"Whether or not we can handle it will depend on the specifics. But I don’t understand—with such a great opportunity, are you really going to hand it over to my Celestial Martial Auction House, Little Brother Shen?" Luo Wenqing asked with a smile, his sharp gaze fixed on Shen Haoran.

"Haha, you live up to your reputation as the Grand Steward of the Celestial Martial Auction House! It seems I can’t hide my thoughts from you. We’re talking about the tomb of a Spirit Emperor Powerhouse. It must be filled with priceless treasures, perhaps even the Spirit Emperor’s inheritance. It would be a lie to say I’m not tempted. But as I’ve said, my cultivation is only at the level of a Tier One Spirit Pupil. Going in alone would be suicide, so I plan to cooperate with your auction house!" Shen Haoran said with a laugh.

"Are you sure you mean ’cooperation,’ and not just finding more cannon fodder to clear a path?" Luo Wenqing said lightly, his eyes narrowing as a subtle but palpable aura locked onto Shen Haoran.

As Luo Wenqing’s aura locked onto him, Shen Haoran felt a wave of danger. ’If my next answer doesn’t satisfy him, I’ll be in a perilous situation. After all, anyone who dares to plot against the Celestial Martial Auction House never meets a good end!’

"Please, rest assured, Manager Luo. I am well aware of the Celestial Martial Auction House’s power. I would never be so foolish as to joke with my own life," Shen Haoran said, perfectly composed.

Luo Wenqing was inwardly astonished as he watched Shen Haoran remain completely unfazed by his aura. ’My strength has reached the level of a Tier Nine Spirit General, yet this boy seems completely unaffected. It seems his background is truly extraordinary!’

"And your conditions?" Luo Wenqing quickly composed himself and asked, looking at Shen Haoran. He didn’t believe for a second that Shen Haoran would cooperate for nothing.

Hearing Luo Wenqing bring up conditions, Shen Haoran chuckled. ’Finally, he’s asking!’ he thought, before saying, "Grand Steward Luo, I hope your auction house can gather some items for me!"

"Just gathering items? Is it that simple?" Luo Wenqing eyed Shen Haoran suspiciously. The Celestial Martial Auction House had branches all over the continent; its intelligence network spanned the entire landmass. Gathering a few items would be a simple task.

"Of course not. Why don’t you first take a look at the items I need, Grand Steward Luo." After speaking, Shen Haoran pulled a piece of paper from his robes and handed it to Luo Wenqing.

Luo Wenqing took the paper, curious. As he read its contents, his expression slowly darkened.

"Little Brother Shen, are you joking? Purple Rhyme Dragon Emperor Ginseng, Celestial Silkworm Spiritual Liquid, Cold Spirit Ghost Flower... Any single one of these Heavenly and Earthly Treasures is potentially more valuable than the entire ancient tomb of a Spirit Emperor Powerhouse, and you have the gall to ask for so many at once?" Luo Wenqing said coldly, his brow furrowed.

"No, no, no, Grand Steward Luo, you’ve misunderstood. I’m not asking your auction house to give me these Spirit Medicines. I only wish to borrow the Celestial Objects Auction House’s intelligence network to locate these items. If you have any in stock, I will purchase them at a price you’ll find more than satisfactory," Shen Haoran quickly explained when he saw the misunderstanding.

"Just borrow our intelligence network?" At this, Luo Wenqing’s brow smoothed. Merely using their network to locate these items was a much simpler matter.

"That’s right."

"Ah, I see. In that case, Little Brother, you should also be prepared. Everything on your list is a High Tier Spiritual Medicine, the kind you might see once in a century. There are even some I’ve never heard of. Gathering them will be difficult. However, you can rest assured. I will petition our headquarters to disseminate the information to every corner of the continent. We will do our utmost to find them for you. As soon as we have news, we will notify you, and we’ll give you a favorable price as well!" Luo Wenqing said.

"Then I thank you in advance, Grand Steward Luo!" Shen Haoran said, cupping his fists.

"Grand Steward Luo, there is one more thing I’d like to ask," Shen Haoran said. With the terms of their agreement settled, he remembered Elder Yan’s other instruction.

"Oh? By all means, go ahead."

"I was wondering, does your auction house have any Ice Jade Marrow? I’d like to acquire some—I’ll buy as much as you have," Shen Haoran said.

"Ice Jade Marrow?" Luo Wenqing asked, puzzled. "But you have a Fire Attribute Physique, young man. Why would you need to collect that?"

"Well..." Shen Haoran was at a loss for words. ’Elder Yan told me to find the Ice Jade Marrow, saying it’s necessary for the refinement of the Fire Elemental Spirit. But I can’t just tell Luo Wenqing I need it for that, can I? The Celestial Martial Auction House would probably imprison me and force me to reveal the Spirit’s location! But I can’t think of a good excuse on the spot!’

