Two-Stripe Green Spirit Pill, Yao Lao's Speculation

The auction hall of the Miter Auction House had long since become a sea of voices, with every seat filled.

As Wu Tan City's most prestigious trading venue, every auction gathered the city's foremost families.

The core members of the Xiao Household, Jia Lie Household, and Ao Ba Lineage had all taken their seats...

Xiao Yan was dressed in a loose black robe, concealed within a private room.

Xiao Yan had just successfully handed the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid to Master Gu Ni for appraisal and registration. All he needed to do was wait until the end of the auction to collect the gold.

Yet Xiao Yan sat with lowered eyes. Though he appeared calm, he kept recalling Yao Lao's warning from earlier...

A small frontier city like Wu Tan City had somehow produced a top alchemist suspected to be Fifth Grade.

Yao Lao, within the Storage Ring, had also sensed Xiao Yan's distraction and spoke again:

"Stop dwelling on it. Watch the auction properly..."

"If that mysterious alchemist has also come to consign pills at this auction house, then today's auction will be lively indeed..."

Xiao Yan's heart stirred. He quickly cast aside his stray thoughts and looked toward the auction stage.

Meanwhile, Yao Xuan sat calmly in the highest-class private room, taking a light sip of tea beside him without much change in expression.

With Ya Fei taking the stage, today's auction officially began.

The first item up for auction was precisely the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid consigned by Xiao Yan. Just like in the original story, Xiao Zhan bought it for forty thousand gold coins.

Seeing this, Xiao Yan could not help but give a wry smile. "In the end, this money still came from my father..."

Yao Lao merely smiled faintly. "It doesn't matter. Isn't your old man's money your money?"

Xiao Yan nodded with a bitter smile. There seemed to be nothing wrong with that logic.

After the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid, Ya Fei unhurriedly brought out the next auction item.

"High-Grade Black Rank technique: Wind Scroll Technique!"

As Ya Fei's voice fell, everyone's gaze was drawn to the technique scroll.

After all, a High-Grade Black Rank technique was an exceptionally rare high-level treasure in Wu Tan City.

Seeing the Wind Scroll Technique, Yao Xuan became even more certain of the timeline.

Yao Lao should have only recently awakened and was currently helping Xiao Yan cultivate. Yao Xuan remembered clearly that Xiao Yan had only recently risen from the Third Duan of Dou Qi and was now at the Fifth Duan of Dou Qi.

That meant Xiao Yan had not yet begun cultivating a technique, so Yao Lao had not yet taught him the Flame Mantra.

The events that followed did not differ much from the original story. The High-Grade Black Rank technique was fiercely contested by Wu Tan City's three great families before Xiao Zhan finally acquired it for four hundred thousand gold coins.

After the Wind Scroll Technique auction ended, Ya Fei's eyes onstage gained a trace of excitement.

"Distinguished guests, we now come to the finale of today's auction!"

"This item is the greatest pill treasure to appear in Wu Tan City since this auction house opened. Its value is immeasurable!"

The instant her words fell, the noisy, bustling auction hall abruptly fell silent...

Yao Lao's voice sounded again. "As expected, that alchemist came to this auction house to consign pills as well..."

"Little fellow, it seems the Xiao Household will have to bleed heavily today..."

Xiao Yan stared fixedly at the auction stage. "Teacher, what kind of pill do you think it will be? A second-grade pill, or a third-grade pill?"

Inside the auction house, everyone held their breath and quietly awaited the treasure Ya Fei had mentioned.

The exquisite screen behind the platform slowly shifted aside. Ya Fei returned to the auction stage, holding an ancient yet refined Black-Jade Temperature-Controlled Box in both hands.

"The finale item— a peak Fourth-Grade Pill, the Two-Stripe Green Spirit Pill!"

"Taking this pill can directly raise a Da Dou Shi's strength by one star, with no side effects whatsoever!"

