As one item after another took the stage, the atmosphere grew increasingly heated, and time slipped away.

Han Li, preoccupied with the Profound Orchid Crystal Stone, found himself disinterested in the preceding treasures. Just as he was growing anxious, he suddenly heard the auctioneer announce:

"The next item up for auction is called the 'Time-severing Kettle,' a treasure possessing a trace of the power of the law of time. Items stored within it, be they mundane objects or immortal treasures, will appear as if the flow of time has been severed, remaining unchanged even after a million years. The starting bid for this item is five hundred Immortal Essence Stones."

"Five hundred and ten Immortal Essence Stones," someone quickly raised the price.

"Five hundred and twenty Immortal Essence Stones..."

"I bid five hundred and fifty..."

The price climbed steadily, soon reaching six hundred and seventy Immortal Essence Stones.

At this point, the black-robed figure suddenly spoke, "Seven hundred Immortal Essence Stones."

Following this significant increase, a brief silence fell over Jade Kun Tower, which was soon broken by another voice.

"Seven hundred and ten Immortal Essence Stones," Han Li suddenly declared.

The black-robed figure on the second floor glanced in Han Li's direction and said, "Seven hundred and twenty Immortal Essence Stones."

"Seven hundred and fifty," Han Li replied decisively.

Auction bidding wasn't always a steady back-and-forth; sometimes a sudden, substantial price increase was intended to signal one's determination to the competition, forcing them to give up.

"Seven hundred and sixty Immortal Essence Stones," the black-robed figure, clearly unfazed by Han Li's bid.

"Eight hundred."

Han Li's second large price increase caused a stir within the White Jade Tower, drawing almost everyone's attention.

The black-robed figure seemed to consider it not worth the expense and ceased bidding.

"Is this item really that important? Is it worth spending so many Immortal Essence Stones?" Superior Man Jingyang couldn't help but frown, and asked.

"Fellow cultivator, you may not know that we alchemists often need to refine special spirit elixirs. The cost is extremely high, but they cannot be preserved for long, often resulting in significant losses. If I can obtain this item, the Immortal Essence Stones saved in the future will be more than just these seven hundred," Han Li explained with a smile.

In truth, he wanted to see if the Time-severing Kettle could store the green liquid or crystal grains condensed in the small bottle. If it could preserve them, it would be a great joy. If not, obtaining a rare and sought-after item imbued with the law of time would still be worthwhile.

After Han Li acquired this treasure, the auction continued. The quality of the items that followed were increasingly superior, and their prices naturally rose higher as well.

Various magical treasures were presented in turn, and the cultivators bid more and more fiercely. Among them were two items that could benefit the soul. Han Li also participated in the bidding, but the black-robed figure seemed to be deliberately targeting him, competing relentlessly for each item, ultimately winning them all at high prices.

Han Li didn't need these items as urgently as the time law treasure, and he didn't want to attract too much attention, so he gave up voluntarily when the prices exceeded his expectations.

Before long, three hours had passed, and the auction was already halfway over, but the Profound Orchid Crystal Stone had yet to appear.

"Fellow cultivator Jingyang, just give me a hint. When will the Profound Orchid Crystal Stone be auctioned?" Han Li asked, growing increasingly anxious, using sound transmission.

Superior Man Jingyang suppressed a smile and replied, "Only this Flower-Heart Stone can make Fellow cultivator Li so anxious. Rest assured, if I remember correctly, the next item will be it."

As soon as he finished speaking, the auctioneer announced, "The next treasure is no ordinary item. It is born in the ten-thousand-foot abyss where the souls of the dead gather. Although the surrounding environment is fierce and impure, it rises above the mire, naturally becoming the most spiritual thing in the world, known as the Essence of Ten Thousand Souls. Just one plant can strengthen the soul of a Gold Immortal cultivator by one to three percent."

Han Li's mind tightened at the mere description, and he couldn't help but furrow his brows, his gaze fixed on the stage.

