learned the method she used to refine it.

Xin Lang held the essence-origin stone in his palm, then circulated his modified version of the *Art of Transforming Energy*.