"Thank goodness for automatic cultivation. It saved me who knew how much effort."
Su Zhan sighed. "The fourth cultivation method is already in place. This unexpected windfall directly saved me all the money I had on hand."
"I can use it all to buy Spirit Weapons and pills!"
The four cultivation methods were already in place.
Learning any more would be useless. All the slots were full.
Su Zhan immediately rose with delight and headed straight out of the cultivation method sales area.
But before leaving, he did not forget to fold up the cushion and stuff it back where it belonged...
As he passed through the entrance.
The staff member merely glanced at Su Zhan and said nothing.
Every day, countless people left after looking without buying.
Nor were they afraid that anyone might secretly memorize or learn the techniques.
That was because the cultivation manuals displayed here generally contained only the first third of their content. Everything afterward was blank, and only payment would get you the complete version.
You wanted to secretly learn just the first third?
The consequences of practicing an incomplete cultivation method ranged from qi and blood flowing in reverse and falling into deviation, to the method backfiring and killing you on the spot!
In this world, no one had ever managed to learn a cultivation method after reading only one-third of it... so Martial Hall did not worry about such matters at all.
"Excuse me, give me three Second-grade Revival Pills!"
"Three Azure Spirit Jade Pills as well!"
"Golden Marrow Pills—yes, these Golden Marrow Pills. Three of those too."
"These Primary Spirit Weapons add up to 35 Gold Coins, right? Fine, I'll take them all!"
"..."
Su Zhan began buying like a madman.
Every single item was useful, and every one could bring immense benefits. Naturally, he did not hold back, spending all 320 Gold Coins in one go.
In the end, he had just over one Gold Coin left, which he kept for living expenses.
"Wonderful~"
Su Zhan carried a huge bundle on his back. It jingled and clattered nonstop whenever he moved, yet he still left Martial Hall with a face full of satisfaction.
He glanced at the Chat Group. The cultivation methods had long since exploded into an uproar, each one clamoring to eat.
"Alright, alright. Once we get home, I'll treat you all to a grand feast!"
At the same time.
By a window on the second floor.
A girl in the same student uniform as Su Zhan, with an ethereal bearing, long raven-black hair, and a pure, moving beauty, sat by the window drinking tea with a middle-aged man dressed in luxurious robes.
"Uncle Zhou, thank you."
Lin Jinyu took a sip of tea and thanked him with a smile.
"Jinyu, listen to yourself. It's only one batch of Grade 3 Pills. It's no difficult matter for me."
Uncle Zhou chuckled.
A silver badge was prominently pinned to his chest. Engraved upon it was a pill furnace, symbolizing an extraordinarily special and revered profession among Martial Artists—Alchemist!
Where there were pills, naturally there were those who refined them.
And not everyone could become an Alchemist. Talent, perseverance, comprehension, knowledge, and more—none could be lacking.
The silver badge signified a Grade Four Alchemist.
An Alchemist of this level was as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns throughout Heaven City.
Naturally, refining a batch of Grade 3 Pills was indeed nothing worth mentioning to him.
"Hm?"
At that moment, Lin Jinyu caught sight of a familiar figure outside the window from the corner of her eye.
It was Su Zhan, leaving with a smile on his face and his spirits high.
"It's him."
Lin Jinyu recognized him at once. Her beautiful eyes could not help but follow him for another few moments.
Naturally, Uncle Zhou noticed as well.
He recognized Su Zhan's back too.
As one of the Lin Group's old-timers, he had naturally heard about some of the history between Lin Jinyu and Su Zhan.
One was a poor boy with a weak background.
The other was the Group's young heiress with astonishing talent.
The two should have been as unrelated as wind and horse, yet they had actually been childhood sweethearts who grew up together.
Such a relationship between characters was rarely seen in reality, though it often appeared in novels.
"Looks like he's quite happy. He must have gained quite a bit." Uncle Zhou smiled and took a sip of tea.
Lin Jinyu came back to herself. "Uncle Zhou, can you help me find out what he bought just now?"
"That's easy."
