In truth, the spirit crystals Lu Xiaotian earned through alchemy were no small sum. Though he refined pills for Nascent Soul Cultivators, he made them in such large quantities that the profits added up. Superior-grade and supreme-grade spirit pills were also worth a fortune, and after word spread that he could refine Spirit Transformation Pills, several batches of them had already gone out from his hands.
All told, Lu Xiaotian had never worked out exactly how many spirit crystals he had earned. But he now had only around two thousand left over—fewer than when he had first opened his pill shop. After all, buying various pill recipes and trying to refine precious pills used by Spirit Transformation cultivators, such as Spirit-Quelling Pills, had consumed a great deal. Some helped restore spiritual awareness, others aided cultivation. Then there were the spiritual materials needed to cultivate the Soul-Splitting Secret Art. There was no end to the expenses.
Though he had now advanced to a first-grade Pill King, Lu Xiaotian could barely cover the needs of his own cultivation. He still couldn't afford to buy a fine magic treasure for body cultivators. He had been looking for one for some time. The Myriad Treasures Pavilion and the Thousand Mechanisms Tower both sold them, but their prices were too high, or he wasn't satisfied with what they offered.
If he hadn't spent so many resources lately stabilizing his realm and preparing to cultivate the Soul-Splitting Secret Art, he could have gritted his teeth and bought one. For now, though, he would have to wait.
Counting spirit crystals just to cultivate made Lu Xiaotian long for the days when he had raised spiritual materials in the Green Fruit Barrier. Back then, he had none of these worries.
In the pill room, Lu Xiaotian refined pills,