Gazing at the silent hall, the old Baoshan smiled, knowing well the allure of Jinglian Demon Fire. That was why he had kept the fragmented map linked to it until now. In the hall, one after another, intense eyes fixed upon the map. The assembled guests were no ordinary figures, yet to them, Jinglian Demon Fire remained something mythical—heard of, but never personally witnessed. Of course, this did not dampen their longing; indeed, the more powerful something was, regardless of its risks, the more it drew eager, greedy eyes. Though the map itself was not the true Jinglian Demon Fire, possessing it would reveal valuable information about it. And if, by chance, they could trace its connections and secure it, the benefits would be incalculable. "Hehe, the owner of this fragment wishes to exchange it for some pills—of course, the quality of the pills must be at least six-color Dan Thunder pills. As for the quantity, that will depend on all of you..." The old master smiled slightly, then glanced around the hall, saying, "The bidding is now open. Please go ahead." Clearly, many people in the hall were interested in this fragment. At once, a deep, hoarse voice rang out: "Three eight-grade pills of six-color Dan Thunder." "Four eight-grade pills of six-color Dan Thunder." "Five...” Within the hall, in less than two minutes, a steady stream of bidding voices suddenly intensified the atmosphere, with the price rising swiftly under the warm, smiling gaze of the old sage. Everyone knew clearly that the value of a single fragment far fell short of this amount; yet, if anyone could use this fragment to locate the Pure Lotus Demon Flame, then the current losses would be utterly negligible. "What should we do?" asked Xiao Yan, his brow furrowed as he observed the growing enthusiasm among so many eager bidders. "Don't rush. Just wait," replied the Elder of the Herbs, shaking his head slightly. At these words, Xiao Yan nodded and tried to calm himself, listening intently to the rising bids. His brows grew increasingly furrowed—indeed, he had underestimated the appeal of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame, even though it was merely a fragment, which had now driven these people to such feverish excitement. The bidding price surged rapidly under the successive waves of enthusiastic applause, reaching eight pieces of eighth-rank pills infused with six-color lightning丹 within less than ten minutes. Even Xiao Yan, though visibly impressed, found the price somewhat unpalatable—having expected such a strong response from the six-color lightning pills, he was pleasantly surprised by the volume of interest. Fortunately, the current price now exceeded the means of many attendees, causing the number of bidders to dwindle. Everyone knew, however, that the remaining bidders were truly the most affluent. Suddenly, a deep, resonant voice spoke plainly. Hearing it, Xiao Yan quietly breathed a sigh of relief—Yao Lao had finally begun to act. He just didn't know whether he could truly secure the fragmented map, for these people weren't exactly easy to deal with. "Hmph." When Yao Lao stepped forward to claim the map, the man who had initially made the bid sneered, hesitated, then gritted his teeth and said, "One Eight-Color Thunder Pill, Rank Eight!" The announcement sent a ripple of murmurs through the hall—clearly, few had expected such a high offering, for a mere fragment of the map, he was willing to part with a rare Eight-Color Thunder Pill. "Three..." The voice remained calm, yet it silenced every sound in the hall. Upon hearing this, the man finally gave up, his expression filled with deep reluctance. Seeing that man remain silent, Xiao Yan also breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. Just as he was about to speak, a voice from the elders rang out: "Don't be too optimistic yet." "Five." "Be careful—this man is also a strong contender, halfway to the Half-Immortal rank..." The Elder of the Herbs spoke softly, his voice now carrying a newfound seriousness. At these words, Xiao Yan's expression immediately changed—he had indeed expected a gathering of truly outstanding talents at this space trading forum. "Eight." As he spoke, the Elder also issued a sharp command, yet his face was now furrowed with concern, clearly indicating that the current bidding had exceeded his initial expectations. "Ah, this friend has offered eight pills of Eight-Color Dan-Thunder, is there anyone else willing to bid?" the Elder of the Mountain of Treasures smiled warmly. His words caused a brief silence in the hall, as several sets of eyes gently shifted toward the lean figure who had previously competed with the Elder of the Herbs. Faced with those glances, the lean black-robed man returned a cold, faint smile and