Ya Fei: Call me big sister! Just what he needed

"Miss, how could I possibly joke about something like this?"

Gu Ni stroked his beard and shook his head.

She sucked in a sharp breath.

Ya Fei gasped, contributing to the birth of Heavenly Flames on the Dou Qi Continent.

She finally understood why Gu Ni had been so excited. Hearing the news so suddenly, she felt the same way.

A fire attribute with a trace of Wood Attribute, coupled with a soul so powerful that even Gu Ni felt inferior, only meant that he had exceptional talent as an Alchemist.

But Chu Zhou's performance now showed that his comprehension was extraordinary as well.

Both his talent and comprehension far surpassed Gu Ni's. He was a genius, and no ordinary one at that.

She, Ya Fei, had found a treasure!

"Uncle Gu Ni, do you think he might have studied this before? Perhaps that Fourth-Rank Alchemist taught him?" Ya Fei could not help entertaining a few more possibilities.

"Miss, do you think I wouldn't be able to tell whether he had studied it before?" Gu Ni shook his head with a smile and reminded her, "Besides, he's only at Three-Stage Dou Qi."

Ya Fei fell silent, realizing that she had asked a foolish question.

Gu Ni had already said that, judging by the resilience of Chu Zhou's meridians, his cultivation talent was quite good.

The most likely reason he was only at Three-Stage Dou Qi at his age was his former living conditions. When even food and shelter were a struggle, serious cultivation was out of the question.

To refine medicine, an Alchemist first had to become a Dou Zhe and possess Dou Qi. That Fourth-Rank Alchemist would not have taught Chu Zhou about medicinal ingredients without urging him to cultivate.

Without cultivation, even if Chu Zhou were the reincarnation of a Ninth Grade Alchemist, he could do nothing without the means.

"Uncle, then we should arrange for Chu Zhou to focus on cultivating and raise his strength to the Dou Zhe level as soon as possible!" Ya Fei immediately reached the same decision as Gu Ni.

His character could be observed, and loyalty could be nurtured.

A genius with the potential to become a Fourth-Rank Alchemist was far too rare. They had to seize the opportunity and win him over.

"I've already made the arrangements!" Gu Ni nodded slightly and smiled. "He's outside right now. My suggestion is that you personally take him under your wing from now on."

"Personally take him under my wing?" Ya Fei paused in surprise.

"Yes." Gu Ni explained his thoughts. "With his comprehension, there's no need for him to waste time as my Alchemist apprentice. Once he becomes a Dou Zhe, I can teach him alchemy."

"But cultivation must proceed gradually. He can't overdo it, so he'll have plenty of spare time."

"Even studying a few Pill Formulas and Yellow Tier Dou Techniques in advance won't take him very long."

"If he stays by your side, Miss, you can observe his character for yourself."

"Once he reaches the level of a second-grade alchemist, if he's earned your approval, we can take a gamble and ask the clan leader to find him a powerful alchemist as a teacher."

Gu Ni had another thought that he left unspoken.

With his limited perspective, he could only tell that Chu Zhou's talent and comprehension were exceptional, but he could not say exactly how exceptional.

Perhaps Chu Zhou's future achievements would know no bounds. If Ya Fei kept him by her side from the beginning, she could also build a bond with him.

Once Chu Zhou rose to prominence, even if he and Ya Fei could not be together, he could still protect her.

Gu Ni had faith in Ya Fei's judgment.

"Yes." Although Ya Fei was shrewd, she was still young and did not see through all of Gu Ni's intentions. She simply felt that he made sense. After a brief moment of thought, she nodded. "All right. Then give him the position of Appraiser as well. He can start by learning at my side, and once he can work independently, he can handle some appraisals."

Chu Zhou had both good looks and a pleasant bearing. Even simply having him nearby to look at would be a treat for the eyes.

"Qin'er, go bring Chu Zhou in." Ya Fei turned to Qin'er.

She had four personal maids. Qin'er had originally ranked last, but her contribution in recommending Chu Zhou had raised her to second.

The chief personal maid often had to help Ya Fei manage the Auction House's affairs. Loyalty and merit alone were not enough to secure that position; ability was essential too.

