Early the next morning, Xue Mingzhao asked the innkeeper downstairs about the most prestigious, top-tier alchemy shop in Yunque Heavenly Capital, and dragged Su Ye straight there.
The two of them crossed several streets, and the surrounding scenery became increasingly luxurious and bustling.
Shops lined both sides of the streets, all high-end storefronts of the cultivation world. Every signboard was inlaid with gold and jade, wrapped in endless flowing light runes. Store clerks shouted loudly at the entrances, creating a bustling clamor of voices as rich spiritual energy washed over the passersby.
Walking to the very center of the district, Xue Mingzhao suddenly stopped in her tracks.
The shop before them was sandwiched between a row of magnificent, glittering alchemy shops, looking completely out of place.
There was no plaque inlaid with spirit stones, nor were there pillars carved with dragons and phoenixes. The entire building was covered in only a layer of simple, elegant lacquer, revealing the naturally reserved color of the original wood.
Yet, it was precisely this unadorned simplicity that made it exceptionally eye-catching against the backdrop of the jewel-adorned extravagance on either side.
Xue Mingzhao raised her eyes to study the plaque above the door. The deep gray sinkwood was ancient and heavy, carved with three bold, vigorous characters: “Jiudan Pavilion.” There was no gold leaf embellishment or flowing light runes; it was low-key to the point of near-simplicity.
However, upon closer inspection, the entire plaque was carved from a single piece of ten-thousand-year-old sinkwood. Its borders were surrounded by a ring of fine, exquisite cloud-and-thunder patterns. The carving work was clean and masterful, and pure spiritual energy flowed slowly and subtly between the lines, reserved and unpretentious.
Xue Mingzhao nodded in satisfaction. Establishments that looked this low-key were usually incredibly wealthy.
Su Ye was filled with doubt. “Junior Sister, you're not planning to sell the Foundation Establishment Pill we got yesterday, are you?”
Xue Mingzhao nodded. “More than that.”
Su Ye grew anxious and hurriedly tried to dissuade her. “You're about to undergo Foundation Establishment. It's not worth it to sell it. No matter how poor we are, we don't lack this bit of money.”
Ignoring him, Xue Mingzhao dragged him straight into the shop.
The interior of the shop was quiet and elegant. Seeing them enter, a shop assistant in green robes immediately stepped forward to welcome them, his attitude humble and polite. “What pills do you two require?”
Xue Mingzhao got straight to the point. “I'm here to sell pills.”
The assistant said politely, “It is our shop's rule to only accept mid-grade and above pills.”
“Do you accept supreme-grade ones?”
A glint flashed across the assistant's eyes. He immediately stepped aside and bowed to lead the way, his manners impeccable and his attitude growing even more respectful. “Fellow Daoist, please step inside. Take a seat and rest first; I will inform the manager immediately.”
Xue Mingzhao followed the assistant into an elegant private room. After sitting down, she casually picked up the clear tea on the table and took a sip. The tea was crisp and sweet, leaving a lingering fragrance on her lips and teeth.
She sighed in heartfelt admiration. “The tea here tastes much better than the one at the Heavenly Talisman Pavilion.”
Su Ye said, “Then we can buy a couple of bags to take back later.”
Xue Mingzhao waved her hand, a trace of slyness in her eyes. “No need to trouble ourselves. Later, I'll drop a few hints to the manager and take some back for Master to try.”
Su Ye hesitated. “What if he doesn't give us any?”
Xue Mingzhao said righteously, “If he doesn't give them to us, we'll just ask for them directly.”
“Ahem—” A soft cough came from behind them.
Su Ye's body stiffened, and he immediately lowered his head, his earlobes turning slightly hot.
Scheming behind someone's back to ask for their tea, only to be caught red-handed by the owner himself, was truly embarrassing.
The newcomer walked slowly into the private room, his tone warm and gentle. “I am Shen Ting, the manager of the Jiudan Pavilion.”
He wore a plain, deep gray robe of simple, patternless fabric. His temperament was gentle and refined, making him look less like a merchant dealing in the marketplace and more like an alchemist cultivator dedicated to refining medicine and self-cultivation.
He sat down across from Xue Mingzhao.
