Hearing Xiao Yan's words, the Yafu behind him also ceased her struggles, her gaze fixed on the elderly man who had been idly playing with his teacup. Recalling the previous purple-gold card, she gradually calmed down. Across from them, after Xiao Yan spoke, Lei Ou turned his attention to Hai Bo Dong, observing his composed expression. His eyes narrowed slightly, a sense of unease stirring within him, and in a low voice he asked, "May I ask your name?" He slowly shook his head and raised his eyes, his gaze as calm and distant as a block of eternal ice, glancing casually at Lei Ou before lowering them to the now-frozen teacup. After a brief silence, he said, "Miter Tengshan—has that underachiever, the one you mentioned, still been alive?" His simple, unassuming tone rang like a thunderclap, striking sharply in the ears of everyone else in the room—except Xiao Yan—leaving them all as motionless as wooden posts. "Good heavens," Lei Ou murmured, "he actually said that to the Grand Elder?" The Grand Elder is one of the top ten prodigies of the Jiaema Empire! Xiao Yan, what exactly is this old man's status? The young lady, Ya Fei, stared blankly at the seated Haibo Dong, her rosy lips slightly parted. In Haibo Dong's words, the Elder—so revered within the family—had been reduced to mere waste material. If this were to reach the Mitel family, it would surely provoke outrage. Even Lei Ou, sitting across from him, and his companion Lei Le, were equally stunned, their mouths hanging open, their cheeks twitching slightly—clearly, the impact of Haibo Dong's statement was profound. "Er...," after a long period of silence, Lei Ou finally regained his composure, swallowing slowly. His gaze, filled with astonishment, fixed on Haibo Dong, and his tone had become notably more courteous. "You there—" "You don't have the right to address me that way," Haibo Dong replied calmly, not even lifting his eyes, as he gently blew on his chilled teacup. These rather sharp remarks left Leiuo momentarily stunned, then his face turned pale with indignation—something he had never experienced since becoming a senior elder. "Within ten minutes, the herbs previously assigned by that young woman must be presented before me. Otherwise, I shall not hesitate to reduce the Mitel family's number of senior elders by one," said Haibo Dong, ignoring Leiuo's flushed and stiffened expression, maintaining his calm, detached tone, and leaving him with absolutely no face to spare. "You—you're being far too demanding! Do you know who my grandfather is?" Seeing Leiuo thus rebuked, Lei Le, who had never before witnessed anyone dare to speak to his grandfather with such directness, grew pale himself. The anger that surged over his face surpassed the initial shock caused by Haibo Dong's words, and he could not help but erupt into a cold, scornful laugh. As soon as Lei Le finished speaking, Xiao Yan's face flashed with a cold smile, and he murmured, "Unaware of your own fate..." The teacup he had been gently swaying in his hands gradually came to a halt. Haibo Dong looked up at him with an icy gaze, so piercing that Lei Le's face instantly turned pale. Under the collective gaze of the assembly, Lei Le had just managed to force himself to speak again when he suddenly noticed Haibo Dong's body subtly trembling. "Be careful!" At the very moment Haibo Dong's body began to tremble, Lei Ou's eyes narrowed sharply. With a sharp cry, he side-stepped swiftly, positioning himself directly in front of Lei Le, and then his internal qi surged violently, erupting outward to fully envelop his body. As Lei Ou was just summoning his qi, a white figure appeared before him as if by instant teleportation—so swift that it caused Lei Ou's eyes to briefly narrow. The figure stood there, his hands lightly extended, the cold, penetrating qi flowing from his palms gently striking the chest where Lei Ou's qi was surging. "Pfft!" The seemingly casual motion caused Leo's face to instantly pale, and he spat out a gush of blood that immediately solidified into a cascade of crimson ice, crisply landing on the ground. The powerful force sent Leo's body shooting backward, and as a result, both Leo and Rael crashed heavily against the wall, emitting sharp cries of pain. The guards accompanying Leo stood in stunned silence, watching their lord—just one move—and seeing him severely injured and falling to the ground. Their hands, gripping their weapons, trembled with fear, completely forgetting their duty to protect their master. "Grandpa! Are you all right?" Since Leo had taken the brunt of the impact, Rael's injuries were not severe. He struggled to rise, only to see Leo's pale complexion—worse than his own—and immediately called out in panic. "A Battle Sovereign? A Battle Sovereign?" The cold energy within him had even caused thin layers of ice to form on Leiou's hair, his lips trembling as he stared in horror at the figure standing before him. He could barely believe that a severely injured warrior—someone whose presence he could barely perceive—could achieve such a feat. Only a True King-level warrior, he knew, could accomplish this. Hearing these words, Lei Lu's body suddenly shook violently, his face filled with fear as he gazed at