Chapter 82: Don't Ask, If You Ask, It Means There Isn't Much Left

"You are...?" the cultivator looked puzzled.

Before Ruan Xing could even speak, someone else answered for her.

"Hey, Senior Brother, I know. You haven't been back to the Sect for long, so you might not be aware, but she is quite famous. She reached Foundation Establishment at six and entered the Inner Sect; she broke through to Foundation Establishment Mid-stage in less than four months. She will be participating in the Jin Tai Dao Discussion this time as well."

"I see." The cultivator suddenly realized; he had an impression of this matter, but for a moment, he just hadn't been able to put a name to the face.

It made sense; she was the only six-year-old Foundation Establishment cultivator in the entire Xuanbing Sect.

"I am Ruan Xing." She introduced herself with a smile, then lowered her voice, "I happened to hear a few fellow disciples worrying about healing pills just now. I prepared some earlier, and I can spare a few for you all, so you don't delay your participation in the Dao Discussion."

"Then I thank you in advance, Junior Sister. But how should we compensate for the price of these pills?" the cultivator asked cautiously.

"Senior Brother," another cultivator tugged at his sleeve and said, "Senior Brother Xu from the Inner Sect also has first-grade healing pills, but they are five Spirit Stones more expensive than the previous price at the Treasure Pavilion."

"I am just acting out of kindness to help you all in your moment of need; I have no intention of price-gouging. Didn't the Treasure Pavilion previously exchange one bottle of first-grade healing pills for fifteen Contribution Points? Just compensate me fifteen Spirit Stones per bottle, Senior Brother." Ruan Xing took out a few bottles of pills, appearing very understanding, "It's just that there aren't many; I can only spare these few bottles for you."

"It is we who misunderstood you, Junior Sister. My apologies." The cultivator lowered his head in shame and prepared to take out Spirit Stones to purchase them, "This is sixty Spirit Stones, sorry for the trouble, Junior Sister."

"It's no trouble." Ruan Xing smiled. As she took the Spirit Stones and was about to hand over the four bottles of pills in her hand, she suddenly realized something. She looked at them carefully, swapped one bottle, and said with an apologetic expression, "I'm sorry, I took the wrong one just now; that was a second-grade one. Here, there's no problem this time. Please keep them safe, Senior Brother."

Once the money and goods were exchanged, Ruan Xing turned to leave, but the cultivator suddenly called out to her, looking a bit embarrassed, "Wait, Junior Sister, can you spare me a bottle of those second-grade healing pills?"

The effect of first-grade healing pills was not as good as second-grade ones. If those at the Foundation Establishment Early-stage only intended to gain some experience in the preliminary rounds, first-grade would suffice, but if they made it to the semi-finals and wanted to compete, they had to prepare some second-grade healing pills.

That cultivator had just returned from traveling outside and had saved up quite a few Contribution Points, intending to use them to purchase pills upon his return. He hadn't expected the Treasure Pavilion to be out of stock. He didn't want to spend a high price to buy pills, nor did he want to leave the Sect and risk missing the preliminary rounds, so he could only blame himself for not preparing in advance.

Ruan Xing turned her head and said with a troubled look, "This... I can spare some first-grade ones, but I don't have many second-grade ones prepared myself. Senior Brother knows I am young and inexperienced; I might not even have enough for myself once I reach the semi-finals."

"I can pay extra." The cultivator was full of sincerity, "I am willing to add ten more Spirit Stones, I only ask that you spare me one bottle, Junior Sister."

Ruan Xing showed hesitation, but she did not relent.

The Treasure Pavilion listed second-grade healing pills at fifty Contribution Points.

For Ruan Xing, even selling the pills at the Treasure Pavilion's listed price was profitable, because her pills were all refined by herself; the cost was only in materials and time. Moreover, her success rate was very high, with almost no waste or loss.

