Mo Qingkuang suddenly raised the bidding price from 80,000 to 100,000, attracting the attention of many people. They had already guessed that the 108th VIP bidder must be someone with considerable wealth.
Some who didn't have enough strength had already started to back out.
"100,000! This gentleman bids 100,000! Any higher bids?" Niao Niao asked.
After a moment, another person placed a bid. After all, Mo Qingkuang wasn't the only one with money; there were many in the Chiyan Auction House with even greater wealth.
"150,000 lower-grade spirit stones," Mo Qingkuang bid without hesitation.
Since Mo Fan had said that this Dragon Saliva Grass was very important to Lin Yang, Mo Qingkuang was determined to get it, no matter who the opponent was!
Because it would be safest in his own hands, whereas in someone else's hands, Lin Yang might have a chance to seize it.
"150,000! The 108th VIP bidder bids 150,000 lower-grade spirit stones!" Niao Niao exclaimed excitedly.
150,000 lower-grade spirit stones! That was close to the market value of Dragon Saliva Grass. It was clear that the 108th VIP bidder was determined to get this Dragon Saliva Grass, having suddenly raised the price by 40,000.
With this situation, no matter what, this VIP wouldn't give up. As long as there were a few more rounds of bidding, the final transaction price would far exceed the market value of the Dragon Saliva Grass.
The higher, the better. Niao Niao's eyes gleamed as she looked toward the VIP box where Mo Qingkuang was.
"Teacher, it seems there's a wealthy person competing for this Dragon Saliva Grass," Lin Yang, also cloaked in black, said to the Saint Alchemist among the crowd in the hall.
Due to some connections he had made in the Blue Flame Empire recently, he had entered the auction house through a side door and hadn't been noticed by Mo Qingkuang and Mo Fan.
Until now, he hadn't placed a bid. The market price of Dragon Saliva Grass was around 180,000 lower-grade spirit stones, and the final auction price would usually be higher.
So Lin Yang planned to bid when the price reached 180,000 lower-grade spirit stones. But Mo Qingkuang's sudden appearance made him very uneasy.
Although Dragon Saliva Grass is precious, it is only used in certain high-grade pills. Even though the Blue Flame Empire is known for its widespread alchemy, there aren't many high-grade alchemists, and the recipes requiring Dragon Saliva Grass aren't widely circulated.
There shouldn't be someone so determined to get Dragon Saliva Grass.
"The private rooms upstairs have some barrier against soul exploration. I can't determine the identity of the person inside; I can only sense that he's very young," the Saint Alchemist said heavily.
To protect the privacy of guests, the private rooms upstairs were made with special materials, making it difficult even for the soul power of a ninth-grade alchemist like the Saint Alchemist to fully explore.
From what he could gather, the 108th VIP was quite young, which was the most troublesome aspect.
Young people are usually impulsive and care about their image, unlike older people who weigh pros and cons. They will bid with all their might to get what they want.
Especially in an auction house with features like magic mirrors, allowing them to see countless curious and amazed eyes on them, this feeling would prompt them to impulsively spend.
Even though Lin Yang had been rigorously practicing alchemy and continuously buying and selling herbs, amassing a considerable fortune, his total wealth was only about 300,000 lower-grade spirit stones. If he spent most of it on just one Dragon Saliva Grass, he might not have enough money for better and more important items later.
But Dragon Saliva Grass is a key ingredient for refining the Ice Dragon Pill. If they missed this one, who knows when they would encounter another.
This was what troubled the master and apprentice so much—it's only when you need money that you realize how little you have.
If Mo Qingkuang knew that Lin Yang had amassed hundreds of thousands of spirit stones in such a short time, he would probably be extremely jealous.
His own wealth was borrowed from Fu Qing, and without the help of Taishan King who provided both experience and equipment, he would only have around 50,000 lower-grade spirit stones.
No wonder alchemy is the most profitable profession on the continent. The money comes in so quickly!
"Teacher, I think it would be better if..." Lin Yang considered this problem, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
"No need for that. A single Dragon Saliva Grass isn't worth the risk. Let's try bidding first, and if that doesn't work, we'll think of other solutions," the Saint Alchemist temporarily dismissed Lin Yang's suggestion, advocating a more conservative approach.
Hearing this, Lin Yang could only nod. Indeed, a single Dragon Saliva Grass wasn't worth taking risks for.
He then deliberately lowered his voice and placed a bid: "210,000 lower-grade spirit stones."
During the time he and the Saint Alchemist had been discussing, Mo Qingkuang had already raised the bid with other competitors to 200,000, which was the normal market price.
"210,000 lower-grade spirit stones! We have a new bidder, VIP 857, offering 210,000 lower-grade spirit stones!" Niao Niao immediately announced Lin Yang's number and bid.
210,000 had already surpassed the market price of Dragon Saliva Grass. This new bidder was clearly not going to stop there.
She looked up at the box where Mo Qingkuang was. Would the 108th VIP bid again?
In the box, upon hearing Niao Niao announce 857, Mo Fan felt a stir in his heart: "Lower the bid increment to one thousand. This 857 is Lin Yang!"
He remembered that the number plate he had casually assigned to Lin Yang back then was 857. The thought of this number made Mo Fan feel a bit restless.
Upon hearing Mo Fan's reminder, Mo Qingkuang became excited. Lin Yang had appeared! The ancestor was right; Lin Yang indeed wanted this Dragon Saliva Grass. If Lin Yang wanted it, he would make sure he didn't get it.
Though he didn't know how the ancestor recognized that the black-cloaked bidder was Lin Yang through the magic mirror.
But he believed that if the ancestor said so, it must be true!
"211,000!" Mo Qingkuang signaled the girl beside him to place the bid.
The attendant girl was taken aback. This gentleman had been raising the bid by tens of thousands earlier. Why the sudden change to the minimum bid increment? Was he running out of money? Or was there some other reason?
However, she had no right to question the customer's intention. Mo Qingkuang wasn't breaking any rules, so she could only follow his instructions and ring the bell to announce the price: "211,000."