Half a month later.
Moon Lake Market.
The Zhou Alchemy Shop, No. 1 Alchemy Room.
Xu Chuan emerged from the Pill Chamber and sent someone to fetch the shopkeeper.
"Guest Elder San Shu, did you need me?" Shopkeeper Zhou cupped his hands in greeting.
He looked to be in his forties or fifties. Although he, too, was a cultivator, he was only at the fourth layer of Qi Refining. With the lowest possible aptitude—a false spiritual root—he had all but been abandoned by his lineage and could only help manage its pill shop business in the market district.
There were quite a few people like him in the Zhou Household.
Fortunately, one of his dozen or so children had a mixed spiritual root. Although that child likewise had no hope of Foundation Establishment, reaching the late stage of Qi Refining under the lineage's tutelage should pose little difficulty.
That child was now learning alchemy at Elder Zhou Sen's side.
"These are the Qi-Replenishing Pills I just refined. Take a look."
Shopkeeper Zhou accepted them and swept them with his divine sense. There were five pills inside: one low-grade, three mid-grade, and one more...
"A High-Grade Pill?!"
Shopkeeper Zhou cried out and jerked his head up, staring at Xu Chuan in disbelief.
"I've merely made a little progress in the Pill Dao."
"No wonder Elder Zhou Sen keeps praising your talent for the Pill Dao as superior to his own. He was absolutely right!"
"Elder Zhou Sen was being overly generous. You mustn't take that seriously."
"Come here and record the pills Guest Elder San Shu refined in the ledger. With these three mid-grade Qi-Replenishing Pills included, you may take one."
Xu Chuan nodded mildly and took one.
That very day, Shopkeeper Zhou sent someone back to the Zhou Household to