Chapter 973: Bearing a Jade Disk Brings Its Own Trouble

Hearing these words, the others could no longer pay attention to Zu An and turned their heads to look at the center of the hall.

They had heard rumors that an extraordinary treasure would be auctioned this time, but unfortunately, the previous brochures had revealed no information at all. This very mystery only heightened their curiosity; everyone wanted to see what kind of treasure the Carefree Pavilion would present this time.

A staff member emerged carrying a brocade box. As the beautiful host opened the box, the people in the hall instinctively stood up, craning their necks to peer inside. From his elevated position in the private box, Zu An focused his gaze and saw a strangely shaped jade pendant. Unlike ordinary jade pendants, which prioritize beauty and translucent color, this one had many patterns and absolutely no aesthetic appeal.

"The material of this jade pendant is quite ordinary," someone in the audience, clearly knowledgeable, immediately questioned.

At this point, the beautiful host smiled and explained, "While this jade pendant appears ordinary on the surface, it conceals a great secret: it bears clues to the legendary Purple Frost Divine Milk."

Zu An, who had been merely observing, was profoundly shaken by this news. He had been troubled by how to find the mysterious Purple Frost Divine Milk, and now, by sheer coincidence, a clue had appeared! For Empress Sister's sake, he was determined to acquire this item, no matter the cost. However, he quickly frowned. He had roughly 600,000 taels of silver, but after purchasing the Gray Wolf King's Fang and Nine-Headed Pheasant Plumes, he only had 470,000 left. This amount would likely be insufficient to bid on the Carefree Pavilion's grand finale item.

Meanwhile, the beautiful host below had begun her explanation: "The Purple Frost Divine Milk is a legendary supreme elixir. Even if one's soul sustains severe damage, as long as it hasn't completely dissipated, it can be restored to its original state. His Majesty, with his level of cultivation, recovered from the grievous soul injuries he suffered during his battle with the Demon Emperor years ago precisely by relying on this very substance."

"Of course, besides healing, this item is also extremely beneficial for refining and nourishing the soul. Ordinary cultivators who consume the Divine Milk are destined to qualify for advancement to the Grandmaster realm in the future; Grandmasters who take it will find it much easier to break through to the Great Grandmaster realm. As for beyond the Great Grandmaster realm, there are rumors that His Majesty only broke through to the Earth Immortal realm after consuming this very substance..."

Hearing her explanation, many people who had previously known little about the item now had eager expressions, wishing they could immediately claim it for themselves. It is known that on the path of cultivation, it becomes increasingly difficult to improve after the fifth rank. However, the combined difficulty of progressing from the fifth to the ninth rank pales in comparison to the threshold from the ninth rank to Grandmaster; many strive their entire lives and still cannot cross that barrier. As for advancing from Grandmaster to Great Grandmaster, it is even more challenging. The world is vast, and exceptionally talented individuals emerge constantly. While Grandmasters are not uncommon, their number isn't small either. However, how many Great Grandmasters are there in the entire world? Not to mention the even higher Earth Immortals.

Yet, there were also astute individuals in the hall, and someone quickly raised a doubt: "Will the Carefree Pavilion really auction something so valuable? Aren't you afraid that once the news gets out, Grandmasters and Great Grandmasters will come to wipe out your entire establishment?" Although the Carefree Pavilion possessed formidable strength, such a treasure could tempt even Great Grandmasters. How could they possibly withstand that?

As expected, the others quickly realized this and cast suspicious glances at the host. The beautiful host seemed to have anticipated such doubts and explained with a sweet smile, "The Carefree Pavilion also understands the principle that possessing a treasure can bring misfortune, which is why we are auctioning this item. Furthermore, what we hold is not the true Purple Frost Divine Milk, but merely related clues. Grandmasters and Great Grandmasters, being who they are, surely wouldn't trouble our Carefree Pavilion over just clues, would they?"

Everyone nodded silently. It was merely a set of clues; even if obtained, the actual item might not be found. Moreover, the Carefree Pavilion's power was unfathomable, so there was indeed no need to forcefully seize it.

