Chapter 603 - 584: A Buddy Who Gets It

Wu Yuan of the Pill Immortal Alliance, one of its few geniuses, had originally only come to the Wang City Pill Immortal Alliance to handle some business. But after seeing Jiang Biyao, he was so smitten that he decided to stay.

As the saying goes, a strong dragon can’t crush a local snake, but this one was a fierce dragon crossing the river.

When Kun Yaoyang saw Wu Yuan, he nearly choked. This guy had a powerful background, but the problem was, he wasn’t part of Wang City’s sphere of influence. It was pointless to get serious with Wu Yuan. ’Two million... he actually dared to shout that price.’

Zhao Ya smiled faintly. "Alchemist Wu, two million, going once."

The entire hall fell silent.

"Two million, going twice."

"Two million, going three times. Sold! Congratulations, Alchemist Wu."

Wu Yuan smiled slightly as he accepted the Top-grade Water Wave Pill. "This is a gift for a friend, so I was determined to get it no matter the cost."

His tone was casual, yet utterly domineering. Everyone’s eyes turned to Jiang Biyao.

Everyone in the city knew about Jiang Biyao’s birthday banquet, but no one had expected Wu Yuan to be so extravagant.

This time, he had truly stolen the show.

Zhe Wulei had lost the first round right from the start, and Kun Yaoyang was also silent. He had to swallow this loss. The Kun Family was targeting the Jiang and Zhe Families, but they didn’t want to stir up unnecessary trouble.

Besides, this Water Wave Pill might even have something to do with Wu Yuan himself. According to auction rules, if it was his own item, he would only have to pay a ten to twenty percent auction fee at most. That meant he had made a huge splash for just two hundred thousand.

That was a truly ruthless move.

For the Muhe Clan, this was undoubtedly a massive windfall, a huge profit.

The official business was over, but the event wasn’t. The scene grew lively again with the clinking of glasses. It was inevitable that some sparks would fly between the handsome men and beautiful women.

"Sister Ya, is Little Sister Yu coming back this time?"

Zhao Ya smiled. "The young miss has already said she’ll definitely rush back. She won’t miss your eighteenth birthday."

Business was business, but Murong Xiaoyu and Jiang Biyao were indeed good friends who had gotten along well since childhood.

For people in their position, they were either kindred spirits or rivals.

Jiang Biyao smiled and nodded. As her best friend, someone with whom she once shared everything, Murong Xiaoyu’s departure had left a void. Three years ago, Murong Xiaoyu’s talent for controlling True Essence Beasts was discovered, and she left Wang City. Since then, Jiang Biyao had been without a close companion. If Little Yu returned, she could likely help her out of her current predicament.

News of this small auction quickly spread throughout Wang City. When the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman profits. With one move, Wu Yuan had certainly won resounding applause.

But winning the beauty’s heart wouldn’t be so easy.

Although Wu Yuan displayed sufficient advantages in all aspects, Jiang Biyao’s roots were in Wang City. She wouldn’t leave her home for a faraway place unless her suitor’s power was great enough to influence the entire city, something Wu Yuan was clearly not yet capable of.

But this kind of clash was undoubtedly what the people of Wang City loved to gossip about. In the opening skirmish, Wu Yuan had won the first bout.

However, everyone knew that Jiang Biyao’s eighteenth birthday would be the real battlefield.

When the time comes, that outcast from the Wang Family probably won’t be hiding anymore.

Although he was just a piece of abandoned goods, his appearance would undoubtedly make the already chaotic contest even more interesting.

There were quite a few people waiting for the show to begin.

Wan’Er recounted everything that happened at the auction to Wang Meng in great detail. It was now hard to tell whose side she was really on.

"Young Master, the young master of the Zhe Family and that Alchemist Wu are both so impressive. You have to step up your game!"

Wang Meng didn’t care at all. It would be for the best if Jiang Biyao didn’t come to bother him. He had caught the Fire Rabbit, and he originally thought he could directly absorb its attribute with his own methods. But after trying for a whole day, it didn’t work. It seemed he still had to abide by the laws of this plane.

