Grandmaster Dongye's expression remained utterly indifferent, showing not the slightest trace of annoyance at having been toyed with.
"One billion six hundred and ten million — going once, going twice — sold!" Jiang Chen cast a glance at Grandmaster Dongye and smiled. "Congratulations, Grandmaster Dongye. You've won a Pine Crane Pill. This particular Pine Crane Pill bears my personal seal of authenticity — do take good care of it. Before consuming it, you'll need to dispel the seal. If the pill sustains any damage or develops any problems after the seal has been removed, don't come crying to me about it."
Jiang Chen was on his guard against Grandmaster Dongye now — a hundred percent on his guard. That old bald donkey had the appearance of honesty but harbored malicious intent within. If he hadn't fanned the flames during the previous trading conference, that other fellow wouldn't have been able to cause all that trouble.
So when it came to Grandmaster Dongye's motives for bidding on the Pine Crane Pill, Jiang Chen was genuinely wary. He was laying down the ugly truth upfront, giving Grandmaster Dongye a fair warning, to prevent the man from using it as an excuse to stir up trouble later.
Grandmaster Dongye replied coolly, "Young Lord Zhen, since this poor monk has chosen to bid on this pill, I naturally come prepared for such terms."
"That's for the best. The money hasn't changed hands yet — if you have regrets, it's still not too late. At worst, you'll forfeit some of your deposit. But once you've inspected the goods and the transaction is complete, it'll be far too late for regrets." With someone like Grandmaster Dongye, it was essential to lay everything out in the open from the start.
In any case, with so many people watching, Jiang Chen saw no need for subtlety.
Grandmaster Dongye gave a cold snort. "Let me inspect it."
He stepped forward and studied the Pine Crane Pill with meticulous care for the better part of half an hour before finally nodding. "The transaction is complete."
What Jiang Chen hadn't expected was that Grandmaster Dongye turned out to be extraordinarily wealthy. One billion six hundred and ten million Saint Spirit Stones, and the man produced them without so much as a twitch of his brow.
The other auction items were also inspected and verified, and payments were made accordingly.
And just like that, the grand auction came to its official close. Every major faction had walked away with something.
The only ones who came up somewhat short were the independent cultivators. Among them, only the Great Emperor Huoyan had successfully secured a treasure — a strand of Rakshasa Fire.
The rest of the independent cultivators left empty-handed.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for gracing us with your presence. I, Zhen, am truly astounded by the financial strength on display here. Auctions of this caliber will be held from time to time in Glazed Royal City going forward. When that day comes, there may very well be even higher-grade, even rarer treasures revealed. I assure you, every last coin you spend will be well worth it — worth every cent!"
Jiang Chen cupped his fists in a salute. "The trading conference officially concludes here. Starting tomorrow, I will open a forum for lectures and discuss the Dao of Alchemy with all of you. Before that, let me lay out a few points. These lectures may cover a wide range of topics — all manner of knowledge and anecdotes related to alchemy will be on the table. However, specific pill formulas and recipes will most definitely not be disclosed openly. That said, on the final day of lectures, I will dedicate the session entirely to answering your specific questions and resolving any difficulties you may have. This Dragon-Tiger Gathering was organized primarily for the benefit of independent cultivators. Therefore, the majority of the questioning opportunities will be reserved for independents. Out of every ten questions, nine will go to independent cultivators. The remaining one, I will use at my discretion to select representatives from various factions. I hope everyone will take full advantage of this opportunity."
"Hear, hear! Wonderful!"
"Young Lord Zhen, we support you!"
"Truly worthy of being the Young Lord we admire! Just for the fact that you're siding with independent cultivators, I've made my decision — from now on, I'll be backing Young Lord Zhen all the way!"
"Exactly! Someone like Young Lord Zhen, who actually thinks about us independents — there just aren't many like him! Young Lord Zhen, you're something else!"
"Young Lord Zhen — a real man!"
The independent cultivators erupted in thunderous cheers. They had clearly been deeply moved by Jiang Chen's announcement. Nine out of every ten questions reserved for independents.
Even if this was nothing more than a show of goodwill, it was more than enough to move these cultivators to the core.
After all, practically every major faction in the human domain had sent representatives to this grand gathering. Young Lord Zhen hadn't tried to curry favor with those powerful forces — he had stood with the independents.
For that alone, everyone had to admit: Young Lord Zhen had real backbone and real integrity.
Amid the jubilant shouts of the independent cultivators, today's grand auction finally drew its curtain to a close.
"All sellers of auction items, rest assured — we will deliver every last Spirit Stone of your auction proceeds directly into your hands. This being our very first auction, Glazed Royal City is hosting this on a purely friendly basis, and we will not be taking a single coin in commission."
Not taking a single coin in commission?
Even the guests were stunned. This Young Lord Zhen truly had audacity to spare. An auction of this magnitude — with aggregate bids surely totaling billions upon billions — even a ten percent commission would have amounted to nearly a billion.
And this Young Lord Zhen was forgoing every last bit of it?
"That little Zhen brat is no ordinary person!" The elder from Heavenly River Palace was inwardly shaken upon hearing the news. "Facing such a staggering commission, he's willing to let it all go? So young, yet already possessing this kind of nerve — this Zhen fellow's methods may well surpass even the Peacock Great Emperor of old!"
"That little beast is just posturing for fame!" Long Baxiang of the Heavenly Dragon Sect was equally shocked. "So young, yet already so shrewd. If this keeps up, where will it end? The way this kid is sucking up to the independent cultivators, he's clearly trying to build his reputation among them. Could it be that this kid actually plans to bleed the independent cultivator world dry? Hmph — how naive. The independents are a pack of ingrates — a few petty favors are never going to buy their loyalty. Does this brat really think he's clever, that by giving the independents a few scraps, every independent under heaven will fall at his feet in devotion?"