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Seeing the old man agree, Ya Fei hurriedly thanked him. Just as he thought everything was over, Medicine Elder asked again, "Could your auction house help me acquire some medicinal ingredients?"

There was no helping it. Every time Xiao Yan bought medicinal ingredients, it took a great deal of time. Just purchasing the ingredients for Foundation-Building Elixir took an entire day. Not to mention that the Body-Tempering Elixir he had recently developed required dozens of ingredients. Last time, Xiao Yan had spent a huge amount of time gathering them. If the auction house was willing to help, it would greatly shorten the time needed.

"What medicinal ingredients does the old gentleman require?" Ya Fei asked with a light smile.

Medicine Elder took out a piece of silk cloth covered in the names of medicinal ingredients and handed it to Ya Fei. She accepted it and saw that it was filled with ingredient names. Her brows furrowed slightly. She could not understand any of them, so she had no choice but to hand it to Master Gu Ni.

Master Gu Ni took it and looked it over. Although there were many kinds of ingredients listed, they were all low-grade and not rare. He immediately nodded slightly at Ya Fei.

Seeing Master Gu Ni nod, Ya Fei said with a smile, "We will certainly keep an eye out for the ingredients the old gentleman needs."

"Mm, then I'll be leaving first. I'll return in two days. Deduct the cost of these ingredients from the money earned from auctioning the Foundation-Building Elixir. Buying two sets of ingredients should be affordable, right?" Medicine Elder slowly rose to his feet and walked out of the appraisal room.

"Of course! Of course!" Ya Fei hurriedly nodded. She had already made up her mind. Even if she had to pay out of pocket, she would still win over this old gentleman.

After Medicine Elder left, Ya Fei finally let out a breath. She sat down, drank a cup of tea, then softly asked, "Master Gu Ni, do you know this old gentleman?"

Hearing Ya Fei's question, Gu Ni gently shook his head and said calmly, "I can only confirm that he is at least a second-tier alchemist. That keen spiritual perception cannot be mistaken."

"Should we investigate him?" the middle-aged man asked.

"Hehe, alchemists tend to have strange temperaments. From his behavior, it is not hard to see that he does not want others discovering his identity. If he discovers our investigation and we offend him as a result, the trouble will be enormous. I remember one major faction that offended an alchemist. That alchemist invited several powerful experts and wiped the faction out directly. Alchemists are hornets' nests. Provoking an alchemist whose rank is unknown is an even more foolish act," Master Gu Ni said earnestly.

"Hehe, Master Gu Ni, there is no need to worry. Ya Fei is not that foolish. We will only do our best to win him over. Even if we fail, we will not offend him," Ya Fei said with a light smile when she saw his serious expression.

"That would be for the best!" Master Gu Ni left behind those words, opened the door, and walked out. Ya Fei and the middle-aged man looked at each other. Speaking of strange tempers, Master Gu Ni was no less peculiar himself.

After the Mitel Auction House spread news of the auction for Foundation-Building Elixir, the major clans of Wutan City began to stir. After all, this was something that could allow a clan's younger generation to become Dou Zhe ahead of time! Whoever obtained it could rapidly increase their clan's strength. Moreover, it had been personally appraised by Master Gu Ni. Given his status, he naturally would not resort to fraud.

The Xiao Clan was no exception. After hearing that Foundation-Building Elixir could help the younger generation increase their Dou Qi cultivation speed, they gathered to discuss it as well.

"This is an invitation sent by the Mitel Auction House. It says that Foundation-Building Elixir will be auctioned. What do the elders think?" Xiao Zhan took out the invitation and asked the three elders.

"Hehe, the Xiao Clan's business has been getting better and better lately, and we have been earning more and more money. If Foundation-Building Elixir is truly so miraculous, we absolutely cannot miss this auction," the First Elder said with a smile.

"What about the Second and Third Elders?" Seeing the First Elder agree so quickly, Xiao Zhan knew that he wanted to auction off some Foundation-Building Elixir for his grandson, Xiao Ning.

"I heard that five bottles of Foundation-Building Elixir will be auctioned this time. We must obtain at least two bottles," the Second Elder said calmly.

