Trading for Qi-Gathering Powder

Spring turned to autumn, and six years seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.

On the bed, Xiao Yan, who had begun cultivating after that day and was now ten years old, sat cross-legged with his hands forming an unusual seal before him.

His chest rose and fell slightly. With each breath, a perfect cycle formed, and amid that circulation, faint white streams of air entered through his nose and mouth, transforming into Dou Qi that nourished his bones and meridians.

Suddenly, Xiao Yan's power of absorption began to increase. Strands of the energy of heaven and earth within the air emerged and rapidly surged into him.

Under this near-frenzied absorption, Xiao Yan completed a new breakthrough almost as naturally as water flowing into a channel.

"Dou Qi, Ninth Stage!" Xiao Yan exhaled a breath of turbid air and abruptly opened his eyes, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.

Diligent cultivation and exceptional talent had allowed him to progress rapidly without any resources at all. He had begun cultivating at four and reached Ninth-Stage Battle Qi at ten.

Ordinarily, at this point, he would have needed to begin a long period of accumulation to ensure he could condense a Dou Qi Vortex and become a Dou Zhe, only for Yao Lao to disperse his vortex and force him through three years of being a useless good-for-nothing.

But now that the Bone Flame Ring had become the Palm-Heaven Bottle, Xiao Yan could use it to absorb moonlight and condense green liquid, ripening medicinal herbs with it. Trading for a fourth-grade Qi-Gathering Powder was no difficulty at all.

With the medicinal effects of the Qi-Gathering Powder, he would not only save the time needed to accumulate enough energy to condense a Dou Qi Vortex, ensuring a one-hundred-percent success rate, but there would also be no old grandpa draining him into a useless good-for-nothing.

Taking the things he had prepared in advance, Xiao Yan quickly left the Xiao Family. At a secluded inn where no one knew him, he wrapped himself tightly in a large black cloak. Only after completing his disguise did he head for the Mittel Auction House in the city.

Under the vigilant gazes of several fully armed guards at the entrance, Xiao Yan calmly walked inside.

He swept his gaze across the resplendent hall and entered a room marked with the three words, "Treasure Appraisal Room."

The room was quite empty, with only a middle-aged man seated behind a wooden table.

Seeing someone enter, the well-traveled middle-aged man's face quickly broke into a professional smile despite the visitor's strange attire. "Sir, are you here to have a treasure appraised?"

Xiao Yan extended a hand clad in a leather glove from his sleeve and placed a small bundle on the table.

The middle-aged man's nose wrinkled involuntarily. Catching a keen whiff of rich medicinal fragrance, he was somewhat surprised as he carefully opened the unremarkable black package.

Once the black cloth was removed, light burst forth from within. The middle-aged man instinctively narrowed his eyes. After adjusting to the brightness, his eyes widened like bronze bells in utter shock.

He had truly not expected this mysterious, secretive fellow to bring something so precious.

"These are Spirit-Gathering Herbs! Their glow actually rivals that of a small piece of Moonstone. They are at least a hundred years old, and there are two of them!" the middle-aged man said incredulously.

The most widely known use of Spirit-Gathering Herbs was as an ingredient for refining the fourth-grade medicinal pill, Qi-Gathering Powder. Each plant was worth roughly fifteen thousand gold coins.

Because refining Qi-Gathering Powder required twenty-year-old Spirit-Gathering Herbs, those older than twenty years were exceedingly rare.

Spirit-Gathering Herbs of greater age had other uses and could be refined into other precious medicinal pills, so naturally, their prices were even higher.

The hundred-year-old Spirit-Gathering Herbs before him were worth at least seven or eight times more than twenty-year-old ones. Together, the two plants were enormously valuable; even after trading them for a fourth-grade medicinal pill, there would still be some left over.

Thinking of the commission he could earn, the middle-aged man smiled eagerly. "Sir, are you planning to auction these two Spirit-Gathering Herbs?"

Xiao Yan said in a hoarse voice, "Trade these medicinal herbs for one Qi-Gathering Powder."

"That will not be a problem at all. Please wait a moment, sir. I will invite the auction house's alchemy master. Precious medicinal pills such as Qi-Gathering Powder are all kept by the alchemy master," the middle-aged man said respectfully.

"Hurry up," Xiao Yan urged before sitting in a chair and closing his eyes to rest.