Ya Fei's crisp, pleasant voice fell clearly, every word carrying immense impact as it slammed into the ears of everyone present.

That single sentence instantly ignited the venue!

The deathly silence lasted for barely half a second before an overwhelming wave of shocked cries erupted!

"A... a Fourth-Grade Pill?! Did I hear that right?"

"My heavens! Peak fourth grade! This is a supreme treasure that can only be found in the Imperial Capital!"

Waves of exclamations swept madly across the entire hall, but Xiao Zhan and the other two were undoubtedly the most agitated!

The heads of the Xiao Household, Jia Lie Household, and Ao Ba Lineage instantly sat upright, their expressions grave and their eyes filled with shock.

As Wu Tan City's strongest fighters, they knew best how difficult it was to break through the bottleneck of the Da Dou Shi realm. This Two-Stripe Green Spirit Pill was enough to alter Wu Tan City's balance of power!

After all, all three of them were Da Dou Shi-level experts. To them, this pill was worth far more than the High-Grade Black Rank technique from earlier.

Xiao Zhan's face darkened, and he felt some regret over buying the Wind Scroll Technique just now.

If he had known that today's finale item would be such a supreme pill, he would never have spent so much money competing with Jia Lie Bi for a technique!

Jia Lie Bi, beside him, noticed the change in Xiao Zhan's expression and immediately mocked him.

"Patriarch Xiao, are you feeling unwell? I'm afraid the Xiao Household no longer has any spare money to bid for this pill..."

Xiao Zhan merely cast Jia Lie Bi a cold glance without saying a word.

Because Jia Lie Bi was telling the truth. The Xiao Household truly had no extra funds left to compete for this pill.

Inside the most luxurious private room on the second floor, Yao Xuan stood by the window.

He was not surprised by the reactions below. In Wu Tan City, the Two-Stripe Green Spirit Pill truly warranted such a response.

Xiao Yan, in his private room, was also greatly astonished!

"A... a peak Fourth-Grade Pill... the Two-Stripe Green Spirit Pill..."

Xiao Yan murmured softly, his voice trembling slightly.

Beyond his surprise, Xiao Yan also knew exactly what this Green Spirit Pill meant for Wu Tan City.

After all, Xiao Zhan had unquestionably been Wu Tan City's strongest man, a Five-Star Great Dou Master.

Jia Lie Bi and Ao Ba Pa, meanwhile, were only Three-Star Great Dou Masters.

Yet Xiao Yan had just watched his father spend four hundred thousand gold coins to buy the Wind Scroll Technique. He no longer had the means to bid for this Green Spirit Pill!

Whether Jia Lie Bi or Ao Ba Pa acquired the Green Spirit Pill, either one would narrow the gap with Xiao Zhan. Neither outcome would be good for the Xiao Household...

Just as Xiao Yan was still stunned, Yao Lao's voice rang out again.

"What pure medicinal potency. Though it only has two stripes, the pill markings can be called flawless!"

Yao Lao paused before speaking again, surprise entering his voice. "This Two-Stripe Green Spirit Pill is anything but ordinary!"

"It has the quality of a standard peak Fourth-Grade Pill, and one of the flames used to refine it must have been a Heavenly Flame!"

"It seems that person is no ordinary Fifth-Grade Alchemist!"

Like Xiao Yan, Yao Lao's heart was filled with shock. He was intensely curious about the identity of the person who had refined the Green Spirit Pill!

Xiao Yan took a deep breath beneath his black robe. "Teacher, could this mysterious alchemist be from the Imperial Capital?"

Yao Lao's calm voice sounded again. "If what you said is true, then the strongest alchemist in the Jia Ma Empire is Pill King Gu He, a sixth-grade alchemist..."

"Then someone of such an age possessing such skill in alchemy could not possibly come from the Jia Ma Empire. Could it be..."

Yao Lao's heart stirred as well. A faint suspicion had already begun to form in his mind...