The Heavenly Eye Auction

Dai Ninh did not answer immediately.

He stared at the jade bottle on the table for quite some time before finally looking up.

“Brother Giai, do you realize how difficult this condition could make things for me?”

“I do.”

Hao Nhien answered calmly.

“That is why I told you beforehand.”

A mid-grade Body Stabilizing Pill could only be considered a good product in Heavenly Eye City. A high-grade pill was already valuable enough to attract fierce competition, but an extreme-grade pill was something entirely different.

There were no Golden Core cultivators in the Western Wastes.

Foundation Establishment was the highest realm this land could sustain. Since cultivation could no longer advance beyond that point, anything capable of strengthening the body, meridians, and foundation directly affected combat strength. Between two late-Foundation cultivators, the ability to endure one more burst of power, keep the meridians stable a little longer, or remain standing after a collision the opponent could not withstand was sometimes enough to decide victory and defeat.

An extreme-grade Body Stabilizing Pill was therefore far more than an expensive medicinal pill.

It was valuable enough that even those standing behind the Heavenly Eye Medicine Pavilion might want to keep it for themselves.

Dai Ninh understood that.

Hao Nhien understood it even better.

After a moment of silence, the old man asked,

“Why are you so determined to put it up for auction?”

Hao Nhien met his gaze directly.

“I want to see how the market reacts to an extreme-grade pill, who wants to buy it, how high the price can go, and more importantly, what kind of channel something like this should move through.”

He paused briefly before continuing.

“If I never put one on the market, I will never know.”

Dai Ninh continued watching him.

Hao Nhien smiled faintly.

“Besides, I never said this would be the last extreme-grade pill.”

Dai Ninh’s expression changed at once.

“You have more?”

Hao Nhien waved a hand.

“Don’t misunderstand. I can maintain a reasonably stable success rate with mid-grade pills, but extreme-grade pills aren’t something I can produce whenever I wish. The ingredients, my condition during refinement, flame control, and the entire pill-forming process all have to reach an exceptional state before one has a chance of appearing.”

He glanced at the jade bottle.

“But as long as I continue refining pills, that possibility remains. Once the medicinal supply from Lac Van and the ingredients provided by the Medicine Pavilion become more stable, I’ll naturally have more opportunities to try.”

Dai Ninh listened carefully.

Hao Nhien continued,

“That is why I need a place reputable enough to put items like this on the market. Consider today’s pill my way of finding out whether the Heavenly Eye Medicine Pavilion is that place.”

Dai Ninh slowly inhaled.

“Brother Giai is testing me?”

Hao Nhien smiled.

“What does Shopkeeper Dai think?”

Dai Ninh stared at him for several breaths before laughing as well.

“If I were you, I would do the same.”

Hao Nhien raised his teacup.

“Then?”

Dai Ninh finally nodded.

“Very well. The Heavenly Eye Medicine Pavilion will consign this Body Stabilizing Pill on your behalf. The Pavilion will stand as the named party in the transaction, and after the auction fee is deducted, the remaining spirit stones will be transferred to you in full.”

“Agreed.”

Dai Ninh immediately stood.

“I need to leave at once.”

Hao Nhien raised an eyebrow.

“Where?”

“The Auction House.”

The old man was already heading toward the door as he answered.

“The item list for tomorrow’s session is almost locked. I need them to appraise the pill again, formally confirm that it is extreme-grade, and only then can they change the auction order and send notices to the people who need to know.”

Hao Nhien watched him take two steps before suddenly laughing.

Dai Ninh stopped and turned around.

“Brother Giai, what is it?”

Hao Nhien said nothing and merely looked down at the table.

Dai Ninh followed his gaze.

The jade bottle was still sitting exactly where it had been.

The old man froze for a moment before slapping his forehead.

“I really have lost my head.”

Quan Nha could no longer hold back and turned her face away, laughing.

Dai Ninh laughed as well.

“I’ve dealt in medicine for so many years, and today I nearly went to have a pill appraised while leaving the pill behind.”

