"Four hundred thousand!"

With gritted teeth, Bai Yi menacingly shouted this sky-high price. Simultaneously, he cast a somewhat pitiful gaze toward Du Fei, seemingly trying to catch his attention.

Under the hype of the crowd in the VIP seats, the few bottles of medicine, which initially cost just a few thousand gold coins, surged in price multiple times within moments. This made Du Fei sigh internally. Being an alchemist really was a ridiculously profitable profession.

The astronomical price Bai Yi announced was not just staggering for the crowd below, but even for the three major families of Buyue City, as it equated to half a year's income.

Though the item was indeed valuable, using half a year's family income for it seemed a bit excessive!

At this moment, everyone's attention, including those below, was on Bai Yi.

The audience below might not understand why Bai Yi suddenly called out such a high price, but those in the VIP seats knew. Bai Yi's current actions were clearly an attempt to curry favor.

"Hehe, it seems Young Master Bai is determined to get this elixir!" Lian Rui, the steward of the Lian Family, lightly clapped his hands. With a mocking smile, he glanced at Bai Yi for a moment before sighing, "It's a pity that the authority the patriarch gave me today isn't very high. Otherwise, Young Master Bai, you wouldn't get it so easily!"

Bai Yi shot Lian Rui a fierce look, saying with his teeth gritted, "If you want it, then bid for it! I want to see if the Lian Family or the Bai Family has deeper pockets!"

Lian Rui's gaze slowly shifted to Yun Yuqing. After a moment, he shook his head.

Seeing his reaction, the others in the VIP section also turned their attention to Yun Yuqing, subsequently all shaking their heads.

Although currying favor with an alchemist was important, but offending the Yun Family recklessly was out of the question! If Bai Yi was so determined to have it, then why not do him a favor?

"Hehe, Young Master Bai has already bid four hundred thousand. Is there anyone else who wishes to raise the price?" The auctioneer at the auction house chuckled, seemingly well-aware of the covert conflicts among the VIPs, before continuing in a casual tone.

A few moments passed, yet no one spoke up. The auctioneer lifted the gavel in his hand slightly, then slowly struck it down.

"Clang—"

"With that, this elixir now belongs to Young Master Bai!"

Seeing this outcome, Du Fei sneered inwardly. No matter who ended up with the elixir, it wasn't important to him. All he needed was enough funds to buy the Marrow-cleaning Pill!

As for what others were thinking, it had nothing to do with him.

"Hehe, after this precious elixir, the next item will surely interest many of you. In fact, I believe most of you came today for this particular item..." As he spoke, with a slight clap from the auction house, a line of guards carefully escorted a maid, who carried a silver tray to the auctioneer. Once the tray was in his hands, the guards quickly dispersed. The auctioneer slowly unveiled the silk cloth covering the tray, revealing a fleeting spark of fire.

"Eighth-grade Cultivation Method, Flowing Flame Technique!"

The moment the words "Eighth-grade Cultivation Method" were uttered, the auction house fell into immediate silence. Then, heavy breaths could be heard continuously.

Compared to the miraculous effects of the body-forging elixir, for most people in the auction house, a cultivation method was even more precious!

It was well-known that after an individual progresses to become a Ninth-grade Martial Artist, they'd need a cultivation method to cultivate. At that stage, the Body-forging Fist no longer offers any benefits to cultivation!

Besides determining the strength of one's Qi, the grade of a cultivation method also determines their achievements! For example, a Ninth-grade cultivation method might allow you to cultivate up to an Eighth-grade Martial Artist, which is already impressive. But an Eighth-grade cultivation method can elevate you to a Seventh-grade Martial Artist!

Even though both are Martial Artists, within a powerful family, an Eighth-grade Martial Artist might be considered an elder at most. In contrast, a Seventh-grade Martial Artist can become the pillar of a powerful family!

And all this is based on the Eighth-grade Cultivation Method!

It could be said that the Eighth-grade Cultivation Method before them could potentially shape the future of a martial cultivator!

Moreover, unlike martial techniques, cultivation methods have always been treasured by powerful families. Techniques that are revealed to the public are rare, with Ninth-grade being scarce and Eighth-grade even more so!

As for those higher-grade cultivation methods, although there were rumors that they appeared in places like the imperial capital, the prices for such items were far too out of reach for the people of Buyue City!

But this Eighth-grade Cultivation Method seemed to be incredibly affordable!

For the common people below, this item could make them a regional powerhouse. And for the elites, none of the three powerful families in Buyue City seemed to possess an Eighth-grade Cultivation Method. Thus, whichever one acquired it would essentially establish their dominance in Buyue City! If a smaller force got their hands on this, there was even a chance to have four powerful families!

