Master Dong Ye remained unperturbed. There wasn’t even a hint of frustration on his face.

“1.61 billion going once, twice, thrice... and sold!” Jiang Chen flicked a glance at Master Dong Ye and smiled. “Congratulations! The Pinecrane Pill is yours. I’ve engraved my personal seal onto the pill, so do take good care of it. Remember to break the seal before taking the pill. I’m not liable for any damage incurred after the seal is broken.”

The young lord was extremely wary of the monk. The bald donkey seemed loyal and kind on the surface, but harbored all kinds of malice within. If it wasn’t for him, the fake wandering cultivator from before wouldn’t have been able to stir up such a large ruckus.

Jiang Chen had no choice but to take some precautions when selling the Pinecrane Pill to him. It was better to be safe than sorry as there was no guarantee that the monk wouldn’t stir up trouble in the future.

“Young lord Zhen, I’m already aware of that.” The monk answered blandly. 

“That’s good. You can still withdraw as the money hasn’t been paid. You’ll only lose some of your deposit. It’ll be too late for regrets once the item has exchanged hands.” One had to make the terms clear when dealing with someone like Master Dong Ye. Jiang Chen didn’t feel the need to withhold anything in front of so many people.

Master Dong Ye snorted coldly. “Let’s verify the goods.” He walked up and observed the pill meticulously for over an hour before nodding. “It’s a deal.”

Jiang Chen hadn’t expected Master Dong Ye to be that wealthy. The monk didn’t wrinkle his forehead in the slightest when counting out 1.61 billion saint spirit stones.

The other auction items underwent verification as well. The items were collected after the money was paid.

With that, the grand auction finally came to an end. Almost every great faction had bought something they desired. The only group that had gotten nothing out of the auction were the wandering cultivators. Emperor Inferno was the only one who won a bid in the auction for the Rakshasa Fire.

“Everyone, thank you all for coming. I’m truly flabbergasted by your opulence and sheer wealth. Veluriyam Capital will host similar auctions in the future. For all we know, something even more rare or desirable might show up then! We’ll definitely make you feel that you’ve gotten your money’s worth!” 

Jiang Chen raised a cupped fist salute. “The trading event has officially come to an end! From tomorrow onwards, I’ll be giving lectures and having pill dao exchanges with everyone. But a few things before that. The pill dao lectures will involve a wide range of topics ranging from pill dao fundamentals to interesting theories, but no open discussion of pill recipes. I’ll also be answering questions on final day of the lecture to relieve you of any confusion. Priority will be given to our wandering friends as they are the main audience of the Dragon and Tiger Meet. Ninety percent of the questions will be theirs, while the remaining ten will be given to the representatives of the great sects. I hope to be enlightened by all of you.”

“Alright! That’s wonderful!”

“Young lord Zhen! You have our support!”

“As expected of young lord Zhen! We’ll forever support you just for this reason alone!”

“To think that young lord Zhen is so considerate of us! Young lord Zhen, you ‘re too kind!”

“Young lord Zhen, you truly are a man amongst men!”

The wandering cultivators broke into thunderous applause. They were completely touched by Jiang Chen’s actions. They didn't care if it was just for show. It was a good gesture all the same.

Many powerful factions were participating in the event, yet young lord Zhen was showing favouritism towards the wandering cultivators instead.

The crowd felt that young lord Zhen was a man of his word and an extremely charismatic person. The auction came to a close amidst cheers from the wandering cultivators.

“Item owners please rest assured that all proceeds from the auction will be handed over to you. Also, we won’t be taking a cut since this is our first auction.”

No cut?!

Even the guests were shocked by the announcement. Such generosity! The proceeds from the auction were in the tens of billions. Even a low cut of ten percent would’ve netted him at least a billion! And yet, the young lord had chosen not to collect a single spirit stone.

“Hmm... that kid is a lot more astute than he appears.” The elder from the Empyrean River Palace was extremely taken aback. “How can he remain so composed in front of so much wealth? His actions doesn’t really reflect his youth. In fact, he’s much more excellent than Emperor Peafowl in his youth. The disciple has already surpassed the master.” 

