To be honest, I didn't expect this pill to go for so much! I know how important it is to get an external source of energy to cultivate when the free energy of the world is spread so thin, but who could've thought that this measly pill that couldn't even fill a ten percent of my current mana pool would be almost as valuable as the sword that I offered before! 

Thinking about, if my estimates will turn out to be on point, an almost identical sword that will be auctioned right before the climax of the auction will be sold for even less than this pill!

Just as I was about to hide the pill back into a small storage ring and drop it to the hole in the stage so that an attendant could grab it and deliver to the nascent orb sect, something happened. Thinking about it, as far as I remembered, the orbs that they were using as their primary force amplifier only served to augment the power of their cultivation techniques, forcing them to put a lot greater emphasis of raising one's cultivation than the others. 

This would also explain why they were able to fork out such a huge sum for just a single pill! Maybe blacksmith wasn't the best job that I could choose! I guess there was some truth in all the novels where main characters picked apothecary craft as their main profession!

But well, nothing is lost. If I ever stumble upon really valuable medicinal ingredient, I can very well get a new ability and forcefully raise it to a satisfactory level!

But going back to the strange event. As soon as I was about to hide the pill back to the storage ring, I saw a shadow appearing on top of the wall that separated a rather desolate part of the city and the small garden that we made to add a bit of luxurious feel to all those attending the auction. 

Barely able to follow the shadow with my eyes, I even had to activate my Predator's Mindset to have a shot at defending against the a.s.sailant!

To my surprise though, the shadow didn't aim for my throat or any other vital, but right for my hand that held the pill!

In my normal state, I might have some troubles defending my possession against the intruder, but just a mere s.h.i.+eld around my hand was more than enough to protect the pill from being s.n.a.t.c.hed away, not to speak about the wondrous effects of the predator's mindset. Thinking about it, even if I will fully enjoy the benefits of a mage path, I still should try to level up my executioner's path! The benefits that it brought so far were simply over the top!

Unwilling to just yield the pill to the attacker, I simply surround it with a big barrier while putting one of my hands back to my personal storage ring and grasping the handle of my magician's stick. This alone was enough to make the shadow clash with the barrier on the spot. 

Looking at the expenditure of the mana and raising levels of my barrier, it managed to break through quite a few of them before its momentum finally stopped. Only now I was able to take a closer look at it.

Contrary to my expectations, it wasn't some kind of thief or a.s.sa.s.sin, but a simple demonic beast!

Looking at its state, it was already on the enriching essence level, but its acc.u.mulation of energy within its body was so great, that it required only a simple impetus to breakthrough! I think that's what made it go crazy enough to enter a place filled to the brim with strong cultivators!

"Five thousand!"

Just as I raised my hand to smash my auctioning hammer on its head to make sure it will stay unconscious, I heard a mechanic voice coming from the lodge of Natural's sect. 

"F.u.c.k!"

Whispering to myself, I could only bring a big grin on my face and turn towards the lodge.

"I'm sorry, but this…"

"Seven thousand!"

Before I even managed to explain that this was just a random demonic beast that was gutsy or crazy enough to attack this gathering, another voice came from the tribune this time. Looking down on the stupid man who took this wild beast for a ware of the auction, I realised it was the same guy that tried to stir some troubles earlier!

"Sirs, I think there is a small problem and misunderstanding here…"

With a troubled look involuntarily appearing on my face, I really did not know how should I phrase it. Maybe I should just sign to the Venna to make her overbid everyone? But seeing how people were eager to bid on this animal, they would be sure to smell that something was wrong! I guess I should just let people bid how they want and send an informant to the winner to let him know about this mistake. I guess I could give him one of the swords in exchange for the beast?

"I'm willing to pay ten thousand!"

Despite major sects already fighting in the auction for this mistake, the old man still had the guts to bid higher! I guess that confirmed his affiliation to one of the major powers that scorned this auction in the first place! Taking out ten grand for a random demonic best, even if it was tamed, was something that only the greatest players in the city could do!

"I'm offering ten grand! Don't tell me that you are going to ask your coworkers to elevate the price even more or outbid me? Come on, I dare you to do so!"

Eh? And here I was, trying to explain this misunderstanding. But thinking about it, the action of this man made sense. Just from looking at this beast, any experienced expert could tell that it was on the verge of breaking through. Even if it was already tamed by someone else, if he could feed it enough energy to induce its evolution, it would obviously look with a far kinder eye at its new owner! But I guess he never did read the forbidden area manual! While it wasn't some kind of common beast… After evolution, it would turn into just a plain, expanding senses demonic best! While it's st.u.r.dy acc.u.mulation would lift it to a slightly better grade than its brethren living in the forest, in the end, it's an absolute cap of potential strength was still in the spirit realm! 

From what I heard, only at the very pinnacle of the spiritual realm did people invest their time and resources into mastering beast taming. It wasn't some sort of discrimination, but a simple calculation. Where moral realm was the limit of humans if they didn't cultivate, beasts born below saint level would never be able to cross this threshold! Unless someone was willing to pay insane amounts for various resources, services of high-grade beast tamer and even some very specific and intricate pills, all tamed best under the saint level, would remain there till the end of their lives! 

It was quite similar to the body const.i.tutions of ancient humans. 

Before anyone even realised that cultivation is a possible way to increase one's strength, people still were able to reach immortal realms and beyond, just by relying on their bloodline and powerfull innate talents. Only with the ages of cultivation and usage of spiritual energy did it think out to the point that prevented most of the humans from being born anywhere higher than the mortal realm. Even with that, there were some rumours about people possessing some bloodlines that would awake only upon reaching the saint or the immortal realm.

But who am I to judge? If this old man is soo keen on buying a beast that will ultimately turn out to be useless if he were to ever advance beyond the spirit realm, that's his choice!

"Ten thousand, once, twice and sold!"