Xue Mingzhao did not feel embarrassed at all, introducing herself generously, “You can call me Xin Qi, and this is my older brother, Xin Lu.”
Without wasting any more words, she placed a wooden box directly on the table.
Shen Ting picked up the wooden box and slowly lifted the lid.
In an instant, a rich medicinal fragrance rushed out, filling the entire private room with crisp spiritual energy.
Resting quietly inside the wooden box was a translucent white pill. The body of the pill was round and smooth, with faint silver cloud patterns flowing and floating across its surface.
Right in the center of the pill, a complete pill vein was clearly visible. This was a unique mark that could only be formed on supreme-grade pills, impossible to counterfeit.
Having examined countless pills and possessing vast experience, Shen Ting was briefly moved before stating a price in a deep voice, “A supreme-grade Core-Condensing Pill of superior quality. I am willing to offer one thousand high-grade spirit stones.”
Xue Mingzhao nodded, showing no emotion on her face, but she was already calculating in her mind.
One thousand for one pill, ten thousand for ten... that didn't seem like too much.
Noticing her indifferent expression, Shen Ting explained, “The market demand for Core-Condensing Pills is high, but the barrier to refining them is low, so the price is relatively stable. If it were a rare pill, the price would be different.”
Xue Mingzhao followed his lead and asked, “What about other supreme-grade pills? For instance, Boundary-Breaking Pills, Life-Prolonging Pills, or Mind-Nourishing Pills?”
Shen Ting pondered for a moment. “Supreme-grade quality for these kinds of pills is extremely rare on the market. I can offer five thousand per pill.”
Xue Mingzhao glanced at Su Ye, who nodded slightly.
Having a clear idea now, she stopped testing him and placed four porcelain bottles directly on the table.
Shen Ting opened the first bottle and poured out a pill. A medicinal fragrance even richer than before instantly filled the entire private room.
His pupils contracted slightly, and his tone carried a hint of shock. “A supreme-grade Boundary-Breaking Pill? ...A whole bottle?”
Before he could calm his racing heart, Xue Mingzhao quickly opened the remaining three porcelain bottles.
Core-Condensing Pills, Life-Prolonging Pills, and Mind-Nourishing Pills—every single pill inside each bottle was of supreme-grade quality, without exception.
Shen Ting took a deep breath and looked up at the ordinary-looking young female cultivator in front of him. For a moment, he did not even know whether to quote a price first or ask about her background first.
Not only was Shen Ting shocked, but Su Ye, who was standing by the side, was also experiencing a storm in his mind. He desperately suppressed the shock on his face, not daring to let even a fraction of it show.
These pills couldn't possibly have been refined by Master or Martial Uncle. If the Grand Primordium Sect had this kind of capability, they wouldn't be so dirt-poor.
That left only one possibility—these pills were all refined by his junior sister herself!
In a single night, four bottles of supreme-grade pills.
Even a ninth-rank grandmaster alchemist wouldn't be able to achieve this, right?
This little junior sister of his wasn't just a genius; she was simply a monster.
“Twenty pills in each bottle. Manager Shen, please count them,” Xue Mingzhao said, breaking the silence.
Shen Ting suppressed the shock in his heart and quickly calculated the bill. “Twenty Core-Condensing Pills at one thousand each makes twenty thousand. Twenty of each of the Boundary-Breaking Pills, Life-Prolonging Pills, and Mind-Nourishing Pills, calculated at five thousand each, makes three hundred thousand. In total, three hundred and twenty thousand high-grade spirit stones.”
After speaking, he couldn't help but glance at the four bottles of pills on the table again. Anyone who could produce so many supreme-grade pills at once must have a top-tier alchemy expert backing them.
Once the two of them finished the transaction and were about to turn and leave, Shen Ting suddenly called out to stop them, his tone filled with absolute sincerity. “Fellow Daoist Xin, please wait.”
With an earnest gaze, he solemnly promised, “If you can refine supreme-grade Foundation Establishment Pills, our Jiudan Pavilion is willing to pay fifty thousand high-grade spirit stones per pill and buy them all!”
Xue Mingzhao paused in her tracks.
A supreme-grade Foundation Establishment Pill was actually worth this much?
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