Chapter 283

Chapter 283

As the cultivators rushed in all at once, Xiao Hu sat upright and dignified, exuding an air of grace.

"No pushing! What are you trying to do? Anyone who dares cause trouble will face my wrath. Form a line! If you didn’t dare come in earlier, why rush now? Too afraid before and now suddenly brave?” Xiao Qinghu said with disdain.

The words of Xiao Qinghu left several cultivators red-faced.

The intense aura of flames radiating from Xiao Qinghu ensured that the cultivators did not dare to slack off.

"Respected one, I was the first to enter," Shen Yanqing said, trying to curry favor with Xiao Qinghu.

Xiao Qinghu nodded with a seasoned air, “Hmm, you were among the first.” In reality, several entered almost simultaneously, “What do you have?”

Shen Yanqing presented a piece of Sea Heart Flame Stone.

Xiao Qinghu's eyes lit up upon seeing what Shen Yanqing brought out, "Very good, I'll give you a Gold...” Sun Pill.

"You mean the Gold Flame Pill," the Spirit Tower interrupted. The Gold Sun Pill and the Gold Flame Pill are different by just one word. Yet, one is an eighth-level pill, and the other is seventh. "Dare to cut me off?” Xiao Qinghu said angrily.

"You fool, do you want to be thrown into a pit?" Tower Spirit retorted.

Xiao Qinghu gave the Tower Spirit a sulky look. The Tower Spirit said haughtily, “All this fuss over a mere seventh-level stone. Claiming to be all high and mighty, yet easily impressed.”

Xiao Qinghu glared back, “What do you know, you idiot?”

“If you don’t want the Gold Flame Pill, would you consider other seventh-level pills? Even those limited in stock can be exchanged.”

"I want the Star Moon Pill," Shen Yanqing quickly said.

Xiao Qinghu nodded, waving his paw, "Done."

Shen Yanqing was elated. He had never even dreamed of getting an eighth-level pill; he just wanted an ordinary seventh-level one. But with Xiao Qinghu's offer, he happily exchanged for the Star Moon Pill.

Seeing Shen Yanqing make this exchange made the others in line nervous. While there were several seventh-level pills available, the rarer ones, like the highly beneficial Star Moon Pill for Martial Emperors, were limited in stock.

Some cultivators regretted their earlier indecision, which had caused their delay.

Trade went on smoothly, with large quantities of advanced spiritual herbs, refining materials, and spirit stones being transferred into the Spirit Tower.

Bottles of pills from the shelves were rapidly exchanged.

Mu Chen had to hastily refine another batch of seventh-level pills to meet the demand. With pills constantly running out and more people pouring in, Mu Chen had to raise the prices multiple times.

Still, they constantly faced the threat of running out of stock.

...

Ge Xiaodie, along with some people from the Dan Hall, walked into Mu's Pill Shop and was taken aback.

“Senior sister, there are so many seventh-level pills!”

"Indeed!" Ge Xiaodie agreed.

“How can Mu Chen produce so many seventh-level pills?”

"This guy is truly terrifying."

Normally, the pills that were treasured in the Dan Tower were displayed everywhere in the shop like common goods. Ge Xiaodie felt a sense of disorientation.

Ge Xiaodie frowned; she always thought her level as a sixth-grade alchemist at her age was commendable, but Mu Chen, who was younger, turned out to be an eighteenth-grade alchemist.

"Young lady, can I help you with something?" Xiao Qinghu floated over to Ge Xiaodie, looking mysterious.

"I'd like to exchange for some pills," Ge Xiaodie replied.

"Well, I have good news! We just raised our prices by twenty percent. You’re quite fortunate to come right after. Now you don’t have to worry about our pills being too cheap to prove you’re wealthy, haha…” Xiao Qinghu laughed raucously.

Ge Xiaodie: "…" Is that supposed to be good news?

The cultivators around Ge Xiaodie felt like they might spit blood upon hearing this.

"So, young lady, what do you need?" Xiao Qinghu asked, his eyes twinkling.

Ge Xiaodie frowned, "Star Moon Pill."

Xiao Qinghu nodded, grinned, and said, "To exchange for the Star Moon Pill, you'll need eighth-level spiritual herbs, refining materials, and a complementary jade slip. If you're offering information on spirit veins, we need info on at least three veins."

Ge Xiaodie silently thought: Jiang Feng is really lucky. He was the first to visit Mu’s Pill Shop and exchanged two commonly known spirit vein info for two spirit pills. Now he’s already an eight-star Martial Emperor.

...

“Have you been to Mu's Pill Shop?”

“Yes, I heard they have a new seventh-level pill. But the price has risen. In just a few days, it has almost tripled.”

"It's good to even find one available. Outside, seventh-level pills are priceless."

"Make the purchase now if you can. The prices might surge in a few days. This mysterious realm is rife with dangers; only by gaining strength can one ensure their safety."

"The variety of elixirs there is immense. Grade six elixirs are as common as cabbage on the ground, and grade five ones barely even count."

