Chapter 585 - 585: Exploiting a Loophole

"Hmph, it's just one Celestial Spirit Pill. With my offer, you can choose any three elixirs, and each of them is a life-saving elixir for a critical moment!"

Cai Mao snorted coldly.

"Those three elixirs will run out eventually. Breaking through to a level-seven Martial Spirit is what's truly important," Chu Qingyun retorted.

"This…"

The level-six Martial Spirit seller glanced at the elixirs displayed beside Cai Mao, then at the one in Chu Qingyun's hand. His expression was one of extreme conflict.

Both offers were incredibly tempting, and he wanted them both.

Moreover, it was obvious that after he made his choice, the other party would never sell their elixirs to him, not even for Primordial Spirit Liquid.

After all, elixirs were still very rare—the kind of thing you couldn't buy even if you had the money.

Therefore, he could only choose one.

"Kid, you better watch yourself. Even if you advance to a level-seven Martial Spirit, once you've offended this many of us Inner Sect Disciples from the Martial King Realm, well… hmph!"

Cai Mao saw the seller's hesitation. He knew how tempting the Celestial Spirit Pill was for a level-six Martial Spirit, so he resorted to threats.

"The path of a Martial Artist is to stay true to yourself. Your own strength is what matters most. Without it, you'll be bullied your whole life!" Chu Qingyun said.

The level-six Martial Spirit clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and declared, "I choose the Celestial Spirit Pill!"

Instantly, Cai Mao's face darkened.

He snorted coldly, put away his elixirs with a wave of his hand, and shot Chu Qingyun a look of pure ice.

He'd thought he was in for a windfall, that he could easily purchase the three All-Seeing Fruits. He never expected them to be snatched away by a mere level-seven Martial Spirit Outer Disciple—stolen right out of his hands!

This infuriated Cai Mao, who had always been incredibly arrogant.

After the bidding war between Chu Qingyun and Cai Mao, the auction time for the three All-Seeing Fruits was up.

And so, the Treasure Pavilion staff member announced that the All-Seeing Fruits belonged to Chu Qingyun. The Treasure Pavilion was more than happy to let Chu Qingyun and Cai Mao settle it between themselves.

After all, no matter the outcome, Cai Mao wouldn't be able to blame them.

Chu Qingyun handed the Celestial Spirit Pill directly to the seller. As for the 300,000 drops of Primordial Spirit Liquid, Chu Qingyun took out five Storage Rings, sold them to the Treasure Pavilion for that exact amount, and paid the seller.

Back in Lianshan County of Great Xia, a single Storage Ring with a very small capacity had fetched a price of one hundred thousand drops of Primordial Spirit Liquid at auction.

However, that was because scarcity drives up value. Plus, it was an auction, so the price was significantly inflated.

Here in the sect's territory, however, Storage Rings were not so rare. And since he was selling directly to the Treasure Pavilion, the price was pushed down somewhat.

With the three hundred thousand drops of Primordial Spirit Liquid and the Celestial Spirit Pill in hand, the level-six Martial Spirit seller didn't linger and departed in a hurry.

Just then, one of the Inner Sect Disciples leaned in and whispered something in Cai Mao's ear.

As he listened, Cai Mao's eyes gradually lit up, and a malicious smile spread across his face.

Just as Chu Qingyun reached out to retrieve the three All-Seeing Fruits, Cai Mao suddenly blocked him. "Hold on. Those three All-Seeing Fruits are mine!"

Chu Qingyun's brow furrowed. "Young Master Cai, refusing to accept a loss… surely that's beneath the dignity of the Pill Institute."

"Hmph! What are you talking about, 'losing' and 'winning'? Utter nonsense!"

"The Treasure Pavilion's rule is bidding!"

"The last party to state a price was us—three thousand drops of Primordial Spirit Liquid per fruit! The time limit has expired, and since no one raised the bid, the All-Seeing Fruits naturally belong to us!"

"Here's nine thousand drops of Primordial Spirit Liquid. The three All-Seeing Fruits are mine!"

As he spoke, Cai Mao actually took nine thousand drops of Primordial Spirit Liquid from his Storage Ring and handed them to the nearby Treasure Pavilion staff member.

"This…"

The Treasure Pavilion staff member was also at a loss, both hesitant and helpless.

Previously, Chu Qingyun and Cai Mao had been bidding against each other right in front of the seller. It was obvious they had tacitly agreed to change the auction format to a direct competition between the two of them, as they were the only ones making offers.

But what Cai Mao was saying now… wasn't technically wrong, either.

It could only be said that he was exploiting a loophole. It was shameless, but not entirely without reason.

Cai Mao, however, paid no mind to whether the staff member accepted it or not. He simply tossed the Primordial Spirit Liquid beside him and reached for the All-Seeing Fruits.

"Cai Mao, this is beyond shameless!"

Seeing him reach out so brazenly, Chu Qingyun's expression turned grim.

Cai Mao, however, simply pressed a hand on the stone platform holding the All-Seeing Fruits and sneered, "Shameless? Junior Brother, are you insulting your Senior Brother? I am a magnanimous man, so I'll forgive you this once. But if you dare show such disrespect to your senior again, don't blame me for getting rough."

"Of course, if you have the guts, feel free to try and snatch these All-Seeing Fruits from me."

With that, Cai Mao no longer seemed to be in a hurry to take the fruits. Instead, he stared at Chu Qingyun, a cold sneer plastered on his face.

His plan was simple: to provoke Chu Qingyun into attacking him first.

That way, when he retaliated to 'teach Chu Qingyun a lesson'—even if he beat him half to death—he would have righteousness on his side. At worst, he'd have to compensate Chu Qingyun with a few healing elixirs afterward.

"Heh heh, go on, kid. Attack him if you've got the guts."

"What's wrong? Scared now? Where'd all that smug confidence from before go?"

"Don't you want the All-Seeing Fruits? Come on, take them…"

The other Inner Sect Disciples beside Cai Mao chimed in, taunting and provoking Chu Qingyun.

Chu Qingyun, of course, understood their intentions perfectly. So, despite his fury, he restrained himself, neither moving nor speaking.

Because in terms of strength, Chu Qingyun and his companions were at an absolute disadvantage.

If he were to attack first, Cai Mao and his group would have no more reservations. Any one of them could easily crush the three of them—it would be a completely one-sided fight.

Chu Qingyun's eyes flickered as thoughts raced through his mind.

But they were all useless. 'Against an absolute disparity in strength, any scheme is just a waste of effort.'

'Damn it, am I just supposed to stand here and watch him snatch the All-Seeing Fruits away…?' Chu Qingyun's heart burned with unwilling resentment.

If Cai Mao took the All-Seeing Fruits, not only would he have lost three hundred thousand drops of Primordial Spirit Liquid and a Celestial Spirit Pill for nothing, but more importantly, he would miss his chance to break through to the eighth level of the Martial Spirit realm.

An opportunity like this was rare!

Cai Mao waited a moment. Seeing that Chu Qingyun had no intention of making a move, he couldn't help but feel a flicker of disappointment. He then reached out to take the All-Seeing Fruits.