Strongest War Emperor

Sima Qing felt like killing Lanlos with his own hands.

He didn’t need a brain to figure out what had just happened here...

Earlier, Zhan Lan had run to him in tears, telling him about Shen Lang and the Giant Potion... At the time, he hadn’t thought much of it. A Giant Potion was certainly precious, but not so much that an old man like him would cast aside his status and rush over.

It was really because of one thing Zhan Lan said: the person who had concocted the Giant Potion was a teenager of sixteen or seventeen!

Now that was truly astonishing...

He was already well aware of Lanlos’s temperament, and after hearing Zhan Lan’s tearful complaints, he had flown into a rage.

Now that he was here, one look at the atmosphere in the room was all it took. He didn’t even need to guess. That bastard Lanlos had surely offended the guest beyond redemption!

At this thought, Sima Qing’s expression grew even uglier as he looked at Lanlos...

If before his eyes held the intent to kill with a single blow, now they promised the agony of death by a thousand cuts...

Lanlos had just been feeling smug about the solution he’d devised. But then he heard the words ”Giant Potion,” and a moment later, met Sima Qing’s glare. He instantly felt as if he were truly being subjected to death by a thousand cuts...

For so many years, no matter the country, regardless of war or peace, the Treasure Pavilion had always remained as unshakable as a mountain. What was the secret to its stability?

It relied on its ability to build relationships with the various powerful Sects.

It relied on its ability to build relationships with the geniuses and experts from all lands!

Anyone who was part of the Treasure Pavilion knew this.

On this continent, countless experts had dealings with the Treasure Pavilion, and countless more had even received favors from it!

’And now, a heaven-defying... a breathtakingly brilliant Alchemist has appeared, and I just treated the Giant Potion he concocted like trash and tried to kick him out!’

Lanlos frantically grabbed the back of a chair to keep himself from collapsing.

”Young friend, please, don’t be hasty. The Treasure Pavilion is truly sincere about cooperating with you. Why don’t you hear our offer first and then decide? As for this scoundrel, Lanlos, so long as you wish it, we will punish him however you see fit! The blind fool... I have no idea how my idiot brother raised him!” Sima Qing said, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

”It’s no matter to me. Other than being terrible at alchemy, he didn’t really offend me. However, he did roar at Miss Zhan Lan earlier and used extremely rude language. If you, Elder, wish to punish him, just have him formally apologize to Miss Zhan Lan,” Shen Lang said calmly.

”Ah!” Standing in the back, Zhan Lan had thought her part in this was over. She never expected Shen Lang to say something like that, and she was instantly moved beyond words.

’We’ve only known each other for a short time,’ she thought. ’I can’t believe this handsome young man... this genius Alchemist... would stand up for me like this after seeing me being wronged...’

But Lanlos’s status here wasn’t low; how could she dare to actually make him apologize to her...

”You scoundrel, what are you still standing there for? Didn’t you hear what Young Master Shen Lang said?” Sima Qing bellowed. ”Get over there and apologize to Zhan Lan! You son of a bitch! Zhan Lan knew from the start that it was a Giant Potion... The Treasure Pavilion in Celestial Phoenix City has dozens of Medicine Appraisers like you, so why did she bring him to you of all people? This young lady was so good to you, and you had the gall to yell at her and even falsely accuse her? If I weren’t worried about losing my composure in front of our young friend here, I’d beat you to death today!”

Feeling like he’d just taken a trip to Hell’s Gate and back, Lanlos shuffled over to Zhan Lan with trembling legs and bowed deeply. He apologized profusely, practically worshipping her as if she were a goddess.

While Zhan Lan stood there, completely flustered, Sima Qing added in a tone of utter disappointment, ”You’re lucky Zhan Lan is so kind and soft-hearted. If it were anyone else, you’d be in for a world of hurt!”

As he spoke, his eyes landed on Shen Lang, shining with a brilliant light.

”Alright. Since he has apologized and Miss Zhan Lan doesn’t seem to want to pursue it, we’ll let it go. Elder, let’s hear the terms of this cooperation.”

Harmony brings wealth, and besides, Sima Qing had shown him more than enough respect. So, Shen Lang took the opening and relented.

At this point, neither Shen Lang nor Sima Qing had the time to pay any attention to the young Medicine Appraiser, Lanlos, whose face was still pale with fright.

Upon hearing Shen Lang finally relent, Sima Qing’s heart leaped with joy, and he quickly said, ”I wonder if you’ve heard, young friend, that the Treasure Pavilion’s auction house holds an auction once every month?”

”I know. That’s why I came. Isn’t there an auction in two hours?” Shen Lang nodded.

’Selling the Giant Potion directly, whether to the Treasure Pavilion or someone else, would never fetch a price comparable to what it could get at auction.’

’An item that normally sells for 100,000 Gold Coins could easily be pushed to seven or eight hundred thousand at an auction.’

