Rise of the Alchemy God

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All the guests had arrived well before the auction's start, and as the hour struck, the event officially began.

The murmuring among the crowd quickly died down as a graceful, beautiful woman stepped onto the stage where today's items would be presented.

She introduced herself as the host of the event.

For Ethan, this wasn't his first time at an auction.

Seeing the familiar scene brought back memories, both bitter and sweet, depending on the perspective.

Although that time had marked yet another downfall since his arrival in this world, it was also the moment where, in a way, his life had begun to change.

As Ethan listened to the woman's brief introduction, he found his thoughts drifting to someone from his past.

"I wonder how he's doing now… What was his name again? Yang Wei?"

While Ethna tried to recall the name of his cellmate from back then, the auction officially got underway.

The highlight of today's event would undoubtedly be the eternal youth pill, but it wasn't the only items up for bid.

As was customary, there would also be other objects, some of which were said to be anything but ordinary.

From what Ethan had heard, some of the items were rare and well-known, while others were obscure or completely mysterious but had unique characteristics that made them stand out.

When the nature of such items couldn't be determined, they often ended up at prestigious auctions like this, where various experts might take an interest in examining them.

The first lot was a set of low-grade Level 3 pills, followed by a weapon forged from rare metals.

Just from this initial display, Ethan realized this auction was far superior to most he had known.

Starting with a Level 3 pill signaled that it was among the least valuable items of the day.

Considering such a pill as "less valuable" said it all.

As Ethan observed, he finally saw the young lady from the Kingdom of the Tiger making her move.

Examining the item that seemed to have caught her attention, he couldn't help but nod in approval.

"She has a good eye," he thought as he carefully examined the object.

The item in question was a talisman made entirely of green jade. According to the host, it was a relic from a famous cultivator of the past.

She explained that the talisman was a recording talisman, often used to store techniques or important messages, especially given the material it was crafted from.

That said, while the talisman clearly had some value, it wasn't particularly remarkable for the experts present. They had undoubtedly seen similar objects before.

However, with his heightened perception, Ethan was able to examine not just the talisman's exterior but also its interior.

While its grade was high due to the material, it wasn't advanced enough to resist his perception.

As a result, he could determine the information contained within and concluded that Hu Xingyan's intuition was sharp.

Following the talisman, several other items were presented, ranging from pills to materials.

The competition for materials was particularly fierce, far more so than for the other items.

Even the woman in pink robes and the two other young ladies participated in bidding for some rare alchemical materials,

materials that were only slightly rare for Ethan but highly prized by others.

In the end, Hu Xingyan, who seemed to have an endless supply of funds, secured the material.

Watching her spend so freely each time she placed a bid, Grandmaster Bai Huo Shan could only shake his head and say a silent prayer for his colleague.

"That old man… I'm sure he'll shed bitter tears when he sees how much his precious granddaughter has spent," he said with a tone of mock sympathy for the White Tiger Kingdom's grand alchemy master.

Ethan, seeing this, didn't know what expression to make, but he noticed that the other two young women seemed visibly irritated.

He had already sensed a tense atmosphere forming earlier, but now he understood where it was coming from.

"Haha, it's great to be young.

Oh, wait until I get my hands on your pill, then I can be young again!" Bai Huo Shan suddenly exclaimed, giving Ethan, who was closest to him, a hearty slap on the back.

The two young womens shot him angry glares, but he just smiled as if nothing had happened.

Ethan was sure that if the old man were ever to meet his end, it would undoubtedly be at the hands of a woman.

Faced with the situation, Ethan, being a true gentleman, decided to do what he did best: add fuel to the fire.

"Sister Yù, please allow this humble one to present you with a small gift," he said out of nowhere, pulling out a wooden box.

Bai Yù Xīn, the woman in pink, glanced at him, thanked him, and began inspecting the box.

She already had a good impression of this young alchemist, whose level far exceeded hers, which was by no means low.

For that reason alone, she had wanted to establish a good relationship with him.

Now, seeing that he was already friendly with her grandfather, she thought it wouldn't be too hard to strengthen their connection.

This unexpected gift only confirmed her belief.

She didn't overthink the gift itself, considering it more of a gesture than anything else.

Unfortunately for her, the gift was far from simple.

As soon as the jade box was opened, a fragrant aroma of medicinal herbs filled the air.

Inside, she saw a flower, complete with roots, no more than 15 cm long, with gray petals tinged with blue.

Upon seeing the flower, she immediately understood its significance.

It was a Dreaming Mist Flower, coincidentally the same material Hu Xingyan had just won.

At first, she thought this was a gesture to console her for losing the flower to the White Tiger girl, but she quickly realized this flower was far more valuable.

The Dreaming Mist Flower was a rare alchemical material known to grow only in perpetually mist-shrouded valleys or near stagnant water sources, where sunlight barely penetrated.

While such places weren't hard to find, finding one with enough Qi density to nurture this flower was exceedingly rare.

As a result, whenever a Dreaming Mist Flower appeared at auction, it was quickly taken, sometimes by cultivators, sometimes by beasts.

The flower previously auctioned had been five years old, already considered rare for such a rare specimen and immediately snatched up.

To her astonishment, however, this flower wasn't five years old, it was a 100 years old.