Chapter 37: The Nine Dragons Merchant Guild

Little Spirit Void Peak.

Within the courtyard's meditation chamber, a young man in his late twenties sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion. Before him stood an octagonal golden pill furnace, a massive structure that occupied roughly two square meters of floor space and towered over him. Eight corners jutted outward, each inlaid with two spirit stones.

The young man pressed his palms against the furnace's mana input ports, his eyes closed as he sensed the evolving form of the medicinal pill within. Fine beads of sweat dotted his forehead, clear evidence that this batch of pills was proving challenging.

Suddenly, the young man's eyes snapped open, a flicker of triumph in his gaze. "It's done."

The crucial stage of pill fusion had passed, but the final refinement still required meticulous effort. He maintained unwavering focus, drawing upon years of alchemical experience to meticulously manage every detail.

After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the young man withdrew his hands from the furnace and exhaled slowly.

He then lifted the furnace's lid, revealing a single, perfect pill resting within. Half gold and half silver, it was roughly the thickness of a finger, flawlessly round, and radiated a profound sense of harmonious beauty.

Han Yi gazed at the flawless Medicinal Pill in the Pill Furnace, his eyes narrowing with a hint of fascination.

"Finally... the Gold-Silver Pill."

"It wasn't easy."

"The raw materials for this single pill—the Spirit Medicines and Spirit Herbs—cost around ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones. The refinement process required at least five pounds of Spirit Sand and eight more Spirit Stones. All told, the material cost alone comes to twenty-three Spirit Stones—an exorbitant price."

"But if the refinement succeeds, the profit will be immense."

"This one pill is coveted even by cultivators at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement, renowned for its remarkable effectiveness in tempering Mana."

"The market price is around two Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, or about two hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones."

The young man was, of course, Han Yi.

This Pill Refinement attempt was made possible by a special Pill Formula he had acquired for a thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones: the Gold-Silver Pill Formula.

Before successfully refining this Gold-Silver Pill, he had already ruined three entire batches.

Given his current mastery of Alchemy—Perfected Purity—the fact that he ruined three batches speaks volumes about the extreme difficulty of refining this type of pill. Moreover, each batch yields only a single pill, resulting in an exceptionally low success rate.

Han Yi carefully placed the half-gold, half-silver Medicinal Pill into a jade bottle and secured it in his Storage Pouch.

Next, he stowed away his octagonal golden Pill Furnace, another costly purchase specifically designed for refining more valuable pills.

The Gold-Silver Pill was merely his first step. His next goal was to acquire the Pill Formula for the Foundation Establishment Pill and attempt to refine it. However, the price of this formula far exceeded that of the Gold-Silver Pill, and the raw materials were even more expensive, putting it beyond his current reach. For now, he would have to abandon the idea.

"I can now refine a total of seven types of Medicinal Pills: Qi Nourishing Pills, Evil-Repelling Pills, Breakthrough Pills, Mind Gathering Pills, Qi Fusion Pills, Spirit Sensing Pills, and Gold-Silver Pills."

"The next step is to investigate the Foundation Establishment Pill Formula."

"But in all these years, no Foundation Establishment Pill Formula has ever surfaced in the Inner Peak market. It will likely be extremely difficult to find."

"Well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. With my current skills, my success rate for refining Foundation Establishment Pills would be pitifully low anyway."

"Besides, even if I managed to refine them, I wouldn't dare sell them openly."

"There's no need to rush," Han Yi muttered.

If the Inner Sect Disciples heard him, they'd probably spit blood.

The Foundation Establishment Pill was notoriously difficult to refine. Even within the Inner Sect, only True Inheritance Disciples at the Foundation Establishment Stage, Stewards, or Elders could successfully produce it. How dare an Outer Peak Disciple at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining presume to discuss his success rate?

After tidying up his Meditation Chamber and packing his Pill Refinement supplies, Han Yi left his courtyard and headed straight for Red Sun Peak, one of the three Inner Peak markets, the Red Sun Market.

Located in the northwest corner of Red Sun Peak, the Red Sun Market was a separately walled complex.

As Han Yi entered, he pulled a mask from his Storage Pouch and put it on. These masks, available for purchase within the market, could conceal one's aura, preventing others from discerning one's true cultivation level.

Of course, one could also trade openly without a mask. Han Yi had observed that Sect Foundation Establishment experts rarely bothered with such disguises, confident in their strength.

Besides, there were only so many Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators in the Sect. Even with a mask, observant eyes could discern his true identity through subtle details, so it was better to go without.

Han Yi had two objectives for this trip: to sell his Medicinal Pills and to purchase a Magic Artifact. His approach to selling the pills would be different from his previous methods.

Nine Dragons Merchant Guild.

Han Yi placed the medicinal pills he had refined over the past few days before the shopkeeper, an old, hunched man in his seventies named He.

Despite his age, Han Yi dared not underestimate Manager He. He was a cultivator at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement. Though he appeared harmless on the surface, Han Yi had witnessed his decisive and ruthless side firsthand.

"Hmm, Gold-Silver Pills?" Manager He's eyes immediately fixed on one of the jade bottles.

Before Han Yi could react, the bottle containing the Gold-Silver Pills had already vanished into Manager He's hand. The speed startled him, yet he showed no outward sign of surprise.

Manager He poured out the pills, inspected them carefully, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad, not bad at all."

"To refine Gold-Silver Pills... Fellow Daoist, you truly are remarkable."

Setting aside the Gold-Silver Pills, Manager He began appraising the other types of pills.

After a moment, he spoke:

"Gold-Silver Pills, market price two hundred Spirit Stones. As you know, we offer an eighty percent discount here. However, given the decent quality and recent surge in demand, I can offer you one hundred seventy-five Spirit Stones."

"Qi Fusion Pills, market price eight Spirit Stones; Perception Pills, six Spirit Stones; Mind Gathering Pills..."

"Standard-quality Evil-Repelling Pills have recently seen a price increase, now fetching thirty-two Spirit Stones," Manager He announced, his abacus beads clicking swiftly as he calculated the total value of the medicinal pills.

Han Yi listened quietly, offering no objection.

The Nine Dragons Merchant Guild, located within the Inner Peak market, was rumored to be affiliated with a Golden Core Great Cultivator of the Fu Clan from Inner Peak, and its reputation was impeccable.

Han Yi recalled an incident from several years prior when a Golden Core Great Cultivator had appeared on Little Spirit Void Peak and annihilated the Heavenly Demon True Body. That cultivator, also named Fu, had wielded the Nine Dragons Divine Fire Canopy, a Magic Treasure. The details aligned, leading Han Yi to suspect it was the same person.

He had only begun considering this approach four months ago. His previous methods of selling medicinal pills were becoming increasingly limited. As his pill refinement skills grew stronger, the quantity and quality of his output reached new heights. Consequently, his demand for cultivation resources, such as Spirit Stones, surged. Relying solely on purchases from female cultivators on Little Sea-Viewing Peak or setting up a stall at the Inner Peak market proved time-consuming, laborious, and scattered his efforts. After extensive inquiries, Han Yi decided to sell the bulk of his pills at a discounted price to the Nine Dragons Merchant Guild. This was his third visit.

Although the Nine Dragons Merchant Guild offered low prices, their discretion and lack of shady dealings perfectly suited Han Yi's needs.