[In the cultivation world, alchemists were skilled craftsmen of rare value.]
[Even in extreme circumstances, such as wars between major regions, craftsmen like alchemists could generally survive if they were captured and taken to another region.]
[They would merely lose their freedom.]
[Besides, you also held the status of a Pill Hall Guest Elder.]
[Next, Elder Wu explained a few more things you needed to keep in mind.]
[There was actually little to watch out for. As an alchemist, your concerns were mostly matters of pill refinement.]
[Surely they would not send an alchemist out on a mission to fight and kill?]
[Once he had explained everything, Elder Wu took you to the Pill Tower.]
[The Pill Tower stood in the Inner City District. Compared with an ordinary cave abode, it was much larger, with three floors.]
[It also had a courtyard.]
["Pill Master Wang, this will be your Pill Tower from now on."]
[Elder Wu smiled and said, "The first floor connects to the fire vein beneath the Immortal City, allowing you to draw upon the purest earthfire. The second and third floors are for cultivation and rest..."]
[You gave the place a cursory inspection and felt quite satisfied.]
[In the Inner City District, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold, even an ordinary senior cultivator at the late stage of Foundation Establishment might not have the wealth to afford a Pill Tower like this.]
[Only with the Pill Hall behind you could you enjoy such treatment.]
[After seeing Elder Wu off, you began setting up the Pill Tower.]
[First, you fine-tuned the earthfire.]
[Every alchemist had their own habits when it came to using earthfire.]
[Then you went to the second and third floors of the Pill Tower.]
[Each floor covered several hundred square meters and was connected to the Immortal City's spirit vein, providing abundant spiritual energy.]
[In the second year, you were eighteen and had largely adjusted to life as a Pill Hall Guest Elder.]
[You left the Pill Tower, intending to buy some second-tier spirit herbs and materials.]
["Pill Master Wang."]
[Along the way, a middle-aged man greeted you.]
["Pill Master Zhao."]
[You smiled.]
[This Pill Master Zhao was none other than the alchemist Zhao Kan.]
[In your second simulation, the Foundation Establishment Pill you had used to attempt your breakthrough had come from his hands.]
[At present, however, Zhao Kan was not a second-order Mid-Grade Alchemist, but a seasoned second-order Low-Grade Pill Master.]
[During your year as a Pill Hall Guest Elder, you had met many fellow guest elders, including Zhao Kan.]
[You chatted with Zhao Kan for a while, mainly exchanging your experiences in alchemy.]
Outside the simulation, Zhou Qing could not help feeling a surge of emotion.
In both his first and second simulations, Zhao Kan had been an important figure Zhou Qing could only look up to.
In the first simulation, even Ye Feng had needed Pill Master Yun's help to secure a visit with Zhao Kan.
In the second simulation, although Zhou Qing had met Zhao Kan, the man's lofty position had left a deep impression on him. Even cultivators as powerful as those in the Foundation Establishment Realm had to obediently line up outside if they wanted to see him.
Yet now, Zhao Kan laughed and chatted with Zhou Qing as though they had been friends for years.
My starting point in this simulation is far higher than in the previous two.
Zhou Qing reflected that every simulation was a form of accumulation for him. Unless he died right at the beginning, he would always gain something.
Even dying at the beginning was not entirely meaningless. At least he could gain a talent.
However, the talent awarded depended on Zhou Qing's performance in the simulation. If he died at the very beginning, his performance would probably fall into the lowest category, and the resulting talent might not even measure up to pill toxin bane.
As these thoughts rose and fell, you continued watching the ever-changing illusory text.
[After exchanging alchemy insights with Zhao Kan and agreeing on a time for your next discussion, you headed to the Immortal City's Spirit Medicine Pavilion to buy spirit materials and herbs.]
[Half a day later, you returned to the Pill Tower.]
["Pill Master Wang..." Two gracefully built female Qi Refining Cultivators approached.]
[These two female Qi Refining Cultivators were the maids assigned to you by the Pill Hall. Their bearing was delicate, with the demure charm of girls from modest households.]
[The two young female cultivators were named Chunhua and Qiuyue. One was at the second layer of Qi Refining, and the other was at the first.]
[As maids, besides attending to your daily needs and alchemy supplies, they could naturally also help you relax and vent your desires.]
[You were not particularly averse to this.]
[That very evening, after finishing your cultivation, you took both female cultivators to bed.]
[On the bed, Chunhua's and Qiuyue's embroidered shoes and white stockings lay scattered everywhere.]
[You glanced at the two female cultivators, who had fallen into an exhausted stupor.]
[Traces of tears still lingered at the corners of their eyes.]
[Clearly, receiving your favor had not been a particularly wonderful experience for the two female cultivators.]
[For one thing, your body, strengthened by the third level of the "Mountain and Sea Body Refining Art," surpassed that of Foundation Establishment cultivators at the same stage.]
[The two female cultivators were only in the early stages of Qi Condensation, so naturally they struggled to endure it.]
[For another, it was probably because your disguised appearance was that of a round-faced, yellow-bearded middle-aged man, far too greasy-looking in the eyes of these young female Qi Refining Cultivators.]
[At least from your appearance, you were definitely over a hundred years old, while the two female cultivators were only around twenty.]
[To young women who longed for beauty, your advanced age and greasy appearance were naturally difficult to accept.]
[You suspected the latter was probably the main reason.]
[If you removed your disguise and took the two female Qi Refining Cultivators to bed with your true appearance, they probably would not react like this.]
[Although you understood what the two female cultivators were thinking,]
[You had no intention of accommodating their wishes.]
[In the cultivation world, anyone who wanted to gain something had to pay a price.]
[As your maids, they could not only receive your protection but also learn the art of alchemy.]
[Compared with your treatment as Pill Master Yun's apprentice in the first simulation, these two female Qi Refining Cultivators had it countless times better.]
[With gains like these, paying a small price was perfectly normal.]
[If your positions were reversed, and someone could greatly improve your alchemical skills, you would also be willing to pay a price.]
["...Only half a month left until the slots for the Jade Moon Pool become available."]
[You lay on the bed, thinking to yourself.]
[According to the information you had gathered, slots for the Jade Moon Pool would be sold at auction.]
[If you wanted a slot, you had to participate in the auction, with the highest bidder winning.]
[In the past three auctions, the prices of slots for the Jade Moon Pool]
[Had ranged from fifteen thousand to thirty thousand spirit stones.]
["At present, I have eighteen thousand spirit stones..."]
[Zhou Qing thought to himself.]
[Ultimately, you had been a second-order alchemist for too short a time-only a year or two.]
[Of the eighteen thousand spirit stones you currently possessed, some were left over from clearing out rogue cultivators, while the rest had been borrowed from other guest elders.]
[An alchemist's wealth was built up over the years. Having become a second-order alchemist only a year or two ago, you naturally had not accumulated many spirit stones.]
["Eighteen thousand spirit stones. Hopefully, that will be enough."]
[You let out a soft breath and waited for the day the Jade Moon Pool slots became available.]