Auctioning Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid

After leaving the Xiao Clan, Xiao Yan planned to visit Ruyi Zhai and buy a few pieces of Peach Pastry from Xiao Cheng before night fell. But halfway there, he suddenly remembered something very important.

He did not have any money yet. He had even borrowed the Gold Coins for refining the Spiritual Liquid from Xun'er.

"Teacher, I have no money. How am I supposed to buy Peach Pastry?"

Xiao Yan asked Old Yao with a bitter smile.

The mere few hundred Gold Coins needed to refine the Spiritual Liquid had already put him in such a difficult position. The Gold Coins for a few pieces of Peach Pastry would probably trouble him just as much.

He stood where he was and thought for a moment before asking Old Yao.

"Can the materials used to refine the Spiritual Liquid be replaced with lower-year ingredients?"

"They can, but that would weaken the Spiritual Liquid's medicinal efficacy."

Old Yao replied.

"You do not need to go this far. You could ask your father, or failing that, ask that little girl. I can tell she is no ordinary person. She must have tens of thousands of Gold Coins. If you borrowed from her, she would definitely lend them to you."

"Forget it. I'm a grown man—how could I ask a woman to borrow money? I'm not that thick-skinned."

Xiao Yan shook his head and refused.

It was not that he had never considered borrowing money from his father or someone else, but his father had already helped him so much. He did not want to trouble him further.

As for Xun'er, she had always treated him well, cared for him, encouraged him, and helped him greatly. Yet he would not go borrow money from a girl either.

Suddenly, Xiao Yan seemed to think of something and asked Old Yao.

"Teacher, can anyone else refine this Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid?"

"I selected these ingredients from countless materials and spent several years experimenting before I developed it. You should know that there are more medicinal herbs on the Dou Qi Continent than one could ever count. To refine the elixirs one needs, suitable herbs and magical crystals must be found among them. If refining fails, an exploded furnace is the least of your problems—the backlash is no joke. Heh heh."

Old Yao gave a sinister chuckle.

"Then there is an alchemist's Spiritual Power, control over the flame's intensity, and various other details that must be watched. If even one of those is mishandled, the refinement will fail."

"Though I would not dare say I am extraordinary across the entire Dou Qi Continent, within this Jia Ma Empire alone, I guarantee that if I rank second in alchemy, no one would dare claim first."

Old Yao declared confidently.

"Then that is perfect. In that case, let's use the worst materials to refine Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid. I will not be using these low-grade Spiritual Liquids for cultivation anyway. What I lack now is Gold Coins, so since Teacher can refine Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid whenever you wish, and only you can refine it, I will take the Spiritual Liquid made from the worst materials and auction it off."

"Fine, do as you wish. I can refine it with a wave of my hand anyway."

Old Yao said indifferently.

Hearing his teacher say this, Xiao Yan was overjoyed.

Since no particularly good materials were needed, Xiao Yan went straight to a materials shop and bought some mediocre medicinal herbs along with the magical crystals required to pair with them.

After returning to his residence in the Xiao Clan, he had Old Yao begin refining.

Before long, the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid was complete. Xiao Yan filled a small white porcelain bottle with it and hurried out toward the Mittel Auction House.

The Mittel Auction House was Wutan City's largest auction house and belonged to the Mite'er Family, the wealthiest family in the Jia Ma Empire.

Among the Jia Ma Empire's three great families, the Mite'er Family stood unrivaled in wealth.

Their family had a long history. Over the past century, they had built an intricate web of connections. Rumor had it that they even had a slight connection with the Jia Ma Imperial Family.

Thus, no one dared offend the Mittel Auction House, much less cause trouble there.

Upon arriving near the Mittel Auction House, Xiao Yan put on a black robe to conceal his identity, covering his entire body and altering his voice into a hoarse rasp.

After entering the main hall of the Mittel Auction House, he went directly to a room off to the side marked Treasure Appraisal Room.

A middle-aged man sat inside. When he saw Xiao Yan dressed in a black robe, he put on a professional smile and asked, "Is this gentleman here for an appraisal?"

Xiao Yan said nothing. He simply took the porcelain bottle containing the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid from his robes and tossed it to the middle-aged man.

The man pulled out the stopper, held the bottle near his nose, and took a sniff. His expression immediately turned solemn as he carefully asked, "Are you an alchemist?"

"Mm."

"My lord, what kind of elixir is this?"

"Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid. It can increase the cultivation speed of Dou Qi, but it is only effective for those below the Dou Zhe realm."

"An elixir that can increase cultivation speed?"

The middle-aged man could not help but be moved. Dou Qi cultivation could only be undertaken steadily and methodically; if the medicinal power was too fierce, one's meridians could rupture, leaving one unable to cultivate at all.

"Sir, I am unable to appraise this elixir. Please wait while I invite Master Gu Ni to examine it for you."

"Mm."

The middle-aged man hurried off to invite Master Gu Ni.

Very soon, the middle-aged man returned with an old man.

Xiao Yan swept his gaze over the old man's body before it finally settled on his chest. Rather than golden stars, there was an emblem resembling a Medicine Furnace, with two silver ripples on its surface gleaming with silvery light.

This old man was naturally Master Gu Ni. The middle-aged man introduced him to Xiao Yan.

"This is our Master Gu Ni. He is a Three-star Great Dou Master and also a Second-Rank Alchemist."

After making the introduction, Gu Ni waved his hand, signaling for the man to leave.

Xiao Yan had not spoken a word from beginning to end. Afraid of revealing some flaw, he kept his mouth shut.

Master Gu Ni carefully picked up the small porcelain bottle and removed its stopper. Tilting the bottle slightly, he let a drop of azure liquid fall and hover over his palm. He brought it close to his nose, and a rich medicinal fragrance washed over him.

He then took out a thin needle, inserted it into the azure liquid, and gently stirred it.

Only then did he speak to Xiao Yan with a grave expression, a faint trace of respect in his eyes.

"My lord, this elixir has reached the standard of a Second-grade Elixir. Do you truly intend to sell it?"

"Mm. Arrange it for me as soon as possible."

"Very well, my lord. There will be an auction shortly. Your Spiritual Liquid can be put up for auction immediately."

Then the middle-aged man came over and handed Xiao Yan a pitch-black token.

Xiao Yan said nothing and turned to leave the room.

The middle-aged man following behind Gu Ni cautiously asked him, "Should we investigate this person's background?"

Master Gu Ni shook his head. "An alchemist capable of refining a Second-grade Elixir must have an extraordinary background. It would be troublesome if we accidentally offended him."

"Understood, Master Gu Ni."

The middle-aged man said with a bow.

"Remember, we must make friends with him. I assume I do not need to tell you what to do."

Master Gu Ni said to the middle-aged man.

"I understand."

After saying this, Gu Ni left.

Meanwhile, a maid led Xiao Yan to the auction hall, where he found a secluded spot and sat down.

To avoid attracting unnecessary trouble, he did nothing extra and simply sat quietly, waiting for the auction to begin.