Nie Li cursed under his breath. While he knew that Xue Hui might have some idea of the uses of the Nightmare Demon Pot, he was still hoping that the guy didn't have enough money to bid for it.
But to Nie Li and Yang Xin's dismay, Xue Hui kept outbidding them, driving the price higher than they had expected.
For Nie Li, no amount of Demon Spirit Coins could compare to the value of the Nightmare Demon Pot, so he had no issue spending all his money on it.
The problem was that the amount of money he currently had was not inexhaustible.
At most, based on his rough estimation, the combined amount of Demon Spirit Coins he and Yang Xin possessed wouldn't exceed a billion.
And Nie Li had no idea how much money Xue Hui had. So there was a high possibility that Xue Hui would obtain the Nightmare Demon Pot.
And Nie Li absolutely could not let that happen. The Nightmare Demon Pot was a strategic advantage he would need to fight against the Sage Emperor.
Once the bidding price reached the two-hundred-million mark, the entire auction house fell silent. Every person who had come to the auction watched the battle between Xue Hui and Yang Xin with shocked expressions and bated breath.
They wondered what made the Nightmare Demon Pot so important that people like Yang Xin and Xue Hui were willing to throw such enormous amounts of wealth at it.
Seeing the numbers continue to rise, Yang Xin's complexion began to pale. Nervousness crept into her heart, not only because she was spending so much money to obtain a treasure with unknown uses, but also because she was bidding against Xue Hui.
While many people weren't fully aware of who Xue Hui was, Yang Xin and the Alchemist Association had been keeping an eye on him ever since the Divine Family named him the personal disciple of that mysterious expert.
Due to their connections, the Alchemist Association had also discovered one crucial thing about Xue Hui.
Xue Hui was an Alchemy Master and had directly influenced the growth of the Divine Medicine Pavilion over the years.
At first, all the senior Alchemy Masters in the Alchemist Association, including Yang Xin, laughed it off, thinking their sources were exaggerating.
But over time, Yang Xin and Gu Yan began to suspect there might be some truth to that claim and started investigating Xue Hui's capabilities as an Alchemy Master. The results left them in utter disbelief and profound shock.
So one could only imagine how much pressure Yang Xin was feeling at the moment while bidding against him.
If this had happened under any other circumstances, Yang Xin would have immediately backed down and let Xue Hui purchase the Nightmare Demon Pot to gain his favor.
After all, Yang Xin was still trying to find a way to establish a connection with Xue Hui since the Alchemist Association hoped to do business with him.
But that was in the past. The moment they began working with Nie Li, the Alchemist Association finally started returning to its former glory before its decline.
This was also why Yang Xin was in such a difficult position. She couldn't afford to offend Xue Hui and sour their first encounter. On the other hand, Nie Li was the benefactor of the Alchemist Association, so Yang Xin had to do her utmost to help him obtain the Nightmare Demon Pot as requested.
Yang Xin was snapped out of her headache-inducing thoughts when Xue Hui stood up from his seat and looked in her direction. This made Yang Xin gaze back at him curiously, noting that the young man before her was rather elegant and strikingly handsome.
Xue Hui displayed a courteous smile toward Yang Xin and shifted his gaze between her and the Nightmare Demon Pot, his expression one of contemplation. Then he nodded and cleared his throat, causing Hong Loulan to pause the bidding.
She had worked as an auctioneer for years and knew exactly what was about to happen. Since there were only two people fighting for the item, it was up to them to call for a discussion and reach an agreement regarding ownership of the Nightmare Demon Pot.
"As much as I enjoy watching Lady Hong Loulan get all excited over how much money she's making from the two of us, this entire thing is starting to look ridiculous. Spending money is one thing, but looking like a complete fool while doing so is something I'm against. So I have a proposition for Miss Yang Xin, if you feel the same way."
Yang Xin nodded. She herself felt that everyone was simply watching to see how much money she and Xue Hui were willing to throw away just to obtain the Nightmare Demon Pot.
Hong Loulan's cheeks flushed with a charming tint of red. She was obviously embarrassed that Xue Hui had called her out in front of everyone.
