The Auction

The Mittal Auction House.

"You didn't let the source of the items I'm auctioning slip, right?"

Xiao Lei admired the dark, long saber in his hand as he asked casually.

The more he looked at the saber, the more he liked it. He had officially named it Xuan Yi.

"Of course not. The items you brought this time were such a mixed bag, covering all kinds of things. No one would guess they all came from one person."

When Xiao Lei had first brought in the items, Ya Fei had been genuinely surprised. There were all kinds of pills, ranging from First- to Fourth-Grade, a whole pile of Yellow Tier Cultivation Techniques and Dou Techniques, and various weapons.

It had made Ya Fei wonder whether Xiao Lei had robbed some faction to get his hands on so many Dou Techniques.

As she spoke, Ya Fei swayed over to Xiao Lei and came to a stop behind him, resting both hands lightly on his shoulders.

"Nicely done! Once this auction is over, your results should be enough to pass your family's test, right?"

Ya Fei had come to Wutan City at her own request. Her aim was to prove her worth to the family, and a better evaluation would naturally work in her favor.

"Mm-hmm. After the auction, I'll probably have to leave Wutan City and return to the imperial capital."

"What, you can't bear to part with Sister Ya Fei?"

Ya Fei teased him softly. Now that she knew how strong Xiao Lei was, she no longer worried that her family would make things difficult for her.

As long as Xiao Lei didn't turn his back on her, his current strength as a Dou Ling and his status as a Fourth-Grade alchemist would earn him respect even from the Mittel Family. With Xiao Lei backing her, how could the family force Ya Fei into anything?

Xiao Lei didn't answer. There was no need to respond to a question like that from Ya Fei.

With a woman like Ya Fei, words didn't matter. After all, who could be more skilled with her tongue than Ya Fei?

Seeing that Xiao Lei had said nothing, Ya Fei wasn't the least bit embarrassed. Instead, she smoothly changed the subject.

"I never imagined you'd become so strong in such a short time, little brother. It seems I really did choose the right person! A few days ago, you asked me about Jia Nan Academy. Are you planning to study there?"

Ya Fei's slender hands weren't merely resting on Xiao Lei's shoulders. As she spoke, she gently massaged them.

If Ya Fei's admirers in Wutan City saw this, their eyes would probably blaze with fury.

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

"Oh? Does Sister Ya Fei have any advice? Is there somewhere better?"

Xiao Lei chuckled and asked casually. As he saw it, joining a faction wasn't important in itself. He was applying to Jia Nan Academy only for the chance to copy Su Qian's cultivation and to meet Zi Yan.

Even setting aside the power of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan, Zi Yan's own talent was certainly worth taking seriously.

After all, even while slacking off as much as she did in the original story, she still reached Four-Star Dou Sheng before the great battle began.

"Hehe, little brother, you're teasing me. How could I possibly advise you? These are just a few humble thoughts!"

"Although Jia Nan Academy is famous across the continent, its nature as an academy means it won't deliberately favor any one person. The resources it can direct toward someone are ultimately limited. In my opinion, why not consider the Misty Cloud Sect?"

Xiao Lei still didn't give her a direct answer, but the truth was clear to him.

Join the Misty Cloud Sect? To get himself killed?

The Soul Hall Protector was on Misty Cloud Mountain right now!

"Go host the auction. And remember to prepare a black robe for me, so I can take part in the auction 'secretly.'"

There weren't many people in Wutan City who could bid against Yao Lao. To make more money, Xiao Lei had no choice but to take the stage himself.

"Good evening, everyone... Ya Fei wishes you all the best of luck in finding what you need at today's auction! And now, let's begin."

"First item up for auction: Fourth-Grade pill—the Qi Gathering Powder!"

"I'm sure everyone's heard of Qi Gathering Powder. It can help someone at the Ninth Stage Dou Qi condense a Dou Qi Vortex with a hundred percent success rate and break through to Dou Zhe. Let's start the bidding!"

From a corner of the auction hall, Xiao Lei used his soul power to scan the room, searching for Xiao Yan and his master.

"Even the city lord came!"

Xiao Lei glanced at one of the private rooms and chuckled. The more people there were, the more complicated things became—and the more that worked in his favor.

"I bid four hundred thousand gold coins!"

A deep voice came from the city lord's private room, making it clear that he was determined to win.

No one present wanted to bid against the city lord, and they didn't have the money to do so anyway. They had no choice but to give up. Xiao Lei wasn't surprised. Wutan City simply didn't have much purchasing power.

"Either way, I'm making a profit. It's only here to test my alchemy skills, after all."

The ingredients for Qi Gathering Powder cost only tens of thousands of gold coins. And the system's assessment of Xiao Lei's alchemist rank was completely accurate. Xiao Lei had an extremely high success rate when refining an ordinary Fourth-Grade pill like Qi Gathering Powder.

So whichever way he looked at it, Xiao Lei was making a profit.

Besides, Xiao Yan and his master were his targets this time.

After the brief excitement sparked by the first item, the atmosphere began to cool.

The main reason was that Xiao Lei had included many items seized from the Wolf Head Mercenary Group.

"Next item: a stalk of Ice Spirit Flame Grass. It can serve as a primary ingredient for various Fifth- and Sixth-Grade pills... At the consignor's request, this medicinal ingredient will only be exchanged for another item. Dou Techniques are preferred."

At once, the whole room fell silent. Ingredients for refining Fifth- and Sixth-Grade pills?

Where in Wutan City could they find an alchemist of that caliber?

Dou Techniques? To trade for an ingredient like that, they'd need at least a Mystic Tier Dou Technique. But in a place like Wutan City, a Mystic Tier Dou Technique was enough to serve as a clan's most treasured inheritance.

Now for the important part!

Xiao Lei perked up at the words. He paid no attention to what the others were thinking. From beginning to end, the only person he cared about was Yao Lao.

"I bid one mid-level Mystic Tier Dou Technique!"

An aged voice came from another private room. Xiao Lei probed it with his soul power, but when he found he couldn't see through the room, he was sure it had to be Yao Lao.

Xiao Lei feigned surprise and withdrew his gaze, then raised the bidding paddle in his hand.

"I bid one high-level Mystic Tier Dou Technique!"

As if he'd let Yao Lao and Xiao Yan buy his medicinal ingredient that easily!

He had to raise the price!

Xiao Yan, in the private room, was stunned. He'd already bid a mid-level Mystic Tier Dou Technique, and someone was still competing with him!

"It's your cousin, Xiao Lei, the one you met a few days ago. I probed him. His soul power is very solid, and he may be trying to break through to become a Fifth-Grade alchemist. It's understandable that he'd want to buy this ingredient."

Yao Lao's voice rang out in Xiao Yan's mind, immediately putting him at ease.

When it came to Dou Techniques, who could have a deeper collection than his own master?

"I request verification of the bid!"

Unexpectedly, Yao Lao didn't have Xiao Yan raise his bid right away. Instead, he decided to test Xiao Lei first.

His instincts, honed over many years, told him that Xiao Lei might be deliberately driving up the price against him.

After all, one stalk of Ice Spirit Flame Grass simply wasn't worth that much.

"Private Room Three has requested bid verification. Sir who just placed the bid, please come to the back and verify your offer. Thank you for your cooperation!"

Ya Fei spoke calmly, without the slightest change in expression.