Fortunately, the charity auction officially began at this time, so Barbara didn't have to dwell on the topic for the time being.

A beautiful hostess strode onto the stage with a smile.

"Good evening, distinguished guests. I'd like to thank you all for taking the time to attend tonight's charity auction. Ladies and gentlemen, I am honored to inform you that all the items showcased for auction today have been generously provided by our esteemed guests, who are also graciously invited to participate in this charitable event.

I'm delighted to announce that every penny raised through this auction will be dedicated to the ancient martial arts cultivation of underprivileged children. The funds collected will be placed under the joint supervision of the esteemed University of Broome and the venerable Pill Alchemist Association."

And with that, the charity auction was officially started. After the beautiful hostess' brief introduction to the event, the organizers were introduced to the guests.

One of them, Amon Hopkins, was the dean of the Research Institute of Broome University and also an outstanding astrophysicist.

Then there were the two people representing the Pill Alchemist Association: Fred Barnes, a grade six pill alchemist, and Albert Norris, a grade five pill alchemist.

Due to their respective Levels of cultivation, Fred was regarded as the main representative of the Association, while Albert had come as his subordinate.

“Albert, what do you think of the ancient martial arts clans that will be present this year? And how should we go about allocating the exam quotas for next month?"

After taking a seat in the private box with the best view, Fred addressed his companion with the tone of a superior leader.

Albert smiled bitterly. "We'll have to see the performance of each clan first, and then... Well, you're more experienced than me, so I'd prefer to just follow your Lead."

“Ha-ha, you flatter me, Albert. But to have achieved the level of grade five pill alchemist at your age is also quite the feat."

Seeing that Albert looked up to him like a humble subordinate, Fred was in a good mood.

Fred, who was almost sixty, had barely broken through to level six half a year ago. Considering that he was from the Barnes family, one of the prestigious ancient martial clans, his cultivation level was just subpar.

On the other hand, Albert, who was a grassroots ancient martial artist, had done very well for himself. Tonight's charity gala was held for people Like him-people who were gifted in ancient martial arts but were too poor to cultivate it.

Even without the support of a wealthy clan, Albert still managed to reach the fifth grade by the age of forty. His talent and hard work paid off, and he was obviously doing far better than Fred despite being at a lower level.

However, despite his achievements, he still wasn't as strong as Fred, not to mention the latter's family background. Albert could only be obedient and submissive in front of Fred.

“I heard that among the representatives, there is someone who has refined grade four and grade five pills already. Can you believe it? How could they regard these youngsters who have just refined grade four pills or lesser as advanced pill alchemists? It's ridiculous!

Although Fred expressed his opinion in such an aggressive, disdainful way, Albert could only agree with him.

"Considering their Limited alchemy experience and Limited knowledge of alchemy methods, it doesn't seem appropriate for them to Label themselves as high-level pill alchemists based solely on one or two advanced elixir formulas.

These pill alchemists have a weak foundation, and their focus should be on improving their cultivation, along with the guidance of true masters. This is precisely why our association recruits new talent every three years—to introduce fresh blood and foster growth within our organization."

Although Albert was only a fifth-grade pill alchemist, he was proficient in eight fifth-grade elixir formulas, which was rare among those of the same grade.

On the contrary, despite the cultivation level, Fred could only refine four grade-six elixir formulas. That was rather inferior compared to other level-six pill alchemists...

“Ha-ha..." Fred chuckled lifelessly.