"Senior, here are the Rising Dragon Pills you requested."
Looking at the dense array of jade bottles before him, Luo Chen nodded with satisfaction.
"How many spirit stones?"
The shop attendant swallowed hard, speaking cautiously yet obsequiously: "Five hundred and fifty spirit stones per bottle, ten bottles in total. That will be five thousand five hundred spirit stones, Senior."
Luo Chen's brow furrowed.
"Wasn't it five hundred a bottle?"
Seeing his displeasure, the attendant grew anxious and panicked.
"Prices have gone up recently. That's just the current market rate. Please forgive us, Senior."
Luo Chen was not so petty as to vent his anger on a shop girl.
What displeased him was that everything seemed to be rising in price nowadays.
Tier 2 pills were expensive to begin with, yet they were essential for daily cultivation.
An extra fifty stones per bottle might seem minor, but over sustained purchases, that difference added up to thousands or tens of thousands of spirit stones.
Even though he was far wealthier than an ordinary rogue cultivator, he could hardly endure such drain!
Suppressing his discontent, Luo Chen asked patiently, "If I buy in bulk, doesn't your shop have any corresponding discounts or perks?"
At those words, the girl's eyes lit up.
Her fear faded, replaced instantly by enthusiasm.
"I was just about to tell you about that, Senior!"
"When purchasing pills at Azure Pill Valley, anyone who spends over ten thousand spirit stones in a single transaction can be promoted to our esteemed Nine-Pattern VIP."
"Nine-Pattern VIPs enjoy a five percent discount on every pill purchase. Furthermore, if you reside within the immortal city, you are eligible for complimentary doorstep delivery."
Only five percent off?
Luo Chen inwardly cursed Azure Pill Valley's stinginess, yet his hands moved promptly.
"Then add another twenty-five bottles of Rising Dragon Pills for me, and apply the discount at the Nine-Pattern VIP rate!"
The attendant froze for a moment.
She hastily explained, "The first purchase isn't discounted; only from the second—"
Her voice trailed off.
Meeting Luo Chen's calm, bottomless gaze, she bowed her head.
"Please wait a moment, Senior. The quantity of pills you requested is quite large, so I need to retrieve them from the pill vault."
Once she left, Luo Chen could not help shaking his head.
It was truly an enterprise of a great sect after all.
Even while offering promotions, they remained haughty and aloof, unable to cast aside their pretensions.
Five percent off—were they brushing off beggars?
Besides, their staff training was mediocre at best.
The attendant hadn't proactively mentioned the VIP system from the start, and during the conversation, she was completely inflexible.
By comparison, the female cultivators in the Luotian Association's Gold Hall, under Gu Caiyi's tutelage, were vastly superior.
While Luo Chen was waiting, a young figure walked over to the counter.
"Fellow Daoist Luo Chen?"
Luo Chen looked over in surprise.
The young man smiled faintly and first produced a jade medallion engraved with nine cloud patterns resembling the sect emblem of Azure Pill Valley.
"This is your Nine-Pattern VIP token. Once infused with your spiritual power imprint, you may present it to enjoy the discount hereafter. Furthermore, this token incorporates spiritual sense voice transmission. If it is ever inconvenient for you to leave your residence, you can transmit a message across a thousand li, and our staff will deliver the pills directly to your door."
Luo Chen gave an acknowledging hum and tucked the jade token into his robes.
However, looking at the man's face, a hint of confusion lingered.
The man did not take offense and promptly introduced himself: "I am He Yun, hailing from the Yuxuan He clan of Azure Pill Valley. Others flatter me with the Daoist title of Xuan Yunzi."
Just as only top masters in the mortal martial world bore renowned monikers, in the cultivation world, only those who excelled exceptionally in a particular field or possessed formidable might were qualified to be bestowed a Daoist title.
Luo Chen's own Daoist title of Danchenzi had initially been undeserved, merely coined by Mi Shuhua to break open the market for Jade Marrow Pills.
Titles borne by figures like Master Taohua or Master Shixiang were truly worthy of their renown!
