Chapter 305

"Master Wan, the materials for the next batch of Zengyuan Pills have long been prepared; only two rare medicinal herbs suitable as primary ingredients were found—a three-hundred-year-old huangjing and a two-hundred-year huoyun jujube—and of the first-rank rare pill formulas you've been collecting, I managed to secure only two this time." The beautiful woman greeted the green-robed man at the counter, speaking with flattering deference.

"Bring me the herbs and formulas. The required spirit stones will be deducted from the payment for these pills." The green-robed man spoke coolly, then swept his sleeve across the counter, revealing over a dozen vials.

"Of course, of course. Let me inspect the pills first, then settle your account." The woman took three boxes from behind the counter and placed them before the green-robed man, her manner graceful and alluring.

After opening each box one by one, the green-robed man saw one contained a giant huangjing, twice the size of an ordinary one; another held a thumb-sized red jujube glowing with a crimson aura; the last contained a crumpled yellow silk scroll and a pale white jade slip.

After briefly checking the two herbs and confirming their ages were acceptable, he picked up the yellow silk scroll, glanced at it for a moment, then exclaimed in surprise, "Body-refining pill?"

"Master, your eye is sharp indeed. This Ningxue Pill is indeed a rare body-refining formula. Though only first-rank, it's said to strengthen the blood and qi—but because the main ingredient, 'Huaxue Yin,' is exceedingly scarce and the refining process is difficult, the original owner sold it at a low price." The woman, having finished inspecting all the Zengyuan Pills, smiled as she explained.

"Not just difficult—most first-rank alchemists probably couldn't refine it at all. It requires thirty-two different medicinal herbs, many of which have conflicting properties, making it a severe test of an alchemist's skill." The green-robed man spoke calmly.

"That's true for ordinary alchemists, but Master Wan's art is already perfected; you're nearly at the second-rank. This Ningxue Pill won't challenge you at all." Madam Huo chuckled.

"Hmm. If Madam Huo can acquire Huaxue Yin, I'd be willing to try." The green-robed man replied indifferently.

"Naturally. We've cooperated for so long—whenever the main ingredient in a formula is available, Baizhen Guigong will do our utmost to secure it for you." The woman smiled warmly.

The green-robed man nodded, then picked up the other jade slip and pressed it to his forehead. After a moment of flickering gaze, he fell into thought.

"Is there a problem with this Jiangchen Pill formula?" The woman asked, concerned.

"No problem, but the main ingredient is Jianglu Grass—that's quite unexpected." The green-robed man spoke slowly.

"If not for the Jianglu Grass, why would the formula's owner sell it? Jianglu Grass is utterly unlike other herbs—it's extremely fragile, hard to cultivate to maturity, and its medicinal properties are only usable for a brief moment after harvest. Beyond that, it's indistinguishable from wild grass. Even after refining, the Jiangchen Pill must be consumed quickly, or its efficacy vanishes entirely." The woman sighed.

"So if I want to refine this pill, I'll need to grow Jianglu Grass myself—and I'll likely only be able to use it myself." The green-robed man frowned.

"You'll truly need to cultivate Jianglu Grass yourself—but fortunately, our guild has the cultivation method. I'll gift it to you free of charge." The woman smiled apologetically, placing another jade slip on the counter.

After a moment's thought, the green-robed man reluctantly nodded and collected the three boxes and the jade slips.

Seeing this, the woman's heart leapt. She quickly pulled out a finely carved wooden abacus and began clacking away.

"For this batch of Zengyuan Pills, we follow the usual rates: one hundred ten spirit stones for an ordinary one, eight hundred for a mid-grade one—totaling thirteen thousand four hundred spirit stones."

"The two rare herbs are worth eight hundred thirty and nine hundred fifty spirit stones respectively. The body-refining formula is exceedingly rare—we paid twelve hundred to acquire it. The Jiangchen Pill formula is cheaper—only eight hundred. Total: three thousand seven hundred and eighty spirit stones."

"This time, we've prepared the materials for twenty batches of Zengyuan Pills—worth eleven hundred spirit stones. Altogether, that's roughly four thousand eight hundred and eighty. I'll round down the change—four thousand eight hundred spirit stones it is."

"So I'll pay you eight thousand six hundred spirit stones."

After calculating, Madam Huo immediately pulled out a storage pouch, upended it onto the counter, and dozens of colorful mid-grade spirit stones tumbled out.

The green-robed man nodded, then flicked his sleeve—the spirit stones vanished.

"Master Wan, won't you take on the business of refining pills for others?"

"I have clients who've raised their offers significantly—they'll prepare the formula and all materials in advance. All you need to do is come and refine them on-site." The woman probed again.

"No. Pills requested by others are never common ones—they're rare formulas even ordinary alchemists can't refine."

"No matter the pill, without extensive practice, no one can guarantee success—unless a second-rank alchemist refines a first-rank pill, relying on past experience and superior technique to have some chance." The green-robed man rejected the idea instantly.

"Master Wan, even you can't? Didn't you once deduce the complete Zengyuan Pill formula from a fragmentary one? And I've noticed your refining skill has advanced rapidly these past years—you even produced a single top-grade Zengyuan Pill last year." Madam Huo still tried to persuade.

"I deduced the Zengyuan Pill formula because it has several interchangeable herbs—even among major sects, their versions differ slightly. I've also consumed many Zengyuan Pills myself and long suspected their ingredients. This is not the same as refining pills for others." The green-robed man replied coolly.

"Then why do you collect rare formulas and herbs…?" The woman hesitated, then voiced the question she'd long held.

"The purpose is simple: to accumulate refining experience. Whether successful or failed, refining such pills greatly improves one's alchemical skill."

"Of course, if I occasionally manage to produce one or two, all the better." The green-robed man replied calmly.

"I see. No wonder you've spent nearly half your earnings from selling pills on collecting formulas and herbs. Congratulations on your path to becoming a second-rank alchemist. If you need anything else, just let me know." The woman nodded in understanding, dropping the subject of refining for others, and smiled warmly.

"If Madam Huo has no other matters, I'll take my leave. Next time I deliver Zengyuan Pills may take longer—I'm about to travel far on business." The green-robed man said coolly.

"Of course, Master. I'll continue collecting formulas and herbs for you." The woman replied without hesitation, then personally escorted him out of the shop.

The green-robed man walked slowly out of the alley, then entered several other shops to purchase common cultivation supplies—spirit meat, spirit rice—before leaving the marketplace. At the valley entrance, he released his mechanical flying bird once more and soared into the sky.

After flying over a hundred li, he confirmed no one followed, then landed near an uninhabited hilltop and vanished instantly into a nearby cliff face.

Inside the cliff was an extremely modest cave dwelling, consisting of only a few stone chambers.

The green-robed man entered a chamber containing a crimson alchemical furnace, then swept his hand across his face, revealing a mask in his palm—his face now showed the youthful visage of a man in his mid-twenties: Wang Yu.