Chapter 33: Star Fusion Pills

The second special weapon was a sword. With red jewels and shining white jade, it was imposing. While the sword again made the crowd turn into a frenzy, An Shan again dozed off. It was fortunate that there were only two Heaven-rank Spirit Weapons, but still…

“Dad, wake up!”

KRINGGG—

Xiao Mei’s piercing voice was too much for his ears. A ringing sensation grabbed his consciousness. By heavens, this little girl… An Shan wanted to yell, but he could not. It was he who instructed her to wake him up when special items were presented. Thinking about it, he should have specified his order. While he was interested, his nap was more important. This child’s voice was too effective, he could not get even a proper nap…

“What now, I said no more weapons,”

“It’s the second item…”

“Oh,”

Her little finger pointed to the stage behind the veil. Hearing the announcement, she decided to wake him up. On stage, the host Elder Li was beaming with pride. It was just about time for him to open the item hidden behind a red cover. Taking the cover off, he announced;

“Behold, Star Fusion Pills… Fourth Heaven!”

Waa—

A fog came out from the item’s surroundings. The item was encased in a glass casket. It was a shining golden bottle with a few tri-colored pills of red, blue, and green. Seeing these pills, and hearing the announcement from Elder Li, the crowd could not help but trembled. They had heard that the item was a bottle of Star Fusion pills, but for it to be the Fourth Heaven…

Why did they not announce this before!

Dan pills were divided into three ranks; Mortal, Earth, and Heaven. Heaven-rank pills were the highest standard for any pills. Each could be considered ten times more valuable than an Earth-rank pill. Despite the two only having a single rank difference, the value differed that much for several reasons. Namely, it was its higher success rate and lower chance of having a backlash. And while the value of Heaven-rank pills might not be much for lower-tier pills, this tier made them all the more valuable. Most audiences here expected it to be Heaven-rank, but not reaching fourth-tier!

There were five known tiers for pills in Heaven-rank.

Each was named simply as First-Heaven, Second-Heaven, and so on. Being able to make First-Heaven pills, qualified one to be called an expert in Dan pills. Most pills in First Heaven were for those mortals struggling to be a cultivator, or a Purification ranked cultivator trying to get into Cloud Forming Stage. There was also various other use, and each was valuable. Second-Heaven was of higher quality. It was used by most cultivators to break through, so it came with a hefty price. For Third-Heaven, it was really expensive. Even in a large sect, it was reserved for Core Disciples and Elders who contributed much to the sect. Used as a reward for exceptional contribution, you could guess its worth. Being granted one could elevate one’s fame among his or her peers.

However, for Forth tier, most elders had to use their own resources to get any. This was not merely for its hefty price, but also its rarity, the kind of quality fitting for Ancestors from a Super-sect, not common people!

That was the worth of a Fourth-Heaven Dan pill.

And forget about the Fifth tier, for such a legendary thing was never for the likes of them. Only Ancestors from Supreme Sects and Imperial Clans deserved them. So, the most they could eye for, were usually of Third-Heaven pills.

But for an auction in a border city to have a Fourth-Heaven…

Granted, it was a large and booming city… Still, it was unexpected. These pills would stir up quite a buzz even in Imperial Capitals. And judging from the bottle, there should at least be five of these pills inside.

The crowd was shaken. Mortals would not understand, but these were the Fourth-Heaven pills. The type was Fusing-type pills. Fusing-type pills were pills that could help cultivators fuse the Stars within their dantian, achieving either minor or major breakthroughs. With their high quality, these pills would no doubt be useful even for top experts of Heavenly-Stars Stage!

Supreme Sects and Imperial Clan had plenty of Heavenly-Stars Stage experts. However, even for large clans and sects, they were pretty much their forefront leaders.

With the pills, an expert of Heavenly-Stars Stage could increase his chance to further fuse his remaining Main Stars into another Heavenly Star, achieving a significant breakthrough. Even to leaders of a large faction, these pills…

A must-have!

Seeing the crowd’s enthusiasm, Elder Li grinned. He knew they were interested, and as a veteran host, he could not help but add flavor to such an occasion;

“These pills were the work of Esteemed Elder Mo Yun. She toiled with creating these pills for more than six months, and the gathering of its ingredients took more than two years! Haha… I’ll now invite representatives from clans and sects to verify…”

Hearing his claim, the crowd widened their eyes.

