Looking annoyed, the old man sniffed the pill, whereupon his body suddenly trembled. His eyes filled with disbelief, and he tilted his head forward to examine the pill more closely. As he did, he seemed to grow more agitated. His body trembled even harder, and his eyes grew wide with even more disbelief.
“Impossible…” he said, his voice hoarse. “This pill is an impossibility. It’s impossible….” When his voice floated up to the surrounding Cultivators, they all began to pant anxiously. At the moment, they couldn’t imagine what medicinal strength the pill must have to cause a veteran master alchemist to turn pale from astonishment.
The other old master alchemist strode forward. He examined the pill, smelled it, and then his eyes gradually began to shine with a strange light. Having seen through the pill, his face began to grow pale, and a look of disbelief and astonishment filled his face.
“This… this is…” The two old men looked at each other, and could clearly see the astonishment in each other’s eyes. Their bodies trembled and they breathed heavily.
“Master alchemists, this pill….”
“This pill cannot be sold!!” said one of the two master alchemists. His voice echoed out, filling the auction stadium. A buzz rose up.
“What do you mean it can’t be sold! We asked for a test. Is the Violet Fate Sect Pill Auction really going to break their one thousand year tradition by not selling something?!”
“According to the rules of the Pill Auction, we have the right to ask for a test. You haven’t even revealed the results and are already saying you won’t sell it?”
“We want the test results! Tell us… what is the medicinal strength of this pill!”
The voices of the hundred thousand Cultivators rose up, including that of Fatty, who roared at the top of his lungs. The auctioneer’s expression tightened. He had never encountered a situation like this before, and was starting to get nervous. Suddenly, a new portal appeared on the stage.
Seven people emerged.
Seeing these seven people, the auctioneer’s face flickered with shock. He immediately clasped hands and bowed deeply. The two master alchemists’ faces filled with veneration, and they, too, clasped hands in salute.
The hundred thousand Cultivators in the auction stadium fell silent. However, their eyes went wide with shock. The seven people who had just emerged were all Furnace Lords of the East Pill Division!
Each and every one had a name that reverberated like thunder throughout the Southern Domain. All hearts trembled at the sight of these seven. They walked out and approached the Bedevilment Pill. One reached out to take it in hand, then examined it carefully. His hand began to tremble, and his expression filled with shock.
He tried to conceal the shock, but the surrounding Cultivators couldn’t help but notice. To see a Furnace Lord looking shocked caused the hearts of the hundred thousand Cultivators to feel as if they were filled with thousands of lightning bolts.
The Furnace Lord’s gaze swept across the hundred thousand Cultivators. With an inward sigh, he caused the Bedevilment Pill to float up into the air, then sat down cross-legged. “In previous Pill Auctions,” he said, “the East Pill Division has offered one opportunity to test the medicinal strength of a pill. Are all of you certain that this pill is the one you wish to test?” There was no need to wait for an answer.
The six other Furnace Lords joined him, sitting in a circle around the floating Bedevilment Pill. They all performed incantation gestures, after which seven pill furnaces appeared in front of them. Each of these pill furnaces was clearly made from extraordinary materials!
“Each pill furnace that ignites, represents ten percent medicinal strength. This is a fair method, since all of the plant and vegetation ingredients used to concoct pills in this Pill Auction were grown in the East Pill Division. If they were not, we would not be able to so accurately determine their medicinal strength.”
Even as the voice rang out, the hundred thousand Cultivators all watched on closely. These seven Furnace Lords had illustrious reputations and commanded utmost respect. They closed their eyes, and a fragrant medicinal aroma filled the air, giving rise to a strange atmosphere within the stadium. Suddenly, one pill furnace began to glow. Next, a second, then a third, and finally a fourth began to grow brightly.
“Four furnaces lit up. That means it employed forty percent of the power of the plant and vegetation ingredients….”
“Ah, so it’s only forty percent. That’s not quite as good as the Foundation Establishment Day. However, it’s really not so simple to compare the medicinal strength of the two, since this poison pill is a completely different type of pill. In fact, I’d say… huh?” A moment after discussions broke out among the Cultivators, a deathly silence filled the air, as if the throats of those speaking had suddenly been clamped shut.