"I'll add twenty Spirit Stones, Junior Sister, please help your Senior Brother out!" The cultivator tried to build a rapport with Ruan Xing, "Let's add each other on our communication jade tablets. If you need any help in the future, Junior Sister, I will have no objections."

"This... alright then." Ruan Xing agreed with a pained expression.

Five minutes later, Ruan Xing parted ways with the group, and her Storage Bag already contained an additional one hundred and ten Low-grade Spirit Stones.

She hadn't walked far when someone followed her and whispered, "Senior Sister, spare me a bottle of second-grade healing pills too. I'll pay the same price as him."

Ruan Xing hesitated, "This isn't good, is it? I really don't have much left."

The cultivator pleaded softly, his eyes full of need, "Senior Sister, I beg you."

Ruan Xing seemed moved, "Uh, alright, but you must not spread this around. I really, really don't have much left."

"Definitely, definitely." The cultivator promised readily.

A moment later, another transaction was completed.

After walking around, Ruan Xing had sold nearly half of the pills in her Storage Bag, harvesting over six hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones.

It was a pity that her initial capital investment was only over three hundred Spirit Stones and one hundred and fifty Contribution Points. According to her estimation, excluding the pills she kept for her own use, selling the rest would yield about one thousand one hundred Spirit Stones, more than doubling her money. It sounded like being an alchemist was very profitable, but in reality, it was because Ruan Xing's success rate was higher than ordinary alchemists, and she had happened to catch the price premium on second-grade pills during the Jin Tai Dao Discussion; otherwise, there would never have been such high returns.

But this was already considered quite good, because there were only ninety-some people participating in total. Ruan Xing had sold pills to five or six people, and she planned to stop after selling a little more.

After all, in such a large Xuanbing Sect, the fact that the healing pills in the Treasure Pavilion were wiped out seemed quite incredible... The Jin Tai Dao Discussion was an event held every ten years, not an emergency situation. Could it be that the cultivators managing the Treasure Pavilion didn't know that healing pills would be in high demand at this time? They knew, but they did nothing, which only proved it was intentional; someone wanted to sell healing pills at a high price.

Ruan Xing still remembered the introduction she heard when she rented a residence in the Outer Sect: the Jia-character Courtyard was where Outer Sect Elders and some Clan disciples lived. Since there were Clans in the Outer Sect, were there none in the Inner Sect? It was just that the Xuanbing Sect maintained its surface appearance too well; even Clans could not directly enter the Inner Sect and had to start from the Outer Sect. It looked very fair, making people forget that this world was inherently unfair.

However, the Clans in Nanzhou and the Sect-clans in Xizhou were certainly different. In Nanzhou, as long as a family had a Foundation Establishment or Golden Core cultivator, they dared to call themselves a certain branch within the city.

Ruan Xing didn't intend to attract too much attention. Earning a little to allow her to simulate through the Secret Realm was enough. If she caused trouble, she might need to waste Simulation attempts to solve it, which would be counterproductive.

Just as she was thinking this, another cultivator approached her sneakily.

"Junior Sister Ruan, I just heard that you have second-grade healing pills here. May I ask..."

Ruan Xing waved her hand quickly: "Don't ask, if you ask, it means I don't have much left."

"Then..."

"But if you are sincere about wanting one, then there is still one bottle."

"Junior Sister, I want it!"

"Senior Brother Xu, I've inquired. There is a female cultivator named Ruan Xing selling healing pills. The first-grade healing pills are the same price as the Treasure Pavilion's previous price, and the second-grade healing pills are only five Spirit Stones cheaper than ours."

Xu Sixi rubbed his temples, leaning against a soft chair with his eyes half-closed, "She's quite bold. What's her background?"

"It is said she comes from an ordinary family, with only Qi Refining elders in her household. But she reached Foundation Establishment at six, and the Sect Master previously ordered people to keep an eye on her."

"So it's her. How many has she sold?"

"She has already sold nine bottles of second-grade healing pills, but she set up some kind of purchase limit; each cultivator can only buy one bottle of second-grade healing pills from her. There are no restrictions on the first-grade ones; she has sold over twenty bottles."

