With a slight sweep of his senses, he found that they were all Mid-Stage Qi Condensation experts.
Only a force like the Hundred Treasures Pavilion could afford the extravagance of using Mid-Stage Qi Condensation cultivators as guards.
Zhou Xun remained calm and composed as he strode inside.
Beyond the entrance was a hall a little over ten zhang wide.
Shelves filled the surroundings, holding countless treasures, all separated by restrictions.
Magical artifacts, talismans, pills, formations, flying boats, cultivation arts.
Everything was available.
It truly lived up to the name of Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
Quite a few cultivators were selecting treasures around the hall, each accompanied by an attendant explaining something.
"Honored guest, what would you like to purchase?" At that moment, an attendant in green approached and cupped his hands in greeting.
"I'm here to look at Pill Formulas," Zhou Xun said succinctly.
"Pill Formulas?"
Upon hearing those words, the attendant's expression instantly became much more respectful, though he did not ask any unnecessary questions.
"Please rest in an inner room. Our shopkeeper will come receive you personally shortly," the attendant said, leading Zhou Xun into an inner room.
"This is our shop's newly arrived Mingxiang Tea. Please have a taste first; the shopkeeper will be here shortly!"
The attendant brewed Zhou Xun a cup of spiritual tea, then respectfully took his leave.
Zhou Xun sat in his chair, lifted the spiritual tea, and took a gentle sip.
The tea entered his mouth, and a faint stream of Spiritual Qi rose between his lips and teeth, leaving behind a misty fragrance.
Zhou Xun circulated the Essence Cultivation Art slightly and refined it. That single sip was equal to several hours of his arduous cultivation.
"Fine tea!" Zhou Xun secretly praised it, intending to buy some to take home.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting, Fellow Daoist!" A smiling middle-aged man dressed like a wealthy squire entered from outside. He was also at Mid-Stage Qi Condensation.
"I only just sat down," Zhou Xun replied politely.
"I heard Fellow Daoist wishes to purchase a Pill Formula. May I ask which pill you require?" The middle-aged man sat to Zhou Xun's right.
"May I ask how much a Qi Induction Pill costs?" Zhou Xun did not hesitate and directly stated his needs.
"Qi Induction Pills? So Fellow Daoist is an established Pill Refinement Master. A pleasure, a pleasure!" The middle-aged man offered a small compliment before continuing.
"We have several Qi Induction Pill Formulas. The simplest version contains only the recipe for the Qi Induction Pill and costs merely ten Spirit Essences."
"A more detailed version includes the entire refinement process for the Qi Induction Pill and costs fifty Spirit Essences!"
"As for the complete version, it not only includes the entire refinement process for the Qi Induction Pill, but also gives detailed descriptions of the various problems one might encounter during refinement and their solutions."
"I believe that if Fellow Daoist buys it, you will soon learn how to refine Qi Induction Pills. It is not expensive either—only three spirit stones!"
Zhou Xun nodded upon hearing this.
The price was fairly reasonable. Qi Induction Pills were common pills, and practically every Pill Refinement Master kept their formula in their collection.
If it were an exclusive pill, they likely would not sell its formula even for thousands or tens of thousands of spirit stones.
Every exclusive pill could create a cultivation clan that flourished for centuries.
"I'll take the complete version." After pondering for a moment, Zhou Xun made his choice.
"Our Hundred Treasures Pavilion recently acquired several new pill furnaces. Would Fellow Daoist be interested in appraising one or two?" Having concluded a sale, the middle-aged shopkeeper appeared to be in a good mood and continued with his pitch.
"A pill refining furnace? I am indeed somewhat interested."
Zhou Xun's heart stirred, and he revealed an interested expression.
"Please wait a moment, Fellow Daoist!"
The middle-aged man smiled slightly, then rose and left the inner room.
Half a cup of tea later, the middle-aged man returned.
Two attendants followed behind him, each carrying a tray.
One tray held a thick booklet, presumably the Qi Induction Pill Formula.
