Purple Profound Sect Disciple

At the market, inside the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.

An ordinary-looking man dressed in the robes of a Purple Profound Sect disciple walked into the shop. An attendant promptly hurried over to greet him.

"Honored guest, what can we help you find at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion?"

"Whether it's pills, Law Artifacts, talismans, or spirit materials, everything we carry is of the finest quality. You're sure to be satisfied!"

Li Ye glanced at him and said mildly,

"Do you sell Pill Furnaces?"

He asked directly, without wearing a bamboo hat or anything of the sort to conceal his appearance or identity.

After all, everything Li Ye owned now had an account of where it came from, and he had nothing to hide in the first place.

And in this market established and directly operated by the Purple Profound Sect, the deterrence afforded by his sect robes was far greater than anything he could gain by hiding his face!

He had learned about the Hundred Treasures Pavilion during his previous trips to the market. It was one of the shops with a better reputation.

The Yue Household, one of the Huan Kingdom's major Foundation Establishment Lineages, seemed to stand behind it.

It was said to have as many as three Foundation Establishment cultivators, making it vastly stronger than a Lineage like the Li Household, which relied entirely on one aged Foundation Establishment Ancestor to hold it up!

At Li Ye's question, the attendant, who had been somewhat perfunctory, suddenly brightened.

This was a big deal!

He hurriedly replied,

"Of course we have Pill Furnaces!"

"But a deal like this is beyond my authority. Please rest upstairs, honored guest. I'll fetch our shopkeeper at once!"

With that, he bowed slightly and led Li Ye upstairs to take a seat.

After the attendant served him fragrant tea and pastries, a somewhat portly man came walking briskly over.

His gaze swept over Li Ye's Purple Profound Sect robes. He cupped his hands and asked with a smile,

"I am Yue Quan, the humble shopkeeper of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. Are you looking to purchase a Pill Furnace, fellow cultivator?"

"I am Li Ye. I would indeed like to see your shop's Pill Furnaces."

Li Ye nodded, then added, "There's no need for a high-grade one. Something suitable for a beginner will do."

"I see."

Yue Quan's smile did not fade. "We happen to have a low-grade Pill Furnace in stock. Please take a look and see if it suits you, fellow cultivator."

He patted the Storage Bag at his waist, and with a clang, a brass Pill Furnace half a man's height landed before them.

Li Ye set down his teacup, got up and circled the furnace, then lifted the lid to peer inside.

After replacing the lid, he reached out and tapped lightly around several spots on the furnace, listening carefully to the echoes.

He also sent out his Law Power and simulated controlling it for a while.

The series of actions left Yue Quan and the attendant waiting nearby momentarily stunned.

He said a beginner's Pill Furnace would do, but his inspection technique and knowledge of Pill Furnaces weren't what a newly initiated Alchemist should have!

Hiss... Could this kid have been sent by a rival shop to stir up trouble?

Yue Quan and the attendant exchanged a glance, uncertain what to make of it.

In that brief time, Li Ye finished his inspection and said to Yue Quan,

"This furnace is fairly good!"

"Except that the echo at one spot is uneven. It appears there was a mistake in its refinement, leaving a weak point. If the fire is too fierce in the future, there's a risk it will burn through..."

"What price does your shop intend to ask for it?"

Yue Quan's heart stirred at once. When the furnace had been delivered, the accompanying notes from its artifact refiner seemed to have mentioned it.

But even an artifact refiner might not spot such a minor flaw on the spot, much less a Pill-Refining Apprentice looking to buy one!

He had put it out of his mind after reading the notes, never expecting someone to discover everything so clearly the moment he brought it out today.

"Your skills have truly opened my eyes, fellow cultivator!"

Yue Quan gave Li Ye a thumbs-up, his face full of admiration.

"To be honest, I was just about to tell you a little about it and explain the problem, but I never expected you to see it so clearly after only a brief inspection!"

"This Pill Furnace does have a certain flaw. How about our shop charges you only sixty Spirit Stones for it?"

A low-grade offensive Law Artifact could sell for thirty or forty Spirit Stones at most, while defensive items like shields, robes, and armor were somewhat more expensive.

As for tools like Pill Furnaces and artifact-refining cauldrons, even if their grade was not high,

the craft involved in making them was considerably more complicated, often requiring a higher-grade artifact refiner. Thus, they often sold for nearly twice the price of Law Artifacts of the same grade.

"Fifty Spirit Stones, with a Qi and Blood Pill Formula thrown in!"

Li Ye spoke calmly. He sat back down, picked up a pastry, and ate it slowly.

At the offer, Yue Quan's expression changed. "Fellow cultivator, that's a lion opening its jaws wide..."

Li Ye shook his head.

"I made a point of asking around the market and came here only after hearing that your shop had quite a good reputation. Yet I never expected the Pill Furnace you brought out to have a dangerous flaw..."

"In that case, I might as well look in other shops!"

He started to rise and leave.

Yue Quan immediately dropped the act and put on a smile.

"Don't be hasty, fellow cultivator. We'll do as you say. Fifty it is!"

Li Ye's expression did not change. He promptly counted out fifty Spirit Stones from his Storage Bag and set them on the table.

The attendant also went at once to fetch a Qi and Blood Pill Formula.

"Take care, fellow cultivator. If you have pills to sell in the future, you can bring them to our Hundred Treasures Pavilion... We'll be sure to offer a price that satisfies you!"

"Certainly, certainly. As long as your shop doesn't mind my lack of skill, I'll be sure to impose on you."

With payment and goods exchanged, Li Ye put away the Pill Furnace and Pill Formula. Yue Quan personally saw him downstairs, and the two were chatting and laughing again.

After Li Ye disappeared into the crowd, the two returned upstairs.

Only then did the attendant ask in puzzlement, "Uncle, selling that man the Pill Furnace at that price and throwing in a Pill Formula on top of it-didn't we take a loss on the deal?"

Yue Quan shook his head. "Did you know the note that came with the Pill Furnace said that if someone spotted the flaw, it could be sold at a low price to preserve the shop's reputation?"

"Since we really did run into someone who noticed, I was only following the rules."

If they had not met a customer with that kind of eye, they could only have shed tears as they made a profit off him!

"As for the Qi and Blood Pill Formula... It's something you can find all over the streets among Alchemists. It's hardly worth anything, so giving it away was no matter!"

"Besides, Li Ye is only at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer, yet he was capable of spotting the furnace's flaw. Clearly, his attainments in pill refinement aren't those of a beginner as he claimed. It's just that the inheritance he has is most likely incomplete or pieced together, which is why he lacks a basic Pill Formula..."

"If we can befriend him, we'll have another way to secure a steady supply of pills in the future. That would be a great help to both our prospects for advancement!"

The attendant nodded in sudden understanding, but a ruthless look flashed across his face.

"In that case, why don't we just find a chance to capture him..."

They could take the man and get the Pill Furnace back too. Wouldn't that be wonderful!

Smack!

Yue Quan slapped the attendant on the head and spoke sternly.

"You'd just attack because you feel like it! Do you take him for one of those down-and-out Rogue Cultivators with no backing?"

"He's a Purple Profound Sect disciple! It would be one thing if we captured him in a single move, but if we failed and he escaped, letting word get out, the Lineage would throw both of us out to make amends!"

"From now on, keep a tighter watch on that mouth of yours. If you dare talk nonsense again, I'll be the first to make you regret it!"

Frightened by Yue Quan's stern expression and voice, the attendant nodded repeatedly and agreed. The thought he had harbored vanished like smoke and clouds.