Chapter 49: The Fake Alchemist

Chapter 49: Chapter 49: The Fake Alchemist

This was the real reason he had remained until now.

The Creation Pill was a treasure capable of drawing upon the essence of heaven and earth to transform the body and enhance one’s cultivation.

For an ordinary person, consuming it could awaken martial talent, and for an established martial artist, it could significantly increase both strength and cultivation.

Even those who had reached the Spirit Platform Realm could benefit from a Grade Five pill of this quality. It was precisely the sort of resource Jonathan needed.

Adrian raised his number plate.

"11,000," he said firmly.

Someone else immediately followed.

"14,000!"

"15,000!"

The bids continued climbing.

"20,000!"

"23,000!"

"25,000!"

Then Adrian raised his plate again.

"26,000!" he barked.

His bid immediately pushed the competition into another tier, and the ordinary guests gradually stopped participating, because most simply could not afford prices of this magnitude.

"27,000!"

"28,000!"

"30,000!"

The figures continued climbing until someone finally called out.

"35,000!"

Silence followed, and the bidders looked at one another. The Creation Pill was undoubtedly rare, and with the Hunting Ground threatening Valemont, a pill capable of directly strengthening a martial artist had become even more valuable.

But 35,000 points was still an enormous premium, and even wealthy martial artists had to consider whether it was worth paying.

Xavier watched the competition quietly. He had come here for one purpose, the Creation Pill, and he was not leaving without it. He slowly raised his number plate.

"36,000," he said.

Several heads turned toward him. Xavier noticed that many influential figures were participating tonight, and even Evelyn’s father, Solomon Hart, was present.

Unlike his earlier confrontation with Adrian, Xavier had no intention of provoking everyone in the room, and there was no reason to make unnecessary enemies.

The Sinclair family was different, because that feud already existed.

The other families had done nothing to him, and he would rather remain unnoticed whenever possible.

"37,000," a new voice announced.

Xavier looked forward. Solomon Hart had entered the bidding, and as the current patriarch of the Hart family, 37,000 points was hardly enough to make him hesitate.

Xavier waited briefly before raising his plate.

"38,000," he replied calmly.

He did not actually have 38,000 points sitting in his Skywater Pavilion account, but that was not important.

As long as he could settle the bill afterward, he could continue bidding, and if necessary, he could simply bring out another batch of Grade Three and Grade Four pills.

His resources were more than enough.

Solomon lifted his number plate again, and he was about to make another bid when Evelyn suddenly checked her phone.

Her expression changed. She leaned toward her father and quietly whispered something into his ear.

Solomon’s brows rose slightly, and his raised hand slowly lowered.

Gerald immediately seized the opportunity.

"38,000 points!" he called, and then he struck the table. "Going once."

No response.

"Going twice," he said, his eyes sweeping the room.

Still nothing. He brought the hammer down.

"Sold! Congratulations to Guest No. 198 on acquiring the Grade Five Creation Pill!" he announced.

Xavier finally allowed himself to relax. He had done it, and the Creation Pill was his.

With the Creation Pill safely secured, Xavier finally allowed himself to relax.

There was only one major item left on the auction list, and he had initially been somewhat curious about it.

However, the moment the staff carried the final item onto the stage, his interest disappeared.

The item was another Grade Five pill, the Star God Pill.

For Xavier and Mira it held little value, since he already possessed one and neither of them had an immediate use for another.

But then he noticed the person sitting several rows ahead.

The moment the Star God Pill was announced, Adrian raised his paddle again.

Oh so you want this? Let’s see how badly you want it

A cold smile appeared beneath Xavier’s mask. If he wanted it so badly, Xavier did not mind helping him spend a little more.

Just as the auction was about to end, he casually raised his paddle twice, and the atmosphere immediately became tense again.

Adrian gritted his teeth and continued bidding, and after several rounds the Star God Pill was finally sold for 36,000 points.

Xavier leaned back in his seat. He was not sure whether Adrian genuinely considered the pill worth that much or simply refused to lose face in front of him after everything that had transpired between them that day, but either way he was satisfied.

Without his interference, the pill might have gone for around 30,000 points, and he had effectively made an extra 6,000 points just by raising his paddle a couple of times.

Not a bad deal.

When the auction finally ended, Adrian Sinclair left without saying a word.

Xavier watched him disappear through the exit, looking rather satisfied, and probably had no idea how thoroughly he had just been taken advantage of.