Now, the person before him actually held a Daoist title.
Evidently, in his... yes, alchemy. The dense pill aura swirling around his entire body testified to his considerable attainments on the alchemical path!
Luo Chen reined in his questioning expression and nodded in greeting.
"Fellow Daoist Xuan Yunzi."
Xuan Yunzi smiled slightly, sizing Luo Chen up.
"Fellow Daoist is so young, yet you purchase such a large batch of pills. There is a piece of advice I hesitate to offer, wondering whether it is my place to speak."
The corners of Luo Chen's mouth twitched slightly; he was rather speechless.
If you don't know whether to speak, why say anything at all?
Naturally, on the surface, he still adopted an attitude of listening respectfully.
"Please, speak freely, Fellow Daoist!"
"Though medicinal pills are wondrous, one must not rely on them excessively. Otherwise, when forming your Golden Core, lingering pill toxicity will surely cause trouble!"
Luo Chen smiled.
"Luo thanks you for your kind intentions, Fellow Daoist. I only find it curious that someone selling pills from Azure Pill Valley would say such a thing. That was truly unexpected."
Xuan Yunzi froze for an instant, then broke into hearty laughter.
"I don't know why, but upon meeting Fellow Daoist Luo, I felt an extraordinary sense of kinship."
"Thank you, thank you!"
While the two chatted, the shop attendant returned with the full amount of Rising Dragon Pills.
Including the earlier batch, a five percent discount was applied to the entire purchase.
The total came to eighteen thousand two hundred and eighty-seven spirit stones, and Xuan Yunzi took the initiative to waive the eighty-seven spirit stone remainder.
As for the rule about no discounts on the first purchase, it was never mentioned again.
After stowing away the pills, Luo Chen did not leave immediately.
Instead, he asked with curiosity, "May I ask if your esteemed shop sells mid-grade or top-grade Rising Dragon Pills?"
Xuan Yunzi looked at Luo Chen and thought to himself that the man had indeed taken his words to heart; he was already thinking of switching to higher-grade Rising Dragon Pills to minimize impurities.
Unfortunately...
"My apologies. Azure Pill Valley never directly sells high-grade pills over the counter. This is a rule from the higher-ups, and I am powerless to change it."
Luo Chen sighed. "That is truly a great pity."
Carefully observing Luo Chen's attire, bearing, and manner of speech, Xuan Yunzi pondered for a moment and produced an invitation embossed with nine cloud patterns from his storage bag.
"Fellow Daoist appears to be a person of substantial wealth."
"For the next grand auction in Tianlan Immortal City, it is our Azure Pill Valley's turn to co-host alongside the Ice Fort. With this invitation, you may enter directly without needing to verify your assets."
Luo Chen was pleasantly surprised.
He accepted the invitation.
Browsing through it, he saw names of numerous rare and precious treasures already listed.
There were even several Magic Treasures among them.
Furthermore, signature items from Azure Pill Valley and the Ice Fort were featured prominently.
Top-grade Rising Dragon Pills were right there on the list!
Tucking it away with great care, Luo Chen said, "When the time comes, I shall certainly attend!"
As he left the shop, Luo Chen could not resist glancing back once more.
Xuan Yunzi stood by the counter. Seeming to sense something, he turned his head and offered another smile.
Shaking his head, Luo Chen walked out onto the street.
"Strange. How could a person possess both vibrant life and the stench of death, and so prominently at that?"
Muttering under his breath, Luo Chen walked for a while before slipping into another shop.
Shixiang Pavilion!
"A box of Fierce Spirit Incense and ten bottles of Hundred Blossoms Dew!"
Luo Chen's entrance drew quite a few looks.
It was not because of his realm as a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator, but simply because he was a male cultivator.
Most patrons inside Shixiang Pavilion were female cultivators; men were exceedingly rare.
Still, anyone who crossed the threshold was a customer. An attendant soon came forward specifically to attend to him.
Fierce Spirit Incense was one of the Three Incenses, a Tier 2 spiritual incense, considerably cheaper than pills.
