"Miss, this way. This is the room assigned to you for this auction."
With a professional smile, a beautiful maid bowed slightly to Xiao Lan and gestured toward the room ahead.
Lucien noticed that although she was only a maid of the auction house, her cultivation had already reached the middle stage of the Qi Condensation Realm.
"Thank you. You may leave."
Xiao Lan nodded lightly and stepped inside. The room was spacious yet understated, carrying a faint sandalwood scent.
A set of jade chairs surrounded a low table, and a thin spiritual barrier separated the viewing area from the auction floor below.
Such barriers were the work of a Formation Master. They allowed those inside to see out, but prevented anyone outside from seeing in.
'Come to think of it, Ember Lotus Peak is also involved in sealings and arrays, isn't it?'
Lucien thought while glancing at the barrier with interest. Unlike other peaks, Ember Lotus Peak wasn't focused solely on cultivation.
Besides fire-based cultivation and elemental or spiritual flame techniques, sealings and artifact crafting were also quite popular among its disciples.
Even he had received a fire-based cultivation technique of the Xuan rank as soon as he entered the inner sect. Of course, he tossed it aside right after, since he already cultivated the Divine Core Technique.
But aside from core cultivation, auxiliary abilities were also extremely important for a cultivator.
Just look at the Divine Cauldron Sect, which stood as a second-rate sect solely because of its incredible alchemy heritage.
Heck, he heard that Su Ruyue already received a pile of high-grade pills to boost her realm and was now in closed-door cultivation under her master's guidance. Even he felt a bit jealous.
Besides, learning arrays and sealings would come in extremely handy during secret realm explorations.
'It seems I'll need to find the fresh corpse of a genius disciple from Ember Lotus Peak,' Lucien thought to himself while inadvertently glancing at Mei Xuan for an unknown reason.
'Hmm? Why do I feel chilly all of a sudden?'
Mei Xuan was minding her own business when she suddenly felt a malicious gaze fixed on her. But when she turned around, no one seemed to be looking her way.
'So weird!'
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the grand auction held by our Mystic Exchange Alliance. I hope everyone will find something worthy of their interest today."
Just as Mei Xuan was confused, a soft yet clear voice rang out from the center of the auction house below.
A young woman stood on the stage, calm and composed, wearing a conservative yet elegant robe that highlighted her grace without being flashy.
A faint, polite smile curved her lips as her gaze swept across the hall. With her professional demeanor, her poise naturally drew the attention of everyone present.
'Yan Xi!'
As soon as Mo Zhiran saw the girl on the stage, he immediately recognized her. She was Yan Xi, fiancée of Mo Tianyu and secretly the daughter of an Elder of the Mystic Exchange Alliance.
If he remembered correctly, this girl loved Tianyu so much that she forced their marriage with the help of her father.
In fact, much of the reason why Mo Tianyu and his family were able to join the Divine Cauldron Sect midway was because of her connections.
Whenever Tianyu needed help, she was always there, supporting him silently from the shadows.
Heck, he was sure she was here as an auctioneer, all because of him. Wasn't she the perfect wife anyone could hope for?
'That lucky bastard!'
Though Zhiran thought like that, no jealousy could be seen in his eyes. Instead, a faint smile tugged unconsciously at his lips.
"Fellow cultivators, I am Yan Xi, and today I will be conducting this auction. We have gathered a selection of rare treasures, spirit herbs, refined weapons, and unique artifacts suitable for all realms of cultivation."
"I hope each of you can find something worthy of your pursuit. Let the auction begin."
Yan Xi didn't waste any time and clapped her hands, starting the auction immediately.
"For the first auction item, we have a very rare Marrow Cleansing Pill for you. It is Xuan-grade pill, refined by a skilled alchemist."
She said this with a faint smile, holding up three simple pill bottles in her hands.
"Xuan-grade Marrow Cleansing Pill?"
"Damn, the first item is a Marrow Cleansing Pill? And Xuan grade too?"
"Sure enough... the Mystic Exchange Alliance is really something else."
"Awesome!"
As soon as the audience heard what was up for auction, they immediately reacted with surprise.
A Marrow Cleansing Pill was designed to purge accumulated pill residue and toxins from the body. It could restore the purity of the dantian and Qi pathways, allowing cultivators to safely absorb new pills.
It was a cheat code for those with lower talent who wanted to speed up their cultivation. It was extremely popular in the cultivation world.
Moreover, if the pill in Yan Xi's hand was truly Xuan grade, it could even slightly increase a cultivator's potential. No wonder the audience was so excited.
"It seems I don't need to explain how precious these pills are."
Yan Xi saw the eagerness in the audience's eyes and nodded lightly. She seemed to have successfully set the stage.
"Okay, since you all know their importance, let's not waste time. I have three bottles here, each containing ten Early Xuan-grade Marrow Cleansing Pills."
"Each person may only purchase one bottle. The bid starts at 50 low-grade spirit stones. The top three bidders will win each bottle respectively. Let the bids begin."
The first auction items in any auction were always chosen to excite the crowd. By setting the bar low, Yan Xi ensured maximum participation, intending to make the event grand.
"51 low-grade spirit stones!"
"52 low-grade spirit stones!"
"..."
"100 low-grade spirit stones! I advise poor people not to participate in this auction."
Well, although there were incidents, her methods worked nevertheless, as the crowd immediately began to bid for the Xuan-Grade Marrow Cleansing Pill.
"105 low-grade spirit stones!"
"110 low-grade spirit stones!"
"120 low-grade spirit stones!"
...
"Don't you want it?"
As the bidding became fierce, Xiao Lan looked at Mo Zhiran sitting beside her and asked curiously. From her intel, she knew that Zhiran was someone who rose up overnight.