Chapter 225

Chapter 225: Overbearing

Top-quality materials were scarce treasures, especially for cultivators possessing the four major skills.

This Spiritual Soil wasn’t just essential for weapon refining; it could also be used in pill concoction and rune-making. Thus, the moment the elder announced it, bids immediately rang out.

"I bid two hundred and fifty." A white-robed elder dressed like a pill master declared loudly.

By raising the bid by fifty spiritual stones at once, he aimed to intimidate others and demonstrate his resolve.

In auctions like this, victory hinged on projecting an imposing presence.

Yet his imposing presence failed to deter the crowd.

Another voice promptly countered, "I bid three hundred."

A burly man spoke—clearly a weapon refiner.

Those contending for such material were mostly cultivators skilled in the four major arts, and undoubtedly of high cultivation levels.

Though they might lack other possessions, spiritual stones were plentiful for them.

So swiftly, the Spiritual Soil, starting at two hundred spiritual stones, surged to four hundred.

And still, it didn’t scare off the competitors.

Seeing this, Zhou Luo finally made his first bid: "Four hundred and ten."

The youthful voice drew every gaze toward Zhou Luo on the balcony. Faces furrowed in confusion at his youthful appearance.

Did the Lin Family want to buy it?

Surely, they thought, Zhou Luo couldn’t be buying it for himself.

After all, top-quality materials were typically only usable by masters of elite techniques.

Zhou Luo’s bid also startled those beside him.

Fifth Elder Lin Yan asked sternly, "What do you need that for?"

"This junior intends to use it for pill concoction," Zhou Luo replied lightly.

"That is a top-quality material," Lin Yan stated doubtfully.

"One day it will prove useful." Zhou Luo offered no further explanation.

After all, publicly he was already a top-level Pill Master; advancing to the highest tier was merely a matter of time.

Buying top-grade material wouldn’t raise suspicions.

At these words, Lin Yan’s expression darkened, and he fell silent.

But Tenth Elder Lin Ze couldn’t hold back: "Son-in-law, you’re purchasing this entirely with your own funds."

He had previously considered family support for Zhou Luo’s acquisitions.

Yet this guy immediately targeted top-tier materials. Though Lin Ze was his father-in-law, it didn’t mean money meant nothing to him.

"Rest assured, Father-in-law. Years of pill-making have yielded deep savings," Zhou Luo smiled.

His reclusive life meant minimal expenses within the Lin Household—an observation none missed. Multiple weddings had brought abundant gifts too. Hence, spending more spiritual stones would arouse no suspicion.

"Four hundred twenty."

Opposite, someone spoke again; it was Lu Chen.

Last time, Lu Chen had been tricked, causing losses to his family. Today, at the auction, if he had a chance to annoy the opposing party, he naturally wouldn’t pass it up.

Moreover, he needed this top-quality material as well.

He grinned as he looked at the Lin Family member opposite him, a trace of contempt showing at the corner of his lips.

"Four hundred thirty," Zhou Luo ignored him and continued to bid.

"Five hundred."

Lu Chen gave a cold snort; when it came to competing in financial power, as a Pill Master, he had never lost.

"Six hundred!"

Zhou Luo continued to raise the bid, and he did so quite forcefully, directly increasing it by one hundred spiritual stones.

This immediately caused a stir in the hall.

They looked surprised at the young man on the balcony, feeling a slight inner shock.

Was the Lin Family planning to clash with the Lu Family?

The discord between the Lin and Lu Families was common knowledge, and since the two families were now locked in battle, others just treated it as a spectacle and didn’t join in.

As for the old man on the high platform, he was more than eager for the two families to fight like this; after all, the Qinyuan Sect would ultimately profit.

"Seven hundred!" Lu Chen said in a low voice.

He had brought at least two thousand spiritual stones this time, and spending a mere few hundred was still manageable.

"One thousand!" Zhou Luo’s expression remained calm, and his voice showed no fluctuation.

He was carrying nearly two hundred medium-quality spiritual stones and over three thousand ordinary spiritual stones; if wealth were truly compared, probably no one present could match him.

Moreover, as a top-level Pill Master, having a thousand spiritual stones was perfectly normal.

Gasp—

The moment he said this, an uproar erupted.

