Yan Qiaolin’s eyes grew even more brilliant, and Lin Xueyan, standing beside her, looked at Fang Chen in shock.
She had no idea that Fang Chen possessed such remarkable skills, and his appraisal had been executed with absolute precision.
Fang Chen identified the remaining three items one by one, without a single error. This made Yan Qiaolin even more certain that his previous identification of the medicinal pill was no fluke—he genuinely possessed true skill!
"Young Master Fang!"
Yan Qiaolin stood up, cupped her fists, and said, "I earnestly request you to become the guest elder of our Wanxing Auction House!"
"A guest elder?" Fang Chen was taken aback.
Yan Qiaolin nodded heavily and said, "Young Master Fang, as long as you agree, our house is willing to offer you our highest-tier treatment. Aside from becoming a supreme member of Wanxing, you will enjoy top-tier treatment and privileges at all Wanxing Auction House branches, along with a thirty percent discount. On top of that, we will grant you a stipend of one hundred thousand spirit stones every year!"
Fang Chen was quite tempted when he heard this.
Beside him, Lin Xueyan could no longer maintain her aloof demeanor; her eyes widened and she covered her delicate mouth with her hand, her gaze filled with utter shock!
She had never expected the Wanxing Auction House to offer such terms to invite Fang Chen!
You had to remember—a little over a month ago, Fang Chen was nothing more than a cripple with zero cultivation. Yet how much time had passed, and he was already an honored guest of the Wanxing Auction House!
Seeing that Fang Chen did not agree immediately, Yan Qiaolin instantly grew nervous and asked, "Young Master Fang, is there anything you are unsatisfied with? We can negotiate further."
Fang Chen shook his head and said, "No, it's just that I need to spend a large amount of time on cultivation and cannot handle affairs for your house every single day, so..."
"Is that all!"
Yan Qiaolin broke into a radiant smile and said, "Young Master Fang need not worry. The only thing you need to do is step in and perform appraisals whenever our house is unable to determine whether an item is genuine. To be honest, there are very few items that our house cannot identify. Therefore, you can arrange most of your time freely and only need to make a trip when our house requires you."
Fang Chen was stunned. There was such a great deal as this?!
This was simply a cushy job of getting paid for doing nothing; if he didn't agree, even the heavens and earth would not forgive him.
"In that case, there is no problem." He nodded in agreement.
Yan Qiaolin’s smile grew even broader, making her look all the more captivating.
"Then welcome Young Master Fang—no, Guest Elder Fang—to the Wanxing Auction House."
Warm applause resounded through the hall!
Afterward, Yan Qiaolin produced a jade token, presented it respectfully with both hands, and said, "Guest Elder Fang, this is our house's First-Grade Guest Token. With this token, you can enjoy top-tier treatment no matter which branch you go to. You only need to drip a drop of blood into the jade token to bind it to your soul."
The jade token was engraved with the emblem of the Wanxing Auction House, with the character "First" right in the center, looking extremely exquisite.
Guest elders of the Wanxing Auction House were divided into four grades, with the first grade being the highest and the fourth grade the lowest.
Fang Chen was given the first grade right off the bat! This was enough to show how highly the Wanxing Auction House valued him.
Fang Chen took the token, while Yan Qiaolin produced yet another small, gold-trimmed pouch, which was likewise exquisitely crafted.
She introduced it, saying, "This is a specialized spatial storage pouch from our house. It has an internal space of ten zhang in size, and the one hundred thousand spirit stones are already inside."
"A storage pouch?"
Fang Chen's eyes lit up. Storage pouches were not cheap in the Shendong Domain; one thousand spirit stones could only buy one zhang of spatial size.
A storage pouch of ten zhang in size would cost at least ten thousand spirit stones, and given that it came from the Wanxing Auction House, the price would be at least two thousand higher!
"This is too precious." Fang Chen said hastily.
Yan Qiaolin replied, "What are you saying, Guest Elder Fang? This is a welcome gift presented by our house; every elder receives one, so please just accept it."
Hearing this, Fang Chen's mind finally settled slightly.
Beside them, Elder Lu’s mouth twitched slightly. *Every elder? How come he never received one?*
Of course, that was something he dared not voice out loud.
