A Worthy Opponent

At the end of the street, a magnificent golden building crouched like a colossal beast, quietly occupying the ground.

The Miteer Auction House.

No one knew what the building was made of. Under the moonlight, it radiated a pale golden glow, luxurious and imposing, exuding an indescribable pressure.

At the entrance stood two rows of guards in silver armor, holding spears. They stood solemnly, like statues.

The iron-blooded menace about them kept anyone with ill intentions from daring to come anywhere near.

Su Chen stood in the shadows at the street corner, as if he belonged to a different world from that resplendent place.

He slipped a hand inside his clothes and gripped the warm jade bottle.

The pure, steady power within it traveled through his fingertips, bringing a reassuring trace of warmth.

Su Chen closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, the last hint of hesitation had vanished.

He stepped out of the shadows and walked toward the golden beast, radiating boundless authority and temptation, one step at a time.

"Stop!"

A cold reprimand rang out like a blade leaving its sheath.

Two gleaming spears crossed in front of Su Chen, blocking his way.

The head guard sized up the boy in front of him with the same look one might give a piece of merchandise. His clothes were ragged, and a faint sour stink clung to him.

The guard's brows furrowed so deeply they could have crushed a fly.

"This is the Miteer Auction House, not a place for beggars. Get lost!"

Su Chen didn't get angry at the man's rudeness.

He simply lifted his head, met the guard's contemptuous gaze, and spoke.

"I'm here to sell something."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear, without a trace of the timidity one would expect from someone his age.

The head guard froze, then scoffed as if he'd just heard the biggest joke in the world.

"Sell something? You?"

He pointed at Su Chen's old, faded clothes.

"Do you know what the cheapest item we sell here costs? You couldn't scrape together even the smallest fraction of it by selling yourself!"

The guards around them chuckled under their breath.

Su Chen didn't argue.

He simply took out a small celadon bottle, wrapped in layer upon layer of gray cloth.

Then he held it out.

"Take this to your appraiser."

"He'll want to see me."

The smile froze on the head guard's face.

He looked at the boy before him.

Those eyes were far too calm.

There was no fear, no anger—only a confidence that made the guard deeply uneasy, as if everything were under his control.

Where had a poor kid gotten that kind of nerve?

The head guard was seized by uncertainty.

The Miteer Auction House had a rule: never slight a potential customer, no matter how much they looked like a beggar.

What if... what if the kid really did have something valuable?

After a moment's hesitation, he decided he couldn't risk his livelihood.

"Wait here!"

He tossed out the words irritably, snatched the jade bottle from Su Chen, and turned to enter the gilded gate that ordinary people wouldn't even dare approach.

* * *

Inside the appraisal room.

A distinctive fragrance, made from dozens of rare medicinal ingredients, filled the air.

An elderly man in gray robes, with white hair, was examining a deep-blue ore with a magnifying glass.

He was Guni, chief appraiser of the Miteer Auction House's Wutan City branch.

A genuine Second-Rank Alchemist.

"Master Gu Ni."

The head guard respectfully set the small celadon bottle on the purple-velvet-covered table.

"There's a kid outside who says he wants to sell this."

Gu Ni didn't even raise his eyes. He remained focused on the ore in his hands.

"What's his background?"

"He looks like some poor kid from the slums, dressed in rags." The head guard curled his lip disdainfully.

"Oh?"

Gu Ni finally put down the magnifying glass and glanced impatiently at the shoddy jade bottle.

He saw this sort of thing a hundred times a day.

Most were worthless trinkets brought back by third-rate mercenaries from the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, who dreamed of striking it rich overnight.

Somewhat listlessly, he picked up the bottle and casually pulled out the stopper.

The next moment—

Gu Ni froze.

His eyes, clouded slightly with age, suddenly contracted to two dangerous pinpricks!

There was none of the expected billowing black smoke.

Nor did it carry the sulfurous, violent stench characteristic of low-grade Beast Flame.

A flame no bigger than a fist rose from the bottle's mouth, glowing a gentle orange-red as it burned quietly.

It was far too pure.

It was as pure as a blazing piece of top-grade amber, without the slightest impurity.

It was far too stable.

It was so steady that it seemed less like a flame and more like a work of art, meticulously carved by a master artisan.

Gu Ni's breath nearly stopped.

He had spent his entire life dealing with flames and medicinal ingredients.

He didn't even need to use his spiritual strength to sense it. One look was enough to tell him the flame's value!

Th-this wasn't natural Beast Flame at all!

Natural Beast Flame couldn't possibly be this perfect!

It had absolutely been refined through some secret method beyond his comprehension!

"Where is he?"

Gu Ni's voice turned hoarse, and even trembled almost imperceptibly.

The head guard was startled by his sudden reaction and hurriedly replied.

"R-right outside, waiting."

"Quick! Bring him in! No, I'll go myself!"

Gu Ni sprang to his feet with a speed that didn't suit a man of his advanced years.

He didn't even bother to maintain the dignity of a chief appraiser. Grabbing the bottle of "Rock Fire Seed," he hurried toward the door.

He knew exactly what this flame meant—to him, and to the entire Miteer Auction House in Wutan City.

* * *

Inside the luxurious, elegant VIP room.

