Foundation-Strengthening Liquid

The two did not dare delay and hurriedly respectfully ushered everyone into the auction house. The Purple Crystal Winged Lion King was also arranged to rest in a spacious open area behind the auction house.

In the reception hall, Ya Fei arranged seats for everyone while maids served tea and pastries.

However, she and Gu Ni did not dare sit down, merely standing respectfully to one side.

Ya Fei softly asked, "May I ask if the Supreme Elder has come to Wutan City on some business?"

Hai Bo Dong did not answer. Instead, he turned to Su Zhao, who sat in the seat of honor, and asked in a low voice, "Young Master, have you come to Wutan City on an important matter?"

Su Zhao had not mentioned his purpose throughout the journey, so Hai Bo Dong had no idea what exactly he intended to do.

In this small city, where the strongest experts were merely Dou Grandmasters, Hai Bo Dong truly could not think of anything that could be of use to Su Zhao.

Yet Ya Fei and Gu Ni sharply caught that key word—Young Master!

The Supreme Elder called this young man Young Master? And his tone was so respectful? The Supreme Elder was a mighty Dou Emperor, one of the foremost figures in the entire Jia Ma Empire, yet he was being so deferential to a youth who looked no older than sixteen or seventeen?

Just who was this young man?

Su Zhao took a sip of tea, set down his cup, and looked at Ya Fei. "Miss Ya Fei, you have been operating in Wutan City for a long time. Could you tell me something about the city?"

Ya Fei came back to her senses and gave a charming smile. "Of course."

She then proceeded to recount all the major and minor events in Wutan City, from the distribution of power among the three great clans to developments throughout the city, leaving out no detail.

As Su Zhao listened, he casually asked about the Xiao Clan.

Naturally, Ya Fei did not conceal anything. She roughly explained the Xiao Clan's current situation, as well as Xiao Yan's miserable life over the past two years after losing his Dou Qi.

After listening, Su Zhao had formed a plan.

After pondering briefly, he raised his hand and took out a jade bottle. He placed it on the table and pushed it toward Ya Fei. "Miss Ya Fei, this is a second-tier Foundation-Strengthening Liquid. It can accelerate cultivation during the Dou Qi stage. Please help me publicize it and put it up for auction."

Ya Fei was startled and hurriedly took the jade bottle, examining it closely.

As everyone knew, the Dou Qi stage was the crucial period for laying one's foundation. The meridians were extremely fragile, and medicinal pills could hardly be used to assist cultivation, as their violent energy could easily damage the foundation of one's meridians.

Yet this Foundation-Strengthening Liquid could increase cultivation speed during the Dou Qi stage?

She subconsciously glanced at Su Zhao, feeling somewhat doubtful. After all, the youth before her looked far too young.

Hai Bo Dong saw Ya Fei's hesitation and said blandly, "You only need to do as instructed. Young Master is a sixth-tier alchemist. In the entire Jia Ma Empire, there is likely no one whose alchemy can compare with his."

A sixth-tier... alchemist?!

This time, Ya Fei was truly stunned, and Gu Ni beside her widened his eyes as well.

A sixth-tier alchemist? Was this some kind of joke?!

The youth before them looked no older than sixteen or seventeen. No matter how they looked at him, he did not resemble a master capable of refining sixth-tier medicinal pills!

In the entire Jia Ma Empire, the only known sixth-tier alchemist was Pill King Gu He. Yet from Hai Bo Dong's tone, he clearly believed Su Zhao's alchemy surpassed even Gu He's!

A tempest churned in Ya Fei's heart, but her expression swiftly returned to calm. She respectfully accepted the jade bottle and said solemnly, "Yes. Ya Fei will make the arrangements at once."

Su Zhao took another sip of tea, his gaze calm as he began calculating his next move.

The second-tier Foundation-Strengthening Liquid was tailored specifically for the Dou Qi stage and could speed up cultivation. He refused to believe Xiao Zhan would not be tempted.

Xiao Yan's Dou Qi cultivation had now fallen to only the third stage of Dou Qi. This Foundation-Strengthening Liquid could be said to have been prepared specifically for Xiao Yan, allowing him to quickly pass through the Dou Qi stage.

Xiao Zhan would definitely come to bid for it. At that time, Ya Fei only needed to reveal a little about his identity as a high-tier alchemist.

Given Xiao Zhan's temperament, he would surely come begging him to treat Xiao Yan.

Then he would have a chance to come into contact with Yao Lao's ring.

It would probably not be easy to obtain the ring from Xiao Yan, since it was a keepsake left behind by Xiao Yan's mother. But borrowing it for a day or two should not be much of a problem.

If that fellow truly could not be reasoned with, then he would have to use another method.

Steal!

He would directly steal the storage ring. It was a last resort, but Su Zhao was determined to obtain the Poison Pill Method! However, there was a certain chance that this method would offend Xun'er, who was hidden within the Xiao Clan.

Su Zhao did not want to offend the little princess of the Ancient Clan. Unless absolutely necessary, he would not easily resort to this method.

With Ya Fei's publicity efforts, news of the second-tier Foundation-Strengthening Liquid spread through Wutan City as if it had grown wings in just one day.

From streets and alleys to teahouses and taverns, everyone was discussing this rare matter. A medicinal liquid capable of assisting cultivation during the Dou Qi stage was unheard of in Wutan City.

Especially for the three great clans, Ya Fei arranged for invitations to be personally delivered to their doors, politely and thoroughly explaining the time and location of the auction.

This time, Su Zhao had put up a total of ten portions of Foundation-Strengthening Liquid for auction.

This sort of medicinal liquid, capable of assisting cultivation during the Dou Qi stage, was nearly unheard of. But given the Mittel Family's reputation, since they had released the news, the medicinal liquid had to be genuine!

For a time, the three great clans were stirred into action. The Xiao Clan, Jia Lie Clan, and Ao Ba Clan all began preparing their funds for the auction in secret.

The auction would be held three days later, and Su Zhao did not remain idle during those three days.

The Mittel Auction House collected medicinal ingredients for him, and he used his spare time to refine two Qi-Gathering Powders.

One was intended for auction, while the other was prepared for Qing Lin's breakthrough to Dou Practitioner.

After Gu Ni learned that Su Zhao intended to refine pills within the auction house, he hesitated for a long time. In the end, he cautiously knocked on Su Zhao's door and made his request in an almost pleading manner, hoping to observe Su Zhao's pill refining from the side.

Su Zhao did not refuse.

He was only refining some low-tier medicinal pills. Having someone observe nearby would not affect him in any way.

Gu Ni was overjoyed. He repeatedly bowed in thanks, then respectfully moved a small stool into a corner and sat down. Throughout the process, he held his breath and focused intently, staring without blinking at Su Zhao's every movement.

This observation was undoubtedly immensely beneficial to Gu Ni.

He had been stuck at the level of a second-tier alchemist for many years, never able to touch the threshold of a third-tier alchemist. Now, witnessing Su Zhao's smooth and flowing refining process firsthand, the finer details of his techniques in fire control, purification, and fusion struck him like enlightenment, allowing him to vaguely touch the edge of that thin barrier. If he could watch a few more times, his chances of advancing to a third-tier alchemist in the future would greatly increase.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed, and the auction was held as scheduled.