I Have a Batch of Goods

"Gu Yuan! You really made me look like a total fool today!"

Zhang Tian finally couldn't hold it in any longer, burying his head on the table in the rest area.

"My lifelong reputation is ruined."

Gu Yuan walked over, sat down beside him, and patted Zhang Tian on the shoulder.

"It was Brother Tian who held back and didn't use your full strength. If you had gone all out, I definitely would have been defeated in no time."

Looking at Zhang Tian before him, Gu Yuan could only offer words of comfort.

"By the way, Brother Tian, didn't you say yesterday that you had something else to discuss?"

Gu Yuan shifted the topic, not wanting to dwell on the previous subject.

"You were being so mysterious, saying we had to meet in person to talk about it. Can you tell us now?"

Hearing this, Zhang Tian sprang up from the table instantly.

He scanned his surroundings vigilantly, and upon confirming that no one was paying attention, he pulled Gu Yuan and Zhang Yining—who had been silent until now—closer, lowering his voice.

"Come closer, lean in."

Zhang Tian checked the area again, then carefully fished two small porcelain bottles from his robes, placed them on the table, and whispered.

"I managed to get some defective Breath Pills from my teacher back at Martial University. Even though the pill toxicity is a bit high, the medicinal efficacy isn't much worse..."

"So..."

Gu Yuan looked at the two porcelain bottles and, before Zhang Tian could finish, waved his hand.

"Brother Tian, it's not that I don't want to support you, but I really have no use for these."

Are you kidding me?

Ever since Gu Yuan acquired the Saint Hand Pulse Clearing trait, his body had been automatically cultivating every single moment. Naturally, the Blood Qi within his meridians was purest when cultivated by himself.

Consume these defective pills with high toxicity? Wouldn't that just be dumping trash into his own body?

Furthermore, Gu Yuan had recently discovered that his cultivation efficiency while sleeping was several times higher than when he was awake. This was essentially AFK leveling; why would he need any auxiliary pills?

"Cousin, I can't help you either," Zhang Yining added from the side with a bitter expression. "I'm still aiming for Martial University! If the physical exam detects unstable Blood Qi, I'll lose points."

Zhang Tian stared at the two of them, stunned by their avoidant reactions, before turning to look at them both.

"No? What are you two thinking?"

He wore an expression of utter exasperation.

"I wanted you to accompany me to the Sea City black market. If I go alone, I'm not familiar with the place and could easily get scammed. You two have sharp minds, so help me keep an eye out."

"You're both at a critical stage for your Martial University entrance exams; how could I possibly let you take these defective pills!"

"Ahem..."

Gu Yuan coughed awkwardly after hearing this.

"Brother Tian, it's mostly because of how you phrased it earlier—it was way too easy to misunderstand."

"Exactly," Zhang Yining agreed, nodding from the side.

Having regained his composure, Gu Yuan looked at the porcelain bottles on the table and asked skeptically:

"But Brother Tian, isn't selling this stuff illegal? You don't want to end up getting caught by the Destiny Bureau."

The Destiny Bureau, aside from clearing out fierce beasts outside the city and handling special incidents within, frequently raided the black market to inspect illegal goods.

Zhang Tian looked at the two of them as if they were idiots.

"No? Who told you this stuff is illegal?" he said, speechless.

"The Blood Qi Pills in my hand just didn't meet the standards of the Alchemist Association and were rated as defective; that doesn't mean they're against the law."

"Look at how expensive the pills sold by the Alchemist Association are—it's like daylight robbery! Plus, they have purchase limits. They only sell a tiny amount a week; it's never enough to go around."

"Mine might have a bit more pill toxicity, but the price is cheap and the quantity is generous. Plenty of people are fighting to get them."

Zhang Tian paused, then continued to explain: "Not everyone is aiming for the Martial Arts Academy at Martial University. There are plenty of people trying to get into the Alchemy Academy and the Artifact Refinement Academy."

"They aren't as strict about Blood Qi requirements; as long as you hit the minimum threshold, that's enough. They don't care about the purity of the Blood Qi at all, so many people are willing to buy defective Blood Qi Pills to give themselves a boost."

"I see."

After Zhang Tian's explanation, Gu Yuan and Zhang Yining finally understood.

There was certainly a lot more to this than met the eye.

"So, are you two going or not? Just consider it keeping me company and broadening your horizons," Zhang Tian invited them again.

"I'll treat you to a big meal later—that new fierce beast hotpot place in the south of the city. All you can eat!"

"No problem," the two said in unison.

With some excitement to witness and a big meal to eat, only a fool would refuse.

Just then, as if Gu Yuan had thought of something, he leaned in close to Zhang Tian.

"But, Brother Tian, is refining pills really that profitable?"

Zhang Tian was startled by his sudden movement, jerking his body backward to put some distance between them.

Once he regained his composure, he replied as if it were common sense:

"Nonsense. Alchemists have always been the most lucrative profession, bar none, alright?"

"Even a novice apprentice alchemist earns more in a month than a Body Tempering martial artist who spends their life toiling away in the wild hunting ferocious beasts."

Both of them gasped upon hearing this.

Hiss!

That was just too exaggerated.

"Then, Brother Tian, since your teacher is an alchemist, are you one too? Can you refine pills yourself?"

After witnessing the sheer profitability of being an alchemist, Gu Yuan couldn't help but ask, calculating in his heart whether it was possible for him to walk down this golden path as well.

"Do you really think alchemists are like cabbages, growing everywhere?" Zhang Tian sat down beside Gu Yuan, looking at him as if he were an alien.

"Do you think pills are just cold medicine, something you can refine whenever you want, as if it's that easy?"

His expression turned somewhat strange.

If alchemists were that easy to become and pills that easy to refine, why would the Alchemist Association bother with limited supplies?

If it were truly that simple, alchemy would have been popularized among the masses long ago, and the price of pills would have been driven into the ground.

"Let me put it this way: in our entire Sea City, with its population of several million, there is only one junior alchemist and two apprentice alchemists registered with the Alchemist Association. You tell me, is it difficult or not?"

Gu Yuan and Zhang Yining looked at each other in dismay.

This ratio was truly terrifying.

"Alright, stop thinking about those impossible things." Zhang Tian stood up and brushed off his backside.

"Let's head out now. We need to sell this batch of goods quickly; I need the money to buy some equipment. After school starts, our Martial University is heading to the Beast Realm for practical combat training."

As he spoke, Zhang Tian pulled the two of them along, hurrying toward the martial arts gym's entrance.

None of the three noticed that not far behind them, a student who had just finished training was holding a phone and quietly dialing a number.

After the group had walked some distance away, the student lowered their voice and spoke into the phone.

"Hello, is this the Destiny Bureau? I'd like to report something. I think I heard some people talking about going to the black market to sell contraband. They mentioned some 'goods' and said they needed to 'get rid of this batch quickly'!"