Everyone was stunned; who could have imagined a material with a starting price of two hundred spiritual stones climbing to a bid of one thousand?

The Lin Family was indeed wealthy and extravagant.

Under so many intense gazes, the two Lin Family elders both had a twitch at the corners of their eyes.

In their hearts, they were also roiling with shock.

How could that brat be so rich?

Opposite, Lu Chen’s face looked equally unpleasant; he didn’t believe it was Zhou Luo bidding against him but rather the entire Lin Family.

Yet one thousand spiritual stones was already his limit; if he raised the bid further, it would disrupt his later plans.

For one portion of top-quality material, if the other party was willing to pay a thousand, why not just let them have it?

Lu Chen stopped raising the bid, effectively conceding defeat.

Zhou Luo gave him a cool glance.

A thousand spiritual stones might be the limit for the opponent, but for himself, it was barely a drop in the ocean.

In the end, this piece of Spiritual Soil was acquired by Zhou Luo.

Soon, a beautiful waitress delivered the wooden box to the Lin Family’s VIP booth.

After confirming the material, Zhou Luo handed over a storage bag.

The storage bag contained a full one thousand ordinary spiritual stones; he had not taken out any medium-quality spiritual stones.

After all, if he had used medium-quality spiritual stones, it would likely have aroused suspicion from the two Elders.

Although the exchange ratio for medium-quality spiritual stones to ordinary spiritual stones was one to one hundred, the former was far scarcer and rarely circulated in the market—only places like the Longfeng Mountain range had them more commonly.

After safely storing this top-quality material, Zhou Luo turned his gaze back to the auction venue.

The auction continued to proceed in an orderly manner as various items began to appear: techniques and divine abilities, inheritances of a hundred skills, top-quality symbols, and so on.

They were dazzling and overwhelming, stirring up a frenzy.

But none of these were necessary for him, so he paid no further attention.

However, the Lin Family made several bids. Particularly, Fifth Elder Lin Yan seemed to have come specifically for this auction; when items he desired were presented, he chose to bid without hesitation.

Though Lin Xin had not obtained that set of top-quality magical artifacts, she still purchased one top-quality magical artifact.

By noon, everyone’s enthusiasm had not diminished at all.

After one round concluded, the second round of auctions commenced.

This time, the auctioned items were Spirit Beasts: a total of ten with excellent bloodlines, including both adults and cubs.

Upon hearing these words, Zhou Luo felt a rare flicker of interest. Though he already owned a Third Level Spirit Beast, the Snow Mountain Spirit Cat, that little creature was currently in deep slumber; perhaps he could find another Spirit Beast.

That would justify his identity as a beast tamer.

Quickly, the elderly host on the high platform opened a pet bag and released a powerfully built black steed.

It stood proudly on the high platform, its head held high. Most striking was its crimson mane, flaming red like fire, radiating an imposing aura.

"This is the Flaming Spirit Steed," the old man began his slow explanation. "It is a top-level first-level spiritual steed that has reached full maturity. Its endurance and speed surpass ordinary spiritual steeds. Most crucially, it can unleash fiery attacks and adapt to any terrain…"

Given that top-level first-level corresponds to Qi Refinement sixth or seventh layer and full maturity meant no training was required, the old man set the opening bid: three hundred spiritual stones.

This price was high for a first-level Spirit Beast. Its expense stemmed from it being a fully mature beast, ready to use immediately and saving significant nurturing costs.

As soon as the old man announced it, someone made a bid.

Many were interested in this adult spiritual steed, including even Lin Ze.

Eventually, this spiritual steed entered the Wang Family’s possession for eight hundred spiritual stones.

Following this, more Spirit Beasts took turns onstage for auction.

Apart from adult Spirit Beasts, there were cubs, Spirit Beast eggs, and the like.

These were priced slightly lower, and some preferred raising them from infancy to enhance loyalty.

Zhou Luo was also eyeing suitable Spirit Beasts but found nothing to his liking.

Just then, the old host spoke, his voice calm and deliberate.

"The next item up for auction is rather special. It is an unhatched egg. After appraisal, we have identified it as originating from a Third Level Spirit Beast—the Deep Sea Illusion Turtle…"