Shady Shop

"Burning Flame Valley, huh? I do have some connection with one of their elders, but after all these years, I wonder if that old fellow is still alive."

The voice of the Old Yao resounded in Xiao Yan's heart.

"Hmm, I remember now, it seems to be the Fire Cloud Ancestor, right?"

Xiao Yan pondered for a moment, then said.

"Yes, that old guy, do you remember him?"

The Old Yao asked with a smile.

"Well, he should have broken through to the Dou Sheng. I don't know if he has broken through yet, but he definitely has."

Xiao Yan said affirmatively.

"That old guy, he's got some good luck..."

Upon hearing this, the Old Yao sighed with emotion.

"Hmm, the Heavenly Fire Three Profound Transformations of Burning Flame Valley is a prerequisite secret technique for my Xiao Family's cultivation of Clan Mark. I plan to go to Burning Flame Valley to ask for it when I go to Central Plains in the future. What do you think, teacher?"

As Xiao Yan spoke, he briefly recounted the Heavenly Fire Three Profound Transformations, Xiao Xuan, and the story of the Burning Flame Ancestor.

"Hmm... If that's really the case, it's not difficult. As long as you subdue them and explain the facts, they will naturally hand over the Heavenly Fire Three Profound Transformations to you. The people of Burning Flame Valley are all fairly decent people; they're not the greedy kind."

After pondering for a moment, the Old Yao said in a deep voice.

"Yes, that would be best..."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan nodded, his eyes lighting up as he emerged from the auction house.

Upon entering the reception hall, Xiao Yan handed his VIP card to a maid, explained his purpose, and was then respectfully invited inside.

"Sir, please wait a moment. The auction is about to end, and the person in charge will settle the accounts for you then."

The maid placed two cups of warm tea on the table beside Xiao Yan, then smiled and withdrew.

Nodding slightly, Xiao Yan held the teacup in his hands and looked at Xiao Yi Xian.

Seeing that Xiao Yi Xian had taken a small sip and nodded, he then took a sip himself.

In this Black Corner Region, being cautious won't hurt.

If someone could successfully poison someone right under Xiao Yi Xian's nose, then Xiao Yan would accept it.

But at that point, probably no force in the Black Corner Region could withstand the onslaught of Old Yao, a Dou Zong powerhouse.

With his eyes slightly closed, Xiao Yan slowly tapped his fingers on the table. After a long while, several footsteps suddenly entered the hall from afar. His fingers gradually stopped, and Xiao Yan opened his eyes, looking at the curtain that had been lifted. There, a somewhat short and thin old man was leading two maids, smiling as he walked in.

"Hehe, sir, you must be the one who auctioned the Three-Turn Qi Gathering Pill, right? I'm in charge here, just call me Steward Hu."

Seeing Xiao Yan, who was so open and unassuming, yet whose aura was impossible to discern, the old man felt a chill run down his spine. He stepped forward and said with a smile.

"Hmm." Xiao Yan nodded slightly and said softly, "Steward Hu, is the auction over?"

"Hehe, it's a perfect ending."

Steward Hu smiled and nodded, his gaze sweeping over Xiao Yan subtly, but he didn't find anything that would reveal the latter's identity. He waved his hand, and a maid behind him quickly raised a silver tray. On the tray was a Purple Gold Card with six different colored ripples drawn on it.

Six-Pattern Purple Gold Card is something that only experts at the level of Dou Wang or above are qualified to obtain and carry in the Dou Qi Continent. Of course, there are always exceptions. Logically speaking, a Fourth-Tier Alchemist would also be qualified to have such a card.

"Sir, your Three-Turn Qi Gathering Pill, along with the other pills, has a total auction price of 9.5 million. After deducting the 10% auction fee, you will have 8.55 million left."

