Chapter 16: Xiao Yan Was Ruined, and Galeo Was Doomed Too

Chapter 16: Xiao Yan is Broken, Galleo is Also Done For

After a long while, the middle-aged man returned, accompanied by an elderly figure.

The elder wore a robe of deep green, with a cinnabar furnace emblem embroidered on his chest. Two silver lines shimmered on the emblem, radiating a noble aura.

“Sir, allow me to introduce you. This is Master Guni, the chief overseer of our auction house. He is a two-star Grand Dou Master and also a second-grade alchemist,” the middle-aged man said with a slight bow, his tone earnest and respectful.

Upon hearing the name Guni, the young figure beneath the black robe, Xiao Se, was momentarily taken aback. He assessed the elder silently, noting the typical pride of an alchemist in his expression. However, his cultivation level had not yet reached the three-star Grand Dou Master rank as originally introduced in the story—apparently, Yafei had not yet arrived.

While Xiao Se subtly scrutinized him, Guni was doing the same. The young figure was short in stature and slender; despite the black robe concealing much, the distinctive leather coverings on his hands were visible.

Guni inwardly wondered if this was some short, thin elder.

Of course, had he known Xiao Se was only eleven, almost twelve years old, he would have been utterly astonished.

The middle-aged man bowed to Xiao Se before carefully picking up a jade bottle from the table and handing it to Guni.

Guni accepted the jade bottle, its mouth close to his nose as he inhaled deeply. A fragrant aroma immediately greeted him. Narrowing his aged eyes, he poured a single drop of milky white liquid into his palm.

Fixing his gaze on the liquid, he raised two fingers and produced a slender silver needle, from which a faint aura of Dou Qi emanated. Slowly, he stirred the drop within the liquid.

As time passed, the pride on Guni’s face quietly faded, replaced by a solemn gravity. After a moment, he returned the milky liquid to the bottle, glancing at Xiao Se with newfound reverence. Tilting his head, he said quietly to the middle-aged man, “What you described is true, sir. The spirit liquid has reached second-grade quality.”

Hearing this, the middle-aged man breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Xiao Se with respect and gratitude. “Sir, do you intend to auction this spirit liquid?”

“Yes. Arrange the earliest auction date for me. Also, prepare these medicinal materials. The cost can be deducted from the auction fees,” Xiao Se nodded, producing a list from his bosom.

“Heh, of course, that’s no problem. Take this token to Auction Room Number One. There is an auction happening right there. We will prepare your medicinal materials as well,” the middle-aged man smiled, taking the list and handing over a black iron token.

“Alright.” Xiao Se accepted the token casually and, led by a maid, left the room.

Watching Xiao Se’s retreating figure, the middle-aged man turned to Guni and asked quietly, “Master Guni, is he really an alchemist?”

“Hmm, his soul perception is extraordinarily sharp; there’s no mistake,” Guni nodded slightly, glancing at the list in the middle-aged man’s hand and falling into thought. Some of the items Xiao Se requested were for concocting third-grade pills.

Accompanied by the maid, Xiao Se arrived at Auction Room Number One.

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Finding an empty corner to sit, he glanced at the auction stage but quickly lost interest. Although the auctioneer was a beauty, she was no Yafei.

That mature, enchanting charm—the kind that makes a man’s bones tingle with delight—was entirely absent.

Instead, Xiao Se’s attention was drawn to the three figures seated in the front row.

In the center sat the Xiao family patriarch, Xiao Zhan. To his left was Galleo, head of the Galle family, and to his right, Oba Papa, leader of the Oba family.

After the beautiful auctioneer explained the benefits of the spirit liquid for replenishing foundation energy, unsurprisingly, the entire hall ignited with excitement.

The ability to accelerate a Dou Master’s cultivation was an irresistible temptation to most present, nearly all of whom were at the Dou Master level.

“I bid ten thousand.”

“I bid eleven thousand.”

“Twelve thousand.”

The calls of bids came in succession.

“I bid twenty thousand.” After Galleo spoke, the competing bids began to wane.

“Heh, Old Galleo, are you planning to use this for your son?” Oba Papa chuckled from the right, teasing.

Upon hearing this, Galleo frowned and replied coldly, “Why, is that a problem?”

“Oh, nothing. I just want to use it for my son too; he’ll be breaking through to Dou Master in a few years. Even if my son doesn’t need it, I can save it for my grandson.” Oba Papa smiled sarcastically before loudly raising the bid to twenty-one thousand.

“You—” Sensing Oba Papa’s insinuation, Galleo’s mouth twitched in anger and promptly raised the bid to thirty thousand.

“Thirty thousand.”

“Thirty-one thousand.”

Within less than the time it takes to boil a cup of tea, to the astonishment of everyone present, the two had pushed the price up to forty-one thousand.

“Fifty thousand.” After a long silence, Xiao Zhan suddenly spoke.

The noisy hall instantly fell silent. Every eye turned to Xiao Zhan, even Galleo and Oba Papa were shaken by the unexpectedly high bid.

“Heh heh, looks like the Xiao patriarch intends this for the one they call ‘the greatest genius of Utan City in a century’! But I heard that genius is ruined—downgraded from a Dou Master-level prodigy to a mere waste at roughly the fourth level of Dou Qi. Apparently, he can no longer absorb energy from the spirit liquid. When the great genius returns to being a Dou Master, who knows when that will be? By then, the spirit liquid will surely have lost its efficacy,” Galleo chuckled mockingly.

Xiao Zhan cast a cold glance at Galleo. “Isn’t your son ruined too?”

“Xiao Zhan, you—” Galleo’s mouth twitched, his voice faltering.

Watching the two quarrel, Oba Papa smiled and shrugged, choosing to withdraw. His own son’s talent was even weaker than Galleo’s. At twenty years old and only at the seventh stage of Dou Qi, breaking through to Dou Master within three years was impossible. So, he was in no hurry.

But Xiao Zhan was relentless, pressing on. “My son Xiao Yan lost his Dou Qi, but at least he can recover it. Your son Galleo lost his lower three dantian—he probably won’t grow it back. Ha ha ha.” With that, Xiao Zhan laughed heartily.

Xiao Zhan spoke loudly enough for many to hear, even though Galleo’s castration had only occurred the day before. Due to the Galle family’s deliberate cover-up, few knew the truth.

Now, everyone present heard it clearly.

Everyone knew: Galleo’s lower three dantian were gone.

“Ha ha.”

“Galleo was castrated—really?”

“It’s true. I was there. I told you before, but you didn’t believe me. Now that the Xiao patriarch has said it, you should believe it.”

“This is hilarious! That young master finally got what was coming to him.”

Laughter and whispers ridiculing Galleo filled the hall ceaselessly. Even the fact that Xiao Yan had lost his Dou Qi was subconsciously overlooked by many.

Losing the lower three dantian—there was nothing more humiliating.

(The End of the Chapter)