‘Young Master Han!
‘Jin Ming actually referred to the youth as Young Master Han!’
One had to realize that even if Xie Donglai walked over, Jin Ming would only refer to him as Heir Xie. He wouldn’t pay much attention to him. However, he had actually clasped his hands in salute and referred to this youth as Young Master Han! What level of respect was this?
Little did he know that it hadn’t been necessary for Jin Ming to be so respectful before. However, who told him to kick Ling Han out of the auction house? Now that they needed to invite him back, they naturally needed to show him more respect.
Jin Xuan couldn’t help but feel shocked. He had scoffed when Ling Han had asked whether or not he would regret this, yet he was truly experiencing regret now.
‘Who on earth is this young man? Why does Jin Ming hold him in such high regard?’
“Lord Jin!” Ling Han immediately stood up and greeted Jin Ming. Jin Ming was a Heavenly Body Tier, so it would be far too arrogant of him if he remained sitting.
Jin Ming nodded, and said, “I’m truly sorry about not managing my subordinates well. I’ve troubled Young Master Han greatly.”
“Hehe.” Ling Han simply chuckled in reply. He then looked at Jin Xuan, and asked, “This is?”
The corners of Jin Xuan’s mouth involuntarily twitched. ‘I kicked you out just then, so how could you have forgotten me already? You’re clearly mocking me.’
If Jin Ming weren’t beside him, perhaps he would rush over to slap Ling Han already. He had cultivated for over 2,000,000 years already, and he had already reached the consummate level of the Sun Moon Tier. Thus, suppressing a measly cultivator at the low extreme would naturally be a piece of cake.
Now, however, he could only wear a dark expression and listen to Jin Ming’s commands.
“Jin Xuan, hurry up and apologize to Young Master Han!” Jin Ming said solemnly.
‘It’s come! Just as I expected!’
Jin Xuan was unwilling to yield, and he asked, “Lord Jin Ming, dare I ask, what did I do wrong?”
If he apologized just like that, what face would he have? Oh, so Ling Han wanted face, but he didn’t?
Although Jin Ming enjoyed a higher status than him, he was still a member of the Jin Clan. Thus, he could ignore commands that were unreasonable. If this situation escalated to the law enforcement hall of the Jin Clan, they could decide at that time who was in the right.
“Humph!” Jin Ming chuckled coldly. He genuinely wanted to smack this fool to death. Jin Xuan was a talentless hack, and all he could do was skirmish for power and status. His outlook was narrow, and he didn’t have any sense for the bigger picture. Jin Ming paused for a moment before saying, “Young Master Han is the seller of the Realm Spirit Stones!”
‘Huh?’
Jin Xuan’s heart shuddered. Only now did he understand why Jin Ming held Ling Han in such high regard. As it turned out, he was a huge patron of the auction house! It could be said that this auction was only so popular and high-cla.s.s because of the palm-sized Realm Spirit Stone.
The size of Realm Spirit Stones couldn’t be understated. The larger a Realm Spirit Stone, the more complete the Regulations within it, and the easier they would be to comprehend.
Thus, even if there were 10 Realm Spirit Stones that added up to the size of the palm-sized Realm Spirit Stone, the sum of their prices would still be far below that of the palm-sized Realm Spirit Stone.
However, this didn’t change the fact that Ling Han was merely the seller of the Realm Spirit Stone. Was there any need to treat him with such respect? He had only obtained such a large Realm Spirit Stone due to a stroke of luck. Did Jin Ming really need to treat him as an equal?
“Are you going to apologize or not?!” Jin Ming started to become impatient. In fact, he felt a growing urge to shoo Jin Xuan back to the clan residence. Having a fool like Jin Xuan beside him was hurting him more than it was helping him.
There was embarra.s.sment and anger on Jin Xuan’s face. However, he eventually gave in, and said, “Sorry for offending you just then. Please forgive me, Young Master Han!”
If he angered Ling Han and caused him to cancel the auction of the Realm Spirit Stone, the Jin Clan would undoubtedly become a huge laughing stock. As one of the lead culprits, he definitely wouldn’t be able to escape punishment from the clan.
