At the Cloud City Auction House:
The auctioneer, wearing pristine white gloves, held up a small pill and announced:
"This ancient pill is called the Immortal Elixir. Consuming it can help warriors break through to a higher realm.
Any warrior stuck at their current peak can advance to the next stage by taking this pill."
"That powerful?!"
"Incredible!"
"It's priceless!"
The crowd stirred, eyes blazing with greed.
The auctioneer smiled professionally.
"Alright, everyone is eager to begin. Let's start the bidding!
The starting price is 100 million dollars! Each raise must be at least 1 million!"
A hundred million as the opening bid!
The bar was so high that most could only watch from the sidelines.
Only the ultra-wealthy could participate.
Immediately, a paddle went up: 150 million!
Wow!
A fifty-million increase right out the gate!
Money meant nothing to these people.
Ordinary folks could only train martial arts the hard way.
"One billion!"
A girl in a red dress raised her paddle, calling a full billion.
The venue erupted.
Beside her stood an elderly man—Lewis Wang, the antique tycoon.
The girl was his granddaughter, Wendy Wang.
The Wang family's fortune neared 3 billion dollars and was still growing.
They were one of Cloud City's top clans.
Wow!
That was insane!
From 100 million to 1 billion in one jump!
Most bidders were instantly priced out.
After all, what was the point of practicing martial arts if not to get rich?
This was putting the cart before the horse.
Lewis Wang watched calmly. He was determined to win the pill.
He had many experts under his command, but nothing compared to having great power himself.
With this pill, a non-warrior could jump straight to the Yellow Realm!
A Yellow Realm warrior could rise to the Mystic Realm!
Realms went: Yellow, Mystic, Earth, Heaven, and beyond.
The auctioneer tapped his gavel lightly.
"One billion, once! Any more bids?"
Silence.
Lewis Wang's wealth and influence were unmatched.
Even those who could afford a billion dared not compete.
They knew they stood no chance against the antique king.
Why make an enemy of him?
Crossing Lewis Wang meant trouble.
"One billion, twice! Any advances?"
"Hurry! Hurry!" Zhou Mengnan pulled Kayson toward the hall.
They rushed in and collided head-on with a figure in a bamboo hat.
"Watch where you're going!" Zhou Mengnan snapped, too hurried to argue.
She dragged Kayson inside.
Kayson glanced back, but the figure was gone.
"Weird… that fast?"
"Come on! We're gonna miss it!"
They burst in just as the gavel fell:
"One billion, three times! Sold!"
Zhou Mengnan deflated like a punctured balloon. "Too late."
"Haha!"
Lewis Wang laughed triumphantly.
"Mr. Wang, congratulations on winning the ancient pill!" the crowd fawned.
"Aw, let me see it!" Zhou Mengnan said, still curious despite the loss.
She took the pill and examined it. Kayson spoke up suddenly:
"This pill is already ineffective. Not only will it not boost your realm—it will poison and kill anyone who swallows it."
Lewis Wang snatched the pill away, staring daggers at Kayson.
"Who are you to spout such nonsense?!"
"He's my big brother, Kayson!" Zhou Mengnan declared.
"Kayson?"
The crowd's eyes locked onto him.
"So you're Kayson—the useless live-in son-in-law of Cloud City?"
Zhou Mengnan stepped in front of him. "Don't talk about my brother like that!"
"A beggar crashing a high-class auction?!"
They surrounded Kayson and Zhou Mengnan like curiosities.
"This is an auction house, not a soup kitchen! Everything here starts at hundreds of thousands!"
Zhou Mengnan sniffed. "You're all snobs."
The auction manager stepped over, hearing the accusation. He sneered at Kayson.
"A househusburn who cooks and cleans dares claim the ancient pill is poisonous?
Did you forget your medication this morning?"
"The pill has expired. Ingesting it will cause fatal poisoning!" Kayson insisted.
Manager: "This pill was verified as a 500-year-old Immortal Elixir! We have the certificate!"
He held up an official document.
"It was authenticated by Master Ghost Eye—his signature and seal are here. How could it be wrong?!"
Master Ghost Eye?
A legendary antique genius from Dragon Capital, who had never made a mistake in his life.
Kayson stood firm. "The pill is fake! That's why it's toxic!
If you don't believe me, have Master Ghost Eye re-examine it."
The manager scoffed.
"Do you think Master Ghost Eye is some random punk? His time isn't cheap!
We paid him 30 million dollars to authenticate it before the auction!"
The crowd jeered. "Idiot! Daring to question Master Ghost Eye? You're delusional!"
Kayson insisted: "The real pill was definitely switched. This is a fake."
"GET OUT!"
Lewis Wang had already swallowed the pill.
Kayson paled. "No! You've been poisoned!"
He lunged forward to slap Lewis Wang's chest.
"Die!"
Wendy Wang swept her leg toward Kayson.
Zhou Mengnan reacted instantly, blocking her kick. The two stumbled back a few steps.
Wendy: "Mengnan?! What are you wearing?!"
Zhou Mengnan grinned.
"He's my brother. He's a divine doctor—he cured me completely!
Trust him, he's telling the truth!"
"Your brother?
That useless loser? Have some sense!"
Wendy pushed Zhou Mengnan aside.
"You're dragging my reputation down. He's just a live-in punk, and you call him brother?!"
Zhou Mengnan grabbed her collar and yanked her back.
"He's a divine-eyed miracle physician!"
"I don't care if he's your brother! I'm not risking my grandpa's life!" Wendy slapped her hand away.
The two began arguing and tussling.
The crowd turned to Lewis Wang.
"Mr. Wang! He said the pill is poisonous. How do you feel?"