Luo Chen pondered the matter as he sold his pills.
The admission ticket would probably be quite expensive, and even if he went, he likely wouldn't find a good seat.
Still, witnessing top-tier Qi Refining experts clash in battle was bound to be helpful to his own growth in one way or another!
He turned it over in his mind until noon without arriving at an answer.
On the other hand, the Myriad Wonders Pills and Fasting Pills gradually sold out.
Such pills might not sell well elsewhere, but in a place like Dahe Market near the Million Mountains, they were exceptionally popular.
Living under intense pressure, many cultivators sought pleasure without wanting to diminish their combat prowess.
The Myriad Wonders Pill fulfilled that desire, making it naturally sought-after.
A mere sixty pills were absorbed by the market with ease.
Three hundred and eighty spirit stones—three hundred from the Myriad Wonders Pills and eighty from the Fasting Pills. That was his earnings from half a month of hard work.
At home, he still had two hundred and fifty spirit stones' worth of raw materials. Now that his alchemy had reached Mastery, his success yield should be even higher.
When that time came, it would be pure profit.
Calculating his assets and factoring in what he had left before, his savings were back up to a neat five hundred and fifty spirit stones.
In the past, Luo Chen would have been overjoyed beyond measure.
Now, however, he could view this "fortune" with equanimity.
In truth, it wasn't really that much. It only seemed like a lot compared to early- and mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators.
When it came to late-stage Qi Refining, most cultivators could produce such an amount in one go.
And to Foundation Establishment cultivators, this amount of spirit stones was a drop in the ocean, amounting to no more than the cost of one or two visits to Zhongding House or Tianxiang Pavilion.
Hadn't Gu Caiyi mentioned that a late Foundation Establishment cultivator casually tipped away a whole bottle of Dust-Cleansing Pills?
That stuff cost a thousand spirit stones, enough to buy a mid-grade defensive dharma artifact or an entry-level superior-grade dharma artifact.
Moreover, Luo Chen knew full well that these spirit stones would soon no longer belong to him.
Inside the Spirit Herb Pavilion.
"Three bottles of Qi-Nourishing Pills!"
"Honored guest, here are three bottles of Qi-Nourishing Pills. That will be three hundred spirit stones."
"Here."
Refusing to look at the sparkling spirit stones before they even had time to warm in his hands, Luo Chen hurriedly tucked the three bottles of pills into his storage bag.
This was his cultivation supply for the upcoming month!
Exiting the Spirit Herb Pavilion, Luo Chen headed straight for Hundred Herbs Hall next door.
He still had leftover raw materials for Myriad Wonders Pills, but his stock for Fasting Pills was completely exhausted, so it was time to replenish.
Ever since experiencing pre-processed herbs from Hundred Herbs Hall for a while, he had grown somewhat disdainful of the herbs sold piecemeal at the Rogue Cultivator Market.
Processing them by hand took far too much time.
While he hadn't reached the point of carelessly trading spirit stones for time, there was no need to pinch pennies over this now.
The raw materials for Fasting Pills were very cheap to begin with, and buying in bulk offered discounts.
Sourcing them from private vendors versus Hundred Herbs Hall only differed by a spirit stone or two.
Luo Chen truly had no reason to pinch pennies over that anymore.
When he stepped into Hundred Herbs Hall, the fat shopkeeper Liu Hecai was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Bai Meiling was sprawled across the counter.
"Miss Xiao Ling, where is Shopkeeper Liu?"
Bai Meiling glanced up at Luo Chen, pointed a finger toward the upper floor, and slumped back onto the counter.
"A Foundation Establishment cultivator came from Taishan Market. He's a friend of Shopkeeper Liu, and the two are catching up."
"I see."
Luo Chen nodded and produced a list. "Give me fifty spirit stones' worth of the herbs and proportions listed here."
Bai Meiling took the paper and looked at Luo Chen suspiciously.
It really was the formula for Fasting Powder.
Did that mean Luo Chen hadn't lied to her before?
Fifty spirit stones' worth all at once... With the superior-grade quality he refined, that would fetch about a hundred stones.
Subtracting the cost, that left a net profit of fifty.
Was this the income he relied on to live in the inner city?
