Chapter 11 Choice 3

The middle-aged cultivator's expression flashed, and he immediately laughed:

"Haha, so it's a Spirit Pill refined by Master He Gu, no wonder the quality is so good. I'm willing to pay five hundred Spirit Stones to buy this bottle."

"Eh, since it's personally refined by Master He Gu, I'm willing to pay five hundred and twenty Spirit Stones for it." Someone flattered, casting a friendly glance at the youth.

"I'm willing to pay five hundred and thirty Spirit Stones." Another cultivator said.

Everyone wanted to curry favor with He Gu because befriending a Peak Alchemy Master would surely bring numerous benefits in the future.

[In the Mo Family Shop, He Gu looked down from the top floor with a proud and smug gaze.]

Following the information displayed, Yang Ji looked towards the sixth floor window of the Mo Family Shop and saw an elder with a spirited look. He was sipping Spiritual Tea while observing the youth's side, his face filled with a triumphant smile, clearly in a very good mood.

On the opposite side of He Gu, a middle-aged man dressed in luxurious clothes was complimenting:

"Master He Gu, within three days, all the cultivators on Nanfeng Island will know you have become a Peak Alchemy Master. You'll be quite busy in the coming days, and I presume you will receive so many congratulatory gifts that your hands will grow weary."

"Hehe, much thanks to Shopkeeper Mo for providing me with a large quantity of Spiritual Medicine to practice with, otherwise I wouldn't have reached this step," laughed He Gu.

"We simply have a mutually beneficial relationship, Master He Gu, you are too modest. With your alchemy skills, any shop would offer you the same treatment. It's the Mo Family Shop's honor that you chose us," the middle-aged man laughed.

He Gu seemed to enjoy such flattering words, with even more pride showing on his face.

Below, Yang Ji looked on with indifference at this scene.

He then turned his head, looking towards Myriad Treasures Tower with a contemplative expression.

With a thousand Spirit Stones in possession, he now had four options.

First, he could go to Myriad Treasures Tower to buy Medicine Pills for cultivation, to advance his Cultivation.

Second, buy a Low-grade Magical Artifact, then venture out to sea for adventures to gather cultivation resources.

Third, return to his residence to absorb the Spiritual Energy from the Spirit Stones, using it to strengthen his Cultivation.

Fourth, boldly take a step forward, buy a Pill Furnace, Spiritual Medicine, and Pill Recipes, learn alchemy, and become an Alchemist.

He immediately dismissed the third option.

Cultivation by absorbing Spirit Stones was too slow; using them to exchange for equivalent Medicine Pills would speed up his cultivation much more.

After pondering for a moment, he shook his head at the first and second options as well.

Buying Medicine Pills for cultivation was too shortsighted.

And venturing out to sea was far too risky, not to mention a waste of a lot of time.

After much thought, he eventually chose the fourth option.

Not for anything else, but because Medicine Pills were too expensive.

To reach the Tenth Layer of Qi Refining within ten years, one needed to consume high-quality Medicine Pills to accelerate the cultivation process.

But a bottle of high-quality, Low-grade Spirit Pills cost five hundred Spirit Stones, and he simply couldn't afford them. Cultivation wasn't a temporary endeavor, but a lifelong one.

So let others endure that hardship.

He decided to become an Alchemist and provide himself with the Cultivation Pills.

Among the hundred arts of cultivation, the profession of alchemy was the most profitable, with immediate benefits and boundless gains in the future.

With one skill in hand, one could go anywhere in the world.

Yang Ji became resolute in his decision in an instant.

With that thought, he set off towards Myriad Treasures Tower.

...

"Young Brother Yang intends to buy a Pill Furnace, Pill Recipe, Spiritual Medicine, and fire-attribute techniques? Are you planning to learn the art of alchemy?" Jin Dafu asked curiously.

"Indeed. How much do these cost?" Yang Ji, sitting aside, inquired.

"Haha, Young Brother Yang, you are our Ship Guardian at Myriad Treasures Tower. If you wish to learn the art of alchemy, we at Myriad Treasures Tower will naturally provide you with convenience," Jin Dafu laughed.

"Oh? What kind of convenience?"

Yang Ji's eyes lifted as he said.

"There's no need to purchase fire-based techniques," Jin Dafu continued with a smile, "Behind Myriad Treasures Tower, in the cave mansions, we have Earth Fire that is far better than the flames produced by those low-grade fire techniques. It greatly increases the success rate of making pills."

"Earth Fire? Is that true?"

Yang Ji's face lit up with delight as he sought confirmation out loud.

