But there was still a risk, what if Li Yun pulled the same stunt he had used during their battle over the Dark Light Sword? If Li Yun suddenly refused to bid further, Zhao would be stuck with a ludicrous seventy-thousand-gold-coin bill for a single set of potions. Just imagining it made his chest tighten.
As the silence stretched, Zhao Xiaotian kept his eyes locked on Li Yun, reading every twitch and movement. Then, his heart gave a small leap, Li Yun's lips parted as if to speak.
'The price is going up!' Zhao Xiaotian thought with an inward grin. All he had to do was wait for Li Yun to make his move, then step back, leaving the other man holding the burden. He even pictured himself mocking Li Yun afterward for being foolish enough to fall into his trap.
But instead of calling a higher price, Li Yun's voice came out low and heavy, carrying an air of reluctant defeat. "Xiaotian, you're so cruel. I admit my loss. I truly intended to win this last set of excellent-grade Marrow Cleansing Potions at all costs. I wanted them badly. But now… I have no choice but to give up. If I push the price any higher, the gold I'll have to spend will be more than I can bear."
Then, with an expression of deep regret that almost seemed genuine, Li Yun added, "Xiaotian, I'll leave this last set to you."
Zhao Xiaotian felt his chest tighten as if the air had been sucked from his lungs. His vision dimmed, black spots clouding his sight, and for a terrifying moment, he thought he might collapse right there in front of everyone.
Fortunately, one of the Zhao family guards reacted quickly, stepping forward to steady him before he could fall.
He drew in a long, shaky breath, forcing his body to calm. But the relief was fleeting, his eyes locked onto Li Yun with a glare so fierce it was almost tangible, burning with rage and humiliation.
In that moment, Zhao Xiaotian truly wished he could incinerate Li Yun on the spot. His mind churned with suspicion, had Li Yun just tricked him again?
The possibility gnawed at him, yet when he studied Li Yun's face, all he saw was an expression filled with unwillingness and frustration, as if Li Yun truly hated the idea of losing the Marrow Cleansing Potions to him. For a brief second, Zhao Xiaotian hesitated, uncertain if this was another ploy or genuine defeat.
Around them, the auction hall was abuzz with disbelief. Every gaze was locked on Zhao Xiaotian, eyes wide, as if they were witnessing a spectacle unlike anything before.
Seventy thousand gold coins, for just five bottles of excellent-grade Marrow Cleansing Potion, was an astronomical sum. Many quietly wondered if such a purchase had ever happened in the history of Azure Wind City.
Some sharp-eyed attendees kept glancing between Zhao Xiaotian and Li Yun, trying to piece it together.
Was this a deliberate trap set by Li Yun to make Zhao Xiaotian overpay? Or was Li Yun truly backing out because he couldn't afford to raise the price further? His clenched jaw and strained look made it hard to tell.
Beside Li Yun, Li Hua let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She had been genuinely afraid that Li Yun might recklessly keep bidding. Spending over seventy thousand gold coins on just five bottles of potion was pure madness.
She sighed. 'Thankfully, he gave up… this is much better,' she thought to herself in relief.
On the auction stage, Supervisor Lan Yueli allowed her gaze to sweep briefly toward Li Yun. Most people in the room didn't know the truth, but she did, these potions had been consigned by Li Yun himself. Zhao Xiaotian had, without realizing it, paid an outrageous sum straight into Li Yun's pockets.
"Young Master Zhao, congratulations on successfully bidding for the last set of Marrow Cleansing Potions. Congratulations," Lan Yueli said warmly, a small smile playing on her lips.
Zhao Xiaotian felt as if he could cry but no tears would come. His face was blank, drained of all emotion, as he watched the staff walk toward him carrying the five bottles of Marrow Cleansing Potion.
He had to part with nearly every last gold coin in his possession just to scrape together enough to pay for them. The victory felt hollow, and the weight of the expense pressed down on him like a boulder.
"Everyone, that concludes today's auction. Thank you all once again for attending." Lan Yueli's clear, graceful voice carried across the hall as she lifted her jade-like hand in a light wave, formally ending the event.
Not long after, in a private room on the third floor of the Treasure Pavilion, Lan Yueli sat together with Li Yun and Li Hua.
"Young Master Li," Lan Yueli began with a bright smile, "your twenty bottles of excellent-grade Marrow Cleansing Potion sold for a total of one hundred and seventy thousand gold coins. After deducting the five percent handling fee charged by our Treasure Pavilion, amounting to eight thousand five hundred gold coins, that leaves you with one hundred and sixty-one thousand five hundred gold coins. Since you bid sixty thousand gold coins on two sets of purple fruit earlier, you now have a remaining balance of one hundred and one thousand five hundred gold coins."
She set a beautiful purple box on the table in front of him. "Here are exactly one hundred and one thousand five hundred gold coins, Young Master Li. Please check them."
Li Hua's eyes widened in disbelief. She had never even considered the possibility that the twenty bottles auctioned earlier had belonged to Li Yun.
To think that he had earned over a hundred thousand gold coins in one day, it was staggering. That was a fortune by any standard. For comparison, the entire Li family's many businesses only brought in around a million gold coins in net profit over an entire year.
Still staring at him in astonishment, Li Hua watched as Li Yun simply picked up the purple box and stored it directly into the space ring he had bought earlier at the auction.
"Young Master Li, would you like to count them yourself?" Lan Yueli asked again, smiling warmly, her flawless teeth visible in the light.
"There's no need," Li Yun replied casually, waving a hand. "Even if I didn't trust the Treasure Pavilion's credibility, I believe in Director Lan's."
