Xiao Zhan: My Son Has the Makings of a Dou Di!!

Ya Fei clearly knew Xiao Yan was there. She strode toward the front of the stage on her long legs and gave him a slight nod, her eyes smiling.

Ordinarily, it would not have mattered. But this was an auction hall packed with thousands of people, and the spotlight was on her. Countless eyes followed her every smile and gesture, so even that small movement was noticed.

Many looked toward the Xiao Clan, assuming she was greeting Xiao Zhan.

Xiao Zhan was a little puzzled himself. Then he turned and saw his son's speechless expression. Understanding at once, he leaned over and asked quietly, "Yan'er, have you been to the Mittel Auction House?"

"Yes. Some of the pills I refined are in this auction." Xiao Yan nodded.

"Second-rank?" Xiao Zhan's face lit up. Even first-rank pills rarely made it into a Mittel Family auction, and those that did were generally of excellent quality.

His son had refined fine first-rank pills, but he had never produced anything second-rank or higher.

As a result, talk that the Xiao Clan was bluffing had only grown louder in Wutan City. Plenty of people were waiting to see how the clan would get out of it.

But as Xiao Yan's father, Xiao Zhan had to bear that pressure. All he could do was trust his son.

If Xiao Yan could produce a few second-rank pills now, all those rumors would fall apart.

"Third-rank."

"..."

Xiao Zhan froze. His throat bobbed, then wild delight swept across his face. "Hahaha! My son has the makings of a Dou Di! My son has the makings of a Dou Di!"

Seeing the strange look on his son's face, Xiao Zhan smiled and patted his chest.

"Don't worry, Yan'er. My lips are sealed! Not even the Grand Elder and the others will hear a word of it!"

Xiao Yan shook his head. "There's no need for that, but—"

"What? How did you know my son refined a third-rank pill?!"

When Xiao Yan looked over, Xiao Zhan had already turned around and was "chatting away" with the Grand Elder in the second row.

Xiao Yan: "..."

His eye twitched. He shook his head helplessly. Forget it. Let him enjoy himself. During the years his cultivation had been crippled, his father had been the one person even more anxious about it than he was.

And so, within seconds, the entire Xiao Clan contingent at the auction knew Xiao Yan could refine third-rank pills. Only Xiao Yu remained unconvinced, her arms crossed and doubt written all over her pretty face as she glared "fiercely" at him.

"Next are twenty-one second-rank pills: seven each of Blood-Fusion Pills, Qi Recovery Pills, and Blood-Burst Pills. Master Gu Ni has appraised every one as top quality. The starting bid is... ten thousand gold coins per pill!" Ya Fei announced in a captivating voice.

The effects of these second-rank pills were somewhat similar. All were useful in battle, especially to powerful fighters such as Dou Shi and Da Dou Shi. Used at the right moment, they could even turn a life-or-death fight around.

That was why they had been brought out together.

"Hiss..."

Many in the hall drew a sharp breath.

Second-rank pills were not especially rare, but auctioning twenty-one top-quality ones at once was quite a display.

"Hurry up and bring them out!"

"I can't wait any longer!"

"That's right!"

Amid the calls, Ya Fei lightly covered her red lips. She stopped teasing the crowd and waved for a maid to bring up a jade tray bearing the bottles of second-rank pills.

She casually picked up a bottle and twisted off its cap. A faint medicinal fragrance drifted out, stirring the entire hall.

Even Jia Lie Bi licked his lips, greed flashing across his face as he joined the bidding.

Only Xiao Zhan sat with his arms crossed, looking as though it had nothing to do with him. He did not place another bid.

The second-rank pills sold one after another.

By Xiao Yan's estimate, they fetched at least twice their starting price! These pills alone would bring in no less than four hundred thousand gold coins. Of course, that was because Gu Ni and Ya Fei had given him every advantage: free ingredients, a free Pill Formula, and all the proceeds.

"Hmm..."

Xiao Yan glanced calmly at the alluring Ya Fei onstage. The Xiao Clan badly needed money right now, so he would accept this "investment."

He would repay it generously someday.

Because those batches of second-rank pills had drained the other clans' purses, Xiao Zhan succeeded in winning the Advanced Black Rank Wind Scroll Technique for three hundred thousand gold coins.

The hall grew noisy as people prepared to leave.

But Ya Fei spoke with a light laugh. "Everyone, due to an unexpected development, four third-rank pills have been added to the auction. Please wait a moment."

"..."

The hall fell abruptly silent.

Countless people stared in disbelief at Ya Fei and at Master Gu Ni, who was approaching the stage. Their hearts surged with excitement. Third-rank pills!

Wutan City had not seen treasures of this caliber in years.

"Hehe. These third-rank pills are called Qi-Raising Powder. Taken at the Ninth Stage Dou Qi, they increase the chance of breaking through to Dou Zhe to approximately... ninety percent!" Gu Ni stroked his beard with a smile, personally presenting the final lot.

"What? Isn't that just like Qi Gathering Powder?"

"Qi Gathering Powder guarantees a breakthrough to Dou Zhe, but a ninety-percent chance isn't far off."

Qi Gathering Powder was a fourth-rank pill! Forget tiny Wutan City—even in the Jia Ma Empire, few could afford it. They would not dare dream of owning one. But this Qi-Raising Powder...

With only a ten-percent difference in success rate, it was practically an affordable substitute for Qi Gathering Powder.

Seeing the auction hall heat up again, Master Gu Ni stroked his beard and smiled. "The starting bid is one hundred thousand gold coins each. Let's begin."

"One hundred and ten thousand!"

"One hundred and thirty thousand!"

"..."

At the Jia Lie family's seats.

Liu Xi held a portion of Qi-Raising Powder he had just won, shock flashing in his eyes. "It's top quality. Whoever refined this may well be a Fourth-Rank Alchemist..."

"Master Liu, I've heard you can identify an alchemist by their refining technique. Do you know the esteemed person who made this?"

Jia Lie Ao stood beside him, fawning shamelessly.

"Well..."

Liu Xi's eye twitched. Even his teacher was only a second-rank alchemist at the peak of his rank. How was Liu Xi supposed to know a Fourth-Rank Alchemist?

Anyone who reached the fourth rank was likely the head or deputy head of an alchemists' branch. They were prominent figures throughout the Jia Ma Empire.

But he caught the "strange" looks coming from the Xiao Clan opposite him, especially from that stunning girl. He coughed twice and gave a hearty laugh. "Of course. He's an elder of my family. His temper is rather peculiar, though, and he keeps to himself. I rarely see him. But I recognized his refining technique at a glance."

"So Brother Liu has a Fourth-Rank Alchemist among his elders." Jia Lie Ao raised his voice.