Chapter 79: Mass Production of Rejuvenation Pills!

Wang Shan's words, every phrase like a poisoned steel needle, pierced Shi Tianlei's lung tubes and made them ache.

He, the proud Second Elder of the Shi Clan, a Body Refining Ninth Stage master, a figure who makes the ground tremble when he stomps in Heishi Town, has never endured such direct confrontation and naked threat.

"Y—" Shi Tianlei's face turned ashen, the veins at his temples pulsed, his aura rose a few more levels uncontrollably, compressing the surrounding air into a faint booming crack.

Shi Meng and Shi Bao behind him could no longer hold back, stepped forward and shouted angrily:

"How dare you! You old thing, daring to disrespect the Second Elder—you're courting death!"

"Second Elder, stop wasting words! Take him down outright and see if he still dares to be defiant!"

The Body Refining Eighth Stage aura of the two was released without reservation, merging with Shi Tianlei's aura, surging like a raging tempest toward Wang Shan.

At the Wang Family courtyard entrance, the already dilapidated wooden doorframe moaned under the pressure, "creak—creak."

Wang Shan, however, remained expressionless, his form not a hair's breadth moved, not even a corner of his robe fluttered. His seemingly ordinary body now resembled an immovable mountain, unshaken by wind or wave.

"Take me down?" Wang Shan didn't even bother to lift his eyelids, his voice tinged with mockery, "Just the two of you? Shi Tianlei, I advise you to consider the consequences before you act. Don't end up losing the chicken and the rice, and drag yourself in too."

His casual words made Shi Tianlei's heart jump sharply.

He is no fool.

This old fellow has been far too composed from start to finish!

A Body Refining Seventh Stage facing a Body Refining Ninth Stage plus two Body Refining Eighth Stage masters and several Seventh Stage experts, yet still so brazen and even turning the threat around?

That in itself is extremely abnormal!

Either this old fellow is a madman, ignorant of death.

Or he has absolute confidence!

Shi Tianlei leaned toward the latter. Unbidden, the Bounty Notice from the Wan family of Qingyang City resurfaced in his mind—"A group of the elderly, weak, women and children, led by an old man."

If it truly were them… escaping from the massive Wan family would mean their strength, methods, and any backing are far beyond what the Shi Clan can easily provoke.

If they are indeed a solid iron plate, kicking them would not only bring misfortune to oneself but could severely damage the Shi Clan's vitality, even allowing the Li Family and the Mercenary Guild to seize them.

Heishi Town has never lacked those who would kick someone in the pit.

The provoked anger in Shi Tianlei's heart was like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, extinguishing most of it.

His eyes flickered rapidly as he weighed the pros and cons.

Full assault? Even if victorious, it would be a pyrrhic win; the cost is too high.

Retreat? His face, the Shi Clan's prestige—where to place them? How could they later stand in Heishi Town?

It's truly a tiger you can't get off.

Shi Meng, seeing his Second Elder hesitate, his expression wavering, urged, "Second Elder, what are we waiting for? This old thing is too overbearing!"

"Silence!" Shi Tianlei barked low, stopping Shi Meng.

He stared at Wang Shan, his gaze complex. After a moment, he inhaled deeply, suppressed his agitation, and his voice returned to its previous low tone, now with a barely perceptible weight: "You do have some audacity. However, this is Heishi Town; everything must follow the rules."

"Rules?" Wang Shan sneered, "In my domain, my rules are the only rules! Your men break the rules, come to my doorstep and run wild; I didn't take their lives outright, that's already the greatest rule!"

"You!" Shi Tianlei was choked again, his chest tightening with a wave of oppression.

He realized reasoning with this old fellow was futile! The other side was like a piece of rolling meat, oil and salt couldn't penetrate!

After another stalemate moment, Shi Tianlei slowly released his clenched fist.

He knew that today's breath would have to be swallowed, one way or another.

"Fine, very good!" Shi Tianlei forced the words out between his teeth, his gaze grimly fixed on Wang Shan, "I, Shi Tianlei, have recorded today's events! I hope Old Wang will consider Heishi Town's rules more in the future and act accordingly!"

Having said that, he flung his robe sleeve sharply and said coldly, "We leave!"

"Second Elder, just…?" Shi Meng, Shi Bao and the others wore dissatisfied faces, still wanting to say something.

