Ice Profound Pill

Xiao Clan, meeting hall.

Xiao Zhan and the three elders sat with grave expressions, the atmosphere more solemn than usual.

They had naturally received detailed information regarding the incident at the Jialie Clan immediately.

"The Dou Qi residue at the scene was extremely yang and rigid, incredibly scorching; it was definitely fire-attribute Dou Qi," the Great Elder said slowly.

"According to the careful investigation and sensing of our men, the purity and dominance of that Dou Qi far exceed what Jialie Bi could achieve. The person who struck, their strength is likely... at least at the peak of Da Dou Shi, perhaps even touching the threshold of Dou Ling!"

"Peak Da Dou Shi? When did such a powerhouse come to Wutan City?" The Second Elder twisted his beard, his brows locked tight. "And to act so ruthlessly—Jialie Bi and Jialie Nu were both Da Dou Shi, yet they were killed in a single blow. That Liu Xi was even deliberately tortured; it was a horrific sight... This clearly stems from deep-seated hatred."

The Third Elder interjected, "The most important thing is that this person seemed to target only members of the Jialie Clan and Liu Xi. There was no excessive killing of ordinary guards or servants, though the treasury was looted clean. Could it be that they came for the wealth?"

Xiao Zhan, sitting in the main seat, pondered for a long time. He tapped the table lightly and said, "Regardless of who this person is or what their motive was, the Jialie Clan's leadership has been wiped out in this single engagement. The Jialie Clan is now a name in name only. The landscape of Wutan City is about to change."

For the Xiao Clan, this was undoubtedly a massive stroke of good fortune.

Xiao Zhan looked at the three elders and said, "There are a few urgent matters to attend to."

"First, strengthen the clan's defenses and raise the alert level to the maximum. Do not slack off until we have identified the origin and intentions of that mysterious powerhouse."

"Second, the Jialie Clan's markets and industries are now leaderless and will surely fall into chaos. The Aoba Clan will certainly not stand by idly. Our Xiao Clan must make plans early to seize the opportunity and expand our influence, but do not be greedy in your appearance. It is not that we won't eat, but we must eat slowly and methodically, with a plan, to avoid giving others a chance to kick us while we are down."

"Third..." Xiao Zhan paused, then continued, "With the fall of the Jialie Clan, the biggest beneficiaries on the surface appear to be our Xiao Clan and the Aoba Clan. We must be careful that someone doesn't use this to stir up trouble and shift the blame onto us."

"Our Xiao Clan must maintain a unified stance to the outside world: express shock and regret regarding the Jialie Clan's affairs, emphasize that our clan has no connection to this, and state our willingness to assist the City Lord's Mansion in maintaining stability in Wutan City."

The three elders nodded one after another; such cautious action was indeed necessary at this moment.

After all, that mysterious powerhouse, capable of wiping out the Jialie leadership in a single night, might still be lurking in some corner of Wutan City.

In the face of absolute strength, the so-called balance of the three great clans was as fragile as glass.

Temir Auction House was the largest auction venue in Wutan City and belonged to the wealthiest Temir Clan in the Jia Ma Empire.

Ye Xiu walked into the auction house, where people were coming and going in a bustling, lively scene.

His gaze swept across the magnificent, spacious hall, and Ye Xiu headed toward a room to the side, the door of which was marked with the words "Consultation Room."

Pushing the door open, he found the room somewhat empty, with only a manager sitting bored in a chair by a desk. Hearing the door open, the manager looked up, saw Ye Xiu in his black robe, and asked, "Young man, are you here to bid or to have something appraised?"

"To bid." Ye Xiu had heard over the past two days that the auction house was holding an auction today for a five-vent medicine cauldron. He intended to practice alchemy and needed this cauldron. Having just swept through the Jialie Clan for hundreds of thousands of gold coins, he should have enough to buy it.

Upon hearing this, the manager put on a professional smile. "There happens to be an auction today. The entry fee is ten gold coins."

"Fine, here." Ye Xiu took the gold coins from his Storage Ring and exchanged them for a yellow token from the manager.

With this token, he could successfully enter the auction venue to participate.

He put the token into his Storage Ring and, just as he was about to turn away, asked casually, "How much longer until today's auction starts?"

The manager replied respectfully, "A quarter of an hour. You can go look around the main hall first; there are often good items consigned by individual travelers there. You might just find a bargain."

"Hmm." Ye Xiu nodded and walked toward the hall.

After wandering around, he arrived at the west side of the hall, where seven or eight people were gathered sparsely around a counter.

In the center of the crowd, an old man wearing the gray-white robes of an Alchemist was looking down at something, his brows tightly locked.

The old man's sleeves were embroidered with two silver ripples, the unmistakable mark of a second-grade Alchemist.

"Gu Ni?" Ye Xiu looked at the old man. Who else in Wutan City could be a second-grade Alchemist besides Gu Ni?

Standing at the edge of the crowd, Ye Xiu's gaze fell upon the thumb-sized pill in the old man's hand.

The pill was icy blue, with faint frost patterns flowing across its surface.

In the memories bestowed by the Innate Medicine Body, this pill was present—it was a third-grade Ice Profound Pill!

Ye Xiu raised an eyebrow slightly.

This type of pill was considered rare even among third-grade items, and Alchemists capable of refining it were few and far between.

The middle-aged man behind the counter asked cautiously, "Master Gu Ni, is... is there something wrong with this pill?"

Gu Ni did not answer immediately, clutching the jade bottle and turning it over repeatedly, his brows furrowing deeper.

"The quality of this pill is excellent, and the luster is top-tier..." he muttered to himself, his tone full of confusion. "The pill seems to contain a massive amount of cold energy, but when I probe it with my soul, there is absolutely no reaction. I have been refining medicine for decades, and this is the first time I have seen such a strange pill..."

He paused and coughed lightly in embarrassment.

"It is my own lack of insight; I truly cannot understand the medicinal properties or effects of this pill for the time being. I wonder which master refined this?"

The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment, then said, "I found this in a cave in the Magical Beast Mountain Range last month. I don't know who refined it either, but since it is a pill, I thought I would bring it to the auction house to sell..."

Gu Ni returned the pill to the middle-aged man and shook his head. "I am very sorry. Your pill is indeed not an ordinary item, but my eyes are dull, and I cannot identify it. Therefore, I cannot estimate its value and cannot put it up for auction."

The middle-aged man was full of disappointment. He took the jade bottle and smiled bitterly, "Even Master Gu Ni cannot recognize it... It seems this pill cannot be sold."

Gu Ni also felt a bit bad; after all, letting a guest leave empty-handed was a failure on the part of the auction house.

He paused, looked around the crowd, and raised his voice slightly.

"Everyone, although I cannot recognize this pill, if there is any expert present who can identify it, the Temir Auction House is willing to offer a generous reward. Within today, any item this person bids on will be discounted by twenty percent!"