With this in mind, he decided to cave in and apologize.
However, Ling Han shook his head, and said, “I don’t know you.”
Jin Xuan was infuriated. The meaning of Ling Han’s reply was very simple—he didn’t accept his apology. ‘You’re merely a cultivator at the low extreme of the Sun Moon Tier, so what are you acting so high and mighty for?’
“Jin Xuan, if a Level Eight alchemist were kicked out of the auction house by you, how do you think you should apologize and pacify them?” Jin Ming asked in a grave voice.
Jin Xuan faltered upon hearing this. ‘What does Jin Ming mean? Is he trying to say that Ling Han is a Level Eight alchemist? What a joke! How old is he? He’s definitely less than 1000 years old. Perhaps he’s a cultivation prodigy, but there’s no way he’s an alchemy grandmaster!
‘How does one increase their level in alchemy? They have to refine cauldron after cauldron of alchemical pills—it’s a build-up of experience over time! It’s not like cultivation, where one can become fortunate and advance rapidly after ingesting a pill. Perhaps one can even jump from a mere mortal to the Heavenly Body Tier!
‘A Level Eight alchemist who’s not even 1000 yet? Keep joking!’
“Do you think I’m joking?” Jin Ming asked with a cold chuckle. If Ling Han weren’t a Level Eight alchemist, would he treat him with so much respect?
So what if he was a big seller and a valued patron? There was an insurmountable gulf between Heavenly Body Tier elites and Sun Moon Tier cultivators.
Jin Xuan’s heart shuddered. Jin Ming joking about this would be the true joke.
‘Is Ling Han genuinely a Level Eight alchemist?’
His expression changed drastically. He had kicked a Level Eight alchemist out of the auction house! If news of this got out… he would truly lose a layer of his skin!
Alchemists enjoyed a transcendent status. Moreover, alchemists were a relatively tight bunch. If one offended an alchemist, especially for no apparent reason, they would draw the ire of the entire alchemist community.
It would be a ma.s.sive blow if no alchemist was willing to auction their alchemical pills at the Gold Origin Auction House anymore. As the catalyst for this disaster, he would definitely suffer severe punishment from the clan.
Fear crept into his heart as these thoughts flashed through his mind. His knees buckled, and he kneeled before Ling Han, saying, “Young Master Han, I’m a blind fool, and everything was my fault. I beg for your forgiveness!”
He continued to kowtow as he spoke, tears and snot flowing down his face.
Jin Ming almost smacked him to death in anger. He had indeed told Jin Xuan to apologize, but not like this! By kneeling down and kowtowing, he wasn’t simply humiliating himself. He was losing face for the entire Jin Clan!
‘This idiot… What an absolute fool! I definitely can’t leave him here!’
“Oh, so it’s you!” Ling Han clapped his hands together as if he had suddenly recalled who Jin Xuan was.
Jin Xuan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. It appeared like… he had averted a huge disaster. As long as Ling Han calmed down and the auction went forward smoothly, they could pretend that none of this had ever happened. At most, he would just apologize and flatter Ling Han a bit more.
Little did he know that Jin Ming had already sentenced him to “death”. Before long, he would be kicked back to the clan. Along with a few comments from Jin Ming, there would be zero hope of him succeeding in the future. He could only live out the remainder of his life as an also-ran.
Jin Ming smiled at Ling Han, and said, “Young Master Han, please!” He was already past the stage of becoming angry.
“Lord Jin, please!” Ling Han was also very polite.
The two of them walked side by side as they returned to auction house. However, Ling Han purposefully lagged half a step behind to show his respect to Jin Ming, a Heavenly Body Tier elite. This pleased Jin Ming immensely. This young man wasn’t complacent because of his skills, and he wouldn’t overstep the limits, either.
Meanwhile, Jin Xuan tagged behind them. He still had to talk to Ling Han and flatter him a bit. In his eyes, Ling Han’s value had soared to a new height, what with his ident.i.ty as a Level Eight alchemist and all.