Chapter 033: Sevenfold Rejuvenation Pill

Throughout the auction hall, only Lieyang Academy and Sheyang Academy were continuously bidding, while the others did not participate at all. For ordinary people, acquiring such a high-level martial art of the Mortal rank held little meaning; if one wished to learn, they could simply attend a martial arts academy. Unless it was a technique of the Earth rank or higher, which pertained to the cultivation of internal force, only then would it be worth collecting privately.

Apart from Lieyang, Sheyang, and Shengyang—the three major academies—other institutions lacked the financial resources to purchase additional Mortal rank martial arts.

“Go on, keep fighting! The fiercer your competition, the better it is for our Feiyang Academy!” The principal of Feiyang Academy watched as Lieyang and Sheyang kept raising the price, a secret delight blooming in his heart.

Xin Lang peered through the window of his VIP suite and caught sight of Meng Linglong, the newly appointed principal of Xuyang Academy, accompanied by her younger sister Meng Chuchu. Judging by Meng Linglong’s expression, she seemed utterly uninterested in the Mortal rank high-level technique, "Seven-Star Linked Kicks."

“One thousand gold coins!” Lieyang Academy’s principal, Lie Gucheng, stood up and called out, his gaze fixed on Sheyang’s principal, Shi Zhongtian, as if to declare that he was determined to obtain the "Seven-Star Linked Kicks."

Upon hearing Lie Gucheng’s bid of one thousand gold coins, Shi Zhongtian turned to him with a smile and said, “Brother Lie, you’re actually willing to spend a thousand gold coins on this low-level Mortal martial art. It seems your Lieyang Academy is truly short on techniques! We at Sheyang have more than enough, so we’ll let you have the 'Seven-Star Linked Kicks.'”

In the end, Lieyang Academy secured the Earth rank high-level martial art "Seven-Star Linked Kicks" for one thousand gold coins. Throughout the process, Shengyang Academy—renowned as the top martial arts academy in Jiuyang City—did not participate, uninterested in Mortal rank techniques despite their abundant resources.

The subsequent auction items were rare treasures, but the three major academies tacitly refrained from further bidding. Meng Linglong remained seated, as if waiting for something.

The auction was already halfway through when Gu Dong, the father of the corpulent Gu, stepped onto the stage once more.

“Today, it is my great honor to invite a very special guest, who brings us an extraordinary auction item!” With stirring words, Gu Dong announced loudly, “Now, please welcome Jiuyang City’s First Lady—Lady Ling!”

“Lady Ling? That old fat man actually managed to invite her as a special guest!” someone whispered in the crowd.

“Indeed! Lady Ling is not only the sole wife of City Lord Ouyang Tianfeng, but her family is also powerful in the capital of the Great Summer Dynasty. Looks like the Gu family has latched onto the city lord’s tree!” another whispered jealously.

Lady Ling’s figure was tall and graceful, her bearing light and elegant. She walked with lotus-like steps from backstage to the front, her demeanor dignified and refined. The moment she appeared, she drew gasps from the audience.

“Is… is this really Lady Ling?”

As the First Lady of Jiuyang City, she was a public figure among the women of the city; every noble and wealthy merchant recognized her. Yet the Lady Ling before their eyes was vastly different from the one they remembered. Though their impressions matched her in appearance and bearing, the age difference was striking. Lady Ling was already over forty, and though she usually took great care of herself, time spares no one. Yet the woman on stage looked barely thirty—the age when a woman is at her most alluring.

Although the crowd had heard rumors about Lady Ling, that she had taken a miraculous medicine and regained her youth, seeing the transformation firsthand left them in disbelief.

Seeing their reactions, Lady Ling was quite pleased with the effect. The only reason she had agreed to come to Duobao Pavilion as a special guest for the Gu family was her immense satisfaction with the efficacy of the "Seven-Cycle Rejuvenation Pill." Though Ouyang Tianfeng loved her dearly and had only ever taken her as his wife, after turning forty, a woman’s life inevitably begins to decline, and she would worry that her husband might seek new affections. Just then, the Gu family presented her with the pill, restoring her confidence. That was why she attended today’s event, to return the favor to the Gu family.

Lady Ling accepted a small jade porcelain bottle from a maid, containing the "Seven-Cycle Rejuvenation Pill" refined by Xin Lang. No further explanation was needed; her presence on stage was already the best testament to the pill’s effects.

Xin Lang had refined five of these pills in total, gifting one to Lady Ling, leaving four. Today, however, only one was up for auction.

This "Seven-Cycle Rejuvenation Pill" was a Grade Seven Treasure-level elixir, with a starting price set at ten thousand gold coins and each bid required to increase by no less than one hundred coins.

“Fifteen thousand gold coins!” Someone from a VIP suite near Xin Lang was the first to bid.

At the very first bid, the price jumped by five thousand gold coins.

“Oh!” Hearing the bid, Gu the Fatty quickly pressed a hand to his chest, trying to calm his wildly beating heart.

Xin Lang, hearing the bid, merely smiled calmly, unlike Gu, who was visibly flustered.

“Twenty thousand gold coins!” Another voice called out from a different VIP suite.

“Twenty-five thousand gold coins!” The previous bidder, unwilling to be outdone, raised the price again.

Gu Fatty whispered to Xin Lang, “The two bidding now are Li Yingdong and Huo Jiacheng, wealthy merchants of Jiuyang City. Their families’ fortunes are on par with ours.”

Though many coveted the value of the "Seven-Cycle Rejuvenation Pill," Jiuyang City was but a second-rate town. There were only a handful who could muster tens of thousands of gold coins to purchase a single pill. Most could only watch.

“Thirty-five thousand gold coins!” Li Yingdong wasted no time raising the bid as soon as Huo Jiacheng finished, determined to claim the pill for himself.

“Forty thousand gold coins!” The Huo and Li families had been rivals for years. Even if Huo Jiacheng didn’t buy it, he wouldn’t let Li Yingdong have it easily.

“Forty-five thousand gold coins!”

“Fifty thousand gold coins!”

The price of the "Seven-Cycle Rejuvenation Pill" had soared to fifty thousand gold coins, yet neither Huo Jiacheng nor Li Yingdong showed any sign of backing down, both eager to continue the contest.