Even so, a box of twelve sticks cost nearly three hundred spirit stones.
Forking out this sum caused Luo Chen a bit of heartache.
He was not yet certain whether Fierce Spirit Incense would still be effective for him.
The Spirit Calming Incense he frequently used during the Qi Refinement stage now had a negligible effect. He had to find an alternative incense, or grinding proficiency in the Yimu Medicine King Scripture would be agonizingly slow.
As for the Hundred Blossoms Dew, he bought it without hesitation.
Firstly, it was inexpensive.
As the "sweet" among the Four Flavors and a flagship product of the Hundred Blossoms Palace, its output was enormous. It relied on volume rather than a hefty price tag.
Secondly...
This substance was one of the three primary ingredients for concocting Jade Dew Pills.
The three main materials for the Jade Dew Pill were Blue Mist Jade, Lingting scented grass, and Hundred Blossoms Dew.
For the former two, he had instructed the Luotian Association to procure them aggressively on his behalf.
The remaining main ingredient, however, he chose to purchase in person.
Beyond convenience, this ensured that the recipe's ingredients remained as concealed as possible, preventing major leaks.
Even if leaked, an ordinary person would still be unable to refine it.
Yet keeping a little secret was better than none at all.
This was an alchemist's lifeblood!
If one could avoid showing it, one wouldn't; and even if someone caught a glimpse, one had to keep them from grasping its exact proportions.
...
Before returning "home," Luo Chen dropped by Duan Feng's place.
Duan Feng was currently making the final preparations for Foundation Establishment.
Next, he would make an all-out push to break through.
It might take three to five days, or perhaps a month or two.
A protracted Foundation Establishment lasting an entire year, as Luo Chen's had, was exceedingly rare.
That had been tied to Luo Chen preparing five portions of Foundation Establishment spiritual medicine back then.
Moreover, the Tier 2 spiritual land environment on Mount Xiaohuan had not been natural but artificial, and Luo Chen had spent a great deal of time replenishing the spirit stones required by the formation.
In contrast, Duan Feng faced none of those hurdles.
To maximize Duan Feng's chances of success, Luo Chen took the trouble to explain the crucial keys and knacks of Foundation Establishment once more in person.
What was more!
Despite Duan Feng's slightly awkward expression, Luo Chen personally infused a strand of pure spiritual power into his body, simulating the process of spiritual energy surging and scouring all the meridians as the dantian transformed into a sea.
During this process, Luo Chen naturally held back.
Duan Feng focused with rapt attention to experience it.
In the end, with immensely complex emotions, he said to Luo Chen, "Thank you."
"No need to thank me!"
"In public, you call me President, but in private, we are brothers who walked out of the same courtyard."
"I also hope you succeed in establishing your foundation!"
"The Grand Dao is long and boundless. If I were to walk it alone, it would be far too lonely. Not just you—I hope Qin Liangchen, Caiyi, and the others can successfully establish their foundations as well."
Luo Chen waved his hand and spoke with heartfelt sincerity, completely free of pretense!
Duan Feng was genuinely moved.
He handed Luo Chen the incantation to control entry and exit to the immortal cave.
"One month from now, if I haven't come out, it will mean I failed."
"Either severely crippled, or dead with my Dao extinguished."
"When that time comes, collect my corpse for me!"
Watching the Dragon Severing Stone descend and the concealing formation activate, cloaking everything in thick mist, Luo Chen murmured, "He should succeed, shouldn't he!"
He knew he was no star of calamity, but rather someone blessed with a measure of good fortune.
Those around him mostly stayed safe, healthy, and sound.
It was his enemies who suffered misfortune and disaster.
Under such circumstances, he had no desire to perform the grim task of "collecting a corpse."
"I would much rather hear a ringing roar as you break out of seclusion!"
Flicking his sleeves, he turned around.
Soaring straight up through the drifting clouds, inside his own immortal cave, a fair ghost had long been waiting.
"Master, you've returned!"
Chapter 237