Strongest War Emperor

"What? Is an Alchemist who hasn’t been certified by the Alchemist Guild not allowed to provide Potions or Elixir Pills to your Treasure Pavilion?" Shen Lang asked, a little amused.

"N-no, of course you can. Right, please come this way." The green-robed woman was taken aback, a faint blush appearing on her pretty face as she stepped back.

In any case, every Alchemist, regardless of their grade, was highly respected.

Someone who knew the Treasure Pavilion’s power, yet dared to immediately mention a "long-term partnership" while also admitting they had no official rank as an Alchemist, was either a fool or a truly capable Alchemist.

This youth might not look old, but his bearing was extraordinary. His eyes, in particular, were unsettlingly calm. He was worlds apart from the other youths or young masters from Noble Families his age, who would either gawk around or put on airs the moment they entered the Treasure Pavilion.

Although Zhan Lan was only a Maid here, she had met many people. Her ability to judge character was far better than the average person’s.

She nodded respectfully and turned to lead Shen Lang toward a certain area.

As they walked, she picked up the registration booklet in her hand and asked softly, "My name is Zhan Lan. If you visit the Treasure Pavilion again, sir, you can ask for me anytime... I was wondering, what grade is your Potion? Could you perhaps reveal just a little bit?"

Shen Lang knew this was a routine question from the Treasure Pavilion. Zhan Lan needed to roughly estimate the value of the customer’s item to take him to an appropriately ranked Medicine Appraiser.

If she brought a customer with a worthless item to a high-level Medicine Appraiser, she wouldn’t have this job for much longer.

However, from the customer’s perspective, it wasn’t always necessary to tell the whole truth. Revealing just a little was enough; after all, walls have ears.

In fact, very few people were like Shen Lang, who would waltz into the Treasure Pavilion with his real face exposed, nonchalantly trying to sell Potions, Elixir Pills, or Spiritual Artifacts.

The saying goes, "don’t flash your wealth." In a place with all sorts of people, if someone found out you were carrying High Grade Elixir Pills or Potions...

If you were lucky, you’d just attract some trouble. If you were unlucky, you might get yourself killed.

Only someone like Shen Lang would dare to be so brazen and unrestrained.

"I can’t say the specific grade. Let the Medicine Appraiser take a look and decide. It’s nothing too incredible, just a bottle of Giant Potion," Shen Lang said casually.

Zhan Lan stopped in her tracks.

Shen Lang hadn’t expected her to stop so suddenly and couldn’t avoid bumping right into her.

"Ah!"

The two cried out softly at the same time, separating as if they’d received an electric shock.

"You said... a G-Giant Potion?"

Turning her head, Zhan Lan stared at Shen Lang in astonishment, her rosy lips slightly parted and her face flushed. The collision had nearly made her scream, so she used the question to distract herself—after all, it was the very reason she had stopped.

’A Giant Potion! Even the worst of them is a Spirit Level Potion! And it’s one of the rarest and most sought-after types of Spirit Level Potions at that.’

Although Elixir Pills and Magical Treasure Secret Artifacts had the same grading system—Ordinary, Spirit Level, Profound Level, and so on—the value of a Giant Potion was far higher than a Spiritual Artifact of the same level.

There were plenty of First and Second Grade Spiritual Artifacts in the Treasure Pavilion, with some being auctioned off every day.

But a Giant Potion appearing in the Celestial Phoenix City branch of the Treasure Pavilion once or twice a year was enough to cause a sensation throughout the entire city.

It was a Potion that could massively increase a Martial Artist’s strength for a short period.

It was something that allowed one to challenge those above their level and turn the tide of battle in an instant.

Not only was it incredibly difficult to refine, but the required materials were also exceptionally rare. Often, you couldn’t buy some of the ingredients even if you had the money.

"What’s wrong? Is there a problem?" Shen Lang asked with a slight frown.

Zhan Lan hurriedly apologized, "No, no, not at all! I was just so surprised. I’m terribly sorry. It’s just that a Giant Potion hasn’t appeared in the Celestial Phoenix City Treasure Pavilion for quite some time... May I ask if you are selling just the one bottle, sir, or...?"

"Just one. I’m too poor and have no money for materials. Otherwise, I could have refined a few more bottles..." Shen Lang said with a wry smile, shaking his head.

CLATTER! The booklet in Zhan Lan’s hand fell to the floor.

She quickly bent down to pick it up.

"Sir... are you saying... you refined this Giant Potion yourself?" she asked again in disbelief, afraid she had misheard.

Nodding, Shen Lang replied in a very calm tone, "Didn’t I tell you before that I’m an Alchemist? Of course I refined it myself."

Stunned for a long moment, Zhan Lan quickly shook her head. Her breathing grew heavy, and her gaze toward Shen Lang was now filled with reverence.

’My heavens, such a young Alchemist? He only looks sixteen or seventeen, right?’

’He can refine a Giant Potion?’

’How is that possible? If this is true, what a sensation it would cause in Celestial Phoenix City...’

’A genius like this... and I’m the one who met him?’

Zhan Lan struggled to compose herself before speaking softly, "Sir, you..."

"My name is Shen Lang. You can call me Young Master Lang or Xiaolang, either is fine," Shen Lang interrupted with a smile.

"Hehe, of course, Young Master Lang... Please, follow me." Zhan Lan had, after all, worked at the Treasure Pavilion for a long time and had met her fair share of important figures. Her reflexes were quick, and she soon managed to control her emotions.

However, she couldn’t stop her fingers from trembling.