Hong Loulan pouted, her expression rather cute as she playfully acted as though she had been wronged by Xue Hui.
"Young Master Xue Hui is bullying Loulan. Loulan is just doing her job. It's the Young Master's fault for driving up the price. Why is Loulan at fault for that, hmm?" Loulan huffed charmingly, folding her arms across her chest and making her twin peaks stand out.
Xue Hui let out a chuckle. Using his soul force, he leaped toward Hong Loulan's platform where he could properly speak with Yang Xin.
Taking out a bottle of elixirs from his interspatial ring, Xue Hui handed it to Hong Loulan, causing her to look at him in surprise.
"This!?" Hong Loulan asked curiously, her eyes gleaming with wonder upon seeing the colorful pill inside. Just one glance was enough for her to tell that it contained rich spiritual efficacy.
She had already seen all the new elixirs on the market, and the pill in her hand was something completely unfamiliar.
Before she could inquire further, Xue Hui explained its effects himself.
"That elixir is called the Rainbow Blossom Rejuvenation Pill. It's a beautification elixir that improves one's health. Not only that, it also slows the body's aging process. Lady Hong Loulan could be in her fifties and still look young and beautiful after taking that pill."
Xue Hui's words were like a bolt of lightning striking the hearts of every woman who heard him.
Not only Hong Loulan, but even Yang Xin and the other women in the auction house stared at the pill with intense desire.
To these women, aside from becoming stronger, one of the main reasons they cultivated so diligently was to preserve their beauty.
So it was no surprise that the existence of the Rainbow Blossom Rejuvenation Pill created profound longing within them.
Nie Li's eyebrows rose, his expression filled with surprise.
The Rainbow Blossom Rejuvenation Pill was quite a rare elixir. Besides the ingredients being extremely difficult to obtain, the method of refining it had long been lost.
To Nie Li, this elixir revealed new information about Xue Hui's capabilities.
"So he can travel in the outside world with his current strength, huh? That's problematic," Nie Li muttered under his breath.
Nie Li had never believed in the mysterious master story. He firmly believed that Xue Hui was acting on his own and that the so-called master was a fabrication orchestrated by him.
After all, Xue Hui possessed a Mask Realm Bracelet. With it, creating another identity would be easy.
Nie Li had done something similar himself. He had created an imaginary master so he could hide his true talents from Gu Yan and Yang Xin and avoid appearing too monstrous in their eyes.
"I... I thank the Young Master for this generous gift." Hong Loulan bowed sincerely and thanked Xue Hui from the bottom of her heart.
She couldn't even pretend to hesitate in accepting it, afraid that Xue Hui might change his mind and take it back.
Sensing the longing gazes from all the women around him, Xue Hui cleared his throat and announced that the Rainbow Blossom Rejuvenation Pill would be available at the Divine Medicine Pavilion within a week or two, so everyone could simply wait for its release.
This information caused all the ladies to erupt in excitement.
"So...!" Yang Xin's gaze shifted from the pill back to Xue Hui. She still needed to secure the ownership of the Nightmare Demon Pot.
"Young Master Xue Hui wishes to negotiate with me?"
In response, Xue Hui nodded.
"I have a proposition. I can tell that Miss Yang Xin is unwilling to give up the Nightmare Demon Pot. I will withdraw from the bidding on one condition."
Yang Xin's eyebrow lifted. Though perplexed, she remained silent and continued listening.
"And that is for Miss Yang Xin to allow me to examine the pot more closely, even if only for a short while. And since I unnecessarily drove up the price of the pot, allow me to cover the full payment for it. Consider it a small meeting gift from me to Miss Yang Xin."
Everyone let out a surprised gasp after hearing Xue Hui's final words.
That was two hundred million Demon Spirit Coins, yet Xue Hui was treating it as nothing more than a gift.
'Just how rich is this person to casually throw around that much money as if it were nothing!?'
Many people wondered which family this generous young master belonged to.
