Ms. Diviner: The Prodigal Daughter's Return

”Is it about time?” Mo Yanhong asked Tributor Qiu.

Tributor Qiu nodded his head.

”Hmph, to think they had the audacity to steal from the Mo Family, if I don’t ruin their reputation today, I will no longer carry the Mo name,” Mo Yanhong said fiercely.

With Mu Hanyan’s powerful Six Senses, she naturally heard his quiet cursing. Following Tributor Qiu’s gaze, she noticed a middle-aged man in the crowd who also had a hint of a cold smirk on his lips.

”Chairman Che, I’ve heard that today’s auction can also help authenticate treasures. Coincidentally, I have a Taiyi Sword Origin Pill and would like to request your Chamber of Commerce to auction it on my behalf. What do you think?” the middle-aged man stood up and respectfully addressed Che Xiang.

”Today marks the grand opening of Nanyan Commerce, and we warmly welcome guests from all directions. It is our duty to oblige,” Che Xiang replied without hesitation. The word had already been spread, so there was no reason to refuse, especially after the success of the recent auction; he was thinking of keeping up the momentum to further enhance the reputation of the Chamber.

Mu Hanyan let out a soft snort of contempt. Others might not see anything amiss, but she could tell that this man was clearly one of Mo Yanhong’s cronies. This so-called appraisal and auction were nothing more than an attempt to embarrass Nanyan Commerce, and the Taiyi Sword Origin Pill he mentioned was likely a fake.

She couldn’t blame Che Xiang either; after all, it was Mu Nan who had made the decision, and he was only a steward who had to obey orders. Moreover, since its origins as the Nanmu Auction, Nanyan Commerce had taken a different path, which had offended many. It was expected that people would look for trouble. If they were to avoid every issue out of fear, it would be better to close shop altogether sooner rather than later.

Without saying a word, Mu Hanyan was also curious to see just how capable Master Ji truly was.

”Thank you, Chairman Che,” the middle-aged man said, presenting a brocade box and placing it on the stage.

”Master Ji, if you would,” Che Xiang placed the brocade box containing the elixir in front of Ji Gaoxian.

It had to be admitted, god-men really had extremely thick faces, and the more renowned they were, the thicker their faces.

Just yesterday, Mu Hanyan had damaged his reputation, but at this moment, Ji Gaoxian’s face showed no sign of defeat. His expression was cool and composed, containing a pride that befitted someone who lives in seclusion away from the world.

After all, with many years of fame behind him, yesterday’s incident didn’t seem to have greatly affected Ji Gaoxian’s reputation. Many in the audience looked upon the stage at Ji Gaoxian with admiration.

Ji Gaoxian flicked his sleeve and opened the brocade box, revealing a nearly transparent jade bottle to the audience. The elixir inside was round and lustrous, exuding a crystalline glow as if carved from jade.

Ji Gaoxian then opened the bottle cap, took a deep inhale, and fell into a long silence.

”A good pill, indeed a good pill. This is indeed a high-grade Taiyi Sword Origin Pill, rare and precious,” Ji Gaoxian proclaimed loudly with his eyes wide open, lavishing praise before all those watching.

”It really is a Taiyi Sword Origin Pill.”

”I never expected to see such a Miracle Pill at such a small Chamber of Commerce.”

”Could it be fake?”

”How could it be fake? Don’t you know Master Ji’s reputation? If he says it’s real, then it must be real.”

”Besides, whether it’s real or fake will be known upon testing. I think, as Nanyan Commerce has just opened, they wouldn’t risk destroying their own reputation.”

Upon hearing Master Ji Gaoxian’s words, a commotion arose from below, with many faces showing signs of excitement.

You see, the Dan Power of the Taiyi Sword Origin Pill was not particularly strong, but it was highly concentrated, which was extremely beneficial for Swordsmen below the level of Sword Master to break through bottlenecks.

For a Swordsman, the key to breakthrough and promotion is the opportunity. Many remain trapped at a bottleneck for years, unable to advance, simply because they cannot find the right opportunity to break through. And if one fails to break through the bottleneck at once after finding the opportunity, one has to wait for the next chance.

Of course, for a noble family’s son like those from the Mu Family, such a hurdle might not seem too troubling, after all, their Cultivation Techniques are exquisite, decreasing the difficulty of breaking bottlenecks significantly compared to others. But apart from the Eight Great Families, which other wealthy families possess Cultivation Methods like the Heavenly Heart Technique? Most techniques are mediocre. Even with immense family wealth, breaking through a bottleneck is not an easy task.

Especially for those descendants of noble families with inherently mediocre talent, who knows how long it would take to encounter an opportunity for breakthrough? Wasting such chance could mean lifelong regret; to them, the Taiyi Sword Origin Pill is like a life-saving straw.

However, the reality is that the Taiyi Sword Origin Pill is difficult to refine, and the demand for it is overwhelming, so one seldom sees it in daily life. Today, when one had finally appeared, those young nobles from lesser-known families, who might not be strong but who had plenty of money, were as excited as if they were on a stimulant, their faces flushed.

Looking at these young Swordsmen’s excited faces and then at Master Ji Gaoxian who was thoroughly enjoying himself, Mu Hanyan almost wanted to curse out loud: ”What crap Capital City Divine Calculator! What crap Treasure Appraiser! To think they can’t even discern this much!”

Luckily, she was present; otherwise, she would have no clue why the Nanyan Commerce would have been fooled to death by this old god-man. If this so-called Taiyi Sword Origin Pill, after being authenticated and auctioned by the Nanyan Commerce, turned out to be fake, the hard-earned reputation they had built would crash disastrously, eradicating any chance of recovery.

Mu Hanyan had actually wanted to publicly refute Master Ji, but on second thought, since he had already spoken, a rebuttal from her might smash his reputation to pieces, but it would also shatter the reputation of the Nanyan Commerce along with it.

Glancing at Mo Yanhong opposite her, who wore a smug look, Mu Hanyan gritted her teeth in anger.

Seeing that Master Ji Gaoxian had verified the pill without error, Che Xiang consulted with the middle-aged man, and they began the auction.

”This Taiyi Sword Origin Pill starts at a bid of one hundred thousand, with each bid increment no less than ten thousand. Let the bidding begin,” said Che Xiang after clearing his throat.

Although the Taiyi Sword Origin Pill was considered priceless, its grade wasn’t high. It was effective only for Swordsmen below the rank of Sword Master, and its efficacy decreased with higher cultivation levels; therefore, its price wouldn’t be sky-high.

”One hundred and fifty thousand.”

”Two hundred thousand.”

”Two hundred and fifty thousand.”

”Three hundred thousand.”

”Four hundred thousand.”

...

Expecting the financial strength of the noble families’ descendants, Che Xiang had no sooner finished speaking when those young Swordsmen began to bid fiercely, faces red and necks bulging in a staunch display of determination.

Mu Hanyan’s heart sunk slightly. Normally, a Taiyi Sword Origin Pill would be worth no more than three to four hundred thousand at most. But judging by the fervent bidding, who knew what kind of exorbitant price these young Swordsmen, heated with competition, would push it to. Although the higher the price, the more profit for Nanyan Commerce, the greater the reputational damage would be when the truth was revealed.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Mo Yanhong’s smile growing even brighter.

”Two million!” Without hesitation, Mu Hanyan stood up and shouted, while discreetly exerting a bit of Sword Master’s pressure.

Those young Swordsmen, who had been bidding as fiercely as if on an adrenaline rush, suddenly felt a thunderous blast in their ears and instantly calmed down.