Steward Jiang bid farewell to Du Ran of the Shang Tang Palace and proceeded to the fifth floor of the Heavenly Dao Pavilion, stopping outside an elegant and refined alchemy chamber. He did not enter, but stood at the door, knocking to inquire.

“Grandmaster Sun, there is a spiritual pill that requires your authentication.”

“Didn’t I already say not to disturb me unless it’s important? Just ask one of my apprentices. Is there any spiritual pill they can’t appraise?” An elderly voice, sounding quite displeased, emanated from within the chamber.

“Grandmaster Sun, a distinguished guest wishes to sell a whole gourd of ninth-tier spiritual pills. Pills of such high value cannot be appraised by your other masters; only your personal assessment of their quality can determine their appropriate price,” Steward Jiang replied with utmost deference.

He was acutely aware of Grandmaster Sun’s standing.

Within the Heavenly Dao Pavilion’s regional headquarters in White Float City, true Alchemy Grandmasters were exceedingly rare, numbering only a handful. And Grandmaster Sun was the most profoundly skilled among them.

Any spiritual pill refined by this Grandmaster would sell out almost instantly, always at a fixed, non-negotiable price.

Even Nascent Soul ancestors had to approach Grandmaster Sun with courtesy and soft words if they wished to commission his refinement services. A slight annoyance on the Grandmaster’s part could lead to the ruination of incredibly precious medicinal herbs, resulting in a tremendous loss.

When the Pavilion Master of the regional headquarters had urgent matters, he would come in person to invite the Grandmaster, never sending subordinates to summon him.

From this, it was clear that Grandmaster Sun’s status was extraordinary.

Steward Jiang, a cultivator at the Golden Core mid-stage, held a modest position within the mercantile establishment and dared not act presumptuously, accompanying the Grandmaster with caution. “Oh? A ninth-tier spiritual pill? … Bring it here for this old man to see.”

Moments later, the chamber door creaked open. A silk-robed elder, radiating an air of arrogance and possessing a Golden Core cultivation, emerged, looking clearly displeased. Steward Jiang quickly presented the pill, which shone with a brilliant golden hue.

“Dark Jade Spiritual Pill! This is one of the few pills suitable for cultivators with multiple spirit roots. Golden Core late-stage cultivators with Water, Metal, Wood, or Earth spirit roots can all consume it. Only Fire cultivators must beware, as one of its ingredients, ‘Nitre Fire Grass,’ conflicts with their affinity and can easily lead to fire poisoning. Refining a pill with such a complex formula is the ultimate test of an alchemist’s skill. This pill’s market price is slightly higher than ordinary ninth-tier spiritual pills.” The elder spoke casually as soon as he took the pill, identifying its name and use.

He scrutinized its luster, then inhaled its aroma, pausing in surprise.

“An excellent pill, truly excellent! The purity is astounding, with negligible impurities! In my over three centuries of experience refining and authenticating pills, I have rarely seen such purity. This is fully three points better than our Pavilion’s top-grade stock! If this pill goes to auction, late-stage Golden Core cultivators will surely compete fiercely for it at a high price.

This individual’s alchemy skill has clearly reached the pinnacle of the Grandmaster realm. Which Alchemy Grandmaster in this city refined this? To my knowledge, none in White Float City have reached this level. Could it be a visiting Grandmaster passing through?” Grandmaster Sun’s excitement was laced with confusion.

“These are Elder Ye’s spiritual pills from the Purple Sword Palace. He claims to have refined them personally,” Steward Jiang quickly stated.

“Elder Ye? Which Elder Ye?”

Grandmaster Sun was astonished, then suddenly recalled, “Ah, could it be that Elder from the Purple Sword Palace who was famous thirty years ago, at the first stage of the Golden Core realm? It was rumored he mastered the Purple Sword Palace’s legendary Great Five Elements Sword Formation, making him invincible among peers, which earned him his Elder title. But he soon vanished and has been silent for nearly thirty years. He possesses such profound alchemy skills?”

“Precisely that person. However, he is now at the fifth stage of the Golden Core realm, having advanced four stages in just thirty years. That is absolutely top-tier cultivation speed in the Eastern Sea. Judging by his pace alone, his reputation is well-deserved; he is capable of reaching the peak of the ninth stage of the Golden Core within a century. He possesses abundant lifespan to prepare for the breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm,” Steward Jiang said gravely.

“It is absolutely impossible to achieve such rapid progress through cultivation alone. It requires immense financial backing—vast quantities of rare spiritual herbs, and three of the finest spiritual pills consumed daily. Only then is this possible over thirty years. The Purple Sword Palace has invested heavily in him, clearly intending to cultivate him into a Nascent Soul Elder…”

“If he truly is an Alchemy Grandmaster, and later becomes a Nascent Soul Alchemy Grandmaster, his future in the Eastern Sea cultivation world will be limitless!”

Grandmaster Sun rapidly calculated, feeling a jolt of shock. “Right, how many Dark Jade Pills does he have for auction?”

“I am not sure. He mentioned having a gourd full. Given his status and position, there should be at least two to three thousand pills, otherwise, he wouldn't bother putting them up for auction,” Steward Jiang shook his head.

“Thousands? A single ninth-tier Dark Jade Pill is worth three hundred low-grade spirit stones on the market. That entire gourd is likely worth nearly a million low-grade spirit stones. I should offer him a favor by providing a top-tier quality authentication to help boost the auction price. Steward Jiang, quickly take me to see Elder Ye!”

Grandmaster Sun surmised inwardly. With the status of a Purple Sword Palace Elder, he wouldn’t offer anything less than a million low-grade spirit stones.

