"I've seen that notice too. You actually believe it? I've been in the Azure Dragon Academy for so long, and I've never heard of any Apex-Seeking. They must be blowing hot air." Elder Huo curled his lips. As an Alchemist, even he couldn't refine the pills mentioned in the notice. How could a new student possibly produce them?

"Of course I have my doubts, but Apex-Seeking was created by that little kid, Tang Yan," Elder Zhen said with a smile.

Elder Huo's eyes widened. "That kid created it?"

"Let's go take a look. I don't know what their faction is like, but Tang Yan isn't the type to act blindly. Maybe their faction really does have some alchemy prodigy, and you can stumble upon a treasure," Elder Zhen suggested.

Elder Huo naturally didn't believe the pills were real, but after all these years, he still hadn't found a satisfactory student, leaving him with a lingering regret.

Although the so-called divine pills were hyped to miraculous heights, because Apex-Seeking was created by Tang Yan, out of fondness for the boy, Elder Huo was inexplicably moved to go and take a look.

...

Along the way, Tang Yan frequently saw promotional notices for the "Apex-Seeking Auction." Many people were also rushing toward the Rookie Zone, excitedly discussing the event.

Although most people were mocking and questioning the authenticity of the notices, Tang Yan knew that as long as they attracted a crowd, the first step of this auction's marketing was a massive success.

When Tang Yan and the thick-browed youth arrived at the Rookie Zone, they were immediately shocked by the scene before them.

The ordinarily vast Rookie Zone was now a sea of people.

A stage had been set up at the very front of the Rookie Zone, with the stools below serving as seats for the audience. Seeing such a crude layout, Tang Yan couldn't help but roll his eyes. This was simply too shabby.

It was a good thing Du Shu could talk a big game. Otherwise, relying solely on this environment, probably no one would have shown up.

He casually found a place to sit down and waited for the auction to begin.

Most of the surrounding people held a skeptical attitude toward the auction, constantly murmuring in discussion. Tang Yan, however, wasn't worried. He had absolute confidence in the pills he had refined.

"It's about to begin!" someone shouted. Tang Yan looked toward the stage and saw Du Shu walk out, wearing a well-fitted formal outfit.

"Friends, thank you for honoring us with your presence. My name is Du Shu, and I am the auctioneer for this event.

"This auction is hosted by our 'Apex-Seeking'." Upon stepping out, Du Shu began his introduction.

"What's Apex-Seeking?" someone in the audience asked.

Having already anticipated questions, Du Shu calmly replied, "Apex-Seeking is our faction, and our leader is Tang Yan."

"I believe many people are skeptical about the notices posted by Apex-Seeking, thinking we are spouting nonsense to deceive the public.

"Is there truly a pill in this world that can preserve youth forever..."

Following Du Shu's words, the crowd's interest was piqued.

Seeing everyone's reaction, Du Shu smiled faintly. "The whole truth will be revealed one by one in the upcoming auction."

"Damn it, cutting off halfway, that's too annoying!" The crowd below complained in succession.

"Forget it, the auction has already started anyway. Let's just wait a bit longer. Still, for their faction to dare call itself Apex-Seeking, with such a boastful name, they aren't afraid of biting their own tongues..."

Hearing the murmurs below, Du Shu paid them no mind. He struck his gavel and declared loudly, "This auction can be settled with either silver or Star Value! Ten thousand taels of silver is equivalent to one Star Value! Of course, if you have other treasures, you can bring them out for evaluation!

"I declare that this auction has officially begun!

"Now, the first item up for auction: the Soul-Tempering Pill!"

"Soul-Tempering Pill? What is that?" The people in the audience discussed spiritedly, clearly having never seen this type of pill before.

"What grade is this pill?" someone asked.

Du Shu smiled faintly and said with an air of absolute certainty, "The pills auctioned by our Apex-Seeking today are all Peerless divine pills. They transcend grades and cannot be measured by conventional ranks.

