Chu Zhou: Getting ready to hook a fish named Xiao Yan

"Auction what?" Ya Fei blinked her beautiful eyes, curious.

What could Chu Zhou possibly have that needed auctioning, for him to bring it up so solemnly?

"A piece of information." Chu Zhou leaned close to Ya Fei's ear and whispered.

"Are you sure?" Surprise flickered in Ya Fei's eyes.

"Yes." Chu Zhou nodded slightly. "I'll need you to vouch for me with your own reputation and Mittel's, Sister Ya Fei. Are you willing to trust me?"

"Words alone aren't proof. Shouldn't you show me a little evidence to convince me, little brother?" Ya Fei gave him a suggestive look.

Ya Fei meant for Chu Zhou to sweet-talk her a little, preferably rubbing her shoulders and massaging her legs to show his sincerity.

But Chu Zhou deliberately pretended not to understand. He raised his hand before Ya Fei and summoned the Mystic Yellow Azure Flame with a thought.

"Hm?!" Ya Fei immediately sat up straight. "A True Flame that only a Fourth-Rank Alchemist can master?"

"No, some kind of beast flame?"

"That's not right either. Could it be..."

"That's right. A heavenly flame, though it isn't on the Heavenly Flame Ranking." Chu Zhou withdrew the flame. "You already know I'm the first Otherworlder, Sister Ya Fei, so you should know my talent is different from everyone else's. Is that enough proof?"

Ya Fei had nothing left to say. "All right. I'll go arrange it for you."

Several hours later, at the Xiao Clan in Wutan City.

After finishing his day's cultivation, Xiao Yan went to the clan head's main residence in the rear courtyard.

"Father, the guards said you wanted to see me?" Xiao Yan arrived with bright, lively eyes.

"Yan'er, sit down." A hint of a smile appeared on Xiao Zhan's stern face as he motioned for Xiao Yan to sit at the table. "Join me for the Evening Meal. We can talk while we eat."

"I'm hungry anyway." Xiao Yan rubbed his stomach and dug into the food in front of Xiao Zhan.

Xiao Zhan's gaze softened. After quietly eating with Xiao Yan for a while, he said, "Yan'er, come with me tomorrow evening to the small, high-end auction at the Mittel Auction House."

"An auction?" Xiao Yan wiped the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief. "Father, why bring me to something like that?"

"Broadening your horizons is part of it, but mainly, there's something being auctioned tomorrow that could help you." Xiao Zhan's eyes shone. "The penultimate lot is a chance to become a Third-Rank Alchemist's disciple. You've probably heard that the Mittel Auction House has been selling a lot of Grade Three Pills lately. They were all made by that Third-Rank Alchemist."

"Oh?" Xiao Yan's dark eyes lit up.

He had indeed heard about it and had even concealed his identity to visit an auction out of curiosity. Yao Lao had spoken highly of those Grade Three Pills, saying that many Fourth-Rank Alchemists could not produce Grade Three Pills of such quality.

"Father, do you think I have a chance?" Xiao Yan did not want to go. He already had a much more formidable Alchemist as his teacher.

"It would be best if we could secure that apprenticeship, but that isn't my real goal." Xiao Yan's eyes shone. "They'll need to test your talent. Perhaps that esteemed Third-Rank Alchemist can discover why your cultivation regressed and why you can't cultivate."

Uh!

The corner of Xiao Yan's mouth twitched.

He was deeply touched. So this was Xiao Zhan's real purpose.

But he also felt rather awkward. He had already resumed cultivating and was close to breaking through to Sixth-Stage Dou Qi, yet he had never told Xiao Zhan.

And as for discovering the reason he had been unable to cultivate, it would be better if that remained undiscovered!

"Father, if the chance to become a Third-Rank Alchemist's disciple is the penultimate lot, what's the final lot?" Xiao Yan rubbed his nose and changed the subject.

The penultimate lot was the second-to-last item auctioned, while the final lot was the last item—the grand finale.