"This item is the 'Ten Thousand Souls Grass,' known as the 'Soul Immortal Herb.' The starting bid is one thousand Immortal Essence Stones," the auctioneer announced loudly.

Hearing this, Han Li suddenly turned to Superior Man Jingyang, his face filled with bewilderment.

The latter also wore a surprised expression, clearly unaware of why the auction order had suddenly been disrupted.

"Fellow cultivator Jingyang, what's going on? Did you misremember?" Han Li asked in a low voice.

"Although I enjoy drinking, I'm confident that I wouldn't mistake the order of these hundred or so auction items, especially since it's something Fellow cultivator Li cares about most. Wait, let me ask," Superior Man Jingyang said somewhat awkwardly, then closed his eyes.

As they were wondering, the sounds of bidding within the hall had already begun to rise and fall.

Before long, the price had been pushed up to more than two thousand Immortal Essence Stones.

Being able to strengthen the soul, the item was also an extremely rare treasure to Han Li, with this item, maybe it would also play an important role in the cultivation of his Refining Soul Technique.

After hesitating for a moment, Han Li couldn't help but feel tempted to participate in the bidding. But at this moment, Superior Man Jingyang seemed to have communicated with someone through sound transmission, opened his eyes, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing this, Han Li immediately swallowed the price he had intended to call out, turning to Superior Man Jingyang with an inquiring gaze.

"Hehe, Fellow cultivator Li, don't worry. Someone suddenly requested to add this item to the auction. The next one should be the Profound Orchid Crystal Stone," Superior Man Jingyang said with a dry laugh, offering a slightly apologetic explanation to Han Li.

"I see. Does this kind of situation happen often?" Han Li raised an eyebrow slightly, asking with some suspicion.

"It hasn't happened before. Usually, the arranged auction list is not added to or deleted from. After all, adding items on the fly would require finding someone to appraise them, which would add a lot of trouble," Superior Man Jingyang said after thinking for a moment.

"We've already waited this long. What's the harm in waiting for one more item? But it seems that the person who added this item on the spur of the moment is someone of high status, to be able to enjoy this kind of privilege," Han Li said with a smile, seemingly unconcerned.

"Hehe, who says it isn't! It's said that the person who came up with this idea is somewhat related to the Inspector Immortal Envoy of the inner city. But I think that the 'Ten Thousand Souls Grass' is mostly the property of that Inspector Immortal Envoy. If one's cultivation hasn't reached that level, how could one casually take out such a treasure?" Superior Man Jingyang said with a chuckle.

Han Li silently nodded, his expression unchanged, but in his heart he forcibly suppressed the urge to raise the sign, resolutely giving up on participating in the bidding.

There must be a reason for unusual occurrences. No matter where this item came from, he felt that something was not right.

After a fierce struggle, the black-robed figure eventually obtained the "Ten Thousand Souls Grass" at the high price of three thousand five hundred Immortal Essence Stones.

"The next treasure is something that many fellow cultivators here have been anticipating for a long time," the auctioneer seemed to be quite excited because the previous item was auctioned off at an unexpectedly high price, and the smile on his face remained undiminished.

As he spoke, a light green brocade box was brought onto the auction stage by a yellow-clad girl. The jade box was covered with several layers of restriction talismans.

The girl lightly tore off the talismans on the box, and the brocade box automatically opened, revealing a fist-sized piece of light green crystal.

The crystal emitted a shimmering green light and didn't seem to catch the eyes, and flower-shaped pattern could be vaguely seen on it, deeply imprinted inside the crystal, naturally formed.

A strange fragrance emanated from the green crystal, and everyone present smelled the fragrance. It seemed to cleanse the internal organs, and the whole body felt comfortable.

There was a burst of commotion on the stage, and many people made sounds of joy.

When Han Li saw the green crystal, his eyes immediately lit up, and he sat up slightly straighter.

