Hearing this, Wang Heyang was momentarily taken aback, looking somewhat embarrassed.
Indeed, on what grounds?
Wang Heyang's eyes flickered as he glanced at the surrounding crowd, showing not the slightest hint of fear.
It would not be long before the pavilion's elder arrived. As long as he handed the item over to the old man when the time came, his mission would be complete.
The reason these people were reluctant to leave was simple: they were waiting for him to step outside Yunding Auction House.
As long as he remained within the auction house, his safety was guaranteed. After all, Yunding Auction House possessed formidable power; ordinary cultivators would never dare make a move here.
However, if he dared to leave the premises, he would be dead within a quarter of an hour.
Wang Heyang looked at Li Guanqi among the three, clearly sensing that he was their leader.
Looking toward the black-robed Li Guanqi, he smiled and said, "To tell you the truth, I'm quite fond of that cauldron. Name a price, and I'll buy it."
Li Guanqi smiled faintly, thinking to himself, *Talk about someone offering a pillow just when I was feeling sleepy...*
By now, the surrounding crowd had overheard their exchange.
Many cursed under their breath, "This Wang Heyang is truly shameless."
"The auction has already ended, yet he still wants that cauldron."
Li Guanqi smiled slightly, his voice rasping from beneath the black robe. "You want it? Very well."
Wang Heyang beamed with delight, sweeping his hand broadly as he waved his folding fan. "Hahaha! At least you know what's good for you. Go ahead, name a price."
Li Guanqi gave a cold laugh. "Name a price? Do we look like people who lack a few spirit stones?"
Wang Heyang's face instantly darkened, his brow furrowing. "Then what do you want? Pills? That's fine too. I'll give them to you right now."
"Tsk, tsk. Pills?"
"Are you out of your mind?"
"If you want this cauldron, trade it for the Longevity Grass in your hands,"
Li Guanqi said nonchalantly.
Hearing this, Wang Heyang replied with a grim face, "Do you take me for an idiot? You should know full well how vastly their values differ."
Li Guanqi scoffed. "In that case, care to make a wager?"
The moment Ye Feng heard the word 'wager,' his eyes went wide. It had been so long since he left the sect, and just as long since he had stepped into a gambling den; his fingers were practically itching for action.
Wang Heyang eyed him warily and probed, "A wager? What kind of wager?"
Li Guanqi shrugged. "The stakes are the cauldron and the Longevity Grass. We compete in alchemy—the winner takes both!"
A flash of delight crossed Wang Heyang's eyes. When it came to the dao of alchemy, he had immense confidence.
Not only him, but even the onlookers furrowed their brows.
The burly man who had seen them earlier at the entrance couldn't help speaking up, "Fellow Daoist, that fellow does have real skill in alchemy. Why not drop it?"
As soon as he spoke, many chimed in agreement.
It seemed that over the past few months, Wang Heyang's alchemy prowess had earned him a fair bit of renown throughout the city.
It might have been fine if the onlookers had kept quiet, for Wang Heyang had originally worried about how he would answer to Sixth Elder when he arrived.
Yet now that they had spoken up, his only fear was that Li Guanqi would back out!
The auras radiating from all three of them were in the Core Formation realm. As long as someone was at Core Formation, at most they could only be a tier-three alchemist.
As one of the premier alchemy sects in the Eastern Domain, Yundan Pavilion's strength was naturally not to be underestimated.
After only a fleeting moment of hesitation, Wang Heyang made up his mind to take the bet!
"It's a deal!"
"But what if you break your word?"
Beneath their black robes, the three could hardly suppress their grins.
After all, Li Guanqi and Ye Feng had already witnessed Cao Yan's mastery of talisman crafting; as alchemy was his original craft, he certainly wouldn't be lacking.
Even so, just to be safe, Li Guanqi transmitted his voice in a low murmur, "Third Brother, are you confident?"
Cao Yan's voice brimmed with supreme confidence as he replied solemnly, "Boss, as long as he dares to bet, I will win! But... how do we get away afterward?"
Li Guanqi thought for a moment, then whispered back, "Don't worry about that for now. Let's secure the Longevity Grass first."
Then he looked up and said, "Simple. We'll hand both items over to the auction house and let them act as the referee."
At this moment, many onlookers looked toward Li Guanqi with pity.
After all, while Wang Heyang's character had been atrocious over these past few months, his alchemy skills were undeniably formidable.
The Essence Augmentation Pills auctioned off today had been refined by his own hand!
That was precisely why Yunding Auction House held him in such high regard.
Among the onlookers, virtually none of the black-robed figures who had entered halfway through the auction had left.
They still wanted to see whose hands the Longevity Grass would ultimately fall into.
Yet quite a few people felt that Li Guanqi and his companions were fools for refusing to listen to everyone's warnings.
Someone frowned and spoke up, "He can't honestly believe his alchemy skills are superior to someone from Yundan Pavilion, can he?"
This drew a chorus of cold chuckles, followed by scoffing retorts.
"Fellow Daoist, you're overthinking it."
"The alchemists of Yundan Pavilion are generally far stronger than those from the outside world, to say nothing of the fact that Wang Heyang is a direct disciple."
"If any random cat or dog could beat him, I, Li Daniu, will crawl out of here on my knees today!"
After declaring this, the man named Li Daniu hollered toward the crowd in all directions, drawing nods of agreement from many.
Meanwhile, the old man who had bid earlier murmured, "Would they truly dare to bet without any confidence? Who on earth are these fellows?"
A gleam of cold light flashed through the old man's eyes. Quietly blending into the crowd, he vanished, and an additional black-robed figure appeared in the hall.
Beside Li Guanqi, Ye Feng whispered, "There's one more black-robed figure. It should be that white-bearded old man from the front. Right now, there are fourteen Core Formation cultivators watching us, split into six groups. *Hiss*... Boss, if we actually get it, slipping away might be tricky."
Just as the crowd was abuzz with discussion, a woman with a voluptuous figure strolled over!
She wore a scarlet qipao and held an emerald-green pipe in her right hand, exhaling a puff of blue smoke with an alluring smile.
Her voice sounded like an enchanting, soul-stirring melody as she spoke.
"Yunding accepts. Now let us see Young Master Wang's intentions."
The moment she appeared, the atmosphere in the hall grew considerably heavier.
Someone murmured under their breath, "Qianqiusui! The rumored true power behind Yunding Auction House."
"Why is she here?"
Her fox-like eyes lightly swept over the surroundings, carrying an unmistakable hint of warning.
When Wang Heyang saw this woman, an almost imperceptible trace of dread flickered in the depths of his eyes.
Bowing, he replied, "I have no objections. In that case, shall we begin now?"
Li Guanqi smiled faintly. With a wave of his hand, he tossed the cauldron toward the woman.
Seeing that there was still a show to watch, the crowd simply decided not to leave.
Yet just when everyone thought Li Guanqi would step up, the black-robed man beside him who had remained silent all along stepped forward slowly.
A faint smile played upon Qianqiusui's lips as she turned around. "Right here, then. I will have someone prepare a set of ingredients for the Essence Augmentation Pill. Both stakes will be held in my hands, and the winner takes all. I shall be your referee."
No one doubted the discerning eye of Yunding Auction House's master, nor did anyone believe she would show favoritism toward either side.
A sneer curled at the edge of Wang Heyang's mouth as he said, "Heh, truly overestimating yourselves! Today, I'll let you see what a real high-tier alchemist is! I am not someone you wild amateurs can compare to!"
Chapter 234