Most of the buildings inside the ancient city of Chize are rather low and unimpressive, yet they unintentionally reveal a sense of vicissitudes through their walls and floors.
Li Tan entered the city and, following the crowd, soon arrived at a place resembling a market. His gaze swept past several dark-skinned, muscular vendors, momentarily revealing a chilling murderous intent.
These vendors weren’t all human; roughly a third of them were from the demonic race—the very race that, in the not-so-distant future, would kill countless members of his clan. However, that was something for the future. At present, Li Tan remained rational and wouldn’t recklessly blame these individuals or bring trouble upon himself.
After wandering around the market, Li Tan purchased a few bundles of miscellaneous herbs before leaving. He randomly chose an inn to stay at, then took all the herbs out from the Huan Tower, placing them on the wooden board in front of him. He then retrieved a pill cauldron and placed it before him.
As the saying goes, “Man is iron, food is steel.” Currently, Li Tan was merely at the Xiantian stage, far from the level of abstaining from food. He had specifically purchased these herbs intending to concoct some low-grade pills to sell, thus supplementing his livelihood.
Seated properly, Li Tan randomly grabbed a handful of herbs and tossed them into the pill cauldron, then released his true energy to create a yellowish-green flame for roasting. He continued adding the remaining herbs one bundle at a time.
Half an hour later, Li Tan extinguished the pill fire, his face now soot-blackened from the smoke, revealing only a row of white teeth.
“Mission accomplished.”
Rather than opening the cauldron immediately, Li Tan first wiped his face with a cloth, then opened the window to let the smoke clear before lifting the lid of the pill cauldron.
Inside lay seven pill spheres the size of goose eggs, one of which bore intricate, strange patterns on its surface.
Li Tan carefully picked up that pill and smiled. “It’s quite unexpected that these herbs could produce a supreme-grade pill like this Void Clarity Pill.”
Void Clarity Pills are first-grade elixirs with a straightforward purpose: assisting cultivators at the Houtian stage in their practice. However, the supreme-grade variant of this pill can aid in breaking through to the Xiantian realm, rendering it vastly more valuable than its ordinary counterparts.
To put it bluntly, this single supreme-grade pill was worth more than all the other pills combined.
After carefully placing the seven Void Clarity Pills into a small porcelain bottle, Li Tan stretched lazily and headed straight to the Norland Auction House.
Previously, he had worn a strange black robe to conceal his identity when visiting the auction house. This time, however, there was no such need, as he had no concerns about exposure here. Li Tan directly walked to the appraisal room on the first floor and knocked on the door.
“Come in,” a woman’s voice, slightly magnetic in tone, responded. Li Tan entered and saw a very attractive woman seated inside the appraisal room, whose beauty below the neck was indescribable.
The woman was writing something, her expressionless face giving off a cold and elegant aura.
After closing the door behind him, Li Tan coughed twice deliberately to announce his presence, but the woman didn’t acknowledge him at all, not even lifting her head. “Speak. What did you bring? Beast cores or herbs?”
“Neither,” replied Li Tan.
The woman lifted her head slightly, somewhat surprised by Li Tan’s youth, but quickly returned to her previous demeanor. “Then it’s a spiritual weapon. Show it to me.”
“Not that either,” Li Tan said.
“Then what exactly did you bring?”
The woman looked at Li Tan with a mixture of confusion and skepticism, her eyes clearly conveying, “What treasures could a little kid like you possibly have?”
Li Tan retrieved seven porcelain bottles from the Huan Tower and placed them on the large wooden table.
“Pills?”
The woman removed the cork from one of the bottles, looking at Li Tan with some surprise. “You’re a pill master?”
Li Tan nodded. “I just passed the Grade One Pill Master examination not long ago.”
“You certainly don’t look like one.”
After replacing the cork, the woman thought for a moment. “I’ll give you ten gold coins for seven low-grade Void Clarity Pills.”
Li Tan shook his head. “Too little.”
“Thirteen gold coins then.”
“Still too little.”
The woman said somewhat unhappily, “This price is already very fair. Even though you’re a pill master, don’t push too hard.”
Li Tan’s lips twitched. “Who told you they’re all low-grade Void Clarity Pills?”
The woman asked in surprise, “Can you actually make mid-grade ones?”
Li Tan nodded.
The woman pursed her lips. “Even if you can make this many Void Clarity Pills, you must have ruined at least ten batches of ingredients. Ten gold coins would barely cover your costs. Just to be nice, I’ll offer twenty gold coins—no other place would give you a price like this.”
Li Tan was speechless. “Who told you these pills are only mid- or low-grade?”
The woman opened all the remaining porcelain bottles on the table, her expression growing increasingly astonished. Upon seeing the top-grade Void Clarity Pill with patterns, she even jumped up in shock, her face filled with disbelief.
“These were all refined by you?”
“Exactly.”
“And what about this top-grade Void Clarity Pill?”
“Oh, that was just lucky. My master always praises me for having talent.”
The woman quickly composed herself. Her astonishment primarily came from that supreme-grade Void Clarity Pill, but after Li Tan’s explanation, she came to accept it.
Sometimes, luck just couldn’t be helped.
“Three high-grade pills, two mid-grade, and one low-grade. I’ll give you twenty-five gold coins for these. As for the supreme-grade Void Clarity Pill, it’s too valuable—it’s recommended to trade it at an auction.”
Li Tan nodded. “Then follow your suggestion. Just settle the twenty-five gold coins first.”
The woman pulled out a golden rectangular card from a drawer. “I’ll transfer the coins to your card. You can use this card at any Norland Auction House establishment or exchange it for cash. If you don’t have a card yet, I suggest you apply for one now—it’ll save you a lot at the auction house.”
The Norland Auction House’s VIP cards are divided into different levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Purple Gold, and Black Gold. The higher the level, the better the treatment one could enjoy at the auction house.
Li Tan thought for a moment, recalling that the previous appraiser, Meng Tianhua, had given him one. He rummaged around and finally retrieved it from a corner, tossing it onto the table.
The card’s surface shimmered with a dark purple glow, exuding a luxurious aura.
The woman rubbed her eyes, stunned. She carefully picked up the card Li Tan had thrown onto the table, flipping it over and over again, examining it repeatedly, before finally asking in disbelief, “Why do you have a Purple Gold Card?”
The Purple Gold Card wasn’t something one could obtain simply by reaching a certain spending threshold. It represented the Norland Auction House’s recognition of the cardholder’s status. Those who possessed such cards were all influential figures.
So why would such a card appear in Li Tan’s possession?
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