Dongyue Shocked, A Fellow Traveler!

Majestic Mount Tai stood supreme over the surrounding peaks. Even though the Huo clan wielded the greatest power in Taishan Market, everyone still showed deference to the Taishan Kang clan. After all, the Kang clan's founding ancestor had hailed from the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect, giving them profound backing. The market itself was named after the Kang clan's ancestral grounds. A voice transmission paper crane rode the swift wind, quickly plunging into the spell formations along the mountainside. Before long, someone carrying the message sought out Kang Dongyue. "Grandfather, a message came from the Gold and Stone Pavilion. Someone is looking to sell pills." Kang Dongyue frowned. "Isn't there an elder stationed over there? Xianqiong, stop running to me over every little thing. You should be learning to handle clan affairs." Kang Xianqiong replied helplessly, "This time, the customer specifically asked for you by name to appraise them." "Hmm?" "First-tier peak-grade pills, and apparently in large quantity!" As she spoke, Kang Xianqiong produced the pink jade bottle. Curious, Kang Dongyue carefully uncorked it. A wave of scorching, restless pill fragrance billowed out at once. His brows twitched, and he immediately held his breath. The young woman beside him had not been nearly as vigilant. Taking in a single breath of the fragrance, her heart began to thump wildly. "This is... a Myriad Wonders Pill?" Kang Dongyue murmured, falling into thought. "It seems that young friend from Dahe Market has arrived. "To think his alchemy has advanced so quickly—crafting a peak-grade pill in just a few short years. "Now that upheaval has struck Dahe Market, is he offering this pill to seek my Kang clan's protection? "With such outstanding alchemy attainments, perhaps I could..." As he muttered to himself, he suddenly noticed a wanton tension thickening the air. He whipped his head around. His granddaughter Kang Xianqiong's face was flushed crimson, her eyes glassy and brimming with liquid yearning. One hand had already drifted unconsciously toward her swelling bosom. "Outrageous!" With a sharp rebuke, a splash of conjured water slapped Kang Xianqiong across the face. Splosh! Kang Xianqiong shuddered, snapping back to her senses in bewilderment. Seeing her grandfather's dark expression, she trembled at once. "I... I..." "What about you!" Kang Dongyue glared at his granddaughter in exasperation. "Cultivating too fast, did you forget to temper your mind? If you can't even withstand a whiff of pill aroma, how do you expect to inherit the Kang clan's legacy in the future? Look at Huo Hu from the Huo clan—he's already returned from the Flame Alliance having achieved Foundation Establishment, while you're still stuck in Qi Refining..." A relentless barrage of scolding left Kang Xianqiong pouting, on the verge of tears. As a young woman standing beside her most trusted, formidable grandfather, she naturally had kept no guard up. Who could have thought the pill would be so vulgar and indecent? A single breath had stirred such sensations. And now she was getting berated for it. "Crying over this—it's my own fault for pampering you too much. "Humph! "Confined to the Cliff of Reflection for three months!" Flicking his wide sleeves, Kang Dongyue departed directly. Judging by the trajectory of his flying light, he was heading down the mountain toward Taishan Market. Kang Xianqiong puffed her cheeks, her face swollen with indignation. "It's all that damned alchemist's fault! "Making me make such a fool of myself in front of Grandfather! "Just wait until I find out who you are..." After venting a bit, Kang Xianqiong obediently turned toward the Cliff of Reflection. Halfway there, her eyes darted slyly. "Three months, but he never said which day it starts. "It's only natural for me to buy some daily supplies first, right?" Heh heh! Giggling to herself, she boarded a flying magic tool and slipped down Mount Tai. *** "Young friend, long time no—wait, who are you?" In the second-floor VIP chamber of the Gold and Stone Pavilion, Kang Dongyue looked at the man before him in hesitation. Luo Chen wiped a hand across his face, and his features, altered by secret art, instantly reverted to their original appearance. He smiled faintly and cupped his hands. "Senior, long time no see!" "You!" Kang Dongyue's expression shifted drastically as he stared at Luo Chen in disbelief. It was not because of the disguise. Rather, it was the fluctuation of spiritual power radiating from Luo Chen at this moment. It was unmistakably at the Foundation Establishment stage, just like his own. Though lower than his, it was genuine second-layer Foundation Establishment! How many years had it been? When they first met, wasn't he at the fourth or fifth level of Qi Refining? Kang Dongyue stood dazed. Even after taking a seat and exchanging reminiscences with Luo Chen, he had still barely recovered from the shock. Such cultivation speed—even within the great sects, he would be nurtured as a true disciple, perhaps even a Dao seed! "Senior?" "Don't call me senior anymore. Since you have achieved Foundation Establishment, you are a fellow traveler on the path. Addressing me as fellow Daoist will do." Sighing with emotion, Kang Dongyue nonetheless quickly regained his composure. Looking at Luo Chen, he nodded repeatedly with deep feeling. "No wonder you were able to craft a peak-grade Myriad Wonders Pill. You've already reached Foundation Establishment; I imagine you could even start trying your hand at second-tier pills!" *Trying?