"Ohhh, I see. You’re trying to get it for your little girlfriend here, aren’t you?" Just when Shen Haoran was stuck, Luo Wenqing glanced at Ji Lingxuan beside him and gave him an all-knowing look.

"Yes, that’s right. It’s for her," Shen Haoran said, breathing a sigh of relief. ’I can’t believe Luo Wenqing just came up with an excuse for me.’

"I believe we do have some Ice Jade Marrow. In fact, it’s scheduled to be auctioned the day after tomorrow!" Luo Wenqing said after a moment of thought.

"However, the Ice Jade Marrow has already been publicly announced as an auction item, so we can’t withdraw it. You’ll have to rely on your own funds to win it, little brother."

"Oh? Very well. Do you know what the starting bid for the Ice Jade Marrow is?" Shen Haoran asked.

"The starting bid at our auction house is one hundred thousand Gold Coins, with no upper limit!"

"What? One hundred thousand Gold Coins!" Shen Haoran exclaimed. He only had about five hundred Gold Coins on him in total—a far cry from a hundred thousand. And what’s more, that was just the starting bid. There was no telling how high the final price would go!

"Is that a lot? While Ice Jade Marrow isn’t a top-tier High Tier Spiritual Medicine, it’s still an incredibly rare Heavenly and Earthly Treasure. A starting bid of one hundred thousand is already quite low," Luo Wenqing said matter-of-factly.

"Don’t you have enough money, Little Brother? How about I advance you the funds? You can pay us back later," Luo Wenqing offered, seeing Shen Haoran’s expression and immediately guessing the problem.

"No, that’s alright. I’ll figure out a way to get the money myself," Shen Haoran said with a wry smile. ’I don’t want to owe anyone a favor. After all, a debt of gratitude is the hardest to repay.’

"Manager Luo, could you see what these are worth?" With that, Shen Haoran took several Jade Bottles from his Storage Ring. Each bottle contained a single, lustrous Elixir.

"Are these... Elixirs?" As soon as the Jade Bottles appeared, a rich Pill Fragrance wafted out. Luo Wenqing hurriedly took them to inspect. As the Grand Manager of the Celestial Objects Auction House, appraising treasures was a mandatory skill.

"This is a Second Grade Elixir, a Spirit Revitalizing Pill—and it’s Top Grade! This is a Third Grade Elixir, an Awakening Pill! And this... is this last one a Fourth Grade Elixir?" Luo Wenqing grew more and more excited as he examined them. The elixirs Shen Haoran had produced were all Top Grade; a single one was easily as effective as two of ordinary quality!

"That’s right. The last one is a Fourth Grade Elixir, a Spirit-Breaking Pill!" Shen Haoran said, his heart aching. ’I was saving that for my own breakthrough to the Spirit General realm!’

"Top Grade! They’re all Top Grade!" Luo Wenqing exclaimed, his eyes gleaming. He never expected Shen Haoran to produce so many Top Grade Elixirs. This only strengthened his conviction about the power of the mysterious figure backing him.

’I must build a good relationship with this boy!’ Luo Wenqing thought. ’Not just for the power backing him, but for the Alchemy Master behind him!’ 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"So, Grand Steward Luo, what do you think they’re worth?" Shen Haoran asked.

"If these elixirs were put up for auction, they’d likely fetch seven to eight hundred thousand! Let’s do this: our auction house will buy them from you directly. Here, this is a VIP card for you, Little Brother. It has one million Gold Coins in it," Luo Wenqing said, handing a purple-and-gold card to Shen Haoran.

"One million!" Shen Haoran cried out in shock. He’d never seen so much money in his entire life! ’Sure enough, being an Alchemist is a profession practically designed for making a fortune!’

"That’s right. Furthermore, this Purple Gold VIP Card is usable across the entire continent. It gives you a credit line of one million Gold Coins at any Celestial Martial Auction House branch. Here in Celestial Martial City, only the Wu Family, the Yang Family, and the City Lord himself possess a Purple Gold VIP Card. The one in your hands, Little Brother, is the fourth," Luo Wenqing said with a smile.

"Oh." Hearing this, Shen Haoran stared at the Purple Gold VIP Card in his hand, turning it over and over, unable to put it down.

"Then I must thank you, Manager Luo!" Shen Haoran understood Luo Wenqing’s gesture of goodwill. ’If I refused, it would be a slap in his face!’

"Haha, don’t mention it. Consider it a sign of our sincerity in this cooperation," Luo Wenqing laughed.

"Then here’s to our successful cooperation!" Shen Haoran said, raising his teacup in a toast.

"To a successful cooperation!"