Master Wang was used to acting according to his own laws, but the Power of Laws in the Middle Thousand Realm was indeed on a higher level.

"Matters of the heart depend on fate. We’ll see how it goes," Wang Meng said with an indifferent smile.

But in Wan’Er’s eyes, this was incredibly cool. ’This is true unworldliness.’

"No matter what, I will always support you!"

Wang Meng smiled. ’Looks like I still need to make a trip to the Spirit Control Association and the Divine Artifact Pavilion after all.’

"Thanks!" Wang Meng patted Wan’Er’s head.

"Oh! I still have things to do, so I’ll be going now."

With that, she scurried away, her face flushed red...

To seal the captured Fire Rabbit and turn it into a True Essence Beast, he had to craft a Spirit Containing Artifact that could hold it. This type of artifact was tailor-made for True Essence Beasts, ensuring they felt no discomfort inside. Moreover, when inscribed with an Array, it could grant many powerful abilities.

This was the mystery of the Heaven-Reaching Continent. Its people believed that by borrowing the power of all things, one could reach the heavens.

The Wang City Branch of the Divine Artifact Pavilion.

Senior Pang Hong was chatting with a few of his junior brothers. The topic, naturally, was Jiang Biyao’s birthday banquet.

"If you ask me, Zhe Wulei has a great chance. Wu Yuan is an outsider, after all. The Jiang Family already got burned once by that scoundrel Wang Rencai, so they probably won’t choose another outsider."

Pang Hong sipped his tea, speaking with great confidence. ’Damn it,’ he thought, ’I’ve practically turned Wang City upside down looking for that guy these past two days. I’m just short of digging three feet into the ground, but I still can’t find that guy who came in to perform that muffled-furnace refinement.’

Seventh Junior Brother Xie Xian was clearly more timid. He glanced left and right, afraid that their master, Master Yang Qi, would suddenly pop out. "Senior, are we really not going to look for that person today?"

"Look, look, look! Look for my ass! We’re not looking anymore. We couldn’t find him in two days. The way I see it, the guy’s either already left Wang City, or he’s a nobody."

"Senior, your words are getting more and more profound..." Xie Xian said with a forced smile. But for some reason, he felt a knot of anxiety in his stomach. Just thinking of their master’s expression sent a chill down his spine.

"You don’t even get that? Did Master ask about that guy yesterday?"

"No..."

"With Master’s temper, do you think he wouldn’t ask if that person was really so important? Besides, you all heard what he said that day—’a Master at twenty years old’... That was obviously just to motivate us. Is there such a thing as a twenty-year-old Master in this world? If there is, I’ll run naked through Wang City for ten laps!"

Master Yang Qi had a fiery temper; he was incredibly hot-headed and impatient.

"Oh... so that’s how it is. That guy probably has some skill, so Master just used it as an excuse to make a point." Xie Xian nodded in sudden realization. It seemed their master just wanted to give them a jolt that day. The Artifact Refiner assessment day was drawing near, so it was normal for their master to use some unorthodox tricks to get everyone to focus.

’Actually, it’s best that we can’t find him. Otherwise, if that guy tells Master about my side hustle...’ Pang Hong put down his teacup. Just as he was about to offer some more "guidance" to this new Seventh Junior Brother under Master Yang Qi, he saw a disciple rush in. "S-Senior! He’s here! He’s here!"

"What’s all the panic? This is the Divine Artifact Pavilion! No one would dare cause trouble here, even if they had the heart of a bear and the guts of a leopard!"

"N-no, it’s not that! It’s the person Master was looking for! He’s in the main hall!"

Pang Hong leaped to his feet. ’Damn! Talk about searching high and low for something only to find it when you least expect it.’ "I’ll go take a look." Pang Hong rushed to the main hall.

Sure enough, he saw Wang Meng standing in front of a counter selling Spirit Containing Artifacts, looking here and touching there.