At this point, someone else asked, "But this item has been in your possession for so long; surely you've thoroughly studied the clues on it. If we now pay a hefty price for information you already possess, and it attracts various experts to contend with us, while you secretly follow the clues to find the Purple Frost Divine Milk, wouldn't we just become your scapegoats?"

Zu An nodded inwardly. The people here were indeed not foolish; even someone like Sun Ji had a certain shrewdness, let alone these individuals.

The beautiful host replied with a smile, "Please rest assured, the clues on this jade pendant are extremely obscure and profound. Our Carefree Pavilion has studied them for so long without any breakthrough, so we wouldn't even know where to begin searching on our own."

"If even you, after studying for so long, can't decipher the clues, what good would it do for us to bid on it?" the black-robed man Zu An had noticed earlier grumbled.

The beautiful host displayed a sweet, professional smile: "Treasures of heaven and earth cannot be obtained through brute force; they often fall into the hands of those destined for them. Our inability to decipher it only proves we are not fated to acquire this item, but that doesn't mean others won't be able to."

Zu An thought to himself that this woman had a precise grasp of human nature. There was no shortage of clever people in the world, and everyone would believe they were smarter and more fortunate than others, certainly devising ways to obtain this jade pendant.

As expected, someone in the audience quickly urged, "Oh, stop with the pleasantries! Start the bidding already."

The beautiful host smiled contentedly and slowly announced, "The starting bid for this item is one million taels of silver, and each subsequent bid must not be less than ten thousand taels."

At this announcement, the hall momentarily quieted. After all, one million was no small sum, and it was widely anticipated that the final price would far exceed that amount. However, as soon as the first person began bidding, the hall immediately became lively. People successively raised their paddles, and the price rapidly climbed, soon reaching around one million five hundred thousand taels.

Zu An felt a tremendous headache. The starting price already far exceeded his available funds, but with Mi Li's safety at stake, he had no choice but to push through.

"Two million taels!" Zu An simply raised the price significantly, hoping to deter others by leveraging his previous reputation for driving up bids. As expected, the moment this price was announced, the hall fell into a moment of silence.

"Damn it, this guy is raising the price again!" people muttered inwardly, continuously generating waves of Rage points.

Although more Rage points accumulated, Zu An couldn't bring himself to be happy, for he knew that acquiring this item would likely not be so easy this time. Indeed, a low voice from an adjacent private box echoed, "Two million one hundred thousand taels."

Zu An's heart sank. The other VIPs with jade tokens in the private boxes hadn't interfered in his previous dispute with Sun Ji, but their presence in a private box clearly indicated their strength.

"Two million two hundred thousand taels," Zu An said, his face grim, and he continued to bid. At such a point, adding ten thousand at a time held little meaning. He calculated his assets. Although his current cash was insufficient, the jewels from the Red Dragon Cave, combined, should amount to around 2.7 million taels. For Mi Li's sake, he would buy this item even if it meant losing everything he had.

Hearing his increased bid, the adjacent private box fell silent for a moment, clearly weighing their options. Down below, the beautiful host looked towards Zu An, her eyes sparkling. This man was not only tall and imposing but also young and wealthy—a truly perfect man. If she could connect with him, she wouldn't have to continue living the life of a courtesan at the Carefree Pavilion.

Just then, Sun Ji's languid voice drifted over: "Two million three hundred thousand taels!"

Yang Long, standing beside him, was startled. "Young Master, you mustn't act on impulse."

"Fool, do you think I'm doing this to spite that fellow? Don't you consider what a great reward my father and I would receive if I bid for this item and presented it to the King of Yan?" Sun Ji sneered.

Yang Long paused, realizing this was true. The King of Yan, the Emperor's uncle, had been stuck at the Great Grandmaster realm for many years. If he could obtain the Purple Frost Divine Milk, a breakthrough would be within reach. He never expected the young master, usually a profligate, to be as clear-headed as a mirror in crucial moments.