Today, Bai Jiao was dressed youthfully and beautifully.

A white dress, white strappy heels, a silver diamante hair clip—combined with her unique enchanting temperament, her laugh was emitting a sweet aroma everywhere.

"You're half an hour late." Bai Jiao said with a laugh, "I've been standing so long my legs are numb."

Shen Qiang laughed and said, "Couldn't help it; too much to handle, really stretched thin."

Afterward, looking at Bai Jiao's blooming smile, sweet and charming, Shen Qiang was slightly surprised.

"You were waiting for me?"

Bai Jiao bent her eyes in a smile and said, "Couldn't help it—what can you do when you're the guest of honor? Without you, how could the auction even start?"

Shen Qiang was taken aback, "Wasn't it supposed to start at ten?"

Glancing at her exquisite watch, Bai Jiao gave Shen Qiang a reproachful look and said, "Are you really going there? We haven't started the trading meeting yet because we were waiting for you. Come on, let's go upstairs."

Astonished, Shen Qiang uttered, "Oh," a bit puzzled about what medicine Bai Jiao was selling in her gourd.

Upstairs, in the trading hall.

Nearly a hundred cultivators were busily talking.

"This is such a delay; they said it would begin at ten o'clock, but there's still no movement. What's Cheng Xinyi up to? Don't they know time is money? I still have lots of business to complete; I'm worth tens of thousands a minute."

"Exactly, Miss Bai is really capricious. Every time, Cheng Xinyi's trading meetings always start right at ten. She's too young to just change it on a whim."

"So annoying, can't they start sooner? I have a flight at 1:20 in the afternoon; I'll miss it if this continues."

Meanwhile, those cultivators led by Master Tianji, who were unaware of the situation, also felt some anxiety.

"Master Tianji, do you think that mysterious elder could be here?"

"No," Master Tianji firmly said, "An elder capable of refining Divine Grade Pei Yuan Pills doesn't have less than a few hundred years of cultivation; such an elder wouldn't be interested in this kind of auction."

"Can't he come to buy materials for alchemy?" someone questioned.

Master Tianji laughed, "Naïve, such an elder definitely wouldn't bother. Plus, I was up all night thinking: an elder who can refine a Divine Grade Pei Yuan Pill, logically speaking, should have grown tired of refining ordinary elixir pills long ago."

"The pills he's interested in must be exceptionally superior, capable of defying heaven and shocking the world—an extraordinary elixir. Yet, he refined Pei Yuan Pills, and three at that. Don't you want to know why?"

Master Tianji's words made the eyes of the few surrounding him light up.

One of the elders calmly said, "Adou."

The crowd was momentarily stunned.

Master Tianji laughed, "Correct. Such an elder, just by revealing his identity, would be revered wherever he goes; he absolutely doesn't need to refine such basic pills. The only possibility is because of that Shen family guy."

Looking tenderly at the young man who Shen Qiang had openly mocked as garbage the day before, Master Tianji's gaze was sharp.

"You all say that Shen Qiang's cultivation is only at the Foundation Establishment Stage; with his age, this level of cultivation is clearly behind his peers."

"Exactly, normally speaking, at Shen Qiang's age, if his talent were not bad, his cultivation should be between the Golden Core and the Nascent Soul Stage. If his talent were really good, with guidance from such an elder, reaching the Yin God Realm or Yang God Realm wouldn't be surprising," another elder said.

Master Tianji's face broke into a slight smile and said, "Therefore, this Shen Qiang is a hopeless case. Due to his poor cultivation, the elder had no choice but to stoop to refining Pei Yuan Pills for him, and this wasteful son, he's taken this legendary Divine Grade Pei Yuan Pill to the auction to trade for money."

Slap!

A middle-aged man sitting nearby clapped his hands with bright eyes, "Indeed, as expected from Master Tianji, your analysis is logical and reasonable. If you hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have thought of this aspect. Why indeed would a transcendent master who can refine Divine Grade Elixir Pills, focus only on refining Pei Yuan Pills that are effective only below the Nascent Soul Stage?"

"Considering it this way, everything makes logical sense." Another old man nearby agreed, "Ah, it's a pity he's a prodigy, and his successor, ah..."

The others also sighed with sympathy.

"Ah, the greatest sorrow in life is having a prodigious father but a disappointing son."

"For such an almost immortal-like elder to have such a successor, fate indeed plays cruel tricks."

Hearing their words, Master Tianji sighed and said, "Indeed, no matter how heroically unprecedented you are, what use is it if there is no capable successor? However, if my guess is not wrong, this Shen Qiang must have a blood tie with the elder, otherwise, with his talent, he would never have caught the elder's favor, because he is far behind Yongjie."

Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze involuntarily shifted to the young man who emphasized his surname was Li.

"Young Master Li comes from a prestigious family, he's smart and talented. At a young age, his cultivation has already reached the late stage of the Golden Core, and entering the Nascent Soul Stage is within reach. At that point, he will join Master Tianji in refining Spiritual Medicine."

The young man, under everyone's gaze, flashed a hint of pride in his eyes and feigned modesty, "Although Yongjie has some talent, the most important thing is my teacher's discerning eye. Please rest assured, teacher, once Yongjie enters the Nascent Soul Stage, I will surely dedicate myself to mastering the arts of Alchemy Technique, unlike Shen Qiang who shows no desire for progress."

Master Tianji nodded at his words, "A teachable student indeed."

The rest of the crowd nodded in agreement.

"Young Master Li truly is wise. He understands the deeper implications from a hint, unlike Shen Qiang who is weak in cultivation but boasts conspicuously. Despite having Divine Grade Pei Yuan Pills, he doesn't cultivate, instead flaunting himself everywhere, a complete wastrel."

"Hmm, a waste indeed."

"However, his ancestors were virtuous, and he has that mysterious elder covering for him. Although he's in the limelight now, it might not be the same in the future. Young Master Li, work hard. It won't be long before you distinguish yourself."

These encouraging words made Li Yongjie's spirits soar even higher, and he spoke aloud more vibrantly, "Please rest assured, senior fellows. If Yongjie rises to prominence in the future, I will surely not forget all of you."

Everyone nodded, the atmosphere becoming even more enthusiastic.

Just then, the hall suddenly fell silent.

Li Yongjie turned his head in slight surprise, only to immediately catch sight of the two people who had just entered.

The man was tall and robust, not particularly handsome, and not wearing flashy clothes, but with a natural and extraordinary poise with bright eyes and white teeth.

"Hmph, just a good-looking guy." Li Yongjie snorted coldly.

This man was indeed Shen Qiang.

Turning his gaze, at that moment, Bai Jiao was chastising prettily, "See? Because you were late, the trade meeting hasn't even started yet."

Her beautiful eyes displayed pretend annoyance, her tone full of complaints.

Yet paired with her beautiful face and coquettishly charming demeanor, Li Yongjie was instantly captivated.

When he then saw Shen Qiang smiling unconcernedly,

a surge of inexplicable anger rose in his heart, and he sneered inwardly.

"You bastard, as long as I'm here, you'll never have a chance with Miss Bai!"

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