"I would have told you even if you hadn't asked, though it doesn't have much to do with us." Seeing that Xiao Yan had not refused, Xiao Zhan answered in high spirits. "Miss Ya Fei only informed me, Jia Lie Bi, and Oba Pa in advance. Apparently, they'll be auctioning information related to a heavenly flame, and the seller has specified what they want in exchange."

"If we want to build ties with powerful Alchemists, we can contact them beforehand and invite them to participate. They might owe us a favor."

"But there's too little time. The auction is tomorrow, and our Xiao Clan can't get in touch with any formidable Alchemists that quickly."

Xiao Yan nodded lightly at this, not paying it much mind.

He knew heavenly flames were extremely precious, especially to Alchemists, for whom they were an enormous boon.

But precisely because of that, he knew he was not yet qualified to set his sights on one.

Besides, once he grew stronger, he trusted that his good teacher would help him obtain one.

After all, his teacher had a heavenly flame himself: the bone spirit cold flame, which placed high on the Heavenly Flame Ranking.

But the next moment, Yao Lao's voice sounded in his ear. "Agree to go with your father. You must attend tomorrow's auction."

Xiao Yan: ?

"Understood, Father. I'll definitely go with you tomorrow." Xiao Yan chuckled. "It'll be good to broaden my horizons."

"Mm." Xiao Zhan nodded in satisfaction and said no more.

After much hesitation, Xiao Yan finally told him that his cultivation talent had already recovered.

Xiao Zhan froze. Xiao Zhan was puzzled. Xiao Zhan was shocked. Xiao Zhan demanded proof. Xiao Zhan was ecstatic. Xiao Zhan hit his son. "You kept something this important from your father all this time! These days, I don't even dare dream of your mother. Do you know that?"

Xiao Yan: "..."

In the blink of an eye, it was the following evening.

The high-end auction venue was on the top floor of the Mittel Auction House.

Powerful figures and leaders of various factions from Wutan City and nearby towns arrived.

Xiao Zhan brought Xiao Yan early and took a seat in the front row. Once Jia Lie Bi and Oba Pa arrived, the three immediately began trading barbed remarks and veiled insults.

Xiao Yan sat silently beside them, communicating inwardly with Yao Lao. "Teacher, do you think this information about the heavenly flame is reliable?"

"Reliable or not, we need to find out whenever there's a lead." There was a hint of anticipation in Yao Lao's voice as well.

After saying goodbye to Xiao Zhan and returning to his own courtyard the previous night, Xiao Yan had asked Yao Lao why he insisted on going to the Auction House.

Yao Lao had told Xiao Yan ahead of time about the method for reviving him, as well as the Flame Mantra and a Low Earth Tier cultivation method. He had said, "With my guidance, a Low Earth Tier cultivation method will be enough for you to cultivate all the way to Dou Zong. You can switch to a higher-tier method then. Becoming a powerful figure on the Dou Qi Continent won't be difficult."

"But if you want to reach the very pinnacle, cultivate the Flame Mantra and take a gamble."

Xiao Yan had not hesitated for long before deciding to cultivate the Flame Mantra.

A cultivation method that could evolve promised boundless potential and a limitless future.

As someone who had transmigrated, he felt he was special. He would take the gamble!

Especially now that a group of "Otherworlders," whom he suspected were from his own world, had arrived on the Dou Qi Continent. He felt he needed a "cheat."

The Flame Mantra was just like that cheat!

Before long, Ya Fei entered in a luxurious long dress, becoming the focus of everyone's attention.

"You're all busy people, so I won't waste words. Let's begin today's auction."

Ya Fei began hosting the auction, selling off one lot after another.

As time passed, they soon reached the penultimate lot.

"The next lot is a chance to become a Third-Rank Alchemist's disciple." Ya Fei wore a captivating smile. "This opportunity belongs to our Mittel Auction House. We once helped this esteemed Third-Rank Alchemist, and he gave us this opportunity in return. We have chosen to put it up for auction."

"As for the bids, we've decided to conduct a blind auction!"

As she spoke, Ya Fei's gaze swept over several people.