Mittel Auction House!

The Mittel Auction House belonged to the Mite'er Family, the wealthiest clan in the Jia Ma Empire.

The Mite'er Family was also one of the Jia Ma Empire's three great giants, alongside the Nalan Family and the Mu Family. (The Mu Family was written this way at the beginning of Chapter 21 of the original work; Tudou simply contradicted his own setting later.)

Chen Yang walked briskly and soon arrived at the entrance of the Mittel Auction House, following the directions given by passersby.

Even in broad daylight, several fully armed guards stood at the entrance of the Mittel Auction House.

He strode into the hall, and a wave of cool air immediately washed over him. (Only upon rereading did I realize Tudou had slipped quite a bit of private material in here—there was even a clubhouse!)

Chen Yang looked around the resplendent, gilded hall before entering an Appraisal Room.

Inside the Appraisal Room, a middle-aged man sitting On the Chair in boredom did not look down on Chen Yang because of his clothes. He rose with a professional smile and approached him. "Little Brother, are you here to have something appraised?"

Chen Yang shook his head. "Your Auction House should have an Alchemist, right?"

The middle-aged man was slightly taken aback before Nodding. "That's Right. Master Guni of the Mittel Auction House is a Second-grade Alchemist. Everyone in Wutan City knows that. Little Brother, do you wish to ask Master Guni to refine pills for you?"

The appraisers trained by the Mite'er Family would never pass up any opportunity to do business.

Chen Yang placed a hand on the table and said softly, "Something like that. Could I trouble you to introduce me to Master Guni?"

The middle-aged man looked at Chen Yang's youthful face. Experience told him that the Young Man before him likely did not have the means to hire a Second-grade Alchemist. However, when his gaze swept over Chen Yang's left hand resting on the table, his pupils suddenly contracted.

He recognized at a glance that the ring on Chen Yang's hand was a Storage Ring. For a Young Man to possess a Storage Ring, his financial resources had to be considerable.

"Sir, please come with me. I'll take you to see Master Guni right away." The middle-aged man's expression was no longer merely professionally polite, and his form of address changed from Little Brother to sir.

Chen Yang Nodded and followed the middle-aged man out, upstairs, and around several corners. Before long, they arrived before a door.

Seeing that no one was guarding the door, the middle-aged man stepped forward and knocked.

Knock, knock, knock!

"Who is it?"

"Master Guni, a sir wishes to ask you to refine medicinal pills." The middle-aged man stood outside the door and spoke respectfully.

He was merely an ordinary Six-Star Dou Practitioner, while Guni inside was not only a Second-grade Alchemist but also a powerful Three-Star Dou Grandmaster.

"Oh."

After receiving the reply, the middle-aged man remained where he was and continued waiting. An Alchemist's room was not a place just anyone could enter.

Creak!

A few seconds later, the door opened, and an elderly man in green robes with somewhat graying hair walked out.

"Master, this is the sir who wishes to ask you to refine pills." The middle-aged man gave Guni a slight bow.

"Mm." Guni wore the arrogant expression common to all Alchemists. He turned and Glanced at Chen Yang, then suddenly frowned. The Young Man before him was actually an Alchemist as well.

"You may leave." The arrogance on Guni's face receded slightly as he turned to the middle-aged man.

"Yes!"

After the middle-aged man left, Guni welcomed Chen Yang into the room.

The moment he entered, Chen Yang smelled a rich medicinal fragrance. He Glanced At the Medicine Cauldron in the corner, then smiled at Guni. "Master Guni, were you just attempting to refine a Third-grade Qi Replenishing Pill?" (In the original work, Qi Replenishing Pills were both second-grade and third-grade. Let's assume they came in second through ninth grades, designed to restore Dou Qi at every level.)

"Hmm???" Guni looked at Chen Yang in Shocked surprise. He could identify the pill Guni had been refining merely by its scent. Could this Young Man possibly be a Third-grade Alchemist?

"That's Right. How did you figure it out, little sir?" Guni deliberately tried to draw him out. He wanted to see whether the Young Man was truly a Third-grade Alchemist or merely possessed such judgment for some other reason.

"I advanced to Third-grade Alchemist some time ago. I've refined several batches of Qi Replenishing Pills, so I'm naturally familiar with them." As he spoke, Chen Yang walked over to Guni's Medicine Cauldron and brushed his hand across it a few times.

This was a second-grade Medicine Cauldron. It could be used to refine Third-grade Pills, but the Pill Formation Rate would be somewhat lower.

Moreover, Guni was publicly known as only a Second-grade Alchemist. This Third-grade Qi Replenishing Pill had merely been an experiment for him.

"Since you are a Third-grade Alchemist, Esteemed Sir, why have you come to me to refine pills?" Guni asked in confusion.

"If I hadn't said that, how would the appraiser have brought me to see Master Guni?" Chen Yang turned around and asked Guni in return.

"That is true..." Guni lightly Nodded, then asked again, "May I ask what Esteemed Sir specifically needs from me?"

A Third-grade Alchemist was not enough to make Guni so respectful, but such a young Third-grade Alchemist was another matter entirely.

As far as he knew, even the Little Princess of the Imperial Family and the prized disciple of Alchemist King Gu He were probably only around this level.

