Chapter 5….. The Auction
Nam Yeongwol had been the center of attention ever since she first appeared in Mokgun Fortress three years ago.
Her alluring eyes, graceful features, and clear, elegant voice.
In no time at all, she had come to be called the “peerless beauty” of the fortress city.
Even Cheonui, in his previous life, had once found it hard to drive her image out of his mind.
It was partly the recklessness of youth, and partly because, whenever his dantian stirred noisily during martial training, Nam Yeongwol’s face would float to the surface of his thoughts.
But now, things were different.
After living hundreds of years in his past life and meeting countless women, Nam Yeongwol’s beauty no longer struck him as anything special.
Though her beauty remained unchanged, Cheonui’s eyes did not waver.
Nam Yeongwol swept her gaze lightly across the audience, lifting the corner of her lips.
“Thank you for coming to Nampung Auction House. Let us now officially begin the auction!”
As she spoke with a bewitching smile, the men in the hall seemed to lose their senses, their gazes all stolen by her.
The atmosphere quickly grew heated.
A murmur spread, and some let out open sighs of admiration.
When she felt the mood was ripe, Nam Yeongwol waved her jade-like hand gently and continued.
“Now, let me present the first item of today’s auction!”
At her words, an attendant stepped out from the back carrying a square tray.
Upon it sat a jade-colored bottle.
Inside the transparent container was a liquid that gleamed with a jade-like hue, and even though it was sealed, a faint fragrance of herbs wafted into the air.
All eyes sparkled at once.
Everyone could immediately sense it was a high-grade elixir.
Nam Yeongwol pointed gracefully at the bottle with her fingertips.
“This is a Grade 2 Elixir, the Clear Spirit Liquid. It is a famed medicine crafted by Master Yeop Jeong, Mokgun Fortress’s foremost alchemist. Bathing with this liquid dissolved in water will noticeably accelerate one’s training. For those cultivating in the Condensed Qi Realm, this is an opportunity not to be missed.”
She paused, smiling as she watched the audience’s reaction, before adding:
“As for Master Yeop Jeong, I hardly need to explain, do I? His elixirs have never once been mediocre. The starting bid for this Clear Spirit Liquid is one thousand gold. Bids must increase in increments of at least one hundred gold!”
Lowering her hand toward the tray, she declared:
“Let the auction begin!”
Nam Yeongwol smiled softly at the hall, blinking once.
At her seductive display, exclamations and whispers broke out across the venue.
Several shifted in their seats, eyes shining with desire.
Almost instantly, bids erupted from all sides.
“One thousand one hundred!”
“One thousand two hundred!”
“One thousand three hundred!”
To begin with a potion from Master Yeop Jeong—no wonder the atmosphere soared.
“What a rare treasure, right from the start.”
Cheonsanhang gazed calmly at the elixir on the stage, undisturbed by the clamor.
Beside him, Cheongildo did the same.
Cheonui, however, remained indifferent, his eyes betraying no emotion.
Alchemists.
They were a special profession dealing with elixirs and pills.
In a world where cultivation decided everything, alchemists, who produced crucial resources, enjoyed great prestige.
No matter how gifted a cultivator, strength could not be achieved without medicinal aid.
Thus, every drop of an alchemist’s product could sometimes be worth a life.
And among such alchemists, Yeop Jeong was unmatched in Mokgun Fortress. His elixirs always sold like wildfire at auctions.
Alchemists, like cultivators, were ranked from 1st to 10th grade.
Yeop Jeong was Grade 3.
Within Mokgun Fortress, none surpassed him.
Even in his past life, Cheonui had respected him.
To cure Cheonwol’s illness, he had devoted centuries to the art of alchemy.
Refining, fusion, combination.
Cheonui had mastered every foundation of the craft, and beyond that, ventured into forbidden formulas and untried mixtures, attaining heights no one else had reached.
So now, he no longer looked at Yeop Jeong’s potion with admiration.
He recognized its quality, but that was all.
Respect and longing—those emotions had passed long ago.
Cheonwol had never been able to cultivate since childhood.
His meridians were blocked—more precisely, he had the rare “Sealed Meridians Constitution.”
Among tens of millions of cultivators, perhaps one might be born with it.
Every meridian was sealed from birth.
Without opening them, one could neither cultivate nor even circulate qi.
In his past life, after three hundred years of dedication, Cheonui finally discovered a method to unlock it.
But this life was different.
All those methods and formulas remained vividly in his memory.
Cheonwol’s meridians won’t take me long to open this time.
To unlock them, he needed to reach a certain level of cultivation and gather the proper resources.
But it wasn’t difficult. He already knew how.
Right now, the ones who truly needed medicine were the Cheon Clan, not Cheonwol.
…Clear Spirit Liquid is nothing remarkable.
Cheonui gazed idly at the bottle on stage.
Though it was considered a treasure for Condensed Qi cultivators, to him it was hardly impressive.
But for Cheonsanhang and Cheongildo, it was different.