Who among them had not heard of Elder Mo Yun? As the leading expert of pill forging in Wang Nan city, she was much desired. While she had toiled with fire and metals, she still retained her beauty. In addition to her skills, many leaders of various sects nearby had the desire to take her as their wife, only to be rejected right in the face. Nevertheless, that stern expression on her when rejecting their approach… huhu, that only raised her value.

Everyone knew of her passion for pills. She had criticized many pills as lacking, and her clear explanation had shut the rebelling mouth of many pill experts. Yet as someone with skills in pill forging, even after fifty years of fame, she still retained her independence. However, this meant she had no other choice but to sell her pills from time to time, in order to secure all the expensive herbs. Hearing this piece of news, they were quick on the uptake, as to why the auction house did not announce the pill’s rank beforehand…

“No, no wonder! She has her concern…”

“If the news of her forging Heaven-rank Fourth-Tier pills was to spread…”

“Right, those Supreme Sects and Imperial Clans would send their envoys after her, tracking her down, and ‘inviting’ her to join,”

“Indeed. It would be difficult to reject, not without offending those powers…”

The crowd justified.

Had the auction house spread this news, representatives from Supreme Sects and Imperial Clan would be here. With her still needing to secure the payment, they would track her whereabouts. Even if what she did was not a crime, to reject the approach from these powerhouses…

That could very well be said as suicidal!

To deal with them, she had to make sure they missed her. So she had to go into hiding for some time, at least until these powers lost interest in her. Rejecting them outright might be seen as spitting on their face, something a lone expert like her could not afford!

As the crowd was busy guessing the reason, the evaluators from various clans surrounded the pills. Their keen eyes were on the pills, evaluating them. Breathing in the surrounding air, their whole body shivered. Soon, their Spirit Search engulfed the pills for a full minute…

The crowd held their breath. Elder Li had already announced it to be Heaven-rank, but they faced difficulty believing it. While it rarely happened, it was not impossible for the auction house to make a mistake. Soon, the evaluators stopped examining.

Eyes on each other, they nodded. While these evaluators were from different powers, they were of the same field. As evaluators, they met often from time to time. There was a certain rapport between them. Just with their eyes, they ascertained their judgment. The senior one among the evaluators announced;

“We conclude, these truly are Fourth-tier, Heaven-rank pills… Star Fusion pills, Fourth-Heaven!”

“Agreed,”

“Agreed!”

“Agreed…”

With these confirmations, the entire hall had a buzz.

The energy and excitement there were clear. In the VIP rooms, the eyes of the elders from various powers turned red, shocking many of the younger ones escorting them. While these young ones could not care much for these pills, it was different for them leaders and leading elders. Many of them had been stuck in either Primary or Mid-Heavenly Stars Stage. To induce a breakthrough, they had to have these pills.

However, for Fourth-tier pills that reached Fourth-Heaven, it was useful even for Peak Heavenly Stars experts. For these foremost experts to reach Titan-Stars Stage, they could use these pills to fortify their Heavenly-Stars, readying them to form that enormous Titan-Star. With this in mind, not a few of the elders there had a similar thought. While they were considered large sects, only a few of their ancestors reached Titan-Star in history. Should they offer these to their seniors…

How much merit and favor would they gain?

“Fourth Heaven?”

Hearing these evaluators proclaiming so, An Shan opened his sleepy eyes. Seeing the pills, he frowned. While he never heard of Elder Mo Yun, he knew pills. While they were Heaven-rank, for them to be called Fourth Heaven… Of course, at a glance, it seemed like it. But he felt something was amiss… Ehh, could he be mistaken?

Eyes turning to Mu-er, he asked;

“Did the rank quality change or something?”

“Err, I’m not so sure what you’re referring, Father…”

“I mean, those pills, are they really Fourth-Heaven?”

“…I cannot be sure. I need to spread my Spirit over to be certain,”

“I see. Well, that makes two of us,”

Seeing everyone agreed, Elder Li was about to proceed with the auction. Yet just as he was about to raise his hand, a ringing sound reached his ears. The sound spread throughout the entire hall. He knew the sound, yet since it was rarely used, he was taken aback. That sound… Someone had ringed the bells, someone in the VIP room!

