Xiao Yan Was Crippled, and So Was Ga Lie Ao

After a while, the middle-aged man returned, accompanied by an elderly man.

The old man wore a green robe, with an alchemy furnace emblem embroidered on his chest. Two silver stripes were stamped on the emblem, gleaming with a noble light.

"Sir, allow me to introduce him. This is Grandmaster Gu Ni, the chief person in charge of our auction house. He is a two-star Great Fighter and also a Second-Rank Alchemist," the middle-aged man said enthusiastically, bowing slightly.

Upon hearing the name Gu Ni, Xiao Se's little face beneath the black robe froze slightly. He secretly sized the man up. His face bore the particular arrogance of an alchemist, but his cultivation had not yet reached the three-star Great Fighter level he possessed when he first appeared in the original work. It seemed Ya Fei had not arrived yet.

While Xiao Se discreetly observed him, Gu Ni was also studying Xiao Se. He was not tall and rather thin, and his hands were covered in specially made leather gloves. Although concealed by the black robe, some details could still be made out.

Gu Ni secretly guessed, Could he be a short, thin old man?

Of course, if he knew that Xiao Se was only eleven years old and still a month away from turning twelve, his jaw would probably have dropped in shock.

The middle-aged man bowed to Xiao Se, then carefully picked up the Jade Bottle from the table and handed it to Gu Ni...

Taking the emerald-colored Jade Bottle, Gu Ni brought its mouth close to his nose and took a light sniff. A fresh fragrance washed over him. Narrowing his old eyes slightly, he poured out a drop of milky-white liquid, suspending it above his palm.

His gaze fixed firmly on the milky-white liquid. Pressing his index and middle fingers together, he drew out a tiny silver needle. A faint Dou Qi fluctuation emanated from the needle as he slowly inserted it into the milky-white liquid and gently stirred...

As time passed, the arrogance on Gu Ni's face quietly faded, gradually turning into solemnity. A moment later, he returned the milky-white liquid to the bottle. When he looked at Xiao Se again, there was an added trace of reverence in his eyes. Turning to the middle-aged man, he said calmly, "What this sir said is true. The spirit liquid has reached the second rank."

Hearing this, the middle-aged man immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at Xiao Se again, there was reverence in his eyes, along with even more gratitude. "Sir, are you planning to auction this spirit liquid?"

"Yes. Arrange the earliest possible auction for me. Also, help me prepare these medicinal ingredients. Deduct the cost of the ingredients directly from the auction proceeds." Xiao Se nodded and took a list from his robes.

"Hehe, naturally, that will not be a problem. Sir, take this token to the Number One Auction Room. An auction is being held there right now. We will prepare your medicinal ingredients as well." The middle-aged man smiled as he accepted the list, then handed over a black iron token.

"Mm." Xiao Se casually took the iron token and left the room under the Maid's guidance.

Watching Xiao Se's disappearing back, the middle-aged man looked toward Gu Ni and asked in a low voice, "Grandmaster Gu Ni, is he truly an alchemist?"

"Mm. His soul perception is extraordinarily sharp. There can be no mistake..." Gu Ni nodded slightly. Glancing at the list in the middle-aged man's hand, he fell into thought. Some of the ingredients Xiao Se had listed were actually used to refine Tier 3 Pills...

Led by the Maid, Xiao Se arrived at the Number One Auction Room.

He found an empty corner and sat down, his gaze turning toward the auction platform. With just one look, Xiao Se lost interest. Though the auctioneer was also a beauty, she was definitely not Ya Fei.

She did not possess that mature, seductive charm, nor that soft, cloying voice that could make a man's bones go numb.

Instead, the three people seated in the places of honor caught Xiao Se's attention.

Sitting in the center was Xiao Clan's leader, Xiao Zhan. On the left was Gale Family's leader, Ga Lie Bi, and on the right was Oba Family's leader, Ao Ba Pa.

After the beautiful auctioneer finished introducing the marvelous effects of the Nurturing Spirit Liquid, the entire auction hall erupted as expected.

The ability to increase a Dou Zhe's cultivation speed was undoubtedly a tremendous temptation to the vast majority of people present, who were at the Dou Zhe level.

"I bid ten thousand."

"Eleven thousand."

"Twelve thousand."

Bids rang out one after another.

"I bid twenty thousand." But after Ga Lie Bi spoke, the voices competing for the item gradually weakened.

"Hehe, old ghost Ga Lie, are you planning to give it to your son?" Ao Ba Pa, seated to the right, chuckled and teased.

Ga Lie Bi frowned at those words and said coldly, "What, is there a problem with that?"

"Oh, nothing. I merely want to give it to my son as well. In a few years, he will also be breaking through to the Dou Zhe level. And even if my son has no use for it, I can give it to my grandson." Ao Ba Pa smiled oddly, then called out loudly, "Twenty-one thousand."

"You..." Hearing the implication in Ao Ba Pa's words, Ga Lie Bi's mouth twitched in anger, and he raised the price to thirty thousand in one breath.

"Thirty thousand."

"Thirty-one thousand."

In less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the two had driven the price up to forty-one thousand under the astonished gazes of everyone in the hall.

"Fifty thousand." Xiao Zhan, who had remained silent for a long time, suddenly spoke.

The noisy hall fell silent at once. Everyone turned their eyes toward Xiao Zhan. Even Ga Lie Bi and Ao Ba Pa were startled by the sudden high bid Xiao Zhan had called out.

"Hehe, it seems Clan Leader Xiao plans to give it to that so-called 'Wutan City's greatest genius in a hundred years'! But I seem to have heard that genius has become crippled. He went from a genius at the Dou Zhe level to trash with around four stages of Dou Qi. It seems he cannot absorb the energy within the spirit liquid. By the time young genius Xiao returns to the Dou Zhe level, who knows how many years it will take? By then, I fear the spirit liquid will have long lost its potency." Ga Lie Bi chuckled.

Xiao Zhan glanced at Ga Lie Bi and said indifferently, "Isn't your son crippled too?"

"Xiao Zhan, you..." Ga Lie Bi's mouth twitched, and his voice weakened.

Watching the two trade barbs, Ao Ba Pa smiled and shrugged, choosing to withdraw. His son's talent was even worse than Ga Lie Ao's. At twenty years old, he was only at the seventh stage of Dou Qi. Breaking through to the Dou Zhe level within three years was simply impossible, so there was no rush.

But Xiao Zhan had no intention of letting him off. He continued, "My son Xiao Yan has merely lost his Dou Qi. At least he can cultivate it back. Your son Ga Lie Ao has lost what's below his waist. I'm afraid that will not grow back, will it? Ah... hahaha..." By the end, Xiao Zhan burst into loud laughter.

Xiao Zhan had not deliberately lowered his voice while speaking with Ga Lie Bi. Calling it a shout would not have been an exaggeration. Ga Lie Bi had been castrated yesterday, and because the Gale Family had intentionally kept it under wraps, not many people knew about it yet.

Now, everyone in the hall heard it loud and clear.

Everyone learned that Ga Lie Ao had lost what was below his waist.

"Haha..."

"Ga Lie Ao was castrated? Is that true...?"

"It's true. I was there at the time. I told you earlier, but you refused to believe me. Now that Clan Leader Xiao has said it, you believe it, right...?"

"I'm dying of laughter... That playboy finally got what was coming to him..."

The sounds of mockery and discussion about Ga Lie Ao were endless. Even the matter of Xiao Yan losing his Dou Qi was subconsciously ignored by everyone.

Being castrated below the waist—nothing could have been more sensational than that.