don't judge anything by its appearance

"Tch! This place sure is pathetic," the young man thought while gently playing with the girl's breast. He couldn't understand why the family head would suddenly send him here.

"Ahh! Senior brother! Gently, please," the girl moaned in pleasure as he pressed too tightly in frustration. The young man shook his head and continued playing with the girl.

The auction continued, with several items brought to the stage one after another and sold at high prices. David didn't bid for any of them as he didn't find anything interesting.

Knock! Knock!

"Manager, it's me, Bryan." Someone knocked on David's room gently.

"Come in," David said lightly, raising an eyebrow.

The gate opened, and Bryan, along with Fiona, walked inside. Besides the two, there was also an old man with a white beard walking behind them. David frowned at the appearance of the unknown man.

Bryan, a person who had experienced much in life, hurriedly smiled and spoke. "Manager David, this is Ryan Allison, responsible for managing the affairs of the family in Deadwood City."

"Nice to meet you, old man," David said while sitting on his chair, his attitude neither haughty nor humble.

Ryan didn't seem to care about the fact that David didn't get up to greet him. He enthusiastically smiled and laughed. "Hahaha, young friend David, I have wanted to meet you since the day little Fiona told me about your wondrous coffee."

Ryan's white beard shook as he laughed. "Little Fiona, prepare tea for us," he ordered in a light voice.

David wasn't deceived by the elder's amicable attitude. Behind his gentle appearance, he could feel torrents of mana that were clearly above the Foundation Establishment Realm. David had become perceptive about mana fluctuations.

David pointed to the leather sofas in the corner of the room and invited the trio to sit down. Fiona, who was looking intently at Mary standing beside David, shook her head and started to prepare tea.

"So he really is someone at the Golden Core Realm," Fiona thought while gently crushing the tea leaves. She was aware of the old man's way of doing things; he would only ask her to prepare tea if he couldn't see through his opponent. Fiona was both happy and worried at the news. Happy because her doubts were resolved, and worried because suddenly an expert had appeared in their city with unknown motives. Today, Old Ryan was here to gauge his attitude.

Meanwhile, the auction continued.

"Finally, one of the items you have been waiting for: Enlightenment Pills."

Suddenly, Kylie announced an item in which David was extremely interested. A servant placed the box filled with orange pills, and the next moment their color changed to blue. When the pills appeared, the crowd went mad.

"I am going to buy this, and no one can stop me."

"Keke... Dream on, as long as this young master is here, no one can snatch these pills from me."

"The starting bid is 20,000 spirit stones, and each bid must be at least 1,000 higher than the previous one."

As soon as she finished her words, the bidding began, and in barely a moment it reached 50,000 spirit stones.

"Token number 380 has offered 50,000 spirit stones, anyone else?"

Kylie walked through the stage and pointed at the crowd.

At this time, David raised his token and announced, "52,000 spirit stones."

"Yes, we have one more bidder, token number 111, who has offered 52,000 spirit stones. Can anyone offer more and snatch the pills from him?"

This was the first time someone had bid for the Enlightenment Pills from the private room, and it seemed to have triggered a chain reaction. Soon, voices filled with disdain sounded from other rooms.

"60,000 spirit stones."

In David's room, Ryan spoke, "Young friend David, you are interested in these pills? Let me give them to you as a token of appreciation."

Ryan flicked his wrist, and a bottle filled with the same pills that were on the stage appeared in his hand. He handed them to David.

David was surprised by the old man's actions. While they were conversing, the price of the pills had broken through the 100,000 spirit stones mark and was still rising with no signs of slowing down. The old man had casually handed them over as if they were worthless.

Although they were expensive, that didn't stop Ryan from gifting them to David. As long as they could create goodwill, everything was fine. The price finally stopped at the 110,000 mark.

"1, 2, 3... sold to token number 111," Kylie announced with a smile.

David felt a pang in his heart when he heard the price. Twenty-five percent of his capital was gone just like that.

"Let me present to you an item that you have never seen before."

As Kylie said those words, a servant moved and placed a can of coffee on the table.

"Everyone, here is the treasure of the century in front of you."

The can was shiny white, placed in the center of the stage, attracting the attention of everyone present. However, no matter how much they looked at it, they couldn't find anything extraordinary about it.

"Don't judge by its appearance. It is a treasure that will help you crush your bottleneck and break through. And it also works at the Foundation Building Realm."

Kylie commented to further rile up the atmosphere. The hall suddenly boiled at her words.

"Impossible!"

The crowd's reaction was a mix of emotions. Some believed, while others dismissed her claims as baseless.

"Bold words, but why should we trust you?" a dignified voice suddenly sounded in the hall.

After hearing the voice, the crowd fell silent.

"The principal of Deadwood Academy! He is also here."

Suddenly, someone exclaimed in shock. Not just the principal of Deadwood Academy, but most of the big shots were present here.

Sect master of North River Sect.

Representive of City Lord.

If their claims were true, then the cultivation world was going to change completely.