Stepping out of the auction hall, Xiao Yan stood at the entrance, gazing up at the slightly dim sky, and took a long, slow breath before turning and walking toward a lounge area within the hall. "Better secure the auction proceeds and the items purchased first," he murmured to himself as he went. With his eyes slightly closed, Xiao Yan's fingers slowly tapped on the table. After such a long while, several footsteps suddenly approached the hall from a distance. The tapping gradually ceased as Xiao Yan opened his eyes and looked toward the curtain that had been drawn aside—there, a somewhat short, thin elderly man was leading two attendants, smiling warmly as he entered. "Ah, I believe you're the one bidding for the three Qingling Pills, Mr. Xiao? I'm the head of this event—call me Hu, the Head Attendant." Approaching the figure fully wrapped in black robes, the elder smiled warmly. "Yao Yan," Xiao Yan nodded gently. "Hu, has the auction concluded?" "Ah, yes—it has concluded perfectly." Hu gently nodded, smiling, and glanced at Xiao Yan with a subtle eye, yet found no trace of anything that would reveal his identity. He waved his hand, and a young attendant promptly raised the silver tray in his hands. On the tray lay a purple-gold card, adorned with five waves of different colors. The Five-Wave Purple-Gold Card—a credential held exclusively by cultivators at the Spirit Soul level—was indeed rare. While it wasn't absolute, one would typically expect a third-rank Alchemist to qualify. "Mr. Yao Yan, the total auction price for your three Qing-Ling Dan is 2.7 million. After deducting the 10% auction service fee, the final amount stands at 2.53 million." "Master Hu's eyes narrowed to a thin slit, and with a smile, he said, 'The Earth-Core Fire Mushroom cost 1.2 million, and the Eight-Directions Bright-Flame Cauldron cost 400,000. So your final proceeds amount to 930,000. The remaining funds are all held in this five-ringed golden card, while the items you purchased are stored within this ordinary Naga Ring.' With a wave of his hand, the attendant promptly placed a silver tray before Xiao Yan. On the tray lay a five-ringed golden card and a regular Naga Ring. 'Such a high service fee...,' Xiao Yan thought, shaking his head with a touch of resignation. He hadn't expected, after all this effort, to end up with just under one million left. After taking the card and the ring, Xiao Yan carefully inspected the Earth-Core Fire Mushroom and the Eight-Directions Bright-Flame Cauldron inside the Naga Ring, then removed them and transferred them into his own Naga Ring. 'By the way, Master Hu,' Xiao Yan asked, 'which faction successfully secured the final Yin-Yang-Xuan-Long Pill in the auction?' "After neatly arranging everything, Xiao Yan suddenly asked with a seemingly casual curiosity. 'Heh, the item was eventually purchased by the Tian She Mansion.' Hearing Xiao Yan's question, Hu, the steward, didn't hesitate—he simply stated it directly. After all, the purchase had been witnessed by countless people; even if he hadn't mentioned it, the news would surely spread throughout half of the Black Angular Region within just one afternoon. 'The Tian She Mansion, huh...' Xiao Yan's eyebrows slightly lifted beneath his black robe as he murmured to himself. 'Since the item has now been secured, then I shall not disturb you any further. I'll be off.' Upon receiving the answer, Xiao Yan promptly bowed to Hu and prepared to leave. 'Heh, Doctor Yao, please wait a moment. Our master has shown great interest in you. If you don't mind, would you be willing to meet with our master and chat a bit?' As Xiao Yan was about to depart, Hu suddenly smiled and spoke. The creases on the robe were slightly furrowed as Xiao Yan spoke softly, "Let's just say it's enough. I'm merely auctioning off a few items. What could possibly interest your esteemed master? I'm sorry, but I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving now. Should I ever need to auction anything else, I'll certainly come back to Mr. Hu. Goodbye." Without waiting for Mr. Hu to offer any words of farewell, Xiao Yan quickly stepped out of the hall. Standing in the hall, Mr. Hu narrowed his eyes at the figure now fading from sight, his own brows furrowing in thought. "Do you think you've recognized his status?" A calm voice suddenly echoed through the hall. Mr. Hu turned to see a middle-aged man with broad shoulders and a strong frame seated in the chair where Xiao Yan had been. With the man's arrival, the atmosphere in the hall seemed to instantly grow more imposing, causing Mr. Hu to straighten