No matter his background, assaulting someone in the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion was an offense that couldn’t be so easily overlooked. Otherwise, if word got out, the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion would lose face.

But Ye Xuan’s background also made Steward He quite wary.

So he came up with a solution: treasure appraisal.

Hadn’t the man come to auction something? If the item he produced was a genuine treasure, then everything was negotiable. If it was just trash, however, then he was sorry, but the previous incident would have to be settled.

Steward He felt this was a very reliable method, because a treasure was the best way to gauge a person’s status.

An expert would never present a piece of junk, and a nobody would never possess a treasure worth noticing.

His words were also meant to test Ye Xuan.

Ye Xuan’s move to leave had just been a feint. Now that Steward He had spoken, he naturally went with the flow and turned back. "Since that’s the case, I’ll do you the favor of meeting this elder of yours."

Ye Xuan couldn’t care less whether Steward He was testing him; he was simply here to auction an item.

Steward He was quite surprised. Ye Xuan’s casual attitude only made him more suspicious and uncertain, and he led Ye Xuan to a reception hall.

"Haha, I heard we have an honored guest. This is a delightful surprise."

Before long, an elder walked in, a broad smile on his face. "I am Xu Wei, an appraisal elder for the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion. May I ask for your esteemed name?"

"There’s no need for names. They are but an illusion. Let’s get straight to the point." Ye Xuan did not state his name, simply producing a jade bottle from his person and placing it gently on the reception hall table.

"A Pill?" Upon seeing the jade bottle, a sharp glint appeared in both Steward He’s and Elder Xu’s eyes. "This Pill is..."

"Aren’t you an appraisal elder? And judging by your aura, you must be a Sixth Grade Alchemist. Why not just appraise it and find out?"

Ye Xuan offered no explanation, his tone indifferent.

"Hmm?" Xu Wei’s and Steward He’s eyes narrowed abruptly as they stared at Ye Xuan.

How did this person know that Elder Xu was a Sixth Grade Alchemist?

Xu Wei was the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion’s appraisal elder and was known for being a recluse who rarely appeared in public. As a result, not many in the Imperial Capital knew of him, and his status as a Sixth Grade Alchemist was a secret he had never revealed.

For Ye Xuan to identify Xu Wei as a Sixth Grade Alchemist so casually—how could the two of them not be shocked?

In that moment, any thoughts of underestimating Ye Xuan vanished from their minds.

"Heh, you have a point," Xu Wei said, showing his own easy-going nature. He chuckled, put on a pair of gloves, and picked up the jade bottle.

He uncorked the bottle and gave it a gentle tilt. A plump, perfectly round, pale-pink Pill fell into his hand.

The moment the Pill appeared, Xu Wei’s brow furrowed slightly. He could not sense any potent fluctuations of Spirit Medicine from it; even its fragrance was rather faint.

’This Pill’s grade isn’t particularly high.’

This was Xu Wei’s initial impression, and not just his—the same doubt was surfacing in Steward He’s mind as well.

Once a Pill reached the Sixth Grade, its appearance and fragrance would undergo a dramatic change, becoming far more intense than an ordinary Pill. Seventh-Grade Pills and higher were even more extraordinary; some could even trigger celestial phenomena upon their creation.

Although the Pill Ye Xuan had produced was plump and round, judging by its appearance, it was definitely not a High-Tier Pill.

Sure enough, after a moment of appraisal, a trace of disappointment crossed Xu Wei’s face. "The Pill you’ve presented appears to be somewhere between the Fifth and Sixth Grade. Based on a simple analysis of its surface and fragrance, it’s neither an advancement Pill nor a healing Pill. It must belong to one of the more niche categories. As for its specific purpose, I’ll need to conduct a more in-depth study."

As he spoke, the solemn expression that had been on Xu Wei’s face vanished. Beside him, Steward He also felt a surge of disappointment.

Ye Xuan’s mysterious aura had filled him with anticipation, making him believe that some heaven-defying Pill would be produced. Now, hearing Elder Xu’s assessment, Steward He’s hopes plummeted.

A Pill between the Fifth and Sixth Grade could, admittedly, be considered a High-Tier Pill. But where were they? This was the Imperial Capital of the Sky Empire! In the shops of the four great Alchemy Dao titans, you could buy a Sixth-Grade Pill as long as you could afford it.

Even Elder Xu, as a Sixth Grade Alchemist, was capable of refining Sixth-Grade Pills himself.

Therefore, based on grade alone, the Pill Ye Xuan had presented was nothing special. It wasn’t trash, and it would qualify for the annual auction, but only as an early-round appetizer, not a final-act showstopper.

A Pill like this was fundamentally not enough to make the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion bend the rules to include it as a late addition.

"What Elder Xu has discerned are merely the basics. The grade of this Pill is admittedly not high, but its effects are truly special. I wonder if Elder Xu, as a Sixth Grade Alchemist, can identify them?"

