Chapter 187: Auction

"Huh?" This time, it was Qin Wangchuan's turn to gasp.

Her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open. "I didn't mishear you, did I?" she asked. "You're saying Jiang Fan was thrown into the public square? How is that possible?"

He's a Three-Star Soul Master! Someone even the Divine Machine Pavilion holds in immense respect. How could he have been abandoned and left in the square for others to pick up?

Wen Hongyao gave a wry smile. "Yes! I noticed his talent in alchemy and considered taking him as my disciple," she explained. "But who knew that old lunatic Zhao Wuji would go crazy and try to snatch him away from me too! In the end, the Sect Master, God knows what got into him, forcefully took him as his own disciple."

Upon learning that Jiang Fan had almost become a disciple of the Medicine Peak, Qin Wangchuan's vision blurred, and she nearly stumbled. She clenched her fists and yelled, "Why didn't you fight for him? What's wrong with the Sect Master? What's he even worth? A disciple like Jiang Fan is worth fighting for, even if it means breaking heads! You useless, rebellious disciple, you've ruined the Medicine Peak for three hundred years!"

Such incredible fortune was within reach, yet Wen Hongyao failed to seize it. Qin Wangchuan was so enraged she nearly fainted!

Wen Hongyao felt a pang of frustration. "You scold me for being useless, yet you're the one who goes after the dregs. Then you blame me for not fighting hard enough and costing the Medicine Peak! This old woman is truly difficult to please!"

Meanwhile, Jiang Fan.

Upon returning to the Sect Master's Peak, an outer sect disciple approached him, holding a jade slip. With an expression of deep envy, he said, "Senior Brother Jiang, someone from the Divine Machine Pavilion's traveling auction just delivered this. They asked me to give it to you."

Jiang Fan opened it to find a personal invitation from Chen Luoyue. It stated that the auction would officially begin the following day, and she was inviting him to attend, having prepared one of the best private rooms for him.

"She's quite thoughtful," Jiang Fan mused, putting away the jade slip. If he produced enough Rejuvenation Pills this time, he wouldn't mind giving her a few more to boost her sales performance.

So, the first thing he did upon returning to his courtyard was to begin refining Rejuvenation Pills. This particular pill was quite troublesome; it could only be refined one by one, not in batches. Consequently, the refining process took an entire day. His eyes were bloodshot from exhaustion by the time he finally completed forty-three pills.

He placed forty of them into four separate jade bottles: one for himself, one each for Xu Youran and Chen Siling, and one for Liu Qingxian. The remaining three he put into a small, separate bottle.

"Jiang Fan!" Liu Qingxian's voice drifted in. Whenever there was an important event, she was always the first to call for him. Jiang Fan had grown accustomed to it.

He tucked the jade bottles into his robes, then opened the door. It was the familiar graceful figure. This time, she was carrying several items, which she handed to Jiang Fan, saying, "Here! These are all things you'll need for hunting demon beasts."

Jiang Fan took them; they felt heavy. He accepted them with a smile.

Liu Qingxian twirled a strand of hair that fell across her chest, then turned her face away slightly. "Don't you dare tell anyone I gave you these," she whispered. "That jealous girlfriend of yours, I can't afford to provoke her."

Last time, when she had prepared things for Jiang Fan, Xu Youran had rejected them, which still bothered Liu Qingxian. Jiang Fan didn't know whether to laugh or cry; she was still holding onto that grudge!

He immediately pulled out a bottle of Rejuvenation Pills. "This bottle is for you," he said. Without Liu Qingxian's token, he wouldn't have been able to acquire those high-grade medicinal ingredients.

"What is this?" Liu Qingxian took it and opened the bottle to sniff. A rich, refreshing fragrance of pills wafted out, instantly lifting her spirits. Even without knowledge of alchemy, she knew it was something good.

"They're healing pills, for emergencies," Jiang Fan instructed. "Keep them hidden; don't let anyone else know." Liu Qingxian pouted. "It's not like they're immortal pills; why would anyone try to steal them?" Then, she added, "Alright, I'll take them!"

She carefully tucked the bottle into her sleeve. Anything Jiang Fan gave her, no matter how worthless, she cherished.

"The auction is about to start. Shall we go check it out?" Liu Qingxian invited. "Of course, we'll only be able to sit in the regular public seating. I asked about the private rooms, and they've all been allocated to the elders of the various sects; disciples are only allowed in the public area."

