You can't beat him

The auction proceeded smoothly. Amidst Galebi's angry gaze, the remaining Snow Jade Spiritual Liquid was sold at a price of 20,000 gold coins each to Obapa, Xiao Zhan, a mysterious figure disguised as Xiao Yan, and several other loose cultivators.

After auctioning off the Snow Jade Spiritual Liquid, Ya Fei immediately announced the auction of the Foundation Establishment Elixir. Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu's eyes narrowed, *"It really is Xiao Yan!"*

The Foundation Establishment Elixir, also a second-grade pill like the Snow Jade Spiritual Liquid, had a different effect. This time, Galebi did not act foolishly. Of the ten bottles, the three major families took a total of six. Soon, the auction reached its climax.

"The final item for today's auction: a high-tier Xuan-class technique—'Wind Tornado Art'!" Ya Fei's voice reverberated through the auction hall, causing everyone's breath to catch.

Xiao Yu had some memory of this technique, but chose not to linger. He leaned over to Xun'er and whispered, "Shall we sneak out?"

A hint of excitement flashed in Xun'er's eyes as she softly responded, "Alright!"

The two of them stood up and, taking advantage of Xiao Zhan's lack of attention, quietly slipped out of the auction hall. When Ya Fei on the stage saw Xiao Yu's back, she was momentarily stunned. *"Is it him? It must be. Is he from the Xiao family?"* Ya Fei wondered, but it was clearly unrealistic to chase after him now, so she had to let the thought go.

Outside, Xiao Yu and Xun'er wandered happily around Wutan City, and Xun'er's smile remained unbroken for the entire afternoon.

After the auction ended, Xiao Yan left the Mittel Auction House with the gold coins earned from selling the Foundation Establishment Elixir. After deducting the 20,000 coins he spent on the Snow Jade Spiritual Liquid, he had a total of 200,000 gold coins, enough to support his cultivation until the coming-of-age ceremony.

For the next few months, Xiao Yan focused on intense cultivation, while Xiao Yu simultaneously worked on enhancing his strength and practicing his battle skills. Everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion.

The day after tomorrow would be the family's coming-of-age ceremony. Xiao Yu sat cross-legged on his bed, cultivating his technique. By now, he had once again reached the strength of a four-star Dou Zhe.

"The Mittel Auction House has now auctioned off all their Snow Jade Spiritual Liquid. Tomorrow, I'll need to go collect the gold coins. With those coins, my cultivation should speed up even further!" Xiao Yu thought after completing his cultivation.

The next morning.

Xiao Yu set off early to head to the Mittel Auction House.

For the past few months, Ya Fei had been keeping an eye on whether Xiao Yu would come to the auction house. She was disappointed that he hadn't appeared during that time, so when he showed up today, Ya Fei was the first to receive the news.

"You've finally come!" Ya Fei said, looking at Xiao Yu.

"I had some things to take care of, so I couldn't make it earlier," Xiao Yu replied with a smile.

Ya Fei suddenly asked, "Is that true? You're from the Xiao family, aren't you?"

Xiao Yu was momentarily at a loss for words, trying to think of how to explain, but Ya Fei continued, "Actually, I recognized you at the last auction."

Xiao Yu was stunned, then chuckled bitterly, "You're quite sharp!" He then took off his mask. When Ya Fei saw his face, her breath hitched, her heart pounding. *"So handsome!"* she thought.

"What's wrong?" Xiao Yu asked.

"N-nothing!" Ya Fei quickly shook her head. "You're Xiao Yu, right?"

Xiao Yu smiled faintly, "You know me?"

Ya Fei laughed softly, "Is there anyone in Wutan City who doesn't know the two Xiao brothers? Two geniuses." Realizing what she said, she quickly covered her mouth.

Xiao Yu didn't mind, "I know. But maybe tomorrow, the Xiao family will truly have two geniuses."

Ya Fei quickly nodded, "Are you here to collect your gold coins today?"

