Auction

Mite'er Auction House.

"I gave you instructions not to leak the source of the items for this auction. You haven't had any issues, have you?"

Xiao Lei asked casually while admiring the black blade in his hand.

The more Xiao Lei looked at this long blade, the more he liked it, and he had officially named it "Xuan Yi."

"Naturally not. The items you provided this time are quite eclectic and all-encompassing; the average person would never guess they all came from one individual."

When Xiao Lei first brought out this batch of goods, Ya Fei had been genuinely astonished. There were all sorts of medicinal pills ranging from the first to the fourth grade, a large pile of Huang-tier cultivation methods and Dou Techniques, and various weapons.

This couldn't help but make Ya Fei wonder if Xiao Lei had raided some faction to acquire such a collection of Dou Techniques.

As she spoke, Ya Fei swayed her body slowly to stand behind Xiao Lei, resting her hands gently on his shoulders.

"Well done! Once this auction concludes, your performance should be enough to complete the test the family set for you, right?"

Ya Fei had applied to come to Wutan City herself, aiming to prove her value to the family. The higher her evaluation, the more advantageous it would be for her.

"Mm, once this auction ends, I expect I'll have to leave Wutan City and return to the Imperial Capital."

"What, can't bear to leave your big sister?"

Ya Fei teased softly. Now that she knew Xiao Lei's current strength, she no longer worried about the family giving her a hard time.

As long as Xiao Lei didn't turn his back on her, with his current strength as a Dou Ling and his status as a fourth-grade alchemist, even the Mite'er Family would have to treat him with courtesy. With Xiao Lei backing her, how could the Mite'er Family ever force Ya Fei again?

Xiao Lei remained silent; there was no need to answer such a question from Ya Fei.

When dealing with a woman like Ya Fei, words were unimportant—after all, who could possibly out-talk her?

Seeing that Xiao Lei didn't respond, Ya Fei felt no awkwardness at all and instead took the initiative to open a new topic.

"I didn't expect you to reach such a level of strength in such a short time, little brother. I truly didn't misjudge you! You were asking me about Jia Nan Academy a few days ago—are you planning to go there for your studies?"

Ya Fei's slender, delicate hands weren't just resting on Xiao Lei; as she spoke, she began to gently massage his shoulders.

If the admirers of Ya Fei in Wutan City saw this scene, their eyes would likely spit fire.

Xiao Lei closed his eyes, appearing as if he had fallen asleep.

"Oh? Does Big Sister Ya Fei have any advice? Is there perhaps a better place to go?"

Xiao Lei chuckled and said offhandedly. In his view, joining a faction wasn't inherently important; he was only signing up for Jia Nan Academy for the chance to copy Su Qian's cultivation and to get to Zi Yan.

Setting aside the strength of the Ancient Void Dragon clan, Zi Yan's own talent was absolutely worth Xiao Lei's attention.

After all, even while she was slacking off in the original story, she still managed to cultivate to a four-star Dou Sheng before the great war arrived.

"Hehe, you're really making fun of me, little brother. How could I possibly advise you? These are just some shallow opinions of mine!"

"Although Jia Nan Academy is famous throughout the continent, the nature of the academy dictates that it won't show special favoritism to any one person. The allocation of resources is ultimately limited. In my opinion, why not consider the Misty Cloud Sect?"

Xiao Lei still didn't answer directly, but he saw through her intentions clearly.

Go to the Misty Cloud Sect? To deliver his own head?

One had to remember that a Soul Hall protector was currently stationed on Misty Cloud Mountain!

"Go and preside over the auction! Remember to prepare a black robe for me so I can participate in the auction 'secretly'."

There weren't many people in Wutan City who could bid against Yao Lao. To earn a bit more, Xiao Lei had to enter the fray himself.

"Good evening, everyone... I, Ya Fei, hope you all manage to buy what you need at this auction! Let us begin."

"The first item: a fourth-grade medicinal pill—the Qi Gathering Powder!"