"I believe that everyone here has recognized it. That's right, this is the 'Profound Orchid Crystal Stone,' also known as the Flower-Heart Stone. It is a top-grade material for refining elixirs to dispel evil aura and break through the Evil Decay Pill. What it means to fellow cultivators who are about to advance to the Taiyi realm, there's no need for me to say much. Moreover, this Profound Orchid Crystal Stone came from a Profound Orchid Flower with more than 200,000 years of medicinal age. It is a treasure that this tower has spent a great deal of effort to obtain. Everyone, don't miss it. The starting price is one thousand Immortal Essence Stones, and each increase must be no less than one hundred Immortal Essence Stones," the auctioneer explained, and announced the start of the bidding.

"One thousand Immortal Essence Stones," a voice rang out as soon as the auctioneer finished speaking.

"One thousand and one hundred!"

"One thousand and three hundred!"

Immediately, a series of bids rose and fell one after another, forming a wave of sound.

The Profound Orchid Crystal Stone, a rare treasure that helps to overcome the Evil Decay and break through to the Taiyi realm, is an extremely precious treasure to everyone. Even if they don't need it themselves, they can buy it and leave it for other people around them to use, and it will never be wasted.

The numbers soared, and in the blink of an eye, they broke through two thousand Immortal Essence Stones.

At this price, there were suddenly fewer people bidding, and the price increase became sluggish.

"Fellow cultivator Li, haven't you been looking for this item? Why haven't you made a move yet?" Superior Man Jingyang asked, seeing that Han Li had not moved at all.

"I'm determined to obtain this item. The people who really want to take this Profound Orchid Crystal Stone haven't made a move yet, so there's no need for me to rush to make a move," Han Li said lightly, looking around.

When the bidding price broke through two thousand and five hundred Immortal Essence Stones, the scene stagnated for a while.

The bidder was a fat man with ostentatious clothes. He didn't look like a cultivator, but more like a businessman, and he was holding two extremely beautiful female cultivators in his arms.

The two women occasionally took the snacks from the side and fed them to the fat man's mouth. The fat man embraced the two beauties, his face full of enjoyment.

"Fellow cultivator Gui from the Tianbao Merchant Association has bid two thousand five hundred Immortal Essence Stones. Is there a higher price?" the auctioneer said with a smile, his eyes scanning the surroundings.

"Three thousand Immortal Essence Stones!" A lazy voice rang out. It was the black-robed man who had bid to buy the Myriad Soul Grass earlier. He had suddenly increased the price by five hundred Immortal Essence Stones.

Everyone present buzzed with discussion. Although the Profound Orchid Crystal Stone was precious, it was already a bit high to be auctioned off at this price.

"Three thousand and one hundred," the fat man said with a slightly unsightly expression, but he still bid again.

"Three thousand and five hundred!" The black-robed man snorted and raised the price sharply again, as if hundreds of Immortal Essence Stones were nothing in his eyes.

The fat man's whole body of fat trembled, his face turned black, and he didn't bid again.

The two female cultivators next to him saw that the fat man's expression was ugly, so they obediently sat next to him, not daring to move.

"Three thousand and six hundred!" Another old voice joined in, but it was an old man with gray hair, playing with a four or five inch purple sword in his hand, the sword body flashing with purple lightning.

An alarming electric light flashed through this man's eyes from time to time, making people feel frightened when they looked at him.

Han Li looked at the gray-haired old man. This man had a vast aura, and he was one of the few people whose cultivation level he could not see clearly before.

"Fellow cultivator Jingyang, this person looks quite extraordinary. I wonder if you recognize him?" Han Li asked casually.

"This person is Feng Tianyao, a Taiyi Realm elder of the Purple Lightning Sword Sect in the Duanjie Mountains in the northeast of the Black Mountain Immortal Territory. I didn't expect that he would also compete for this item. It seems that the price of this Profound Orchid Crystal Stone will skyrocket to a very high level. Fellow cultivator Li, you have to wish yourself good luck," Superior Man Jingyang looked at Han Li with a slightly sympathetic look, and said like this.