Chương 22: I Am Forever Indebted to You, Divine Alchemist!

Wei Tu, having stood silently beside Xiao Xuan this whole time, interjected sharply.

"Mind your tone! You are in the presence of the esteemed Young Master of the mighty Su Clan, Xiao Xuan. Pay your respects!"

"Young Master Xuan?" Zu An repeated, his voice laced with cold realization.

"Wait… Xuan? The Su Clan's live-in son-in-law?" Zu An's grip on his folding fan tightened until his knuckles turned stark white. As a prominent young master and a recognized alchemy genius, Zu An had long harbored an obsessive infatuation with Su Luoyang. He had spent years imagining that one day, when he reached the pinnacle of alchemy in the district, he would formally ask for her hand in marriage, uniting their talents.

When news broke that she was going to marry this nameless, uncultivated trash, Zu An had destroyed half his courtyard in a blind rage. And now, this very same piece of trash was not only sitting in front of him, but acting chummy with Tang Zefei as well. How dare this crippled insect act so arrogantly in my presence? Zu An sneered, his blood boiling. My master had to waste a precious trip to the Su estate just to pull this pathetic wretch back from the brink of death.

He should be kneeling before me, kissing the hem of my robes! Before Zu An could unleash a barrage of verbal humiliation, an exasperated sigh echoed from the appraisal counter.

"Madam Zefei…" The chief appraiser of the Tang House stepped back from his desk. He held one of Xiao Xuan's glass vials up to the luminous pearl light, his heavily wrinkled face twisted into a mask of utter bewilderment.

"I… I cannot appraise this," the old man finally admitted, his voice trembling slightly as he carefully placed the vial back onto the velvet cushion. The room went dead silent. Tang Zefei's elegant brows furrowed.

"What do you mean you cannot appraise it, Chief Appraiser? Is the essence too muddled?"

"No, Madam," the old man shook his head, rubbing his tired eyes.

"It is the exact opposite. The essence is perfectly fused. But the composition… It defies conventional alchemy. It is undeniably the basic Tier 1 healing elixir, yet the medicinal density shows that it is of Tier 3. I have been appraising pills for forty years, and I have never seen a concoction like this. I cannot accurately determine its tier or value." For a second, nobody moved. Then, Zu An's entourage erupted into laughter.

"Hahaha! Of course he can't appraise it!" the lead lackey barked, pointing a mocking finger at the chief appraiser.

"If he can't even appraise a basic Tier 1 healing elixir, how can he possibly appraise Young Master Zu An's Tier 3 concoction?!" Zu An chuckled darkly, unfolding his fan with a sharp flick.

"It seems your trust in the Tang House was misplaced, Xiao Xuan. As I said before, the appraiser here is severely lacking in skill." Tang Zefei pressed her lips into a thin line. Xiao Xuan didn't even twitch. He stood up to provide an explanation. Suddenly, the air in the grand hall grew heavy, stifling the breath of everyone present. The laughter of the lackeys died instantly in their throats.

"Who dares to cause a scene and humiliate my disciple?" A majestic voice rolled into the room like thunder. Standing at the entrance of the grand doors was an elderly man radiating a suffocating aura. He wore plain, unadorned gray robes. An intoxicating fragrance of medicinal herbs trailed behind him. It was the Divine Alchemist, Tan Gengxin.

"Master!" Zu An cried out, his face instantly lighting up with relief. He quickly clasped his hands and bowed deeply, his lackeys scrambling to do the same. Tang Zefei's smile tightened slightly.

"Welcome, Divine Alchemist Tan," she said, gracefully clasping her hands.

"We did not expect you to grace our humble auction house today." Tan Gengxin didn't even look at her. He strode directly toward the appraisal counter, his hands clasped behind his back, his aura pushing aside anyone who stood in his path.

"I was informed that the Tang House was intentionally making things difficult for my direct disciple," Tan Gengxin said coldly, his voice echoing in the hall.

"Is the Tang House's standard now so high that the sacred formulas I pass down to my students are considered unworthy?" Elder Hua paled, stepping back nervously. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. The chief appraiser quickly lowered his head, unwilling to meet the Divine Alchemist's terrifying gaze. Zu An stepped up beside his master, pointing an accusing finger at the chief appraiser.

"Master, they insulted your teachings! They claimed my Tier 3 healing pills were highly impure and offered me a beggar's price of two thousand silver!" Tan Gengxin's eyes narrowed dangerously. He reached out and picked up the wooden box containing Zu An's pills. He picked up one pill and extended his aura into it. Tan Gengxin opened his eyes, his expression smoothing over into a mask of authority.

"The condensation is slightly hurried," Tan Gengxin announced, "but the medicinal essence is robust. These are of good enough quality. They are certainly adequate for the market. It seems the Tang Auction House is simply being unnecessarily difficult today." A heavy, oppressive silence fell over the room. Tang Zefei suppressed a weary sigh. She had predicted this exact outcome.

"We apologize for the misunderstanding, Divine Alchemist," Tang Zefei said gracefully, swallowing her pride for the sake of the business.

"We will gladly purchase Young Master Zu's pills for their requested price." Zu An smiled smugly, throwing a triumphant, mocking glance toward Xiao Xuan. Tan Gengxin huffed softly. He was just about to turn and leave when his sharp senses caught something. A faint aroma was drifting through the air. It was subtle, masked by the heavy incense of the hall, but to an alchemy master of his caliber, it was like a beacon in the dark.

