It was only at this moment that Zhang Bin clearly understood how much wealth the Daoyi Sect had seized from him. It wasn't just a few billion or tens of billions, but several hundred billion USD.

The auction continued. Enveloped in immense grief and indignation, Zhang Bin placed bids frequently, eventually acquiring the Thousand-Year Tianshan Snow Lotus and some other ingredients he lacked. He spent nearly all his funds, including the 3 billion USD lent to him by Ma Rufei and Chen Chaoyue.

Now, he was left with only 300 million USD, but he was still missing one of the primary ingredients he needed. That ingredient was the Thousand-Year Fuling.

It wasn't that it wasn't up for auction; it was just too expensive. A stalk of Thousand-Year Fuling had been auctioned off for 2 billion USD. With his mere 300 million USD, it was a drop in the bucket.

Perhaps because Fuling grows on pine tree roots, completely out of sight, it was all the more difficult to obtain and thus extremely valuable. What made Zhang Bin envious was that he later saw some ingredients used to refine Condensing Crystal Pills and Evergreen Pills. He even managed to purchase a few of them, spending every last penny of his 300 million USD.

Of course, the ingredients he bought for refining Evergreen Pills weren't very expensive. Their true value was unknown to the Cultivators of Earth.

Then, he could only look on helplessly, because he was out of money.

Moreover, he owed Ma Rufei and Chen Chaoyue 3 billion USD, and he also owed Su Man and Zhu Danyan two billion RMB. These were tremendous debts. For an ordinary person, it would take a lifetime to earn that amount back.

Even Zhang Bin could only smile wryly. He still hadn't acquired the Thousand-Year Fuling. Without it, he couldn't concoct Liquefaction Pills or make a rapid breakthrough to the Liquid State. That would leave him incapable of handling the numerous dangers he faced this year, and he also wouldn't be able to trade with Gao Si.

I must find a way to get money. Zhang Bin thought, racking his brain for a solution.

He even had the impulse to auction off his own Spirit Stones. After all, Spirit Stones were also being auctioned here. Even though they were only Low-Grade Spirit Stones, they were still valued at nearly 100 million USD. His Spirit Stones, however, were Top-Grade and naturally worth even more.

But he dared not take them out. With his current strength, bringing out Top-Grade Spirit Stones would be like throwing a lamb to the wolves—no different from suicide.

"Two-Thousand-Year Pearl, starting bid, one billion USD," the auctioneer shouted excitedly, while a beautiful woman held up a tray showcasing a pearl larger than a fist, emitting a rainbow-colored light.

The Two-Thousand-Year Pearl was a primary ingredient for refining the Strong Crystal Pill. This elixir could enable a Golden Core Mid-Stage Cultivator to break through to the Late Stage, making it a rarity of unimaginable value. A successful breakthrough from the Golden Core Mid-Stage to the Late Stage could extend a cultivator's lifespan by at least one hundred years.

Regrettably, gathering enough ingredients to concoct a batch of Strong Crystal Pills was an immense challenge. It was said that even if all the Cultivators on Earth worked together, it might take them ten years to produce a single batch. The main reason was that Two-Thousand-Year Pearls were extremely rare, almost unobtainable. After all, a Pearl Clam that had lived for two thousand years was considered a very powerful Monster. How could one possibly obtain such an ancient pearl from such a formidable Monster?

And now, one had appeared right before their eyes.

All the Cultivators were extremely excited and eager. They began to bid frantically. The price soared to a level that Zhang Bin found unbelievable. In the end, an American won the bid for 80 billion USD.

The American won the bid not to use it for a breakthrough to the Golden Core Late Stage—as America had very few Cultivators—but to prevent Cultivators from other countries from obtaining it. Moreover, Two-Thousand-Year Pearls possessed Miraculous Abilities and were also highly beneficial to Genetically Enhanced Humans.

Zhang Bin couldn't sit still any longer. He immediately said to Chen Chaoyue and Ma Rufei, "You guys can head back on your own later. I'm going to find some treasures to auction tomorrow for cash. I'm off."

Chen Chaoyue and Ma Rufei were both stunned, looking at Zhang Bin as if he were a monster, having no idea where he was planning to find these treasures. However, they didn't go with him; they preferred to stay and admire the beauties.

Once Zhang Bin left the building, he headed straight to the seaside, where he found Xiao Xuanzi and Xiao Jin waiting for him. He immediately gave the order, "You two, go to the seabed to search for Pearl Clams and retrieve their pearls. Try to find ones that are over five hundred years old."

This was the best money-making method he could think of at the moment. It involved much less karmic consequence than getting money through hacking. After all, merely taking the pearls wouldn't harm the Pearl Clams at all.

Pearls over five hundred years old were also an ingredient for concocting Liquefaction Pills and were valued at nearly one hundred million USD each. If he could get more than twenty such pearls, he might earn enough to bid for and win a Thousand-Year Fuling. Of course, he could also choose to bid on Liquefaction Pills, but unfortunately, elixirs were scarce. Almost none had appeared at the auction today, and those that did were incredibly expensive.

The two pets hesitated not a moment and plunged into the water, vanishing without a trace.

All Zhang Bin could do was wait patiently.

Gradually, night fell, but the two pets still hadn't returned. He waited late into the night, until 10 p.m., and they were still absent. Clearly, obtaining five-hundred-year-old pearls from the seabed was no easy task. Zhang Bin had no other choice but to continue waiting.

It wasn't until 7 p.m. the next day that the two pets finally returned.

To Zhang Bin's shock, they were in such a pitiable state that it was unbearable to witness. Xiao Jin was covered in wounds, as if bitten by some monster, and some of its bones were even broken. As for Xiao Xuanzi, even its turtle shell had deep marks, as though it were about to crack. Moreover, they were both spitting up blood, appearing to be on the verge of death. If their journey back had been any longer, they most definitely would have died on the way.

My goodness, what kind of powerful monster did they encounter?

Zhang Bin was inwardly shocked. He was now one hundred percent certain that the deep ocean harbored powerful Monsters far more formidable than Xiao Jin and Xiao Xuanzi. The deep sea might also be a forbidden zone for humans. Acquiring wealth from the ocean wasn't as easy as he had imagined. He had been too naive.

He quickly used Longevity Qi to treat their injuries. Because the wounds were so severe, even with his miraculous medical skills, it took three hours to bring them to a basic state of recovery.

PUH…

Almost simultaneously, the two pets opened their mouths and spat out a total of twenty-five pearls. Each one was over half the size of a fist, and they were, at the very least, over five hundred years old.

A look of pure joy spread across Zhang Bin's face, and he felt a gratitude beyond words. His two pets had risked their lives to retrieve these pearls, solving a colossal problem for him. He thanked the two pets profusely and then began to mime, asking about their experience.

Although he couldn't get a clear answer, he understood they had indeed encountered a very powerful Monster. It seemed to be a Clam Shell Monster over a thousand years old and immensely powerful. The two of them together were no match for it and could only flee for their lives. Fortunately, they'd managed to escape.

"From now on, you are forbidden from going deep into the sea to hunt for pearls. Understood?" Zhang Bin said with a serious and solemn expression. He couldn't bear to see the pets he had raised with such great effort die in the sea. Acquiring wealth from the ocean was not an option for now. He would have to wait until he and his pets grew much stronger.

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