Is that so? So the private room Chen Luoyue prepared for him was quite difficult to secure? In that case, he would definitely auction off those last three Rejuvenation Pills for her.

"Let's go take a look first." The two made their way to Qingyun City. The traveling auction venue had already been set up. It was a vast space, large enough to seat thousands of people, with thousands of seats on the ground floor. Near the auction stage, there were ten private rooms embedded in the walls.

These rooms were entirely constructed from special crystal, making them opaque from the outside but offering a clear view of the exterior from within. The closer a private room was to the auction stage, the clearer the view of the proceedings, and naturally, the more prestigious it was.

"That's the Grand Elder of the Giant Sect! Tie Bubai!" Suddenly, Liu Qingxian noticed a group of burly men, each as strong as an iron tower, entering the auction house. The middle-aged man leading them was over two meters tall, standing out in the crowd like a crane among chickens. It was impossible for her not to notice him.

Jiang Fan didn't have a good impression of the Giant Sect. Last time, their Sect Master and his disciples couldn't accept defeat. Before leaving, they had deliberately provoked Hundred Beasts Mountain, leading to a small beast tide within the Qingyun Sect's territory.

"Why are they here? Could this auction have body-tempering materials?" Jiang Fan wondered. He thought of his *Iron Blood Scripture*. Since his first cultivation, he had been limited by the lack of materials, preventing further advancement. If he could make some progress, it would undoubtedly make him safer against the beast tide, as demon beasts were typically very strong, and humans were at a significant disadvantage in close combat.

"That's the Divine Physician Shangguan from the Grand Supreme Sect; they've also entered a private room," Liu Qingxian said, spotting another important figure. Jiang Fan looked up and saw Shangguan Sheng and Xia Chaoge.

"Does Divine Physician Shangguan have something he's looking for as well?" Following that, they watched as one elder after another entered the private rooms. Liu Qingxian sensed something was off. "What's going on?" she wondered.

"It's just a traveling auction, so why are so many elders attending? Usually, only a few elders show up for these." She pondered, "Could there be some unexpected treasure making an appearance at this auction?"

Jiang Fan thought the same. What could attract so many elders certainly wouldn't be simple.

Just then, a familiar voice drifted over from a distance. "Oh! Junior Sister Liu, Junior Brother Jiang, you're here too?" Ling Guihai, accompanied by elites from various sects, approached boisterously. Seeing them from afar, he proactively greeted them.

Liu Qingxian didn't particularly like him, so she merely nodded her chin in response. Jiang Fan remained expressionless. Ling Guihai didn't seem bothered. With a beaming face, he asked, "Would you like to enter a private room?"

Liu Qingxian's delicate brows raised slightly. "Your Myriad Sword Sect's private room?" According to the auction house's rules, each elder could bring one person. Since the Qingyun Sect's representative was Grand Elder Feng Guzen, he naturally wouldn't bring Liu Qingxian into a private room. She certainly wanted to go, as the view was clearer inside. However, if it was the Myriad Sword Sect's room, she'd pass.

"Of course not!" Ling Guihai said smugly. "My Myriad Sword Sect only has Box No. 9. I wouldn't even go there myself!"

Liu Qingxian was surprised, then remembered that Ling Guihai's aunt was the Vice President of the auction house. Arranging a private room for him wouldn't be difficult. She couldn't help but sigh, "Your aunt really spoils you. What private room did she arrange for you?"

Ling Guihai chuckled. "Naturally, Private Room Number One!" "What?" Liu Qingxian frowned. "How is that possible? Even if she wanted to pull some strings for a relative, there's no way she'd give him the most prestigious Private Room Number One, right?"

Ling Guihai smiled mysteriously. "For me to use it alone? Of course not. Private Room Number One is reserved for a truly influential figure, someone whose mere stomp could shake the entire Nine Sects' land!" he explained. "My aunt told me to go to Private Room Number One to serve tea and water to that important person and make a good impression! She said if I earn his favor, I'll soar to great heights from then on!"

At his words, the elites behind him all showed expressions of longing. For someone of Chen Luoyue's status to say such a thing indicated how formidable this individual must be. At the very least, they were sect leader level, and perhaps even a high-ranking official from the Divine Machine Pavilion! This was an incredible opportunity!

Liu Qingxian's beautiful eyes gleamed with curiosity; she, too, wanted to see this titan of a figure. Only Jiang Fan looked a bit confused. If he remembered correctly, the invitation from yesterday clearly stated that the private room arranged for him was... Private Room Number One.