Not just him, the crowd below was stunned. First-timers there did not know, but veterans were aware. Turning to the source, they wondered who it was who rang the bell of doubt. Ringing it meant they wish to be certain of things, since it was best to ascertain it before buying anyway. With the ring, the internal sound barrier within a certain room in the middle of the second floor, turned itself off.

With this, those within could speak to those outside.

“Excuse me,”

An Shan’s voice rang through the hall. Hearing it, Elder Li raised his eyebrows. It was not a voice he used to hear. The voice sounds quite young. Then again, that VIP room was registered for a rich merchant from out of the city anyway.

“Yes, dear Sir… Was there anything you wish to ask?”

“Host, allow us to ascertain the value of the pills,”

“T-this…”

Elder Li could have guessed it. However, hearing it still stunned him. With all those evaluators from various powers… Could it still not satisfy this VIP?

“What, I can’t?”

“O-of course you can! But if I may be rude, please be quick. We have to proceed with…”

“It won’t take a few blinks, just stay put,”

As soon as he said so, a wave of Spirit Search came about. Elders there were alarmed. So it was a top expert afterall… Sensing the power behind this Spirit Search, they concluded that it was a Primary Heavenly Stars expert. This kind of expert would not be from a group of simple merchants.

As soon as they thought so, another wave came about. This time, it was from a different person. However, the power behind this… It was a Mid Heavenly Stars expert!

Primary and Mid realm was just next to each other. However, for Heavenly-Stars experts, it was significant. The power of a Mid-realm could be said to be almost twice of one in Primary-realm. Within the entire hall, there was not one of such cultivation among the crowds. Those who were there, were VIPs, certainly not in the lower hall. Along with the fact that they sat in VIP room, it was clear to everyone, that people with this kind of power…

Should not be offended!

With this thought, they kept their silence.

…

As An Shan said, it would take only a few blinks. Soon, the two retracted their Spirit Search. When they did, the silence grew. Crowds and VIPs alike were expecting them to comment, yet… After a few more blinks, nothing came out. Feeling a bit pressured, Elder Li asked;

“Dear Sir, how’s the product?”

“…”

“Dear Sir?”

“Huu…”

“H-hu?”

“Ehem,”

Another voice responded. It was Mu-er’s…

“We have nothing to comment on, please proceed.”

“Err, yes!”

Hearing this, Elder Li was baffled.

Nothing to comment on, then why the heck did you check the items anyway? Well, whatever… Seeing the VIPs did not object, he proceeded to the bidding war. Unknown to him, Mu-er was turning to his ancestor, his so-called father. As soon as An Shan retracted his Spirit Search, he… He did not comment on anything. Instead, he leaned quietly on the sofa.

Beside him, Xiao Mei was poking her dad’s cheek…

…

There were sounds of frenzied bidding, yet these did not budge the old ancestor at all…

33 million!

33.3 million!

35 million…

Your sister, 37 million!

Your mom, 39 million!!

The bidding was fierce, as if no one was willing to give up. Sadly, however unwilling, their money was limited. When it reached fifty million, the bidding war stayed only between the four Kings of Wang Nan, the Drug Lords. These bitter rivals fought each other to the teeth. With them having so much money, even large sects could not hope but only compete in the early stage of the bidding. Soon enough, the bidding ended. The pills were sold at 77 Million, purchased by one of the Drug Lords in the VIP rooms just next to An Shan’s.

A sale of 77 million, it was a hefty price!

“Hu hu, thank you, dear Sir, for your generosity…”

The auction house was quick. With senior attendants securing the payment, they quickly delivered the item. With this, Elder Li finally heaved a sigh of relief. It seemed the value of these pills was more than enough for the trouble. It was not easy convincing the eccentric lady Mo Yun to give it up. Fortunately, she was running out of money, so he and the establishment had to lure her in with special deals.

Soon, he announced;

“…All of you esteemed guests had waited long, we appreciate your patience. Next, our special auction would entail three very rare herbs from…”

He did not finish his sentence before a voice came out;

…DAD, WAKE UPPPPP!

…!!

?!

Wha…?

Your sister!

My ears!

A childish, yet piercing voice rang throughout the hall. For cultivators of higher stage, such a voice pierced through their sensitive hearing, turning every single one of them dizzy... And for Elder Li, he lost his balance, falling three meters down the stage!

…

=== Chapter 33 End ===