then spoke: "If you can offer a price higher than one pill of Eight-Grade Dan-Thunder, then this fragment shall be yours!" "This guy is absolutely crazy..." Upon seeing the black-robed figure pull out a Nine-Color Jade Lightning pill—a dosage of such high caliber—the gathered attendees all took a sharp breath, silently shaking their heads. Xiao Yan's expression had grown increasingly grim at that moment. He himself possessed the Nine-Color Jade Lightning pills, having obtained them from the previous Saint-level relic site, from a medicinal beast. However, if he were to trade them in for this one, the cost would be staggering. For with proper care and feeding, that medicinal beast could potentially advance to a Nine-Rank pill status in the future, multiplying its value by hundreds. Even a Saint-level master would be eager to secure such a promising asset. Thus, such a high-potential medicinal item would absolutely never be offered. The elderly pharmacist gently tapped the armrest. Though veiled by his cloak, Xiao Yan could clearly sense that the man's brow had furrowed. He then pulled at Xiao Yan's sleeve and slowly shook his head—this was no time for impulsive action. Even if they couldn't secure the fragmented map through conventional means, they still had other options. As he observed Xiao Yan's gesture, the elder slowly unfolded his palm and nodded, his quiet voice reaching Xiao Yan's ears: "The bidding cost is too high. However, I already know the old man's identity—he was one of my former rivals. This very occasion will finally settle that long-standing grudge." "Given the old pharmacist's temperament, he absolutely wouldn't allow himself to simply watch this final fragment of the map slip away—exactly as Xiao Yan had anticipated. Since a direct acquisition wasn't possible, they'd have to resort to alternative methods. And in fact, this wasn't the first time they'd done so. Back in the Black Spire Region, they'd employed the same strategy to secure another fragment. Now, it seems, they'd be repeating the same move once again... "Hah...," the thin, black-robed man chuckled softly, then turned his gaze toward the elderly master at the center of the hall. With a wave of his hand, a small, pure-white rabbit materialized in his grasp. As soon as the rabbit appeared, an intense aroma of elixir filled the air, causing many present to find their eyes slightly glistening. The Nine-Color Elixir Thunder Pills—already enough to stir the heart of a half-Saint-tier cultivator—were even more captivating to the more accomplished Battle Sovereigns. With his palm caressing the small rabbit, the thin, gaunt black-robed man felt a pang of regret, yet upon recalling the purity of the Qinglian demon's flame, he gritted his teeth and a glow surged from his palm, enveloping the rabbit before he darted swiftly toward the Baoshan elder. As the nine-colored pill thunder passed by the hall, many felt an urge to intercept it, but fortunately, they remained composed, hesitating and ultimately deciding not to act. The Baoshan elder extended his hand to receive the glow, then carefully examined the snow-white rabbit, sensing the astonishingly refined energy within it, and nodded in admiration—clearly surprised that someone had truly been willing to offer such a precious pill in exchange. "Friend, the transaction is complete. This fragment of the ancient map is yours..." Gently folding the rabbit, the old Baoshan elder lightly tapped the weathered scroll with his fingertip, and it instantly shimmered into a beam of light, darting swiftly toward the thin, black-robed elder. There, with a satisfied smile, the latter caught it in one graceful grasp. As the ancient map entered the black-robed elder's hands, Xiao Yan's hand in his sleeve tightened subtly, the dark gaze in his eyes growing colder. He was determined to secure the pure lotus phoenix flame—thus, he would not let go of this fragment, no matter how close the old man had already come to becoming a half-Saint! "Hehe, our final offering at this spatial trade fair isn't an item—it's a piece of intelligence. Though this intelligence will soon spread throughout Zhongzhou, here, we believe we hold the very first-hand information..." After completing the transaction for the ancient map, the old Baoshan smiled, his gaze sweeping across the hall. "Rest assured, this intelligence will come with no fee. We've simply chosen to present it last, because it's quite remarkable." Hearing this, everyone in the room furrowed their brows, turning to Baoshan with expressions of curiosity—what kind of intelligence could be so significant to him? Feeling the weight of those many questions, the old Baoshan smiled gently, and then softly began to speak, his voice echoing gently throughout the hall.