Immediately afterward, Fang Chen dripped his blood to bind the token, officially becoming a guest elder of the Wanxing Auction House.
"Right on time," Fang Chen said. "I need some medicinal herbs to refine pills, and I must ask Manager Yan to help me see if you have them."
"Guest Elder Fang is also an alchemist?" Yan Qiaolin's eyes shone with brilliant colors!
Fang Chen did not deny it, nodding as he said, "Mn, but I can only refine Tier 2 pills."
Although he had inherited the legacy of a grade-six alchemist, refining pills was tied to one's cultivation realm and spiritual power, and he was currently only capable of refining Tier 2 pills.
"Tier 2!"
Yan Qiaolin became even more excited, and Lin Xueyan, standing to the side, also gazed at Fang Chen in sheer disbelief!
Yan Qiaolin could not help asking, "May I ask how old Guest Elder Fang is right now?"
"Just turned seventeen," Fang Chen answered, looking somewhat puzzled.
Everyone present drew in a sharp breath!
The reason alchemists were so sought-after on the continent was precisely because the threshold was extremely high, requiring immense talent in the Dao of alchemy!
And even if you had talent, in the early stages you still had to learn upwards of ten thousand various alchemy ingredients, which could be described as incomparably dull.
Dull as it was, the Dao of alchemy was genuinely lucrative, so there were still plenty of people who desperately tried to become alchemists.
There were quite a few people like Fang Chen who started at seventeen, and some even began identifying medicinal herbs at the age of six or seven.
Yet those who became a Tier 2 alchemist at seventeen were few and far between, and first-grade ones were even scarcer.
This was the reason why everyone was so shocked!
"Good, good, good!"
Yan Qiaolin's smile grew even more radiant and mesmerizing.
She was so excited that her cheeks flushed red, exuding an alluring charm. She wished she could simply throw her arms around Fang Chen and plant a few heavy kisses on him! This time, their Wanxing Auction House had truly struck gold!
"Just name whatever materials Guest Elder Fang needs!"
She immediately had someone bring over the four treasures of the study—brush, ink, paper, and inkstone—and Fang Chen wrote down all the materials in full.
Yan Qiaolin promptly dispatched people to gather them swiftly.
Fang Chen asked, "I wonder how many spirit stones those materials will cost."
Yan Qiaolin smiled and said, "Guest Elder Fang doesn't need to stand on ceremony. Let's just consider this my treat, what do you think?"
As she spoke, she even shot a flirtatious wink at Fang Chen.
However, Fang Chen remained unmoved and shook his head firmly: "Many thanks for Manager Yan's kind intentions, but I must pay for these myself."
He was unwilling to incur too many favors.
Seeing that Fang Chen was resolute, Yan Qiaolin did not persist. She understood that if she continued to push, it would only incur his displeasure.
"Very well, very well. Since Guest Elder Fang puts it that way, we'll calculate it at a twenty percent discount for you. How does that sound?"
"Thank you," Fang Chen said.
Yan Qiaolin did a quick mental calculation and soon figured out the total price.
The cost wasn't steep either; after the twenty percent discount, it came to a mere five hundred and twenty-one spirit stones.
For someone like Fang Chen, who had struck it rich overnight, this was more than enough.
Before long, all the materials were gathered and delivered to Fang Chen.
Yan Qiaolin suddenly asked, "I wonder where Guest Elder Fang plans to refine the pills?"
Fang Chen was startled, suddenly remembering a crucial point: he didn't have a cauldron!
Immediately, he felt somewhat awkward, not knowing how to bring it up.
Seeing this, Yan Qiaolin gave a charming smile and said, "We have a dedicated alchemy chamber prepared specifically for our elders right here. It is one of your privileges."
"In that case, I'll have to trouble Manager Yan," Fang Chen said, cupping his fists.
"Please follow me."
Fang Chen nodded and stood up. Before leaving, he said to Lin Xueyan, who had just recovered from her shock, "Senior Sister Lin, I'll take my leave first."
"Ah! Alright." Lin Xueyan nodded. The stunning face lost a bit of its aloofness and gained a touch of adorable clumsiness, making her look quite endearing.
Seeing this, Yan Qiaolin cast a glance at Elder Lu.
Elder Lu understood instantly and nodded.