The middle-aged man hurriedly nodded and rushed out of the room.

The auction house had just received a new manager sent by headquarters. Due to the transition, there was no auction currently underway. If the other party had wanted to auction the medicinal herbs, he might have missed this opportunity.

A direct transaction now was truly a tremendous help to him! Filled with enthusiasm, the middle-aged man rushed toward the second floor.

Xiao Yan had not waited long before he heard the door open again, followed by a soft, sultry laugh.

"Would this be the owner of the hundred-year-old Spirit-Gathering Herbs? Sir, this should be your first time in Wutan City, correct?"

Xiao Yan tilted his head slightly, and the figure of a young woman in a red dress entered his view.

Her exquisitely crafted gown tightly wrapped her delicate, curvaceous body. Her lovely face bore a pair of peach-blossom eyes that seemed to radiate temptation at every moment, making people unconsciously pull out their gold coins and reveal their secrets.

This was a woman whose entire body exuded seductive charm. Xiao Yan lowered his head and said in a disguised voice, "The Spirit-Gathering Herbs are yours. Give me the Qi-Gathering Powder. I have matters to attend to."

Somewhat surprised that he gave her no face, Ya Fei covered her red lips with a jade-like hand and laughed. "Please wait while Master Gu Ni takes another look, sir. Hundred-year-old Spirit-Gathering Herbs are extremely rare."

The accompanying elder is Master Gu Ni? Then this woman... is Ya Fei. Xiao Yan knew that after the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid auction, Ya Fei had told Master Gu Ni, "These past few years of experience have not been for nothing." It seemed that those years of experience amounted to five years.

Master Gu Ni walked to the table and picked up one of the Spirit-Gathering Herbs. He was immediately drawn in by the gleam on the herb and began examining it carefully.

Ya Fei continued with a sweet laugh, "Even twenty-year-old Spirit-Gathering Herbs are rare, yet sir managed to find hundred-year-old ones, and two at once. You truly are fortunate. I wonder what sort of place could grow such rare medicinal herbs?"

With the green liquid condensed by the Palm-Heaven Bottle to ripen them, what environment would I need? Xiao Yan smiled faintly to himself, but naturally, he would not tell Ya Fei the answer.

Having hit another wall, Ya Fei did not give up. She asked softly, "Does sir need the Qi-Gathering Powder for his own use, or is he purchasing it for someone else?"

"What, are all customers who come to the Mittel Auction House interrogated like criminals?" Xiao Yan said coldly.

"Of course not," Master Gu Ni immediately denied. "The reason we asked sir to wait was so this old man could accurately determine the age of the medicinal herbs and establish their value."

"The Mittel Auction House conducts business fairly. We will neither let our customers lose a single copper coin nor allow ourselves to earn one extra copper coin. Sir's two hundred-year-old Spirit-Gathering Herbs can not only be exchanged for one Qi-Gathering Powder, but will also leave a considerable amount of gold coins remaining."

Master Gu Ni set down the Spirit-Gathering Herb in his hand, then touched his Storage Ring with his fingers and withdrew a jade bottle.

Ya Fei knew that the bottle contained the fourth-grade medicinal pill coveted by all who possessed Dou Qi: Qi-Gathering Powder. She accepted the jade bottle and handed it over, saying apologetically, "It was only Ya Fei's momentary curiosity. Please do not take offense, sir."

Then Ya Fei said, "As the auction house's newly appointed chief auctioneer, I cannot help wanting to learn more about rare and precious things. If sir has any needs in the future, please feel free to visit the Mittel Auction House. Ya Fei can offer you a VIP discount. After the Spirit-Gathering Herbs are exchanged for the medicinal pill, the surplus gold coins will be brought to you."

Xiao Yan accepted the jade bottle. After opening it and confirming that it was indeed Qi-Gathering Powder, he smiled. "The Mitre truly is worthy of being one of the three great clans of the Jia Ma Empire. Nothing could be more reassuring than conducting business at an auction house it operates."

His tone shifted as he waved a hand. "There is no need to give me those gold coins. I happen to need a scroll of a Profound Tier fire-attributed cultivation technique, so I will leave its search to the Mittel Auction House. Once you have news of an auction, I will come again."

Looking at those gloved hands, Ya Fei was thoroughly disappointed. She could not discern the slightest clue from them.