Steward Hu narrowed his eyes to slits and said with a smile:

"That Earth Core Fire Ganoderma cost 1.2 million, the two prescriptions cost 400,000, and the Jingzhe Thunder Spear cost 300,000. So your final reward is 6.65 million... The remaining money is in this Purple Gold Card, and the items you purchased are in this Storage Ring."

With a wave of his hand, Steward Hu handed a silver tray to Xiao Yan. On the tray were a Six-Pattern Purple Gold Card and an ordinary Storage Ring.

"What an outrageous handling fee..."

Hearing this, I shook my head helplessly. Nearly a million dollars had been swallowed up by this lousy Auction House; it was truly infuriating...

Reaching out, Xiao Yan took the card and the Storage Ring. After carefully examining the auction items in the Storage Ring, he took them out and put them into his own Storage Ring.

"By the way, Steward Hu, which faction successfully acquired the Earth Tier secret technique at the end of the auction?"

After tidying everything up, Xiao Yan asked with some curiosity.

"Hehe, that thing was eventually bought by Fan Lao, the sect leader of the Blood Sect, and he even declared that anyone who wanted that secret technique could exchange it for a cultivation technique of the same level."

Upon hearing Xiao Yan's question, Steward Hu did not hesitate and spoke directly. After all, countless people had witnessed the auction, and even if he didn't say anything, the news would probably spread throughout most of the Black Corner Region in just one afternoon.

"Tsk... Looks like this old guy also wants to switch to a higher-level cultivation technique to solidify his Dou Qi..."

Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow slightly and thought to himself thoughtfully.

"Now that I have the goods, I will not disturb you any longer. Farewell."

After receiving the answer, Xiao Yan bowed to Steward Hu and prepared to leave.

"Hehe, sir, please wait a moment. My sect leader is quite interested in you. If you don't mind, would you be willing to meet with my sect leader for a chat?"

Seeing that Xiao Yan was about to leave, Steward Hu suddenly laughed.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan refused without hesitation:

"Forget it, it's just some ordinary pills being auctioned. I'm pressed for time and need to reunite with my master as soon as possible, so I won't stay any longer. If there's anything else to auction in the future, I'll definitely come to Steward Hu. Farewell!"

After saying this, Xiao Yan, without waiting for Steward Hu to say anything to keep him, quickly led Xiao Yi Xian out of the hall.

Standing in the hall, Steward Hu squinted at Xiao Yan, who had disappeared from sight, and couldn't help but frown.

"What? You figured out who he is?"

A soft voice suddenly rang out in the hall. Steward Hu turned around and saw a burly middle-aged man sitting in the chair that Xiao Yan had been sitting in. With the appearance of this man, the atmosphere in the hall seemed to suddenly become oppressive, causing Steward Hu to bend over considerably.

"Sect Master..." Upon seeing the middle-aged man with slightly graying hair and beard, Steward Hu hurriedly and respectfully said, "It's still too early to tell. This lad is hiding his true nature too well; we can't see through him at all. But judging from his appearance, he should have a teacher who is at least Sixth-Grade Alchemist. However, I've tried to think of all the high-level alchemists I know, but I still can't figure out whose disciple he could be."

With a slight frown, the middle-aged man gave a soft "hmm," his voice carrying an undisguised chilling killing intent.

"Send someone to secretly follow him and find out his background. If he has someone backing him, fine. If not, then find a way to make him work for us. If that's not possible, then eliminate him!"

"Yes," Steward Hu quickly replied.

"Okay, go and take care of it. Find someone skilled in concealing their movements. I also need to personally handle the handover procedures for the Earth Tier secret technique for Fan Lao. That thing is too valuable. If Fan Lao weren't also a Dou Emperor, hey, there's no reason for him to take anything out of my auction."

Standing up, the middle-aged man curled his lip and walked towards the back of the hall, sneering with a hint of resentment.

Steward Hu nodded repeatedly, and only after the middle-aged man disappeared did he breathe a sigh of relief and quietly leave the hall.