Mittel Auction House

"Hey, have you heard? The Xiao Clan doesn't know what kind of incredible luck they've stumbled upon, but they've managed to get on the good side of a mysterious powerhouse. They are the talk of Wutan City right now!"

"That news spread ages ago! I heard from my great-aunt's son's cousin that the powerhouse is ridiculously strong. Just yesterday at the market, he only had to extend a single finger, and those two old geezers, Jia Lie Bi and Ao Ba Pa, were so terrified they knelt on the spot and begged for mercy!"

"Begged for mercy? They were so scared by that powerhouse's aura that they literally wet their pants!"

"Hiss—is he really that terrifying?!"

Walking along the way, the discussions about yesterday's events were endless in the market, and the versions of the story were becoming increasingly exaggerated.

Ning Chen listened to these embellished rumors, black lines sliding down his forehead as he felt quite speechless.

If the rumors continue to spread at this rate, in a few more days, they'll probably be saying I beat those two clan heads until they crapped their pants...

He shook his head, stopped paying attention to the gossip, and after stopping a passerby to clarify the direction, he walked straight toward the Mittel Auction House.

Even in the early morning, the entrance to the grand Mittel Auction House was bustling with people, showing its immense popularity.

Ning Chen took a brief look, then stepped inside with a calm gait, following the signs to a room marked with a "Treasure Appraisal Room" plaque.

Inside the room, an appraiser wearing the uniform of the Mittel Auction House stood respectfully to the side.

In the main seat, an old man dressed in alchemist robes with a second-grade alchemist badge pinned to his chest was focused on carefully examining a pill, the air filled with a faint medicinal fragrance.

Hearing footsteps, the old man didn't even lift his head, his tone carrying the arrogance typical of alchemists.

"Get out, come back in a quarter of an hour."

"Oh?"

Ning Chen didn't stop his footsteps, the corners of his mouth curling into a faint, mocking arc.

Truly worthy of being the most sought-after profession on the Dou Qi Continent; this temper is certainly getting more arrogant by the day.

His indifferent reaction, however, nearly scared the heart out of the appraiser standing nearby!

He happened to be at the medicine market yesterday and witnessed with his own eyes how this young man in green had effortlessly neutralized the full-force strike of two Great Dou Masters with a single finger, scaring the heads of the two major clans into a pathetic mess!

"Gu... Master Gu Ni!"

The appraiser's face turned deathly pale. He hurriedly leaned into the old man's ear and whispered a few words in a trembling, terrified voice, quickly relaying Ning Chen's identity and the events of yesterday.

Master Gu Ni, who had been impatient, felt his arrogance instantly freeze as he listened, turning into suspicion, and finally being replaced by deep, intense fear!

He jerked his head up to look at the calm-faced Ning Chen, his grip on the pill he was holding nearly slipping.

"S-so it is Mr. Ning who has graced us with his presence!"

Master Gu Ni scrambled to his feet, the wrinkles on his face bunching up into a mask of respect. The arrogance from before had long since vanished into thin air.

"This old man was blind and did not recognize that you had arrived in person. I have been negligent, and I hope you will be magnanimous!"

As he spoke, he hurriedly vacated the main seat and personally wiped the chair with his sleeve.

"Please, sir, have a seat! Please, sit!"

Ning Chen waved his hand casually, not feeling angry.

Only when one stands high enough can they truly understand that line from Uchiha Madara: Why would an adult get angry at a child?

"It's fine."

Ning Chen said indifferently, then flipped his wrist, and two small jade bottles appeared in his palm, which he placed casually on the appraisal table in front of him.

"Take a look at these two bottles of pills and give me an estimate."

Seeing this, Master Gu Ni and the appraiser dared not show the slightest bit of negligence and hurriedly leaned in.

Gu Ni carefully picked up one of the jade bottles and pulled out the stopper.

Immediately, a surge of pure energy accompanied by a fresh medicinal fragrance wafted out. Inside the bottle lay five pills, each the size of a longan and perfectly round.