Experienced cultivators had prepared enough pills for themselves long before the Dao Discussion began, and they wouldn't resell them to offend him, after all, his uncle was Elder Xu of the Sect.

And those inexperienced cultivators, even if they bought one bottle of second-grade healing pills, it wouldn't be enough to participate in the semi-finals, so they would still have to come to him to buy more.

"She knows how to behave, at least." Xu Sixi sneered, "But if she dares to compete with me, she must be taught a lesson."

"As you say, Senior Brother." Xu Sixi pondered for a moment and said: "I heard that two geniuses emerged from the Outer Sect this year, one is her, and the other is named what... Xie Huai? Both of them are participating in the Jin Tai Dao Discussion, right? Make arrangements to have them face each other in the first round. Arrange the other two rounds as well, but don't make it too obvious; there are people on the Sect Master's side watching her."

"Yes, Senior Brother."

Xu Sixi relaxed his body and leaned back on the soft chair again, smiling comfortably, "Two geniuses... if one of them loses the chance to enter the Secret Realm, that would be fun..."

Ruan Xing, having finished selling the pills, returned to her room happily and lay on the couch counting Spirit Stones.

"One thousand one hundred and five... hehe, I'm rich!"

These Foundation Establishment cultivators are indeed richer than Qi Refining cultivators; they bought pills at sixty or seventy Spirit Stones a bottle without even blinking.

But this business can only be done once; it won't be possible to make such huge profits later.

With money in hand, she felt at ease. Ruan Xing decided to be generous and start a Text Simulation to test the composition of this Jin Tai Dao Discussion. If she failed to obtain the qualification to enter the Secret Realm, she could also take the opportunity to go to the Spirit Mine to improve her cultivation or go to Xizhou to promote online dating culture.

【Simulation in progress】

At six years old, you signed up for the Jin Tai Dao Discussion of the Xuanbing Sect. Your opponent in the first round was Xie Huai. After a fierce battle, you exhausted your Spiritual Power within the formation without managing to harm him in the slightest; you lost.

In the second round, you encountered a Body Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Mid-stage. The opponent had cultivated a body of bronze skin and iron bones. Your Lianyun Sword Art could only inflict superficial wounds that caused no real harm, while once you were caught by the opponent, your wrist bones would be twisted and broken, leaving your arms too injured to hold a Sword; you lost.

You consumed a Second-grade Healing Pill to recover from your injuries, finally managing to hold a Sword and participate just before the third round of the competition began.

In the third round, you encountered a Sword Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Mid-stage. The opponent's Sword Formula was superior to yours. You unleashed the Lianyun Sword Art but were constantly suppressed. With your wrist bones not fully recovered, your hand holding the Sword could not exert the full power of the Lianyun Sword Art; you lost.

After losing three consecutive rounds of competition, you were disheartened and left the Sect, choosing to travel the world.

At seven years old, you brought your Sword and used a Teleportation Array to reach Xizhou. You used the Illusion Technique to transform into the likeness of Xie Huai, and began to deceive the female Cultivators of Xizhou by imitating his tone and expressions.

……

At twenty-seven years old, you were caught. Amidst the righteous indignation of the various family heads of Xizhou, you died.

【Simulation ended】

Ruan Xing first chose a random skill and obtained the Illusion Technique from when she was twenty-seven, but the Illusion Technique skill in her character panel did not level up; it remained at the second level.

Only then did she start sighing.

You've got to be kidding me, why is she so unlucky?

Running into Xie Huai in the first round—a Foundation Establishment Late Stage Demon Cultivator! The next two rounds were both Foundation Establishment Mid-stage Cultivators!

This probability isn't right, is it? Out of over ninety people, eleven were Foundation Establishment Late Stage, twenty-two were Foundation Establishment Mid-stage, and the rest were all Foundation Establishment Early-stage, yet she didn't encounter a single Foundation Establishment Early-stage opponent in three rounds.

