In the quiet room, Yao Lao picked up the purple leaf orchid grass with his left hand, his eyes narrowing slightly.
A moment later, he gently exhaled, and Bone Spirit Cold Flame suddenly rose from his left palm.
The instant the flame appeared, the temperature in the room rose considerably.
Staring unblinkingly at the white flame, Xiao Yan felt somewhat shaken.
He had already learned that this was the Heavenly Flame ranked eleventh on the Heavenly Flame Ranking!
His expression calm, Yao Lao let the white flame in his hand flicker slightly, engulfing the stalk of purple leaf orchid grass.
An hour later.
Looking at the drop of emerald-like liquid floating above Yao Lao's palm, Xiao Yan rubbed his hands together.
His exceptional Soul Perception allowed him to sense clearly just how much energy the liquid contained.
"Try it. See how it feels."
Yao Lao flicked a finger, sending the emerald liquid into the basin of clear water in the room.
Instantly, the basin of clear water turned green.
Filled with delight, Xiao Yan hurriedly nodded.
Warm sunlight streamed through the gaps in the window, scattering tiny patches of light across the tidy room.
After a night of cultivation, Xiao Yan felt refreshed and clearheaded.
The mockery he had endured over the past three years had taught him exactly how important strength was on this continent.
That was why he was now deeply grateful to Ancestor Xiao Chen.
After all, when cultivating Dou Qi, the foundation was especially difficult to build.
There were no few people who spent ten or even twenty years on the initial ten stages of Dou Qi.
At that moment, Xiao Chen was also thinking about this matter.
He remembered the original novel mentioning that once someone became a true Dou Zhe, their cultivation speed would increase greatly.
Before becoming a Dou Zhe, a whole year might only raise one's Dou Qi by a single stage.
Yet after becoming a Dou Zhe, one might shoot up several stars within a year.
That claim certainly gave one something to chew over.
That morning, Xiao Chen once again led Xiao Yan out through the Xiao Clan's gates.
"Xiao Yan, there are countless medicinal herbs on the Dou Qi Continent. To concoct pills with different effects, you must sift through those countless ingredients to find herbs that can neutralize the violent energy within the magic core you need to refine. Only then can you successfully refine the pill you need."
"If you throw ingredients together at random, destroying the furnace and ruining the pill would be the least of your worries. If you suffer a backlash, the loss will outweigh the gain."
"Your teacher spent several full years experimenting before he developed the formula for this Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid."
"During the refining process, the degree to which the three ingredients fuse, their proportions, and the intensity of the flame all require countless experiments and exceptionally powerful Soul Perception to control."
"So, within the Jia Ma Empire, no one can refine the kind of Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid we have. You need to understand what that means."
Xiao Chen spoke as he walked.
Meanwhile, inside the ring, a proud look appeared on Yao Lao's face.
Somewhat shocked by the complexity of this Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid, Xiao Yan unconsciously licked his lips.
When he had watched Yao Lao refine it yesterday, he had thought it looked simple.
Only now did he realize that refining pills involved far more than the superficial details he had seen.
Soon, the two arrived at their destination.
The Mittel Auction House, the largest auction venue in Wutan City.
It also belonged to the wealthiest family in the Jia Ma Empire.
The Mittel Family.
When it came to wealth within the Jia Ma Empire, the Mittel Family probably stood head and shoulders above the rest.
This family had developed within the Jia Ma Empire for several hundred years, and its web of connections was tangled and intricate.
According to some rumors, this family, so rich it practically dripped oil, also seemed to have some murky, inexplicable ties to the Jia Ma Empire's Imperial Family.
Within the empire, the Mittel Family, the Nalan Family, and the Mu Family were collectively known as the Three Giants of Jia Ma.
The three great families all had a hand in the empire's business world, military, and other spheres. Their influence was by no means small.
But in Xiao Chen's eyes, these three great families really amounted to little.
Looking at the enormous venue at the end of the street, Xiao Chen led Xiao Yan straight inside under the watchful gazes of several fully armed guards at the entrance.
His gaze swept across the spacious, resplendent hall. Xiao Chen nodded slightly, then headed toward a room to one side.
On its door were the gleaming gold words "Treasure Appraisal Room."
He pushed the door open and entered. The room was rather empty.
Only a middle-aged man sat somewhat listlessly on a chair beside the table.
Hearing the door open, the middle-aged man raised his head. Seeing two youths, he frowned almost imperceptibly.
But immediately afterward, he recognized the situation, and a professional smile quickly spread across his face. "Senior Xiao Chen, are you here to have a treasure appraised?"
"You've seen me before?" Xiao Chen asked, raising an eyebrow.
The middle-aged man glanced at the little golden snake on Xiao Chen's shoulder, then shook his head with a smile. "I haven't, but I've heard of your deeds, Senior."
"I see."
Xiao Chen took two steps forward, casually drew a white jade bottle from inside his robes, and gently placed it on the table.
"This is...?" Blinking in confusion, the middle-aged man carefully picked up the white jade bottle and sniffed lightly at its mouth.
A moment later, his expression changed slightly. When he looked at Xiao Chen again, his gaze held deep reverence. "Senior, you're an alchemist as well?"
"Yes."
"May I ask what kind of... pill is in this bottle? What does it do?" At this, the middle-aged man inquired respectfully.
"Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid. It can increase the speed of Dou Qi cultivation, but it only works for those below the Dou Zhe level."
"What? It can increase the speed of Dou Qi cultivation?" The middle-aged man's expression changed abruptly.
Dou Qi could only be cultivated through the usual steady methods. This had practically become common knowledge.
Moreover, the meridians of cultivators at this stage were extremely fragile. If a medicine's potency was too fierce, the tragic result would be ruptured meridians and death!
"My spirit liquid has no side effects, and its medicinal potency is extremely mild. It won't cause that sort of outcome, so you can rest assured." Xiao Chen knew what the man before him was thinking.
His expression changing once more, the middle-aged man carefully returned the white jade bottle to the table and said respectfully, "Senior, could you wait a moment? I need to invite the person in charge of our auction house to discuss this with you."
"Yes. Be quick." Waving a hand, Xiao Chen dispensed with formalities and sat down on a nearby chair, then closed his eyes to rest.
Xiao Yan stood to one side, glancing toward the doorway from time to time.
Soon, the middle-aged man returned.
This time, however, he brought with him an elderly man in blue robes whose hair had begun to turn white, along with a beautiful woman in a red gown.
"Is this Senior Xiao Chen? I've long heard of your great name." A fragrant breeze drifted over, and a soft, sweet, tingling laugh suddenly sounded beside Xiao Chen's ear, making his heart tremble slightly.
She really is a temptress, Xiao Chen cursed inwardly before opening his eyes and resting his calm gaze on the woman in red.
Their very first meeting brought them into close proximity.
Xiao Chen truly experienced this woman's mature allure firsthand.
On her prettily smiling face, a pair of long, narrow, limpid eyes seemed to tempt men at every moment.
Her slender, graceful neck, the deep cleft of snowy white beneath it, and her willow waist, supple as a water snake, exuded natural temptation with every sway.
Looking at this lovely sight, even Xiao Yan, standing to one side, felt his cheeks burn.
He knew this woman.
The chief auctioneer of the Mittel Auction House.
Ya Fei.
A beauty known to practically everyone in Wutan City.
Her mature, seductive charm had brought countless men to their knees beneath her pomegranate-red skirts.
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