Chapter 3143 — The Exhibition

When Patriarch Xuanchen heard Kang Jingming's words, his face turned grim and dreadful. There really was such an outrageous first-grade cauldron? Which faction had invented it?

"Did you find out which faction invented this thing?" Patriarch Xuanchen asked.

"Not exactly. They didn't mention it at the time, and I couldn't very well ask," Kang Jingming said. "I only thought of hurrying back to report the news, so I left first."

"I'll look into that myself," Patriarch Xuanchen said with a nod. "What about our first-grade pills?"

"For now they're still with the Cultivator's Trade Fair. They were hauled all that way, and bringing them back would be pointless—we can't sell them ourselves; we still have to rely on them for distribution." Here Kang Jingming's expression suddenly changed. "Father-in-law, do you think those bastards at the Cultivator's Chamber of Commerce set a trap for us on purpose? They had us refine all those first-grade pills, and then they trot out a first-grade automatic cauldron—aren't they screwing us to death? They're screwing their own daddy!"

"Screwing whom?" Patriarch Xuanchen frowned and shot Kang Jingming a glare. In front of him, Kang Jingming still dared to call himself a daddy?

"Uh... Father-in-law, you are my father-in-law, and isn't a father-in-law a daddy? What I meant was, the Cultivator's Chamber of Commerce is screwing you!" Kang Jingming said hastily.

"The Cultivator's Trade Fair is screwing me?" Patriarch Xuanchen mused for a moment, then said, "Logically, that shouldn't be possible. We have no quarrel with the Cultivator's Chamber of Commerce—on the contrary, we've been cooperating all along. And from what you've said, neither Shen Jiutian nor Ouyang Chuanqi knew that Ouyang Nong had brought a cauldron; they learned of it just as you did! I know Shen Jiutian—he has always valued the Chamber of Commerce's reputation, and he would never do something that harms others without benefiting himself."

"That's true enough. At the time, both President Shen and President Ouyang were skeptical of the cauldron Vice President Ouyang produced," Kang Jingming said with a nod.

"So, given the Cultivator's Chamber of Commerce's reputation, they wouldn't stoop to such a thing. In my view, either this was a sudden development, or whoever supplied the Chamber with the first-grade automatic cauldron is targeting us from behind the scenes!" Patriarch Xuanchen concluded after his analysis.

"Father-in-law, what should we do now?" Kang Jingming asked.

"I'll make some inquiries first and see," Patriarch Xuanchen said.

In the days that followed, both the ancient plane and the hidden plane received word released by the Cultivator's Chamber of Commerce: the Chamber was unveiling a new auction item—a first-grade automatic cauldron capable of refining pills automatically!

The news spread like a thunderclap through all the ancient and hidden planes. The thing was too outrageous—it was impossible not to pay attention to it! For ages, pill refiners had been the soft underbelly of every ancient sect and hidden family.

This was also why the hidden You family and the Xuandan Sect had so many loose cultivators of skill flocking to them. Pill refiners themselves were not mighty, but once they gathered in numbers, people were bound to seek them out. Yet if one's own sect or family could refine pills as well, would that not reduce the odds of one's retainers and disciples defecting to others?

Though everyone was half-believing, half-doubting the news, in the days that followed the Cultivator's Chamber of Commerce announced it would hold an exhibition of the first-grade automatic cauldron—which made both the skeptics and the believers eager to go and see for themselves!

At this exhibition, even Patriarch Xuanchen and Patriarch Xuanzhen disguised themselves as ordinary people and attended. After all, with so many disciples visiting, even with makeup they would be hard to recognize! Patriarch Xuanchen brought Kang Jingming along on one side, while Patriarch Xuanzhen stood with Tianchan on the other.

After Ouyang Nong delivered a rousing speech, Little Kong carefully took a cauldron from his backpack—a strange cauldron, which was of course the first-grade automatic cauldron!

Only, when Tianchan saw the LCD screen on the first-grade automatic cauldron, a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes, and Patriarch Xuanzhen beside her was greatly shocked as well, for master and disciple had both thought of the same thing at once: Patriarch Xuanzhen's modified third-grade cauldron, the one specially used for refining the Cloud-Tier Island plan's pills!

"This thing... why does it look as strange as Master's odd third-grade cauldron?" Tianchan asked.

"I feel there may be some connection too, but let's watch a while longer," Patriarch Xuanzhen said, pointing at the stage.

Next, Little Kong gave a live demonstration of pill refinement. Before the eyes of the crowd, he tossed the ingredients for a first-grade Spirit-Gathering Pill into the cauldron and began refining. Presently the pill was complete, its fragrance spilling in all directions, its quality superb!

Everyone present clicked their tongues in wonder, for Ouyang Nong had said earlier that Little Kong was only a pill appraiser, and that his body held only the fire attribute with no wood attribute—which convinced most of those present of the first-grade automatic cauldron's marvel!

After all, many people knew Little Kong and knew his status as a pill appraiser, and that his body lacked the wood attribute. Yet some remained half-doubting and wanted to try it themselves. Under Little Kong's guidance, however, all of them successfully refined first-grade pills, and at last everyone present believed in the first-grade automatic cauldron's marvel!

Seeing this, Tianchan and Patriarch Xuanzhen exchanged a glance, and each saw the shock in the other's eyes.

"Master, this first-grade automatic cauldron is far more advanced than your third-grade divine cauldron. It has a full electronic display, and it can refine more than one kind of pill—yours is limited to a single kind..." Tianchan said.

"Who on earth invented this thing?" Patriarch Xuanzhen was likewise filled with wonder. After all, it was far too similar to his own cauldron, and he could not help but think of that little girl he had met back then—a girl who should be even younger than Tianchan. Could she be the inventor?

"Of course, what everyone has seen is a demonstration model. The actual auction item will not be up for bidding until a little later. And though its functions are unchanged, the auction item does have one restriction: it can be used by only one pill refiner. The first time a pill refiner uses it, it records that refiner's true qi signature, and it will not work for anyone else," Ouyang Nong said. "I hope everyone understands!"

This restriction might seem somewhat domineering, but finding even one pill refiner in a sect or family was already good enough—even those with only the fire attribute numbered no more than two or three. So the restriction was, after all, acceptable. (To be continued)