"How could I joke with you, little brother? What I say is true. We have a high-level alchemist behind Myriad Treasures Tower, and we provide him with Earth Fire. If you wish to refine pills, feel free to use it," Jin Dafu said with a laugh.

So that's how it is!

Yang Ji suddenly understood.

The Earth Fire was burning there whether one or two used it; providing it to another not only extended a favor but also more firmly bound Yang Ji to them.

Jin Dafu's calculation was loud and clear.

However, with the offer of using the Earth Fire for free, Yang Ji gratefully accepted the kindness.

He immediately clasped his hands and said, "Then I must thank Elder Jin in advance."

Jin Dafu's eyes flashed, and he chuckled, "Little brother, as the Ship Guardian, this convenience is the least we can do. Call on us anytime you need to set sail in the future."

This Jin Dafu truly was not one to take a loss; he always found a way to get something in return.

But this was a loss Yang Ji was willing to take.

"Little brother, I can provide you with the Earth Fire and the pill recipes, but the spiritual medicines and the pill furnace needed for alchemy must be purchased from me," Jin Dafu said, smilingly. He was a businessman, after all, and couldn't afford to make a loss.

Yet all these were within Yang Ji's expectations, and he was already pleased with the resolution of flames and pill recipes.

Yang Ji then asked, "Elder Jin, what are the prices for a pill furnace and the spiritual medicines needed to refine Spirit Enhancing Pills?"

"Low-grade pill furnace prices range from one thousand to three thousand Spirit Stones."

"As for the spiritual medicines necessary to refine low-grade Spirit Pills, one portion is around two hundred Spirit Stones."

"One portion of spiritual medicines for two hundred Spirit Stones, if there's no loss of potency during alchemy, could yield ten pills, which we can divide into two bottles. One bottle would be valued at around two hundred Spirit Stones—this is, of course, for lower-tier low-grade Spirit Pills. If the quality of the refined pills is as high as Master He Gu's, reaching the upper-tier, then one bottle could sell for no less than five hundred Spirit Stones. If the quality reaches supreme, then one bottle could fetch at least seven hundred Spirit Stones."

"Of course, this two bottles of ten pills is just the theoretical maximum yield. For beginners, the failure rate is a hundred percent."

Jin Dafu revealed a grin, "If you want to learn alchemy, brother, I advise you to prepare several dozen portions of spiritual medicines. Otherwise, you won't learn much."

"If you buy spiritual medicines from me in the future, the more you buy, the better the price. You are the Ship Guardian of Myriad Treasures Tower, after all. I will give you the biggest discount of ninety percent," Jin Dafu said, followed by a sigh. "Oh, little brother, if you could really become an alchemy master, I could share in the benefits too."

"Why?" Yang Ji asked.

"High-level pills are scarce. Sometimes, even when we have the spiritual medicines, we can't find someone to refine them, and so Myriad Treasures Tower can only sell low-grade Spirit Pills. We have no mid-grade or high-grade Spirit Pills."

Jin Dafu rubbed his eyebrows and said with a bitter smile, "We have collected quite a few spiritual medicines at Myriad Treasures Tower, but the alchemist on the mountain is overwhelmed. Spending all day with Earth Fire, his temper has grown much fiercer."

"The demand for pills exceeds the supply, and seeing that the spiritual medicines cannot be turned into Spirit Stones, it makes me anxious."

Huh?

Yang Ji's eyes twinkled slightly as he smiled and said, "Elder Jin, how about you let me refine those spiritual medicines? Once I become an alchemy master, you'll have a never-ending supply of pills and Spirit Stones."

Jin Dafu hurriedly waved his hands and forced a laugh, "I can't do that. It's not that I don't trust you, but alchemy truly requires talent."

"Of course, if you do become an alchemy master in the future, the spiritual medicine repository of Myriad Treasures Tower will be open to you, and we can split the profits from the pills you refine fifty-fifty, after covering the cost of the materials," Jin Dafu said.

"Is what Elder Jin saying true?" Yang Ji stared at him.

"I lay my words here; if there is any falsehood, you can curse me, Jin Dafu, never to earn another Spirit Stone," Jin Dafu declared, patting his chest.

"Alright, Elder Jin, I'll remember what you said," Yang Ji said with a slight smile. With his Golden Finger, what couldn't he learn?

Alchemy?

Though he had not yet tried it, he firmly believed in his Golden Finger.

"Just give it your all, little brother. I'm looking forward to you clearing out my inventory," Jin Dafu said with a wide grin.