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"Stop gawking!"
"Did you think every pill would summon Pill Lightning?"
Yao Lao held up a cherry-sized, earth-brown pill.
Just by appearance and luster, it was clearly far inferior to the Tier-6 Blue Emperor Soul Bone Pill Yang Fan had taken before.
"This is a Tier-2 Meridian Protecting Pill—protects the body and fortifies meridians."
He carefully placed it into a small vial he'd prepared earlier.
Time was short. Materials were limited.
This was the best pill he could produce under the circumstances.
"It's refined from one ten-year Sandwood Root, two ten-year Imperial Blood Grasses, and that Flame Tiger 'whip' you harvested earlier."
The true formula called for Sandwood Root, Blood Essence Spirit Fruit, and Firebone Dragon Flower—but lacking those, he substituted with similar-attribute ingredients.
The effect was weaker, so technically, it wasn't a true Tier-2 pill.
But since it wasn't meant for Yang Fan anyway, it didn't matter much.
"I've got it memorized, Master," Yang Fan said firmly.
He'd already committed both Battle Through the Heavens and Douluo pill formulas to memory.
…
That afternoon
Yang Fan arrived at the auction house with the Meridian Protecting Pill.
Like the Great Spirit Arena, the auction house used a dome-shaped design—as if a giant sphere had been split in half and placed in different parts of Tian Dou City.
The only difference? This building radiated opulence—every inch screamed wealth.
No signs adorned its surface—only a hammer emblem.
"Little one, from here on, you're on your own," Yao Lao warned.
A soul bone's appearance would inevitably draw powerful figures from across the city.
Under such scrutiny, Yao Lao couldn't risk revealing his presence.
"Don't worry, Master—I've got this."
He wasn't here to bid. Just to see the water-attribute soul bone with his own eyes—and witness its final price.
Taking a deep breath, Yang Fan strode toward the entrance…
Only to be stopped at the milky-white arched doorway by a woman.
"Sorry, little one—you can't come in," she said with a practiced smile.
"I'm here to sell something," Yang Fan declared, opening the vial.
A faint, rich herbal fragrance instantly filled the air.
The woman hesitated for a second—then gestured politely. "Please follow me."
She didn't know what was inside, but that dense aura felt extraordinary.
As the auction house's reception manager, she'd seen her share of treasures.
And the deliberate aura Yang Fan had just projected confirmed: this child was a soul master.
Moments later, he was led to a private room on the second floor.
"Appraiser No. 2—this esteemed guest wishes to consign an item for auction."
All items required evaluation by certified appraisers—assessing function, value, and auction eligibility.
The appraiser blinked in surprise upon seeing Yang Fan.
He hadn't expected such a young seller today.
"May I examine the item you wish to auction?"
As the pill was poured into a special testing dish, the appraiser's expression shifted again.
"Where… where did you get this?" he asked, clearly knowledgeable about alchemy.
"It's from my family."
"You're sure you want to sell it?"
"You appraise. I sell. Why so many questions?"
Chastened, the appraiser pulled out a magnifying glass and studied the Meridian Protecting Pill intently.
In the end—he couldn't decipher its secrets.
"Can you tell me this pill's name and effects?"
He recognized its high quality—but that was all.
An alchemy enthusiast himself, he'd never seen pills refined to such exquisite precision.
"This is a Meridian Protecting Pill," Yang Fan explained. "It protects the body, fortifies meridians, purifies bones and marrow, and stabilizes a soul master's heart meridian in critical condition…"
The appraiser stared, dumbfounded.
No matter how grand Yang Fan's claims, the auction house's duty was to verify an item's authenticity.
That was their purpose.
The appraiser carefully clamped the pill with a specialized tool, scraped a tiny amount of powder with a metal blade, and tasted it.
His eyes instantly lit up.
Cautiously, he sent a pulse of soul power through his own heart meridian.
Confirmed—the pill truly possessed meridian-protecting properties.
As for healing severe heart damage?
With a monthly salary of just a few hundred gold coins, he wasn't about to test that himself.
After deliberation, they set the starting bid at 2,000 gold soul coins.
Though the pill's efficacy was verified, soul masters in Douluo had always prioritized soul rings and soul bones.
Pills, despite their long history, remained undervalued.
Yang Fan had fought hard for that 2,000-coin base price—but whether it would sell was another matter.
Now, as a registered seller, he could attend tonight's auction openly.
The event hadn't started yet—the vast hall stood empty.
Yang Fan chose a seat in the back corner, giving him a clear view of the entire venue.
"You brat," Yao Lao chided mentally, "I never said that Meridian Protecting Pill could save lives."
"I just needed us to get in smoothly," Yang Fan replied.
After that exchange, Yao Lao fell completely silent within him.
…
Night fell.
The auction house gradually filled.
Prestigious sects and noble families from Tian Dou City arrived one after another—in just half an hour, eighty percent of seats were taken.
An interesting pattern emerged:
Most influential factions wore masks, while lesser-known soul masters showed their faces openly.
The reason was simple:
Those wearing masks were dead-set on the soul bone—but didn't want their identities exposed, lest they invite assassination.
Those without masks weren't necessarily uninterested—they simply had no hope of winning the bid.
Just then—
A group of seven or eight soul masters passed right by Yang Fan.
Each radiated a formidable aura, instantly drawing attention from major factions.
Though masked, their footwear gave them away.
Spirit Hall!
Only Spirit Hall soul masters received those dark-patterned shoes—and even then, only elite members qualified.
The leader's shoes bore dark-gold insignias, marking his high status.
They wore masks—but not well enough.
Seeing them, Yang Fan's blood boiled.
It was the Spirit Hall's persecution that had forced the Breaking Clan to flee like stray dogs.
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