"I believe you have all heard of the Qi Gathering Powder. It can help someone at the ninth stage of Dou Disciple condense their Dou Qi cyclone with a one hundred percent success rate to break through to the rank of Dou Practitioner. Let the bidding begin!"

In a corner of the hall, Xiao Lei used his soul power to scan the area, searching for the master-disciple duo of Xiao Yan.

"Even the City Lord has come!"

Xiao Lei glanced at a private box and chuckled. The more people who came and the more complex the situation, the more advantageous it was for him.

"I bid four hundred thousand gold coins!"

A heavy voice came from the box belonging to the City Lord, showing his determination to win.

The people present were neither willing to bid against the City Lord nor did they have the financial power to do so, so they had no choice but to give up. Xiao Lei wasn't surprised by this; the spending power of Wutan City was just like that.

"It's profit either way. It was only meant to gauge my alchemy skills, anyway."

The cost of the herbs for the Qi Gathering Powder amounted to only a few tens of thousands of gold coins. Since the system's assessment of Xiao Lei's alchemist rank was truly without a shred of exaggeration, his success rate in refining common fourth-grade pills like the Qi Gathering Powder was incredibly high.

So, no matter how he calculated it, Xiao Lei was making a profit.

Moreover, Xiao Lei's target this time was the master and disciple, Xiao Yan and Yao Lao.

After the small climax caused by the first item, the atmosphere turned somewhat cold.

The main reason was that Xiao Lei had inserted many items he had seized from the Wolf Head Mercenary Group into the mix.

"The next item is an Ice Spirit Flame Grass, which can serve as a primary ingredient for various fifth and sixth-grade medicinal pills... According to the consignor's request, this herb will only be traded for other items, with Dou Techniques being the preferred choice."

Upon hearing this, the hall fell into a sudden hush. An herb for refining fifth or sixth-grade pills?

Where in Wutan City could one possibly find such a high-level alchemist!

As for Dou Techniques? Medicinal herbs of this caliber would require at least a Profound-tier Dou Technique to trade for, yet in a place like Wutan City, a Profound-tier Dou Technique is enough to serve as the ancestral treasure of an entire clan.

The crucial moment arrived!

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lei perked up slightly. He paid no mind to the thoughts of the others; from start to finish, his focus remained solely on Yao Lao.

"I offer one Profound-tier Mid-grade Dou Technique!"

A hoarse, aged voice drifted from another private room. Xiao Lei probed it with his soul power, and upon finding he could not penetrate the barrier, he immediately concluded that it must be Yao Lao without a doubt.

Xiao Lei feigned surprise, withdrew his gaze, and promptly raised the placard in his hand.

"I offer one Profound-tier High-grade Dou Technique!"

As if he were joking—there was no way he would let those two easily purchase his medicinal herbs!

He had to drive up the price!

Inside the private room, Xiao Yan was momentarily stunned to see this; he had already bid a Profound-tier Mid-grade technique, yet someone was still competing!

"It is that cousin of yours, Xiao Lei, whom you met a few days ago. I have probed his condition; his soul power is very solid. He may be attempting to break through to a Fifth-tier Alchemist, so it is understandable that he would want to buy this herb."

Yao Lao's voice resonated in the depths of Xiao Yan's mind, instantly steadying his spirit.

When it came to Dou Techniques, who could possibly have a deeper foundation than his own teacher!

"I request to verify the bid!"

Unexpectedly, Yao Lao did not let Xiao Yan immediately raise the price, but instead prepared to test Xiao Lei first.

Years of intuition gave him the feeling that Xiao Lei was intentionally driving up the price against him.

After all, a single Ice Spirit Flame Grass was truly not worth this price.

"The guest in Room Three has requested a bid verification. Would the gentleman who just placed the bid please proceed to the rear to prove the validity of your offer? Thank you for your cooperation!"

Ya Fei spoke calmly, her tone devoid of any fluctuation.