Tan Gengxin's sharp gaze snapped toward the velvet cushion on the appraiser's desk, where Xiao Xuan's three glass vials sat.

"What is this?" Tan Gengxin demanded. Without asking for permission, the Divine Alchemist snatched one of the vials from the cushion. He popped the cork and brought it to his nose, taking a sniff. Instantly, Tan Gengxin's eyes widened. The imposing aura surrounding him flickered and retracted.

"This… this purity…" Tan Gengxin whispered, his voice trembling. He ignored the stunned stares of everyone in the room. He channeled a dense thread of his own Qi into the vial, letting it interact with the crimson liquid.

"Impossible," Tan Gengxin gasped, taking a stumbling step back.

"There is no ash. There are no heavy metals. The medicinal energy is perfectly bound without a single solidifying catalyst. It is… flawless!" The entire hall collectively stopped breathing. Zu An's smug smile vanished, replaced by confusion. Tan Gengxin whipped his head around, his eyes wild and frantic.

"Who? Who brought this here?! Which Grandmaster visited this house?!" Tang Zefei's eyes flickered with a glint. She immediately responded, "This was brought by Young Master Xuan." Tan Gengxin's head snapped toward Xiao Xuan. He blinked, clearly recognizing the boy.

"You? The Su Clan's boy? You bought these? From where?" Xiao Xuan replied calmly, a faint, polite smile on his lips.

"I made them. I believe they are roughly around Tier 2."

"You made them? Tier 2 elixirs?!" Zu An roared, losing his composure.

"Silence!" Tan Gengxin bellowed, his voice so loud it rattled the luminous pearls on the walls. Zu An flinched, snapping his mouth shut in terror. He had never seen his master look so fierce. Tan Gengxin stared at the vial in his hand, then looked back at Xiao Xuan. He extended his aura around Xiao Xuan. He immediately recognized that the boy's Qi signature matched the Qi lingering in the concoction.

"Tier 2?" Tan Gengxin muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. He held the vial up for the entire room to see.

"Boy, you underestimate your own creation. I have never seen a better basic healing medicine in my entire life! Even in this liquid form, the purity of this elixir easily beats any Tier 2 solid pill in existence!" The crowd gasped.

"In fact," Tan Gengxin continued, his voice echoing loudly, "the raw medicinal energy in this vial can even beat the Tier 3 healing pills my disciple made today! However, because you have not utilized a solidifying catalyst to form it into a true pill, it lacks the full effects of a Tier 3 pill. Therefore, its rightful classification right now is at the peak of High-Level Tier 2!" A wave of disbelief swept through the appraisal hall. The clients murmured in horror.

The chief appraiser of the Tang House stared at the Divine Alchemist in awe. Zu An looked as if he had just been physically struck in the chest with a warhammer, his face draining of all color. Tang Zefei stood frozen, her beautiful eyes locked onto Xiao Xuan. She knew he had just started cultivating a few days ago. How did he go from a mortal to producing pills that rivaled the Divine Alchemist's lineage in less than a week? A booming laugh erupted from Tan Gengxin's chest.

"Hahaha! Excellent! Truly excellent!" Tan Gengxin cheered, stroking his white beard with pride. He looked at Xiao Xuan with glowing eyes.

"Boy! I did not expect my divine medicine to heal you so perfectly! Not only did my treatment repair your shattered meridians and allow you to awaken your cultivation, but it seems the residual brilliance of my Qi has even awakened your latent alchemy talent! Hahaha! My medical prowess is truly peerless!" Everyone in the room stared at Xiao Xuan in confusion and back at the Divine Alchemist in awe. However, Xiao Xuan's right eyebrow twitched. Are you kidding me? Xiao Xuan screamed in his mind.

He wanted to open his mouth and ruthlessly refute the claim. But he knew he couldn't do it. He swallowed his pride, carefully clasped his hands, and offered a bow.

"I am forever indebted to you, Divine Alchemist."

"Hahaha! Of course you are!" Tan Gengxin beamed. But then, the alchemist's eyes narrowed as he peered closer at the crimson liquid.

"However," Tan Gengxin muttered.

"This purity… it has little to do with your rudimentary refinement technique. It is the actual combination of ingredients used that let a beginner like you concoct this. I can sense the base herbs are the same as that of the Tier 1 basic healing elixir, but there is an underlying essence that I am not familiar with." He looked at Xiao Xuan, his voice dropping into a hushed, intense whisper.

"Even with my vast, boundless knowledge and experience, I never thought of mixing the Silver-Thread Bark directly with the petal of a Moonlit Ash Flower. This is incredible. It is capable of turning a basic Tier 1 elixir recipe directly into a Tier 3 equivalent, that even a beginner could concoct! This is unheard of in the Eastern Continent! Tell me, boy… where did you learn this specific formulation?" The entire room leaned forward, hanging onto Xiao Xuan's every word. Zu An's eyes were bloodshot with jealousy.

Was Xiao Xuan secretly an alchemy genius? Is this why the mighty Su Clan chose him as a son-in-law for their genius daughter?! The room was dead silent.