Testing the Waters! This Is a Third-Tier Pill!

After the banquet ended, Ya Fei led Xiao Chen to the VIP room upstairs.

The VIP room was decorated even more elegantly than the floor below.

Ya Fei invited Xiao Chen to sit, then took a seat across from him.

Master Gu Ni sat nearby and glanced at Ya Fei.

Ya Fei gave a slight nod.

Gu Ni pulled a prescription from his robe and handed it to Xiao Chen.

"Young Master Xiao Chen, this old man has an unreasonable request," Gu Ni said.

Xiao Chen looked at the prescription on the table but said nothing.

"This is a prescription for a third-tier Qi Recovery Pill," Gu Ni explained. "We've already prepared all the ingredients. We'd like to ask you to help refine this pill."

Xiao Chen picked up the prescription and took a look.

The Qi Recovery Pill was a third-tier pill that could rapidly restore Dou Qi during battle. It was one of the essential pills.

"Refining this pill is very important to our auction house," Ya Fei added. "If you're willing to help, our auction house will surely reward you handsomely."

Xiao Chen set down the prescription and looked at Ya Fei and Gu Ni.

Ya Fei and Gu Ni exchanged a glance. They were both waiting for Xiao Chen's answer.

Ya Fei and Gu Ni knew that their request was rather presumptuous. After all, they had only known Xiao Chen for two days, and now they were asking him to refine a third-tier pill.

But they truly wanted to find out whether Xiao Chen was an alchemist.

If Xiao Chen could refine a third-tier pill, then he was at least a third-tier alchemist.

There were hardly any fifteen- or sixteen-year-old third-tier alchemists on the entire Dou Qi Continent.

"All right," Xiao Chen said.

Ya Fei and Gu Ni were both stunned.

They hadn't expected Xiao Chen to agree so quickly.

"Young Master, this is a third-tier pill," Gu Ni reminded him. "Are you sure you can refine it?"

Xiao Chen cut him off. "Are the ingredients ready?"

"They are," Ya Fei replied at once.

Ya Fei clapped her hands, and a maid entered carrying a tray.

Several jade boxes sat on the tray. Inside were the ingredients for refining the Qi Recovery Pill.

Xiao Chen glanced at them and nodded.

"I'll bring it to you tomorrow." Xiao Chen rose to his feet.

"Tomorrow?" Ya Fei asked in surprise.

"What? Is that too soon?" Xiao Chen asked.

"No, no," Ya Fei said hastily. "I just didn't expect you to finish it so quickly."

Xiao Chen said nothing more. He picked up the ingredients and turned toward the door.

Ya Fei hurried to her feet to see him out. "Take care, Young Master."

Xiao Chen waved his hand and left the VIP room without looking back.

Ya Fei stood in the doorway, watching Xiao Chen's figure disappear at the end of the corridor before turning around.

She returned to the VIP room and sat down in a chair.

Gu Ni sat opposite her, the shock still lingering on his face.

"Master Gu Ni, do you think Xiao Chen can really refine a third-tier pill?" Ya Fei asked.

Gu Ni shook his head. "It's hard to say."

"But he agreed so quickly. He seemed very confident," Ya Fei said.

"That's exactly what worries me," Gu Ni replied. "A third-tier pill is no joke. The slightest mistake could ruin not only the pill but all the ingredients as well."

Ya Fei fell silent for a moment.

"What if Xiao Chen really can refine it?" she asked.

Gu Ni drew a deep breath. "Then he's at least a third-tier alchemist."

"A fifteen- or sixteen-year-old third-tier alchemist..." Ya Fei murmured.

Ya Fei and Gu Ni exchanged a glance. They could both see the shock in each other's eyes.

There were only a handful of third-tier alchemists in the entire Jia Ma Empire, and every one of them was a long-established figure. Even the youngest was over forty.

A fifteen- or sixteen-year-old third-tier alchemist would be unheard of in the Jia Ma Empire. Even across the entire Northwest Continent, there probably wasn't another one.

"Ya Fei, what will we do if Xiao Chen really brings the Qi Recovery Pill tomorrow?" Gu Ni asked.

"Then we'll report it to the family," Ya Fei said. "We must befriend someone like him. He could be a tremendous ally to the Mittel Family."

Gu Ni nodded.

"Before that, though, we need to confirm that he refined the pill himself," Gu Ni said.

"Of course," Ya Fei replied.

After leaving the Mittel Auction House, Xiao Chen walked back toward the Xiao Clan.

The night wind brushed against Xiao Chen's face, carrying a touch of chill.

The streets of Wutan City were deserted. Only a few lanterns swayed in the wind.

Xiao Chen walked quickly and was back at the Xiao Clan in no time.

The guards at the gate saw Xiao Chen and hurriedly saluted him.

Xiao Chen nodded and headed straight for his residence.

He pushed open the door, went inside, and shut it behind him.

Xiao Chen set the ingredients on the table and sat down beside the bed.

A third-tier Qi Recovery Pill was nothing more than child's play to him.

Gu He was a sixth-tier alchemist. Xiao Chen had copied all of Gu He's abilities, so he could refine a third-tier pill with his eyes closed.

Xiao Chen stood up and walked to the table.

He raised his hand and activated the Dou Qi within his body.

A flame gathered in Xiao Chen's palm. Its heat was intense, and it lit up the entire room.

He took out a stalk of Qi Recovery Grass and tossed it into the flame.