Hope gleamed in both their eyes.
To them, the Clear Spirit Liquid was exactly what the clan needed.
Cheonui made no move to stop them.
It was true—there were many in the clan who desperately needed it.
“Three thousand!”
With a booming shout, the auction house fell silent.
All eyes turned toward the royal family members seated in the front row.
The bidder was none other than Wangseong, head of the Wang Clan.
His eyes gleamed like a predator eyeing prey.
Wangseong, already in the Eternal Origin Realm, bidding on the Clear Spirit Liquid? …It must be for Wangun.
Cheonui slowly shook his head.
After losing to him, Wangun’s body and spirit had been shattered.
If Wangseong gave him the Clear Spirit Liquid with a few provocative words, Wangun would rise again, sharpening himself on the whetstone of revenge.
And in the end, that blade would be honed into Wangun’s cultivation.
Wangseong sat tall and proud, sweeping the crowd’s gaze with leisurely confidence.
Determination radiated from his eyes—he would have this elixir.
“Four thousand!”
Another voice rang out at the same moment.
“Four thousand!”
It was Cheonsanhang.
Cheonui turned to glance at him.
Perhaps it was desire, perhaps it was rivalry—he would not back down from Wangseong.
“Hmph.”
Wangseong snorted, raising five fingers.
“Five thousand!”
Cheonsanhang immediately countered.
“Five thousand five hundred!”
Before the words had even settled, Wangseong barked again.
“Six thousand!”
The two clan heads clashed, and the auction hall grew tense, breaths held.
No one dared intervene—this was Mokgun Fortress. Offending either side could be fatal.
Besides, the bidding had already far exceeded the potion’s worth.
Clear Spirit Liquid typically sold for three to four thousand gold.
Even as a product of Yeop Jeong, five thousand was already excessive.
But pride left no room for reason.
“Six thousand five hundred!”
“Seven thousand!”
“Seven thousand five hundred!”
“Eight thousand!”
The price soared sky-high.
Just as Cheonsanhang was about to call out again, Cheonui spoke quietly.
“Father, please stop.”
Cheonsanhang looked at him, his brow furrowing.
“Cheonui, you mean this elixir isn’t necessary?”
As I thought.
Cheonui knew his father was bidding for him and for the clan’s disciples.
But the Clear Spirit Liquid meant nothing to him.
The pills he could make himself were many times better.
He smiled faintly.
“I can obtain something far better.”
Cheonsanhang looked puzzled for a moment.
But the quiet confidence in that smile was undeniable.
After a pause, he nodded.
“Very well. I’ll trust your judgment.”
As he fell silent, Wangseong smirked.
“What’s this? Out of gold already? Or have you lost your nerve?”
Cheonsanhang’s brow twitched.
Then he lifted his hand high.
“Ten thousand!”
“Father…”
Cheonui’s brow creased.
But Cheonsanhang merely gestured calmly that it was fine, then turned toward Wangseong with a mocking smile.
“Ha! Unlike some people, I don’t haggle like a miser, pinching a hundred here, five hundred there.”
Wangseong’s expression changed instantly.
His smile vanished, his lips stiffened.
“Twenty thousand!”
“Clan leader!”
Wanghak, beside him, gasped in alarm, but Wangseong ignored him.
Grinding his teeth, he glared at Cheonsanhang.
“Miserly, am I? Let’s see who’s more miserly—if you’ve got the guts, keep going!”
In truth, Wangseong intended to stop if Cheonsanhang raised the bid again.
Even for Yeop Jeong’s work, twenty thousand for a single potion was madness.
But his spite toward the Cheon Clan had driven him this far.
Yet no counter came.
Cautiously turning, he found Cheonsanhang watching him with a crooked smile.
And then, with feigned admiration, Cheonsanhang said:
“Ha! Truly impressive, Clan Leader Wang. Twenty thousand gold for a single potion—how enviable! Our Cheon Clan could never dream of such extravagance.”
Though phrased as praise, the mocking tone was obvious to everyone.
“You—!!”
Wangseong shot to his feet, shouting.
Only now did he realize.
He had been completely outmaneuvered.
Twenty thousand for something worth a few thousand… It’s a trap!
Rage burned through him, hot enough to sear his spine.
He could almost imagine Cheonsanhang’s smug face crumbling beneath his fist.
Watching from behind, Cheonui chuckled silently.
To turn the tables at such a moment… Father, you truly are remarkable.
“Sold, for twenty thousand gold!”
Nam Yeongwol called out brightly, her smile radiant.
But to Wangseong, it was venom.
He had just made a ludicrous blunder, paying twenty thousand for a single bottle.
Seated beside him, Wanghak lowered his head.
As the Wang Clan’s treasurer, the bid made his insides twist.
…This is painful.
A hundred gold could feed a common family for an entire year in Namuunge.
And twenty thousand.
Twenty thousand for a single bottle of Clear Spirit Liquid.
It wasn’t mere waste. It threatened to shake the clan’s finances to the core.
