Before he could reach the front door of the Treasure Pavilion, one of the eight young girls at the entrance came out to greet him. With a faint smile, she approached and stood beside him, respectfully asking, "What can I do for you, sir?"
"Jie Jie Jie, I want to have a treasure appraised and then do some business with your Treasure Pavilion."
"Uh, please come in."
A girl in a white dress stepped forward, leading Huo Yuhao into the Treasure Pavilion and then towards an office on the first floor. The door to the office bore three large, golden characters that read "Treasure Appraisal Room."
Pushing the door open, the room appeared rather empty, with only a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses sitting idly in a chair by the table.
Hearing the door open, the middle-aged man looked up, and his eyebrows slightly furrowed upon seeing the figure cloaked entirely in black. However, his face quickly displayed a professional smile.
"Sir, are you here for a treasure appraisal?"
"Jie Jie Jie, yes."
From beneath the black robe, a few dry, elderly-sounding words floated out; it was the voice of Yao Lao.
Huo Yuhao stepped forward, casually pulling out a delicate white jade bottle from his robe and gently placing it on the table.
"What is this?"
The middle-aged man blinked in confusion, carefully picking up the white jade bottle and sniffing it lightly at the opening.
Moments later, his expression changed slightly, and he looked at Huo Yuhao with a hint of surprise in his eyes. "Sir, are you an apothecary?"
In the Douluo Continent, there were no alchemists, but there were apothecaries. The Xuanming Family's Mystic Water Pill, for instance, was personally concocted by their family's apothecary.
"Jie Jie Jie, Yes."
The elderly voice emerged from beneath the wide black robe once again.
"May I ask, what kind of pill is this? What are its effects?" the middle-aged man inquired further.
"Jie Jie Jie, This is called the Foundation Establishment Elixir. It can enhance the cultivation speed of low-level soul masters. When combined with some body-forging techniques, it can also strengthen the soul master's physique."
"In terms of its effects, using more than five bottles can increase a soul master's physical strength to near the level of a Soul Elder. In other words, it can enable a Soul Master to attach a millennium-level soul ring as their second soul ring."
Upon hearing Huo Yuhao's words, the middle-aged man's face changed dramatically. He looked at Huo Yuhao incredulously, as if seeing a madman.
"Are you serious?"
"Jie Jie Jie, I am here to sell, not to scam." Huo Yuhao replied calmly. "If you don't believe me, you can have an expert verify it."
After a brief change in expression, the middle-aged man carefully placed the white jade bottle back on the table and respectfully said to Huo Yuhao, "Sir, could you please wait a moment? I need to invite our pavilion master to verify it."
"Jie Jie Jie, The Treasure Pavilion Master? Elder Lin of the Sea God Pavilion?" Huo Yuhao thought to himself.
Outwardly, he said to the middle-aged man, "Be quick about it."
Waving his hand, Huo Yuhao nonchalantly sat down in a chair nearby, seemingly meditating.
The middle-aged man hurriedly nodded and left the room in a rush.
After a while, the middle-aged man returned, this time accompanied by an old woman with crane-white hair and a childlike face. She was none other than Elder Lin, the Pavilion Master of the Treasure Gathering Pavilion.
As soon as she entered the room, Elder Lin's eyes locked onto Huo Yuhao. Despite her Super Douluo cultivation level, she felt a faint sense of danger emanating from him, causing her great surprise.
"Sir, may I see your Foundation Establishment Elixir?" Elder Lin asked.
"Jie Jie Jie, Of course!"
Huo Yuhao laughed and handed the white jade bottle to Elder Lin. As Elder Lin reached out to take it, the black robe on Huo Yuhao's body suddenly billowed, and Elder Lin's face flushed abruptly.
"Yuhao, I am now just a soul entity, unable to exert my original strength. But it won't be easy for her to probe me!" Yao Lao's voice sounded in Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea, and his attached soul force suddenly carried a hint of pallor. The extreme cold and terrifying heat of the Bone Spirit Cold Fire merged into a needle-like soul force, directly breaking through Elder Lin's soul power defense.
Retreating swiftly by three steps, Huo Yuhao let out a few he he laughs. Elder Lin, on the other hand, seemed drunk and disoriented, almost unable to hold onto the white jade bottle.
Yao Lao had just mimicked Huo Yuhao's spiritual shock soul skill with his soul force, combined with the ferocious power of the Bone Spirit Cold Fire, catching Elder Lin off guard. Her spiritual sea was now in turmoil, like waking up from a drunken stupor.
"Jie Jie Jie, Pavilion Master, please quickly verify the efficacy of my Foundation Establishment Elixir. I don't have much time and hope to complete the transaction with the Treasure Pavilion soon," Huo Yuhao laughed.
Elder Lin finally suppressed the turbulence in her spiritual sea, looking at Huo Yuhao with surprise.
"A spiritual attribute soul master? Such powerful spiritual strength!" Elder Lin thought to herself.
Opening the white jade bottle, Elder Lin lightly sniffed the fragrant aroma, her old eyes narrowing. She tilted the bottle slightly, allowing a small drop of the azure liquid to roll out and hover in her palm.
Staring intently at the azure liquid, she then applied it evenly to her wrist, feeling the elixir's effects.
Moments later, a flicker of shock flashed in Elder Lin's eyes, quickly replaced by solemnity.
"Do you wish to sell this Foundation Establishment Elixir?" Elder Lin asked. "I heard you have more than one bottle? Name your price."
"I have five bottles of Foundation Establishment Elixir. Using all of them without side effects can elevate a soul master below level ten to near the level of a Soul Grandmaster within a year. With effective body-forging techniques, it can significantly enhance a soul master's physique, enabling them to attach a millennium-level soul ring as their second soul ring," Huo Yuhao said calmly.
"And my asking price is ten million gold soul coins per bottle, with a total price of sixty million gold soul coins for all five bottles."
Elder Lin was momentarily stunned and asked curiously, "Didn't you say ten million gold soul coins per bottle? Shouldn't the total be fifty million gold soul coins for five bottles?"
"Jie Jie Jie, Each bottle is indeed ten million gold soul coins, but it takes all five bottles to achieve the effect I mentioned," Huo Yuhao laughed. "If you don't wish to pay sixty million gold soul coins, I can only sell four bottles and keep the last one for myself."
"And if the medicinal effect varies, I can't guarantee the results," he added with a sinister laugh.
The middle-aged man who had brought Elder Lin was already stunned by this audacious business tactic. "Wow, is there really a way to do business like this? This is outrageous!"
Elder Lin pondered for a moment, felt the effects of the Foundation Establishment Elixir again, and then nodded.
"Deal!"