* *I've already refined them.* Luo Chen smiled faintly. "Senior overpraises me. Years have passed, and your own cultivation has advanced as well—you've reached mid-Foundation Establishment!" Politeness cost nothing, and flattery smoothed every exchange. Anyone could speak pleasant words. Kang Dongyue sighed inwardly. How could his progress be considered fast? When he visited Dahe Market back then, he had already been at the third level of Foundation Establishment. Only by procuring a vast quantity of cultivation resources from the auction had he fortunately advanced to mid-Foundation Establishment in the past two years. "Let's put aside the pleasantries!" Kang Dongyue brought out the pink jade bottle. "On my way here, I already appraised this pill. It is indeed peak-grade, with remarkable potency. An ordinary Qi Refining cultivator would be affected just by catching its scent. "Even for True Cultivators of Foundation Establishment like us, taking it would surely yield exceptional results! "As for the price, it naturally cannot be treated like an ordinary first-tier pill. After all, once a pill reaches peak grade, it is practically comparable to a low-grade pill of the next tier. "Therefore, I can offer twenty low-grade spirit stones a pill. "Considering a large volume, the price might need to be slightly lower..." "Ahem!" His words were cut short by Luo Chen's cough. Under Kang Dongyue's puzzled gaze, Luo Chen gave a wry smile. "Elder, you flatter me too much. How could peak-grade pills be mass-produced? This single pill was merely a stroke of inspiration, achieved purely by luck." Kang Dongyue blinked, then burst into hearty laughter. He slapped the table. "Haha! "It seems this old man overthought it. Right you are, it's a peak-grade pill! "I was simply so stunned by your cultivation progress that I felt even something like that wouldn't be impossible for you. "Hahaha..." Amid pleasant laughter, the atmosphere finally returned to normal. When the laughter subsided, Kang Dongyue noticed something amiss again. "Then what about your earlier message saying you had a large quantity of pills to sell?" "Take a look at these pills." A jade bottle was slowly pushed across the sandalwood table from Luo Chen's hands to Kang Dongyue. Uncorking the bottle, Kang Dongyue pursed his lips. He looked up, eyeing Luo Chen suspiciously. "Jade Marrow Pill... Danchenzi?" "Yes." "Hiss!" Kang Dongyue sucked in a breath of cold air, unable to conceal the shock in his gaze as he stared at Luo Chen. An outsider would not understand where his shock came from. Only true alchemists could comprehend the reason behind such tremendous turmoil. Less than ten years! Refining a peak-grade Myriad Wonders Pill was one thing. At most, one could say Luo Chen had high alchemy talent and a unique grasp of this single pill, happening upon it by sheer inspiration. Kang Dongyue himself had experienced strokes of genius with the pills he was most proficient in. However! Luo Chen had also raised another pill to high grade. This could no longer be described merely as high talent. Terrifying! Astounding! Shocking the world! Stunning brilliance! Any number of extreme accolades could be used to describe Luo Chen's talent in alchemy. Amid his shock, Luo Chen's voice drifted over leisurely. "I have a large stock of Jade Marrow Pills on hand, all of high grade. Can your Gold and Stone Pavilion take them?" "A large stock? How large?" "A transaction worth roughly fifty thousand spirit stones. Preferably settled in mid-grade spirit stones." "Let me consider..." When it came to business, Kang Dongyue automatically reined in his emotions. The Gold and Stone Pavilion did not exclusively sell pills made by the Kang clan. They routinely purchased uncommon pills crafted by rogue cultivators and minor clans. Only through this had they built the Gold and Stone Pavilion's sterling reputation in Taishan Market. Even against the Spirit Herb Pavilion, they were not a whit inferior in the local trade of low-tier pills. Fifty thousand spirit stones was an immense sum! Yet for the Kang clan, it was not beyond their means. However, doing so would stretch their liquid capital thin. After a long pause, Kang Dongyue finally relaxed his brow. "Are all the Jade Marrow Pills in your hands of this quality?" "Only better, never worse!" Any inferior ones had already been fed to the River-Swallowing Toad by Luo Chen. "If that's the case, then... I'll take them!" Before Luo Chen could rejoice, Kang Dongyue shifted the topic. "However, a portion must be settled through an exchange of equivalent resources. "You understand, fifty thousand spirit stones is no small amount. Paying it entirely in spirit stones would wound the Kang clan's sinews and bones." Luo Chen considered it and nodded gently. Exchanging equivalent resources was a very common method of transaction in the cultivation world. So long as both parties agreed. "The Kang clan deals in many varieties of pills, among which—" "I want Golden Quality Jade Liquid!" Luo Chen's eyes burned as he stared at the old man. "And it must be of exceptional quality, ideally peak-grade." Golden Quality