Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Expensive Pills, Frenzied Cultivators
Second floor of the Four Seasons Sect shop.
Although it was called a Tier-A box, the interior space was enormous, roughly an acre in size. It was unclear if there was some spatial array expanding it.
Li Ye initially intended to blend in with the crowd and quietly observe what was happening.
As soon as he entered, he was discovered by Su Ya. The latter’s eyes lit up but did not shout. He merely pointed to a nearby screen.
Li Ye had no choice but to walk over.
Then, he and Su Ya, who was waiting there, entered behind the screen together.
Once inside, it was as if they were completely isolated from the external noise, but they could clearly see the outside scene through the screen.
"Taoist Friend Li, have you been staying home for the past ten days?" Su Ya picked up a teapot and poured a cup of tea.
He chuckled lightly, "Ninth-Layer Qi Refining, it seems soon you and I can truly call each other Taoist friends, and later even refer to each other as senior and junior brothers."
Upon hearing this, Li Ye hurriedly waved his hand, humbly saying, "I was fortunate to get to this point, but I do look forward to calling you senior brother!"
"By the way, I brought a gift for you."
He reached out to take a bottle of Peach Blossom Wine from his Storage Pouch and placed it on the table, saying:
"Taoist Friend Su, take a look. This is Peach Blossom Wine that I brewed, using branches from our Peach Garden gathering."
"Oh?" Su Ya immediately took the bottle, opened it directly, sniffed it slightly, and tasted a sip. A look of ecstasy appeared on his face.
"It truly is delicious. This Peach Blossom Wine is also a great material for alchemy.
If you trust me, I’ve recently obtained some Spiritual Liquid from the Snow. I can use it to refine pills."
Spiritual Liquid from the Snow?
Li Ye’s heart was moved, and he followed up with a question:
"I was fortunate, and also discovered some special spiritual liquid in the snow. Could you please explain its effects?"
"Oh, that spiritual liquid was drawn out by our sect’s Nascent Soul Ancestor from some Grotto Heaven.
That Grotto Heaven is extremely unique, with snow and sea light intertwining. When spiritual qi clashes, it creates a kind of spiritual liquid."
"Divine Snow Spirit Liquid."
Su Ya spread his palm, and floating above it was a liquid of a clear sky blue and deep sea blue mixed together, looking slightly better than the one Li Ye had purified.
"This substance has diverse effects, but its most important feature is its ability to blend perfectly with spiritual water. Except for some special spiritual liquids and waters, it can merge with all others.
Take this Peach Blossom Wine, for instance. Adding some Divine Snow Spirit Liquid will certainly enrich its flavor and enhance its potency."
Li Ye nodded as if learning: "So that’s how it is."
Meanwhile, as the two conversed, the auction outside had already begun.
A beautiful female cultivator walked onto the central platform, smiling and introduced herself:
"I am Mo Dingwu, entrusted by Pill Master Su Ya to host this auction. All the pills sold today are made by Pill Master Su and certified by the Four Seasons Sect."
"There is no need for extra words from me. The first item for bidding today is the Clear Snow Spirit Pill made by Pill Master Su using the White Crystal of a Snow Demon."
She took out an exquisite box.
On the golden red satin lay three pills as clear as snow, exuding wisps of white cold air flowing out of the box.
"The effects of this item may be unknown to you, Taoist friends. If you are trapped in an illusion, taking one pill will instantly clear the mind and break the barrier.
Fellow Taoists exploring outside or seeking treasures in grotto heavens should not miss it."
"This spirit pill is a second-tier spirit pill, belonging to the category of special pills."
"The starting bid is two hundred Spirit Stones."
No sooner had her voice fallen than several cultivators began frantically raising their bids.
In the end, it was sold at respective prices of four hundred, four hundred and two, and four hundred and sixty Spirit Stones.
And these were mere second-tier spirit pills!
"It was worth my effort to refine the spirit pills. Speaking of which, I have to thank you, Taoist Friend Li, for those five flint fire seeds. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to melt them so quickly."
Su Ya was all smiles: "I even saved two specially for you."
He handed a box to Li Ye, revealing two smooth white pills inside.
"How can I accept this?"
"Why not? We’re friends, just consider it a gift from me. It’s normal for friends to exchange gifts."
"Let’s not measure the value of gifts between us—these are just gifts, after all, and can’t be assessed by value."
Su Ya pushed the box closer.
This Pill Master Su’s demeanor indeed made Li Ye feel a mix of admiration and gratitude. He simply smiled broadly and said, "Thank you for the gift, Taoist Friend."
"No need to be polite. Look, the pills we’ve collaborated on are next for auction!" Su Ya pointed outside. Li Ye followed his gaze, and saw Mo Dingwu taking out another exquisite box.
Inside were two pills with golden and red hues interwoven, seemingly with dragon scale patterns.
"These are called Golden Red Beauty Pills."
"Pill Master Su made them using the scales of a Golden Red Dragon Carp and the juice of a special Spirit Plant, combined with many other spiritual materials, refining them laboriously over eighty-one days to finally obtain these two pills."
"After consuming this pill, one can maintain their appearance unchanged for twenty years and also enhance beauty.
If the effect diminishes within twenty years, the buyer can seek Pill Master Su at the Four Seasons Sect for an explanation!"
Mo Dingwu finished the introduction, gently touching her lovely face, and sighed softly:
"If I weren’t the auctioneer, I too would want to vie for these pills with everyone else."
"How many Spirit Stones are they starting at?" A cultivator below, already impatient, asked. Pills serving preservation purposes are produced in extremely few numbers, yet the market demand remains high.
It’s a rarity to encounter them, and he certainly wouldn’t miss out.
"As usual, starting from two hundred." As soon as Mo Dingwu’s words ended, the bidding from below surged past the five hundred mark.
It continued rising, with both male and female cultivators competing, as though hundreds of Spirit Stones were as common as stones on the roadside.
Li Ye’s eyes widened in amazement.
"This..."
He just purchased the Golden Red Dragon Carp and the Spirit Water Phoenix Eye Lotus over a month ago, and the materials could actually be refined into pills that maintain appearance unchanging for twenty years? Could it be real?
"It seems Taoist Friend Li is quite surprised." Su Ya explained, "Not to mention that finding the pill formula is difficult, your unique spiritual materials are indeed fascinating.
Although they’re of a lower tier, they are very special.
The scales of the Golden Red Dragon Carp infused with some gourd’s moisturizing spiritual qi; the gourd maintains spiritual qi resilience while also having the special blood qi of the Golden Red Dragon Carp. The fusion of the two, the quality is simply rare.
The most wonderful part is that this fusion occurred without any external force, perfectly natural.
During alchemy, I didn’t need to use any special method; the formation of the pill was as natural as a flowing river."
He genuinely found it miraculous.
That natural feeling during alchemy absolutely enchanted him, the fusion of different spiritual powers being remarkably smooth.
He thought that if he ever encountered other spiritual materials, they probably wouldn’t be as good as what he got from Taoist Friend Li Ye.
For an alchemist, this was truly rare, even the other senior brothers within the sect would definitely regard him as an equal.
This is why he was so enthusiastic; he truly found Li Ye to be special and sincerely wanted to befriend him.