Before Xavier could leave, Gerald approached him with a respectful smile.

"Mr. X, congratulations," he said. "You successfully purchased eight items tonight, with a combined value of 75,000 points."

He paused before continuing.

"Skywater Pavilion also provides complimentary escort services for distinguished guests. Given the value of your purchases, would you like us to arrange security for you?"

Xavier understood the hidden meaning immediately. They were not simply offering him protection. They were reminding him that it was time to settle the bill.

He was just about to answer when another voice interrupted.

"Excuse me, sir," a man said.

Xavier turned around. A middle aged man stood a short distance away.

It was Solomon Hart, the man who had accompanied Evelyn to the auction. His expression was composed, but his eyes held unmistakable curiosity.

Evelyn stood beside him, and unlike her father, she looked almost incapable of hiding her excitement.

Solomon stepped forward.

"My name is Solomon Hart," he said. "May I know who I’m speaking to?"

Xavier’s eyes narrowed slightly behind his mask. So this is the head of the Hart family. He had expected this sooner or later.

He smiled beneath the mask.

"Mr. X," he answered.

Then he added calmly, "I believe I already know why you’ve come."

Solomon raised an eyebrow, and before he could respond, Xavier reached into his spatial ring.

A small jade bottle appeared in his hand, and he removed the stopper. The familiar fragrance of the Lesser Enlightenment Pill immediately spread through the room.

Evelyn’s eyes widened, and her breathing even became slightly quicker.

Xavier held the pill between his fingers.

"This should be enough to answer your question," he said.

Evelyn stared at it.

"It really is..." she breathed, unable to hide her excitement.

She had personally consumed a Lesser Enlightenment Pill only a few days earlier, so there was no possibility that she could mistake that aura.

But Xavier did not hand it to her. He merely allowed her to see it before putting it away.

"This pill isn’t for sale tonight," he said.

Evelyn’s expression immediately fell.

"But you said..." she protested.

"I remember," Xavier said, smiling.

"I haven’t forgotten my promise. I’ll have Xavier let you know when another one is ready."

Evelyn reluctantly nodded, since she had no choice but to wait.

Solomon, however, was paying attention to something entirely different. His gaze remained fixed on the young man standing before him.

A master alchemist, that was the identity his daughter had told him about. At first Solomon had been skeptical, but after witnessing the Lesser Enlightenment Pill with his own eyes, his doubts had largely disappeared.

Someone capable of producing Grade Three and Grade Four pills in large quantities was already valuable.

Someone capable of refining a Grade Five pill was an entirely different matter, because true alchemy masters were extraordinarily rare.

Even Longshore Group, despite possessing enormous resources and one of the most advanced alchemy facilities in the country, had failed to produce a genuine Grade Five alchemist.

Yet the mysterious man standing before him looked extremely young, and that alone made his potential difficult to estimate.

Solomon’s eyes flashed.

"Mr. X, would you be interested in joining the Longshore Group?" he offered.

"You can name your conditions. Our alchemy facilities are among the best in Valemont, and we can provide virtually any equipment or cultivation resource an alchemist might need. You wouldn’t have to worry about anything else. Just focus on refining pills."

Xavier nearly laughed. Join Longshore Group? If Solomon discovered that he could not even distinguish a cauldron from a cooking pot, he probably would not be making this offer.

Still, there was no reason to expose himself.

"I appreciate the offer," Xavier said, "but I’m accustomed to working alone. I don’t think I’m suited for a position within a company."

Solomon was not disappointed. Instead, his smile became warmer.

"I understand," he said. "Then perhaps we can simply remain friends. May I have your contact information?"

Xavier considered it for a moment before nodding.

"Of course," he agreed.

This was precisely the kind of connection he wanted. Evelyn was already a useful trading partner, but Solomon was the head of the Hart family, and his reach and influence were obviously much greater. If Xavier could establish a direct relationship with him, obtaining higher grade cultivation resources in the future would become considerably easier, and perhaps even Grade Five resources would not be impossible.

That was exactly why Xavier had sent Evelyn that message during the Creation Pill auction.

He had not wanted to get into a pointless bidding war with Solomon, because Longshore Group was simply too wealthy.

Even if Xavier emptied his spatial ring and multiplied the number of pills he possessed several times over, Solomon could probably purchase them all without blinking.

So instead of competing with him financially, Xavier had given him another reason to withdraw, and it had worked perfectly.