Fake Match Fixing, Huh?

"How would it work if I supplied you? And how would it work if I didn't?"

Luo Chen said with slight nervousness, "If you don't purchase from me, then this is my personal secret. If you do, I'll expand production as much as possible to meet your demand."

"Haha."

Seeing how constrained he looked,

Kang Dongyue laughed heartily, and Shopkeeper Liu beside him laughed as well.

Then Kang Dongyue said regretfully, "I'm afraid we can't cooperate. Low-Grade Pills have rather severe aftereffects. If something happened, my Kang Family might not be able to withstand certain people's anger."

So that meant cooperation was impossible.

Luo Chen was not disappointed. He had always known about the shortcomings of All Wonders Pills.

Whenever he sold them, he usually reminded buyers that they could indulge themselves, but not overdo it.

Moreover, since he was currently selling only a small quantity, and his customers were mostly the sort who drank today's wine today and worried about nothing tomorrow, he had not encountered any trouble yet.

The solution to those problems was simple.

Raise the pill's grade—retain its medicinal power while removing enough impurities.

Luo Chen was confident that he could accomplish that quickly.

Based on his experience with Grain Avoidance Pills, Entry Level through Proficient Level all produced Low-Grade Pills. Mastery Level and Perfect Grade both produced Mid-Grade Pills. Once he broke through to Grandmaster Level, he could produce high-grade pills.

But he could not say that!

The two chatted for a few more moments before Shopkeeper Liu left with Kang Dongyue, saying he would host a banquet for him at Zhong Ding Restaurant.

Great River Market stood close to the Million Mountains, and some of its local specialties and delicacies interested Kang Dongyue, who had come from Mount Tai Market.

From beginning to end, he had never asked whether Luo Chen could refine Mid-Grade All Wonders Pills.

The answer was obvious. Luo Chen's current output was not high.

Without being able to increase the number of refinements, Luo Chen clearly could not raise the pill grade. Besides, he was only an independent cultivator.

Only after they left did Luo Chen notice Bai Mei Ling standing quietly in the corner.

"Your medicinal ingredients."

"Thanks."

"Um, what you're selling is..."

"Sorry, All Wonders Pills are currently only supplied to male cultivators. Versions suitable for female cultivators are still under development. If Miss Xiao Ling needs them..."

"Get out!"

Luo Chen slunk out of Hundred Herbs Hall, feeling rather regretful.

That had clearly been an opportunity to open up channels and expand his market, yet he could neither seize it nor dare to seize it.

He could not promise a Pill Refiner as experienced as her that he could raise the pill grade in a short time.

Doing so would make people curious about how he had accomplished it.

The Attribute Panel naturally could not, and must not, be exposed.

Then the other party might assume he was a Pill Refining genius.

That was no good reputation. Once he gained such a name, a Cultivation Family might forcibly invite him to join them, reducing him to their pill-refining tool and Spirit Stone-earning tool.

"My cultivation is still too low!"

At the Qi Refining Stage, he could be kneaded and pinched by anyone.

If he were a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator, let alone Cultivation Families, even small sects would give him some measure of respect.

Even if he joined them, he would retain considerable autonomy.

With a sigh, Luo Chen prepared to head home.

However, when he passed Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion, he stopped.

One cultivator, one wooden table, one hanging banner.

The white banner read, "Dao Discussion Stage now fully open—tickets available for presale."

Today was the first time Luo Chen had heard of the Dao Discussion Stage from Chen Xiuping.

But that did not mean he knew nothing about it.

Previously, when he had struggled to find a place to practice spells, he had specifically asked Gu Cai Yi.

At the time, Gu Cai Yi's solution had been the privately established Combat Platform at Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion.

It was said to start at one Spirit Stone, and if he wanted someone to spar with him, the price would increase a hundredfold.

Luo Chen had been poor then, so naturally he had not considered the place. Later, he simply made do in the courtyard himself.

Because of that, he had even destroyed the Ziyang Flower seeds Fu Xiu Xiu had planted in the corner.

Strictly speaking, the Combat Platform was also a section of the Jade Cauldron Dao Discussion Stage, though it belonged to the private practice area.

Now Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion intended to fully open Great River Market's Dao Discussion Stage!

"Fellow Daoist, is this Dao Discussion Stage also in the Inner City?"

The cultivator in front of the wooden table had been sprawled over it asleep.

Hearing the voice, he slowly lifted his head.