Counting over a hundred thousand gold coins by hand? The thought was laughable. Even as a cultivator, going through each one would take at least an hour or two.
Besides, an establishment like the Treasure Pavilion relied on its reputation above all else. Even at a small auction like this, their turnover could easily surpass a million gold coins. To think they would skim a little from his payment was absurd.
"Young Master Li, you can just call me Lan Yueli," she said with a smile that bloomed like a flower.
"In that case, I'll call you Sister Lan," Li Yun replied with an easy grin. "And Sister Lan, you can just call me Li Yun."
"Alright," she agreed with a nod.
"Sister Lan, we'll take our leave now." Li Yun spoke calmly, but inside, his thoughts were already fixed on what he needed to do next. Having successfully secured ten purple fruits at the auction, his priority was now clear, return to his cultivation.
He had done what he had came to do and that was to acquire the purple fruits which was one of the ingredients for Body Tempering Pills.
And now he had to continue what he had been doing for the past few months. That was to try to successfully refine perfect grade Marrow Cleansing Potion and increase the mastery of the Crimson Sun Flame Sword Art to true meaning stage.
Time was no longer a luxury he could afford.
The clan competition was less than two months away, and his opponent would be Li Xian, a cultivator at the 2nd level of the Body Tempering Realm.
Losing that battle was not an option. He knew that both the clan head and his third grandfather would never allow serious harm to come to him, but that was not enough, he didn't just want to come out of the fight unharmed, he wanted to win, and win decisively.
If he couldn't even defeat Li Xian, a so-called genius of the Li family, who in truth was nothing compared to the real talents scattered across the vast Martial Dragon Continent, then what right did he have to call himself a cultivator?
If even with the system in his hands, he still couldn't defeat such an opponent, then he might as well abandon his path altogether, give up on his dream of reaching the pinnacle of martial arts, and forget about resurrecting his parents.
That dream was the reason he had stepped onto the martial path in the first place, the reason he had refused to give up even in the years when he was thought incapable of cultivating at all. Every step he took now was driven by that single, unwavering goal, and defeating Li Xian in the clan competition was the next milestone he had to cross.
"Li Yun, please visit our Treasure Pavilion often in the future," Lan Yueli said warmly, smiling as she personally escorted Li Yun and Li Hua out of the building.
The two walked together toward the family residence. For a while, Li Hua remained silent, clearly holding back her thoughts, until she finally couldn't suppress her curiosity any longer.
"Li Yun, when did you manage to refine so many excellent-grade Marrow Cleansing Potions? Are you now a senior pharmacist?" she asked. She still found it hard to believe that all twenty bottles sold at the auction had come from him.
Li Hua knew Li Yun was a senior pharmacist, but she had never imagined that his skill in alchemy was already at such an extraordinary level.
For example, Li Yongfang, the ninth elder of the Li family, was also a senior pharmacist, but even he had never successfully refined an excellent-grade Marrow Cleansing Potion in his life.
Now, however, Li Yun had auctioned off twenty bottles of excellent-grade Marrow Cleansing Potion at once. To produce that many, how many attempts would he have needed? Hundreds of bottles? Perhaps more? And refining such potions was not a process that could be rushed, each batch took significant time and effort.
The more she thought about it, the less sense it made.
Li Hua's eyes were filled with puzzlement as she studied Li Yun.
"Sister Hua, let's talk inside," Li Yun said after glancing toward both sides of the busy street. People were passing by constantly, and this was not a conversation he wanted overheard. His gaze shifted, spotting a narrow alleyway not far ahead.
Without another word, the two of them turned and stepped into the alley. It was quiet there, the bustle of the main road fading away, and not a single person was in sight before or behind them.
Li Yun didn't immediately answer Li Hua's question about the potions. Instead, he spoke in a calm, even tone, "Sister Hua, I've already consigned almost all of the excellent-grade Marrow Cleansing Potions to the auction. But I still kept a few bottles aside for Li Yao."
As he said this, he reached into his belongings and took out a plump, fragrant purple fruit, its smooth surface glistening faintly under the light. Without hesitation, he extended it toward her.
"Sister Hua, take this," he said firmly, placing the fruit directly into her hand. "I know you've suffered from a damaged foundation. This will repair it completely."
"This…" Li Hua was momentarily taken aback. She had, in truth, come to the auction that day with the intention of buying a purple fruit for herself.
But she had been well aware from the start that she didn't have enough wealth to compete for it in the bidding. Still, she had decided to attend anyway, ready to spend what little she could to help Li Yun if he needed her support. Yet now, things had turned out entirely the opposite, Li Yun was the one placing a purple fruit into her hands.
"Sister Hua, if you don't take this purple fruit, then I won't speak to you from now on," Li Yun said, his expression turning mock-stern, his brows slightly furrowed.
Li Hua let out a soft laugh. "Haha, in that case, I have no choice but to take it." She carefully stored the purple fruit away, her movements deliberate, as though she were handling a priceless treasure.
Seeing her accept it, Li Yun finally felt relieved. He genuinely wanted her to restore her foundation so she could continue advancing on the martial path without being held back by past injuries.
"Li Yun, I'll be going back to Stone Wood Town tomorrow," Li Hua said after a pause, her voice tinged with concern. "You need to be careful here in Azure Wind City. Zhao Xiaotian will definitely not let this matter drop. And Chen Xiao, after what happened at the auction today, you've offended him as well. It's possible he already considers you an enemy."
"Sister Hua, don't worry. I understand my situation," Li Yun replied with a faint smile, his tone calm but carrying a quiet confidence.