For a moment, the expressions of the attendees in the VIP seats turned suspicious. If they weren't well-aware of the strong backing behind the Buyue auction house, some might have already succumbed to the urge to snatch the item by force!

This shock lasted for a brief moment before calmness gradually settled in. Who knew how many people used all their strength to suppress their desires to seize the item forcibly.

"Eighth-grade Cultivation Method..." Compared to others, Du Fei didn't seem particularly stunned. For him, he already had the Ice Heart Technique, which sufficed. Judging by the name of the Flowing Flame Technique, it was a fire-attributed technique and was completely incompatible with his Ice Heart Technique. Hence, he wasn't very interested. Moreover, for him, pills were evidently more valuable than this item.

Seeing Du Fei's apparent disinterest, the individuals in the VIP section let out a sigh of relief. Members of the Yun Family already possessed various profound cultivation methods and naturally had no interest in this item. If this alchemist also wasn't interested, their chances of acquiring it would likely increase greatly!

"Are you not interested in this item? Such an Eighth-grade Cultivation Method is quite rare! Moreover, it's said that fire-attributed methods offer numerous benefits for alchemy. Why..." Sitting in the middle of the VIP section, Yun Yuqing seemed to have thought of something. She suddenly smiled faintly and then turned to address Du Fei in a gentle tone.

Seeing the sly, fox-like glint in Yun Yuqing's eyes, Du Fei felt a chill in his heart! This woman's thoughts ran deep! At this moment, even Yuan Hong no longer doubted his identity, yet she was still subtly probing him?

Hearing Yun Yuqing's words, the others seemed to recall something as well, their gazes quickly shifting to Du Fei.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Du Fei sneered inwardly, and moments later, said indifferently, "It's just an Eighth-grade Cultivation Method. What's so special about it... But if the Yun Family's Cloud Mist Technique were to appear here, I would certainly not let it go!"

The Cloud Mist Technique of the Yun Family was a legendary Sixth-grade Cultivation Method. Even within the entire Da'an Dynasty, it was quite famous. Born into a martial arts family, Du Fei was, of course, very familiar with it.

Hearing this, Yun Yuqing smiled faintly and said, "You must be joking. The Cloud Mist Technique is something only the patriarch of the Yun Family is qualified to peruse. How could it appear in a place like this..."

"Well, you never know..." Du Fei responded coldly.

"Hehe, your words are indeed intriguing. However, if such a situation were to arise, and the Cloud Mist Technique ended up in your hands, I'm sure it wouldn't be disgraced!" Yun Yuqing's eyebrows raised slightly, her tone growing slightly colder.

Hearing this, Du Fei turned his head slightly, his piercing gaze causing Yun Yuqing to feel a bit uneasy. Then he said lightly, "You're well aware that alchemists are particularly fond of fire-attributed methods. Even if your Yun Family's Cloud Mist Technique were offered to me, I wouldn't be interested. Don't worry..."

"Don't worry—" Hearing Du Fei's words, Yun Yuqing couldn't help but smile bitterly. How could the Yun Family's Cloud Mist Technique be belittled to such an extent?

However, the more Du Fei acted like this, the more cautious Yun Yuqing became! Who would dare to speak to her in such a manner without having some aces up their sleeves? Even if this person's own abilities were average, with such an attitude, there was probably a formidable background behind him...

Could such a backgrouund make him completely unfazed by the Yun Family?

With this thought, Yun Yuqing inhaled slightly, hesitated for a moment, and a new idea emerged. If she had this man's assistance, would she be more likely to succeed?

Hearing the back and forth verbal sparring between Du Fei and Yun Yuqing, the other VIPs present were momentarily left somewhat speechless—what they highly valued as an Eighth-grade Cultivation Method seemed worthless in others' eyes, which made them deeply frustrated!

"But, if neither of them were interested, it would be a great opportunity for others!"

"Clap, clap, clap—"

Feeling that everyone had calmed down, the auctioneer on the stage lightly clapped his hands, attracting the attention of the entire audience.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this method scroll was obtained by one of the guards employed by our auction house. He stumbled upon it in some ruins, so it was likely left behind by someone from the past. Its origins are clear and revealed to all, so there won't be any repercussions from auctioning it. If you're interested, feel free to bid without any worries! Moreover, our auction house guarantees that if someone wins this item and another tries to harm the winner behind their back, our auction house will definitely not stand by idly! So, everyone can bid with confidence!"

"Enough talk! Just state the starting price!" Hearing the last part, someone from the audience couldn't help but speak up.

Hearing this, the auctioneer gave a slight smile, then calmly said, "The Eighth-grade Cultivation Method, Flowing Flame Technique, has a starting price of two hundred and fifty thousand!"

The room fell silent upon hearing the price.