[Copy target: Xiao Yan.]
[Copy content: Soul power. Copy successful.]
Xiao Chen looked at the system panel before him, thoroughly satisfied.
He gathered his thoughts and turned to leave Xiao Yan's little courtyard.
He had only taken a few steps when Xiao Yan's voice came from behind him.
"Xiao Chen."
Xiao Chen stopped and looked back.
Xiao Yan stood at the entrance to the courtyard, still holding the Energy Storage Pill in his hand.
"Where exactly did you get this pill?" Xiao Yan asked.
Xiao Chen looked at him without replying.
When Xiao Yan saw that he wasn't answering, his curiosity only grew.
There weren't even a handful of second-rank pills to be found in all of Wutan City.
How had someone like Xiao Chen, a Three-Stage Dou Qi nobody, gotten his hands on one?
"You don't need to worry about that," Xiao Chen said. "Just keep it safe."
With that, he turned and left, giving Xiao Yan no chance to press him further.
Xiao Yan stood at the entrance to the courtyard, watching Xiao Chen walk away, his mind full of questions.
Xiao Yan lowered his head and stared at the Energy Storage Pill in his hand, falling silent for a moment.
Xiao Chen returned to his room, closed the door, and sat down on the bed.
He opened the system panel and checked his status.
[Host: Xiao Chen]
[Strength: Three-Star Dou Huang (copied from Yun Yun)]
[Alchemist Rank: Sixth-Rank (copied from Gu He)]
[Dou Technique: Extreme Wind: Meteor Kill (High Xuan Rank)]
[Talent: Weak Dou Emperor Bloodline, Soul Power.]
[Copy attempts: None]
Xiao Chen looked at the panel and nodded in satisfaction.
In just two days, he had gone from a Three-Stage Dou Qi nobody to a Three-Star Dou Huang expert.
He had even become a sixth-rank alchemist.
It was the perfect start.
He closed the system panel, lay down on the bed, and shut his eyes.
The Mittel Auction House.
In a VIP room, Ya Fei sat in a chair, a cup of tea in her hand.
An elderly man sat across from her. He was Gu Ni, the chief alchemist of the Mittel Auction House.
Gu Ni was a Second-Rank Alchemist.
He held a very high standing in Wutan City.
"Ya Fei, you called me over in such a hurry. What's the matter?" Gu Ni asked.
Ya Fei set down her teacup, took out the Fifth-Tier Magic Core, and placed it on the table.
Gu Ni's pupils contracted sharply when he saw the Magic Core.
He picked it up and examined it closely. His expression shifted from surprise to shock.
"This is... a Fifth-Tier Magical Beast's Magic Core?" Gu Ni asked.
"That's right," Ya Fei replied.
"Where did it come from?" Gu Ni asked.
"A customer came in today and used it to pay for some medicinal ingredients," Ya Fei said.
Gu Ni's brows knitted slightly.
"What kind of customer?"
"Someone from the Xiao Clan," Ya Fei said. "He looked no older than fifteen or sixteen."
Gu Ni fell silent.
A boy of fifteen or sixteen had brought in a Fifth-Tier Magic Core to buy medicinal ingredients? It made no sense.
"Are you sure he was from the Xiao Clan?" Gu Ni asked.
"Positive," Ya Fei replied. "I've seen the Xiao Clan's younger generation before. I don't remember his name, but he was definitely wearing the Xiao Clan's uniform."
Gu Ni set down the Magic Core and fell into thought.
A Fifth-Tier Magic Core came from a Dou Wang-level Magical Beast. Let alone a boy of fifteen or sixteen, even a Dou Wang expert would have a hard time hunting one alone.
"What medicinal ingredients did he buy?" Gu Ni asked.
"Energy Storage Grass, Poria Flower, and Blood Coagulation Fruit," Ya Fei replied.
Gu Ni's brows furrowed even more deeply.
Those ingredients were all used to refine Energy Storage Pills, which were second-rank pills.
"I'm the only Second-Rank Alchemist in Wutan City," Gu Ni said.
"I thought the same," Ya Fei replied.
They exchanged a look, both of them seeing the same puzzlement in the other's eyes.
Who were the medicinal ingredients for? Could the boy refine pills himself? Impossible. There were only a handful of second-rank alchemists as young as fifteen or sixteen in the entire Dou Qi Continent, let alone the Jia Ma Empire.
"Ya Fei, do you think this boy might have an unusual background?" Gu Ni asked.
Ya Fei thought for a moment, then replied, "How could someone who can produce a Fifth-Tier Magic Core have an ordinary background?"
Gu Ni nodded.
"I suspect he might have a powerful teacher behind him," Ya Fei said.
Gu Ni's heart stirred at her words.
A powerful teacher would have to be at least a Dou Wang expert, and might even be a Dou Emperor.
If that was true, then the boy was certainly worth befriending.
"Ya Fei, you mean..." Gu Ni looked at her.
"I want to make his acquaintance," Ya Fei said. "If he really does have some powerful master backing him, befriending him can only benefit the Mittel Auction House."
Gu Ni nodded. "You're right."
Ya Fei lifted her teacup and took a sip.
Xiao Chen's figure surfaced in her mind.
The Xiao Clan's main hall.
The Great Elder sat in the seat of honor, his face gloomy.
Several Xiao Clan elders sat to either side of him, discussing family affairs.
"Great Elder, Xiao Ning hasn't come back for a day and a night," the Second Elder said.
The Great Elder nodded, his expression troubled.
"Have you sent anyone to look for him?" the Great Elder asked.
"We have," the Second Elder replied. "The people we sent to the Magical Beast Mountain Range haven't returned yet."
The Great Elder said nothing. He sat there, a faint unease stirring in his heart.
Xiao Ning was his grandson. He had grown up by the Great Elder's side. Though he wasn't as talented as Xiao Chen, he was still precious to him.
How could he not worry after a day and a night with no sign of him?
"Great Elder, you don't need to worry too much," the Third Elder said. "Ning'er may have run into something that delayed him."
The Great Elder nodded but didn't reply.
A Xiao Clan disciple came running in from outside.
"Great Elder!" The disciple was panting hard. "We found him! We found him!"
The Great Elder shot to his feet. "You found Ning'er?"
The disciple lowered his head, not daring to speak.
"Speak!" the Great Elder barked.
"Young Master Xiao Ning... he's dead," the disciple said, forcing the words out.
The Great Elder's face turned deathly pale.
He stumbled backward and collapsed into his chair.
"What did you say?" The Great Elder's voice trembled.
"We found Young Master Xiao Ning's body in the Magical Beast Mountain Range," the disciple said.
The elders in the hall exchanged uneasy looks.
"Where's the body?" the Second Elder asked.
"They've brought it in," the disciple replied.
As soon as he finished speaking, several Xiao Clan disciples entered, carrying a stretcher.
A white cloth covered it.
The Great Elder rose and walked over to the stretcher. He reached out and lifted the cloth.
The moment it came away, everyone in the hall sucked in a sharp breath.
There was indeed a corpse on the stretcher, but it was no longer recognizable as human.
Wounds covered its body, the flesh mangled beyond recognition. One of its legs was missing.
The Great Elder stared at the corpse, frozen in place.
His hands trembled. His lips trembled. But he couldn't utter a word.
"This... this was a Magical Beast's work," the Second Elder said.
"Judging from the marks, it was probably a Fifth-Tier Magical Beast," the Third Elder said.
A Fifth-Tier Magical Beast.
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