Chapter 53

**Bang**

The alchemy furnace trembled violently, then gradually calmed down. Slowly lifting the lid, a halo of light rose, illuminating the room a bit more.

Long Chen looked at one of the pills inside the furnace, which resembled a night pearl, and couldn’t help but be overjoyed—it was a high-grade pill, and he had finally succeeded in refining a high-grade pill.

The standard for identifying low-grade pills was their fragrance, for middle-grade pills it was their patterns, and for high-grade pills, it was the faint halo of light, which indicated that the pill’s properties were firmly locked within the pill.

In the entire Phoenix Cry Empire, apart from Master Yun Qi, no one else could refine high-grade pills.

"The halo is a bit faint, probably due to the current alchemy fire not being fully controlled, leaving some flaws. But it’s enough for now,"

Looking at the high-grade pill, Long Chen felt a sense of pride. This pill was called the Muscle Regeneration and Bone Healing Pill.

It came from the memory of the Alchemy Emperor within Long Chen’s soul. Although it was a second-stage pill, this formula had long vanished from the world, and Long Chen’s was the only one.

After carefully storing the high-grade Muscle Regeneration and Bone Healing Pill, he also stored the remaining pills. After refining pills all night, he was slightly tired.

With an hour left until dawn, Long Chen closed his eyes to rest, slowly recovering his soul power.

After absorbing the beast fire, the strength of the alchemy fire had increased tenfold, but controlling it consumed a lot of soul power.

Especially since Long Chen hadn’t fully adapted to the new alchemy fire, the consumption was even greater, so he needed to rest for a while.

When the first rays of sunlight illuminated the capital, Long Chen slowly opened his eyes.

After breakfast, Long Chen took his pills and headed straight for the Huayun Pavilion. Today was the start of Huayun Pavilion’s annual auction.

However, the auction wouldn’t start until noon, and such auctions would last for three days, so no one rushed early. Long Chen was the first to arrive.

The Huayun Pavilion was located in the northern part of the city, slightly off-center but still in the heart of the capital. A nearly hundred-zhang-tall magnificent building, it was the Huayun Pavilion.

As soon as Long Chen entered the hall, four beautiful and graceful young women greeted him.

"Sir, may I ask... Ah!"

The young women were used to greeting guests, but when they saw Long Chen’s face, they all let out a gasp and stared at him in a daze.

Long Chen was taken aback and checked his clothes. He had just changed before leaving, so there shouldn’t be any problem.

"What’s the matter with you, making such a fuss in the morning? How did you get trained? How can you be so undisciplined... Ah, Young Master Long Chen?"

A well-dressed, lean-faced middle-aged man came out and scolded the young women, but when he saw Long Chen, he also let out a gasp.

"Rich and Noble, it’s been a long time," Long Chen smiled.

This man was none other than the business executive who had given Long Chen the invitation. The reason Long Chen could remember his name for so long was because his name was very unique.

This name was usually given to pets by wealthy families, but regardless, he had succeeded in making people remember his name instantly, which made him an excellent salesperson.

Seeing Long Chen, Rich and Noble was overjoyed, mainly because he had already used up his three slots for the year.

One was given to a capable wanderer, and another to a wealthy merchant. However, recent investigations showed that neither of them was particularly interested in the auction, which meant his commission might be very little, or even nothing at all.

There was nothing he could do, as the major clients had already been poached by higher-level managers. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t steal them away.

Later, Rich and Noble focused all his attention on Long Chen, but Long Chen hadn’t contacted him since receiving the invitation.

With the auction starting today, Rich and Noble’s heart had been cold. He thought there was no hope this year and could only look forward to next year.

Now, seeing Long Chen, his heart, which had almost died, started beating rapidly again.

"Young Master Long Chen, you finally came. I thought you had forgotten about this," Rich and Noble said excitedly.

"Hehe, sorry, I’ve been very busy lately. I brought some things this time. Call out your appraiser, let’s discuss the auction. After all, time is tight," Long Chen smiled.

"Of course, Young Master Long Chen, please follow me," Rich and Noble was overjoyed and quickly led Long Chen upstairs.

The four young women continued to stare at Long Chen in a daze until he disappeared from their sight.

"Heavens, I actually saw a legendary figure."

"That’s the first among the young generation of the capital, and I got to see him up close. I’m so happy!"

As the young women whispered, Long Chen was led by Rich and Noble into a very luxurious private room.

As soon as they entered, a woman in elegant attire walked in, bowed to Long Chen, and then extended her delicate hands to prepare tea, revealing herself to be a tea artist.

"Young Master Long Chen, please enjoy the tea. I’ll go find the appraiser right away. May I ask what you need appraised?" Rich and Noble asked cautiously. After all, appraisers had their specialties, and different items required different appraisers.

"Pills," Long Chen smiled slightly.

Although he had expected it, when Long Chen said it, Rich and Noble’s eyes clearly lit up, and he hurriedly said, "Please wait a moment, I’ll be right back."