Hao Nhien picked up the jade bottle.

“Shopkeeper Dai just said the whole city would know about this tomorrow. If you can carry this table to the Auction House, I suppose leaving the bottle here won’t matter.”

Dai Ninh burst into laughter.

“Don’t make me lose any more face.”

Hao Nhien stopped teasing him.

Dai Ninh looked at the jade bottle in his hand and spoke more seriously.

“I cannot promise that no one will make things difficult for me. This pill is valuable enough that certain people may want to inquire about it beforehand, perhaps even take it before it reaches the auction floor. But since I have already given you my word, it will go up for auction.”

Hao Nhien studied him for a moment before handing the bottle over.

“I trust Shopkeeper Dai.”

Dai Ninh paused.

This time, he accepted the bottle with both hands, and the smile disappeared from his face.

“I will not give Brother Giai reason to regret saying that.”

Hao Nhien rose.

“Then I’ll trouble Shopkeeper Dai with the rest.”

“It is no trouble.”

Dai Ninh carefully stored the bottle inside his robe.

“I’ll take it to the Auction House immediately. They must perform the final appraisal themselves before revising the item list and deciding its auction position.”

“Will one night be enough?”

Dai Ninh smiled.

“For an ordinary item, no. For an extreme-grade pill, the organizers will find a way to make one night enough.”

Hao Nhien nodded.

“I’ll be there tomorrow.”

Dai Ninh looked at him.

“You don’t want to stay and wait for the appraisal result?”

“No need.”

Hao Nhien turned toward Quan Nha.

“Let’s go.”

The two had just reached the door when Dai Ninh suddenly called after him.

“Brother Giai.”

Hao Nhien turned.

Dai Ninh lightly patted the place where he had stored the jade bottle.

“If this pill truly sells for a good price, the Medicine Pavilion will gain quite a bit of prestige from it as well.”

Hao Nhien smiled.

“If there is money to be made, we can make it together.”

Dai Ninh laughed again.

“Exactly. See you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow.”

That afternoon, Hao Nhien and Quan Nha did not return to Lac Van. Instead, they rented a room at an inn near the commercial district.

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As night gradually fell, Heavenly Eye City lit up.

The streets below their window remained crowded, merchant wagons continued moving back and forth, and long rows of talisman lamps stretched between the stone rooftops, illuminating the entire commercial district as though night had never truly arrived.

Quan Nha sat beside the window for a while before turning around.

“Do you truly not need spirit stones?”

Hao Nhien laughed.

“Of course I do.”

“Then why not set an extremely high minimum price?”

“Because spirit stones aren’t the only thing I want to buy with that pill.”

Quan Nha looked at him.

“Then what do you want to buy?”

Hao Nhien did not answer immediately.

He looked down at the streams of people moving through the streets below.

“I’ve asked Dai Ninh many questions, but he can only tell me what lies within the range of what he can see: commerce, military supplies, families, various networks of interest, and part of the structure of the four factions.”

Hao Nhien slowly turned the teacup in his hand.

“As for the deeper things, even he doesn’t know.”

Quan Nha understood.

“So you want the others to show you themselves?”

“Exactly.”

Hao Nhien nodded lightly.

After a moment, he continued,

“I once thought that the longer someone cultivated and the firmer their Dao heart became, the smaller things like greed, anger, fear, and pride would become as well. At the very least, after living long enough, gaining enough strength, and understanding the consequences of one’s choices, a person should become more rational.”

Quan Nha remained silent.

“But the further I go, the more I realize it isn’t that simple.”

Hao Nhien looked down at his hand.

“Cultivation makes someone stronger. It teaches patience, teaches them to hide their emotions better, and teaches them when to bow their head and when to strike. But the things that already exist in the heart do not simply disappear.”

He raised his eyes to her.

“Greed remains. Anger remains. Fear, pride, the desire for recognition, the desire to protect someone you love, or the desire to possess something others do not have—all of it remains.”

Quan Nha asked softly,

“You think everyone is like that?”

“I am.”

