Luo Haiyi had mentioned before that Great Dao Pills typically sold for somewhere between ten and twenty thousand Open Heaven Pills each. While such a price was nothing to Yang Kai, it was considerable for any Emperor Realm cultivator — quite possibly representing the entire net worth of those scraping by at the bottom.
Even so, this round of Great Dao Pills with a reserve price of five thousand saw its price climb rapidly. In barely ten breaths it had already broken ten thousand. Luo Haiyi looked increasingly anxious, putting in two bids in quick succession, neither successful. Bids rang out one after another throughout the hall, a clear testament to just how sought-after these pills were among Emperor Realm cultivators.
The price surged upward, soon breaking twenty thousand and barreling toward thirty thousand.
A few breaths later, Luo Haiyi gritted her teeth and called out a bid of thirty thousand, but the very next moment someone topped it. She couldn't hide her frustration, and after that she fell silent — evidently ready to give up. After all, there were ten sets of Great Dao Pills in total; there would be other chances.
Once the price crossed thirty thousand, the bidding thinned out noticeably. It seemed Luo Haiyi hadn't been wrong — these pills generally fell in the ten-to-twenty-thousand range. Two pills at thirty thousand had already exceeded what most Emperor Realm cultivators could afford, so naturally fewer hands were raised.
When the price reached thirty-four thousand, no one bid further. The person who'd offered that price was a young man sitting in the row directly ahead of Yang Kai. He looked tense, fists clenched tight, and called up toward the stage: "No more bids! Drop the hammer already!"
The auctioneer clearly heard him, offering a slight smile in that direction. He picked up his gavel, swept his gaze across the room, and asked cheerfully, "First set of Great Dao Pills — thirty-four thousand. Any higher bids?"
Yang Kai raised his hand. "Forty thousand!"
Every cultivator nearby whipped their heads around to stare, faces full of disbelief. The young man who'd bid thirty-four thousand looked as though flames might shoot from his eyes.
This was understandable. Among Emperor Realm cultivators, while auction prices could climb quickly, the increments were generally modest — five hundred or a thousand at a time. Accumulating Open Heaven Pills was no easy task, after all; who could bear to toss out so much at once?
Yang Kai had just jumped the price up by six thousand in a single bid. That was unprecedented.
Luo Haiyi stared at Yang Kai with equal astonishment. She naturally knew he had already condensed his Dao Seal — Great Dao Pills were useless to him. She hadn't expected him to join this bidding war. Her pretty eyes flickered, and a slight blush crept onto her cheeks, as though she'd misunderstood something.
"First set of Great Dao Pills — forty thousand from this gentleman. Any higher bids?" the auctioneer asked with a smile. After confirming no one would go higher, he counted down three times and struck the hammer.
"Second set of Great Dao Pills — opening bid of thirty-four thousand. Please place your bids!" The auctioneer gestured outward. As had been explained earlier, each subsequent set opened at the second-highest bid of the previous round. The second-highest bid on the first set had been thirty-four thousand, so that was the starting price for the second. The auction house was no charity.
"Thirty-four thousand!" The young man in the row ahead clenched his fist and called out. That had been his bid just moments ago.
Yang Kai raised his hand with unhurried calm. "Forty thousand!"
It was as though the same scene were playing out again, identical to before.
The young man whipped his head around once more, glaring at Yang Kai with fury. Yang Kai, however, didn't so much as glance at him.
The young man gritted his teeth. "Forty-one thousand!" This was the absolute limit of what he could afford. Anything higher and he simply couldn't keep up.
"Fifty thousand." Yang Kai's expression was indifferent.
"You—" The young man spun around, his face twisted with rage, looking as though he wanted to bite a chunk out of Yang Kai right then and there.
Quite a few Emperor Realm cultivators around them had begun regarding Yang Kai with unfriendly eyes. Many of them had come specifically for these Great Dao Pills, and with Yang Kai driving the price up so aggressively, they stood to lose out. Some even suspected he was a shill planted by the auction house — but on second thought, that didn't hold up. The Profound Wind Auction House had a sterling reputation and wouldn't stoop to such underhanded tricks.
The bidding on the second set was sparse. Only Yang Kai and the young man called out before it was settled.
Then came the third set.
Before the auctioneer could finish his introduction, Yang Kai raised his hand. "Fifty thousand!"
The young man in the front row could no longer contain himself and shouted, "How many Great Dao Pills do you need? If your aptitude isn't sufficient, no amount of pills will help!"
Generally speaking, if a cultivator was lucky, a single Great Dao Pill would be enough to condense a Dao Seal. Most needed two. If someone truly lacked confidence, three or four would do. More than that brought no further benefit.
Yang Kai had already secured two sets — more than enough by any reasonable measure. There was no need for him to join this third round at all.
"I've got more money than I know what to do with. What's it to you?" Yang Kai scoffed.
The young man nearly exploded on the spot. He found this guy utterly despicable — if not for the fact that fighting was forbidden here, he would have taught him a lesson right then.
"Fifty-one thousand!" Just then, another voice called out. Someone else had finally lost patience and jumped into the fray. Yang Kai had swept up the first two sets, and judging by his manner, he looked ready to keep buying. There were only ten sets in total — if Yang Kai took them all, what was left for everyone else?
So even though the price was steep, when it came to their own futures, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and bid.