Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 91: The Auction (Final)
The price hadn’t gone up. Not even by a single thousand.
For a brief moment, everyone was stunned. In an auction where bids climbed in thousands or even tens of thousands, this was no bid at all.
It was a provocation.
Serestia’s face darkened instantly. That damned Zora!
"160,000 gold coins!" she snapped.
"160,000," came the unhurried reply from Zora.
"170,000 gold coins!"
"170,000... and one."
Each time Serestia raised the price, Zora followed with a lazy, almost playful increment of a single gold coin.
The message was unmistakable.
She wasn’t bidding for the potion.
She was toying with her.
And no matter how furious Serestia felt, there was nothing she could do about it.
"Zora, don’t go too far!" Serestia roared, her voice sharp with fury. For the first time in her life, she hated someone so deeply she wished nothing more than to kill her tomorrow on the Life-and-Death Stage.
Zora lifted a brow, her smile light and effortless. "I’m simply returning the favor in the same way you made earlier. What, now you find this behavior disgraceful?"
Those words struck like a blade.
Serestia’s expression stiffened completely. She suddenly realized that no matter how she answered, she would only be humiliating herself.
"200,000 gold coins!"
"200,000... and one."
Gasps rippled through the hall.
Everyone watched in stunned silence. They had thought Serestia’s actions earlier were already excessive, yet Zora was now stripping her of all dignity, one gold coin at a time.
"250,000 gold coins!" Serestia shouted, her voice already trembling.
"250,000... and one."
Calm. Leisurely. Merciless.
In truth, Zora felt no pressure at all. This Bone Cleansing Potion was hers to begin with. No matter how high the price climbed, the gold would still flow back into her hands. Moreover, the Auction House charged her no handling fee whatsoever.
She wasn’t selling the potion.
She was crushing Serestia.
"300,000 gold coins!"
A collective intake of breath echoed through the hall. That price was madness.
"300,000... and one."
Silence fell.
At that moment, Serestia’s legs gave out slightly. Her face went pale, all color draining away. She had completely lost control of the situation.
"That’s enough," Silvan said quickly, forcing a smile as he tried to console her. "Let her take it. Such a price is already outrageous."
Serestia clenched her fists, then nodded stiffly. This was the only comfort she could grasp. She dared not continue bidding. If she did, and Zora suddenly withdrew, the consequences would be catastrophic.
"Congratulations to Princess Consort for securing the third Bone Cleansing Potion!" Arley announced as the hammer fell.
Applause erupted.
The final Bone Cleansing Potion was delivered to Zora. Nigel and Rose stared at it, unable to hide the envy in their eyes.
A treasure countless cultivators dreamed of.
Seeing their expressions, Zora calmly reached into her Storage pouch and produced two white porcelain bottles, handing one to each of them.
"These are Bone Cleansing Potions," she said lightly. "For you."
The two froze.
"F-for us?" Rose asked, her voice rising in disbelief.
Zora nodded. "Yes. I’m giving them to you."
She had refined five potions in total. Two were auctioned, two were meant for her friends, and one remained with her.
Nigel snapped back to his senses and immediately shook his head. "Absolutely not. This is far too valuable. I can’t accept it."
A single Bone Cleansing Potion had just sold for hundreds of thousands of gold coins. How could he take something like that?
Rose, though clearly tempted, also forced herself to refuse. "He’s right. This is too precious. We really can’t."
Zora waved her hand lightly, her tone easy and natural. "We’re friends. There’s no need to be so formal. Bone Cleansing Potions are of great help to you right now, especially since you’re preparing for the Academy’s assessment. Don’t refuse."
Nigel’s heart trembled.
He knew better than anyone that his strength was lacking. Without enough confidence, even passing the assessment would be uncertain. This Bone Cleansing Potion could refine his body once more, and even the slightest improvement might decide success or failure.
After a long silence, he looked at Zora deeply and said solemnly, "Thank you. From today on, if you ever need me, I won’t hesitate."
From the moment he met her, Zora had helped him again and again. In truth, he had barely done anything in return, aside from standing by her side that night against the Nether Wolves. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
He knew it clearly. She had made him a friend not because of what he could offer, but simply because she chose to.
That made him feel both grateful and ashamed.
He couldn’t help her much now, but one day... he would.
Seeing the sincerity in Nigel’s eyes, the smile on Zora’s lips softened. "Good."
Rose clenched her fists and laughed. "Then wait for me. I may not make it into the Academy this year, but next year, I definitely will!"
The three exchanged smiles before leaving the VIP box together.