Xiao Yu nodded, "Indeed."

Ya Fei pulled out a gold card from her bosom, "Here's 1.9 million gold coins. Take it."

Xiao Yu, feeling the warmth of the card that had been close to her, was a bit surprised, "That much?"

"The price of second-grade pills is naturally higher. Also, the first-grade pill, the Xuan Spirit Pill, was bought by Master Gu Ni for the highest price of 100,000 gold coins," Ya Fei explained.

"Isn't that a bit too much?" Xiao Yu asked.

Ya Fei shook her head, "Uncle Gu Ni is very wealthy, and this pill holds great research value for him. 100,000 gold coins is not too high."

"Alright then!" Xiao Yu didn't dwell on it. He was beginning to see just how wealthy alchemists could be.

After leaving the Mittel Auction House, Xiao Yu planned to go to the marketplace to buy some herbs for refining more pills. He also intended to venture into the Magical Beast Mountain Range, where he hoped to see his beloved, Yun Yun.

(Though Xiao Yu is a bit of a playboy, the author is not!)

With a large sum of gold coins in hand, Xiao Yu went on a shopping spree in the marketplace. Thanks to the ring Ya Fei had given him, which had a large storage space, he spent 500,000 gold coins on herbs before finally preparing to leave the market.

Just as he was about to exit the gates, a sharp voice suddenly called out from behind, "Stop right there, you little rascal!"

The voice reached him before the person did. Hearing this familiar voice, Xiao Yu dodged just in time to avoid a jade hand trying to pinch his ear. "Tomboy? Why are you back?" Xiao Yu blurted out, immediately regretting his words.

Sure enough, Xiao Yu's cousin, Xiao Yu, shouted angrily, "You dare call me a tomboy! I'll teach you a lesson!" She swung her whip at him, but with her mere three-star Dou practitioner strength, she was no match for Xiao Yu. In fact, she never had been.

With a slight movement, Xiao Yu easily dodged her attack.

Xiao Yu was stunned, "What kind of movement technique is that? And how did your strength become so strong?"

Xiao Yu stopped about three meters away from her and, with an infuriating tone, said, "Why should I tell you? With my talent, shouldn't I naturally be stronger?"

Xiao Yu's face flushed with anger, but she couldn't refute him. After all, the talents of the Xiao brothers were well-known in the Xiao family. How all the good talent seemed to run in the main family line was a mystery to her.

"I'm back on a break to visit my brother. Also, the Jia Nan Academy will be coming to Wutan City to recruit soon. Are you going to join, you little rascal?" Xiao Yu asked.

Xiao Yu nonchalantly replied, "I'll decide when the time comes."

Xiao Yu rolled her eyes, but there was nothing she could say. Who knew how this prodigious rascal was cultivating? At just fifteen, he had already become a Dou Practitioner. The Jia Nan Academy would be desperate to recruit him!

Of course, Xiao Yu still didn't know that Xiao Yu had already reached the level of a four-star Dou Practitioner. If she did, Jia Nan Academy would probably go crazy. After all, in recent years, they'd only had one S-class freshman—the Little Demon Girl!

"You should go back and teach your brother a lesson. Instead of focusing on cultivation, he's been bullying others in the family," Xiao Yu said as he swiftly made his exit.

Xiao Yu was puzzled, *"My brother? Bullying the clan members?"* She made her way back to the Xiao residence.

Upon arriving, Xiao Yu went to Xiao Ning's room. The moment Xiao Ning saw her, he threw himself into her arms, crying, "Sis, you're finally back! Xiao Yu's been bullying me!"

"What?" A flash of anger appeared in Xiao Yu's eyes. "Xiao Yu dared to bully my brother?"

"Wait here. I'm going to teach him a lesson!" Xiao Yu told Xiao Ning as she prepared to confront Xiao Yu. However, Xiao Ning clung to her leg, crying, "Sis, don't go! You might not be able to beat him!"