Ye Xuan gave a faint smile, the confidence in his voice unwavering.

Ye Xuan’s words carried a strong undertone of a test. Xu Wei heard it but did not object, continuing his observation with his Divine Sense.

Steward He almost laughed to himself. ’Who is this guy, and where did he come from? Does he not know who he’s talking to? Elder Xu is the number one appraisal elder of the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion and a Sixth Grade Alchemist. He’s seen countless treasures and Pills. How could he possibly fail to identify the purpose of this one?’

"Hm?" Just then, Elder Xu let out a sudden cry of surprise.

As time slowly passed, Xu Wei’s expression gradually shifted from calm to solemn. His brow knitted together, and a trace of confusion crept into his eyes.

He couldn’t identify the Pill’s purpose!

It wasn’t just the specific purpose; he couldn’t even determine its general category.

There were tens of thousands of pill formulas on the continent; no single Alchemist could possibly know them all. But that didn’t mean a powerful Alchemist couldn’t recognize the effects of an unfamiliar Pill upon seeing it.

For any Pill, its specific purpose could be deduced through careful examination of its touch, taste, fragrance, and the body’s reaction to it.

For more complex ones, one could use their Profound Sense to carefully analyze the Spirit Medicine elements and internal structure to understand its effects.

Yet, faced with this pale-pink Pill, Xu Wei had tried nearly every technique he knew and still couldn’t analyze its internal structure, let alone its effects.

’A Pill this complex actually exists in the world?’

Xu Wei found it unbelievable. The Pill before him was not of a high grade, but the complexity of its structure was more terrifying than any Sixth-Grade Pill he had ever encountered.

An hour later, Xu Wei finally slumped in defeat.

"Sir, the complexity of this Pill... I am thoroughly outmatched."

Xu Wei sighed heavily, his face filled with shame. The esteemed appraisal elder of the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion, unable to determine the purpose of a single Pill. If word got out, he would become an absolute laughingstock.

"Observation, smelling, questioning, and tasting. Pill analysis has four steps. Elder Xu, you have only completed the third. The fourth has yet to be performed. Why concede so early?" Ye Xuan said with a faint smile.

"This Pill can be tasted?" Xu Wei’s gaze sharpened.

The "tasting" he referred to involved sampling a bit of powder scraped from the Pill. Only through personal experience could one fully understand a Pill’s properties, making it the final step in most appraisals.

However, cutting off a piece of most Pills would damage their medicinal efficacy, so Xu Wei naturally didn’t dare to taste it without Ye Xuan’s consent.

"After my Pill was formed, it naturally shed a small amount of powder. You may taste that."

Xu Wei immediately picked up the jade bottle and, sure enough, found some pink powder at the bottom. He promptly collected a trace of it and placed it in his mouth.

"Elder Xu, be careful..."

Steward He called out in a panic. The Pill’s effects were unknown. What if it was poison?

Xu Wei waved a hand to show he was fine, then closed his eyes to slowly savor the experience.

But before he could open his eyes, Steward He suddenly cried out, "Elder Xu, your... your face..."

He looked utterly horrified, as if he had seen a ghost, his mouth agape and his eyes as wide as saucers.

Xu Wei looked at Steward He, confused.

"Your face... Your face..." Steward He just kept muttering, unable to form another coherent word.

Alarmed, Xu Wei produced a mirror from out of nowhere and quickly held it up to his face.

The next moment, Xu Wei’s expression froze in stunned disbelief.

The wrinkles on his face had somehow faded considerably, his pale complexion had grown rosier, and at the roots of his snow-white hair and beard, strands of black were beginning to appear.

"This... This is..." Xu Wei’s face was a mask of pure shock.

Ye Xuan finally spoke. "This Pill of mine is called the Pill of Eternal Youth. It is a youth-restoring Pill. Once taken, it allows the user to rapidly return to the prime of their youth. What you tasted, Elder Xu, was merely a bit of its powder. If the entire Pill were consumed, it would be like a dead tree reviving in spring or an iron tree bursting into bloom. You would return to the prime of your thirties."

HISS... Both Xu Wei and Steward He sucked in a sharp breath.

To be able to return a person to the prime of their youth... a Pill like that actually exists in this world?

The two exchanged a look, their eyes filled with utter astonishment.

Working at the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion, they had both seen countless treasures, but they had never seen anything like the Pill of Eternal Youth that Ye Xuan produced today.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Xu Wei hurriedly asked, "Then, sir, what is the duration of this Pill’s effects?"

For youth-restoring Pills, efficacy was one aspect, but duration was another entirely.

Ye Xuan explained, "Due to the materials used, the grade of this Pill of Eternal Youth isn’t high, so its duration is relatively short. It can only maintain one’s youth for a single year. After that year, the user will revert to their original state over the course of a month. However, my Pill has a special property: its effects can be stacked, and taking it multiple times does not diminish its potency."