Mittel Auction House

"Hey, have you heard? The Xiao Clan got incredibly lucky and somehow managed to connect with a mysterious powerhouse. They're the talk of Wutan City now!"

"Everyone's heard about it by now! My second grandaunt's son's cousin said that powerhouse is ridiculously strong. Yesterday at the marketplace, he just lifted a finger, and those two old fools, Jia Lie Bi and Ao Ba Pa, dropped to their knees and begged for mercy!"

"Begged for mercy? They were so scared by his aura that they pissed themselves!"

"Yikes—that terrifying?!"

As Ning Chen made his way along, he heard people at the marketplace endlessly discussing what had happened the day before. Each version was more exaggerated than the last.

Listening to the embellished rumors, Ning Chen felt a few lines appear on his forehead. He was at a loss for words.

At this rate, in a few days they'll be saying I beat the crap out of those two clan leaders...

He shook his head and ignored the gossip. After stopping a passerby to ask for directions, he headed straight for the Mittel Auction House.

Though it was still early in the morning, people were already streaming through the grand entrance of the Mittel Auction House, a sign of its tremendous popularity.

Ning Chen took a brief look around, then calmly stepped inside and followed the directions to a room with a sign that read "Appraisal Room."

Inside, an appraiser dressed in the Mittel Auction House's uniform stood respectfully to one side.

At the head of the room sat an old man wearing an alchemist's robe and a Second-Rank Alchemist badge on his chest. He was carefully examining a pill, his expression focused. A faint medicinal fragrance filled the air.

Hearing footsteps, the old man didn't even look up. With the usual arrogance of an alchemist, he said,

"Get out. Come back in fifteen minutes."

"Oh?"

Ning Chen didn't stop. A faintly amused smile touched his lips.

No wonder this was the most sought-after profession on the Dou Qi Continent. Their tempers really were more arrogant than the last.

The appraiser standing nearby saw Ning Chen's casual reaction and nearly had a heart attack.

He'd happened to be at the marketplace in the medicine district the day before, and had watched with his own eyes as this young man in blue casually deflected the full-force attacks of two Da Dou Shi with a single finger, scaring the two clan leaders into fleeing in disgrace!

"Mas... Master Gu Ni!"

The appraiser's face turned deathly pale. He hurried over to the old man, then whispered urgently in his ear, his voice trembling with fear. He quickly explained who Ning Chen was and what had happened the day before.

Master Gu Ni had initially looked impatient. But as he listened, his arrogance froze, then gave way to shock and, finally, overwhelming fear.

He abruptly looked up at Ning Chen, who remained completely calm. The pill in his hand nearly slipped from his grasp.

"S-so it's Mr. Ning! What an honor to have you here!"

Master Gu Ni hurried to his feet, his wrinkles bunching into a deferential smile. His earlier arrogance had vanished without a trace.

"This old man was blind and didn't realize you'd arrived. Please forgive my disrespect!"

As he spoke, he quickly vacated the seat of honor and personally wiped it down with his sleeve.

"Please, Mr. Ning, have a seat! Please!"

Ning Chen waved a hand casually. He wasn't angry.

Only when you stood high enough could you truly understand Uchiha Madara's words: what adult would get angry at a child?

"Think nothing of it."

Ning Chen spoke calmly, then flipped his wrist. Two small jade bottles appeared in his palm, and he casually set them down on the appraisal table in front of him.

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

Master Gu Ni and the appraiser didn't dare delay. They hurried over.

Gu Ni carefully picked up one of the jade bottles and removed its stopper.

A pure energy wafted out along with a fresh medicinal fragrance. Inside lay five smooth, lustrous pills, each about the size of a longan.

"Are these... Third-Rank Qi Recovery Pills?" Master Gu Ni recognized them at a glance.

What shocked him was that these five Qi Recovery Pills were the finest he had ever seen, both in appearance and in the richness of their medicinal power.

They were unquestionably top-quality Third-Rank Qi Recovery Pills! This one bottle alone was worth far more than ordinary Third-Rank pills.

Suppressing his surprise, he carefully set the bottle down. Then, with even greater anticipation and trepidation, he picked up the second jade bottle.

This one looked rather more ancient.

The moment he pulled out the stopper, an even stronger, more violent medicinal power erupted like a long-suppressed volcano!

At the bottom of the bottle lay a flawless, round, emerald-green pill. Three distinct patterns of different colors encircled its surface!

"Th-this Pill Pattern... This medicinal power..."

Master Gu Ni's breathing suddenly quickened. His eyes widened like bells, and the hand holding the bottle began to tremble uncontrollably. His voice rose to a shrill pitch.

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

"Could it... have reached the level of a Fifth-grade Pill?!"

The appraiser beside him went weak in the knees and nearly collapsed.

A Fifth-grade Pill!

A Fifth-grade Pill, a rare treasure even across the entire Jia Ma Empire! And Mr. Ning had just taken one out as casually as if he were tossing away trash?!

Master Gu Ni jerked his head up. His gaze at Ning Chen was filled with boundless shock and reverence.

Someone who could casually produce a Fifth-grade Pill was either from a powerful faction with a deep foundation, or... he was himself an alchemy master of at least the fifth rank!

"Mr. Ning!" Master Gu Ni's voice trembled, his manner utterly deferential.

"This Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill is of exceptional quality, and its medicinal power has been perfectly preserved. It's a rare treasure in the Jia Ma Empire!"

"Would you prefer to sell it directly, or... have the Mittel Auction House put it up for auction? If you choose to auction it, I can guarantee we'll get a sky-high price that will satisfy you!"

He already understood that Mr. Ning was a true dragon beyond the reach of Wutan City—or even the Jia Ma Empire!

His origins were surely beyond imagination!

Watching their stunned reactions, Ning Chen remained perfectly calm.

Both bottles of pills were valuable, and he could use either of them right now. The Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill in particular could raise his strength by three or four stars, but that wouldn't make much difference to him.

Besides, he had a better option than the Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill.

As for giving it to Xiao Yan or the Xiao Clan... that possibility had never even entered his mind.

As a fellow transmigrator, he could lend Xiao Yan a hand when he was in trouble, but he wouldn't go out of his way to curry favor or give things away for free.

"An auction is fine," Ning Chen said calmly. "But I have one condition. I won't accept gold coins. I'll only trade for other items."

"Rare Dou Techniques or cultivation methods will do, as will natural treasures, exotic metals, and the like. You can assess their value yourselves."

Master Gu Ni found the request somewhat difficult, but didn't dare hesitate. He bowed and replied at once,

"Yes! Of course! We'll do everything we can to meet your requirements. I'll contact our headquarters immediately and send the information and pills to the imperial capital, then have them assemble a list of treasures that match your requirements. Please wait a moment!"

With that, he gave the appraiser beside him a look. The two of them nearly ran out of the appraisal room, gently closing the door behind them.

In the corridor, Master Gu Ni immediately grabbed the appraiser by the arm. Lowering his voice, he spoke in a hurried, serious tone.

"Quick! Go get Miss Ya Fei at once! Have her come and attend to Mr. Ning personally. Tell her that Mr. Ning is unfathomable, and this is an unprecedented opportunity for the Mittel Auction House. Whether we can establish ties with him like the Xiao Clan did may all depend on this!"

"Yes! I'll go right away!"

The appraiser also realized how important this was. He didn't dare waste a moment, and hurried off toward the interior of the auction house.