Steward Jiang held an official token and pressed it against the protective light screen outside the No. 9 luxurious private box. The screen immediately dissolved, creating a large opening.

Steward Jiang did not enter first, but stepped aside. “Grandmaster Sun, please!”

The accompanying Grandmaster Sun, whose expression held a hint of pride, stepped into the opulent No. 9 luxurious private box. Steward Jiang flashed inside right behind him.

Inside the box, Ye Qin, Huangfu Bing’er, Bai Xiuer, Yan Xuan, and Shen Bao were engrossed in watching the auction floor below. The auction had already commenced; the main hall was crowded, nearly more than half full.

The venue was divided into dozens of auction sub-sections. Each sub-platform specialized in selling different categories of items, such as high-grade artifacts, treasures, and spiritual pills, catering to the general cultivator populace.

Currently, only these sub-platforms were active, dealing in "lower-tier" goods—small-scale trade only. The true highlight of the auction, the main stage situated in the center of the hall, was reserved for the final spectacle. This stage auctioned off all the crowning treasures, the focus of intense bidding among the few wealthy Golden Core cultivators present. Only Nascent Soul cultivators in the private boxes might even deign to participate in those bids.

Ye Qin sensed someone entering and turned toward the box entrance. He saw a silk-robed elder, his features slightly haggard, but his eyes sharp and penetrating, standing with hands clasped behind his back, projecting an air of cool aloofness.

“Elder Ye, this is Grandmaster Sun from our Pavilion, a man of profound skill who has come specifically to authenticate your ninth-tier pills.” Steward Jiang made the introduction from between them.

“Elder Ye!” Grandmaster Sun stepped into the box, fixing his gaze directly on Ye Qin, and smiled.

“Grandmaster Sun!” Ye Qin returned the greeting with a smile.

“Don't be so formal! Elder Ye should just call me Daoist Friend.” Grandmaster Sun dared not put on airs. He understood clearly that if that ninth-tier pill was truly refined by Ye Qin, his own Grandmaster-level alchemy, though considerable, would pale in comparison to Ye Qin’s, falling short by a significant margin, leaving him no grounds for condescension.

“This is Elder Ye’s refined pill?” Grandmaster Sun held the shining golden ninth-tier pill, looking at Ye Qin with a degree of doubt. Ye Qin appeared far too young.

Alchemy skill wasn't just about innate talent. It required years, decades, pouring countless effort into constant refinement to slowly ascend! Nearly every Alchemy Grandmaster took centuries of practice to reach such heights. Which Alchemy Grandmaster in the Eastern Sea wasn’t old and weathered? An Alchemy Grandmaster as young as Ye Qin was exceptionally rare.

“Indeed,” Ye Qin smiled faintly. “These are ninth-tier pills I refined in my leisure while practicing. I’ve brought them to exchange for some spirit stones. I ask Daoist Sun to please appraise them and set an opening bid price.”

“This level of alchemy skill must have reached the very apex of the Alchemy Grandmaster realm! At the very least, within the alchemy community of White Float City, he is unmatched and supreme.” Grandmaster Sun completely avoided mentioning the price, instead sighing in profound admiration.

Only when an Alchemy Grandmaster, who made alchemy the pride of his life, encountered a true peer at the pinnacle might he display such reverence. Otherwise, even a Nascent Soul cultivator present would not elicit such a tone of awe.

“Your Dark Jade Pills are top-grade among ninth-tier spiritual pills, with extremely few impurities, their effect superior by three points over ordinary Dark Jade Pills. The starting bid can be set at four hundred low-grade spirit stones. Including my authentication, it should comfortably reach four hundred and fifty low-grade spirit stones apiece at auction. How many of these pills does Elder Ye possess? I can make arrangements with the various sub-platforms to quickly move them for sale.” Ye Qin took a shimmering golden gourd from his storage pouch.

“Not many. These are all the ninth-tier pills I refined over the past year. Ten thousand pills in total!” Ye Qin stated calmly.

Silence descended upon the luxurious private box. Even Huangfu Bing’er and Bai Xiuer, who had been focused on the auction below, couldn't help but turn back in astonishment.

“Wh—what? So many?” Grandmaster Sun froze, his mouth agape, swallowing hard, utterly stunned into speechlessness.

A total value of forty-five million low-grade spirit stones in spiritual pills—that was equivalent to one-tenth of the entire ninth-tier spiritual pill inventory of the White Float City Heavenly Dao Pavilion. It was enough for one high-stage Golden Core cultivator to consume three daily for a hundred years, or for a thousand high-stage Golden Core cultivators to consume three daily for a month.

Such a massive quantity of ninth-tier spiritual pills was comparable to the annual output of high-tier pills from a large refining workshop employing over ten thousand alchemists.

And this was only what Ye Qin refined in his spare moments over the last year. Yet, one must remember, Ye Qin had been in secluded cultivation for the past thirty years—how many pills must he have refined then?

Grandmaster Sun’s hands trembled uncontrollably. The total number of ninth-tier spiritual pills he had managed to refine in his entire life barely matched the quantity in this golden gourd—no comparison, no comparison at all!

“We’ve struck gold! A massive transaction that only occurs perhaps once every few months,” Steward Jiang’s eyebrows shot up, his face beaming with delight, almost unable to remain seated. This huge deal meant a substantial commission for him—even at just two percent, that was nearly a million low-grade spirit stones in commission fees.

For astute readers: Previously, I set the Golden Core stage with eighth-tier spiritual pills. While writing the plot these past few days, I felt the grade of the pills was set too low, so I’ve changed them to ninth-tier pills. Alas, too many established settings; these are the consequences of insufficient prior consideration.