Cursing inwardly, Pang Hong quickly plastered a smile on his face. "Ah, my friend, you’re here again! Haha, do you have another Demon-Binding Rope to reforge today?"

Pang Hong looked him up and down, left and right. No matter how he looked at him, this guy didn’t seem like an expert. In fact, he clearly looked like one of those unrestrained young masters whose body had been hollowed out by wine and women.

This made him even more certain that Master’s outburst last time was just an act for their benefit. Everyone knew Master Yang Qi’s temper. Plus, the Artifact Refiner assessment and the Spirit-Controlling Master assessment were on the same day. It was perfectly normal for Master Yang, who had been competing with the Chairman of the Spirit Control Association’s Wang City Branch for half his life, to use the opportunity to vent some steam. Once he successfully passed the test to become a Third Grade Refiner, Master would naturally be satisfied...

"You left in a hurry last time. I didn’t get to ask your esteemed name," Pang Hong said. Although he had already made his judgment, being the Senior meant he was still quite cautious. He wanted to avoid giving his master any excuse to fly into a rage. After all, for their master, what was right was right, and what was wrong was also right. No one dared to call him out on it.

"Wang Meng. Meng as in ’fierce.’ Brother Pang, I’ve come today because I’d like to borrow the Artifact Dao Room again."

Wang Meng had just been looking at the prices of the Spirit Containing Artifacts in the Divine Artifact Pavilion. The cheapest one, a First-Grade Spirit Containing Bracelet, was priced at a whopping Three Thousand Gold Coins!

’That’s more outrageous than robbery!’ he thought. ’Fine, if you want something done right, you do it yourself.’ When it came to Artifact Refining, Master Wang was still very confident. Besides, the various materials needed for the Spirit Containing Artifact he envisioned weren’t expensive. He could forge two Spirit-Containing Bracelets for just a few dozen gold coins.

An idea flashed in Pang Hong’s eyes. ’I’ll let him borrow it, but I won’t dare mention any side payment this time.’ He said, "Brother Wang, you keep doing this, and it puts us in a very difficult position. You have no idea, after Master found out that day, he was so angry he nearly skinned me alive."

Pang Hong sized up Wang Meng. ’Kid, don’t tell me you still don’t get it. It’s not easy for a guy like me to make a little extra on the side.’

Wang Meng smiled. Seeing Pang Hong’s shifty eyes, he understood everything. As the battle-hardened Master Wang, what didn’t he understand?

"I’ve troubled Brother Pang. I had only ever heard that the Divine Artifact Pavilion was the best in the world at Artifact Refining and that its disciples were arrogant as hell. But after meeting Brother Pang, I know the rumors aren’t true. Brother Pang is righteous and helpful, his integrity reaches the clouds."

Master Wang had been around the block. If there was one thing he knew how to do, it was flatter people.

Pang Hong was delighted. ’This guy gets it. Good. I like dealing with smart people.’

"Heh, alright then. Seeing how sincere you are, I’ll let you use it one more time. But this is the last time. If you can actually pass the Divine Artifact Pavilion’s assessment, I’ll have your back in the future."

"Many thanks, Brother Pang!"

Wang Meng quickly stuffed a money pouch into his hand. ’Damn it, this is really all I have left.’ But he had no choice. Pang Hong, of course, accepted it without the slightest hesitation.

Say what you will, but even though Pang Hong took bribes, he was pretty decent about it. He let Wang Meng use the room and take whatever materials he wanted. He was a decent businessman, in his own way.

Pang Hong "inspected" Wang Meng again and confirmed his judgment. ’This clown, a Master? If he’s a Master, then I’m a god.’

As for his master’s order to find the person, he hadn’t taken it seriously at all. The guy was already here at the Divine Artifact Pavilion, and he even got his name... He now focused his thoughts on the Third Grade Refiner assessment in a few days. ’I wonder what they’ll require us to refine this time... I hope it’s a Spirit Containing Artifact like a bracelet or a round shield. Those are my specialties.’ (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)