Upon hearing this price, Du Fei couldn't help but shake his head slightly. The Flowing Flame Technique was indeed extremely precious, but such a high starting price meant that very few could afford it!

At the same time, Du Fei once again realized the value of the Ice Heart Technique in his possession.

Fortunately, he already had the Ice Heart Technique. Otherwise, he would try his level best to obtain the Flowing Flame Technique no matter what it took!

Under the pressure of the two hundred and fifty thousand price tag, the atmosphere in the room cooled for a moment. Everyone knew that the audience below no longer had the means to bid for this item! And the ownership of this technique would probably be contested among the VIPs above.

Given the allure of this item, even if those in the VIP seats had to spend their entire fortune, they would undoubtedly aim to acquire it.

"Two hundred and sixty thousand!"

After a brief lull, Bai Yi, looking displeased, suddenly spoke up.

Initially, his primary objective for this trip was to obtain the Flowing Flame Technique. However, due to his earlier bid on the elixir, his abundant funds had become somewhat strained.

"Hehe, did Young Master Bai spend too much on the previous auction? Is that why you're short on funds? Can you even afford this price?" Lian Rui laughed lightly and then, under Bai Yi's fierce gaze, clapped his hands, saying, "Three hundred thousand!"

Hearing this, Bai Yi's face stiffened. He had initially planned to rely on Yun Yuqing to assert his dominance over others, so it would make it easier for himself to get the item. However, the mocking look that Du Fei cast over made him regret his actions. Of all the things he could have done, why did he have to offend such an individual!

At this moment, Bai Yi wished he could slap himself hard.

"Steward Lian is truly generous. In that case, I, Du Zhenxuan, cannot lag behind." The representative from the Du Family was Du Zhenxuan, the Second Elder, who had always kept a low profile within the Du Family. After a light smile, he gently clapped and said, "Three hundred and thirty thousand!"

After giving Du Zhenxuan a casual glance, Lian Rui clapped his hands, saying, "Three hundred and fifty thousand!"

"Three hundred and sixty thousand!"

"Three hundred and eighty thousand!"

"Four hundred thousand!"

The Du Family and the Lian Family had always been at odds, so Du Zhenxuan and Lian Rui naturally weren't courteous to each other. Under their bids, the price of the Eighth-grade Cultivation Method was steadily rising.

"Hehe, since both of you are so polite, I can't just sit and watch!" The next person to speak was Gongsun Hao, an elder of the Gongsun Family. He lightly clapped his hands and then calmly stated, "Five hundred thousand!"

When the price of five hundred thousand was mentioned, the corners of everyone's mouths twitched slightly.

The three major families' total profit from the industries they operated would yield about this much in half a year. Though the price wasn't exorbitant, not everyone present held the title of patriarch in their families, and therefore their authority and resources were limited. Faced with this price, both the representatives of the Du Family and the Lian Family hesitated.

After a moment of hesitation, Du Zhenxuan took a deep breath and said lightly, "Seven hundred thousand... I won't dally with you any longer. If someone offers a higher price, then you can have the item!"

Seeing Du Zhenxuan instantly raising the price by two hundred thousand, both the representatives of the Lian Family and the Gongsun Family were taken aback.

After hesitating for a moment, Gongsun Hao gave a faint smile and said, "The Du Family really spends generously. I won't compete with you. Lian Rui, if you're interested, you can make another bid!"

With his teeth gritted, Lian Rui took a breath, and a hint of brilliance flashed in his slightly red eyes, "Eight hundred thousand!"

Many gasped at this price. Eight hundred thousand was a relatively rare bid in this auction house. Lian Rui really went all out this time!

"You're really determined!" Du Zhenxuan's face twitched for a moment, and then he said with a restrained tone.

"Eight hundred thousand! Is there anyone willing to offer higher than this?" The auctioneer, seeing the situation, smiled and asked lightly.

Seeing that the others had given up, a trace of joy flashed across Lian Rui's face. A moment later, he coldly said to the auction house, "That should be about it, right? Do you really think someone will compete with me?"

Lian Rui's rather arrogant tone made the faces of both Du Zhenxuan and Gongsun Hao twitch. Bai Yi looked even more upset, as others could compete, but he didn't even have the qualifications to do so...

Thinking of this, Bai Yi once again wished he could slap himself...

"Hehe, if no one will compete with Steward Lian, then..."

"Who said so? I bid eight hundred thousand gold coins!" At that moment, a calm voice rang out, causing the entire room to be stunned.

The eyes of those in the VIP seats instantly turned to Du Fei. Hadn't this person just said he wouldn't compete? Why was he...?

Lian Rui's face twitched slightly. After a brief pause, he said with a strained voice, "Sir... The Lian Family believes..."

