The Mittel Auction House belonged to the Mittel Family, the wealthiest family in the Jia Ma Empire.
The Mittel Family, along with the Nalan and Ya Families, was one of the three major families of the Jia Ma Empire.
Chen Yang walked briskly and quickly arrived at the entrance of the Mittel Auction House, following the directions given by passersby.
Even during the day, several fully armed guards stood at the entrance of the auction house.
Chen Yang strode into the clubhouse, and a cool breeze immediately hit him. The interior was luxurious, fitting for the wealthiest clan in the empire.
Chen Yang looked around the magnificent hall, then entered an appraisal room.
In the appraisal room, a middle-aged man who seemed a little bored sitting in a chair didn't look down on Chen Yang because of his attire. He stood up with a professional smile and stepped forward. "Young man, are you planning to have something appraised?"
Chen Yang shook his head. "Your auction house should have alchemists, right?"
The middle-aged man was slightly taken aback, then nodded. "That's right. Master Gu Ni of the Mittel Auction House is a Grade 2 Alchemist. Everyone in Wutan City knows that. Young brother, do you want to ask Master Gu Ni to help you refine pills?"
The appraisers trained by the Mittel Family would not miss any opportunity to do business.
Chen Yang reached out and steadied himself on the table, saying softly, "I suppose so. Could you please introduce me to Master Gu Ni?"
Looking at Chen Yang's youthful face, the middle-aged man's experience told him that this young man might not have the ability to ask a Grade 2 Alchemist for help. However, when his eyes swept over Chen Yang's left hand on the table, his pupils suddenly contracted.
He could tell at a glance that the ring on Chen Yang's hand was a Storage Ring. A young man who possessed a Storage Ring must have considerable wealth.
"Sir, please come with me. I will take you to see Master Gu Ni right now." The middle-aged man's professional smile remained, but his address changed from 'little brother' to 'Sir'.
Chen Yang nodded and followed the middle-aged man out of the door, upstairs, and around the corner. Soon they arrived at a door.
Seeing that there was no one guarding the door, the middle-aged man went up and knocked on it.
Knock knock knock!
"Who is it?"
"Master Gu Ni, a gentleman wishes to have you refine some elixirs," the middle-aged man said respectfully from the doorway.
He was just an ordinary 6-Star Dou Zhe, while Gu Ni in the sect was not only a Grade 2 Alchemist but also a 3-Star Great Dou Master powerhouse.
"Oh."
Having received a reply, the middle-aged man continued to wait, as not just anyone could enter the alchemist's room.
Squeak!
A few seconds later, the door opened, and an elderly man in a blue robe with slightly gray hair came out.
"Master, this is the gentleman who wants you to refine the elixir," the middle-aged man said, bowing slightly to Gu Ni.
"Hmm." Gu Ni's face held the arrogant expression that all alchemists possess. He turned his head and glanced at Chen Yang, then suddenly frowned. This young man in front of him was also an alchemist.
"You may leave." Gu Ni's arrogant expression softened slightly as he turned to the middle-aged man and said.
"Yes!"
After the middle-aged man left, Gu Ni welcomed Chen Yang into the room.
Upon entering the room, Chen Yang smelled a rich medicinal aroma. He glanced at a medicine cauldron in the corner, then looked at Gu Ni with a smile and said, "Master Gu Ni, were you just trying to refine a Grade 3 Qi Recovery Pill?"
In the Dou Qi Continent, Qi Recovery Pills came in various grades. They possessed both Grade 2 and Grade 3, and even Grades 4 through 9, with the main purpose of restoring Dou Qi at various levels.
"Huh???" Gu Ni looked at Chen Yang in surprise. Just by smelling the pills he was making, he could tell that this young man was a Grade 3 Alchemist.
"That's right. How did you figure that out, young master?" Gu Ni deliberately tried to get information out of the young man in front of him. He wanted to see if the young man in front of him was a Grade 3 Alchemist or if he had this kind of judgment for some other reason.
As Chen Yang looked at Gu Ni, the World Tree in his sea of consciousness trembled slightly. A faint projection appeared in his mind.
[Verdant Green Leafof3-Star Great Dou Master.]
[Gleaming Gold LeafofGrade 2 Alchemist.]
Chen Yang knew instinctively that these were Gu Ni's current limits. If he could help Gu Ni breakthrough, the Tree would generate a new Fruit for him.
"I recently advanced to the Grade 3 Alchemist level. I've refined several batches of Qi Pills before, so I'm naturally familiar with it." Chen Yang said as he walked to Gu Ni's medicine cauldron and dusted it off a few times.
This was a Grade 2 Medicine Cauldron. It could actually be used to refine Grade 3 pills, but the success rate would be lower.
Moreover, Gu Ni was only a Grade 2 Alchemist on the surface, and this Grade 3 Qi Recovery Pill was merely an experiment for him.
"Since you are a Grade 3 Alchemist, why do you want me to refine your pills?" Gu Ni asked in confusion.
"If you don't say that, why would the appraiser have brought me to see Master Gu Ni?" Chen Yang turned around and asked Gu Ni.
"That's true…" Gu Ni nodded slightly, then asked, "I wonder what you need from me?"
A Grade 3 Alchemist wouldn't command such respect from Gu Ni, but a Grade 3 Alchemist this young was a different story.
As far as he knew, the royal princess and Dan Wang Guhe's top disciple were probably about the same.