"Mm."

The interior of the Treasure Pavilion was like a maze. Shen Lang followed Zhan Lan for over ten minutes before arriving at a small reception room.

The room wasn’t large, but all the furnishings were spotless. In the corner, a burner wafted a sandalwood-like incense that was wonderfully soothing.

The walls were covered with paintings and calligraphy, depicting everything from landscapes to birds and beasts.

The person who received Shen Lang was a man of about thirty, dressed in a black robe that made him look quite sharp.

His attitude, however, was a bit arrogant. He had a habit of tilting his head up at a forty-five-degree angle when speaking to people, as if no one before him was worthy of his direct gaze.

Not only that, but the young man also seemed perpetually displeased, looking at everyone as if they owed him a hundred Spirit Stones.

When he saw that the customer Zhan Lan had brought in was just a little brat, he shot her a malevolent glare, clearly unhappy that she had brought such a person to him.

Recalling the Treasure Pavilion’s rules, the young man snorted through his nose and said flatly, with a stern face, "Sit."

Shen Lang nodded slightly and sat down across from the young Medicine Appraiser.

Generally, Medicine Appraisers were Alchemists themselves—and senior ones at that. Otherwise, they wouldn’t qualify for the position.

The young Medicine Appraiser’s attitude was actually quite normal. In fact, most other Alchemists had the same disposition, each acting as if someone owed them tens of thousands of Gold Coins. They were even more deserving of a beating than Artifact Refiners.

Just as he was about to state his purpose, the young Medicine Appraiser waved a hand and said impatiently, "Alright, just leave the Potion you want to sell and you can go. I’ll appraise it when I have time and then sell it at that price. Go register your name and other information with Zhan Lan. You can come back in a few days to get the money."

Shen Lang’s expression darkened...

’I was fucking counting on selling this Giant Potion to get money to refine a Spirit Medicine for my father’s injuries! Who the hell has time to wait for you to appraise it?’

’Come back in a few days for the money?’

’If I got the money and gathered the materials, I could refine dozens of Giant Potions in a few days!’

"I need to sell this Potion as soon as possible. I’m waiting on the money," Shen Lang said, a little annoyed.

If he was annoyed, the young Medicine Appraiser was even more so. He had never seen a customer speak to him with such gall!

’How dare he linger and not leave?’

’Does he have any idea how valuable my time is?’

’Is a little brat like you worth me wasting so much time on?’

The young Medicine Appraiser’s face turned even uglier. He sneered and said, "Kid, is this your first time at the Treasure Pavilion? Are you afraid I’m going to tamper with your Potion? Why don’t you ask around? I, Lanlos, am one of the most prized disciples of Alchemy Master Sima Yan from Tayun Academy! I’ve personally concocted more Potions than you’ve seen in your entire life. As if a Potion brought out by trash like you is even worthy of me tampering with it?"

"Oh, Alchemist Lanlos, is it? Say what you will, but could you please not throw around phrases like ’trash like you’? Trash like me I may be, but I’m not someone you can afford to provoke..." Shen Lang said coolly.

’What a joke. Setting aside age and status, when it comes to Alchemy alone, even Sima Yan would have to bow his head before me!’

’To be blunt, if I were to reveal my true accomplishments in Alchemy, no Alchemist in the Eighteen Snow Countries, let alone the Purple Chu Country, would dare to act so arrogantly in my presence!’

’And you’re just one of Sima Yan’s students? Your ego is already scraping the heavens, isn’t it?’

"You! Good, good, good..." Lanlos never expected to meet someone even more arrogant than himself. His face turned green with rage as he spat out the three words.

But when he saw Shen Lang’s calm demeanor, his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Lanlos was arrogant, but he wasn’t stupid... ’What if this kid is from some major power? That would be a huge problem.’

’Forget it. I’ll tolerate him just this once!’

Standing to the side, Zhan Lan nearly fainted in fright when she saw how Lanlos was treating Shen Lang.

’You may be impressive, Lanlos, but the man in front of you refined a Giant Potion!’

’Even if I don’t know the grade of the Giant Potion, the person who refined it is still so young!’

’Once a genius like this is revealed, forget about a Cyan Wood Level influence like the Celestial Phoenix City Lord’s Mansion—even a Profound Iron Level influence like Evil Wind Valley would probably come to recruit him! And you’re talking to him like that?’

’Don’t you realize the youth sitting before you has already reached a higher position than your teacher, Sima Yan?’

Zhan Lan shook her head hard to keep from fainting, then cleared her throat and walked over to Lanlos. "Hello, Lan—"

"Hello? What’s good about it? I’m not feeling good at all! I was just refining a Spirit Level First Grade Qianyuan Pill, and you interrupted me by bringing someone in! Do you have any idea how precious my time is? Bringing any old riffraff in here! I’ll let it slide this time. Get out! If this happens again, you can forget about working here! Get out!"

Lanlos practically roared at Zhan Lan.

Zhan Lan stared blankly as he finished his tirade. Tears of grievance welled up in her eyes. Covering her mouth, she fled the room, sobbing. By the time Shen Lang tried to grab her, it was already too late...

"Losing your composure like that in front of a beautiful woman and saying such things... that doesn’t seem to fit your status as an Alchemist, does it?" Shen Lang said, his eyes turning icy. "I was originally going to leave and not have you do the appraisal. But seeing how arrogant you are, hehe, now I’m going to insist on it!"

As he spoke, he gave a light wave of his right hand. A small glass bottle, wrapped in a ball of Spirit Light, flew steadily onto the table.