"Do you want it or not? If not, it's mine!" Because of Lian Zhen, Du Fei did not have a good impression of the Lian Family members, so why would he let them obtain this item easily?

"Um..." Lian Rui hesitated for a moment before saying with a tentative tone, "Then, I... I bid eight hundred thousand!"

"Good, this price is acceptable. The item is yours..." Hearing this, Du Fei responded with a faint smile. He enjoyed causing some trouble for the Lian Family, but there was no need to bring himself down with them.

Hearing that, Lian Rui's face twitched again, but he didn't dare to say much. The opponent didn't even respect the Yun Family, so would he be afraid of a small figure like the Lian Family?

"Old man, I've told you before not to be too arrogant—just because others aren't competing with you for items doesn't mean they can't, maybe they just don't find it worthy!" Du Zhenxuan, who was at the side, said with a soft chuckle, his words dripping with sarcasm.

Hearing this, Lian Rui's face turned even more sour! He almost forgot—apart from the mysterious alchemist, there was also Yun Yuqing present. He really needed to watch his words!

Watching the developments in the VIP seats from afar, as everything seemed to have settled down, the auctioneer lightly tapped his gavel, then smiled faintly, "With that, the Flowing Flame Technique has been successfully auctioned to Steward Lian!"

Du Fei wasn't overly concerned about who owned the Flowing Flame Technique. But since the auctioneer hadn't left the stage, it indicated that the auction was not yet over.

After briefly observing the auctioneer, Du Fei saw him casually take a silver tray. When the silk cloth covering it was pulled away, an antique little box appeared before him.

"The next item to be presented is our auction house's top secret item for today! Firstly, I want to clarify that we at the auction house have never opened this box... We're not certain about its contents, but what we are sure of is that it's a relic from an eighth-grade alchemist! It's just that his descendants lacked the talent for cultivation and pill-making, so they entrusted us to auction it off... Therefore, anyone interested can start bidding. This item has no starting price!"

Upon hearing this, Du Fei's eyebrows couldn't help but raise slightly! Although he hadn't seen the Marrow-cleaning Pill today, this alchemist-related item greatly piqued his interest...

After all, Du Fei had recently experienced the benefits of being an alchemist. If the contents of this box could make him become an alchemist, he was prepared to pay any price!

However, although Du Fei was very interested, compared to the previous Eighth-grade Cultivation Method, this item wasn't as significant to him.

Many were extremely interested, as everything related to an alchemist was highly attractive. But since no one knew the contents of the box, for a while, nobody dared to throw large sums of money to purchase it.

Fortunately, since there was no starting price, after a moment of hesitation, someone began bidding.

"One thousand gold coins!"

"Three thousand gold coins!"

"Eight thousand gold coins!"

"..."

With the ongoing bids from below, none of the distinguished guests in the VIP seats made a move, as if they all knew something the others didn't

"Fifty thousand gold coins!"

This price seemed exceedingly high to the bidders below. Thus, after this bid, there was a pause, and no further bids followed.

"One hundred thousand gold coins!" After a moment of silence, Yun Yuqing from the VIP seats gently smiled and made her bid.

The other guests in the VIP section seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement, instantly focusing inward, as if they had entered meditation.

"Is Yun Yuqing determined to get this item?" Seeing this, Du Fei was momentarily stunned but quickly grasped the situation.

Their gazes briefly met in the air. After a moment, Yun Yuqing gently smiled, saying, "Looks like you're here for this item as well!"

"Yun Yuqing probably knows what's inside the box!" Realizing this, Du Fei thought quickly.

However, he was also highly interested in the alchemist's relic.

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't dare compete with Yun Yuqing. But at this moment, with his newfound confidence, he wasn't particularly apprehensive.

Hearing her words, he just gave a faint smile and then made his bid, "Two hundred thousand!"

"You are indeed generous, but I can't let you have this item so easily!" Yun Yuqing responded with a charming smile, her expression unchanged. "Three hundred thousand!"

"Four hundred thousand!" After shouting this price, a hint of uncertainty crept into Du Fei's heart. If the price went any higher, he might have to back down.

Yet, to his surprise, Yun Yuqing didn't continue to bid. She gave Du Fei a peculiar look, then softly smiled, saying, "It seems that you are is determined to have it, and you probably know its value... In that case, I won't continue to bid for it. Consider this item yours! What do you think?"

With that, Yun Yuqing gave a light smile and stood up. With a wave of her hand, her attendants followed her lead, and they all walked away.

"What is this woman trying to do..." Staring at Yun Yuqing's retreating figure, Du Fei slightly furrowed his brows, murmuring to himself.