Hao Nhien answered naturally.

“So are you.”

Quan Nha paused, then laughed.

“You really do say things directly.”

“That isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”

Hao Nhien smiled as well.

“Wanting something is perfectly normal. The difference lies in how well someone controls that desire, and what must appear before the deepest part of it finally reveals itself.”

He looked toward the lights covering Heavenly Eye City.

“For some, it is spirit stones. For others, power, reputation, or the person they love. And for some, merely seeing another person possess something they themselves lack is enough to disturb their heart.”

Quan Nha considered his words.

“So that Body Stabilizing Pill is what you intend to use as a test?”

“Exactly.”

Hao Nhien nodded.

“I don’t need them to fight over it. If all I wanted was chaos, there are far simpler ways to cause it.”

He looked at her.

“I want to see what happens when many people look at something valuable enough to matter. Who watches whom? Who waits for someone else to bid first? Who is willing to yield? Who insists on competing? Who doesn’t care about the pill itself but cares very much about who obtains it?”

Understanding gradually brightened Quan Nha’s eyes.

“You want to see the network behind them.”

“Exactly.”

Hao Nhien answered.

“A person can hide relationships and motives for a very long time when nothing affects them. But once something they truly want appears, hiding every reaction becomes much harder.”

Quan Nha looked at him.

Hao Nhien continued,

“Tomorrow, we observe first. If necessary, your Charm Art can make a thought that already exists in someone’s heart easier to reveal, but there is no need to rush.”

Quan Nha nodded lightly.

“You’re worried I’ll go too far?”

“No.”

Hao Nhien shook his head.

“I’m worried the people of Heavenly Eye are better than we think. If you casually interfere with the soul or emotions of someone truly powerful, the first person to be discovered may not be them.”

The smile on Quan Nha’s lips faded.

“I understand.”

Outside the window, the lights had spread across a vast section of Heavenly Eye City.

Hao Nhien stood.

Quan Nha asked,

“What do you intend to buy tomorrow?”

He paused, then laughed.

“Nothing.”

Hao Nhien looked out over the city.

“An extreme-grade pill, one auction, and a great many people who think they are coming to buy an item.”

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“I only want to know how many secrets one pill can buy.”

Just then, the distant toll of a bell drifted from somewhere deep within the city.

It was not loud, nor was there anything particularly forceful about it, but Hao Nhien instinctively stopped the moment he heard it.

On the street below, a medicine vendor weighing herbs paused for an instant. A soldier walking past touched two fingers lightly to the Heavenly Eye emblem on his chest, while a woman holding her child’s hand lowered her head slightly.

No one knelt.

No one spoke.

It lasted only a breath.

Then the street resumed as though nothing had happened.

Hao Nhien looked toward the deepest part of Heavenly Eye City.

In that brief instant, he had sensed something exceedingly faint.

So thin that if he had not once felt something similar in Hỏa Vân, he might have overlooked it entirely.

It was not spiritual energy.

Nor was it soul power.

But the sensation closely resembled what he had once felt when the people of Hỏa Vân looked toward him while sharing the same intention.

There was only one difference.

At Hỏa Vân, it came from individuals before gradually merging together.

Here, what had just appeared was almost immediately drawn toward the same direction.

Hao Nhien narrowed his eyes.

Quan Nha noticed the change in his expression.

“What is it?”

“I’m not sure.”

Hao Nhien did not want to draw a conclusion too early.

He simply looked toward the deepest part of the city, where the Heavenly Eye Hall stood behind layer upon layer of dark structures.

A single bell was not enough to prove anything.

Yet Dai Ninh’s words from earlier in the day surfaced in his mind.

The four factions could compete over many things, but none of them seemed to have ever truly wanted to cross the City Lord.

Not merely because they were afraid.

Hao Nhien stood by the window for a long time.

In the end, he said only,

“We’ll watch tomorrow.”

Quan Nha did not ask further.

By the following evening, as the last sunlight disappeared beyond Heavenly Eye City’s black stone walls, rows of talisman lamps throughout the commercial district lit up at once.