"Indeed, I heard that a grade eight Golden Sun Pill was acquired by a newly promoted Martial Master. Only one remains. I wonder who'll get it."

"Mu Chen is truly exceptional. He's already a grade eight Alchemist. Given time, he'll undoubtedly be hailed as the top alchemist in the central region."

"That's for sure."

"..."

Such conversations were unfolding simultaneously within the mysterious realm.

Outside the realm.

"Mu Chen is set to make a fortune this time!" Merchants who initially planned to wait for the realm's opening to harvest its treasures were left dumbfounded.

With Mu Chen's moves, most of the people coming out were virtually penniless.

"At this rate, nearly sixty percent of the spiritual herbs in the realm will end up in Mu Chen's hands."

"How did Mu Chen manage to produce so many pills? His shop sells so many, yet never shows signs of running out."

"Tsk, tsk, with all these elixirs, many who want to buy can't. Those inside are really lucky, getting any pill they desire in exchange."

...

Zhuang Jin and his group.

Murong Feng frowned. Lately, people inside the realm were all discussing Mu Chen's pill store.

Nearly all cultivators within the realm, upon finding treasures, eagerly bring them to Mu Chen.

Although they've found many items, none could compare to the fortune Mu Chen was amassing effortlessly.

"I've heard that Mu Chen's business is booming. He probably has hundreds of grade seven spiritual plants by now, and some have even brought him grade eight ones," Zhuang Jin remarked jealously.

Murong Feng's hopes that Mu Chen's store would fail were dashed. People in the realm now actively sought out spiritual items only to eagerly be 'fleeced' by Mu Chen.

"Should we also open an elixir shop?" Zhuang Jin suggested hesitantly.

The demise of Zhuang Yu meant that Zhuang Jin was not at his best when looking for spiritual items. Despite some success, they were far from their goals.

Their failure to meet their expectations meant Murong Feng and others couldn't advance in their cultivation.

Murong Feng's expression changed; as a grade seven Alchemist, his success rate with grade seven elixirs wasn't high.

While Murong Feng and his group possessed a Spiritual Tower, it lacked the ability to slow down time or harness spiritual veins.

The genuine Spiritual Tower Mu Chen had was inherently different from the opportunistic ones others possessed.

"Mu Chen also has the ability to extract energy stone veins. He's already extracted over a dozen in the past few days," Zhuang Jin added sourly.

Energy stones were coveted by all. Murong Feng and his group, hailing from resource-scarce regions, craved them even more.

"Can't you extract energy stone veins?" Zhuang Jin inquired.

Murong Feng shook his head, "We can't."

Zhuang Jin sighed, "I heard Mu Chen utilizes the tower spirit to extract spiritual veins. Don't you all have a tower spirit as well?"

The faces of Murong Feng and his group stiffened. Their spirits acted independently, lacking the strength to harness the energy stone veins.

...

Inside the Spiritual Tower.

Mu Chen caressed the Golden Sun Fruit in his hand, deep in thought.

Mu Chen exchanged his two grade eight pills—one for a grade eight Snow Spirit Ginseng and its elixir recipe, and the other for a Golden Sun Pill.

"Mu Chen, are you considering crafting a grade eight elixir again?" Ye Shi inquired.

Mu Chen nodded, "Yes."

The value of a grade seven elixir pales in comparison to grade eight ones. Only with a grade eight elixir as bait would people be willing to part with their grade eight spiritual herbs.

After becoming a Martial Master and a grade eight Alchemist, Mu Chen became increasingly discerning. Ordinary grade seven herbs rarely caught his eye.

Recalling the Pill Tribulation, Ye Shi felt a shiver of fear.

Last time, he and Mu Chen nearly met their demise. However, this time it should be different. After consuming the Golden Sun Pill, Ye Shi's power had reached the pinnacle of a three-star Martial Master.

Ascending within the Martial Ancestor realm is exceedingly challenging; with each progression of a rank, the increase in power is truly transformative.

Mu Chen's prowess has reached the pinnacle of a four-star Martial Ancestor. Lately, the power of the young Azure Tiger has surged rapidly, significantly boosting Mu Chen's own strength. Mu Chen believes that if the Azure Tiger progresses a little further, he will break through to the five-star Martial Ancestor realm.

In recent days, Mu Chen has been running his shop during the day and searching for spirit veins with Ye Shi at night. With over a dozen spirit veins in the Spirit Tower, they should last for several years if used conservatively.

Ye Shi, feeling eager, commented, "Why not cultivate? My power has greatly increased. Facing the Pill Tribulation this time, I'm sure I won't be as pathetic as before. Although being struck by lightning was painful, after enduring it, my cultivation seems faster, and my constitution feels much improved."

Feeling the surging energy within him and contemplating the benefits of being struck by lightning, Ye Shi became eager once again.

Mu Chen cast an exasperated glance at Ye Shi, thinking, "Ye Shi truly remembers the rewards but forgets the punishments."

However, the Lightning Tribulation can purify and rejuvenate one's essence. If used properly, it's indeed a valuable resource.