A week later, the Alchemist Association in Glory City was bustling as never before.
Morning sunlight fell over the association's magnificent building. A long line had already formed outside, and the crowd thronged together amid an unending clamor.
Inside the Alchemist Association's pill sales hall, the staff were run off their feet.
Various pills were neatly arranged in display cases, giving off alluring glows and rich medicinal fragrances.
A sign beside each kind of pill listed its price and quantity.
Soul-Nourishing Pills: 150,000 Demon Spirit Coins per bottle, 5 pills per bottle. Body Tempering Pills: 20,000 Demon Spirit Coins per bottle, 5 pills per bottle. Barrier-Breaking Pills: 2,000,000 Demon Spirit Coins per bottle, 1 pill per bottle. Origin-Restoring Pills: 10,000 Demon Spirit Coins per bottle, 10 pills per bottle.
"I want five bottles of Soul-Nourishing Pills!" a middle-aged man shouted eagerly. His eyes shone as he stared fixedly at the jade bottles holding the Soul-Nourishing Pills, as though he could see his hope of growing stronger within them.
"I'm sorry, sir. Soul-Nourishing Pills are limited to one bottle per person." The staff member patiently explained while deftly processing the customers' purchases.
"What? How could one bottle be enough? I finally managed to save up the money, and now you're deliberately making things difficult for me!" The middle-aged man grew agitated, his voice rising.
Just then, an elderly man beside him said slowly, "Young man, be content with what you can get. Ever since these Soul-Nourishing Pills went on sale, demand has far exceeded supply. You're lucky to get even one bottle."
A young woman beside the elderly man agreed. "That's right. I heard these Soul-Nourishing Pills are remarkably effective at increasing soul force. Lots of control-type Demon Spirit Masters are flocking to them like ducks to water."
Another display case was likewise surrounded by people, this time scrambling for Body Tempering Pills.
"Give me three bottles of Body Tempering Pills. They're for my two sons and me," a burly man said loudly.
"I'm sorry, sir. Body Tempering Pills are also limited to one bottle per person," the staff member said helplessly. The burly man's brows knitted, displeasure showing on his face, but he could only accept it.
The atmosphere at the Barrier-Breaking Pill counter was even more tense.
Many people felt that the Barrier-Breaking Pills were simply too expensive.
"These Barrier-Breaking Pills may be expensive, but they can raise the success rate of breaking through from Bronze Rank to Silver Rank by fifty percentage points. They're absolutely worth the price!" a lavishly dressed young noble said.
"Hmph, easy for you to say. Two million Demon Spirit Coins a bottle-how many people can afford that?" A more plainly dressed young man beside him snorted.
"If you can't afford them, stop standing here spouting sour grapes. I came here today to buy Barrier-Breaking Pills. My young master is about to break through his bottleneck," the servant beside the young noble declared arrogantly.
The crowd buying Origin-Restoring Pills was relatively less packed, but customers still came in an endless stream.
"These Origin-Restoring Pills can quickly restore soul force and stamina. They're lifesavers in a fight. Give me two bottles," someone who looked like an adventurer said.
The Alchemist Association's senior members stood upstairs, watching the bustling scene in the hall with gratified smiles.
President Gu Yan remarked with feeling, "Thanks to young Brother Xiao's pill formulas, our Alchemist Association's standing in Glory City has risen by another great leap."
The alluring, voluptuous Director Yang nodded in agreement beside him. "Indeed. These pills have not only brought the association substantial profits, but also attracted more people to the path of alchemy. They've given an enormous boost to the development of the entire profession."
Meanwhile, on the mountain behind the Sacred Orchid Institute, Xiao Tianhao and Xiao Ning'er were sparring.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps between the leaves, casting patches of dappled light and shadow over them.
With a longsword in hand, Xiao Ning'er attacked Xiao Tianhao, her movements light and graceful as her blade flashed through glittering flourishes.
Xiao Tianhao remained unhurried, stepping lightly to deftly evade Xiao Ning'er's attacks while occasionally offering guidance. "Ning'er, your sword strikes still lack force. Concentrate your strength at the tip of your sword."
Xiao Ning'er's cheeks flushed faintly. She nodded earnestly and thrust her sword again.
This time, her strike was indeed much fiercer.
Xiao Tianhao turned slightly aside and reached out to gently catch the sword tip between his fingers. "Not bad. You're improving quickly," he said with a smile.
Looking at Xiao Tianhao so close to her, Xiao Ning'er could not help feeling her heartbeat quicken.
She lightly bit her lip and said, "Tianhao, you're always so amazing."
She was now Three-Star Bronze Rank, only one star below Xiao Tianhao, yet the gap between them was enormous.
Seeing Xiao Ning'er's slightly petulant expression, Xiao Tianhao's heart stirred. He could not resist reaching out to gently stroke her head. "Don't rush. You've already been working very hard. As long as you keep at it, you'll definitely grow stronger."
Xiao Ning'er blushed even more, but she still lifted her head and said with determination written all over her face, "Mm. I'll definitely keep following in your footsteps."
A gentle breeze brushed past, stirring their hair, as though time itself had stopped at that moment.
Over the past few days, Nie Li and the others had bought up almost all the violet orchid grass in Glory City.
As Nie Li sorted through the violet orchid grass, he muttered to himself, "I've already submitted 'On the Applications of Violet Orchid Grass in Alchemy' to the Alchemist Association. Now I just have to wait for things to ferment."
Sure enough, inside the Alchemist Association, a group of alchemists had gathered around a table, carefully studying the article Nie Li had sent.
"This article offers a very original analysis of violet orchid grass. How did we never discover these properties before? I just don't know whether these effects are real," a veteran alchemist said.