A faint fragrance floated through the air, soothing the mind.

Su Chen sat on a soft sofa upholstered in Magical Beast fur. A spread of delicate refreshments and steaming tea had been laid out on the table in front of him.

Compared to his earlier circumstances, it was like night and day.

But he didn't touch any of it.

He simply sat quietly, taking in the room.

Footsteps sounded.

A fragrant breeze arrived before the woman herself.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, little brother. It was terribly rude of me."

A voice so beguiling it could melt a man's bones rang out from the doorway.

Su Chen looked up.

A woman in a red, figure-hugging qipao was leaning against the doorframe, smiling at him.

The qipao outlined her mature curves to perfection.

Her glossy black hair was casually swept into a languid bun, with a few playful wisps falling loose to add to her allure.

Her beauty was breathtaking.

Especially her limpid, peach-blossom eyes. A single glance, a single turn of her gaze, seemed capable of stealing a man's soul.

Ya Fei, chief auctioneer of the Miteer Auction House.

The goddess of countless men in Wutan City, a true enchantress blessed with both beauty and intelligence.

Ya Fei moved gracefully to the sofa opposite Su Chen and sat down, her every motion carrying an effortless allure.

She gently placed the small celadon bottle on the table.

"Little brother, may I ask which great master taught you to handle such a wondrous flame?"

She spoke with a smile, but her question was a poisoned dagger aimed straight at the heart of the matter.

She didn't believe a boy so young could possess such skill.

There had to be an unfathomable alchemy master standing behind him.

And that was what she cared about most.

Su Chen looked at the stunning beauty before him, unmoved.

In his previous life, he had lived through an age of information overload and seen countless beautiful celebrity actresses.

He had long since built up enough resistance to this level of seduction.

"Miss Ya Fei is joking."

Su Chen's tone was calm and distant.

"I'm just a nobody who happened to come across a bit of luck. Let's talk about the flame instead."

He deftly sidestepped the question and steered the conversation back to the "merchandise" itself.

A flicker of surprise, difficult to detect, passed through Ya Fei's lovely peach-blossom eyes.

She had never met a boy who could face her so calmly, much less one who could so easily defuse her verbal trap.

Interesting.

The thought flashed through her mind.

Her smile grew even more captivating.

"Very well. Then let's talk about the flame."

She extended a slender, jade-like finger and lightly tapped the bottle.

"I'm curious. With a flame of this quality, little brother, how much can you provide?"

That, too, was a trap.

If Su Chen gave a specific number, he would reveal his hand.

Su Chen picked up the teacup in front of him and took a light sip.

"That depends on how much Miss Ya Fei is willing to take."

He set the teacup down and met her gaze without deference or fear.

"It also depends on what kind of price the Miteer Auction House can offer me."

The air seemed to still for a moment.

For the first time, Ya Fei's smile faltered.

She looked at the boy before her.

Thin, ordinary, and dressed in shabby clothes.

Yet his eyes were deep as an ancient well, and his composure was utterly unlike that of a boy of fifteen or sixteen.

He hadn't come to ask for help.

He had come to... do business.

On entirely equal terms.

Ya Fei suddenly felt that she might have underestimated this interesting "little brother."

She fell silent for a moment.

When she spoke again, the deliberate softness had quietly left her voice. In its place was the sharp decisiveness of a chief auctioneer.

"Your flame is excellent."

"Its value far exceeds that of any first-tier Beast Flame on the market in Wutan City."

"But its origins are unknown, and so are yours. That makes it a risk for the Miteer Auction House."

Ya Fei lightly tapped her fingertips against the tabletop, each tap ringing crisply.

"I need a guarantee."

Su Chen knew the real negotiation was only just beginning.

"I guarantee that my flame comes from a completely clean source."

"I guarantee that in Wutan City, I'm the only one who can provide flame of this quality."

"I can also guarantee that it will bring the auction house profits far beyond your imagination."

Su Chen had used the word "guarantee" three times in a row, each one carrying undeniable weight.

Ya Fei's peach-blossom eyes narrowed slightly.

What an audacious claim.

She stared at Su Chen, as if trying to spot even the slightest hint of uncertainty on his face.

But she was disappointed.

That young face showed nothing but calm and confidence.

After a long while,

Ya Fei suddenly broke into a smile.

Her smile was like a hundred flowers in bloom, brightening the entire room.

"Good."

She rose to her feet and held out a hand as white as jade.

"I'll trust you this once."

"I'll decide on a starting price of fifty gold coins for this bottle of fire. We have a small auction in three days. I'll make it one of the headline items and see how the market responds."

"As for you..."

Ya Fei walked over to Su Chen, leaned down, and brought her red lips close to his ear, her breath fragrant as orchids.

"You'll stay here for the next three days. We'll arrange the best guest room for you and make sure no one with eyes but no sense comes to disturb our honored guest."

"Little brother, what do you think?"

Her warm, fragrant breath brushed his ear.

Su Chen's heart skipped half a beat.

But he knew this wasn't seduction.

It was protection.

And also... a kind of disguised surveillance.

He looked into Ya Fei's smiling peach-blossom eyes and slowly nodded.

"Pleasure doing business with you."