The disciples of the Nángōu family were suddenly restless.

“Nángōu Huàn, what nonsense are you spouting!”

“What do you mean, declaring war? You have ulterior motives!”

“You're instigating a conflict between our four major families! You're ruining our peaceful relations!”

But their voices were drowned out by the crowd, and no one heard their protests.

On the contrary, the disciples of the three major families were filled with fighting spirit, rolling up their sleeves and shouting back.

“You Nángōu family are so arrogant; fine, the Chí family accepts your challenge!”

“Whoever ranks last will be the little dog!”

“I’m going to pull out all my hidden treasures tomorrow; you Nángōu family won’t win!”

“Don’t think just because you have the ninth-level talent Nángōu Qiānyuán, you can walk all over us; our Yè family’s disciples are not easy to bully!”

“If you’re declaring war, then I don’t want your potions anymore! I don’t want to hear you whine about us being shameless!”

The heated shouts from the crowd left the Nángōu family disciples looking constipated; at this point, it was too late to say anything. The verbal onslaught from the three major families was almost drowning them!

After making her declaration, Nángōu Huàn swaggered back to her seat, receiving numerous hostile glares from her fellow Nángōu family members.

Among those still relatively calm were Yè Sāng and Yè Wànjūn from the Yè family.

“Sister, she really knows how to stir things up; she’s dragging the entire Nángōu family into the mud,” Yè Wànjūn exclaimed, initially indifferent to the situation, but now realizing how Nángōu Huàn had played everyone.

“I think the Nángōu family is underestimating her. Do you know what I discovered at the Níng Líng Treasure Pavilion that day?” Yè Sāng crossed her arms and spoke in a low voice, only audible to the two of them.

“What?” Yè Wànjūn leaned in closer.

Yè Sāng pressed her lips together and said, “The missing spiritual veins were absorbed by her.”

“What...?” Yè Wànjūn nearly gasped but was quickly shushed by Yè Sāng, who made a hushing gesture.

“This is why I feel she’s not simple; perhaps she obtained some extremely powerful inheritance, which is why she transformed from a waste into a genius overnight.” Yè Sāng regarded Nángōu Huàn with growing seriousness.

Yè Wànjūn was so shocked he couldn’t find his voice. Nángōu Huàn was that powerful?

Meanwhile, when she heard that the disciples were unwilling to purchase the potions, Shěn Yèyáo, who had been watching from backstage, could no longer sit still. She didn’t care about the disciples’ conflicts, but tonight’s potion auction couldn’t go awry!

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With a smile, Shěn Yèyáo gracefully took the stage, the spotlight instantly shining on her, making her the center of attention.

“Could everyone please quiet down?” Shěn Yèyáo stepped to the center of the venue, and the clamor gradually subsided.

“Thank you all for attending my auction. Your presence has truly brightened this event. Today, I am auctioning potions at a low price, not only to support the disciples of the four major families but also for the honor and shared glory of our future together. To be fair, I will not show favoritism toward the Nángōu family’s children; I hope the potions I’ve crafted can help everyone...” Shěn Yèyáo went on with a string of flattering words, all aimed at promoting her potions.

However, high-quality potions were rare, and low-priced auctions were even rarer; the potions in shops outside were priced sky-high, so everyone was eager to snag a bargain.

Under Shěn Yèyáo’s soothing words, the other three families quieted down, but the tension still lingered in the air.

As the chief auctioneer introduced the potions, the auction proceeded smoothly.

Bottles of potions were sold one after another, ranging from first to fourth grade, with about sixty bottles in total, all priced at nearly half of what they would cost in the market.

Among the eighty or so disciples participating in the trial, most of the elders chose to buy potions for their children.

One more potion meant one more guarantee.

Not far from Nángōu Huàn, she overheard Nángōu Qiānyuán and Wèi Yǔgōng whispering.

“Yǔgōng, here are two bottles for you.” Nángōu Qiānyuán shyly handed Wèi Yǔgōng two bottles of potions, her face flushed.

“Qiānyuán, this is too precious; I can’t accept it.” Wèi Yǔgōng glanced at the two fourth-grade potions, knowing their value.

“It’s fine, Yǔgōng; during tomorrow’s disciple trial, you must protect Qiānyuán well.” Nángōu Qiānyuán insisted, leaning against him like a delicate bird.

Unable to refuse Nángōu Qiānyuán, Wèi Yǔgōng eventually accepted the two bottles.

Nángōu Qiānyuán glanced over at Nángōu Huàn, noticing her indifferent demeanor; today, she hadn’t bought a single potion.

Of course, someone like Nángōu Huàn, with her meager monthly allowance of five thousand spiritual stocks, couldn’t even afford the bottle stoppers for the potions. Nángōu Qiānyuán secretly resented her, thinking that if it weren’t for tomorrow’s plan, she wouldn’t want to see this ugly duckling at all!

Soon, the final potions were presented, but before the auction began, Shěn Yèyáo took the stage again, preparing to say something to everyone.

“This last potion is one I’ve been refining for a long time, a fourth-grade talent potion. Before the auction, I have a few words to share.” Shěn Yèyáo adopted a heartfelt expression, speaking delicately.

“Actually, in the Nángōu family, there are many outstanding children, and one of them is particularly special to me. She lost her parents and has no one to guide her, developing a spoiled personality. Over the years, I’ve felt that the Nángōu family owes her much, so I’ve treated her as my own. Today, I’ve prepared an additional bottle of this talent potion for her as a small token of my affection as her aunt. Little Huàn, please come up.”

Shěn Yèyáo directly called out Nángōu Huàn's name, claiming to feel indebted while subtly belittling her.

“Now, I present this talent potion to Little Huàn. Would you mind taking it right now? It wouldn’t be a waste of your aunt’s goodwill, and everyone could see its effects.”

Oh, so this was her trap!

Nángōu Huàn observed Shěn Yèyáo’s affectionate and expectant demeanor, her mind racing as she stepped back onto the stage.

Previously, Shěn Yèyáo had no idea that the one behind her troubles was Nángōu Huàn. The only possibility was that Nángōu Qiānyuán felt threatened and wanted to scheme against her!

The crowd began to murmur again, opinions divided.

“Just a few days ago at the Níng Líng Treasure Pavilion, Nángōu Qiānyuán was beaten so badly; Shěn Yèyáo is really magnanimous.”

“Who cares? Let’s see the effects of this talent potion; if it’s good, I’ll definitely buy it!”

“That a waste suddenly becomes not a waste; could it be that Shěn Yèyáo has been providing her potions all along?”

“Then Shěn Yèyáo must be a great benefactor to Nángōu Huàn.”