Is this reasonable?! But from the first day she transmigrated into this world, her luck had never been good; perhaps this was the malice of the world's will...

She couldn't possibly not even have the chance to enter the Secret Realm for a simulation; she had to think of a way.

Ruan Xing looked at her character panel, then at the more than thirty types of Magic Arts stored in her previous simulation memories, pondering how to win.

The competition did not forbid the use of Spirit Talismans, only Pills and poison arts. The former easily led to situations where two evenly matched Cultivators on the stage would fight for months relying on Spirit Returning Pills, while the latter easily caused lifelong lingering consequences for Cultivators, such as blindness, disfigurement, or missing limbs. Most Righteous Cultivators would not use poisonous Magic Arts. Ruan Xing didn't mind, but she had no way to learn them and didn't know where to obtain such Magic Arts.

It was just that very few Cultivators used one-time external items in competitions.

For no other reason than that they were too expensive; it wasn't as if they were fighting for first or second place, so why spend Spirit Stones to buy props to win?

Ruan Xing didn't have such concerns. She could draw Spirit Talismans herself. After thinking about which of the Spirit Talismans she knew might be useful, she opened the Text Simulation.

The main problem was that she could possess Third-grade Spirit Talismans, but she couldn't explain why she could immediately possess them just after buying materials. The fact that she didn't resist the Questioning Heart Stone was already enough to attract attention from above; in other aspects, she definitely had to be as low-profile as possible.

Anyway, she had just earned money, so it didn't matter if she wasted a little.

In the simulation, she headed straight for the Treasure Pavilion, bought three hundred Contribution Points from other fellow disciples for three hundred Spirit Stones, exchanged them for the materials needed to draw Third-grade Spirit Talismans, and shut herself in her room.

After consuming five hundred points, Ruan Xing not only obtained the few Third-grade Spirit Talismans she needed but also obtained a Mid-grade Magical Artifact, which was a gift given to her by other female Cultivators when she went to Xizhou to cause trouble in the simulation.

The Magical Artifact was in the shape of a Sword Tassel; it was exquisite in appearance and had a peculiar effect: after injecting Spiritual Power, it could actually increase the length of a Dharma Sword.

This was truly unexpected.

Tell a joke: using a Mid-grade Magical Artifact to enhance a Low-grade Magical Sword.

Who could have thought of that?

Ruan Xing satisfiedly wore the Dharma Sword at her waist and continued the simulation.

This time, what she wanted to obtain was a Mysterious-grade Technique. When she chose this type of technique from the Treasure Pavilion in the simulation, it had cost her a full eight hundred Contribution Points; the price was almost catching up to a cultivation method for the Foundation Establishment stage.

This Magic Art was easier to practice than the Illusion Technique. With five hundred points, she practiced it to the third level. Now she had some confidence for the third round of the competition. As for whether she could actually win, it would depend on the results of the Real-scene Simulation.

Because the Real-scene Simulation consumed ten points per day, Ruan Xing did not activate it in advance, planning to wait until the day before the competition to use it.

After finishing these preparations, she returned to the plaza. At sunset, the registration time for this Jin Tai Dao Discussion finally ended.

Moonlight shrouded the area, water ripples flowed, and under the layers of shimmering light, the characters on the water screen were broken apart, scrambled, and then reassembled.

Ruan Xing saw her own name among them, and the two characters immediately following it were: Xie Huai.

"What a coincidence." Someone walked over from the side, voice gentle, tilting his head with a smile; it was none other than Xie Huai. He had also come to see the results of the opponent assignments on the water screen.

Thanks to 'Kan Shu De Lao Gui' for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to book friend 2021122000539940 for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to 'Qing Mei Zi 1996' for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to book friend 20200223140710205 for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to 'jzlxw' for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to book friend 20180215225559487 for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to 20231002145930421 for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to 'Li Si Tang Chong' for the monthly ticket~ (End of chapter)