At midnight, after a whole day had passed, Zhang Yong quietly awoke and exhaled.
"The first level of the Law of the Void… now I can use the killing formations of this law."
On the other side, Su Ming gave him half a glance before complaining,
"You're really calm for someone who was about to explode."
Zhang Yong shrugged helplessly.
"What can I do about it? Anyway, how long have you been meditating? I see it's already midnight."
Su Ming replied calmly,
"A day and a half. The auction will begin tomorrow anyway."
The next morning, the two left the inn and headed straight toward the Pride Auction.
From the outside, the auction house was the very embodiment of pride.
The inner ground seemed paved with gold to the point that one's reflection could shine in it.
The lion statues at the entrance and the grand red wooden door looked extravagantly expensive.
This was not a place for ordinary people.
Of course, not just anyone could enter an auction.
At the entrance, the two were stopped by a guard
Even though they wore the robes of alchemists, inspection was necessary.
"Please identify yourselves," the guard requested.
The two bowed slightly and cupped their fists. Zhang Yong replied,
"We've come to attend the auction. I am Zhang Yong, and this is Su Ming."
The guard trembled once and muttered,
"The genius Zhang Yong and the Heavenly Alchemy Child…" He looked visibly flustered. "Please wait here a moment."
He turned and left them standing there.
"What's going on?" Su Ming couldn't help but ask, but Zhang Yong only shook his head without answering.
Soon, the guard returned with a short, chubby old man with a white beard. The old man stopped and clasped his hands together,
"Greetings. If I had known the Heavenly Alchemy Child and the genius Zhang Yong would grace our auction, I would have welcomed you personally."
Both were immediately surprised. Their rumors had already spread this far? It was astonishing, but also carried a certain thrill.
Zhang Yong crossed his arms.
"No, it's our honor to attend Pride Auction today."
The old man chuckled lightly,
"Oh, please don't be modest. Who hasn't heard of your accomplishments? Might I ask, should I prepare the Su Family's room for you?"
Zhang Yong paused for a moment, glanced at Su Ming's expression, and immediately understood. Then he said,
"No, we'll sit in the lower seats."
The old man snorted,
"How could I allow that? I will prepare one of the VIP rooms for you. That is the least you deserve."
They quietly followed the old man inside, but the moment Zhang Yong's feet stepped onto the golden floor, he felt eyes watching him from afar. He released his spiritual sense, but couldn't detect them. These were clearly the guards of the auction.
As they walked, the old man explained. There were six VIP rooms reserved: one for the royal family and the rest for the five golden clans. Naturally, the golden clan rooms were smaller compared to the royal one.
Those were with the names , but in total there were 12 VIP rooms , half of them were for the royal amd the golden clans , and the rest were for important figures , for example the alchemist association
After following him up the stairs, they saw the rooms from the outside. Three were already occupied—two by unknown figures, and the last… belonged to the royal family!
The old man noticed their gaze and smiled.
"You've already realized. But it isn't the Emperor inside—only the First and Third Princes."
He then guided them to a private room located just after the golden clans' rooms. After all, one of them was a famous genius, and the other was a Su by blood, even if he didn't acknowledge it, and carried the title of Heavenly Alchemy Child.
Inside, they looked down at the main hall, which was already packed with people. The lower chairs were filled completely.
Zhang Yong turned to the old man and asked,
"May I put something up for auction?"
The old man chuckled lightly.
"Of course, it would be an honor for us to present something from you. What do you wish to auction?"
Zhang Yong stretched out his hand, taking out a jade slip and placing it in the old man's palm.
"I want to auction this fourth-grade pill recipe."
The old man's eyes widened instantly as he stared at the recipe.
"A fourth-grade recipe…" A brilliant smile appeared on his face, but when he brought it to his forehead to read, his expression twisted into something complicated.
"V-very well, I'll have it placed in the auction."
He bowed and left immediately.
Su Ming stared curiously.
"Where did you get that recipe?"
Zhang Yong sat down on a chair and put on his sunglasses.
"I got it from the King of Thieves."
Su Ming was stunned.
"Hah? I didn't expect you to actually obtain something from him. How did you convince him?"
