Trade

"Blood Origin Pills nourish yang and replenish yin, strengthen the foundation and cultivate vitality, and aid cultivation. In exchange, I accept cultivation manuals, Daoist scriptures, divine abilities, Secret Arts, ancient artifacts, all kinds of medicinal herbs..."

Before Yan Kuan's stall outside the Three Purities Dao Palace, a crowd quickly gathered. The art of alchemy in the Shrouding the Heavens universe was not particularly underdeveloped overall. Emperor Lord had been able to refine Nine Revolutions Immortal Pills that could extend the life of an Imperial Dao Supreme by another lifetime, proving that high-level alchemy was still possible.

However, across the entire cultivation world, there were not many talented alchemists in the various sects. Most sects possessed only ordinary alchemical inheritances. Even the great sects were like this, let alone independent cultivators.

Most independent cultivators could only swallow spiritual herbs whole after obtaining them. That was already the best way for them to maximize a herb's medicinal effects. Most people had merely heard of pills. Now that pills had suddenly appeared at this stall, they naturally drew widespread attention.

Yan Kuan sat cross-legged behind the cloth spread on the ground, seated on a cushion he had swiped somewhere. He did not take the initiative to introduce anything. As far as he knew, regardless of which Life Ancient Star one was on, pills were always in demand and priceless. He held the seller's advantage, so there was no need for him to be overly proactive.

More and more cultivators gathered around Yan Kuan's stall, but although everyone seemed tempted, they also had their reservations. Most cultivators had never even had the chance to consume a pill, so naturally they had no ability to judge one, much less knew how to haggle over the price.

That was right—haggling. Cultivation was difficult these days, and everyone saved where they could. Even prestigious sects bargained over cultivation resources down to the smallest detail, terrified of being overcharged.

"Greetings, fellow Daoist. May I ask how effective this Blood Origin Pill is, and how exactly you intend to trade it?"

Yan Kuan did not have to wait long before a middle-aged man in a Daoist Robe stepped forward and offered a salute. He possessed the bearing of an immortal and the bones of the Dao, with handsome features. One glance showed that he came from a major sect. Since he could ask such questions, he was presumably quite knowledgeable.

"Blood Origin Pills come in three grades, each with different effects. The low-grade pills are highly effective for those who possess Qi Sensation and can assist in opening the Sea of Bitterness. The mid-grade pills benefit Sea of Bitterness cultivation. There are only three high-grade pills, but they are also highly effective for seniors in the Dao Palace Realm."

Yan Kuan pointed at the three different porcelain bottles before him. This batch of pills had been his practice work. Flame Emperor's Legacy contained the inheritance of alchemy, and after obtaining a Fire Seed, Yan Kuan had naturally been able to try refining pills.

However, before heading to Mount Ba Ling, he had been like a clever housewife with no rice to cook. In places like Jingcheng and Hong Kong, he could at most gather ordinary medicinal materials. Some of those herbs were indeed rare, but they were of limited use to cultivators.

This batch of Blood Origin Pills had been refined with the sinister bats he had hunted inside Grand Sage Red Pine's Ancient Tomb as the main ingredient.

The sinister bats within Grand Sage Red Pine's tomb would have been nothing in ancient times. Yet in this age of difficult cultivation, the energy contained in these sinister beasts was quite precious.

However, even if most people hunted such sinister bats, they would not know how to make use of them. Even Yan Kuan had drawn upon the countless wondrous formulas in Flame Emperor's Legacy, found the recipe for a certain Spirit Pill, then pared it down, modified it, and made repeated attempts before refining these "Blood Origin Pills."

The low-grade Blood Origin Pills had only barely reached the standard of a first-grade pill from the Battle Qi Continent. They were slightly better than the practice pills Xiao Yan had first refined in the original work. They provided some assistance to Wheel Sea Realm cultivation, and used the weakest bat beasts as their main ingredient.

The mid-grade Blood Origin Pills were roughly second-grade pills of the Battle Qi Continent, made using sinister bats of the Wheel Sea Realm. As for the main ingredients of the high-grade Blood Origin Pills, they were the few bat kings whose strength had reached the Dao Palace Realm, making them roughly third-grade pills.

Most of this was simply Yan Kuan's private assessment after putting things into practice. As for his considerable skill in alchemy, it could only be said that he was naturally gifted.

Having been reincarnated as a human, his soul was inherently powerful. He had also cultivated the soul-refining art in Flame Emperor's Legacy since childhood, and he estimated that his soul had likely approached the Spirit Realm. As for the other key to alchemy—control over flame—Yan Kuan had even less to worry about there.

He had been born with Empyrean Flame and possessed a special fire-attributed physique, making him innately close to the power of flames. Because he had been young all these years and free from outside disturbances, he had devoted himself wholeheartedly to arduous cultivation. His control over flames had thus reached a level ordinary people could scarcely imagine.

As for the innate attribute of wood within fire required by alchemy in the Battle Qi Continent, that only applied to ordinary people. Yan Kuan had obtained Flame Emperor's Legacy, which had long possessed a special solution to that problem.

All three basic requirements for becoming an alchemist had been met. With suitable materials for practice as well, Yan Kuan's proficiency and level in alchemy naturally rose by leaps and bounds. Whenever he ran out of materials, he killed more bats. Thus came a world in which only the sinister bat colony was harmed.

"Fellow Daoist, might I examine them more closely? This Daoist scripture shall serve as my token of sincerity."

When the Daoist Robe-clad cultivator with immortal bearing heard that Yan Kuan's Blood Origin Pills could even benefit Dao Palace cultivators, he completely lost his composure. He hurriedly took out a scroll of Daoist scripture from his sleeve and carefully placed it before Yan Kuan.

Yan Kuan raised a hand in a grasping motion, and the Daoist scripture flew from the stall cloth into his hand. After carefully examining its contents and confirming that it was useful to him, he waved his hand again. A porcelain bottle flew before the middle-aged man in the Daoist Robe.

"The pill is smooth and restrained, with a faint pill fragrance. Merely smelling it makes one's blood and qi surge. This is low-grade?"

The middle-aged man in the Daoist Robe felt as though his mind could no longer process this. Pills of such quality were considered mid-grade in his sect. As for low-grade pills, those were the ones that had not exploded in the furnace and still retained medicinal effects. Resources were scarce these days; even such inferior pills were fought over madly.

"Mm! This feeling... Even this low-grade Blood Origin Pill can aid Wheel Sea Realm cultivators. Used on Daoist children who have yet to open their Sea of Bitterness, its effects are even more extraordinary. A divine pill—this is a Divine Pill..."

The middle-aged man in the Daoist Robe was incomparably shocked by the pill's effects. He suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Yan Kuan, his gaze blazing as he repeatedly asked, "Fellow Daoist, how many Blood Origin Pills do you have left?"

"You want to take them all? Impossible. Look at all the people waiting around us. I did not make certain things clear earlier. For each pill, I require one Daoist scripture or classical text in exchange—Wheel Sea Realm material will do—along with one portion of medicinal herbs or some other resource."

As Yan Kuan spoke, he pointed at the Daoist before him. "You were the first to trade, so I only took your Daoist scripture and did not ask for resources. There will be no such bargain afterward. After all, I need to gather materials to refine pills as well!

"Also, I do not accept just any Daoist scripture. I must personally examine it and determine whether it is useful before accepting it. I set the standards, and the same goes for resources and medicinal herbs. The three high-grade Blood Origin Pills are different. They require cultivation methods above the Dao Palace Realm, or divine abilities and Secret Arts, in exchange."