"This is... a third-grade Qi Recovery Pill?!" Master Gu Ni recognized it at a glance.

But what shocked him was that the quality and the fullness of the medicinal power of these five Qi Recovery Pills were the best he had ever seen in his life!

They were absolutely top-tier among third-grade Qi Recovery Pills! This bottle alone was worth far more than ordinary third-grade pills.

He suppressed the shock in his heart, placed the jade bottle down carefully, and with even more anticipation and nervousness, picked up the second jade bottle.

This jade bottle looked more ancient.

The moment the stopper was opened, a more intense, more violent medicinal power erupted like a long-suppressed volcano!

Inside the bottle lay a single, perfectly round, flawless cyan pill. And on that cyan surface, there were clearly three distinct, colorful patterns circling it!

"This... this pill pattern... this medicinal power..."

Master Gu Ni's breathing suddenly became rapid, his eyes widened like copper bells, and the hand holding the jade bottle began to tremble uncontrollably. His voice turned sharp and distorted.

"Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill?! And a Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill of such perfect quality!!"

"I'm afraid... it has already reached the level of a fifth-grade pill?!!"

The appraiser on the side was so frightened that his legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed to the floor.

A fifth-grade pill!

A Grade 5 medicinal pill, which could be considered a rare treasure even throughout the entire Jia Ma Empire! To think that this Mr. Ning had just tossed it out as casually as if it were trash?!

Master Gu Ni suddenly looked up, his gaze toward Ning Chen filled with boundless shock and awe.

Someone who could casually produce a Grade 5 medicinal pill was either from a major faction with deep foundations, or... they were themselves a master alchemist of at least Grade 5!

"Mr... Mr. Ning!" Master Gu Ni's voice trembled, his attitude respectful to the extreme.

"This... this Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill is of excellent quality, its medicinal potency perfectly preserved; it is a rare treasure in the Jia Ma Empire!"

"I wonder if you wish to sell it directly, or... entrust it to our Mittel Auction House for auction? If it is auctioned, this old man guarantees that we will certainly fetch a sky-high price that will satisfy you!"

He already understood in his heart that this Mr. Ning was a true dragon that could never be contained by Wutan City, or even the Jia Ma Empire!

His background was likely terrifying beyond imagination!

Ning Chen watched their shocked and flustered expressions, his demeanor remaining calm.

Both bottles of pills were of immense value and were things he could use at his current stage, especially the Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill, but the three or four stars of improvement it offered were of little use to him right now.

Furthermore, compared to the Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill, he had an even better choice.

As for giving it to Xiao Yan, or the Xiao Clan... that option was not even within his consideration.

As fellow transmigrators, he could lend a hand if Xiao Yan were in danger, but fawning over him or giving things away for nothing was out of the question.

"An auction is fine," Ning Chen said indifferently, "but I have a condition. I do not accept gold coins; I only accept bartering."

"It can be rare Dou Techniques, cultivation methods, or heaven and earth spiritual objects, or exotic metals. You will evaluate the specific value."

Upon hearing this, although Master Gu Ni felt the request was somewhat tricky, he did not dare to hesitate in the slightest and hurriedly bowed in response.

"Yes! Yes! We will certainly do our utmost to meet your conditions, sir! This old man will contact headquarters immediately, send the information and the pill to the imperial capital, and compile a list of treasures that meet your requirements! Please wait a moment, sir!"

After speaking, he gave a wink to the appraiser beside him, and the two of them practically jogged out of the appraisal room, gently closing the door behind them.

Once out in the corridor, Gu Ni immediately grabbed the appraiser's arm, lowering his voice with a hurried and serious tone.

"Quick! Go and invite Miss Ya Fei immediately! Have her come to receive him personally! Tell her that this Mr. Ning is unfathomable and represents an unprecedented opportunity for our Mittel Auction House. Whether we can build a relationship with him like the Xiao Clan did may depend entirely on this!"

"Yes! I'm going right now!"

The appraiser also realized the importance of the matter and, not daring to delay, turned and hurried toward the interior of the auction house.