Chapter 842: Jingye Pill

He Pingsheng's days were peaceful.

He normally sat quietly behind the counter as shopkeeper, while Feng Wu handled all guests.

He would take out the Heavenly Scripture of Talismans to study.

Only when absolutely necessary would he interrupt his study to attend to shop matters; otherwise, all his time was devoted to mastering talisman arts.

Interrupting this didn't matter—it was merely learning, not awakening the Dao.

Interrupting Dao awakening, cultivation, or practice, however, was serious and could waste considerable time.

But learning isn't hindered by interruption; if broken, I simply resume my study later.

There's no continuity needed, nor is continuity required.

"Young Master, this esteemed guest wishes for you to refine a pill!"

Feng Wu led a middle-aged man before He Pingsheng.

The man was a Void Refinement cultivator, at the eighth layer.

"Oh…" He Pingsheng tucked away the Heavenly Scripture of Talismans in his hand, looked up at the man, and said: "What pill do you wish to refine?"

The middle-aged man replied: "Just an ordinary sixth-grade Tuiying Pill."

The Tuiying Pill was a sixth-grade elixir; when a Soul Transformation peak cultivator swallowed it, they could shed their Nascent Soul to enter Void Refinement.

After shedding the Nascent Soul, one could then forge a body double.

"No more Tuiying Pills left?" He Pingsheng was surprised—he remembered placing many on the shelves.

Feng Wu said: "Young Master, we're out."

"They've sold out over the past while."

"Oh, alright," He Pingsheng said. "Bring your materials. I'll refine them for you, but it'll take some time—you'll have to wait."

The man didn't answer He Pingsheng; instead, he stated his demand: "I need at least one supreme-grade pill—can you do it?"

"If I didn't need supreme-grade, I wouldn't come to your shop!"

He Pingsheng smiled. "Fine. But for supreme-grade, you must give me at least ten batches of material. I don't produce supreme-grade in every batch—sometimes even ten batches yield only one supreme-grade."

"Of course, not every batch is supreme-grade—just two or three at most."

"I understand that," the man nodded, then handed He Pingsheng ten batches of material. "What if you don't produce any supreme-grade?"

He Pingsheng said nothing, simply took the ten batches, then waved his hand and produced a porcelain bottle, handing it directly to the middle-aged man: "Take it."

"This…" The man stared at the bottle, utterly stunned.

Inside were two supreme-grade pills, plus ten upper-grade pills.

He Pingsheng said: "I happened to have one batch on me… take it."

"Good, good, good!" The man beamed, leaving in high spirits.

He Pingsheng then stored the ten batches into the Treasure Basin and resumed studying talisman arts.

Of course, whenever pill supplies ran low, he would go to the back cultivation hall to refine more.

Aside from refining pills, He Pingsheng spent nearly all his time in the shop.

He studied the Heavenly Scripture of Talismans while interacting with all kinds of people.

The shop's business grew steadily better.

And since the Grand Void Pill Shop dealt only in high-end, high-grade goods, low-level disciples rarely came.

Thus, He Pingsheng's business differed from others'.

They weren't competing on the same level, so there was little conflict of interest.

One day, a tall, breathtakingly beautiful woman entered the shop.

And she was human.

Her cultivation was at Soul Transformation, yet flashes of red light occasionally flickered in her eyes.

"Esteemed guest, please come in!"

Feng Wu, a Body Integration cultivator, personally escorted her inside.

The woman's gaze swept over He Pingsheng and Feng Wu, then walked straight to the counter and looked at He Pingsheng: "Are you the owner?"

He Pingsheng smiled. "How do you know I'm the owner?"

Logically, this woman was only Soul Transformation—she couldn't see through his cultivation, nor Feng Wu's—so how did she instantly know he was the owner?

But what the woman said next stunned He Pingsheng further.

She said: "Though he's Body Integration first layer, higher than you, you sit calmly behind the counter, relaxed, while he's cautious and attentive. I deduced you're the owner—he's merely your subordinate."

He Pingsheng was even more astonished.

Damn.

Soul Transformation, and she saw through Body Integration's cultivation in one glance?

I can't even do that.

Remember, even with the Heavenly Eye Cosmology Scripture, He Pingsheng could only perceive cultivators one major realm above him.

This woman saw through two major realms at once?

"Yes," He Pingsheng nodded. "You're Soul Transformation twelfth layer, about to break into Void Refinement. You need a Tuiying Pill?"

"I have upper-grade and even supreme-grade ones—if you can pay the price."

He Pingsheng smiled at the woman.

She shook her head. "I already have Tuiying Pills. I don't need any."

"Besides, when I break through, when have I ever used supreme-grade or upper-grade? A single lower-grade suffices."

"Only trash uses supreme-grade."

Holy shit.

So fierce?

A genius?

He Pingsheng gaped, his spiritual sense sweeping over her again.

"Don't spy on me," the woman pointed a jade finger at him. "Don't think your higher cultivation lets you dominate—I've killed higher-level cultivators before."

Damn. Damn.

He Pingsheng quickly withdrew his spiritual sense. "Ah, so I've met a genius! Luo Bingyao, right? Fine, fine—I won't scan you with my spiritual sense."

"Little goddess, what do you want?"

Luo Bingyao said: "I want you to refine a pill."

"Hmm," He Pingsheng said. "Finally, we get to the point?"

"Alright, tell me—what pill do you want refined?"

Plop…

The woman said nothing, merely raised her hand and placed a jade box before He Pingsheng.

He Pingsheng opened the box—inside was one set of material.

"This is…" He frowned. "What pill are you refining?"

"I've never seen this material before."

"Wait… I have seen it… hold on… this is… Jingye Pill material?"

"And a sixth-grade Jingye Pill?"

Luo Bingyao's face broke into a faint smile. "Good. You know your stuff. I asked several others to refine it—they didn't even recognize the material."

"Some recognized it, but refused to refine it for me."

"Are you willing?"

He Pingsheng nodded. "I'm not afraid. But I have three questions I must ask before proceeding."