Shortly after, Fang Chen left with Yan Qiaolin. Seeing this, Lin Xueyan spoke up, "Then I shall take my leave as well."
Elder Lu called out to stop Lin Xueyan: "Please wait a moment, Miss Lin."
"I wonder if Elder Lu has any other business?"
Elder Lu smiled faintly and said, "This time, we have severed our cooperation with the Yi family and are currently considering looking for a new partner. I remember that the Lin family also engages in this sort of business. How about this—you and I cooperate. Whatever the Yi family used to supply us, your Lin family will supply us. Of course, the prices will be the same as well. What do you think?"
Upon hearing these words, Lin Xueyan's delicate body trembled slightly, her expression filled with sheer disbelief.
She understood that after today's events, cooperation with the Yi family would most likely come to an end, which would inevitably cause massive losses for the Lin family. Yet she never expected the Wanxing Auction House to hand this massive cake over to them!
However, she quickly realized that the other party was probably extending this partnership to the Lin family out of regard for Fang Chen.
For a moment, her emotions were complex.
A month and a half ago, she had used her identity as a Saintess to threaten Fang Chen into taking back the marriage contract. Now, her family was blessed through misfortune thanks to him.
"Thank you, Elder Lu. I will have the family discuss the details of the cooperation with your esteemed house."
Afterward, she departed, though her expression remained complicated as she left, her heart a tangled mess of mixed emotions.
Fang Chen was unaware that his farewell prior to leaving had just thrown Lin Xueyan's family a massive lifeline.
Led by Yan Qiaolin, they arrived at the third floor of the Wanxing Auction House.
It was even more bustling here, though there were considerably fewer people.
As people passed by, they would respectfully bow to Yan Qiaolin while looking at Fang Chen with intense curiosity.
Soon, they reached a deeper section where all the alchemy chambers were located. Many of them had their doors tightly shut, clearly currently in use.
Yan Qiaolin led Fang Chen to the very last alchemy chamber and opened the door. The interior was quite austere.
There was a cauldron, a stone table, and some apparatus needed for alchemy.
Yan Qiaolin gave an alluring smile and said, "Guest Elder Fang, what do you think of this alchemy chamber?"
Fang Chen nodded: "It's already very good. Thank you, Manager Yan."
Yan Qiaolin asked, "Do you need a boy servant? If you'd like a maid, I can arrange that for you as well."
"If you want me to accompany you personally, I can do that too, you know."
Yan Qiaolin possessed the mature aesthetic appeal of a woman, coupled with her hot and full-figured body, a charm that someone of Fang Chen's age found hard to resist.
Fortunately, Fang Chen had seen the world, especially after being put through the wringer by Meng Yao numerous times, allowing him to maintain his composure.
He said, "Thank you, Manager Yan, but I'll be fine on my own."
"What a pity," Yan Qiaolin put on a pitiful expression of mock regret, but quickly recovered, smiling as she bowed. "In that case, I won't disturb you any longer."
Fang Chen returned the bow with cupped hands and watched Yan Qiaolin leave before stepping into the alchemy chamber.
Once inside, Fang Chen took out all the materials and picked up the brush and ink from the room to begin writing.
A moment later, a medicinal formula appeared.
This was the pill Fang Chen intended to refine. Combined with the Luolin grass, its efficacy could be multiplied several times over. It was called the Luotian Pill.
At that moment, he felt a bit nervous; after all, this was his very first time refining pills. He wasn't sure if his brain knew how, but his hands didn't, and whether he could actually manage to refine a pill.
"Oh well, an ugly bride still has to meet her parents in-law; if I fail, I'll just try again! Besides, I've prepared plenty of materials."
He ignited the alchemy cauldron and began the process.
Igniting the cauldron, controlling the flames, refining the medicinal herbs, fusing them, and forming the pills... and finally, the pills were successfully made!
He followed the legacy step by step. At that moment, he felt as if he were that very grade-six alchemist! Refining the pills turned out to be remarkably smooth, not at all like a beginner.
Half an hour later, looking at the freshly baked Luotian Pills, Fang Chen was overjoyed: "I didn't expect the first attempt to actually succeed! This legacy is truly extraordinary! I actually felt as though I were that grade-six alchemist myself!"
He properly stored the spiritual pills away, then reset his mindset: "I'll recover my spiritual power and continue refining!"