From behind his shades, Zhang Yong answered simply,
"I blackmailed him."
Su Ming was momentarily shocked before a muffled laugh slipped out.
"You tortured him, really? That sounds like you. So which recipe did you give them?" He sat down on the chair next to Zhang Yong.
Zhang Yong shrugged helplessly with a strained smile.
"I gave them the most useless one the king had. It's… a cure for weakness."
Su Ming tilted his head.
"A healing pill?"
Zhang Yong swallowed.
"You could call it that… but it doesn't exactly treat wounds."
A question mark practically appeared above Su Ming's head—he had no idea what Zhang Yong meant.
Soon after, the noisy hall fell silent as the curtain on the stage was drawn. A beautiful young woman in a long silver dress appeared gracefully, beside her an old man standing on a small platform of purple stone with a hammer in hand.
The girl stepped forward and began her greetings. After a few flowery words, the auction officially began.
She wheeled in a small cart and presented,
"The first item of this auction: a Solar Obsidian Stone."
After the opening bid, the price rose gradually, though none of the VIPs intervened. In the end, it sold for three thousand spirit stones.
Item after item was brought out, yet nothing stirred Zhang Yong's interest. He conserved his money, waiting only for something worth fighting for.
"Next in the auction, an artifact found in ancient ruins. Though it appears ordinary, it emanates a mysterious aura," the hostess announced as another small cart was wheeled in, covered with a white cloth.
She lifted the cloth slowly, revealing a black, glossy fragment. It looked plain, yet there was an undeniable pull that made people stare at it.
Upon seeing it, Zhang Yong felt a tremor deep in his soul. He immediately grabbed his chest.
"The Heaven Source Flask is shaking—could it be because of that fragment?"
His eyes locked onto the piece.
The old man declared,
"The starting price for this piece is one crystal coin."
"One crystal coin."
"One and five hundred."
"One and a thousand."
The bids began, but were cut off suddenly by a commanding voice:
"One and five thousand."
Everyone turned. It was from the imperial family's room. Naturally, no one dared to compete—who would challenge the royal family?
Then, a new voice rang out:
"Two crystal coins."
All eyes snapped toward the source. Who else could it be but the young master himself, Zhang Yong?
Gasps filled the hall. Someone had dared to challenge the royal family.
Inside the imperial room stood a young man in golden robes, long black hair tied with a jade crown. His presence was dignified, though his eyes were sharp like an eagle's. Beside him, a younger boy with a childish face scowled.
"Brother, that country bumpkin dared to bid against us," the younger prince complained.
The elder prince only gave him a sidelong glance, calm and measured.
"Just raise the price. After all, he's not wrong—this is an auction."
Meanwhile, Su Ming grabbed Zhang Yong's shoulder anxiously.
"Zhang Yong, you crazy bastard, stop! Why provoke them?"
But Zhang Yong smiled calmly, crossing one leg over the other.
"What do you mean? This is an auction—the highest bidder wins."
Su Ming pleaded,
"But we need money for the herb!"
Zhang Yong sighed.
"It's just a medicinal herb, not a life-saving one. I doubt anyone will fight for it."
Immediately, the bid rose again.
"Two and a thousand spirit stones."
Zhang Yong smirked and raised it without hesitation.
"Three crystal coins."
Gasps exploded across the hall. In mere moments, the price had tripled. This was a battle of giants. Some cursed under their breath—the only real winner here was the auction house itself.
The third prince swallowed nervously. As a prince, his personal allowance was limited to ten crystal coins. Even combined with his brother, they had only twenty. This wasn't because the kingdom was poor, but because their father restricted them to prevent waste and weakness.
After a pause, another bid was raised—
"Three and a ha—"
"Four coins," Zhang Yong cut in sharply before the bidder could finish.
The third prince's face flushed red with fury.
"That peasant dares! Brother…!"
The first prince closed his eyes, a trace of disdain flashing within—not at Zhang Yong, but at his younger brother.
"Just let him have it. It's nothing but worthless junk."
"But, brother—"
"I said enough." His calm voice carried steel. He clearly had no interest in the piece.
Yet in his mind, he considered another possibility: someone else like him. If so, such people never lasted long anyway.
