Chapter Twenty-Four: Marrow-Cleansing Elixir? [Third Update Seeking Recommendations]

With the identities of Lin An and his companions, coupled with the fact that Yafei had personally extended the invitation, they naturally received the highest level of treatment.

As soon as they approached the entrance of the auction house, Yafei appeared in person to greet them.

Not long after, Lin An and his party were led to a private VIP room.

It was Lin An’s first time attending an auction; previously, he had only read about such events in novels.

Thus, he took his time, examining everything with great curiosity.

Only when the auction officially began did Lin An obediently return to the VIP room.

The Mittel Auction House held auctions nearly every month, sometimes organizing impromptu events if they came across items of significant value, in addition to the grand annual auction.

It was said that rare and precious items brought from the imperial capital would sometimes appear at these auctions.

This particular event was the annual grand auction.

Some of the most valuable items had already been compiled into a catalogue for the VIPs to peruse.

Lin An carefully browsed the list but found nothing that truly warranted his attention. Medicine Dust, however, spotted several spirit herbs that could be useful at this stage and asked Lin An to bid for them.

Lin An naturally agreed without hesitation.

Yafei, a consummate professional in the auction business, displayed her expertise in invigorating the atmosphere. Before long, the room buzzed with excitement.

“I believe many of you here have been eagerly awaiting this annual grand auction. Not only are the major families of Wutan City in attendance, but even families from other cities across the Jia Ma Empire have come to our auction house!”

“Here, I wish each of you the best of luck in acquiring the treasures you desire.”

“And now, let the auction officially begin!”

As soon as her words faded, the first item was brought to the stage—a rare alchemical material called Crimson Flame Earth, which Lin An quickly secured with a winning bid.

After that, one rare item after another appeared, and the lively atmosphere never waned.

“Next up, I believe this item will be of great interest to many of the young disciples present. According to our appraisers, it has reached the level of a second-grade medicinal pill.”

“It is... the Marrow Cleansing Elixir. Its effects include purifying the body and strengthening the physique. For anyone below the rank of Fighter, it can even double the speed of cultivation. Such a treasure is truly rare!”

“There are four lots, each containing one bottle. The starting price is eight thousand gold coins!”

As soon as Yafei finished speaking, the bidding began in earnest.

The effects of the Marrow Cleansing Elixir were indeed remarkable, and any discerning family could immediately grasp its tremendous value.

In the blink of an eye, the price soared past fifteen thousand gold coins.

The fervor in the room showed no sign of abating.

“This Marrow Cleansing Elixir is rather interesting. Young master, if you’re interested, you should bid for a bottle. I would like to study it,” Medicine Dust said, clearly intrigued.

“Marrow Cleansing Elixir? Medicine Dust, can you make it yourself?” Lin An asked. For some reason, the name gave him a sense of foreboding.

“I can formulate a similar elixir called the Foundation Establishment Elixir, but its effects are far inferior to this Marrow Cleansing Elixir. That’s why I hope you’ll win a bottle for me to examine,” Medicine Dust whispered beside Lin An.

Guoye, observing this, had no objections.

Nalan Yanran, standing nearby, was deeply shocked to learn that Medicine Dust was an alchemist.

From the start, she had sensed that Medicine Dust was no ordinary figure. Judging from her junior brother’s demeanor, the two seemed to have a close relationship, so she had not dwelled on it.

But now, it seemed her junior brother was not a simple person either.

Otherwise, he could not have advanced to the rank of Dou Practitioner in such a short span.

When they returned to the Cloudmist Sect, her master would surely be astounded.

Even though the Cloudmist Sect had stood tall in the Jia Ma Empire for so many years, none had ever cultivated as rapidly as her junior brother.

Still, Nalan Yanran was tactful enough not to pry further.

“So it is,” Lin An murmured.

The appearance of the Marrow Cleansing Elixir was simply too suspicious. Lin An strongly suspected that it was Xiao Yan who had brought it forth.

According to the original story, after Nalan Yanran’s annulment of the engagement, Medicine Elder was supposed to appear and aid Xiao Yan’s cultivation, then have him auction off the Foundation Establishment Elixir at this very event.

But now that Medicine Dust was his own subordinate, there was no way the Foundation Establishment Elixir could appear.

Still, as the son of fate in the Battle Through the Heavens world, Xiao Yan could not possibly lack a path to rise just because Medicine Dust was absent.

The Marrow Cleansing Elixir and the Foundation Establishment Elixir had very similar effects, though the latter was several times more potent.

At the time, even Medicine Elder had claimed that only he could create the Foundation Establishment Elixir. Yet now, a product even more powerful had surfaced, leaving Lin An with no choice but to ponder deeply.

Of course, Lin An harbored many doubts.

For instance, only a few days had passed since the annulment—could Xiao Yan truly have encountered a benefactor willing to gift him such a precious elixir?

To be cautious, Lin An decided it was necessary to thoroughly investigate Xiao Yan before leaving.

The quickest way to learn about Xiao Yan was to ask those elders of the Xiao family harboring animosity toward him.

It was not long before news arrived.

Xiao Yan had not been seen for the past two days; some in the family even speculated that he could not bear the blow and was too ashamed to face anyone.

Yet just this morning, someone had spotted Xiao Yan sneaking out of the family compound, and it was reported that his cultivation had advanced to the fifth stage of Dou Qi.

After hearing this, Lin An was even more convinced that the Marrow Cleansing Elixir was closely tied to Xiao Yan.

“Well, that’s fine. If your strength is too meager when you arrive at the Cloudmist Sect, it won’t be interesting at all,” Lin An murmured softly.

He promptly placed a winning bid on a lot of Marrow Cleansing Elixir, handing it to Medicine Dust for careful research.

From the window, Lin An gazed down at the crowd below and soon spotted a mysterious figure in a black robe, his face entirely concealed.

Yet there was something familiar about him—it was indeed Xiao Yan.

At that moment, Lin An’s suspicions were fully confirmed.

He just wondered what exactly had helped Xiao Yan this time.

Was it another grandfatherly figure like Medicine Dust?

Or a mysterious, powerful system?

Or perhaps the memory of a mighty cultivator?

...

Lin An’s mind spun with many possibilities, but no matter which it was, he was certain that Xiao Yan, three years from now, would be far more formidable than in the original story.