Uncle Zhou raised a hand. Someone behind him stepped forward, and after receiving his instructions, his subordinate immediately left.
Only a few minutes later, the subordinate returned with a list.
"Thank you."
Lin Jinyu accepted it and glanced over it. "Pills... Spirit Weapons?"
"Looks like this kid intends to take the Martial Sciences exam."
Uncle Zhou also caught sight of the contents of the list. "But his pill purchases are far too haphazard, with no method to them. Revival Pills stabilize one's realm, Azure Spirit Jade Pills heal injuries, Nourishing Yuan Pills nourish flesh, blood, tendons, and bones... Even if he takes them all, they might not help his realm or strength."
"He's still too young."
As an Alchemist, he knew the effects of pills like the back of his hand.
Taking the Martial Sciences exam was not a problem.
But the pills he bought were all things that strengthened one's foundation and replenished one's vitality. It was like spending a fortune to accomplish a trifling task—the value for money was far too low.
Grade One and Second-grade, and quite a few of them. He must have emptied his entire family fortune to buy them.
Lin Jinyu said nothing. She silently set down the list and looked through the window at Su Zhan's gradually receding figure, her gaze complicated.
"Jinyu, it's fine to look, but don't go having any other thoughts."
Uncle Zhou teased, "Your Uncle Zhou can't carry that big black pot."
"You're joking, Uncle Zhou."
Lin Jinyu withdrew her gaze, smiled faintly, and continued discussing the details of the Grade 3 Pill ingredients with Uncle Zhou.
On the other side.
Just after returning home.
"Ding! Jade Body wishes to devour one of your Golden Marrow Pills. Allow?" "Ding! Nine Fire Saber wishes to devour one of your Primary Spirit Weapons. Allow?" "Ding! Basic Qi and Blood Method wishes to devour one of your Revival Pills. Allow?" "Ding! Bloodthirsty Rampage wishes to devour one of your Azure Spirit Jade Pills. Allow?" "..."
The notifications in Su Zhan's mind had not stopped the entire way home.
The cultivation methods were all drooling with desire.
Even Bloodthirsty Rampage was no exception.
"Alright, alright!"
"Look at how impatient you all are."
"Now, we'll do this one at a time!"
At Su Zhan's word, all the cultivation methods immediately became obedient.
"The usual rule—Big Brother goes first!"
"You want to eat a Revival Pill, right? A Second-grade Pill. Let's see how much of a multiplier it can bring."
"Allowed!"
With a thought from Su Zhan.
"Ding! Basic Qi and Blood Method devoured one of your Revival Pills. Cultivation accelerated by 10 times. Current Cultivation Multiplier: 14!"
Ten times!
It was more than twice as much as a Grade One Pill!
Still, that was only natural.
Second-grade Pills cost more than seven or eight times as much as Grade One Pills. Increasing the Cultivation Multiplier by only a bit more than twice was already rather little.
"Looks like I still need to take low-grade pills until their benefits become truly too low before moving on to higher-grade pills!"
Su Zhan's train of thought gradually became clearer.
"Continue, next!"
"Ding! Nine Fire Saber devoured one of your Primary Spirit Weapons. Cultivation accelerated by 2 times. Current Cultivation Multiplier: 6!"
Su Zhan's eyes flickered. "So it's a fixed multiplier, unrelated to the type..."
Because Intermediate Spirit Weapons were too expensive, easily costing over a hundred Gold Coins, he could only continue feeding it Primary Spirit Weapons.
But the last weapon devoured had been a sword-type Spirit Weapon. This time, Su Zhan had deliberately chosen a saber-type Spirit Weapon to match the cultivation method itself... yet the result proved that as long as they were of the same grade, the gains were identical regardless of category.
This was excellent news for Su Zhan!
Sword- and saber-type Spirit Weapons were often forged in greater quantities due to high demand, making them relatively cheaper. On the contrary, staff-, axe-, and spear-type weapons had fewer users and smaller markets, making them more expensive instead.
Since the effects and gains were completely the same.
That meant Su Zhan could simply buy whichever ones were cheapest!
Before you continue