Old Yao's Curiosity

To be honest, if a genius suddenly became a cripple incapable of cultivation, most people would not be able to accept it. Some might even kill themselves over it.

With Dou Qi, there was still a bit of hope. Without even a trace of Dou Qi, one could only remain an ordinary person for the rest of their life.

Ordinary people occupied the lowest rung in this world. Few wished to be among them.

Aside from Xiao Peng's alchemy talent, which had shocked him, Xiao Peng's current cultivation had also shocked him.

When Xiao Peng had arrived, he had secretly sensed Xiao Peng's cultivation. It was roughly at the level of a Da Dou Shi.

Old Yao truly could not imagine what kind of existence could rapidly raise someone to the level of a Da Dou Shi while in the state of a remnant soul.

Even if he were to cultivate again, he could not possibly reach the level of a Da Dou Shi so quickly.

The Dou Qi stage was the most important. Without medicinal assistance, one could only slowly nourish their muscles and bones on their own, laying the foundation for later cultivation.

Even while guiding Xiao Yan now, he was not confident that he could help Xiao Yan break through to Dou Zhe so quickly.

Upon learning that Xiao Peng's talent was so remarkable, Xiao Yan was immensely shocked. He had never imagined Xiao Peng's talent would be so good.

Looking at the pill in his hand, Xiao Yan asked curiously, "Teacher, have you seen this pill before?"

Old Yao shook his head and replied, "No. There are simply too many pills in this world. Even I only know some of them."

Although there were many kinds of pills, their effects were more or less the same, without much difference.

The biggest differences lay in things such as the refining methods.

He had once witnessed something bizarre: two people selling identical pills. Other than their names, the pills were exactly the same in every way.

Xiao Yan nodded in understanding and carefully put the pill away.

He felt there was no need to rush to take it now. When the time was right, he could take the pill.

Meanwhile, after giving the pill to Xiao Mei, Xiao Peng headed to the Mite'er Auction House.

He planned to auction off the remaining Clear Wind Pills, then buy materials.

Unlike Xiao Yan, Xiao Peng did not disguise himself. He felt there was no need.

Xiao Yan had disguised himself as an old man, only for Ya Fei to discover his true identity.

The protagonists of some fan novels had also copied Xiao Yan's methods to attract Ya Fei's attention.

Xiao Peng felt there was absolutely no need to hide himself. The alchemists of the Mite'er Auction House were smart people, unlike the brainless villains in some novels.

They would say what should be said and would never reveal what should not be said.

There was no need for him to hide himself. He could simply enter openly.

Xiao Peng swept his gaze around the spacious, resplendent hall, then headed toward a room at the side.

The words "Treasure Appraisal Room" gleamed in gold on the door.

Pushing the door open, he entered. The room was rather empty, with only a middle-aged man sitting boredly in a chair beside a table. Hearing the door open, the man looked up.

When the middle-aged man saw Xiao Peng enter, a professional smile quickly spread across his face. "Sir, are you here to have a treasure appraised?"

Xiao Peng gave a slight nod. "Yes. I intend to auction this bottle of pills."

As he spoke, he took out the bottle containing the Clear Wind Pill from his Storage Ring and handed it to the middle-aged man.

There was only one pill in the bottle. Xiao Peng had initially planned to sell all of them, but he wanted to see how much they could fetch first, so he was only auctioning one.

The middle-aged man examined Xiao Peng and secretly thought that Xiao Peng was likely auctioning something on behalf of an alchemist.

Judging by Xiao Peng's age, he was probably that person's disciple.

Xiao Peng was the alchemist?

How could that be possible? How could there be such a young alchemist?

With that thought, the middle-aged man opened the jade bottle and sniffed it, becoming even more certain of his guess. He said to Xiao Peng, "My lord, could you introduce the effects of this pill?"

Xiao Peng recalled for a moment before saying, "This pill is called the Clear Wind Pill. It can assist cultivation. It is useful to both those at the Dou Qi stage and Dou Zhe, with an effect of at least thirty percent."

Xiao Peng himself was not clear on the exact situation of cultivators in this world.

He only knew that the Clear Wind Pill increased the cultivation speed of Qi Refining Stage cultivators by thirty percent, which was why he had said thirty percent.

The middle-aged man was somewhat surprised. He had not expected this pill to be useful to both those at the Dou Qi stage and Dou Zhe. This was no ordinary pill.

"My pill has no side effects. Its medicinal power is extremely gentle."

"My lord, could you please wait a moment? I need to invite Master Guni of our auction house to come appraise the pill!"

The man spoke to Xiao Peng with utmost respect.

The moment Xiao Peng mentioned its effects, he had intended to call someone over.

Now that Xiao Peng had said it had no side effects, he wished he could fly there himself.

Seeing the man's reaction, Xiao Peng nodded slightly.

The middle-aged man hurriedly left, while Xiao Peng quietly waited.

After a while, the middle-aged man and Guni arrived at the Treasure Appraisal Room.

When Guni saw Xiao Peng, he initially had the same thought as the middle-aged man. However, he was surprised to discover that Xiao Peng was actually an alchemist.

He had never seen such a young alchemist. Whoever had taught such a young alchemist had to be an exceptionally formidable alchemist.

After appraising it, Guni confirmed that it was a Second-grade Pill. He secretly wondered whether it had been refined by the young man before him.

If that were true, then the talent of this young man was simply terrifying.

He absolutely, absolutely could not be offended.

The middle-aged man respectfully asked Xiao Peng, "My lord, do you intend to auction this Clear Wind Pill?"

"Yes. Can you arrange the earliest possible auction time for me?"

"Hehe, of course. My lord, take this to Auction Room Number One. An auction is being held there right now. Your pill will be auctioned shortly!" The middle-aged man smiled as he handed over a pitch-black iron token.

"Mm." Xiao Peng casually accepted the iron token and, without lingering, left the room directly under the gazes of the two men.

Once Xiao Peng had left, the middle-aged man asked Guni, "Master, should we investigate that person?"

Guni glanced at him. "If you dare investigate him, you will not be far from death. His background is immense. We cannot offend him; we must befriend him."

Led by a female attendant, Xiao Peng entered the ongoing auction.

Xiao Peng casually found a seat and quietly watched the auction.

A beautiful woman stood on the auction stage.

A seductive charm lingered on the woman's faintly smiling, lovely face. She wore a vivid red, form-fitting brocade robe, its luxurious and exquisite craftsmanship perfectly outlining her wonderful curves.

The stretch of dazzlingly fair, long legs beneath the brocade robe stirred a burning impulse in people's hearts. A silver sash bound her slender, willow-like waist, accentuating its delicate lines to the fullest.

The woman was Ya Fei.

The chief auctioneer of the Mite'er Family auction house, she was seductive, charming, and stunningly beautiful, possessing the superb skill to auction even junk as a top-grade item.

Listening to Ya Fei's voice, Xiao Peng felt goosebumps rise all over his body.