"Yes, I've never heard of any of these ideas. Why don't we verify the effects first?" another alchemist agreed.
President Gu Yan stood nearby, nodding slightly with emotion. "I wonder who sent this article. The handwriting doesn't look like young Brother Xiao's, either. Where has another master alchemist suddenly sprung from? It seems our Alchemist Association is going to return to its peak."
Throughout Glory City's streets and alleys, people were eagerly discussing these recent developments.
"Have you heard? The new pills released by the Alchemist Association are incredible. People are scrambling to buy them," a young man in blue robes said.
"Of course I have. I'm thinking of trying my luck and seeing if I can get a bottle of Body Tempering Pills. Maybe they'll help me grow a little stronger," a black-clad young man replied.
"I wonder which master alchemist invented those pills."
"Ah, I'm at the peak of Bronze Rank now, and I want to buy a bottle of Barrier-Breaking Pills, but they're too expensive. I've decided to head back to the Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range and hunt some Demon Beasts to sell," a burly man sighed.
At that moment, a group of black-robed figures had appeared unnoticed in a secluded corner.
Their faces were completely hidden beneath their black robes, leaving only a sliver of their chins exposed. The enormous Black Demon Emblems on the backs of their robes looked hideous and terrifying.
One subordinate whispered to their leader, "Deacon Yun Hua, should we steal the pill formulas from the Alchemist Association?"
The leader, Deacon Yun Hua, immediately slapped the subordinate.
"Idiot! The Alchemist Association is heavily guarded, with experts as thick as clouds. Do you think you can just walk in whenever you please? Are you a pig?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" The subordinate immediately acknowledged his mistake in a low voice.
"You, come here." Deacon Yun Hua beckoned to another subordinate.
"Deacon Yun Hua, what are your orders?"
Deacon Yun Hua turned slightly toward the subordinate and spoke.
"Find out where this batch of pill formulas came from. The Alchemist Association has never had pills like these before. They couldn't have appeared out of thin air."
"Do this... then this... understood?"
"Yes, your subordinate understands."
"Good. Go."
Finally, the black-robed figures slowly slipped into the darkness, disappearing from the corner.
Elsewhere.
Xiao Tianhao and Xiao Ning'er returned from a visit to the Alchemist Association. Xiao Tianhao now had another Space Ring in his hand.
Director Yang had prepared 10 bottles of Barrier-Breaking Pills, 50 bottles of Soul-Nourishing Pills, 100 bottles of Body Tempering Pills, and 300 bottles of Origin-Restoring Pills for him.
"Ning'er, these are for you."
As he spoke, Xiao Tianhao took 1 bottle of Barrier-Breaking Pills, 15 bottles of Soul-Nourishing Pills, 30 bottles of Body Tempering Pills, and 60 bottles of Origin-Restoring Pills out of his Space Ring.
Xiao Ning'er could not help hesitating.
"Isn't this too much? You still need to share some with Nie Li and the others, don't you?"
Smiling, Xiao Tianhao pressed the pills into Xiao Ning'er's hands. "Ning'er, these will be a great help in increasing your strength. It's not too much. I've prepared some for Nie Li and the others, too."
Looking at the pills in her hands, Xiao Ning'er was filled with gratitude. She nodded gently and put them away.
After parting with Xiao Ning'er, Xiao Tianhao went to find Nie Li and the others.
When he met Nie Li, Lu Piao, Du Ze, the others, and his roommate Wang Hu, he gave each of them a share of every kind of pill he had.
Each received 1 bottle of Barrier-Breaking Pills, 3 bottles of Soul-Nourishing Pills, 5 bottles of Body Tempering Pills, and 10 bottles of Origin-Restoring Pills.
"Didn't I say a few days ago that I'd give everyone some pills? These are the ones. They'll be a great help in increasing your strength, so take them," he said. Nie Li and the others were both surprised and delighted, and they all thanked Xiao Tianhao.
"Tianhao, you've really helped us out this time. With these pills, our cultivation will progress much faster."
Nie Li said this with considerable delight as well. After all, he had not even reached Bronze Rank yet and could not refine pills at all. Although he would later give the pill formulas to the Alchemist Association to have them refined, that was still a matter for the future.
Wang Hu was only a commoner. It had already been extremely difficult for his family to scrape together enough money to send him to the Sacred Orchid Institute. He had never seen so many high-grade pills before, and tears of gratitude immediately streamed down his face.
He kept saying that from this day onward, his life belonged to Xiao Tianhao.
Du Ze, Wei Nan, Zhu Xiangjun, and Zhang Ming were also excited beyond measure, thanking Xiao Tianhao over and over.
Although Lu Piao came from an established family, it was no great clan. He received very few pills each year, and his family could not afford any precious ones; they were merely ordinary pills.
At the sight of so many valuable pills, he was practically drooling and wanted to acknowledge Xiao Tianhao as his big brother on the spot.
"Tianhao, do you have a cultivation method right now?" Nie Li asked, unwilling to accept Xiao Tianhao's pills for nothing.
Naturally, Xiao Tianhao knew what Nie Li meant.
"I already have my own cultivation method. You don't need to give me one."
"All right. If you need anything, come to me. As long as it's within my power, I certainly won't refuse." Nie Li had only asked in passing. In truth, he could not discern Xiao Tianhao's background either, but he knew that Xiao Tianhao was anything but ordinary.
"I certainly won't stand on ceremony with you."
Xiao Tianhao replied with a smile. Although he had given everyone quite a few pills, what remained was enough for his own use. He still had 2 bottles of Barrier-Breaking Pills, 14 bottles of Soul-Nourishing Pills, 35 bottles of Body Tempering Pills, and 170 bottles of Origin-Restoring Pills.
They chatted for a while longer, and then Xiao Tianhao parted ways with them.
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