"Yes, Miss." Qin'er bowed, her heart churning with shock.

Chu Zhou's status was rising faster than she could take off her clothes.

Led by Qin'er, Chu Zhou entered the administrative hall.

Ya Fei got straight to the point and explained her arrangements.

Instead of staying with Gu Ni, he would spend his days with the soft, sweet-smelling Sister Ya Fei. Naturally, Chu Zhou had no objections and said he would follow all her instructions.

"I'm a few years older than you. In private, just call me big sister." With a single sentence, Ya Fei brought them closer.

"Of course, Sister Ya Fei!" Chu Zhou looked touched and overwhelmed by her favor.

For a while, the atmosphere between the new sister and brother was very warm.

Just then, someone brought word that an Alchemist had come to auction some medicine.

"Oh?" Both Ya Fei and Gu Ni were surprised.

Alchemists rarely appeared in Wutan City, much less came to sell medicine.

Most Alchemists had established sales channels for their medicine or left the matter to the Alchemist Guild, concerning themselves only with cultivation and alchemy.

Could it be Xiao Yan? Chu Zhou's heart gave a leap.

If it really was such a coincidence, that would be wonderful—just what he needed, right when he needed it.

The medicine Xiao Yan had brought to the Mittel Auction House on his first visit was Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid.

It was an extremely rare medicine that could aid cultivation during the Dou Qi stages, precisely what he needed most right now.

Given how highly Ya Fei valued him, she might be willing to provide it for him.

No, she definitely would.

Because he possessed the Myriad Medicine Clarity Body, he would understand the exact refining process and full Pill Formula for the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid as soon as he used it.

That would give him a basis for working with Ya Fei and securing her support.

"Sister Ya Fei, since you have important business, I'll excuse myself." Chu Zhou went straight for a strategic retreat.

"Why would you leave?" Sure enough, Ya Fei took the bait. Covering her mouth, she chuckled. "Have you forgotten? You're supposed to learn to be an Appraiser and help your big sister. Alchemists are rare, and them coming to sell medicine is even rarer. This is the perfect chance for you to come along and broaden your horizons."

Chu Zhou paused briefly, then smiled and nodded. "Whatever you say, Sister Ya Fei."

Thus, Ya Fei, Chu Zhou, and Gu Ni headed to the appraisal room together.

As soon as they arrived, the middle-aged man in charge of that appraisal room approached to report. "Miss Ya Fei, Master Gu Ni."

"An esteemed Alchemist is here. He says he wants to auction a Grade Two Pill that can increase the speed of cultivation during the Dou Qi stages. It's called Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid."

"I can't determine its authenticity, so I can only ask Master Gu Ni to examine it."

"A medicine that increases cultivation speed during the Dou Qi stages?!" Gu Ni and Ya Fei were both startled.

Cultivation in the initial Dou Qi stages primarily involved expanding the meridians, tempering the body, and strengthening its pathways to lay the foundation for condensing Dou Qi within the body later.

At this stage, the body's meridians were at their most fragile and malleable. Progress therefore had to be gradual, without the slightest external assistance. Otherwise, as the Dou Qi within the body grew stronger, the meridians would be unable to withstand its increasingly powerful surges, leading to ruptured meridians and death.

That the Dou Qi stages could only be cultivated through conventional means had become common knowledge to almost everyone.

As a result, a person's age and the number of Dou Qi stages they had attained were often used to judge their cultivation talent.

For instance, Xiao Yan, the Xiao Clan's third young master who had become a good-for-nothing, had been considered a potential Dou Emperor three years ago!

Even Jia Nan Academy, renowned throughout the Dou Qi Continent, used this as its preliminary admissions standard.

Of course, truly powerful factions certainly had methods for accelerating cultivation during the Dou Qi stages.

But those were beyond the reach of Gu Ni and Ya Fei.

It really is Xiao Yan here to sell Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid. Delight welled up in Chu Zhou's heart.

That meant only two months had passed since the broken engagement, and Xiao Yan was at Fifth Stage Dou Qi.

What perfect timing!