Chapter 36: Fifth-Tier Beast Flame

Staring intently at the azure liquid, Gu Ni pinched his fingers together, and a slender silver needle appeared between them. The needle emitted a faint Dou Qi fluctuation as it quietly dipped into the azure liquid and gently stirred.

As the needle stirred, Gu Ni's expression gradually shifted from calm to solemn.

After a moment, he carefully placed the azure liquid into a jade bottle. When his gaze swept back to Xiao Yan, the once-proud face now carried a hint of respect. Turning to Ya Fei, he said in a deep voice, "This spirit liquid has already reached the level of a second-tier pill. What this gentleman said is indeed true!"

"With the uniqueness of this medicinal liquid, there shouldn't be any issue trading it for the items I require, right?" Xiao Yan tilted his head slightly toward Ya Fei.

Her beautiful eyes blinked lightly. Generally, second-tier medicinal liquids were valued at around 30,000 gold coins on the market.

However, rare liquids like the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid, which could enhance Dou Qi cultivation speed, were quite uncommon. With proper handling at the auction house, the price could be significantly higher.

For large families, gold coins were never in short supply.

"Of course, there's no issue," Ya Fei replied with a charming smile. "However, the Mitrell Auction House branch in Wu Tan City currently doesn't have a high-quality alchemy cauldron in stock. It will take a few days to have one delivered from the headquarters."

As expected, Yao Lao had anticipated this. Other than Gu Ni, there weren't any resident alchemists in Wu Tan City at the moment. A profit-driven place like the auction house naturally wouldn't keep unnecessary items in stock.

"No problem. Also, prepare two additional sets of ingredients for the Qi Gathering Powder, as well as a decent beast flame. Have everything ready for me by then," Xiao Yan instructed.

Hearing this, Gu Ni's face twitched slightly. Two more sets of Qi Gathering Powder ingredients? That would cost an additional 100,000 gold coins!

Ya Fei's rosy lips parted slightly, and a trace of irritation surfaced in her heart. Although the other party was a skilled alchemist, his behavior seemed a bit overbearing.

The Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid was indeed valuable, and with proper auction handling, it would surely yield a profit. However, that didn't mean the profit would exceed 100,000 gold coins.

Despite the faint anger in her heart, Ya Fei maintained her charming demeanor, her alluring face still radiating with a smile.

"Haha, it seems there's been a misunderstanding," Yao Lao's calm voice echoed. "These two sets of ingredients aren't for me. I merely intend to refine two Qi Gathering Powders for you as a gesture. You only need to provide the materials—surely, that's not asking too much?"

Ya Fei's beautiful face froze for a moment before a wave of joy surged within her. This unexpected surprise left her momentarily speechless.

A few moments later, she calmed herself, her cheeks slightly flushed. Exchanging a glance with the equally overjoyed Gu Ni, she spoke softly yet nervously, "Thank you very much, sir."

More than two hours later, a graceful maid entered, carrying a small silver tray in her hands. On the tray lay a faintly red ring.

Taking the tray, Ya Fei dismissed the maid and personally handed it to Xiao Yan with a smile. "Sir, all the materials you requested are inside this storage ring. The alchemy cauldron and beast flame will be delivered to the Mitrell Auction House in three days. May I know where you're staying so I can deliver them personally?"

Reaching out, Xiao Yan picked up the storage ring from the tray and turned it over in his palm. Shaking his head slightly, Yao Lao's voice sounded again, "No need. I'll come to retrieve them myself in three days."

"That will be all. No need to see me off," Xiao Yan said with a wave of his hand. Sliding the ring onto his finger, he turned and walked out of the guest hall without looking back.

Watching his figure disappear at the doorway, Ya Fei bit her red lip gently. Turning to the two exquisite jade bottles on the table, she asked softly, "Uncle Gu Ni, the success rate of refining Qi Gathering Powder isn't particularly high, is it?"

"Well, it's said that Dan King Gu He's success rate for refining Qi Gathering Powder is only about 70%. For an average fourth-tier alchemist, the success rate might barely reach 50%."

At this moment, Gu Ni also appeared quite puzzled. According to his earlier estimation, that person was merely a third-tier alchemist.

"But this elder managed to succeed in one attempt," Ya Fei said, slightly frowning.

"Who knows? Maybe he just got really lucky," Gu Ni said with a bitter smile, shaking his head.

After all, luck also plays a part when alchemists refine pills. With good fortune, one might succeed several times in a row without failure.

Hesitating slightly, Ya Fei felt this wasn't just luck and tentatively said, "Could it be that he's a terrifyingly powerful alchemist?"

"There are only a handful of fifth-tier alchemists in the Jia Ma Empire. Individuals of that caliber are treated as honored guests even by massive entities like the empire and the Yun Lan Sect. How could someone like that come to sell pills in our place?" Gu Ni chuckled, shaking his head.

Hearing this, Ya Fei nodded slightly, sighed softly, and said with a wry smile, "It seems I still lack experience. My earlier hesitation probably left a poor impression on this mysterious alchemist."

"You can't be blamed for that. Such a large sum of money would make even me hesitate. For you to handle it as well as you did is already impressive. As for building a connection with him, we can take it slow in the future. As long as he doesn't develop a negative impression of us, it's fine," Gu Ni comforted her.

Nodding bitterly, Ya Fei leaned back lazily in her chair, her alluring curves on full display. Blinking her long, narrow eyes, she softly murmured in confusion, "Why would he take so many low-grade materials? What is he planning to do with them?"

"Who knows? Alchemists are peculiar individuals. He might be experimenting with some kind of pill formula," Gu Ni speculated.

...

Three days later, Xiao Yan was sitting cross-legged in a concealed cave on the back mountain of the Xiao Clan. In front of him was a rather large, transparent jade bottle containing a pink flame.

The flame flickered slightly, emitting a faint peachy hue.

"This flame…" Xiao Yan's face showed a trace of awkwardness. "It's so... feminine."

"Don't be ungrateful," Yao Lao's figure appeared, and he said, "The Mittel Auction House put in considerable effort."

"This flame is called the Peach Blossom Flame. It exists only within a rare fifth-tier wood-attribute magical beast called the Kui Wood Beast. It's known for being gentle and relatively easy to tame. However, its temperature and destructive power are somewhat lacking.

Still, for a beginner alchemist like you, it's just right."

Xiao Yan raised his head slightly. "So, we didn't lose out?"

"It's just two Qi Gathering Pills, not a fourth-tier pill formula with a clear soul imprint. And we didn't even provide the key ingredients," Yao Lao explained with a smile.

Xiao Yan nodded slightly. Over the past few days, he had learned more about pill formulas.

Each formula is inscribed using soul power, and with every reading, the soul imprint on it becomes fainter. Typically, a formula can only be read five times before the soul markings begin to fade. At that point, deciphering the blurred areas requires one's own skill and intuition, which undoubtedly consumes considerable time and effort.

Creating a pill formula scroll requires the strength of a fourth-tier alchemist, and even then, the failure rate is extremely high. Therefore, pill formulas are far more valuable than the pills they can produce.

The details within a formula—such as the precise temperature required, the concentration of materials, and the reactions between different ingredients—are as complex as chemical equations. Writing them down on paper would be enough to leave anyone dizzy.

Thus, pill formulas are inscribed using soul power. Once acquired, a person only needs to scan it with their soul power, and the entire formula, including every detail, will be deeply imprinted in their mind as if branded.

Due to the complexity of creating these formulas, their value far exceeds that of the pills they can produce.

(End of Chapter)

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