Luo Chen froze, then chuckled. "Senior Sun, weren't you in charge of house rentals? Why are you selling tickets now too?"

"Hmph!"

Sun Shou snorted coldly. "Serving the sect, working tirelessly without complaint!"

"You're something else!" Luo Chen gave him a thumbs-up.

Sun Shou curled his lip. "In a few days, the sect will send an Outer Sect Elder over to take charge of this specifically. Why aren't you staying home and refining pills? What are you doing here?"

Luo Chen pointed at the words on the banner.

"I was passing by and got curious. Where is this Dao Discussion Stage? Is it inside the Sword Pavilion too?"

"How could that be? The Dao Discussion Stage is meant to seat tens of thousands of spectators. How could a place like the Sword Pavilion fit that many people?"

Tens of thousands!

What a boast!

Great River Market had only a little over ten thousand resident cultivators altogether. Even counting the visiting cultivators who came and went, the number did not exceed twenty thousand.

The nearby Cultivation Families and several mortal cities were not included.

Especially the latter—they were merely logistical support for Great River Market.

And now he was saying a single Dao Discussion Stage would seat tens of thousands of spectators?

Sun Shou did not care whether Luo Chen believed him. He pointed toward the area behind the Sword Pavilion.

"You know Fallen Phoenix Mountain, right? It's been renamed. It's now called the Jade Cauldron Dao Discussion Stage."

Luo Chen looked up and could vaguely see the small mountain at the edge of the Inner City.

It was rather strange. Great River Market lay on flat terrain, bordered by the Million Mountains, with the Lancang River flowing nearby. That was how it got its name.

Yet when the Inner City had been built, a small mountain had been enclosed within it.

According to Gu Cai Yi, that had been a joint decision made by Ailao Mountain and Sky Sail City when they built the Inner City together back then.

With that mountain there, they could rely on its terrain for the City Protecting Array and use it to suppress the earth qi.

The Inner City's First-Order Spirit Vein was said to originate from Fallen Phoenix Mountain as well.

But the mountain was simply too small and not very tall. It was usually bare, and after living here for so long, no one paid it any mind.

No one had expected Jade Cauldron Sword Sect to transform it into a Dao Discussion Stage.

Luo Chen thought of a possibility. Perhaps the mountain had been kept from the very beginning for the purpose of building a Dao Discussion Stage!

"Kid, want to buy a ticket?"

Sun Shou took out a jade token from his Storage Bag. "This time, only ten thousand tickets are being sold. Buy early and enjoy early—buy late, and you won't get to see the grand opening."

"They're limited too? How many Spirit Stones?"

"One hundred Spirit Stones per ticket. Absolutely worth every penny."

Luo Chen covered his Storage Bag. "Why don't you just rob people? Only an idiot would buy a ticket."

Sun Shou sneered. "You probably haven't seen a Jade Cauldron Sword Sect Dao Discussion Stage opening before. Let me tell you, seeing it once will give you something to brag about for a lifetime."

Luo Chen's eyes shifted. "So you've seen one before?"

"Of course. Ten years ago, when the Snow Lotus Market Dao Discussion Stage opened, there were puppet battles, demon beast battles, Foundation Establishment Cultivators fighting Second-Order Demon Beasts, and more."

Luo Chen was stunned. There were actually so many events!

"Are you buying or not? Let me tell you, the main event this time is the Two-Gang Conflict. Although it's only a Qi Refining Stage battle, it's the kind where they fight until death—only one person can walk off the stage alive."

He had heard about the Two-Gang Conflict before. Even the number of participants was something he had learned from Old Taoist Chen.

But he had not known it was the fight-to-the-death kind.

If Wang Yuan stepped onto the stage, would he have to kill his opponent before he could leave?

Luo Chen hesitated for a moment. "Give me one ticket!"

After all, Wang Yuan was the big brother who had looked after him. He had never been stingy with his care.

Whether lending books, giving him things, or offering occasional guidance.

Luo Chen had to go see it with his own eyes. If Wang Yuan lost, given his personality, there might not even be anyone to collect his corpse.

"Oh, I didn't expect you, kid, to actually have some savings. Since you're the first one to buy, I'll give you a tip—when the time comes, remember to bet on the Great River Gang winning."

Sun Shou accepted the Spirit Stones, handed the jade token to Luo Chen, and casually added that.

Was that insider information?

Wait!

Betting?

The Great River Gang winning?

Damn it, were they manipulating the match? Were they fixing a fake fight?

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