Human Clan Defender

Hearing this, Ming Zhengyang understood. Even if all three Innate Pills were successful, granting the Qiyao Sect three more Innate Martial Artists, it wouldn't be as important as the sect acquiring a new Grandmaster Martial Art. He himself had long since broken through to the Innate Realm and thus held no particular desire for the pills. His previous remark had merely been a casual mention. Since Ji Cang didn't plan to compete now, Ming Zhengyang wasn't in a hurry either.

Then, he sighed. "Speaking of that Shen Changqing, when I first met him in Lin'an City, his strength, at best, was only at the Innate level. I never expected him to have hidden his abilities so deeply—"

Ming Zhengyang was aware that the person auctioning the Grandmaster Martial Art was Shen Changqing. This name was not unfamiliar to him. Back in Lin'an City, Ming Zhengyang had numerous encounters with Shen Changqing. What he hadn't expected was that a temporary County Magistrate from Lin'an City was actually a Grandmaster-level powerhouse, and a late-stage Grandmaster at that. Even his own master, the current Sect Master of the Qiyao Sect, was only a mid-stage Grandmaster.

"That man is quite fortunate, and his talent is rare in this generation. Otherwise, even with sky-piercing opportunities, he couldn't have grown to such a degree so quickly."

Upon hearing Shen Changqing's name, Ji Cang's expression finally shifted slightly. His gaze remained on the auction stage, but his mind was elsewhere.

"Hengjiang Taoist Monarch was strong. I once sparred with him and barely won by a single move. Yet, he fell to Mairba. It's said Mairba might have leveraged the power of the Barbarian Clan to kill Hengjiang Taoist Monarch. Regardless, Mairba's own strength was not insignificant. The entire, vast Hundred Rivers Sect was destroyed by his hand. For Shen Changqing to fight for several two-hour periods surrounded by an army of eighty to ninety thousand, ultimately slay Mairba, and then depart at his leisure—his strength is immense!"

Immense! Seeing Ji Cang's solemn expression, Ming Zhengyang's heart couldn't help but tremble. It was the first time he had heard his master describe someone with such a powerful word. As the Sect Master of the Qiyao Sect, Ji Cang possessed immense prestige and status in the Jianghu, and his strength ranked him among the top powerhouses. Few in the world could match him. Yet, until now, there hadn't been a single person he had described with such a word. This was because Ji Cang rarely commented on other experts in Ming Zhengyang's presence.

"One hundred and thirty thousand taels of silver!"

"One hundred and forty-five thousand taels of silver!"

"One hundred and fifty thousand taels of silver—"

The auction for the Innate Pills continued. An elixir that could increase the success rate of breaking through to the Innate Realm was enough to make ordinary people scramble desperately for it. If Pulse Condensation Warriors could be called experts in the Jianghu, then Innate Martial Artists were truly qualified to dominate a region. Countless martial artists at the peak of Pulse Condensation spent their entire lives stuck at that stage, unable to break through their limits. The Innate Pills currently up for auction represented a beacon of hope for them.

Meanwhile, in another private room, Master Guiyuan sat listening quietly to the bidding outside, not making any hasty offers. Several youths were seated beside him. These were outstanding disciples of the Guiyuan Sword Sect. They had come to the Capital City's black market auction not only to contend for the Grandmaster Martial Arts but also for these young disciples to gain worldly experience. They hadn't disguised themselves upon entering the black market, merely wearing wide-brimmed straw hats to obscure their faces. Now, inside the private room, they had all removed their hats. If Shen Changqing had been present, he would have recognized one of them as Cui Cheng, whom he had encountered in Lin'an City.

One disciple asked, "Sect Master, shall we make a move?"

Master Guiyuan tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his demeanor calm and unruffled. "No rush. Let's observe a little longer."

The Innate Pills would also be quite beneficial for the Guiyuan Sword Sect. After all, the sect didn't have many Innate Martial Artists. If he could obtain the Innate Pills, he was confident he could cultivate several more. In that case, the Guiyuan Sword Sect's strength would increase considerably. Of course, Master Guiyuan's primary target remained the three Grandmaster Martial Arts. However, upon arriving at the auction house and learning that numerous sects had come, he wasn't entirely confident that the Guiyuan Sword Sect could secure all three. If they couldn't compete for them, settling for the next best thing was also an option.

Soon, the price reached two hundred thousand taels of silver. Steward Number Two wore a beaming smile, thoroughly pleased with the lively atmosphere. The higher the auction price of the items, the more commission the auction house would earn. As the auctioneer, his own benefits were self-evident. However, once the price climbed to two hundred thousand taels of silver, the number of bidders still competing had dwindled significantly. After all, this sum was enough to bankrupt a moderately sized family. To gamble everything on an uncertain chance at the auction—success would naturally make it worthwhile, but failure meant no possibility of recovery.

Suddenly, Master Guiyuan spoke, his clear voice emanating from his private room, "Two hundred and fifty thousand taels of silver!"

Instantly, the hall fell silent. The bid had just been at two hundred and ten thousand taels of silver, and now it had been abruptly raised by forty thousand. Those who had still harbored hopes of competing for the Innate Pills were immediately deterred.