Haibo Dong. He had never imagined that this unassuming elder was actually a True King-level warrior. "Ten minutes have already begun counting," Haibo Dong said calmly, glancing steadily at the two of them. "I have said this—I will not retract a single word. If the herbs are not brought before me within ten minutes, even if Mitel·Tengshan arrives, you will die today!" Upon hearing this, Leiou's face flashed with fear, and he urgently shouted at Lei Lu, "Hurry! Hurry! Get the herbs and bring them up!" "Yes, yes..." Just as startled, Lei Le quickly stood up and then scrambled out of the room, rolling and crawling as he went. Watching how swiftly Lei You had become so obedient, Yafu shook her head with a smile. What a truly delicate fellow this old man was. "Ah, a Duke-Class powerhouse... Heaven's sake, Xiao Yan actually knows someone of such a top-tier strength. That's why he has the courage to come to the Imperial Capital." Taking a deep breath, Yafu gazed at the sturdy figure before her, growing more and more puzzled by this man's enigmatic nature. Standing up from her seat, Yafu respectfully looked at Haibo Dong, her voice trembling slightly, "Sir, do you happen to know the Grand Elder well?" "That useless one—has he not yet died?" Haibo Dong slowly sat back down, spewing out another bold remark that sent a shiver running through the body of Lei You lying on the ground. Sea Po Dong's bold words also left Lady Ya a bit embarrassed, so she spoke softly, "The Grand Elder is well. May I ask your name, sir?" "Tell that waste of a man, simply say I, Sea Po Dong, haven't died yet—he'll naturally understand." Sea Po Dong replied calmly. "Understood," Lady Ya said, bowing respectfully, her hands twisting nervously. Her eyes suddenly caught the purple-gold card on the table, and she hurriedly picked it up, intending to return it, as per the auction hall's custom, where a Battle Sovereign typically enjoys generous privileges. "Keep it," Xiao Yan smiled, turning his gaze toward Sea Po Dong. "He won't take it back, will he, Sea Elder?" "You're ridiculous! This young lady isn't even your lover—do you have to save every coin for her?" Sea Po Dong sighed, shaking his head. As Hai Bo Dong spoke, Ya Fei's cheeks flushed slightly. Holding the purple-gold card, she hesitated before summoning a maid to go and draw out the funds—though, before departing, she specifically instructed the maid to halve the price. "Hm, such a young lady—quite well-mannered indeed..." Though Ya Fei's voice was soft, Hai Bo Dong clearly heard it, and nodded with a smile, evidently pleased by her demeanor. Xiao Yan smiled and turned to gaze at Ya Fei, whose delicate features were striking. Suddenly, he asked, "By the way, could you help me find out if there's anything in this auction hall that can restore spiritual energy?" "Restore spiritual energy?" Ya Fei was momentarily taken aback, then furrowed her brows, saying, "That's truly a rare and exceptional item—let me check." "Saying that, she turned and darted behind a bookshelf, then searched for a moment before finally stepping out with a thick volume in her arms. After carefully flipping through the pages, she shook her head with a sigh of regret: "I'm sorry, but items capable of restoring spiritual energy are truly rare. I've reviewed our inventory from the past year, and I haven't found any such treasures..." A look of disappointment crossed her face. Xiao Yan nodded wearily, his expression subdued as he sat back down in his chair. Seeing Xiao Yan's disheartened expression, Ya Fei shook her head in resignation, yet felt helpless. As time passed slowly, it wasn't until nearly ten minutes had elapsed that Lei Le's hurried figure burst through the door, rolling and crawling in, carefully placing several jade boxes he carried onto the table with trembling hands. "Sir," he stammered, "the herbs you requested are all here—none of them have been damaged in the slightest." Seeing the jade boxes, Haibo Dong's face brightened with relief. He opened them gently and smiled warmly, handing them over to Xiao Yan with eager enthusiasm. "Please check them over—make sure they're the ones you needed." After receiving the boxes, Xiao Yan examined them carefully, then nodded slightly under the watchful, breathless gaze of Lei and Lei Le. "Yes," he said, "everything looks good—the herbs are well preserved, and the age is quite sufficient." "That's good..." Hearing Xiang Yan confirm, Hai Bo Dong exhaled deeply, then turned to Lei Ou and coldly said, "Get out. Also... I've really liked this girl. Go tell Mitel Tengshan's waste of a daughter—remove the first word of the head prosecutor's name. When you're done, you can call her 'the one'." At this, Lei Ou's mouth twitched, quickly nodded, and, with Lei Le supporting him, hurriedly made his exit. "Got the items, shall we go?" Hai Bo Dong smiled as he secured the jade box. Xiang Yan nodded slightly. Just as he was about to say goodbye to Ya Fei, a maid hurried in and respectfully said to Ya Fei, "Miss Ya Fei, Lady Nalan has something she'd like to speak with you about." "Nalan? Nalan Yanran?" These two words, almost a forbidden phrase in Xiang Yan's mind, made him slightly startled, then his face darkened instantly.