Shen Lang set down his teacup and smiled. "Your eye for quality is impeccable, sir. Itâs true that for certain reasons, this medicinal liquidâs grade didnât improve as it could have. Still, itâs passable. At this level, a slight increase in power wouldnât make much difference."
He paused, having suddenly thought of something. He hesitated for a moment before asking, "If I were to give you this formula to auction, is there anyone in Celestial Phoenix City who could afford it?"
Shen Langâs casual question made Sima Qing gasp. "A formula? My heavens..."
Lanlos, who was standing nearby, suddenly felt his vision go black, and his hands flailed wildly in the air. Fortunately, Zhan Lan steadied him, saving him from the disgrace of fainting on the spot.
Just a moment ago, he had been wondering, âHow could a Spirit Grass like Purple Magnolia be used to concoct a Giant Potion?â
âWhat role could this spirit grass possibly play in a Giant Potion?â
âThe formula for a Giant Potion...â
Even a common formula was an Alchemistâs lifeblood, something they would never sell unless they had no other choice.
A formula for an ordinary Giant Potion might have been enough to shock him, Lanlos, but it wouldnât have made an old-timer like Sima Qing exclaim in such a way.
In truth, Lanlos was so utterly terrified mainly because he had overheard Sima Qingâs muttering earlier. He knew this had to be an unprecedented, supreme-quality formula!
Many of the ingredients were likely very easy to obtain. If so, the difficulty of concocting the Giant Potion would be drastically reduced, and the cost would be compressed to an absolute minimum!
To put it bluntly, if a formula like this fell into the hands of a minor Noble Family or influence, they could rise to power on the back of this one formula alone!
Lanlos could even picture it: batches of Giant Potions being mass-produced, bottle after bottle flying past his eyes...
"Forgive me for being so bold," Sima Qing began, his voice trembling uncontrollably, "but are the ingredients in this formula truly free of anything exceedingly rare or expensive? And the concoction methodâis it not incredibly complex and difficult?"
Shen Lang looked at him in surprise and gave a wry smile. "Indeed, none of the ingredients are particularly rare. And with my unique Secret Technique, itâs very easy to make... But you neednât be so tense, sir. Itâs just a formula for a Giant Potion. For cultivators in the Middle to Late Stage of the Spirit Martial Realm, its effects are already quite limited, and they only diminish further. For Xuanwu Realm Powerhouses, itâs practically useless..."
âNo rare materials... easy to concoct... For such a heaven-defying formula to exist... No influence in Celestial Phoenix City can handle it...â Sima Qing shot to his feet, his face flushed. He paced back and forth a couple of times before turning to Shen Lang, panting heavily. "Young friend, could you wait here for a moment? I will be right back..."
"Alright..." Shen Lang said with a wry smile, taking in the old manâs frantic state.
Just then, Sima Qing pulled a translucent Crystal Card from his robes and handed it to Shen Lang. "This card has a limit of ten million Gold Coins and can be used at any time. I hope youâll find it useful, young friend. I must excuse myself for a moment. Weâll speak more when I return... And please, rest assured, I will give you a satisfactory answer!"
Without another word, the old man pressed the card into Shen Langâs hand and rushed out the door in a great hurry.
Just before he left, however, he called Lanlos over. "Lanlos, entertain Young Master Lang for me in my absence. You must treat him with the utmost respect. If you slight him in any way, I will skin you alive! Furthermore, not a single word about anything that has happened here can get out. Not from you, not from Zhan Lan! I donât need to remind you of the Treasure Pavilionâs rules, do I?"
"Yes, yes, of course..." In truth, Sima Qing didnât even need to warn him. After witnessing everything, Lanlos was already scared witless and hadnât yet recovered from the shock.
"Young Master, your tea..." Although Zhan Lan had been just as stunned, she was the first to recover her wits, quickly stepping forward to refill Shen Langâs cup.
All the things Lanlos had planned to say evaporated. His mind went completely blank. He walked over, sat down across from Shen Lang, and just kept chuckling foolishly. "Hehe..." Shen Lang couldnât help but roll his eyes.
...
A short while later, in a stone chamber deep within the Treasure Pavilion, Sima Qing and Lin Qingfeng, the Pavilion Master of the Celestial Phoenix City branch, stood before a curtain of light. Both were completely deferential, not daring to even breathe too loudly.
The light screen glowed with greater intensity, revealing the image of a veiled woman reclining on a chaise lounge.
"Using the Thousand-Mile Mirror Image in such a rush... what for? Didnât I tell you two not to contact me unless it was something truly important?"
The womanâs voice was slightly husky and filled with an otherworldly charm that was inexplicably pleasing to the ear.
Her face was hidden by a light veil, but her figure was graceful and her curves enchanting. Her eyes were as clear as autumn pools, and she carried the ethereal air of a celestial being who had descended to the mortal realm.
"My Lady, this is what happened..." Lin Qingfeng recounted everything Sima Qing had told him.
"Oh? Is that so? A formula that can turn decay into magic is rare indeed. Across the entire Star Continent, likely only the Witch Race possesses such things... You are to win this young man over, at any cost! Provide him with any resources he asks for. As for the formula, the few Cyan Wood Level Influences in Celestial Phoenix City canât handle something of this magnitude. Send word to Evil Wind Valley, the Holy Light Sect, the White Rainbow Sect, and the other Profound Iron Level Influences. They will know what to do," the veiled woman said in a low voice.