"The Soul-Tempering Pill, as the name implies, tempers the soul, increasing Soul Power and Mental Power.

"It is unaffected by a martial artist's cultivation realm. Once taken, it will immediately temper the soul. Taking this pill allows for quicker entry into meditation and also reduces the chances of generating an Inner Demon during future cultivation!"

"What? Tempers the soul?" The audience erupted in a commotion.

As everyone knew, on this continent, pills that tempered the soul were exceedingly rare. Even if they existed, their grades were incredibly high.

Currently, the most widely circulated tempering pill on the market was the 'Meridian Tempering Powder' introduced by the Myriad Pill Pavilion. Although it had some effect on the soul, its main purpose was still tempering Meridians.

Among the pills in circulation, there seemed to be very few specifically dedicated to tempering the soul.

As Du Shu finished speaking, Tang Yan couldn't help but smile.

Wan Fei walked out carrying a tray with a bottle of pills resting on top.

Wan Fei's figure was superb. In her form-fitting cheongsam, her bountiful curves were exceedingly prominent, immediately drawing the attention of many.

Looking again at Wan Fei's exquisite and pretty face-capable, refreshing, sharp, yet carrying a myriad of charms-several temperaments harmoniously blended together, leaving everyone stunned by her beauty.

"Who's that beauty?"

"Seems like a new student this year. I'm not sure of the details..."

"Really not bad. When I have time, I definitely need to go hit on her."

"..."

"Brother Du, how does this pill compare to the Meridian Tempering Powder?" A question came from the audience, and the crowd quieted down, waiting for Du Shu's answer.

Du Shu said with full confidence, "It is the difference between clouds and mud!"

Boom!

With this, the audience completely boiled over. Especially some Alchemists, Array-Martial Artists, and students who cultivated mental-type martial skills-their eyes lit up one by one.

If the effects of this pill were true, its help to them would be immeasurable!

"Old Huo, can you refine a pill like this?" In the corner, Elder Zhen asked curiously.

Hearing this, Elder Huo couldn't help but roll his eyes, muttering, "If I had the Pill Formula, I probably could. But as far as I know, these kinds of pills are extremely difficult to refine, and the formulas are hard to find. This guy must be exaggerating."

Although Elder Zhen wasn't an Alchemist, having held a high position for a long time, his insight was quite extraordinary. He strongly agreed with Elder Huo's words.

"Hey, your pill wouldn't happen to be fake, would it?" A harsh voice rang out, instantly jolting the crowd's minds.

Exactly. He made it sound so miraculous, but who knew if it was real or fake?

Tang Yan's gaze turned cold as he looked at the person. Based on his intuition, this person's Mental Power was slightly stronger than average; it was highly likely he was also an Alchemist.

Du Shu smiled and said, "I'm always in the Azure Dragon Academy. If it's fake, you can absolutely bring the pill and find me. How could it be fake?"

Although calm on the surface, Du Shu felt incredibly bitter inside. He knew their pills were excellent, but they lacked credibility!

He had originally planned to find a few Alchemists among the students to help appraise them. However, after looking into it, he discovered that most Alchemists in the Azure Dragon Academy had joined an alchemy faction within the academy-the "Sacred Pill Alliance"!

The Sacred Pill Alliance held immense influence in the Azure Dragon Academy.

Although the academy provided students with a relatively complete range of pills, the prices of the pills sold by the Sacred Pill Alliance were slightly lower than the academy's. The Sacred Pill Alliance occupied almost half of the pill market in the Azure Dragon Academy!

Peers were natural rivals; naturally, they weren't willing to appraise the pills for Du Shu, directly demanding an exorbitant appraisal fee.

As for the Alchemists who hadn't joined the Sacred Pill Alliance, they didn't want to offend the Alliance either. For a time, Du Shu couldn't find an appraiser who could endorse the credibility of the Pill Cauldron.

"Old Huo, go take a look at that pill and see if it's real or fake." Elder Zhen nudged Elder Huo from the side.