Yang Xin's beautiful eyes widened and her jaw nearly dropped. She wondered if she had heard correctly, so she glanced around only to see equally bewildered expressions from everyone else.
Yes, she had heard correctly.
Recovering from her shock, Yang Xin quickly composed herself. Curling her lips into a seductive smile, she displayed an expression that caused many men to entertain impure thoughts.
"Oh my! Young Master Xue Hui is truly generous. Did Young Master think that my Alchemist Association lacks money, so you're giving me a way out of spending such a large amount? That's very gentlemanly of you."
Her words were meant to preserve the Alchemist Association's dignity. After all, she represented the organization. How could she allow others to look down upon it?
Soft, mischievous giggles accompanied her words, their harmonious sound sending pleasant chills down the spines of the men present.
At the same time, her words were also a probe. She was curious why Xue Hui was willing to pay so much merely to examine the Nightmare Demon Pot.
Obviously, Xue Hui saw right through her. This sort of exchange was common when dealing with powerful families and organizations.
"You can see it that way. Like I said, this is starting to look foolish. I'm not interested in the pot itself. I simply want to examine its structure. But if Miss Yang Xin still wishes to compete for it, I still have two billion Demon Spirit Coins on hand. I don't mind using them to purchase the Nightmare Demon Pot. If Miss Yang Xin isn't willing to settle, then we can continue bidding."
Yang Xin's eyebrows twitched, and her smile stiffened.
Having two billion Demon Spirit Coins available as pocket money was absurd, even for someone who managed the finances of the entire Alchemist Association.
Yang Xin glanced toward Nie Li. As expected, Nie Li wore an awkward expression.
If they refused the offer, they would surely lose the Nightmare Demon Pot to Xue Hui.
With that reasoning, Nie Li sighed in resignation and gave Yang Xin a nod, signaling her to accept the proposal.
As long as he obtained the Nightmare Demon Pot in the end, there would be no issue with Xue Hui examining it first.
Receiving Nie Li's approval, Yang Xin inwardly sighed in relief.
Just as Xue Hui had said, spending money wasn't the issue. Looking foolish while doing it was.
While the Nightmare Demon Pot was indeed a treasure above the Legend Rank, only Nie Li and Xue Hui knew that.
To everyone else, including Yang Xin, the Nightmare Demon Pot had been grossly overpaid for considering its apparent uses.
The entire situation was beginning to sound ridiculous.
"Then if that is the case, I don't mind allowing Young Master Xue Hui to inspect the Nightmare Demon Pot after I purchase it. As for the payment, Young Master Xue Hui needn't worry about it. My Alchemist Association has more than enough money to pay for it."
Yang Xin was still trying to earn Xue Hui's favor. If Xue Hui paid for the pot, then she and the Alchemist Association would instead owe him a favor, which was the opposite of what they wanted.
Laughing, Xue Hui shook his head and took out another bottle of Rainbow Blossom Rejuvenation Pills before handing it to Yang Xin.
Just like Hong Loulan, Yang Xin shamelessly extended her hand to receive it.
Her expression was one of pure delight. Ever since she had seen the pill in Hong Loulan's hands and learned of its effects, she had been thinking of a way to ask Xue Hui for one.
While he had said it would be available on the market within the next week, she knew that such a miraculous elixir would not be easy to obtain, even for her.
After all, the Rainbow Blossom Fruit was not something easily found within Glory City. Rumors claimed that one had to travel far beyond the city to locate its tree.
"Oh, don't worry about it, Miss Yang Xin. Like I said earlier, I needlessly increased the price of the pot, so let me at least pay for it. And it's not as though I'm throwing my money away for nothing."
The glow in Xue Hui's eyes intensified, surprising Yang Xin, who stood before him.
Xue Hui turned his head slightly, his gaze landing on Nie Li.
His businesslike smile slowly transformed into a knowing grin, unnerving Nie Li, who was the target of that gaze.
"It's just a hunch, but I'm pretty sure I'll get my money's worth."
Nie Li and Yang Xin both released shuddering breaths, feeling as though they had just stepped into the nest of a deadly predator.
End of Chapter 66
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