"Indeed. Even if we must pay a greater price, we need to obtain a few more bottles. At the very least, we cannot let the Oba Clan and Jia Lie Clan acquire too much Foundation-Building Elixir," the Third Elder echoed.

"Good! The auction begins tomorrow. Prepare more gold coins, and bring Yan'er and the others along," Xiao Zhan said with a laugh, slapping the armrest of his chair.

The next day, Xiao Zhan brought the First Elder, Xiao Yan, and the younger generation to the auction house. Xiao Ning naturally came as well, though his expression was not very good. Ever since Xiao Ning recovered from his injuries, Xiao Yan had rarely seen him. When the two met, they naturally found each other displeasing. However, though Xiao Ning disliked Xiao Yan, there was nothing he could do. He could not beat him, and he had heard that even Jia Lie Ao had recently been defeated by Xiao Yan. Naturally, he did not dare provoke Xiao Yan anymore.

After a while, Xun'er, dressed beautifully, walked over at an unhurried pace and headed straight toward Xiao Yan.

Seeing Xun'er arrive, Xiao Yan greeted her with a smile. "Xun'er, are you interested in this auction too?"

"Hehe! Xun'er has not become a Dou Zhe yet either, so of course I need it," Xun'er answered with a smile.

Naturally, Xiao Yan did not believe her. Although Foundation-Building Elixir was precious, given her clan's strength, obtaining pills comparable to it—or even better ones—would not be difficult.

Once Xiao Zhan saw that everyone had arrived, he led them straight toward the Mitel Auction House. The moment they reached the auction house, they were blocked by the enormous crowd. There were simply too many people here for the auction today, and the entrance had been completely clogged. However, the major clans were all honored guests of the auction house, so they could enter through the VIP passage.

Although there were quite a few people inside the auction house as well, it was noticeably quieter. Xiao Zhan led Xiao Yan and the others to seats near the front.

Xiao Yan looked around and saw that Oba Pa of the Oba Clan and Jia Lie Bi of the Jia Lie Clan had also arrived. However, Jia Lie Ao was nowhere to be seen. He was probably still lying in bed. When Jia Lie Bi saw Xiao Zhan and Xiao Yan, his expression instantly darkened, and his teeth ground together. The Jia Lie Clan's business had been getting worse and worse lately. Many of their markets had been swallowed up by the Xiao Clan. His son had been beaten half-crippled, the Second Elder had suffered severe injuries, and he himself had been seriously injured. All of it was thanks to the Xiao Clan.

Seeing Jia Lie Bi look as though he wanted to devour someone, Xiao Zhan seemed to sense his hatred. He turned and gave Jia Lie Bi a faint smile.

I just love that look on your face when you can't stand me but can't do anything about me.

How could Jia Lie Bi endure Xiao Zhan acting like that? His aura surged as he prepared to strike. However, he instantly calmed down again. This was the Mitel Auction House, and he knew very well the power backing it. If he offended them, the Jia Lie Clan would suffer a huge loss. Thus, he did not dare act rashly.

I almost fell for Xiao Zhan's trick again, that sly bastard! Jia Lie Bi snorted coldly, sat back down, and waited for the auction to begin.

Seeing that Jia Lie Bi had not taken the bait, Xiao Zhan was slightly disappointed, but he soon stopped paying attention to him.

"Sorry to keep everyone waiting!" Not long afterward, Ya Fei slowly walked to the center of the auction house. Behind her was a large wooden basin filled with clear water.

The moment Xiao Yan saw the basin, how could he not understand what Ya Fei intended to do? He muttered under his breath, "This woman is really good at business. Isn't this basically the same as free samples in later generations?"

Just as Xiao Yan was sighing over it, he suddenly felt someone pinch his waist hard. Turning around, he saw Xun'er glaring fiercely at him. Xiao Yan froze for a moment, then shook his head helplessly. "I was looking at the wooden basin."

"Hmph! I don't believe you! That woman only has a better figure than me, that's all. In a few years, I'll have one too!" Xun'er snorted softly. She lowered her head to look at her own chest, sounding somewhat indignant.