Wild Medicine Refining!

The pharmacy owner nodded and began calculating the price of the goods.

"One piece of Millennial Whale Rubber, I'll count it as seventy Gold Soul Coins."

"Five pieces of Century Whale Rubber, plus this black piece makes six. Thirty Gold Soul Coins altogether."

"And these sea snake fangs, coral bones... all these miscellaneous items come to six hundred Gold Soul Coins."

"How does that sound?"

"Fine. We'll do it your way."

The two quickly completed the transaction.

The pharmacy owner handed the Gold Soul Coins to the bearded man.

The man weighed the money pouch in his hand, then left the pharmacy with his subordinates in satisfaction.

Wukong, who had watched everything from the side, finally let out a long sigh of relief inwardly.

It was good that they had not recognized it!

Heaven was truly helping him!

This way, he could snag that piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber at a bargain price.

It was not that Wukong was unwilling to pay a high price for it.

The main issue was that his strength was still too weak. If he acted too extravagantly and easily revealed that he possessed enormous wealth—

He would easily attract the attention of desperate criminals.

He still understood the principle of not flaunting one's wealth.

Getting a treasure at a low price was both cheaper and safer. Why not?

After the group of sea merchants had gone far away, the pharmacy owner was preparing to put the newly acquired Whale Rubber into the counter.

Wukong stepped forward at just the right moment. "Boss."

The owner stopped what he was doing and looked at Wukong in confusion.

"Young master, is there anything else you would like to buy?"

Wukong pointed at the pieces of Whale Rubber on the counter. "I see you just received a batch of Whale Rubber. I'll take all of these too. Name your price."

The pharmacy owner's face immediately lit up with joy.

He had just bought the goods, and he could already sell them on. Making money did not get any easier than this.

"Young master, you saw what happened just now, so you know my purchase price. I won't cheat you. I'll sell you all this Whale Rubber, and you can just give me fifty... no, forty Gold Soul Coins as a handling fee."

Wukong understood that. After all, the cost of access to suppliers was the most expensive part. That was also the trade's custom.

For that piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber, forget forty extra Gold Soul Coins—even if the markup were one thousand or ten thousand Gold Soul Coins, he would have paid it.

"Fine. Forty extra it is."

Wukong readily took out the Gold Soul Coins and handed them over.

The owner grinned from ear to ear, swiftly packed up all the Whale Rubber, and gave it to Wukong.

After leaving the pharmacy, Wukong was in an excellent mood.

He had really stepped in dog shit today. Who would have thought he would run into such an incredible stroke of luck?

Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber!

If this stuff were put up for auction in the future, it would definitely fetch an astronomical price.

And even then, it would be something money could not buy.

However, refining Whale Rubber required an extremely high temperature.

Most people used specially made high-temperature furnaces to roast it.

Or they sought help from Soul Masters with fire-attributed martial souls.

Wukong did not have a fire-attributed martial soul, but he had the Ice-Fire Twin Dragon Staff.

This natal spirit artifact could not only release Ultimate Ice, but also stimulate Ultimate Fire.

Refining a few pieces of Whale Rubber with it would be as easy as turning over his hand.

Before that, though, he still had something else to do.

Wukong walked down the street and soon arrived at the Ink and Brush Bookstore he had visited yesterday.

The shopkeeper was sitting behind the counter, dozing off.

Hearing footsteps, the shopkeeper abruptly opened his eyes.

When he saw Wukong, he immediately put on a warm smile.

"Oh, young master, you're back."

Wukong nodded and walked up to the counter.

"I finished reading them. Today, I'd like to buy something else."

"Do you have any books about the continent's history, geography, and customs?"

The shopkeeper nodded repeatedly and came out from behind the counter.

"Yes, yes, yes. This way, please."

The shopkeeper led Wukong to the innermost row of bookshelves.

"These rows are all about history and geography."

"This is the Annals of the Heaven Dou Empire, and this is the Star Luo Customs Record."

"And this one, Detailed Study of Soul Master World Faction Distribution, sells especially well too."

Wukong casually pulled out a copy of Detailed Study of Soul Master World Faction Distribution and flipped through a few pages.

It contained detailed records of the Upper Three Sects, the Lower Four Sects, and some basic information about Spirit Hall.

Although many core secrets were not included, it was more than enough as background reference material.

"Fine, I'll take all of these."

"Also, pick out a few books on folk legends, heroic biographies, and the like."

Wukong planned to adapt the novels from his previous life for this world.

The more he learned about this world's folk culture, the more immersive his writing would be.

The shopkeeper immediately got to work, taking more than a dozen thick books down from the shelves.

"Young master, these are all the most comprehensive mythological biographies in our store."

"Six Silver Soul Coins in total."

Wukong readily paid, then stored the large stack of books in his Hundred Treasures Pouch.

After leaving the bookstore, Wukong turned around and went to a carpenter's shop.

He spent one Silver Soul Coin to buy an oversized wooden bathtub.

The tub was made from high-quality ironwood, sturdy and durable. It was perfect for soaking in a medicinal bath.

After finishing all that, Wukong did not hurry back to the inn.

Refining Whale Rubber was delicate work, and he could not be disturbed midway.

Moreover, it was his first time refining Whale Rubber, and he had no experience. It would be troublesome if he caused any commotion.

For safety's sake, Wukong decided to do it in the wilderness.

Not far outside Dragon Rising City lay a range of rolling mountains.

Wukong followed the main road out of the city gate, then took a secluded trail straight into the forest.

After walking roughly seven or eight li, Wukong found a natural cave halfway up a mountain.

The cave was not large, but it was very well hidden. Its entrance was completely covered by dense vines.

Wukong pushed aside the vines and entered. The inside was fairly dry.

He cleared away the stones, dead branches, and fallen leaves on the ground, making a flat open space.

Then Wukong sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began circulating the meditation method he had just modified and optimized yesterday. He used it to pass the time while waiting for nightfall.

Time passed bit by bit.

The sky outside gradually darkened.

The sun set, and night fell.

The forest became quiet and still. Only the occasional chirping of insects and the rustling of leaves in the night wind could be heard.

Wukong opened his eyes and stopped cultivating.

He removed the Ruyi Hundred Treasures Pouch from his waist and opened its mouth.

"Cai Lin, come out and get some air."

A streak of colorful light flew out of the pouch and landed on the ground.

Cai Lin revealed her true form.

"Hisss—"

She had been stuck inside the Hundred Treasures Pouch for several days and had long been suffocating from boredom.

The moment she came out, she happily slithered around Wukong twice, her tail cheerfully slapping against the ground.

To keep Cai Lin from feeling bored, Wukong usually left the Ice-Fire Twin Dragon Staff in the Hundred Treasures Pouch to keep her company.

After all, the aura of the Twin Dragon Kings' origin emanating from the Ice-Fire Twin Dragon Staff was greatly beneficial to Cai Lin's cultivation.

Wukong stretched out his hand, palm facing upward.

"Cai Lin, give me the staff."

Cai Lin opened her mouth and spat out a red-and-blue streak of light, which landed in Wukong's hand.

It was the Ice-Fire Twin Dragon Staff.