Hearing Gu Ni's words, Chen Yang knew it was time for him to perform. He reached out and smacked Gu Ni's medicine cauldron, making it clang loudly. Then, he sighed and said with an embarrassed look:
"Well!"
"To be honest, after I broke through to the Grade 3 Alchemist level some time ago, I got itchy and curious and refined a pill whose effects I didn't know. In order to test the medicine, I fed the pill to my senior sister's pet beast, and almost poisoned that beast to death."
"When my senior sister found out, she was furious. She confiscated all my gold coins, pills, and medicinal herbs, expelled me from the sect, and ordered me not to return until I broke through to the Dou Ling level!"
"Within the sect, I am not afraid of my teachers and elders, but I am afraid of my senior sister. She is only two years older than me, but she is already a Dou Wang expert and a Grade 5 Alchemist."
"Right now, I am penniless. I have heard that the Mittel Auction House of your Mittel Family in the Jia Ma Empire is quite reputable. I would like to borrow some medicinal herbs to refine into pills and exchange them for some money."
"If your auction house is willing, we can also reach a long-term cooperation. I also need some resources to cultivate and practice my alchemy skills!"
Chen Yang just made things up, though not all of it was entirely made up.
The senior in the story was the female student who rode with him on the bike. The poisoned pet was a black and white cat that the senior student owned, but the cat got diarrhea from eating something it shouldn't have.
Meanwhile, Gu Ni was completely bewildered.
A Dou Wang powerhouse two years older than you, and a Grade 5 Alchemist?
If you break through to the Dou Ling realm and return to your sect, wouldn't you be a Great Dou Master, and a high-level Great Dou Master at that?
Even the Yun Lan Sect of the Jia Ma Empire couldn't cultivate such a genius, could it?
He just mentioned "your Jia Ma Empire," so could this person be a young genius from a top sect elsewhere?
Thinking of this, Gu Ni looked at Chen Yang with shock and doubt in his eyes.
Looking into Gu Ni's eyes, Chen Yang knew that if he didn't do something, today's plan would not work. So he mobilized his internal Dou Qi, and the fiery red Dou Qi instantly burst forth from his body, condensing and not dissipating, forming a layer of fiery red Dou Qi armor on his body surface.
"A Dou Qi armor... and its aura is much stronger than that of Xiao Zhan from the Xiao Family, clearly indicating a high-level Great Dou Master!"
If Gu Ni only believed half of what Chen Yang said earlier, he now believed at least 90%.
The remaining ten percent was Chen Yang's alchemy skills.
"Master Gu Ni, how about I refine a batch of Qi Recovery Pills now, and then we can discuss the price?" Chen Yang patted the medicine cauldron under his hand and suggested.
"Of course!"
Gu Ni had no reason to refuse.
Firstly, he also wanted to gain the friendship of a young, Grade 3 Alchemist.
Furthermore, as an alchemist of the Mittel Family, he naturally needed to boost the performance of the Mittel Auction House. If the performance of the Mittel Auction House in Wutan City increased because of the young man in front of him, he would have the opportunity to be transferred back to the capital.
Finally, the young man before him was a high-level Great Dou Master. Fearing that he would offend this person if he refused, the young man might forcibly seize the auction house and leave in a dashing manner.
At that time, it would be his own fault.
"I wonder... would it be convenient for you to tell me your name, young master?" Gu Ni knew that alchemists were all eccentric people, and some of them did not like to tell others their names, so he asked in a very tactful way.
"It's no trouble at all. I am Chen Yang. Thank you for your trouble, Master Gu Ni!" Chen Yang said with a smile and cupped his hands in greeting.
"Brother Chen Yang, you're too kind. Here are two portions of ingredients for Grade 3 Qi Recovery Pills. Please refine the pills here. I'll go and give the order, and no one will disturb us!" Gu Ni returned the greeting with a cupped hand, then took out two portions of ingredients for Grade 3 Qi Recovery Pills from his storage ring. After speaking, he prepared to turn and leave.
In the Dou Qi Continent, alchemists' alchemy techniques were closely guarded secrets. Even master-disciple relationships often involved keeping a secret, let alone those who met by chance.
However, just as Gu Ni was about to leave, Chen Yang raised his hand and said, "Master Gu Ni, please stay here and guard this place for me!"
Gu Ni was taken aback upon hearing this. "This... Brother Chen Yang, aren't you afraid I'll steal your skills?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Yang laughed heartily. "Haha... My master once said that there are countless top alchemists on the Dou Qi Continent. Why should we, with our rudimentary skills, be so proud of ourselves?"
After saying that, Chen Yang sat down cross-legged and took out his medicine cauldron from his storage ring. "Master Gu Ni, please take a look. If I can learn even a little bit and help Master Gu Ni improve his medicine refining skills, my teacher might even praise me when we get back!"
Chen Yang's expression, as if he were a benefactor to all alchemists, moved Gu Ni deeply.
However, Chen Yang didn't actually have any altruistic intentions. He was just trying to see if he could train Gu Ni to become a Grade 3 Alchemist.
If Gu Ni breakthroughs to Grade 3, the World Tree's leaf for Wutan would detect the new peak and grant Chen Yang an even higher alchemy upgrade.
Thinking of this, Chen Yang smiled and shook his head, placing his right hand on the fire's vent, channeling his Dou Qi into it.