The streets were even more crowded than during the day, and the Heavenly Eye Auction House near the center of the commercial district had begun receiving guests early.

The semicircular building was constructed entirely from black stone, with four stacked tiers of roofing and formations running along its massive pillars. Above the entrance hung a large jade plaque engraved with three words:

Auction House.

Hao Nhien and Quan Nha arrived nearly half an hour before the session began.

The moment they presented the identity tokens for Giai Nhien and Tieu Nha, Dai Ninh came out from inside.

“Brother Giai. Madam Tieu Nha.”

Hao Nhien cupped his hands.

“We’ve troubled Shopkeeper Dai.”

“What trouble?”

Dai Ninh laughed.

“The Medicine Pavilion is the one benefiting from tonight.”

He glanced around before lowering his voice.

“The Auction House has completed its own appraisal. There was no problem. The pill has officially been confirmed as extreme-grade.”

“What position did they give it?”

“Second to last.”

Hao Nhien raised an eyebrow.

Dai Ninh explained,

“The final item was announced several days ago. Replacing it casually would break the rules. But for something to be inserted directly into the penultimate position overnight is already enough for those who understand these things to know how much weight it carries.”

“Has the news spread?”

“Everyone who ought to know has received notice.”

Dai Ninh looked at him.

“Brother Giai truly doesn’t want a private room?”

“No.”

Hao Nhien shook his head.

“A private room provides a better view of the stage, but it also tells everyone that someone noteworthy is sitting inside. I only want to watch.”

Dai Ninh understood.

“I reserved two seats in the second section. They aren’t directly beside the stage, but they’re close enough to see clearly. If anyone asks, the Medicine Pavilion will simply say the two of you are guests.”

“Many thanks.”

The interior of the Auction House was larger than Hao Nhien had expected.

There were not thousands of people, but several hundred seats were almost completely filled. What caught his attention most, however, was the cultivation present inside the hall.

Foundation Establishment cultivators were everywhere.

Qi Condensation cultivators were not entirely absent, but most accompanied elders, merchant groups, or families. The people qualified to sit independently in the hall were overwhelmingly Foundation Establishment cultivators.

In Thanh Van City, such a scene would have shocked many people. But this was the center of Heavenly Eye, an organization that had existed for many years and continuously drawn talent from the towns, tribes, and dependent territories surrounding it.

Hao Nhien and Quan Nha sat in two seats near the front but slightly off to one side, neither too close to the stage nor near the distinguished guest areas.

They had already agreed beforehand: tonight, they would not compete for any item and would not deliberately inquire about prices.

They had only one purpose.

To observe.

Hao Nhien raised his eyes toward the four highest sections of the hall.

They were arranged in four directions, separated from one another yet deliberately visible enough that everyone could recognize their presence.

The northern section belonged to Ta Minh, concealed behind dark curtains edged in silver and arranged more discreetly than the other three.

The southern section belonged to Huu Liet. Its curtains were dark red, and two late-Foundation cultivators stood outside as still as statues.

The eastern section belonged to Tien Phong. Its decorations were not particularly extravagant, but there was more movement in and out, and its presence was more pronounced. After Duong Quang’s death, the Tien Thanh line had experienced considerable instability, yet the fact that the eastern section remained fully represented showed that Tien Phong had not lost control.

The western section belonged to Trung Vu, marked by muted blue-gray colors and a simpler, more restrained arrangement.

Hao Nhien examined each area in turn.

He could not see the people inside clearly, but that did not matter.

The fact that all four lines had sent representatives was already enough to prove that the extreme-grade pill had attracted the attention of everyone who mattered.

An old man sitting behind him murmured to his companion,

“All four sides came.”

The other man laughed.

“For an extreme-grade pill? It would be stranger if they didn’t.”

Hao Nhien did not turn around. Only the corner of his mouth moved slightly.

Dai Ninh had not exaggerated.

Right on time, three bells rang.

The conversations inside the hall quickly died away as the lights over the auction platform brightened and a woman stepped out from behind the curtain.

