First Transaction

"Martial Brother, listen to what you're saying. You're stronger than I am—what ill intentions could I possibly have? If you don't see the Medicinal Pill in ten days, you can come hold me accountable anytime!"

"I truly don't have any extra Medicinal Pills right now." The menial disciple lowered his head and said with a fawning smile.

As he spoke, his eyes rolled around, and a vicious gleam flickered in their depths.

Hmph! In ten days at most, Martial Brother Zhao Yu will return. He's at the second level of the Qi Refining Stage. You took the ten high-grade Foundation Cultivation Pills he reserved—just wait and see how you'll suffer then.

"Fine. You'd better not play any tricks. Otherwise, the consequences of angering me will be severe." Su Shi'er stared at him coldly. He could tell that this man was up to no good, and an invisible killing intent flashed through his eyes.

After slaughtering demonic beasts every day for more than half a year, he had unknowingly accumulated a faint Baleful Intent. His temperament was no longer that of the simple, honest boy who had just left his small mountain village.

But with so many people watching, he could not do anything to the man in public. He could only suppress the thought for now.

"Of course! Rest assured, Martial Brother!" The menial disciple smiled obsequiously again and again. Swept by Su Shi'er's gaze, he could not help but shudder.

Why does this brat feel so frightening?

Hmph! What is there to fear? No matter how capable he is, he's only a snot-nosed kid of twelve or thirteen!

After reconsidering, the menial disciple relaxed again, his resolve in carrying out his plan growing even firmer.

Su Shi'er no longer cared what scheme he was plotting. After leaving behind a remark, he turned and walked away.

In the courtyard, Zhu Hanwei and the others watched Su Shi'er's departing back, each of them filled with envy.

If they had Su Shi'er's strength, how could they have been bullied by this menial disciple?

Only after the menial disciple saw Su Shi'er off did he breathe a sigh of relief. He then glared coldly at Zhu Hanwei and the others, threatening, "You little brats, if any of you dare tell anyone about what happened today, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

The group shuddered and nodded hurriedly, then left the Pill Pavilion in frustration.

But after witnessing Su Shi'er's move, they no longer feared the menial disciple as much.

"I never expected him to become this powerful in merely half a year."

"You know that person from earlier?"

"Of course. We came to the Yun Ge Sect together. Half a year ago, he was still a little beggar. As soon as he arrived, the Peak Master assigned him to the Waste Pill Room. Who would have thought that instead of learning to read from the instructor, he started cultivating first!"

As they walked along the road, everyone began to sigh with emotion.

"I remember the Peak Master saying that little beggar's Spiritual Root was terrible, so his cultivation should be very slow," Zhu Hanwei said at that moment.

"That's right! His Spiritual Root is so lousy. If I cultivate, I'll definitely progress faster than him. No, I need to hurry back and cultivate!" At Zhu Hanwei's reminder, a round-faced child immediately slapped his thigh and proudly lifted his chin.

After speaking, the round-faced child looked at the Foundation Cultivation Pill in his hand and ran toward his residence like the wind.

Seeing this, the other children followed suit and bolted toward their residences.

Very quickly, only Zhu Hanwei remained where he was. He had no Spiritual Root; compared to Su Shi'er, his cultivation speed could only be slower, never faster.

He turned to glance at the Pill Pavilion behind him, then looked at Su Shi'er walking along the mountain path.

After hesitating for a moment, Zhu Hanwei lowered his head to look at the object tucked into his robes. Gritting his teeth, he ran after Su Shi'er.

"Wait, Martial Brother, wait for me!"

"Hmm? Do you need something?" Su Shi'er had been walking on his own. When he heard the voice behind him, he was stunned for quite a while before realizing he was being called. Only then did he stop and look at the newcomer.

"Martial Brother, I want to buy some Foundation Cultivation Pills from you!" Zhu Hanwei was panting heavily, but when he saw Su Shi'er, a brilliant smile spread across his face.

"Buy Foundation Cultivation Pills? Why do you think I'd sell spiritual pills to you?" Su Shi'er was somewhat surprised as he examined Zhu Hanwei.

"Foundation Cultivation Pills are mainly meant for mortals without cultivation. Their effect on Qi Refiners who already have cultivation is much weaker. Therefore, many Martial Brothers in the sect who possess cultivation trade away the Foundation Cultivation Pills they receive each year in exchange for money or other cultivation resources!"

Zhu Hanwei immediately explained with a smile.

So that's how it is. It seems this little fatty has picked up quite a bit while serving as the Peak Master's pill boy!

Hearing this, Su Shi'er's heart stirred.

Foundation Cultivation Pills truly no longer had much use for him. If he could exchange them for something else, that would not be a bad idea.

Though he thought so, he did not reveal the slightest hint of it. Instead, he continued asking, "If I remember correctly, you don't have a Spiritual Root, do you? What do you want so many Foundation Cultivation Pills for?"

"The so-called lack of a Spiritual Root is merely because the Spiritual Root is covered in dust and cannot reveal itself naturally. With the aid of Medicinal Pills, there is still a chance for it to emerge. Foundation Cultivation Pills are one such pill."

"However, Spiritual Roots brought forth with the aid of Medicinal Pills are usually not very strong. That is why no immortal sect is willing to waste resources cultivating them."

Zhu Hanwei did not hide anything and smilingly told him all that he knew.

Su Shi'er narrowed his eyes. Recalling how, after taking a large number of top-grade Foundation Cultivation Pills, his perception of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi had indeed become clearer, he immediately knew that Zhu Hanwei was not lying.

Nodding, he continued, "It's not impossible to sell you a few Medicinal Pills. What price do you intend to offer?"

"High-grade Foundation Cultivation Pills cost one hundred taels of silver each at the trading plaza. If Martial Brother is willing to sell, I'll offer one hundred and twenty taels per pill." Zhu Hanwei's spirits lifted, and he quickly replied with a smile.

"The trading plaza? The one on Yi Huan Mountain?" Su Shi'er raised a brow, remembering that the Sect Manual had mentioned it.

To the east of the sect stood Yi Huan Mountain. There was a trading plaza on the mountain for Qi Refining Stage disciples from the various peaks to trade.

"That's right!" Zhu Hanwei nodded repeatedly and quickly added, "I've also collected some small items recently. If Martial Brother is interested, you can use them for an exchange as well."

As he spoke, he reached into his robes and pulled out a small bundle. Opening it revealed a pile of odds and ends.

Only then did Su Shi'er realize that this fellow was not actually as fat as he looked. He had simply been carrying a small bundle against his belly all along.

With a quick glance, he saw a broken blade, beast hides, beast bones, and even several unknown books among the items.

His gaze fell on those books, and he picked them up to flip through them.

There were three in total. One was an unidentified collection of miscellaneous notes, while the other two were martial arts manuals cultivated by worldly warriors.

Seeing Su Shi'er's gaze settle on the three books, Zhu Hanwei secretly rejoiced, though his face assumed a grave expression.

"Martial Brother has a discerning eye. This collection of notes was supposedly written by an incredibly powerful cultivator who traveled the world. I spent a full five hundred taels of silver just to acquire it!"

"These two martial arts manuals, the Eight Trigrams Eight Extremes Fist and Shadowless Illusionary Steps, are ancestral secret manuals of the Zhu family. Once mastered, splitting mountains and shattering rocks, or treading snow without leaving a trace, would be no difficult feat! Out in the world, these are treasures worth a thousand pieces of gold!"

As he spoke, Zhu Hanwei's spittle flew everywhere as he began wildly boasting.