Under the flame's searing heat, the medicinal ingredient slowly melted into a pool of green liquid.

Xiao Chen focused all his attention and controlled the flame's temperature.

One ingredient after another went into the flame, each melting into liquid in turn.

Under the flame's searing heat, the liquids slowly blended together. Their color shifted from green to dark brown, and a faint medicinal fragrance wafted through the room.

After an unknown length of time, the flame in Xiao Chen's hand suddenly drew back.

A pill hovered in midair, round and smooth, its color deep and lustrous.

The Qi Recovery Pill was complete.

Xiao Chen placed the pill in a jade bottle and set it on the table.

He glanced out the window. It was already the dead of night.

Xiao Chen didn't sleep. He sat cross-legged on the bed.

Closing his eyes, Xiao Chen circulated the Dou Qi within his body.

The Dou Emperor Bloodline made his cultivation speed several times faster than before.

Dou Qi flowed through his meridians again and again. He could clearly feel the Dou Qi within his body slowly growing.

The next morning, Xiao Chen opened his eyes, and a gleam flashed through them.

After a night of cultivation, Xiao Chen's strength had not broken through, but it had stabilized considerably. His strength as a three-star Dou Emperor was now completely consolidated.

He rolled his neck and opened the system panel.

[Daily copy opportunity refreshed. Would you like to copy?]

Xiao Chen looked at the system panel before him, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

The daily copy opportunity was the key to growing stronger. He absolutely couldn't waste it.

"Copy now," Xiao Chen said inwardly.

[Randomly selecting a copy target...]

[Copy target: Yun Shan.]

[Copy Dou Technique: Great Wind Hand Seal.]

[Copy successful.]

[Congratulations, host. You have obtained Yun Shan's Dou Technique: Great Wind Hand Seal.]

The moment the system notification sounded, a massive flood of information poured into Xiao Chen's mind.

The Great Wind Hand Seal was a high-tier Mystic-class Dou Technique and one of Yun Shan's signature techniques as the former sect master of the Misty Cloud Sect. When unleashed with a palm strike, it came crashing down like a raging gale, its power astonishing.

Xiao Chen opened his eyes. As he absorbed the Dou Technique's information, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

He had gained another high-tier Mystic-class Dou Technique. With Extreme Wind: Meteor Kill, which he had copied from Yun Yun earlier, he now had two high-tier Mystic-class Dou Techniques.

Xiao Chen stood up and stretched.

He walked to the table, picked up the jade bottle containing the Qi Recovery Pill, and tucked it into his robe.

It was time to head to the Mittel Auction House.

Xiao Chen opened the door and stepped outside.

He took a deep breath and headed for the Xiao Clan's main gate.

As he passed the hall, Xiao Chen saw several elders inside discussing matters.

He didn't go in. He walked straight past, not wanting to waste time.

The Mittel Auction House.

Xiao Chen walked through the entrance, and a maid in the lobby immediately came over to greet him.

"Young Master Xiao Chen, you're here," the maid said with a curtsy. "Miss Ya Fei is waiting for you upstairs."

Xiao Chen nodded and followed the maid upstairs.

At the door of the VIP room, the maid knocked.

"Come in," Ya Fei's voice came from inside.

The maid opened the door, and Xiao Chen walked in.

Ya Fei and Gu Ni were both seated inside. When they saw Xiao Chen enter, they quickly stood up.

"Young Master Xiao Chen, you're here." A smile appeared on Ya Fei's face.

Xiao Chen nodded and sat down in a chair.

He took the jade bottle from his robe and placed it on the table.

"The Qi Recovery Pill is ready."

Ya Fei and Gu Ni exchanged a glance. They could both see the shock in each other's eyes.

They hadn't expected Xiao Chen to actually bring the pill.

Gu Ni picked up the jade bottle, removed the stopper, and poured out the pill.

A smooth, round pill rested in Gu Ni's palm, giving off a faint medicinal fragrance.

Gu Ni examined it closely, and shock appeared on his face.

"This is... a third-tier Qi Recovery Pill," Gu Ni said, his voice trembling slightly.

"How's the quality?" Ya Fei asked.

"High-grade," Gu Ni replied. "And the refining technique is exceptionally skillful. No ordinary person could do this."

Ya Fei drew a deep breath.

Even among the third-tier alchemists she had met, very few could refine a high-grade third-tier Qi Recovery Pill.

Xiao Chen's alchemy skills surpassed theirs.

"Young Master Xiao Chen, your alchemy skills are truly extraordinary," Ya Fei said.

Xiao Chen looked at Ya Fei and replied flatly, "I've delivered the pill. May I leave now?"

"Please wait, Young Master." Ya Fei hurried to stop him.

Xiao Chen looked at Ya Fei.

"You've done us such a great favor, and we haven't properly thanked you yet," Ya Fei said. "Is there anything you need our help with?"

Xiao Chen thought for a moment. "Not at the moment."

"If you ever need anything, just ask," Ya Fei said. "If it's within the Mittel Auction House's power, we won't refuse."

Xiao Chen nodded and stood up.

"Then I'll be going."

"Take care, Young Master." Ya Fei and Gu Ni stood at the same time and saw Xiao Chen to the door.

Xiao Chen waved his hand and left the VIP room without looking back.

Ya Fei stood in the doorway, watching Xiao Chen walk away. Shock flickered in her eyes.

This young man was even more unfathomable than she had imagined.

Gu Ni stood behind Ya Fei and murmured, "We absolutely mustn't offend him."