his posture and then gradually bend it slightly. "Master...” Seeing this middle-aged man whose hair and beard have turned slightly white, Hu, the head steward, hurriedly bowed and said, "At this moment, I still can't tell. He's hiding too well. By rights, he should either be a master alchemist himself or at least of a high rank. After all, it's quite rare for even a regular fourth-rank alchemist to produce a Qingling Pill—such a refined medicine. Yet, despite having asked every high-ranking alchemist I know, I haven't found anyone who matches him." "His brow furrowed slightly, and the middle-aged man murmured a soft 'hmm,' his calm tone masking an unmistakable cold intensity: 'Send someone to quietly follow him and uncover his background. A senior alchemy specialist capable of crafting Qingling Pills is quite rare. Do everything in your power to secure his loyalty to my Eight-Panel Gate. If that proves impossible, and with absolute assurance of safety, then remove him entirely. If he cannot serve me, he certainly shouldn't benefit anyone else—otherwise, he'll eventually become a liability.' 'Yes,' the assistant promptly replied. 'Good. Go about it. Select someone particularly skilled in blending into the background. I still need to personally handle the handover of the Yin-Yang-Xuan-Long Pills to the Tian She Fu delegation. Those are quite valuable—hadn't my status as a principal seller been so strong, I'd never have entrusted them to be auctioned off. Honestly!' Standing up, the man gave a slight sigh, then strode toward the hall's rear, his voice laced with a clear sense of reluctance and quiet disdain. Hu Guan nodded repeatedly, and only after the middle-aged man had disappeared did he slowly exhale, quietly stepping out of the hall. ... After leaving the auction hall, Xiao Yan first visited "Qian Yao Fang," purchasing all the materials needed to prepare the Fuzi Ling Dan. As a result, the ninety多万 in his purple-gold cards had significantly diminished, leaving only a few tens of thousands left. Holding the purple-gold cards in his hands, Xiao Yan couldn't help but chuckle bitterly, realizing that despite all his efforts, his financial strength had remained unchanged. "Ah, I still haven't made it out of the poor category," Xiao Yan murmured, recalling the lavish spending displayed by the others at the auction hall, and feeling utterly amazed by the gap between them. "Be careful—someone is following you. I believe it's one of the Eight Gates." As Xiao Yan turned the corner down the street, the elderly pharmacist's calm voice suddenly echoed in his mind. Xiao Yan's steps paused slightly before he resumed walking steadily, his mind coldly murmuring, "Indeed, the Black Angle Domain lives up to its reputation. With these people's meager integrity, how can anyone possibly trust them to auction off goods? In the Gamma Empire, such a situation would have driven the business to bankruptcy long ago." "There's simply no choice," the medicine elder smiled. "Few powerful factions in the Black Angle Domain can host such auctions, given how chaotic things have become here." "Then, for now, you needn't worry about them," he continued. "We don't need to engage in much conflict with them at this stage." "Agreed," Xiao Yan nodded slightly. "Get rid of the ones trailing behind, and find out where the young deputy abbot of the Blood Sect, Fan Ling, resides. As for the other items, we can do without them—yet that torn map must be secured." The medicine elder pondered. Nodding again, that map was crucial to the location of the "Pure Lotus Demon Fire"—Xiao Yan naturally paid close attention. With a subtle glance at the bustling streets behind him, he suddenly flashed forward, vanishing like a ghost into a narrow alley. Since he needed to keep a constant watch on Fan Ling's every move, Xiao Yan abandoned his previous inn and settled in a secluded location just outside of Fan Ling's residence, maintaining constant observation. ... After the auction concluded that day, Fan Ling and the others did not immediately leave Blackprint City. Instead, they rested overnight and only on the following noon did they make a grand exit from the hotel, bustling through the city and rushing out of Blackprint City. Once Fan Ling and his companions had exited the city, a dark figure quietly followed them, like a shadow that could never be shed, no matter how hard they tried. "Hey, sorry, but my things—no one can take them away, not even if you're the youngest branch master," the figure murmured, his quiet, measured laughter fading gently as he moved through the forest.