As soon as the red-faced elder appeared, the numerous alchemists in the hall immediately lowered their voices. Some of the stronger ones felt slightly uneasy. The Yao Director on the platform also paused momentarily, then beamed warmly and hurriedly descended, approaching the red-faced elder with a graceful smile, saying, "It's truly a pleasure to have Master Qi here! We thought Master Qi wouldn't have the time to come, given the large-scale auction event hosted by Hei Huang Sect." "Ah, how could I possibly say that?" the elder chuckled, his voice loud and resonant. As he laughed, several people in the hall furrowed their brows, yet none dared to speak out, due to his esteemed reputation and influence within Black Emperor City. "Master Qi's visit to our shop is most delightful—thank you so much! Fortunately, the gathering for the exchange of elixirs hasn't officially begun yet. Please, take your seat, Master Qi." Yao the shop steward smiled warmly and then gracefully inclined her body to gesture respectfully. Seeing this, the stout elder didn't hesitate, laughed heartily, and walked directly toward the platform, settling himself with ease into the foremost chair. He glanced around with a calm, steady gaze, pausing briefly on Xiao Yan standing a little distance away before returning his eyes to the room. Noticing the red-faced elder taking his seat, Yao the Master could not help but give a barely perceptible sigh, silently cursing in his heart: "This old man always shows up—each time, he manages to secure the upper hand by relying on his standing within Black Emperor City, making the other bidders hesitant to compete with him." This red-faced elder boasts a substantial background; he is the foremost alchemical pharmacist within Black Emperor Sect, reportedly having recently attained the sixth rank, making him the strongest alchemical practitioner in Black Emperor City. With the backing of Black Emperor Sect, he is also a highly influential figure in the city, and thus, ordinary bidders naturally hesitate to challenge him. As a result, for Qi Yao Hall, this is clearly not advantageous—since they rely on competitive bidding to maximize their benefits, this elder's consistent presence undermines the very principle of fair competition. Although Yao Fengzhu had a slight dissatisfaction in her heart, she dared not say much due to the senior red-faced man's considerable influence within Black Emperor City, so she felt little enthusiasm toward this unwelcome guest. "That old man has such a sharp eye—he must have taken another herb from us this time…" As she thought this, she unconsciously tightened her grip on her jade-hand in her sleeve. These herbs had been painstakingly obtained by the pharmacy, at the cost of many of their herbal gatherers' lives—the price had been quite high indeed. With these thoughts swirling in her mind, Yao Fengzhu gently shook her head, suppressed her emotions, and swiftly ascended the platform, her face once again brightening with a smile, beginning to preside over the herb exchange gathering. Xiao Yan and the other two sat in a slightly back corner seat. Since the herbs that had appeared earlier were not what he needed, his gaze remained mostly fixed on the red-faced elder. From the expressions of the alchemy practitioners around him when this elder first appeared, it seemed clear that he held a high status within Black Emperor City. Moreover, the elder appeared somewhat disliked, though many people, for various reasons, were unable to voice their discontent. Thanks to his exceptional soul perception, Xiao Yan sensed that the red-faced elder's alchemy skill surpassed even Fang Ma of the Flame Alliance. While perhaps slightly behind Guo He, he still stood out as a genuine master of alchemy—worthy of being highly sought after by numerous factions across the Black Angular Region. As thoughts stirred within Xiao Yan's mind, the so-called exchange of pills officially began. Various alchemists glanced over the herbs; if they spotted something suitable, they would approach. However, to take away an herb they particularly liked, they had to offer a pill of equivalent value to that of the herb. After observing the exchange for a while, Xiao Yan gradually began to grasp certain details. He noticed that the value of these herbs was roughly half—or even less—of what was needed to produce a pill. For instance, if an herb was used to craft a fourth-rank pill, one would need to offer a third-rank pill to successfully exchange it. The specific type of third-rank pill, however, was determined by Qian Yao Fang. If the alchemist already had such a pill on hand, they could use it directly. Otherwise, a high-quality cauldron was prepared on a nearby stone platform—clearly intended for on-site