Over the time that followed, Fang Chen successfully refined three Luotian Pills without a single failure.
As for pill refinement, Fang Chen grew increasingly familiar with the process, losing the lack of confidence and tension he had felt at the beginning.
Furthermore, he discovered that refining pills could actually strengthen his spiritual power.
Although the enhancement wasn't massive, it still counted as a form of cultivation.
Fang Chen's smile grew even wider. Looking at the pills in his hand, he pondered for a moment and muttered to himself, "It's very safe here, I might as well cultivate right here."
With that thought, he sat cross-legged on the floor, regulated his breathing until it was steady, and swallowed a Luotian Pill!
Instantly, a pure medicinal force surged into his body, entering his dantian and then rushing toward his limbs and bones!
It had to be said that Fang Chen's Demonic Sword Physique was monstrous to the extreme. The moment the medicinal force entered his body, it was instantly absorbed entirely, without a single shred being wasted.
Fang Chen's strength also experienced a qualitative boost in an instant, pushing straight to the peak of the Spirit Gathering Level 8!
What surprised him even more was that while absorbing the medicinal force, practicing the Ling Li Demon Sword Technique simultaneously could stimulate the Heavenly Dao Demonic Bones! His cultivation speed became even faster.
With this, Fang Chen didn't have to worry about his foundation being unstable.
Having no further worries, Fang Chen didn't hesitate and swallowed another Luotian Pill!
The next five days were spent entirely by Fang Chen in cultivation.
When he opened his eyes once more, his cultivation had already reached the peak of the Spirit Gathering Level 9! He was merely a step away from breaking through to the Houtian Realm.
At the same time, he had successfully cultivated the Ling Li Demon Sword Technique to the third layer!
Feeling the improvements in his own body, Fang Chen was extremely satisfied.
However, the somewhat regrettable part was that he had not entered the Little Pagoda again.
It seemed that if he wanted to enter the Little Pagoda, he would have to wait until he broke through to the Houtian Realm.
Yet he was not in a hurry to break through to the Houtian Realm. Because carrying the Yunxian Pill around with him was simply too troublesome, he had left the pill at the Seventh Peak instead of bringing it back.
"I've stayed here for five days, it's about time to head back."
"I remember that newly initiated inner sect disciples have the chance to enter the Eightfold Mountain. The spiritual Qi there is violent, but it's an excellent place for improvement and breakthroughs. I might as well break through to the Houtian Realm right there."
Following that, Fang Chen left the alchemy chamber. He didn't see Yan Qiaolin, so he simply gave a word to the guard maid outside before leaving the Wanxing Auction House.
However, not long after he left, Yan Qiaolin brought an elderly man into the alchemy chamber.
The old man was dressed in alchemist robes, with a badge pinned to his chest! He turned out to be a Tier 3 alchemist!
The old man walked up to the alchemy cauldron, sniffed gently, and stated with certainty, "It's a Tier 2 pill, and quite a top-tier one at that."
Hearing this, although Yan Qiaolin was mentally prepared, she was still startled.
"A seventeen-year-old Tier 2 alchemist... this Fang Chen is truly interesting."
The corners of her mouth curled upward, revealing a seductive yet mature smile as she gazed in the direction Fang Chen had left, her dual pupils shining with brilliant colors.
By the time Fang Chen walked out of the Wanxing Auction House, night had already fallen.
He didn't mind it too much, as nighttime didn't pose much of an obstacle for him.
Thus, he headed toward the city gates, preparing to return to the Seventh Peak.
After leaving Yu City, Fang Chen had to pass through a tract of mountain forest to return to the sect.
Swish! Swish!
Suddenly, Fang Chen heard the sound of the wind being broken coming from deep within the dense forest.
Though the noise was faint, having now broken through to the peak of the Spirit Gathering Realm and carrying the blessing of the Demonic Sword Physique, his senses were several times stronger than those of peers in the same realm, allowing him to rival cultivators of the Houtian Realm.
He instantly grew vigilant! At the same time, his Heavenly Demon Eyes activated, locking onto three figures rapidly closing in on him in a flash!
The three wore black civilian clothing and black masks, their eyes revealing cold glares from beneath the masks.
And all three of them were actually experts at the Houtian Realm Level 1!
"Assassins?"
