Master Gu Ni

At that moment, Xiao Chen looked at the breathtaking smile on Ya Fei's charming face. However, he knew that whenever Ya Fei personally hosted an auction, the outcome was bound to be excellent. He had already witnessed her auctioning skills before.

"If big sister hosts the auction herself, do we even need to ask about the results?"

With a smile on her face, Ya Fei looked over with her pair of alluring eyes and said confidently.

"Little Brother Xiao Chen, this is Master Gu Ni of our auction house. He is a Three-Star Great Dou Shi! At the same time, he is also a Second-Rank Alchemist!"

Ya Fei looked at the elderly man standing behind her and introduced his identity to Xiao Chen.

Hearing Ya Fei's words, Xiao Chen turned his gaze toward the old man behind her. The old man had a ruddy complexion. Though his green robes appeared ordinary, a faint gleam flowed across them. Yet on his plain old face was a trace of barely concealed pride—the trait every alchemist possessed.

On the old man's chest was a badge. Engraved upon it was something resembling a medicinal cauldron, with two silver ripples on its surface that shone with a noble brilliance.

Second-Rank Alchemist, Gu Ni.

After hearing Ya Fei's introduction, Xiao Chen had already assessed Gu Ni. There was no fluctuation in his eyes. He was only a Second-Rank Alchemist; Xiao Chen himself was already a Third-Rank Alchemist, though he had simply never gone to the Alchemist Guild for certification.

Thus, Xiao Chen did not possess the robes or badge exclusive to alchemists.

Moreover, Gu Ni had already reached his twilight years, yet his alchemy had only reached the level of a Second-Rank Alchemist.

Gu Ni also noticed Xiao Chen's scrutinizing gaze. His stooped body straightened slightly, and the Second-Rank Alchemist Badge on his chest became particularly conspicuous.

However, when Gu Ni saw Xiao Chen's somewhat indifferent gaze, anger rose in his heart. A Second-Rank Alchemist and Three-Star Great Dou Shi like himself was actually being ignored by a junior. After all, even the heads of Wutan City's three great clans had to treat him with utmost respect when they saw him.

Having lived to such an age, Gu Ni was naturally no fool. He forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart, for he sensed a fairly strong fluctuation of soul power from Xiao Chen. He immediately asked, "Young Master Xiao Chen, are you also an alchemist?"

Although Ya Fei had told Gu Ni about Xiao Chen before, Gu Ni naturally had not believed it. How old was Xiao Chen? He had become an alchemist at such a young age?

"Yes, I am also an alchemist." Xiao Chen nodded with a smile.

"May I ask what rank of alchemist Young Master Xiao Chen currently is?" Gu Ni exchanged a glance with Ya Fei before asking.

Ya Fei was also rather curious about exactly what rank Xiao Chen had reached. Though she had asked him this question before, Xiao Chen had only vaguely brushed it aside, leaving Ya Fei feeling helpless. Though the Xiao Chen before her was only a youth, he was remarkably shrewd.

"What rank?"

An almost imperceptible curve appeared at the corner of Xiao Chen's lips. Then, a powerful soul force burst from between his brows and swept toward Gu Ni before him like an overwhelming tide.

The moment Xiao Chen's soul force emerged from his body, Gu Ni felt an invisible force of the soul pressing down on him, causing even him to feel some pressure.

Gu Ni knew that Xiao Chen's soul force was stronger than his. At the same time, an alchemist's rank was determined by the strength of their soul force.

Under the pressure of Xiao Chen's invisible soul force, Gu Ni's body kept retreating.

After retreating more than ten steps, Gu Ni finally stopped and steadied himself. Just then, he had naturally used his own soul force to sense the strength of the soul force Xiao Chen had released.

At last, he understood!

"Third-Rank Alchemist!"

Gu Ni cried out in shock.

Master Gu Ni had never imagined that the youth before him was actually a Third-Rank Alchemist. He himself had spent more than half his life before reaching the second rank, and a raging storm had risen in his heart.

Although Ya Fei had once guessed that Xiao Chen might be an alchemist above the third rank, Gu Ni had naturally refused to believe it. But after sensing the power of Xiao Chen's soul force, he had no choice but to accept the truth before him.

There were two ways to identify an alchemist. First, one could undergo the Alchemist Guild's alchemist examination at the local Alchemist Guild, obtain an Alchemist Badge, and receive certification. Second was through a contest of soul force. The rank certification of Central State's Pill Tower was the universally recognized alchemist rank certification throughout the Dou Qi Continent.

Of course, an alchemist with talent like Gu Ni's would never be able to enter the Pill Tower in his lifetime.

Xiao Chen looked at Gu Ni, who had finally stopped retreating, and thought, He only retreated a dozen or so steps. However, Xiao Chen also knew that aside from his relatively powerful soul force and physical body, being able to use soul force to force back Gu Ni—a Second-Rank Alchemist and Three-Star Great Dou Shi—was already quite impressive.

However, looking at Gu Ni's old face filled with shock, Xiao Chen knew that if not for his two lifetimes, his soul force would only have been slightly stronger than an ordinary person's. Soul force also had specialized methods of use.

Knowing the plot, Xiao Chen knew that besides all kinds of Dou Techniques, the Dou Qi Continent also possessed Soul Skills suited for alchemists.

Soul Skills had been created by alchemists in ancient times. These Secret Methods could bring the power of the soul to its fullest potential. Some Soul Skills were used for cultivation, while others were used in battle. But alchemists were already rare on the Dou Qi Continent, and Soul Skills were even rarer.

Soul Skills differed from Dou Techniques. They did not rely on Dou Qi, but used soul force as their foundation. Moreover, not every alchemist possessed Soul Skills. Very few Soul Skills still existed in the world today, yet they could bring one's soul force to its utmost limit.

After antiquity, through the long River of Time, Soul Skills—

In a place like Wutan City of the Jia Ma Empire, there was even less need to mention Soul Skills.

At that moment, Ya Fei, who had been watching from the side, had shock flickering endlessly in her alluring eyes. She knew Xiao Chen was mysterious and far from ordinary, but when she saw Gu Ni forced back more than ten steps by Xiao Chen, and then heard Gu Ni say that Xiao Chen was a Third-Rank Alchemist, her charming eyes fixed tightly on Xiao Chen.

"Ah, a hero truly emerges in youth. I never expected that Young Master Xiao Chen would already have become a Third-Rank Alchemist at such a young age."

Gu Ni recovered from the shock Xiao Chen had brought him and shook his head with a sigh.

"Master Gu Ni, you flatter me," Xiao Chen said modestly upon hearing Gu Ni's words.

When Gu Ni heard Xiao Chen address him as Master, he quickly waved his hand and said he did not deserve it. He then turned and spoke quietly with Ya Fei for a few moments before greeting Xiao Chen and leaving first.

Xiao Chen watched Gu Ni's aged figure disappear from the room and thought, Gu Ni was probably hit quite hard by the fact that I became a Third-Rank Alchemist at such a young age.

After all, the man had spent more than half his life just reaching the second rank.

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