Mid-grade Origin Qi Pill

"For the time being, no. I need some talismans to take care of something, and I don't have enough Spirit Stones on hand. Once I'm done, if I still have any Spirit Stones left, I'll come buy your pill furnace. Besides, if your pill furnace is really that good, how could it fail to sell?" Lu Xiaotian said.

Luo Qing looked somewhat disappointed. Her nose wrinkled, and she let out a sigh.

"Ah, the trouble is that this pill furnace is too good. My elder brother and I went through untold hardship—almost escaped death itself—to snatch it from a ruined temple in the Moonwatch Mountains. Naturally, we'd be unwilling to sell it too cheaply. But among Rogue Cultivators, there are very few pill apprentices and beginner alchemists to begin with. Inferior pill furnaces are enough for them; there's no need for them to spend so many Spirit Stones on this one. Intermediate and advanced alchemists are even rarer. They've long since been recruited by the great Lineages of Moonwatch City, and those great Lineages have better pill furnaces, so naturally they won't come here to buy one."

To put it bluntly, this pill furnace was neither high enough to reach the sky nor low enough to settle on the ground.

Lu Xiaotian had seen several recruitment notices at the street-side shops and had a general idea that alchemists were highly sought after in the immortal city. Even beginner alchemists capable of refining Qi-Gathering Pills were hot commodities. After all, Moonwatch City had tens of thousands of cultivators. Those at Qi Refining Late Stage and Qi Refining Great Perfection were, after all, a minority; most were still at Qi Refining Early Stage or Qi Refining Middle Stage. Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators were even scarcer.

Thus, medicinal pills that aided cultivation were necessities for all cultivators. If he had enough pills, he could swiftly charge into the Third Layer of Qi Refining, or even higher realms. Everyone wanted to reach Qi Refining Great Perfection as quickly as possible, then prepare for Foundation Establishment. The younger one was, the greater the chance of successfully establishing one's foundation.

"I'm sure you'll sell it soon enough."

"I hope so. The cultivation techniques you're selling don't seem particularly special. You need to call out and draw people's attention before they'll sell. Or you need some treasure as the grand finale to make people stop; that would give you a better chance." Luo Qing pursed her lips helplessly, then reminded Lu Xiaotian.

"Oh, thank you." Lu Xiaotian considered it and felt that Luo Qing's words made sense. Moreover, this was Moonwatch City, where patrolling soldiers were present. Fighting was forbidden within the city, so there should not be much danger. He took a small bottle from his storage pouch, placed it beside the cultivation manuals, and began shouting loudly.

"Cultivation techniques for sale! Earth-element, fire-element, water-element! Complete sets from Qi Refining Early Stage through Qi Refining Late Stage! Also, one Origin Qi Pill! First come, first served—miss it, and it's gone!"

"What? You actually have an Origin Qi Pill? And the cultivation techniques go all the way to Qi Refining Late Stage?" Before anyone else could gather around, Luo Qing had already cried out in shock.

"Yes. Is there a problem?" Lu Xiaotian asked.

"No, no. How many Spirit Stones are you selling the earth-element cultivation technique for?" Luo Qing asked.

"This complete set of the Benevolent Earth True Scripture goes all the way to Qi Refining Late Stage. Thirty-three Low-grade Spirit Stones." Lu Xiaotian had checked the prices of Qi Refining Late Stage cultivation techniques in the shops when he bought the Compendium of Spirit Herbs and the Record of Demonic Beasts. None had been below thirty Spirit Stones, while complete sets were generally around forty Low-grade Spirit Stones. To gather enough Spirit Stones for talismans as quickly as possible, he had set the price considerably lower.

"My elder brother has just reached the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining and may be about to break through. He happens to need an earth-element late-stage cultivation technique. Can you wait for me a moment? I'll go get my elder brother right away. I'll be quick," Luo Qing pleaded.

"Alright. I'll sell the other two sets first and wait for you for half an hour." Lu Xiaotian nodded and put away the earth-element Benevolent Earth True Scripture.

Luo Qing hastily packed up the things on her stall. After thanking him, she hurried away.

"You have an Origin Qi Pill? How many do you have?" No sooner had Luo Qing left than people began gathering around from all sides.

"Only one. It was left to me by my master on his deathbed. I have no use for it now, so I can only sell it."

Lu Xiaotian made up an excuse, pulled the stopper from the pill bottle, and a rich, fragrant aroma wafted out.

"That's right, it's an Origin Qi Pill. And with such a strong fragrance, it should be a Mid-grade Origin Qi Pill." After savoring the scent, an old man with a rosacea nose flushed bright red and said excitedly.

"A mid-grade Origin Qi Pill?" At once, everyone present shoved forward, competing to get closer. In Moonwatch City, most mid-grade pills were consumed by cultivators from wealthy and powerful Lineages.

The pills that reached the market were basically all low-grade. Though high-grade and low-grade differed by only a single word, their effects were worlds apart. If one was stuck at the bottleneck of the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining, using a mid-grade pill made a breakthrough far easier than using a low-grade one. The benefits were beyond measure.

"Young man, I'll take this pill. How many Spirit Stones?" Xu Old Monster had been stuck at the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining for a long time and desperately needed a good pill to help him break through. He had visited several pill shops without finding one. How could he possibly let this chance slip away?

"Xu Old Monster, you're not the only one with Spirit Stones. Little brother, I'll offer thirty Spirit Stones. Give me the pill."