Jade Liquid was a first-tier spirit medicine. It provided immense assistance in body cultivation, making it perfect for Luo Chen to break through to the perfection of the first realm of body cultivation. As for whether the Kang clan possessed peak-grade batches? Luo Chen did not doubt it for a second. This was one of their signature pills; having refined it for hundreds of years, they would have stockpiled at least a small reserve. Refining peak-grade pills was indeed difficult, but that depended on the alchemist's tier! Kang Dongyue was undoubtedly a second-tier alchemist, as evidenced by how easily he repeatedly identified the quality of Luo Chen's pills. "Peak-grade?" While Kang Dongyue was pondering, Luo Chen suddenly added: "If you have a method to neutralize pill poison, I am even willing to make concessions on the purchase price of the Jade Marrow Pills. Of course, I will pay an additional fair price for the method itself." "A method to neutralize pill poison?" Kang Dongyue looked at Luo Chen in surprise. Immediately afterward, a thought surfaced. Could he have achieved Foundation Establishment so quickly by frantically gorging on pills? Once this thought appeared, combined with Luo Chen's resolute willingness to concede on the Jade Marrow Pill purchase price, Kang Dongyue became even more convinced of his conjecture. And then, stormy waves surged within his heart. Their Kang clan was no petty household. Their founding ancestor had been a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect. While certain secret arts of the sword sect could not be passed down, common knowledge held by great cultivation sects that was kept from the public was still transmitted to descendants. Among these was the adage: "Pills may be wondrous, but greed must be shunned." Ingesting too many pills accumulated massive amounts of pill poison. Even pill recipes refined to perfection by major alchemy sects like Azure Pill Valley, Medicine King Sect, and Nether Abyss Sect would leave behind pill poison. Normally, pill poison seemed harmless. Yet when breaking through a realm, it would form a chasm! An ordinary person could never cross this chasm. One needed terrifying foundation, immense willpower, and a stroke of luck to break through against the odds. Thus, any great sect, no matter how exceedingly wealthy, deliberately restricted their disciples' supply of pills. Especially for outstandingly gifted disciples! They would rather grant them a single peak-grade pill than allow them to swallow a thousand low-grade ones. A single peak-grade pill was naturally worth far less than a thousand low-grade pills. The great sects were not stingy; they simply did not wish to ruin good seedlings. And this Luo Chen—as he recalled Liu Hecai mentioning—did not possess great aptitude. In the beginning, he had been nothing more than a humble rogue cultivator! To cultivate to the Foundation Establishment stage in such a short time, he must have relied on his terrifying alchemy talent, exchanging alchemy skills for astronomical resources to make up for his shortcomings in talent. Only through this had he reached Foundation Establishment! Having pieced this together, the waves in Kang Dongyue's heart gradually calmed. The look Kang Dongyue directed at Luo Chen was no longer the prior envy, shock, and marvel. Instead, it turned solemn, laced with pity. Solemn regarding the man's profound foundation. Pity because when breaking through, in order to conquer the barrier of pill poison, he must have endured unimaginable agony. What monumental willpower it must have taken to overcome that! Luo Chen knitted his brows. He had merely asked about a method to neutralize pill poison, hadn't he? Why was the other man showing such an expression? He disliked people looking at him with pity or sympathy. That would only make him feel that his years of hard work were being dismissed. Kang Dongyue shook his head, brushing away those inappropriate thoughts. Yet his attitude toward Luo Chen grew three parts more respectful than before. A person willing to endure tremendous agony in cultivation was thoroughly worthy of admiration, even if they had not cultivated for as many years as he had. Truly, such a person was a fellow traveler on the Dao! "My Kang clan does not possess a method to neutralize poison." "Hmm?" Luo Chen was puzzled. As an established clan of Taishan Market whose core heritage was alchemy, how could they not have one? Amid his confusion, Kang Dongyue changed tack. "However, I happen to know news of a poison-neutralizing method." "News?" "Indeed. And right here in Taishan Market, it will be put up for auction in the near future." "An auction?" A flash of surprise crossed Luo Chen's face. "An auction? But hasn't the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion already been abandoned? Who is still organizing an auction?" He did not think of black market auctions at all. With the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion gone, Luoyun Sect's Zhenlong Black Market naturally couldn't remain here either. "It is organized by the Huo clan! "Strictly speaking, it is a grand auction organized by the Huo clan with the backing of the Flame Alliance!" The Huo clan of Red Toad Mountain? Luo Chen fell into thought. Watching him ponder, Kang Dongyue suddenly asked, "Is the Luotian Association a faction established by you?"