"Leave!" Shi Tianlei's tone deepened, leaving no doubt.

Although the Shi Clan members felt resentment, they knew the Second Elder's decision was final, so they glared at Wang Shan a few times, clustered around Shi Tianlei, full of suppressed grievance and doubt, and turned away in a sullen retreat.

Wang Shan watched their retreating backs, his expression calm, a faint, almost imperceptible smile curling his lips.

"Hmph, rules? My rules are the only rules!" he sneered inwardly.

Only when the Shi Clan's aura completely vanished at the alley's end did Wang Zhize and the others cautiously poke their heads out of the courtyard.

"Clan Leader, they… they just left like that?" Wang Zhitao, somewhat incredulous, had a hint of excitement on his face. The Clan Leader's earlier hard defiance really pumped him up!

Wang Boyan looked worried: "Clan Leader, the Shi Clan probably won't let this go peacefully. The feud is deepening."

Wang Zhize also nodded: "Indeed, Clan Leader, I've heard of Shi Tianlei—deeply scheming, vengeful. After such a huge loss today, he won't stop. Soon, bigger trouble will come knocking."

"I understand." Wang Shan waved his hand, indicating they need not panic, "This is only a temporary calm. The Shi Clan will come back sooner or later. But before that, they must first figure out our strengths."

He paused, scanned the group, and said gravely, "Therefore, our most urgent tasks now are: first, quickly improve our strength; second, discover the true foundation for standing in Heishi Town!"

"The foundation for standing?" the others asked, puzzled.

"Enough, everyone go back to rest, strengthen vigilance, and take turns keeping watch."

Having said that, he turned and walked back to his modest stone house.

He closed the door; Wang Shan didn't immediately cultivate, but with a thought, his figure vanished from the stone house and entered the familiar chaotic space.

"System, check Spirit Plant Points."

【Current Spirit Plant Points: 1100 points.】

Seeing the Spirit Plant Points, Wang Shan frowned slightly. It's still too few; whether to raise cultivation or purchase higher‑grade pill formulas or Talisman diagrams, a large amount of Spirit Plant Points is needed.

Spirit Plant Points are most directly obtained from spirit stones.

He must obtain spirit stones quickly!

He recalled the previously exchanged 【Yun Xue Dan】 formula and had successfully refined twelve pills.

"System, probe the reference price of 【Yun Xue Dan】."

Soon, the system responded: 【First Order Upper Grade Yun Xue Dan, containing relatively pure Qi‑blood power, suitable for Body Refining cultivators to quickly restore Qi‑blood, heal wounds, or assist in breaking bottlenecks. Heishi Town reference price: each 8–12 pieces of Lower Grade spirit stone. Prices vary with pill quality and market demand.】

"Snort… one can sell for eight to twelve Lower Grade spirit stones?" Wang Shan's eyes lit up.

This was considerably higher than he had expected. An ordinary Return Spring Pill, in a place like Heishi Town, fetching a lower‑grade spiritual stone per pill is already decent.

The value of the Blood‑Infused Pill indeed far exceeds that of ordinary Healing Pills.

However, although the Blood‑Infused Pill is valuable, it is still a First Order Upper Grade pill, so its target market is relatively small, and its ingredients are comparatively precious. Most importantly, suddenly pulling out so many Blood‑Infused Pills to sell sets the target too high and can easily invite unnecessary trouble.

"No, the Blood‑Infused Pill cannot be the main source of income for now," Wang Shan quickly rejected the idea.

He pondered briefly, his gaze falling on the most basic pill formulas in the system Mall.

The Return Spring Pill, a First Order Lower Grade pill, restores a small amount of Spiritual Power and is one of the most commonly used pills by cultivators, with enormous demand.

"That's the one!" Wang Shan decided.

Although the Return Spring Pill is low in grade and cheap per unit, its advantage lies in massive demand, relatively easy‑to‑obtain ingredients, and low cost. As long as it can be produced in bulk, a small profit per sale will accumulate, allowing rapid gathering of spiritual stones.

Moreover, producing a low‑grade pill like the Return Spring Pill does not easily attract much attention.

He had previously spent 300 Spirit Plant Points to exchange for the Blood‑Infused Pill formula, which naturally included the basics of Intro to Alchemy. By now, that knowledge was fully integrated.

