Queen Medusa was undoubtedly among the strongest of the Dou Huang experts in the Jia Ma Empire!
Yun Yun truly wasn't confident enough.
But with the help of Pill King Gu He and Nalan Jie, two Dou Wang experts, and the Misty Cloud Sect's strength, even if they couldn't defeat Queen Medusa,
they should at least be able to hold her off and seize the Heavenly Flame. That shouldn't be a problem.
"No matter what, our objective this time is clear: seize the Heavenly Flame and make sure Mr. Yao takes notice of us!"
"Exactly!"
"With a figure like him appearing in the Jia Ma Empire, we need to do whatever it takes to build a good relationship with Mr. Yao."
"For the Misty Cloud Sect and the Nalan Family alike, that can only bring benefits."
"So I hope everyone will give it their all when the time comes!"
Over at the Miteer Auction House in Wutan City, Ya Fei hadn't been idle these past few days either.
From time to time, she invited Yao Chen to the private rooms in the Miteer Auction House's VIP lounge, treated him lavishly, and even brought in quite a few shapely female attendants to serve him.
"Mr. Yao, over the past few times, the pills you entrusted to the Miteer Auction House to sell..."
"Whether it's our auction house, the Mittel Family, or even me personally, we've all gained tremendous fame."
"We owe it all to you, Mr. Yao. I'll drink to you! I hope we'll continue to work together happily." Ya Fei said.
[A new quest: Refine a Rank 7 Pill, help Ya Fei rise to become the next clan leader of the Mittel Family, and earn her favor. Reward: one Orange Treasure Chest. Accept quest? Please choose.]
At the quest that had just appeared on the System Panel,
Yao Chen accepted without hesitation.
"System, I choose to accept the quest!" After making his choice, the corners of Yao Chen's mouth slowly curled upward.
Refining a Rank 7 Pill wasn't exactly easy for Yao Chen.
After all, even at his peak, he had only been able to refine Rank 8 Pills.
Now that he was merely a soul, he naturally couldn't match his former strength. Refining a Rank 7 Pill might carry some risk of failure.
Still, he believed that with his soul power and his current condition, refining a Rank 7 Pill shouldn't pose much of a problem.
Seated in the VIP room, Ya Fei wore a sexy red cheongsam.
She sat on a chair with her slender legs on display. Looking at Yao Chen, she asked, "Mr. Yao, what pill do you plan to sell through the Miteer Auction House next?"
"Will it still be a Rank 6 Pill?"
Ya Fei was full of anticipation. Just one Sect-Breaking Pill, a Rank 6 Pill, had already caused a sensation throughout the Jia Ma Empire.
If it were another Rank 6 Pill, who knew how much more of a stir it would cause across the empire!
For example, a Rank 6 Pill that could increase the strength of a Dou Huang expert.
The Jia Ma Empire's Dou Huang experts would probably go mad over it!
"Actually, I do plan to refine a pill next and entrust it to the Miteer Auction House to sell," Yao Chen said, then added pointedly, "But it won't be a Rank 6 Pill."
"Not a Rank 6 Pill?" Ya Fei gave a slight start and looked at Yao Chen.
"Then is it a Fifth-grade Pill?" she asked.
Though a Fifth-grade Pill wasn't as valuable or precious as a Rank 6 Pill, it was still excellent.
After all, Fifth-grade Pills weren't some common street-stall goods in the Jia Ma Empire. They were quite precious.
But to her surprise, Yao Chen shook his head again. Ya Fei asked in confusion, "What, is it not a Fifth-grade Pill either?"
"Could it be a Rank 4 Pill?"
"All right, a Rank 4 Pill might not be as precious as a Rank 6 or Fifth-grade Pill, but it's still excellent..."
Yet Yao Chen shook his head once more. Ya Fei froze. Was Yao Chen planning to refine a Rank 3 Pill for the Miteer Auction House?
Ya Fei suddenly began to doubt herself.
Had Mr. Yao been dissatisfied with her performance when he entrusted her with the Sect-Breaking Pill last time?
Was that why he was giving the Miteer Auction House a Rank 3 Pill this time, instead of a Rank 6 Pill?
Ya Fei was about to say, "Mr. Yao, when I handled the auction of your Rank 6 Pill last time, did I do something wrong that displeased you..."
Before she could finish, Yao Chen suddenly spoke.
"Next, I may refine a Rank 7 Pill and give it to you to auction!"
"What, a Rank 7 Pill?!"
Hearing Yao Chen's words, Ya Fei froze on the spot, utterly dumbfounded.
A Rank 7 Pill!
Good heavens!
Ya Fei thought she'd misheard. A Rank 7 Pill! The highest-ranked Alchemist in the Jia Ma Empire was Pill King Gu He, a Sixth-grade Alchemist.
A Rank 7 Pill!
Could Mr. Yao really be a Rank 7 Alchemist? That would be incredible!
A Rank 7 Alchemist was simply beyond belief!
Yao Chen saw the shock on Ya Fei's face and spoke slowly. "Don't get too excited yet. I do intend to refine a Rank 7 Pill for the Miteer Auction House to sell."
"But the ingredients for a Rank 7 Pill aren't easy to find."
"If the Miteer Auction House can't find the ingredients for the Rank 7 Pill I intend to refine, then I'm afraid... there won't be much hope for our cooperation this time."
"Then I'll have to work with another auction house," Yao Chen said.
"Don't worry, Mr. Yao. I'll do everything I can to gather the ingredients!"
"If we can't find them in the Jia Ma Empire, we'll search other countries—or anywhere else on the Dou Qi Continent."
"I'll do whatever it takes to find the ingredients you need!" Ya Fei said excitedly.
"Good. I'll wait to hear from you. I'll write down a list, and you can gather the ingredients on it," Yao Chen said. Then he quickly wrote out a list of ingredients and handed it to Ya Fei.
Half an hour later, Yao Chen left the Miteer Auction House's VIP room and departed.
A while later, he arrived at the back mountain of the Xiao Clan. For the next seven days, he supervised Xiao Yan's training.
Xiao Yan had now advanced from One-Star Dou Practitioner to Two-Star Dou Practitioner.
As soon as Xiao Yan had advanced, Yao Chen saw a reward appear on the System Panel!
[You, Elder Yao, helped your disciple Xiao Yan increase his strength by one star, advancing him to a Two-Star Dou Zhe. You received a random reward: one Black Treasure Chest.]