"His life must be so tight. It'd take him months of saving just to afford a single bottle of Qi-Nourishing Pills," she mumbled under her breath.
She swiftly gathered the medicinal ingredients for Luo Chen, packed them into a large sack, and hauled it out.
When she emerged, her eyes went wide.
Luo Chen was actually chatting with Shopkeeper Liu and the Foundation Establishment cultivator from Taishan Market.
"One truly cannot judge a person by their appearance. To think someone so young could already make a living through alchemy."
"Senior flatters me. It is merely a modest craft, hardly worth mentioning." Luo Chen's expression was utterly respectful, his posture bowed slightly lower.
The reason was simple: both men before him were Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Shopkeeper Liu was fine—they had a business relationship.
However, this Senior Kang was someone he had to treat with the full deference due to an elder.
Kang Dongyue chuckled and said, "Old Liu told me that you refine pills using fire hound whip. I am quite curious: aside from dietary nourishment and rearing beast cubs, what kind of pill can this spiritual material actually be used to make? I wonder if you, young friend, could enlighten this old man?"
Luo Chen felt put on the spot, cold sweat even prickling on his back.
This wasn't his first time facing a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but others like Shopkeeper Liu or Old Chu were strictly business acquaintances.
Yet now, this Senior Kang was using his status as a Foundation Establishment senior to directly ask about the pill he refined.
Right now, he was only curious. But what about later?
Would he demand the recipe, or perhaps...?
Seeing Luo Chen hesitate so long, the two Foundation Establishment cultivators, shrewd and seasoned with age, quickly realized what was on his mind.
Shopkeeper Liu smiled and said, "Little Luo, no need to worry. Old Kang is the pavilion master of Gold and Stone Pavilion in Taishan Market, responsible for selling all kinds of pills. He is merely curious. Who knows, if your pills meet the mark, he might even source stock from you."
Kang Dongyue also explained, "Our Kang clan is one of the subordinate families of the Jade Cauldron Sect, specializing in alchemy, which is why we opened Gold and Stone Pavilion. However, only a few kinds of pills sell well within the clan, so we usually gather pills from fellow rogue cultivators to help sell them as well."
Hearing this, Luo Chen let out a quiet sigh of relief.
There were similar small apothecaries in Dahe Market as well.
They were run by minor sects or cultivation clans.
They sold a wide variety of goods, ranging from pills and talismans to dharma artifacts.
Rogue cultivators with limited spirit stones who couldn't afford major establishments and didn't want to sift through junk at the Rogue Cultivator Market often chose such small shops.
In a sense, his and Old Daoist Chen's stall fell into the same category—selling pills and talismans together, lacking only a proper signboard.
Respectfully, he offered a jade vial containing a Myriad Wonders Pill.
Kang Dongyue took it, examined it closely at first, and then brought it to his nose to take a whiff.
Once he confirmed there was nothing amiss, he pinched off a tiny speck of powder and placed it on his tongue.
Closing his eyes to savor the sensation, he nodded.
"A first-order pill. Its effect is to bolster yang, along with a slight spirit-replenishing effect. Frankly speaking, it is quite unique, but unfortunately, it is only low-grade. If taken too frequently by cultivators, it can easily cause deficient fire to flare up and loosen the golden lock of the lower gate."
Hearing this assessment, Luo Chen couldn't help but look at the man with newfound respect.
With just a few simple actions, he had laid bare virtually all the strengths and flaws of the Myriad Wonders Pill.
An ordinary cultivator could never do that.
The man before him had to be at least an experienced first-rank alchemist, or perhaps even a second-rank alchemist.
"How much does it sell for?"
"Around five spirit stones."
Kang Dongyue shook his head, then handed five spirit stones to Luo Chen, indicating that he was buying this pill.
He then said, "The price is far too inflated. It can only sell in places near the Million Mountains, like Dahe Market or Snow Lotus Market. Over at my Taishan Market, the price would have to be cut in half."
"Hmm, if brought to mortal territories, it would be wildly popular, but mortals can hardly produce the things we cultivators need."
After commenting on the price and market, he asked curiously, "How many of these pills can you refine in a month, young friend?"
This time, Luo Chen did not answer directly.
Plucking up his courage, he asked, "Senior, do you intend to buy stock from me?"
Chapter 45