I've Struck It Rich This Time!!

Hiss!

The old man stared tremblingly at the table full of pill-like pellets and finally lost his composure.

Half an hour, twenty-five Grade 2 Pills. No, not even half an hour—subtract the time spent buying the ingredients, and this guy...

Just who was he?

Even Pill King Gu He probably couldn't refine twenty-five Grade 2 Pills in the time it took an incense stick to burn.

Yet the fellow before him still looked utterly calm. Could he be putting on an act? Had these pills been prepared beforehand?

But the lingering warmth on the pills told him that they had definitely just been refined.

"Is there a problem?" Nalan Chaoge asked blandly.

"No, no!" The old man sat down on the chair in a daze.

"Good. Then pay up!"

Under the old man's stunned gaze, Nalan Chaoge received 250,000 gold coins. Following the usual routine, he headed over to the staff member nearby once more.

"Two hundred and fifty of the lowest-grade Grade 2 medicinal ingredients..."

Only after Nalan Chaoge calmly left the appraisal room did the entire room erupt.

"A genius!"

"He refined twenty-five Grade 2 Pills in the time it took an incense stick to burn!"

"Who exactly is he?"

"Should we investigate him?"

"Absolutely not! We must not offend such a high-level Alchemist!"

"Are those pills real?"

"Are you questioning my pill-appraising skills, Gu Sha?"

"No, no. I mean, who could refine five Grade 2 Pills in such a short time? By that logic, when he comes back next time, wouldn't he..."

"One hundred and twenty-five pills?"

"No way!"

"Refining so many pills in such a short time, their quality must be terrible! Master Gu, you'd better inspect them carefully!"

Hearing his colleague's words, Gu Sha picked up the pills on the table again and examined them closely. Then his face instantly turned deathly pale.

He stood there as if stunned senseless.

"How is it, Master Gu? Don't tell me there really is something wrong with the pills!"

"Men, go bring that brat back! Causing trouble at our Mitel Auction House, I'll let him know—"

"Wait!" Gu Sha hurriedly stopped them.

Everyone looked at Gu Sha in confusion. At a time like this, what was there to hesitate over? If they let that fellow get away, the Mite'er Family would lose all face.

"I misjudged them!"

"Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and catch him!"

Everyone panicked again.

"What are you doing? I mean I misjudged them because the quality of these pills exceeds anything I imagined. They should be considered high-grade among Grade 2 Pills—no, they should be top-grade! Flawless! Whether it is the control of the heat, the timing of the fusion, or the technique of pill formation, I willingly admit defeat!"

Silence!

Dead silence!

For a moment, everyone seemed to have forgotten how to speak.

Gu Sha was a Grade 4 Alchemist and also an appraiser specially employed by the Mite'er Family.

Yet he had actually said that his skills were far inferior to those of that black-robed youth?

Could that black-robed youth truly be hiding his abilities?

As if knowing that no one believed him, Gu Sha pulled out a jade bottle from his pocket and poured out a pill.

Everyone looked closely. It was actually the same as the pills brought by the black-robed youth.

Still, on closer inspection, there were visible differences.

Its shape was not as rounded, its color not as translucent, and its overall feel was indeed a level worse.

"If the Grade 2 medicinal ingredients that young master used had not been the lowest quality, this Grade 2 Vitality Pill could absolutely have sold for 30,000 gold coins. Even so, giving him only 10,000 gold coins per pill was still shortchanging him!"

Gu Sha immediately instructed the staff to go compensate Nalan Chaoge for the gold coins they owed him.

There had been thirty pills in total. At 10,000 gold coins in compensation per pill, that came to 300,000 gold coins.

Just as the staff member received the order and was about to leave to deliver the compensation, another materials appraiser suddenly stopped him.

"Didn't that black-robed youth exchange for more ingredients just now? He'll be back again before long, won't he? This time, I'm looking forward to seeing how many pills he can produce at once!"

"That's right, that's right. Since even Elder Gu says his pills are top-grade among Grade 2 Pills, I'd like to buy a few for emergencies too."

"Vitality Pills are the lowest-grade and most common Grade 2 Pills, but they are also the most practical. If they are top-grade, their value for storage will be even greater!"

For a time, everyone in the appraisal room waited in anticipation.

As for the twenty-five pills Nalan Chaoge had brought at first, Gu Sha directly slipped them into his own pocket.

That made quite a few others in the appraisal room green with envy.

Sure enough, half an hour later, Nalan Chaoge appeared at the entrance to the appraisal room again.

This time was different from the previous two.

The moment Nalan Chaoge entered, he was met with unprecedented enthusiasm.

"Sit, please sit! Please take the seat of honor!"

"Tea! Bring tea! The finest tea!"

After a round of flattering and fawning, everyone's eyes settled on the Na Ring in the young man's hand.

Nalan Chaoge understood what they meant.

"Sorry, but I only refined fifty this time!"

With a wave of Nalan Chaoge's hand, fifty pills immediately appeared on the table.

Every single one was a Grade 2 Vitality Pill.

Gulp!

Someone swallowed audibly, and then the entire appraisal room fell silent.

"Um, are you still buying them?" Nalan Chaoge's words pulled everyone back from their shock.

"Yes, yes. Um, I truly apologize. I was blind and misjudged the quality of this master's pills. According to the rules, each of your pills should be worth 20,000 gold coins. Here are the 300,000 gold coins we still owed you. Adding the fifty pills this time, that comes to 1,300,000 in total! Please accept it!"

Gu Sha was the first to react. He hurriedly transferred 1,300,000 gold coins and accepted the pills.

Eh?

An unexpected gain?

The extra 800,000 gold coins surprised Nalan Chaoge.

Still, there was no reason to refuse money.

Without another word, Nalan Chaoge took the gold coins and headed outside.

But when he reached the staff member, the staff member looked rather awkward.

"Um, I'm sorry, Master, but we... our Auction House no longer has any Grade 2 medicinal ingredients!"

"Uh..."

Nalan Chaoge looked somewhat awkwardly at the equally embarrassed staff member.

"It's fine, I don't need them anymore. I came over to tell you thank you! Also, I need a Tier 2 Demonic Core. Here is a Vitality Pill—consider it your tip!"

Amid everyone's dumbfounded stares, Nalan Chaoge swaggered out of the Auction House to the staff member's profuse thanks.

The last time, Nalan Chaoge had exchanged for 250 Grade 2 medicinal ingredients. Why had he only sold fifty pills?

First, he no longer had any Grade 1 medicinal ingredients. Second, he had kept ten for himself, along with several Grade 2 Joyful Union Pills. Hehehe, men—you know what they were for!

Looking at his attributes, Nalan Chaoge felt like he was about to soar into the heavens.