Seeing this, Steward Number Two began the countdown. "Two hundred and fifty thousand taels of silver, going once!"

"Three hundred thousand taels of silver!"

Just as the countdown started, another voice shattered the silence.

Three hundred thousand taels of silver! The crowd below erupted. Bidding three hundred thousand taels of silver for three Innate Pills meant each pill cost one hundred thousand. In fact, three hundred thousand taels of silver was almost enough to purchase a Grandmaster Martial Art. However, Grandmaster Martial Arts were invaluable and rarely available; even if one actually offered three hundred thousand taels of silver, none would be for sale.

"Three hundred thousand taels of silver... Heh, such audacity!" Master Guiyuan shook his head slightly.

He abandoned the idea of competing for the Innate Pills. Two hundred thousand taels of silver was his limit; he wouldn't bid any higher. The Guiyuan Sword Sect had brought a total of only eight hundred thousand taels of silver this time. Given the current fierce bidding, Master Guiyuan wasn't sure if that amount would even be enough to secure one of the three Grandmaster Martial Arts.

"Three hundred thousand taels of silver, going once!"

"Three hundred thousand taels of silver, going twice!"

"Three hundred thousand taels of silver, going three times! Sold!"

Steward Number Two decisively struck the gavel. A maid then came forward to take away the box containing the Innate Pills, while another maid arrived with a new item.

The very first auction item had sold for the high price of three hundred thousand taels of silver. Once the deal was closed, the auction's atmosphere was instantly ignited to its zenith.

Shen Changqing felt a pang of envy. Three hundred thousand taels of silver for three Innate Pills! There truly are many wealthy people in the world. Back when I had thirty thousand taels of silver, I thought I was quite rich. But comparing now, I suddenly realize I'm still very poor. Wealth is only relative. My thirty thousand taels of silver wouldn't even meet the starting bid here at the auction house.

I wonder which faction secured that bid. Shen Changqing peered through the glaze window towards the private room from which the voice had come, but his view was obstructed, preventing him from seeing inside. The small sound-transmitting holes revealed even less.

Ji Qu commented, "Any faction willing to spend three hundred thousand taels of silver on three Innate Pills is unlikely to be a major sect. It's probably some mid-tier power."

"Probably," Shen Changqing nodded faintly.

Ji Qu had a point. Three hundred thousand taels of silver for three Innate Pills—elixirs that didn't even guarantee a breakthrough—was essentially gambling for a chance. From the current situation, major powers were unlikely to spend such a sum for a mere possibility. To put it bluntly, large sects didn't lack Innate Martial Artists. The ones who truly lacked Innate Martial Artists weren't the major sects or the minor powers, but those middle-tier factions.

At that moment, Steward Number Two opened the next box. Inside was the Blood Wish, an artifact that glowed with a blood-red hue. Upon seeing it, Shen Changqing clearly sensed a surging Qi and Blood Force emanating from it.

"This is the Blood Wish," Steward Number Two announced. "It is a treasure nurtured underground over countless eons. How exactly it formed, to be honest, even I am not entirely clear. The Blood Wish has one primary function: to nourish Qi and Blood. Any Martial Artist who carries the Blood Wish on their person will be nourished by this treasure, helping to expel impurities from their flesh and purify their Qi and Blood. A Grandmaster from our Yuanyang Auction House once tested it, and this Blood Wish can even have a certain effect on experts at the Grandmaster Realm."

After briefly introducing the Blood Wish's effects, Steward Number Two went straight to the point.

"The Blood Wish: starting bid, twenty thousand taels of silver. Each increment must be no less than one thousand taels of silver. The auction begins now!"

With that, the room fell somewhat silent. After a moment, someone made a bid.

"Twenty-one thousand taels of silver!"

"Twenty-two thousand taels of silver!"

"Twenty-three thousand—"

Numerous bids were called out, but the fervor didn't match that of the Innate Pills auction.

Inside the private room, Shen Changqing watched the Blood Wish on the auction stage with no intention to bid.

Remove impurities from the flesh and purify Qi and Blood? Such effects sound impressive, but upon closer reflection, they aren't particularly useful. Although the Qi and Blood Force contained within the Blood Wish is abundant, it's not astonishingly so. From this alone, one can tell that even if the Blood Wish can expel impurities from the flesh, its effect is minimal. The claim that it's effective for Grandmasters is even more far-fetched. It's highly probable that wearing the Blood Wish for an entire year wouldn't be as beneficial as cultivating for half a day in the Martial Pavilion Secret Chamber, allowing Spiritual Energy to automatically cleanse the flesh. There's absolutely no need to bid for such a trivial item.

Ji Qu, beside him, also looked unimpressed. "This Blood Wish is merely ornamental. It might be somewhat useful for Body Tempering and Meridian Opening Martial Artists, but as for beyond that—" He trailed off, shaking his head with a derisive smile. Only fools with too much money would buy this thing.

In the end, the Blood Wish sold for thirty-two thousand taels of silver to a bidder.