"Your Highness, please enjoy the tea."

The tea artist handed a cup of tea to Long Chen. The aroma of the tea wafted over even before the cup reached him.

"Good tea,"

Long Chen took a light sip. The tea was smooth and refreshing, leaving a fragrant aftertaste and invigorating his mind. He couldn’t help but praise it.

"Good tea, and an even better person," Long Chen smiled at the tea artist.

The woman’s face turned slightly red, her beautiful eyes flickering, looking very endearing. However, Long Chen’s admiration for her vanished instantly due to her expression.

Originally, the woman’s tea art was very exquisite, especially her control over water temperature and the changing of cups, which earned Long Chen’s respect. After all, anyone with a skill deserved respect.

However, her expression of seeming to welcome and reject at the same time, clearly inviting him to take advantage, made him feel disappointed. Long Chen felt repulsed and stopped drinking the tea, closing his eyes to rest.

The tea artist suddenly felt awkward. She hadn’t expected her infallible method to fail.

She didn’t recognize Long Chen and had already passed the age of chasing dreams, so she didn’t know that the young man in front of her was the first among the young generation of Phoenix Cry.

Fortunately, the awkward atmosphere didn’t last long. Rich and Noble returned, accompanied by an elderly man in his sixties.

As soon as they arrived, the tea artist hurriedly left. The elderly man entered and performed the alchemist’s salute with one hand over his chest.

"Greetings, Young Master Long Chen. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Qian Fu, also an alchemy apprentice. Please guide me,"

Long Chen was speechless. No wonder he was in business; his name was so auspicious. He returned the alchemist’s salute and said,

"You are too kind. In terms of alchemy experience, you are a senior,"

After exchanging pleasantries, Long Chen got straight to the point, "I need to auction a few pills. Please take a look,"

Long Chen handed a jade bottle to Qian Fu, who carefully took it, put on gloves, and took out a jade plate to pour out the pills.

"This is..."

When Qian Fu saw the pill, he recognized it as a second-stage middle-grade pill and felt a surge of joy. However, when he tried to identify the pill, he was stumped; he didn’t recognize it.

Although Qian Fu’s talent was limited, and he was only an alchemy apprentice, he had seen countless pills in his life, which was why he could be Huayun Pavilion’s top appraiser.

Yet, this second-stage pill had stumped him. He examined it for a long time, smelled it, and used several small instruments to test it.

After all the effort, Qian Fu’s face turned awkward. Not knowing what the pill was was a slap in the face for an appraiser.

Qian Fu’s reaction was within Long Chen’s expectations. The Muscle Regeneration and Bone Healing Pill, originating from the Alchemy Emperor’s soul, was a very obscure pill.

Long Chen had combined 217 ingredients to refine it, although the ingredients themselves were not particularly precious.

However, the formula was so ingenious, combining different ingredients to produce different effects. Sometimes three or five ingredients were combined, sometimes ten or more. The resulting powder had to be further combined through different processes before refining the pill, a feat that was truly remarkable.

When refining the Muscle Regeneration and Bone Healing Pill, Long Chen had first felt the profound depth of alchemy. Different ingredients, when combined, produced different effects, and the repeated combinations were truly a masterpiece of craftsmanship.

"Cough, if I’m not mistaken, this should be a healing pill, and its effects are incredibly powerful,"

After examining it for a long time, Qian Fu couldn’t name it but still described its effects. He wasn’t just a figurehead, but he wasn’t sure about the extent of its power.

Qian Fu’s face turned red. Such an uncertain item couldn’t be auctioned. If he didn’t know its effects, auctioning it would be a clear deception, severely damaging Huayun Pavilion’s reputation.

Qian Fu had been Huayun Pavilion’s pill appraiser for over thirty years, and he knew countless formulas for pills below the third stage. Today, he had completely failed.

"Your Highness, I’m very sorry, but I can’t name this pill or determine its properties, so we can’t accept it," Qian Fu said apologetically.

When Qian Fu finished speaking, Long Chen remained calm, but Rich and Noble’s face turned green. If Long Chen’s items couldn’t be auctioned, his commission would be lost, and he was counting on Long Chen for his livelihood.

"This pill is called the Muscle Regeneration and Bone Healing Pill, a miraculous medicine for treating external injuries," Long Chen smiled and said calmly.

"I’m really sorry, but even if you name it, we still can’t accept it," Qian Fu said apologetically again. He couldn’t risk the reputation of the entire Huayun Pavilion.

He couldn’t just take someone’s word for it. If there was any mistake, his entire future would be at stake.

"It’s fine. You’re mainly unsure about the pill’s properties. I can prove it to you," Long Chen smiled.

"Prove it?" Qian Fu and Rich and Noble looked puzzled.

"Excuse me,"

Suddenly, Long Chen held a long sword and, to the shock of the two men, slashed at Rich and Noble.

*Pfft*

Blood splattered.