Hearing Guni's words, Chen Yang knew it was time for his performance. He slapped Guni's Medicine Cauldron until it rang, then sighed before putting on an embarrassed expression and saying:

"Alas!"

"To my shame, after breaking through to Third-grade Alchemist some time ago, I got curious and refined a medicinal pill whose effects I did not know. To test it, I fed it to my Senior Sister's pet beast and nearly poisoned the creature to death."

"When Senior Sister found out, she flew into a rage. She confiscated all my Gold Coins, medicinal pills, and Medicinal Materials, drove me out of the sect, and ordered me not to return until I broke through to the Dou Ling level!"

"Within the sect, I fear neither Teacher nor the Elders. I only fear my Senior Sister. She is merely two years older than me, yet she is already a Dou Wang and a Fifth-grade Alchemist."

"Right now, I am penniless. I heard that the Mittel Auction House of the Mite'er Family in your Jia Ma Empire has quite a good reputation, so I came to borrow some Medicinal Materials and refine them into medicinal pills in exchange for money."

"If your Auction House is willing, we can establish a long-term partnership. I also need resources for cultivation and to practice Alchemy!"

Chen Yang was making up utter nonsense, though not all of it was fabricated.

The Senior Sister in his story was the senior student who had gone cycling with him. As for the poisoned pet beast, it was a cow-patterned cat she kept, though the cat had simply stolen some food and given itself diarrhea.

Meanwhile, Guni was utterly bewildered.

A Dou Wang and Fifth-grade Alchemist only two years older than you?

She ordered you to return only after breaking through to Dou Ling, so wouldn't that make you a Da Dou Shi, and a High-level Great Dou Shi at that?

Even the Misty Cloud Sect of the Jia Ma Empire could not cultivate such a Genius, could it?

He had just said "your Jia Ma Empire." Could this person be a Young Man Genius from some top sect elsewhere?

At that thought, Guni's gaze at Chen Yang contained both Shocked disbelief and suspicion.

Seeing Guni's expression, Chen Yang knew that if he did not do something, today's plan would fail. He mobilized the Dou Qi within his body, and fiery red Dou Qi instantly burst from him. It gathered without dispersing, forming a layer of fiery red Dou Qi Armor across his body.

"Dou Qi Armor... and his aura is far stronger than Xiao Zhan of the Xiao Family. He is clearly a High-level Great Dou Shi!"

If Guni had only believed half of Chen Yang's words before, he now believed at least ninety percent of them.

The remaining ten percent depended on Chen Yang's Alchemy.

"Master Guni, how about I refine a batch of Qi Replenishing Pills now, and then we can discuss the price?" Chen Yang suggested, patting the Medicine Cauldron beneath his hand.

"Of course!"

Guni had no reason to refuse.

For one thing, he also wanted to gain the friendship of such a young Third-grade Alchemist.

For another, he was an Alchemist of the Mite'er Family and naturally had to bring business to the Mittel Auction House. If the Mittel Auction House in Wutan City improved its performance because of the Young Man before him, he might have a chance to be transferred back to the Imperial Capital.

Lastly, the Young Man before him was a High-level Great Dou Shi. He feared that if he refused and offended him, the Young Man might forcibly rob the Auction House and leave without a care.

If that happened, it would be his fault.

"May I ask... if it is convenient for little sir to reveal his name?" Guni knew that Alchemists were often eccentric people, and some disliked telling others their names, so he phrased the question much more tactfully.

"There's nothing inconvenient about it. This junior is Chen Yang. I'll have to trouble Master Guni." Chen Yang smiled and cupped his hands.

"You are too polite, Little Brother Chen Yang. Here are the Medicinal Materials for two batches of Third-grade Qi Replenishing Pills. You can refine them here. I'll go make arrangements so no one disturbs you!" Guni returned the gesture, then took out the Medicinal Materials for two batches of Third-grade Qi Replenishing Pills from his Storage Ring. Having said that, he prepared to turn and leave.

On the Dou Qi Continent, an Alchemist's Alchemy Technique was an unpassed secret. Even master-disciple inheritances often held something back, much less two people who had only just met.

However, just as Guni was about to leave, Chen Yang raised a hand. "Master Guni, please stay here and keep watch for me!"

Guni was immediately taken aback. "This... Little Brother Chen Yang, aren't you afraid I might steal your technique?"

Chen Yang burst into laughter. "Haha... Teacher once said that there are countless masters of Alchemy across the Dou Qi Continent. Why should we cling selfishly to our shallow techniques?"

After saying that, Chen Yang sat down cross-legged and took out his own Medicine Cauldron from his Storage Ring. "Master Guni, feel free to watch. If you can learn even a little and improve your Alchemy further, Teacher might even praise me when I return!"

Chen Yang looked as though he wished all Alchemists under heaven to prosper, and Guni was deeply Moved.

In truth, however, Chen Yang had no such selfless heart. He simply wanted to see whether he could train Guni into a Third-grade Alchemist.

When that happened, the system would trigger its mechanism again and improve his Alchemy somewhat.

Thinking that, Chen Yang smiled and shook his head. He pressed his right hand against the fire port, activated his Dou Qi, and poured it inside...