Before she appeared, Hao Nhien had already heard several nearby guests mention the name Dieu Thuyen.

She wore a long, dark-red dress whose design was not overly extravagant, yet every step she took, every pause at the center of the stage, and even the way her eyes swept across the hall reflected the confidence of an experienced auctioneer.

Dieu Thuyen cupped her hands.

“Everyone, we meet again.”

With the aid of the formation, her voice was not loud, yet it reached every corner of the hall clearly.

“Tonight’s auction was originally scheduled to contain sixteen items. Yesterday afternoon, however, the Auction House received one additional special consignment.”

Murmurs immediately rose throughout the hall.

Dieu Thuyen smiled.

“I know many of you came tonight because of it. Unfortunately, it has been placed in the fifteenth position.”

Laughter spread through the crowd.

Someone called out,

“Miss Dieu certainly knows how to keep her guests from leaving.”

She did not deny it.

“The Auction House has to make a living too.”

The atmosphere in the hall immediately relaxed.

The auction began.

The first several items consisted mainly of weapons, talismans, and refining materials suitable for Foundation Establishment cultivators. Hao Nhien paid little attention to the prices. Instead, he occasionally noted who spoke, which sections participated, and which remained completely silent.

A suit of flexible armor capable of dispersing impact force caused a late-Foundation cultivator below to compete with someone from Tien Thanh for nearly twenty rounds. In the end, the eastern side voluntarily stopped bidding, allowing the cultivator below to obtain the armor without any threats or retaliation afterward.

Hao Nhien remembered that.

At the very least, within the Auction House, the rules were strong enough that someone unaffiliated with the four factions could openly compete against them.

When a three-hundred-year-old Crimson Marrow Fruit appeared, the atmosphere began to change.

The fruit could replenish blood and strengthen the body, making it particularly suitable for cultivators who focused on physical refinement.

The Huu Thanh side was the first to bid aggressively.

Immediately afterward, the eastern section joined in.

The price rose continuously.

Neither side wasted words, but the rhythm of bidding became noticeably faster than with the previous items.

Hao Nhien stopped paying much attention to the stage.

Instead, he watched the southern and eastern sections.

Tien Phong.

Huu Liet.

Dai Ninh had said that all four factions competed with one another, but between certain lines, the friction was clearly deeper than between others.

Eventually, after the price had risen far beyond its starting point, the eastern section withdrew first.

The representative from Huu Thanh obtained the Crimson Marrow Fruit.

There were no sarcastic remarks.

No cold snorts.

No threats.

But Hao Nhien still noticed the brief silence that followed the fall of the hammer.

One item alone was not enough to draw a conclusion.

He stored the observation away and continued watching.

Later, a defensive formation plate was purchased quickly by Trung Thanh. A jade capable of stabilizing spiritual sense sparked a long bidding contest between Ta Thanh and a family seated below, until Ta Thanh voluntarily withdrew once the price exceeded what they considered worthwhile.

That further confirmed one thing for Hao Nhien.

The four factions did not insist on obtaining everything they wanted.

They calculated value, benefit, and limits just like anyone else.

Cultivators lived longer and possessed greater strength, but that did not mean they became people who solved every failed competition by crushing those weaker than themselves. If every lost bid ended in anger and retaliation, an organization like Heavenly Eye could never have survived until today.

When the fourteenth item—a wind-attribute flying sword—was sold, the atmosphere in the hall changed noticeably.

The quiet conversations faded.

Many people unconsciously straightened in their seats.

Dieu Thuyen did not immediately announce the next item.

She stood at the center of the stage and slowly swept her gaze across the hall.

Then a female attendant emerged from behind the curtain, carrying a jade tray in both hands.

There was only a small bottle resting upon it.

No brilliant spiritual light surrounded it.

No elaborate decoration adorned it.

Yet the entire hall fell almost completely silent.

Quan Nha tilted her head slightly toward Hao Nhien.

He remained seated calmly.

He knew that jade bottle far too well.