The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

After Zhao Tieshan broke through to the Spirit Realm, three more people followed suit. The entire training ground was filled with high morale and deafening battle cries.

On the third day, Xiao Fan changed into a moon-white long robe and went to the Yun family's treasure pavilion with Fan Jian.

The Treasure Pavilion is located to the east of the Yun family mansion. It is a three-story wooden building with carved railings and painted beams, exuding a magnificent aura.

When Xiao Fan arrived, several carriages were already waiting at the entrance. It should be noted that today's auction had invited all the important figures of Donglin City.

As soon as I stepped inside, a crisp sound came from the stairs.

"Young Master Xiao, please come with me."

Xiao Fan looked up and saw Yun Ruoxi standing by the second-floor railing. She was wearing a light purple dress, which made her skin look as white as snow and her features as beautiful as a painting. She was incredibly beautiful.

He went upstairs, where Yun Ruoxi had already instructed the servants to prepare some refreshments.

"Miss Yun, you said you had something to discuss with me. What is it?"

Instead of answering, Yun Ruoxi asked a question, but instead took out a piece of paper from her sleeve and showed it to him.

"What is this?"

Xiao Fan took the paper and looked at the densely packed medicinal herbs on it: Red Essence Grass, Dried Earthworm, Snow Flower, Polygonatum, Spirit Gathering Vine... In addition, there were some relatively rare medicinal herbs, such as Jade Marrow Ganoderma (300 years old) and Dragon Blood Vine (500 years old).

"This is-"

"This list shows the materials that the Shen family of the City Lord's Mansion needs to purchase." Yun Ruoxi glanced at him and said, "City Lord Shen Wanshan, who is also Shen Zhao's father, has been secretly collecting high-grade medicinal herbs recently. It is said that he wants to find a fourth-grade alchemist to refine the Breakthrough Pill."

Shen Wanshan has been stuck at the peak of the Spirit Realm for ten years. Once he breaks through, the entire Donglin City will undergo earth-shattering changes.

Xiao Fan's heart sank immediately.

He naturally knew about the Breakthrough Pill. This kind of pill was a high-grade third-rank pill, which was extremely helpful to those at the peak of the Spirit Realm. There were only a handful of fourth-rank alchemists in the entire Great Qing Kingdom who could refine it.

"What do you want me to do?"

Yun Ruoxi bit her lower lip and looked at him, saying, "I know you are a master alchemist."

Xiao Fan: "..."

"Don't deny it." Yun Ruoxi gave him a deep look and said, "As far as I know, you've been buying a lot of medicinal herbs from Baicaotang recently, and you've also ordered an alchemy furnace from the blacksmith shop. He doesn't even know how to refine pills, so why did he buy so much stuff?"

Xiao Fan: "..."

The girl was smarter than he had imagined.

"So what?"

"I want to cooperate with you." He said seriously, "Our Yun family has a great need for Breakthrough Pills. My father has been stuck at the ninth level of the Spirit Realm for three years. If you can do that, you can have whatever you want."

Xiao Fan pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "The Breakthrough Pill is a third-grade pill. With my current level, I simply cannot activate the pill fire."

"No way?"

"First or second rank is fine. For third rank, you'd need to be at least at the Spirit Realm."

Disappointment flashed in Yun Ruoxi's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure and said, "This matter is not urgent. My father can wait a while longer."

"However—" Xiao Fan changed the subject, adding, "There's something on the list of medicinal herbs you gave me that I'm quite interested in."

"What?"

"Jade Marrow Fungus".

Yun Ruoxi raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why do you want the Jade Marrow Mushroom?"

"Alchemy. With the Jade Marrow Mushroom, I can refine a second-grade pill that can directly elevate martial artists below the Profound Realm to a minor realm." Xiao Fan gave her a deep look and said, "If I succeed, I can give you 30%."

Yun Ruoxi thought for a moment and said, "This Ganoderma lucidum is very expensive; it's impossible to get it for less than five thousand taels."

"That's why I came," Xiao Fan said with a smile. "Although I don't have money, I have something more precious than money."

The auction will be held on the third floor of the Treasure Pavilion.

As Xiao Fan and Yun Ruoxi walked side by side, many people looked at them with strange eyes.

This was the first time they had ever seen the eldest son of the Xiao family and the young lady of the Yun family together.

Shen Zhao sat in the first row, holding a cup of tea. When he saw Xiao Fan, his face darkened.

"Sister Ruoxi, why are you sitting with someone like that?" Shen Zhao put down her teacup and said in an unfriendly tone.

Yun Ruoxi said indifferently, "Young Master Xiao is my guest. Does Young Master Shen have any objections?"

Shen Zhao was taken aback, then sneered, "Of course not. I just wanted to remind Ruoxi that some people seem nice on the surface, but are actually useless."

Xiao Fan smiled without saying a word: "Young Master Shen is right, some people are all bark and no bite, for example..."

At this point, he looked at Shen Zhao: "It's that guy who recited doggerel in public."

"you!"

"Alright," Yun Ruoxi interrupted him, "the auction is about to begin."

At this moment, an elderly man with white hair walked onto the stage, clasped his hands in a fist and fist salute, and said in a loud voice: "Distinguished guests, welcome to the Yun family's treasure pavilion. There are twelve items in this auction. The highest bidder wins. The rules are well known to everyone, so I will not repeat them."

The first item auctioned was a second-tier magic weapon sword, which was bought by a chivalrous swordsman for three thousand taels of silver.

The second item auctioned was a bottle of second-grade pills, which Shen Zhao won for five thousand taels of silver.

Then came the third, the fourth...

Xiao Fan did not make a move, but waited patiently.

When the seventh item appeared, his eyes lit up.

It was a white Ganoderma lucidum, about the size of a palm, emitting a faint glow.

"A 300-year-old chalcedony mushroom. Starting price: 5,000 taels."

"Five thousand five!"

"Six thousand!"

"Six thousand five!"

The price kept rising, and before long it reached eight thousand taels.

"Ten thousand taels!" Shen Zhao raised the plaque in his hand.

The scene fell silent. Ten thousand taels of silver was already a very high price.

"Ten thousand eleven thousand taels," Xiao Fan finally said.

Everyone looked over.

"Twelve thousand." Shen Zhao frowned.

Xiao Fan remained expressionless and said, "Thirteen thousand."

Shen Zhao gritted his teeth and said, "Fifteen thousand!"

"Twenty-two thousand." Xiao Fan grinned.

An uproar erupted from the audience. Twenty-two thousand taels of silver, just for a single jade marrow mushroom?

Shen Zhao's face was ashen. It wasn't that he couldn't afford the price, but rather that he felt it wasn't worth it at all.

Moreover, he only had 25,000 taels of silver with him today, and he was going to auction off something even more important later.

"Xiao Fan, how could someone as poor as you possibly come up with twenty thousand taels of silver?" Shen Zhao sneered. "Are you trying to fool me?"

Xiao Fan took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to the old man, saying, "This is a pill formula I wrote myself. It's a high-grade second-rank pill formula, worth 22,000 taels of silver. Alchemist of the Yun family, please appraise it."

The old man picked up the prescription, glanced at it briefly, and his expression changed drastically. He then strode towards the back hall.

A moment later, an elderly man in a gray robe stepped forward, quickly approached Xiao Fan, bowed, and asked, "Young Master, did you truly write this pill formula?"