"Ladies and gentlemen, for today's auction, we will begin with a special item," Huang Shengyi said, her voice a seductive melody. It had a rhythm that captivated men and made women question their own desires. Men blushed, and women hid their faces as a seductively dressed woman walked onto the stage carrying a golden tray covered by a thin blue cloth.
Huang Shengyi removed the cloth, revealing a grey, nut-sized pill. "This is a medium-grade Bone-Condensing Pill, concocted by Alchemist Yan Xi of the Alchemist Guild." The hall fell silent. The Bone-Condensing Pill was a rare and expensive item used in the first stage of cultivation, the Bone Forging realm. This stage was considered the true foundation of a cultivator's future, where the skeleton was strengthened for higher levels of power.
"Fifty thousand gold notes!" a black-robed man shouted from the crowd. His bid shattered the silence, not because he was of high status, but because the price was far above market value. Few could afford to spend so much on a single pill, even for their most promising young cultivators. The crowd turned to see who had made such a bold bid. When they recognized him, it all made sense. It was Patriarch Huang Xiaoming, the head of the wealthiest of the five ruling families and a man rumored to have so much money he could "put ghosts to work." Few knew he was also the father of the auctioneer.
"Any other bids before Patriarch Huang claims this pill for his family vaults?" Huang Shengyi asked, her voice suggesting that her family had an abundance of such pills. The hall remained silent. With a small sigh, she declared the patriarch the winner.
"Our next item is a grey wolf that has been tamed perfectly, to the point that it will obey any order, whatever it may be," she continued, her voice so enchanting that few men in the crowd were able to stand.