CHAPTER 24: CHAPTER 24: ENCOUNTER WITH THE ELDEST PRINCESS AGAIN

"Master, disciple has come to pay respects."

At this moment, a voice came from outside the room.

It was clear that the speaker was a woman.

Moreover, Ji Chen felt the voice sounded familiar.

"Come in," the Pill King responded.

Not long after, a woman dressed in a white gown gracefully walked in.

She was unparalleled in grace, with a sash around her waist, like a Profound Lady, with an outstanding temperament. It was none other than the Eldest Princess, Qu Luoning.

"Did Master summon me?"

Qu Luoning entered the room. Although she was the Eldest Princess of the Chu Kingdom, she was also the disciple of the Pill King. Moreover, in the Chu Kingdom’s Alchemy Realm, the Pill King was a giant, whose status was even not below that of Emperor Chu.

Therefore, whenever Qu Luoning met with him, even if they didn’t have this master-disciple relationship, she would treat him with utmost respect.

"In our Chu Kingdom’s Alchemy Realm, there are few young Pill Masters. Today, Master Qin Lan introduced someone, so I thought it would be good for you to meet. You are peers and should have much to talk about." The Pill King said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Qu Luoning was slightly taken aback.

Over the years, she had been involved with alchemy, and among the young First Grade Alchemists within the Chu Kingdom, she had almost met all of them.

But her master had suddenly called her over, meaning that the person Master Qin Lan introduced was probably someone she was encountering for the first time.

Suddenly, her curiosity was piqued, wondering what kind of person this could be?

In her puzzlement, Qu Luoning glanced around and finally saw a young and familiar face among the four people present.

"Ji Chen?"

She was instantly taken aback, and then couldn’t help but express her surprise, "You are also an Alchemist?"

Last night, at the Celestial Saint Garden gathering, she had been quite curious about Ji Chen.

She hadn’t expected to meet him again the very next day.

Furthermore, if there were no surprises, the young Alchemist her master mentioned was very likely Ji Chen standing before her.

How could this be?

Originally, a playboy whose cultivation unexpectedly advanced from the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining Realm to the Vein Condensation Realm within just two months had already left Qu Luoning quite astounded.

Yet beyond that, Ji Chen was also versed in alchemy.

"Greetings, Eldest Princess, I did not expect to meet you again so soon." Ji Chen smiled and cupped his fists in salute to her.

"What? You two have already met?" The Pill King was startled.

Qu Luoning nodded and said, "We met once last night at the Celestial Saint Garden, but I didn’t expect that Young Master Ji is also involved in the Alchemy Dao, which truly surprised me."

She indeed felt very surprised, after all, no one had expected that someone with such a disreputable reputation could be an Alchemist.

This was completely different from the Ji Chen she had known.

Could such a person truly be the useless playboy spoken of by others?

Qu Luoning increasingly felt that there was more to the story.

Soon, Qu Luoning also sat down but seldom spoke.

Her character has always been such, cold and aloof.

Ji Chen was also quiet and reserved; such a setting did not suit him.

The two young people thus listened as Qin Lan, Li Huayuan, and the Pill King engaged in intermittent chatter.

Finally, as noon approached, Qu Luoning stood up to take her leave, "Master, there’s an auction in the city today that’s about to start soon. I plan to go and have a look."

"Then go quickly, don’t delay," the Pill King said.

She nodded and began to walk out, but suddenly remembered something, and looked back at Ji Chen, "If Young Master Ji is interested, why not come along?"

Ji Chen was taken aback.

Though he wasn’t very interested, sitting there was exceedingly dull, and here was a perfect excuse to leave, why refuse?

"In that case, a look wouldn’t hurt."

With that, he stood up as well and left with Qu Luoning.

"Young Master has been residing within the Lingyun Sect for years, this should be the first time in Celestial Essence City, no? How do you find it?"

On the bustling streets, the two walked together, and Qu Luoning casually found topics to chat about, breaking the slightly awkward atmosphere.

"Quite nice, after all, it is the heart of the Imperial City. Upon arrival, I felt the dragon spirit soaring, and the confluence of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi here is indeed much denser than elsewhere," Ji Chen replied.

As they chatted leisurely, passing through several bustling streets, they finally arrived before the entrance of an auction venue.

At that time, a long queue had formed before the door, with many people waiting to enter for the auction.

However, due to Qu Luoning’s special status, she led Ji Chen directly through the VIP passage into the venue.

The entire venue was vast, with the first floor being a hall accommodating nearly a thousand people.

Most of the auction participants gathered in this first-floor hall, with only a select few VIPs being arranged in private boxes on the second floor.

Ji Chen naturally benefited from Qu Luoning’s prestige.

The two made their way to the second-floor loft and eventually entered the third box.

"Wasn’t that Ji Chen just now?"

What Ji Chen didn’t know was that someone had noticed his arrival from a certain spot on the second-floor loft.

It was Lu Ren and the Celestial Profound Sect’s Young Sect Leader, Nie Yuan.

"How is he walking alongside the Eldest Princess?" Nie Yuan frowned.

It should be known that the Eldest Princess was the gem of the Chu Kingdom, the preeminent figure of the younger generation, unmatched in both Pill and Martial Arts. Normally, even someone like himself, upon meeting her, would have to pay utmost respect, not daring to offend in the slightest.

Yet observing Ji Chen and the Eldest Princess, these two seemed as if they had become friends.

How could this be?

How could such a mere playboy possess the merit and ability to befriend the Eldest Princess?

Moreover, since when has the Lingyun Sect had contact with the royal family?

Nie Yuan was quite puzzled, but clearly couldn’t come up with an answer, ultimately, he took Lu Ren into his seventh box.

"The Eldest Princess herself has come to participate in this auction, it seems that quite a few good items will be presented this time."

In the third box, as soon as they sat down, Ji Chen couldn’t help but remark.

In his view, unless there was something special being auctioned, it was impossible to alarm Qu Luoning to come personally.

She nodded, "There is indeed one item that caught my attention."

"What could it be?" Ji Chen was curious.

"A Profound Tier Middle Level Martial Technique!" she revealed.

Upon hearing this, Ji Chen immediately understood why she held it in such high regard.

In a place like the Chu Kingdom, Profound Tier Martial Techniques were extremely rare.

Even though the royal family possessed several Profound Tier Martial Techniques, most of them were of Low Level. A martial technique of Middle Level, for them, was something they’d find difficult to part with, treating it as a treasure of inheritance.

Now that a Profound Tier Martial Technique was being auctioned, it not only stirred the royal family but also attracted various sects and families large and small in the Chu Kingdom.

This auction today has indeed drawn quite a number of Sect Leader Level figures.