Finally, the old man on the platform announced,
"First call, second call, third call—sold to VIP Room Seven for four crystal coins!"
Su Ming leaned toward Zhang Yong and whispered,
"Was it worth it?"
Zhang Yong smirked faintly, adjusting his sunglasses.
"We'll see soon enough."
The money didn't matter much to him right now.
Others looked at him with scorn, thinking him a fool, but Zhang Yong was certain. The Heaven Source Flask had never reacted before—yet it had shaken at the appearance of that fragment.
Whether law-related or something else entirely, he was sure it wasn't just luck
Zhang Yong didn't believe in luck. It wasn't fun at all.
Later, the next item appeared. To Zhang Yong's surprise, it was something he recognized.
A cart was wheeled out, the cloth lifted, and the hostess announced,
"The next item is this jade slip—a fourth-grade pill recipe."
Then she glanced at the old man, who leaned in and whispered something. Her face instantly turned red.
"Th-this recipe… um, it makes a man like a stallion with his wife."
The crowd broke into muffled laughter. Parts of the hall grew uncomfortably silent as people stared at the slip with mixed expressions of curiosity and embarrassment.
Zhang Yong smiled slyly at the reactions, while Su Ming blushed, almost unable to believe what was happening.
"Really? This is what you chose to auction?" he whispered in shock.
Zhang Yong chuckled softly, shrugging.
"Best way to get rid of something useless. What? Don't tell me you want it? You don't even have a girlfriend."
Su Ming turned away, his face red.
"If people find out we sold this, our reputation will sink to the bottom."
Zhang Yong's eyes gleamed.
"Let it burn in hell. What matters are benefits—money, money, and more money."
The hostess, still flustered, tried to compose herself as she raised her voice.
"The starting bid for this recipe is… five crystal coins."
The audience watched quietly. It was a fourth-grade recipe, but… this content? They were baffled.
"Five coins and two hundred spirit stones!" came a bid from one of the nearby VIP rooms.
People below looked up at them with pity and snickers.
Immediately, the bidders shouted down at the crowd,
"Shut up! It's still a fourth-grade pill!"
"Six coins!" Zhang Yong suddenly called, surprising everyone. Why was he bidding on his own item?
"Seven coins!" shouted the third prince.
The prince smirked confidently.
"Since that peasant wants it so badly, why not drive up the price a little before we back out and make him waste his money?"
The first prince rubbed his forehead, sighing inwardly.
'This foolish brother… oh well.'
Zhang Yong clapped in amusement.
"Wonderful, wonderful. As expected of Your Highness. But I'll still bid—eight—"
"Nine coins!" the third prince cut in sharply with a smug grin.
"Come now, young man, it's an auction—don't stop here."
Zhang Yong blinked a few times at him, realization dawning.
'Ah, he wants revenge for earlier. Fine, why not? I'm bored anyway.'
He smiled confidently.
"Ten—"
"Eleven coins!" the third prince interrupted again.
At that, Zhang Yong's gentle smile widened, sending a chill into the prince's chest.
"Oh, since the Third Prince desires it so much, he can have it. I never imagined His Highness suffered from such a problem despite his young age."
He sighed dramatically.
"I only wish you a speedy recovery."
The hall froze in an awkward silence. Every eye turned to the Third Prince, whose face turned crimson with rage and humiliation. His expression tightened, his fingers trembling.
"You… peasant… I'll remember this!" he hissed under his breath, but he had no choice. He had shouted the bid—he would have to pay.
The First Prince's gaze grew colder, though he had not participated. Now, however, he watched Zhang Yong more carefully.
'This man dares to speak such words openly. Things may grow dangerous.'
The old man announced firmly,
"Sold to VIP Room One for eleven crystal coins!"
---
Zhang Yong leaned back in satisfaction, as if it had all been a simple game. He knew provoking the imperial family wasn't something to be taken lightly, yet the sweetness of it lingered on his lips. Who cared, as long as he profited?
Su Ming looked at him once more, murmuring,
"You're really playing with fire…"
Zhang Yong didn't reply. He only smiled faintly and whispered,
"Then let's see who burns first. If I'd put more treasures up for auction, I could have milked that prince dry."