You little fame-seeking brat! Emperor Dragontyrant was also quite shocked. How is he so astute at such a young age? One can only imagine the heights he’ll reach in the future. Is he trying to recruit those wandering cultivators by currying favor from them? Hmph! Wishful thinking. Those ingrates can never be bought with money or favor. Giving up his cut is far from enough to gain their undying loyalty!

Emperor Dragontyrant condemned Jiang Chen’s actions. He believed that the young lord was too overzealous and there was no way his plan would work.

Wandering cultivators were loose sand. It was easier to teach a pig flight than to gain sovereignty over the wandering world. Throughout history, there’d been countless heroes who’d deemed themselves worthy, only to fail in the end. Some even lost everything during their attempt. 

Various factions congratulated Jiang Chen after the trading event came to a close.

“Congratulations, young lord Zhen. The Pinecrane Pill was sold for such a high price that Sacred Peafowl Mountain will be well-fed for many generations to come!”

“You’ve widened my horizons. Only a few pills have ever been sold for such a tantalizing amount in history.”

“Agreed, but it’s understandable. The Pinecrane Pill is likely one of the top five pills throughout history.” The crowd was obviously very impressed by the pill.

It was a pill that everyone yearned for. Unfortunately, the young lord had already mentioned that the pill wouldn’t be sold to the public and would only be transacted with his close confidantes. It meant that the only way to get the pill was through an auction or a private deal with the young lord. Thus, everyone quickly rushed to curry favor from the young lord.

Emperor Coiling Dragon sighed. “Young lord Zhen, I’ve never truly known how much I owed you until this day. To think that the Pinecrane Pill is actually be worth so much! Young lord, I’m eternally grateful.”

“Haha! Young lord Zhen, the Skysword Sect wishes to reserve two Pinecrane Pills! Surely you won’t reject a brother’s request!” Han Qianzhan cut straight to the point. There was no reason for him to beat around the bush. “Young lord, hiring you as our guest pill king is the smartest thing I’ve ever done in my life! I feel damn good!”

A thick skin is of paramount importance if one wished to be well fed. Since they were already collaborating with each other, there was no reason to be shy.

Su Huanzhen laughed. “Young lord Zhen, I’ve never owed Emperor Peafowl any favors but since I’ve helped you make a hundred million more from that monk, won’t you consider making a Pinecrane Pill for the Celestial Cicada Court as well?”

“Young lord Zhen… It’s not easy for me to say this, but the Pinecrane Pill is simply irresistible. We of the Ninesuns Sky Sect…”

“Young lord Zhen, whenever you have the chance to, do visit us at the Moon God Sect.” The Moon God Sect’s third sectmaster no longer restrained herself as well.

Various other wandering great emperors also went up to the young lord to curry favor. They were filled with regret. Why hadn’t they agreed to Jiang Chen’s terms back then? What a wasted opportunity! Hesitation had costed them the deal of a lifetime.

Jiang Chen was overwhelmed by their enthusiasm. “Everyone, the Pinecrane Pill doesn’t grow on trees. Its availability depends entirely on fate. When it’s finally available, I’ll definitely prioritize all of you. I give you my word.”

“Excellent! Young lord Zhen, I’ve been waiting for you to say that!”

“Such straightforwardness! Young lord Zhen, you’re a man worth befriending!” Shangguan Yanqing from the Ninesuns Sky Sect was obviously currying favor with Jiang Chen.

“Wonderful!” It took awhile for the crowd to finally disperse. Emperor Peerless and the Jiao brothers were the only ones who remained.

“Young lord Zhen, the earnings from the auction are quite significant. Not asking for a cut is a huge waste.” Emperor Peerless stated in a low voice. 

“Agreed. They’ll be more than willing even if the cut was a fifth of earnings. They’re getting off much too easily.” Jiao Yun sighed. 

“Young lord, you’ve been showing so much good will to wandering cultivators. Surely you don’t plan on roping in the entire wandering world?” Jiao Feng asked curiously.

Jiang Chen smiled blandly. “That remains to be seen. However, don’t you feel that the wandering world is full of potential?”

“Oh? Why is that?” Emperor Peerless smiled wryly. “You’ve now seen the discrepancy of wealth between the leaders of the wandering world and the great sects. Our potential doesn’t hold a candle to the great sects.”

He was slightly pessimistic after seeing what had transpired today.

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