Zora headed straight for the appraisal room. Darius was already waiting, and to her slight surprise, Carlon was there as well.
Seeing her arrive, Darius smiled warmly. "You’re here."
Zora returned the greeting with a faint smile. "Elder Darius. Treasurer Carlon."
"I didn’t expect the one who provided the Bone Cleansing Potions to be Princess Consort herself," Carlon said with a chuckle.
At first, he had merely admired her composure and insight. After learning that the Bone Cleansing Potions came from her, his evaluation rose yet another level.
Medical skill, strength, potential, background... among the younger generation, Zora truly stood alone.
In the past, he hadn’t paid her enough attention. Now, he knew that had been a mistake.
"The proceeds from the Bone Cleansing Potions have already been credited to your money card," Darius said. "You may check them anytime."
"No need," Zora replied with a light smile. "I trust the Trading Hall."
With the Commercial Bank’s standing, coveting such a sum would be laughable. If she truly worried about that, she wouldn’t be worthy of doing business with them.
Darius’s smile deepened. For a 16-year-old to have such clarity and poise was truly rare.
"Princess Consort," Carlon said as he produced a black card and handed it to her, "this is the Commercial Bank’s VIP card. I hope you’ll accept it."
The card was black with subtle gilded patterns, low-key yet luxurious. At a glance, one could tell it was anything but ordinary.
Zora’s eyes flickered with surprise. Even auctioning three Bone Cleansing Potions shouldn’t warrant a VIP card.
She had heard of these cards before. They were exceedingly rare.
Yet, since it was offered...
She smiled and accepted it without hesitation.
This VIP card was no trivial matter. With it, the auction handling fees would be greatly reduced, a genuine benefit no matter how one looked at it.
"Thank you for your kindness," Zora said sincerely.
After she left, Darius turned to Carlon and asked, "Why did you decide to give her a VIP card?"
Wanting to build goodwill with the alchemist behind her made sense, but that alone did not seem sufficient.
Carlon smiled faintly, depth hidden in his eyes. "That girl is extraordinary. Her future achievements will not be low. She is worth this VIP card."
On the Holy Mystic Continent, alchemists were rare, but not nonexistent. What truly stood out was that physicians who could rival Zora were almost unheard of.
That alone proved how unusual she was.
Darius nodded in agreement. "I feel the same. I’m truly curious to see how far she’ll go."
*
Zora returned to the Prince’s residence, and news of her life-and-death duel with Serestia spread through the imperial city like wildfire.
"Did you hear? Princess Consort Zora is going to fight Lady Serestia on the life-and-death stage!"
"Serestia has trained at the Academy for a whole year. I heard she’s already reached the mid-stage of Sky Realm. She’s clearly stronger than Princess Consort!"
"And Princess Consort actually proposed the duel herself? Isn’t that courting death?"
"They say Serestia went too far first. Princess Consort was pushed to the limit."
"Still... that’s far too impulsive."
Almost no one was optimistic. The gap in cultivation was obvious, and everyone knew how difficult it was to fight across realms. Very few practitioners could truly accomplish such a feat.
Zora, however, paid no attention to the chatter.
After dinner, she returned to her room to cultivate.
Looking at the Bone Cleansing Potion in her hand, she swallowed it without hesitation.
Bone Cleansing Potions were most effective when taken early in cultivation. They expelled impurities from the body, increased affinity with yuan power, and greatly improved cultivation speed.
During the transition from the acquired realm to the innate realm, spirit warriors/cultivators often entered a bottleneck. And Bone Cleansing potions were capable of purging all impurities and turning an ordinary body into one with extraordinary potential.
As the potion dissolved within her, Black and White stood guard nearby.
The pain came swiftly.
It felt as though countless insects were gnawing at her flesh, her meridians screaming as waves of agony surged through her body. Her complexion drained of color, and she curled slightly on the bed, sweat pouring from her forehead in heavy drops.
Her lips were clenched tight. Not a single sound escaped.
Time seemed to stretch endlessly.
Her fists were clenched, veins bulging as she endured the torment, her entire body trembling under the strain.
"Rebirth or not... this feeling is still unbearable," Zora cursed silently.
She had taken Bone Cleansing Potions in her previous life, and now again. The pain was unforgettable.
Watching her, Black and White were filled with admiration.
They knew how excruciating this process was. Many practitioners failed to endure it, wasting much of the potion’s potential.
"Gaaah!" Zora wanted to scream aloud, but she could only keep screaming in her head, enduring the process and facing the pain head-on, squeezing every last benefit from it.
