Di Tian frowned slightly as he looked at Le Zheng'en, who appeared a little ashamed, embarrassed, and at a loss for words.
"I'll have to ask the Hall Master first. If he doesn't agree, then you won't be taking this pill with you today," Di Tian said in a low voice, then left the room for the moment.
"What kind of attitude is that?" After Di Tian left, Le Zhengming muttered with some irritation.
Le Zheng'en waved his hand, signaling Le Zhengming to shut up.
After stepping out, Di Tian went to a secluded spot and dialed Yun Ze's soul-guide communicator, quickly reporting the situation to him.
Soon, Di Tian returned to the room. Le Zheng'en and Le Zhengming both looked at him nervously.
"The Hall Master said it's fine. Transfer one hundred and fifty billion first, and make up the rest within three days," Di Tian said.
Le Zhengming was a little excited, and Le Zheng'en also showed a smile. "Many thanks."
"Mm." Di Tian nodded indifferently.
Le Zhengming began the transfer procedures while Le Zheng'en struck up a simple conversation with Di Tian, trying to show goodwill.
In just a few minutes, the transaction was completed. Di Tian checked—his card now had one hundred and fifty billion federal coins.
After confirming it was correct, he left and returned to the auction hall, bringing out the second pill for bidding.
Le Zheng'en and his group knew that staying behind wouldn't get them a second pill, so instead of returning to VIP Room No. 7, they left directly.
Their group of seven took to the skies, flying rather than using soul-guide trains. Besides the Le family's strong cultivators, there were also experts from the Southern Army, all loyal to Le Zheng'en.
They flew at speeds faster than soul-guide trains, maintaining constant vigilance. This pill was far too important; not even the smallest mishap could be allowed.
Meanwhile, the auction for the second pill was underway in full force, the price quickly reaching one hundred billion.
Even though VIP Room No. 7 had withdrawn, the price did not drop—it still broke through two hundred billion.
In the end, VIP Room No. 4's Qian Gu Dongfeng claimed it for the sky-high price of 235 billion.
The record-breaking bid of 220 billion that had just been set was shattered in less than half an hour.
VIP Room No. 4
"Grandfather, aren't we bidding on the second pill too?" Qian Gu Zhangting asked reluctantly.
Qian Gu Dongfeng shook his head, looking somewhat helpless. "Although I am the Tower Master of the Spirit Transmission Tower, I cannot squander funds recklessly."
"This time, mobilizing 300 billion federal coins has already caused the other families' councilors to unite and pressure me. If I draw out another 200 billion, I may very well be impeached from my position."
"But isn't an extra Longevity Pill nothing but beneficial for our Spirit Transmission Tower? Why would they oppose it?" Zhangting asked, puzzled.
"Hmph." Dongfeng sneered coldly. "For our Qian Gu family, of course it's beneficial. But for them? Not so."
"The longer our Qian Gu family members live, the longer they will be suppressed. How could ambitious families possibly accept that?"
"I see…" Zhangting frowned and nodded, finally understanding the tangled web of interests behind it.
"Let's go. Come with me to retrieve the pill." Dongfeng strode out first, his face cold—having his funds restricted left him deeply displeased.
He paid the full 235 billion in one go, retrieved the Longevity Pill, and returned to the auction room.
He might not have enough funds to actually buy another pill, but he could still bid and raise prices. He would not allow Tang Sect or Shrek to get one so easily.
The auction for the third pill began. The price once again skyrocketed, reaching 200 billion in less than ten minutes.
Qian Gu Dongfeng raised the bid each time by only one billion, deliberately trying to disgust Tang Sect and Shrek Academy. This made Yun Ming and Zang Xin's expressions darken.
They both understood Dongfeng's intentions and were tempted to simply withdraw, let him win, and see if he could even pay.
But they didn't dare risk it. Only three pills remained. If they gave up this one, they would be forced to win one of the last two. That would give Dongfeng even more leverage to bid them up, putting them at a greater disadvantage.
Dongfeng, for his part, also feared they might suddenly withdraw. If he actually won the bid but couldn't pay, he would be utterly humiliated.
So when the price reached 240 billion, he stopped. Seeing Tang Sect win at an even higher price, he felt satisfied—they paid more than he did.
"Congratulations to VIP Room No. 3, who has won the third century Longevity Pill for 240 billion federal coins."
The transaction was again handled backstage. Once completed, the auction for the fourth pill began.
VIP Room No. 2
"Lend me fifty billion federal coins," Yun Ming said bluntly after dialing a call.
"You didn't bring enough funds this time?" came the voice of Zang Xin from VIP Room No. 3.
"We originally thought 200 billion would be enough. But the price has gone far beyond expectations. We only brought 200 billion."
Yun Ming explained. The fourth pill might go for slightly less than the third, but it would still exceed 200 billion. They had no choice but to borrow if they wanted to secure one.
At this point, it was too late to gather funds elsewhere—only Tang Sect could help.
"Fine. Give me your account number. I'll have someone transfer it immediately," Zang Xin agreed readily.
"Thanks," Yun Ming said before quickly hanging up.
"…Eh." Zang Xin hadn't expected him to hang up so abruptly—he'd planned to tease him a little first.
With the borrowed funds, Yun Ming and his group now bid with confidence. After another intense round, they won the fourth pill for 233 billion.
Yun Ming also played mind games, raising bids only by one billion each time, never revealing his determination to secure it.
This left Dongfeng uneasy, worried that Yun Ming might suddenly withdraw, so he stopped pushing and allowed Yun Ming to win at a lower price.
As for the other bidders—they were just bystanders now. At these astronomical levels, they couldn't keep up. Even those who could weren't as wealthy as Tang Sect or Shrek Academy and had to give up.
After Yun Ming's group completed the transaction backstage, there was a break. During this time, Gu Ming dialed Yun Ze on a soul-guide communicator.
"Yun Ze… If I win a pill, could I exchange it with you for something of equal value?" Gu Ming asked somewhat sheepishly.
The most he could put together was 150 billion—far short of the final pill's likely price. That's why he made this call.
He could have borrowed from his two disciples, Xu Lin and Xu Chuan. Together, the three of them could probably afford the fifth pill.
But he couldn't bring himself to ask. In his entire life, he had never borrowed money from anyone. To now borrow from his own disciples—where would his dignity go?
If he could trade items instead, it would be different. That wasn't borrowing, but a fair exchange. The question was whether the Dragon Phoenix Hall would accept such payment.
Without hesitation, Yun Ze replied: "That's fine. What does Elder Gu plan to exchange?"