"System, exchange for the Return Spring Pill formula, then purchase a batch of basic ingredients needed to craft Return Spring Pills,"

Return Spring Pill formula, 10 Spirit Plant Points. First Order Lower Grade Returning Spirit Herb, Clear Dew Flower… purchase a total of 100 units of materials, consuming 100 Spirit Plant Points.

Spirit Plant Points remaining: 990.

The materials appeared quickly in the system space. Wang Shan did not hesitate, immediately taking out the simple alchemy furnace provided by the system and began attempting to craft Return Spring Pills.

With the foundation of Intro to Alchemy knowledge and the assistance of the system space, the entire alchemy process went much more smoothly than he had imagined.

Refining the liquid, controlling the heat, solidifying the pill… everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.

In the first attempt, perhaps his technique was a bit clumsy; with three batches of ingredients in one furnace, only one pill successfully solidified, and its quality was merely Lower Grade.

Wang Shan was not discouraged; after a brief review, he began the second attempt.

This time, the success rate improved noticeably, yielding two Lower Grade Return Spring Pills from one furnace.

Third time, fourth time…

As the number of productions increased, Wang Shan's technique grew more proficient and his control of the heat became increasingly precise. Within the system space, the experience bar of Intro to Alchemy was slowly rising.

An hour later.

When the final furnace finished, Wang Shan looked at the small pile of round, faintly fragrant teal pills stacked on the stone platform before him, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

A rough count showed over ninety pills! Most were Lower Grade, with occasional mid‑grade ones.

"Phew, finally a modest gain," Wang Shan wiped away nonexistent beads of sweat from his forehead, feeling quite relieved.

Although they are just the lowest‑grade Return Spring Pills, these nearly one hundred pills, if sold entirely, could fetch at least a few dozen lower‑grade spiritual stones. For the currently cash‑strapped Wang Family, this is undoubtedly a substantial income.

He set aside about ten of the better‑quality Return Spring Pills for emergencies, and carefully stored the remaining eighty‑plus pills in Jade Bottles.

Having done all this, Wang Shan exited the system space and returned to the stone house.

He pushed open the door and called Wang Zhize.

"Zhize, come over for a moment."

Wang Zhize hurried into the stone house, seeing the Clan Leader's expression unchanged, felt a little reassured: "Clan Leader, you called for me?"

Wang Shan handed several Jade Bottles to Wang Zhize: "These contain Return Spring Pills, roughly eighty‑plus. Find an opportunity and figure out how to dispose of them for spiritual stones."

"Return Spring Pills?" Wang Zhize took the Jade Bottle, opened one and sniffed, a flash of surprise in his eyes, "So many? Clan Leader, what is this…?"

He knew the Clan Leader had some mysterious methods, but pulling out so many pills at once still startled him.

"What's with all the chatter?" Wang Shan glared at him. "If I tell you to handle it, just do it. Remember to be discreet and avoid drawing attention. You can find a few fairly honest or somewhat connected small merchants or mercenaries, release them in batches, a little at a time. As for price, just a ten percent discount compared to the market, and sell quickly."

"Yes, Clan Leader." Wang Zhize replied promptly, then expressed some concern, "But Clan Leader, we're newcomers; pulling out so many pills at once might be too conspicuous. What if the Shi Clan notices…"

"Conspicuous?" Wang Shan snorted. "We're barefoot now; are we afraid of those with shoes? Besides, we're selling life‑saving pills, not robbing. As long as it's done discreetly and we first exchange for spiritual stones so everyone can cultivate peacefully, that's the proper way."

He paused, his tone softening: "Zhize, you must understand that to establish a foothold in Heishi Town, merely hiding and enduring won't work. We must demonstrate our value. This pill is the first step."

Wang Shan's purpose was clear: first, to exchange the pills for urgently needed spiritual stones, solving the Wang Family's most pressing 'food' problem; second, to use this method to test Heishi Town's market response and initially showcase the Wang Family's value as alchemists, paving the way for later establishing a foothold and even planning further development.

"I understand, Clan Leader!" Wang Zhize nodded heavily, his gaze becoming resolute, "I will act cautiously and quickly turn these pills into spiritual stones!"

"Alright, go. Stay safe," Wang Shan waved his hand.

Wang Zhize took the order and hurried away, his steps swift but his eyes now carrying a hint of hope.

As long as there is a stable source of spiritual stones, the family can gradually put down roots in this chaotic Heishi Town.