”If you are willing, young friend, I’d like to place the Giant Potion you brought into the auction that’s being held in two hours... Additionally, if you have any other Potions or Elixir Pills, you can entrust them all to us. I can’t make promises about much else, but I can guarantee that all your potions will sell for a good price at a Treasure Pavilion auction!”

Sima Qing didn’t need to boast about the Treasure Pavilion’s auctions; its reputation spoke for itself.

It was no easy feat for an ordinary Alchemist to get their creations featured on the stage of a Treasure Pavilion auction.

Even an auction held in a place as large as Celestial Phoenix City was an unprecedentedly grand event. All sorts of factions from hundreds of miles around would eagerly participate, and some would even come to blows just to secure a seat or two.

Thus, after making his offer, Sima Qing said no more. He simply watched the young man’s reaction with slightly narrowed eyes.

”I’m afraid that won’t work...” To everyone’s surprise, Shen Lang, who had just seemed to relent, now wore a troubled expression after hearing Sima Qing’s words.

”Er...” Sima Qing was stunned for a moment. He couldn’t quite process it, even wondering if he hadn’t made himself clear enough.

In fact, it wasn’t just Sima Qing. Even Lanlos, who felt like he’d just taken a tour of Hell’s Gate, nearly shrieked aloud.

’What a joke! The Treasure Pavilion’s auction house is superior to any other on this continent. Any Alchemist who gets on this stage will see their worth multiply a hundredfold. Even trashy Elixir Pills can fetch a good price here.’

’Elder Sima even said any Elixir Pills you make could be sold at the Treasure Pavilion’s auction. Such amazing terms... Even if you really are a genius Alchemist, you don’t have to be so arrogant, do you? It’s one thing not to be eternally grateful, but what’s with that troubled look on your face?’

”Um, perhaps I didn’t explain myself clearly. My apologies. To put it simply, I’m very short on money and all sorts of materials right now... When I said I came for the auction, it was because I wanted to sell the Giant Potion immediately and then use that money to collect some things I need at the auction,” Shen Lang explained.

Hearing Shen Lang’s explanation, the thoroughly confused Sima Qing suddenly smiled. ”I see... That’s simple. I can appraise your Giant Potion right now. Whatever its appraised value is, you can use that amount in the auction two hours from now. How does that sound? In other words, you can get an advance of Gold Coins or Spirit Stones up to that amount.”

”That works...” Shen Lang nodded and took out the Giant Potion again.

The moment the multicolored potion was placed on the table, Sima Qing froze.

In truth, the old man had been observing Shen Lang from the very beginning—his appearance, his eyes, and even, somewhat impolitely, probing him with his Divine Thought.

Although he hadn’t yet seen the Giant Potion, he was already deeply impressed by the calm and composed demeanor Shen Lang had displayed from the start—an air that seemed impossible for a sixteen-year-old.

What startled him even more was that Shen Lang’s Divine Thought was unexpectedly powerful. While it couldn’t compare to an old man like himself, for a boy of his age, it was already terrifyingly strong.

Because of this, he had mostly believed Shen Lang’s claims. Even if the Giant Potion’s grade was a little lacking, it wouldn’t have been a major issue.

But now, seeing this Giant Potion, he was dumbfounded.

He had never seen a Giant Potion of this color before!

Sima Qing’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly took the Giant Potion and began to examine it closely.

He prayed inwardly, ’After all this fuss, please don’t let this not be a Giant Potion. Otherwise, I’ll lose so much face I’ll never live it down.’

However, as his examination deepened, Sima Qing, who had just calmed down, began to breathe more and more heavily...

Eventually, even Lanlos and Zhan Lan noticed something was amiss.

Only Shen Lang remained calm, sipping his tea, his thoughts unreadable.

”Heavens, a Giant Potion can be concocted like this! I can sense the aura of a Low Level Demon Beast, the Mountain-Pushing Beast, and a common Spirit Grass like Purple Magnolia... Yet I can’t find the aura of a single Spirit Grass used in a normal Giant Potion... This is too incredible!” Sima Qing’s eyes widened as he muttered to himself.

Hearing this, Lanlos’s expression twisted into one of utter disbelief.

’Are you kidding me? I’ve never heard of there being multiple formulas for the Giant Potion! Although I don’t know the recipe myself, I at least know that many of its ingredients are incredibly expensive and rare, like the Seven-leaf Lotus, Dragon Beard Grass, and Heaven’s Elixir... Every single one of those is worth a fortune!’

’How could it possibly contain a cheap Spirit Grass like Purple Magnolia?’

”This... This is a Spirit Level Fifth Grade Medicinal Liquid! It can increase a Martial Artist’s strength by at least fourteen times!” Sima Qing said, panting heavily. He then looked at Shen Lang, a hint of uncertainty in his eyes, trying to read his expression.

”Spirit Level... Fifth Grade...” Lanlos’s eyes bulged, and his mouth hung open, unable to close for a long moment.