"Honored guest, are you an Alchemist?" the middle-aged man asked respectfully.
The Qi Gathering Powder is a "lowest-tier Medicinal Pill" according to Old Yao, but it can only be refined by at least a Fourth-Grade Alchemist.
In other words, the Qi Gathering Powder that can bring someone from Ninth Stage of Dou Qi to Dou Practitioner is essentially a fourth-grade pill.
A single Qi Gathering Powder is already priced at astronomical figures in the Jia Ma Empire; producing one proves the other party's extraordinary background.
Xiao Yan had Old Yao, Xiao Xun Er had methods left by the Gu Clan, and Xiao Xue had the System; the middle-aged man could not gauge the trio's true strength and naturally dared not jump to conclusions.
If they only came to auction the Qi Gathering Powder, he could treat them as ordinary VIPs.
But if the visitor is a Fourth-Grade Alchemist or the disciple of an Alchemist, they are worth recruiting.
After all, the Jia Ma Empire only has a little over twenty publicly known Fourth-Grade Alchemists.
A Fourth-Grade or higher Alchemist is welcomed with courtesy by every power in the Jia Ma Empire.
Therefore, the middle-aged man attached extreme importance to the three who came to auction the Qi Gathering Powder.
Mm." Xiao Xue nodded again.
The middle-aged man gingerly placed the jade box on the table and bowed, "Sir, could you wait a moment? I need to invite Great Master Gu Ni from our auction house to appraise it.
"Mm, be quick." Xiao Xue waved her hand unceremoniously and sat down with Xiao Yan and Xun'er in nearby chairs.
The man nodded hurriedly and hurried out of the room.
"Sis, you..." Xiao Yan started but stopped; naturally Xiao Xue understood what he meant.
Xiao Xue softly spoke two words: "Gu He."
After all, this Qi Gathering Powder came from the hand of Pill King Gu He.
Pill King Gu He wields enormous influence in the Jia Ma Empire; countless experts want to curry favor but have no way.
Gu He not only possesses miraculous alchemy, but his personal cultivation has also Advanced to the Dou King level, ranking among the Jia Ma Empire's top ten powerhouses.
If it were revealed that this Qi Gathering Powder came from Pill King Gu He, its value would probably multiply several times.
But... Nalan Yanran had barely left, and now you're auctioning off a Qi Gathering Powder Gu He made—afraid no one will notice?
Realizing the pros and cons, Xiao Yan gave an embarrassed chuckle and said nothing more.
After waiting in the room for a while, the middle-aged man returned—this time accompanied by a gray-haired green-robed elder and a bewitching beauty.
That beauty was none other than Ya Fei, the Mittel Auction House's chief auctioneer.
Gu Ni took the jade box, opened it, and lightly sniffed the fresh fragrance; his aged eyes narrowed, pupils flickering.
The jade box tilted slightly, and a green Medicinal Pill slowly rolled out, hovering above Gu Ni's palm.
"It is indeed Qi Gathering Powder, and of rather high quality." Gu Ni quickly gave his verdict.
Returning the Qi Gathering Powder to the jade box, Gu Ni turned to Xiao Xue and the others and probed, "May I ask, honored guest, do you know which Great Master produced this Qi Gathering Powder?"
"Hmm…" Xiao Yan was still thinking up an excuse when he heard Xiao Xue say calmly, "My teacher refined it."
"As for my venerable teacher's name, forgive me, but that is confidential."
Hearing this, Gu Ni wisely asked no more and left the room to Ya Fei and Xiao Xue.
"Is the honored guest in urgent need of money? If it is not too pressing, Ya Fei suggests waiting a while."
"After all, Qi Gathering Powder of this level rarely appears on the Utan City market; if our auction house promotes it, your profit will be far greater…"
Ya Fei gave a charming smile and asked softly, probing.
Hearing this, Xiao Xue paused briefly before answering, "Very well, but the sooner the better."
Seeing Xiao Xue agree, the smile on Ya Fei's pretty face deepened. "Hehe, Ya Fei will take care to arrange it as fast as possible."
"Once auction news is ready, Ya Fei will inform the lord promptly. Where does the lord reside? How may I contact you?"
"No need to contact me; when the auction begins, I will come myself."
Xiao Xue took a sip from her teacup and suddenly asked, "Does your auction house have any low-grade storage rings?"
At the request, even Gu Ni at the side twitched his eyelid.
A single low-grade storage ring costs seventy to eighty thousand gold coins; three would total at least two hundred thousand.
And that is merely the base cost—at auction one ring could fetch a hundred thousand gold.
Ya Fei was likewise stunned; the auction house was not solely hers, and most profits had to be sent to headquarters.
Privately moving two hundred thousand in funds was possible but would definitely be noticed above.
Sensing Ya Fei's dilemma, Xiao Xue chuckled softly. "Young Miss Ya Fei misunderstood—one ring for me will suffice."
"And please deduct the cost from the proceeds after the Qi Gathering Powder is auctioned."
The low-grade storage ring was naturally for her Cheap older brother; she had the System's spatial storage, and as the Gu Clan Young Lady, Xiao Xun Er certainly lacked for no low-grade ring.
After hearing Xiao Xue's words, Ya Fei exhaled in relief and smiled. "We have one. Please wait a moment."
A few minutes later Ya Fei returned, holding a tray; on it lay a single storage ring.
Xiao Xue took the ring and casually tossed it to her Cheap older brother. "Young Miss Ya Fei, we have other business and will not stay longer. Farewell."
Xiao Yan and Xiao Xun Er rose to follow, while Ya Fei escorted the three outside with a smile.
"Uncle Gu Ni, are they really Alchemists?" After seeing Xiao Xue off, Ya Fei narrowed her long eyes and asked softly.
"No mistake," Gu Ni nodded. "The white-robed figure in the middle has Soul perception no weaker than mine."
Ya Fei was startled; Gu Ni was a three-star Great Dou Master, yet that white-robed person's Soul perception was actually a notch stronger.
In other words, the visitor was at least a Second- or even Third-Grade Alchemist!
Thus, her having a teacher capable of refining Qi Gathering Powder was hardly surprising.
Ya Fei sighed softly and gave a wry smile. "Seems I'm still too inexperienced; my earlier hesitation likely reduced this mysterious Alchemist's goodwill toward us quite a bit."
"You can't be blamed; had they truly demanded three rings, even I wouldn't dare give them away so readily. You handled it well."
"As for relations, we can build them slowly later—so long as she bears us no ill will," Gu Ni consoled.
Ya Fei nodded with a bitter smile. "Behind her stands at least a Fourth-Grade Alchemist… if there's a chance, we must win her over!"