Fang Chen understood their identities instantly!
Simultaneously, the three charged straight at Fang Chen without a single word of nonsense, blades in hand aimed directly at his vital points!
The trio's movements were fast, precise, and ruthless—clearly well-trained assassins.
If it were any other practitioner at the peak of the Spirit Gathering Realm, forget reacting—they probably wouldn't even manage to detect the three of them.
Unfortunately for them, the person they met was Fang Chen!
Fang Chen moved instantly! The Heiming Sword was drawn, demonic energy surging across his entire body!
The Ling Li Demon Sword Technique was deployed in an instant!
First, he blocked the trio's assault! Then he unleashed a spiritual attack using his Heavenly Demon Eyes! Immediately, one of them felt a stabbing pain in his head and grew dizzy!
Fang Chen did not hesitate at all! With a single sword strike, he directly severed that person's head!
By now, his spiritual power had reached the level of Houtian Realm Level 3, and anyone below Level 3 could not ignore the spiritual attack of his Heavenly Demon Eyes!
The remaining two were startled! They never expected that Fang Chen, merely in the Spirit Gathering Realm, could not only discover their whereabouts but also swiftly execute one of them!
"Not good! This guy's strength doesn't match the intelligence report! Fall back!"
One assassin cried out in alarm, retreating at top speed!
Assassins excelled at stealthy kills, but direct combat was not their forte!
The moment their first attempt failed, they would immediately choose to retreat, even if the opponent they faced was merely Fang Chen, who was in the Spirit Gathering Realm.
Furthermore, they could sense that Fang Chen was no ordinary Spirit Gathering Realm cultivator.
"Leaving? You can all stay here!"
Fang Chen's tone was icy cold. In the next instant, his figure flashed, his speed actually surpassing that of the two Houtian Realm assassins!
Seeing Fang Chen execute the Ling Li Demon Sword Technique, he took a stride through the air and instantly appeared behind the assassin further back, slashing him down with a single sword stroke!
Instantly, a head rolled to the ground, and blood sprayed out like a pillar of water!
Following that, he leaped several more steps forward, fully displaying the might of the Demonic Sword Physique as he rapidly caught up to the remaining assassin!
"I'll fight you to the death!"
The assassin hadn't expected Fang Chen to be this fast. Realizing he couldn't outrun him, he let out a furious roar and lunged at Fang Chen!
Fang Chen let out a cold snort! He unleashed his Heavenly Demon Eyes and erupted with the Ling Li Demon Sword Technique! Two consecutive sword strikes flashed out, entirely beyond the assassin's ability to resist as his arms were directly chopped off!
However, Fang Chen did not kill him on the spot. Instead, he stepped on the man's chest, pinning him to the ground, and asked in a cold voice, "Who sent you? And who are you people?"
With both arms severed, the man wore a ferocious expression, staring resentfully at Fang Chen!
"Telling you is no harm anyway! We are the Thousand-Mile Shadow Kill! Someone paid money for your life! As for who paid the price, don't even think about finding out in this lifetime!"
He let out a ferocious grin, then spat out a mouthful of black blood and died on the spot!
Fang Chen furrowed his brow; this man had kept a poison pill hidden in his mouth and had bitten down on it with such decisiveness.
"Thousand-Mile Shadow Kill..."
Fang Chen frowned slightly.
Thousand-Mile Shadow Kill was one of the three top assassin organizations in the Shendong Domain, possessing immense influence. They specialized in assassinations and operated purely for money, owing allegiance to no one else.
This organization was extremely mysterious—shadowy and formless—and no one knew who its leader was or where its headquarters were located.
"The only ones who would send people to assassinate me right now are undoubtedly Luoyun, Yu Yuanwen, or that Yi Tianyu I offended earlier. But it's most likely Luoyun, seeing as he holds the deepest grudge against me."
His eyes narrowed slightly, and he let out a cold chuckle. "This is getting interesting."
Glancing at the corpses, he didn't linger and directly departed.
By now, the night was pitch-black. When Fang Chen returned to the Seventh Peak's main hall, he found the old man waiting for him in front of the main hall.
Fang Chen asked, "Grandpa Weng, it's so late, why aren't you resting yet?"
Seeing Fang Chen return, the exhaustion on the old man's face instantly vanished.