"Thirty Spirit Stones would be about right for a low-grade Origin Qi Pill. Little brother, I offer thirty-five. I am Zhou Yu, an officer of the city guard. I hope everyone will do me this favor." Another cultivator dressed as an officer squeezed into the crowd and cupped his hands toward those around him as he spoke loudly.

"I wouldn't mind giving Fellow Daoist Zhou face over other things, but there is only one Mid-grade Origin Qi Pill. Fellow Daoist Zhou, forgive me. Young man, this old man offers thirty-six Low-grade Spirit Stones. I hope everyone present will refrain from competing with this old man." At that moment, a thin old man with jet-black eyebrows hanging to his chest also squeezed into the crowd and spoke in a low voice.

"Long-Brow Old Monster!"

A wave of startled cries rose from the crowd, and people quickly made way for him. They seemed deeply fearful of the long-browed old man. Even Zhou Yu, the armored officer, showed several traces of apprehension in his eyes. Long-Brow Old Monster was a notorious ruthless figure in the area. It was said that many who had offended him later entered the Moonwatch Mountains and vanished without a trace, never to return. Some said they had died in the jaws of demonic beasts, but others had seen Long-Brow Old Monster appearing nearby, leading many to suspect that he was responsible.

As an officer, Zhou Yu still possessed some authority within the city. Once outside it, however, he might not be a match for Long-Brow Old Monster.

After Long-Brow Old Monster spoke, no one around him dared raise the price further. For one thing, the price was already high enough. For another, offending Long-Brow Old Monster over such a high bid would leave one feeling as though thorns were stabbing one's back after leaving Moonwatch City. It was not worth it.

"Little brat, the Spirit Stones are here. Bring the pill over." Seeing that the people around him had been cowed by his baleful might and no longer dared bid, Long-Brow Old Monster gave a smug, eerie cackle. He tossed Lu Xiaotian a bag containing Spirit Stones, then reached out to grab the small bottle holding the Origin Qi Pill.

Lu Xiaotian secretly felt annoyed. Damn that Long-Brow freak. If he had not appeared, the people around him might have kept raising the price, and Lu Xiaotian could have earned at least several more Spirit Stones. Yet Long-Brow Old Monster had ruined it out of nowhere.

But even so many Qi Refining Late Stage cultivators around him were silent as cicadas before Long-Brow Old Monster. Naturally, Lu Xiaotian did not dare show the slightest dissatisfaction on his face and could only respectfully present the Origin Qi Pill.

Once the Origin Qi Pill was sold, the crowd dispersed. However, quite a few people had gathered earlier. One of them took a liking to his complete fire-element cultivation technique and, seeing that the price was low, bought it for thirty-two Spirit Stones after some bargaining.

Lu Xiaotian wondered whether he should take out another Origin Qi Pill to sell and gather more Spirit Stones while drawing more attention. But he quickly dismissed the thought. The bag held a heavy sixty-eight Low-grade Spirit Stones, and several people nearby were already looking at him enviously, while one or two others had ill intent in their eyes.

If this had not been inside the city, who knew what might have happened. To cultivators at Qi Refining Early Stage and Qi Refining Middle Stage, sixty-eight Spirit Stones was already a huge fortune.

With that thought, Lu Xiaotian gave up on selling any more Origin Qi Pills.

"Big Brother, it's right here. He has a cultivation technique that can be cultivated all the way to Qi Refining Late Stage." Before long, Luo Qing returned, bringing with her a young man with a square face and a ring-pommeled spirit saber at his waist. His clothing, however, was quite shabby—nothing more than a simple set of worn cloth garments.

"Lu Xiaotian, this is my elder brother, Luo Yuan. He's already an expert at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining." Luo Qing's face was full of pride.

"Can I take a look at the cultivation technique in your hands?" Luo Yuan asked.

"Of course." Lu Xiaotian nodded. Luo Yuan did not look arrogant despite his cultivation being far above Lu Xiaotian's. On the contrary, he was quite courteous. His slightly dull expression was not off-putting; instead, it gave people a sense that he was solid and dependable.

"The cultivation technique isn't bad. Can you lower the price a little more? If you do, I'll take it," Luo Yuan said.

"Sorry, thirty-three Spirit Stones is already very cheap. I just sold a fire-element set a moment ago." Lu Xiaotian shrugged. Though he had a favorable impression of Luo Yuan, he had an important use for Spirit Stones and would not lower the price.

Luo Yuan anxiously rubbed his hands together. "But we don't have that many Spirit Stones. Could you wait a few more days? I'll go gather some from a few friends in the city?"

Luo Qing's eyes rolled as she said, "How about this? What do you think of my pill furnace? It may not sell easily, but in terms of actual value, it should be worth close to fifty Spirit Stones. Your cultivation technique would sell for more than forty Low-grade Spirit Stones in a shop. I'll use this pill furnace to exchange for your earth-element cultivation technique."

"But I'm short on Spirit Stones lately, and I need them urgently. How many Spirit Stones do you have?" Lu Xiaotian hesitated. The black-robed old man had become a thorn in his heart. Now that he had a chance to get rid of him, Lu Xiaotian did not want to wait any longer.

"Counting the gold-element and wood-element ones together, we have twenty-one." Luo Yuan scratched his ear. If he were only short two or three, he could ask other friends to help him turn some over. But he was short twelve. The friends he knew were not well-off either, and no one would empty everything they had just to buy a cultivation technique for him. Borrowing two or three Spirit Stones would already count as a good friendship.

"Do you have any talismans on you? Fireball Talismans, Water Arrow Talismans, or anything else will do," Lu Xiaotian asked again.