pill production. The first batch of herbs didn't immediately catch Xiao Yan's attention, though several炼药师 with qualifications ranging from third to fourth rank were still enthusiastic. A routine exchange of herbs then began, and where no ready pills were available, some炼药师 simply prepared them on the spot. As a result, the temperature in the hall slightly rose. Those who were unimpressed by the initial herbs found themselves idly watching the boiling cauldrons, observing the others at work. In the hall, there were also several炼药师 who remained seated and motionless, their capabilities placing them among the mid-to-upper tier of the group, thus requiring a higher standard in their expectations. The initial batch of subpar herbs clearly failed to impress them. Among these, the most relaxed was undoubtedly the elderly man with a red face. He appeared visibly impatient with the herbs he found unsatisfactory, as though he were eager to have the Thousand Herbs Workshop immediately present its finest offerings. As time passed, the subpar herbs gradually began to be selected and removed. The herbs that arrived later improved in quality, and the originally unmoved, slightly stronger炼药people began to show interest, one by one approaching to negotiate terms for exchange. As time passed, the herbs on the stone platform gradually diminished, yet the rich, fragrant aroma seeping out from the jade boxes clearly indicated that the quality of the herbs now being presented had steadily improved—some even stirred the interest of the red-faced elder, though he remained motionless, as if he had come prepared. When the herbs on the platform dwindled down to fewer than ten boxes, only Xiao Yan and the red-faced elder remained seated at the lower benches, a small group indeed. Noticing that Xiao Yan and his companions had not taken action, the red-faced elder paused, then furrowed his brows, turning his gaze toward Xiao Yan. Upon sensing the elder's steady gaze, Xiao Yan slightly tilted his head, exchanged a calm, unassuming glance, and then smoothly shifted his attention away—his face showing no sign of the hesitation typically observed when other alchemists encountered the robe-clad elder. Xiao Yan's composed demeanor actually surprised the red-faced elder, who felt a subtle surge of irritation—having achieved his current level of strength and reputation, he had rarely experienced the feeling of being treated as if he were insignificant. In the hall, the alchemists who had secured the medicinal materials they needed did not immediately depart. Instead, they watched with keen interest the still-seated Xiao Yan and the red-faced elder. Typically, the true climax of such a medicinal exchange event unfolded only toward the end. "Heh, now, it's time for the finest batch of herbs our Qian Yao Workshop has ever offered—these herbs came at a significant cost to us," said Yao Fengzhu, smiling gently as he gazed at the few jade boxes remaining on the stone platform. He lightly tapped his jade hands, and several attendants swiftly stepped forward, removing the remaining boxes and bringing in five new ones, their colors resembling fine jade. As soon as those five jade boxes appeared, a strong aroma of herbs surged throughout the hall, prompting several alchemists to take deep breaths and express astonishment. The red-faced elder leaning against his chair also sat up straight, his eyes glowing with keen interest as he fixed them on the three jade boxes. Yao, the master of the alchemy hall, scanned the room before settling his gaze on Xiao Xin, smiling gently and saying, "These five herbs—should any of you be interested, please go ahead and take them." Xiao Xin's eyes were fixed intently on the three jade boxes on the platform. To him, it was obvious at a glance that these three boxes contained the very final three ingredients he had come for—precisely the ones needed to complete the Tian Hún Róng Xuè Dan. Taking a deep breath, Xiao Xin rose from his seat and made his way steadily toward the stone platform, under the collective gaze of everyone in the hall. With Xiao Yan's actions, the attention in the hall immediately focused upon him. These herbs were of exceptionally high quality—receiving them would likely require at least a fourth or fifth-rank pill, something that seemed quite remarkable for a man so young. Could this seemingly young man actually present such a level of pill? Under the steady gaze of everyone present, Xiao Yan paused before the stone platform, smiled gently at Yao, the graceful and attractive head of the pharmacy, and then slowly slid the three jade boxes in front of him with a serene expression. "Yao Head," he said, "please let me know what kind of pill we would need to exchange for these three herbs."