Sima Qing hesitated for a moment. "The Imperial Dragon Sect is a Spirit Copper Level Influence, and Jialan Academy is a special entity that ranks above even the Profound Iron Level Influences. Coincidentally, they are not far from Celestial Phoenix City. Should we notify them as well?"
The veiled woman huffed lightly. "Elder Qing, I understand what youâre getting at. You merely wish to curry favor with the Imperial Dragon Sect. The three most powerful sects in the Purple Chu Country are all Spirit Copper Level Influences. Besides the Imperial Dragon Sect, there are the Flower Sect and the Li Hen Sect. One is in the southeast, the other in the far northwest; they wonât have time to participate. No other influence is qualified or dares to compete with the Imperial Dragon Sect. If the Imperial Dragon Sect makes a move, it will be an easy win for them, and the price wonât go too high. While that would bring us closer to the Imperial Dragon Sect, it would risk offending that genius Alchemist... Weighing one against the other, weâre better off siding with the boy, Shen Lang."
"This..." Sima Qing and Lin Qingfeng exchanged a look, each seeing the astonishment in the otherâs eyes.
A sixteen-year-old capable of creating a Spirit Level Fifth Grade potion was certainly incredible and worth recruiting.
But compared to a behemoth like the Imperial Dragon Sect, he surely didnât carry enough weight. And yet, their Ladyâs intention was...
"I shouldnât need to say anything more. You two handle it as you see fit. If you manage this task well, it will be a great merit for you both, and you will, of course, be well rewarded..."
"We will give our all until the very end!" Sima Qing and Lin Qingfeng declared in unison.
âFor such a person to appear in little Celestial Phoenix City... Iâm quite curious, hehehe...â The woman on the light screen stretched languidly. With a casual wave of her fair hand, the screen went blank, leaving only a vast expanse of white where her image had been.
"Pavilion Master, what are our next steps..."
Lin Qingfeng waved his hand decisively. "Postpone the auction by six hours. At the same time, send thousand-mile-transmissions to notify Evil Wind Valley and the other nearby Profound Iron Level Influences. The Celestial Phoenix City Treasure Pavilion is about to have a very lively event!"
...
Meanwhile, back in the reception room, only Shen Lang, Lanlos, and Zhan Lan remained after Sima Qingâs departure.
Zhan Lan was composed enough, simply refilling Shen Langâs tea while looking at him with a gaze full of admiration and gratitude.
Lanlos, on the other hand, was not. For him, being made to stay here was pure torture...
In truth, you couldnât really blame him. Any other Medicine Appraiser would likely have met the same fate; it was just that Lanlos had been particularly unlucky.
His alchemy session had already been going poorly, and then he was interrupted.
The visitor had been so young... While sixteen was considered the age of adulthood on the Star Continent, in the alchemy profession, a sixteen-year-old was just a kid. They couldnât have even scratched the surface of alchemy, so who would expect a mere child to be able to refine a decent Spirit Medicine?
Besides, Lanlos knew basically all the young masters of the Noble Families in Celestial Phoenix City, not to mention the more capable alchemists from Tayun Academy and Celestial God Academy... and among all the people he knew, there was no one named Shen Lang.
So, this time, he could only blame his own abysmal luck...
âWho could have thought that a mere boy would startle Sima Qing?â
âWho could have thought that this boy could not only concoct a Giant Potion, but a Spirit Level Fifth Grade one?â
âWhatever. At this point, whatâs done is done. Itâs no use crying over spilled milk...â
The moment he recalled Sima Qingâs murderous glareâa look that said he wanted to hack him into piecesâLanlosâs legs went soft and a chill shot up his spine.
âBest not to even think about it. I really, really offended him back there. I stopped just short of cursing him out... No, wait, I basically did curse him. Calling a Spirit Level Fifth Grade potion âtrashââwhat is that if not an insult?â
âThankfully, this Shen Lang doesnât seem too hard to deal with. He just made me apologize to Zhan Lan and let the matter go...â
âBut the problem now is, who knows if heâs really let it go?â
âWith his status now, all he has to do is say one word to the Treasure Pavilionâs leadership, and I, Lanlos, will be in for a world of hurt!â
âForget about my career at the Treasure Pavilion, I might not even be able to survive in Celestial Phoenix City anymore!â
As Lanlosâs thoughts spiraled, his face grew pale...
But he had completely misunderstood Shen Lang. As Shen Lang chatted with Zhan Lan, his thoughts had already drifted to the potion he needed to concoct to heal his fatherâs poison injuries. He had long since tuned Lanlos out completely.
"Zhan Lan, for a place as large as the Treasure Pavilion, you really donât have any Seven-Star Begonia?" Shen Lang asked, his brow furrowed.
Zhan Lan replied a little timidly, "Seven-Star Begonia is very difficult to find and doesnât have much value, so it rarely shows up... But itâs different for you, Young Master! Youâre a genius Alchemist, one of our Treasure Pavilionâs most honored guests. If you wish, we can post a procurement quest, and we will definitely be able to find it for you."
"I understand. With the Treasure Pavilionâs reach, finding a Seven-Star Begonia is only a matter of time. The problem is, I need it urgently. Iâm afraid I canât afford to wait too long..." Shen Lang sighed.
THUMP! In a flash, Lanlos threw himself down at Shen Langâs feet, desperately clutching his right leg.
"Young Master Lang, I was wrong! I was a blind fool to look down on you! Iâm worthless trash! Please forgive me, Iâll never dare to do it again!"
"..." Zhan Lan stared, completely dumbfounded, unable to process what was happening.
Shen Langâs eyes went wide as well. He didnât know whether to laugh or cry...