The Mittel Auction House was alive with a roaring crowd.
Ya Fei stood at the center of the auction hall. Under the lights, her alluring figure and captivating charm looked especially enchanting, driving countless men in the hall wild.
To win a smile from the beauty, countless bidders drove the prices of the auction items up as though they had gone mad.
Just as the crowd's enthusiasm reached a fever pitch, Ya Fei brought out the final highlight of the auction.
A peak third-tier pill, the Jade Marrow Golden Body Pill!
In an instant, the already heated atmosphere rose to another level.
Especially when Ya Fei announced that this Jade Marrow Golden Body Pill had been consigned by the Xiao Clan, the entire hall erupted in an uproar. The leaders of forces both large and small were stunned.
Although they all knew that an alchemist stood behind the Xiao Clan, none of them had expected that he could even refine peak third-tier pills.
What did that mean?
It meant that the alchemist backing the Xiao Clan was at least at the peak of the third rank, and might even be a fourth-rank alchemist.
The leaders of the various forces could hardly believe it was real.
After all, Wutan City had not even had a single first-rank alchemist before!
With that comparison, one could easily imagine how deeply this Jade Marrow Golden Body Pill had shaken the leaders of the various forces.
And after the shock came utter madness!
Buy, buy, buy!
No matter the cost, they had to win this Jade Marrow Golden Body Pill.
After all, this was a rare treasure that money ordinarily could not buy!
"The Jade Marrow Golden Body Pill, starting bid: seventy thousand gold coins!"
As Ya Fei's alluring, tingling voice rang through the auction hall, someone immediately raised a paddle and shouted, "Eighty thousand!"
"Ninety thousand!"
"One hundred thousand!"
The price kept soaring. In mere moments, it had shot from fifty thousand to one hundred thousand, and showed no sign of slowing down.
Only after the price soared to one hundred and fifty thousand did the bidding voices in the hall grow noticeably fewer.
Yet the competition only became more frighteningly fierce.
Those few who were still raising their bids were all determined to secure the Jade Marrow Golden Body Pill.
A middle-aged man in a brocade robe, sporting a large belly, narrowed his eyes to slits and raised his paddle with a genial smile.
"One hundred and sixty thousand!"
But the very next second, the white-robed elder sitting beside him immediately raised his paddle, eclipsing his bid.
"One hundred and eighty thousand!"
"Two hundred thousand!"
"Two hundred and five thousand!"
The two went back and forth, neither yielding, until another elder in green spoke coolly.
"I am determined to secure this Jade Marrow Golden Body Pill. Let's see who can wrest it from me!"
"Two hundred and forty thousand!"
As soon as the green-robed elder spoke, the other two exchanged glances and furrowed their brows.
A peak third-tier pill was valuable, but this price had clearly reached the limit of what they could afford.
Seeing that neither man raised his bid for some time, Ya Fei smiled at once. "Since there are no further bids, this Jade Marrow Golden Body Pill goes to Mr. Li Feng."
Li Feng was Wutan City's weapons magnate, controlling the city's weapons sales.
Although the force under his command could not compare to the Three Great Families, he was certainly a figure of consequence.
Moreover, this weapons magnate also possessed the strength of a Da Dou Shi, making him someone every faction vied to win over.
Having won the Jade Marrow Golden Body Pill as he wished, Li Feng rose with a faint smile and cupped his hands toward his fellow bidders.
"Gentlemen, thank you for yielding!"
With that, the auction drew to a close, and those who had attended began to disperse.
Among the crowd, a yellow-robed elder with a hooked nose darkened upon seeing Li Feng win the Jade Marrow Golden Body Pill.
Naturally, he was not annoyed about failing to win the Jade Marrow Golden Body Pill. Rather, he was shocked by its origins.
This Jade Marrow Golden Body Pill had actually come from the Xiao Clan!
"Didn't Master Lin Hong say that the Xiao Clan's alchemist had only just entered the third rank at most?"
"It seems the information was wrong. I must return and report to the family head immediately."
This man was none other than the Jia Lie Family's Second Elder.
The Jia Lie Family's main hall!
Jia Lie Bi smiled at Lin Hong beside him and respectfully handed over a Storage Ring.
"Master Lin Hong, the medicinal ingredients you requested are in this Storage Ring. I'm sorry for the trouble, Master."
Lin Hong accepted the medicinal ingredients and replied with an indifferent "Mm."
The next moment, the Second Elder hurried back and reported to the two men what he had just witnessed at the Mittel Auction House.
"What? Doesn't that mean the alchemist behind the Xiao Clan is at least at the peak of the third rank?"
Shocked by the news, Jia Lie Bi immediately looked at Lin Hong beside him.
Lin Hong frowned and muttered to himself, "That isn't right. Among the pills the Xiao Clan sold before, even the highest-grade ones were only at the peak of the second tier, and their quality was slightly flawed. He shouldn't be at the peak of the third rank."
Little did he know that ever since Xiao Yan began studying alchemy, his skill had changed by the day, advancing at a tremendous pace.
As early as two years ago, he had already been barely capable of refining peak second-tier pills.
Clearly, the pill Lin Hong had examined happened to be one Xiao Yan had made two years earlier.
Faced with an alchemist who could refine peak third-tier pills, even Lin Hong had to put away his contempt.
At this moment, he had already begun to regret wading into Wutan City's muddy waters.
Still, he was a genuine fourth-rank alchemist, and would not be frightened off by an alchemist of unknown identity.
After all, there were only so many fourth-rank alchemists in the entire Jia Ma Empire. How could he possibly run into one so casually?
"Don't panic. The alchemist backing the Xiao Clan probably hasn't reached the fourth rank. Once I refine a batch of fourth-tier pills, he will recognize the difficulty and retreat."
Naturally, an alchemist had to let his alchemy skills do the talking.
Only then did Jia Lie Bi breathe a sigh of relief.
As long as Lin Hong had that confidence, all was well.
"Enough. I'm going to refine pills!"
"While I am refining, no one is to disturb me. Otherwise..."
"You will bear the consequences!"
"Yes, yes!"
Jia Lie Bi immediately responded with a face full of respect.
Now, the entire Jia Lie Family's hopes of turning the tables rested on Lin Hong alone.
Meanwhile, at the Xiao Clan!
The Second Elder and Third Elder had yet to return from purchasing medicinal ingredients, and Xiao Yan had not remained idle during this time.
With the aid of the Jade Marrow Golden Body Pills he took, his Hundred-Forged Golden Sun Body improved rapidly once again.
Had he not held back from consuming all four Jade Marrow Golden Body Pills at once to stabilize his foundation, he would probably have already brought his Hundred-Forged Golden Sun Body to perfection.
Although Xiao Yan's Hundred-Forged Golden Sun Body had not broken through, his physical strength still improved tremendously, and his ability to withstand blows rose another level.
Even the ever-knowledgeable Yao Lao thought it was monstrous.
Several more days passed before the Xiao Clan's Second Elder and Third Elder returned safely from purchasing medicinal ingredients, and Xiao Yan began refining pills without end.
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