The other held a one-foot-tall pill furnace.
"Please appraise it, Fellow Daoist!" The middle-aged shopkeeper casually placed the pill furnace on the table beside Zhou Xun.
With a wave of Zhou Xun's hand, the pill furnace floated lightly into the air. He bent a finger and flicked it gently.
Hum—
A clear, low hum rang out.
Then Zhou Xun slowly infused it with magical power.
A hazy layer of radiance immediately spread from the pill furnace.
"Not bad. A fine pill furnace!"
Zhou Xun could not bear to put it down. It was far better than the one in his Alchemy Room.
Seeing how interested Zhou Xun was, the middle-aged shopkeeper introduced it with a smile.
"This pill furnace is called Azure Cry. It was refined from first-rank high-grade Azure Nether Copper and the spirit bones of a second-rank Fire-Bearing Beast. The modest price is eighty spirit stones!"
"Eighty?"
The moment Zhou Xun heard the figure of eighty spirit stones, all thought of purchasing it went cold.
That was eighty spirit stones—over eight thousand Spirit Essences.
At Zhou Xun's current income, he would need to go without food or drink for seven or eight years before he could afford it.
Zhou Xun gently set the pill furnace back down.
"It is too expensive. I cannot afford it for the time being." Zhou Xun shook his head.
The middle-aged shopkeeper showed no change in expression upon hearing this. Instead, he consoled him.
"As a Pill Refinement Master, Fellow Daoist will surely earn this sum of spirit stones very soon!"
"Oh, and if Fellow Daoist refines any pills, our Myriad Treasures Pavilion purchases them as well!"
The middle-aged shopkeeper's tone was sincere, earning Zhou Xun's favorable impression.
Selling to the Myriad Treasures Pavilion was indeed another possible avenue.
In his previous life, Zhou Xun had seen far too many cases of distribution channels forcing manufacturers into submission.
With one more sales route, he could be more at ease.
"When the time comes, I will have to trouble Shopkeeper."
With that, Zhou Xun took out three hundred Spirit Essences and handed them to the shopkeeper.
He took the Qi Induction Pill Formula and left the Myriad Treasures Pavilion.
After leaving, Zhou Xun went to several other shops and purchased the remaining materials needed to refine Qi Induction Pills.
As for the main ingredient, Qi-Inducing Grass, Dan Xiong Hai's Second Uncle had given him one stalk, so he did not need to buy another.
Otherwise, he would not even have been able to gather enough materials for a single Qi Induction Pill.
After making several rounds and confirming that no one was following him, Zhou Xun finally found a corner, changed his disguise, and returned home.
After returning, Zhou Xun took out the Qi-Inducing Grass and compared it against the Qi Induction Pill Formula, familiarizing himself with its medicinal properties.
"If I had not already become a Medium Spiritual Root, I would have had no choice but to condense you!"
Looking at the Qi-Inducing Grass before him, Zhou Xun shook his head.
According to the Ningshun Sutra, the higher one's aptitude, the higher the grade of spiritual plant required for improvement.
"But can the essence condensed by the Ningshun Sutra only repair one's foundation and improve aptitude?" A flash of inspiration struck Zhou Xun.
Zhou Xun was a man of decisive action. The moment he thought of it, he acted. He immediately sought out a neighbor who worked as a spirit farmer and, under the excuse of studying the medicinal properties of spiritual plants, obtained several spiritual grain seedlings.
He prepared to begin an experiment.
The same process.
As he circulated the Ningshun Sutra, that mysterious, ineffable sensation appeared once more.
With a point of his hand toward the two-inch-tall spiritual grain seedlings, green motes soon emerged.
Compared to the previous time, the phenomenon was much weaker.
This was because Zhou Xun's proficiency had improved, and his control had strengthened.
"That is just as well. Otherwise, if every condensation caused such phenomena, others might catch a glimpse of it!"
Next, Zhou Xun took out the plant he had prepared beforehand.
He controlled the motes of light and sent them flying toward the plant.
Before you continue