Dao of Money

When Chen Ren stepped out of the stone chamber, the first thing he noticed was the sunlight, then the other alchemist already gathered, and finally, the cheer that erupted from the crowd.

He doubted it was for him.

More likely, it was the audience finally releasing the breath they’d been holding, eager to see the final results. Now that all five alchemists had returned, the real spectacle—the announcement of the winner—could begin.

He kept walking, pretending calm in the exterior even though his robes were clinging slightly from sweat and the faint scent of burnt qi still clung to him. His thumb still had dried blood and his energy reserves were drained more than he liked to admit, but his eyes remained steady as he approached the central platform.

The officials were already gathered there.

In the center stood City Lord Bai Huiqin flanked by ministers and civil officers. Chen Ren recognized a few of them, and one even offered him a subtle nod and smile.

Then there was the Darkmoon Sect leader.

The man stood quietly off to the side. He didn’t look at Chen Ren. Didn’t acknowledge him. Just stared off somewhere else, as though the proceedings were beneath his interest.

That was fine by Chen Ren.

He moved closer, just as Tau Liu stepped away from the group to meet him halfway.

The younger man gave a polite bow. “Were you successful, Sect Leader Chen?”

“I was. And you?”

“I was able to make a Blazing Stone Pill,” Tau Liu replied, a small note of pride in his voice. “My master helped me refine it before the trials. I had a lot of faith in it.”

The way his face lit up made Chen Ren believe the young man had done it well, but, well only time will tell.

“Let’s see if the city lord thinks the same.”

With that, he continued forward, Tau Liu falling into step beside him.

As they reached the stage, the announcer’s voice rose once again, magnified with qi.

“Now that we finally have all our alchemists present,” he declared, “and each of them has completed their pills within the allotted time, it’s time to reveal what you’ve all been waiting for. Now, I’m sure that you all have been waiting to see the winner. But it won’t be me who decides the winner,” the announcer continued, grinning. “No, that honor belongs to the protector of Broken Ridge City himself—City Lord Bai Huiqin!”

At that, the people cheered once again. City Lord Bai Huiqin stood up gracefully, and carried himself forward with the charisma of a seasoned statesman. When he raised his hands to calm the cheering crowd, the entire arena halted.

“People of Broken Ridge City,” he said, “and all those who have traveled from afar to witness this event, I trust you have enjoyed today’s display of skill, discipline, and brilliance from some of the finest young alchemists in our region.”

Another cheer rolled through the stands like a tide, and City Lord Bai Huiqin paused—perfectly timed, as though he’d rehearsed this exact beat a dozen times before. Then he smiled again, continuing.

“Out of all the talented alchemists who took part, only five remain. The ones who stand at the forefront of our city’s future and perhaps even the empire’s.”

He gestured to the line of alchemists standing before him.

“But only one will be crowned the champion,” he declared, his voice deepening with dramatic flair. “And that alchemist shall receive a thousand spirit stones, an Earth-grade cauldron, a collection of rare herbs, and a special manual on advanced alchemy passed down through Broken Ridge’s elite alchemists.”

Chen Ren fought the urge to yawn.

The speech went on for another twenty minutes, filled with lofty praise, historical references, and ceremonial flourishes. The kind that made the crowd cheer louder with each rising crescendo, but to Chen Ren, it all blended together. He imagined the city lord gave some version of this every year, swapping a few names and stories, but keeping the structure the same.

He’d give the man credit—he had stamina.

Finally, after what felt like an entire lecture scroll’s worth of words, the City Lord turned his gaze back to the competitors.

“And now… it’s time to see what these brilliant alchemists have created. Last year, we witnessed the unveiling of the Crimson Nerve Pill and the Shadowburst Pellet—both of which became staples among our city’s elite hunters.”

A few audience members clapped at the mention, clearly familiar with the names.

“I hope,” Bai Huiqin added, “that this year’s creations will be just as valuable, if not more so.”

With that, he stepped back, and the announcer strode forward again, arms wide.

“To begin the final evaluations,” he called out, “we’ll start with Ningkai of the Darkmoon Sect—the reigning champion, and the alchemist who finished first today!”

Ningkai dramatically adjusted his sleeves and walked toward the stage and bowed.

“This lowly alchemist is honored,” he said smoothly, “to present the Silver Vein Pill to City Lord Bai Huiqin.”

He opened the jade box smoothly. Inside, there was a shiny white pill.

“This pill,” Ningkai continued, “holds sixty percent purity. It enhances and temporarily strengthens the meridians throughout the body, making it ideal for short bursts of combat or difficult breakthroughs.”

Murmurs of approval echoed from the stands.

It was an impressive start—sixty percent purity and a utility-based effect that would appeal to many. Chen Ren watched without expression, though he noted every word, every reaction.

“Really? That’s extraordinary,” the City Lord said, leaning in slightly, his voice tinged with genuine curiosity.

Ningkai gave a humble smile, though pride sparkled in his eyes. “It’s my life’s work, City Lord.”

With a nod, Bai Huiqin gestured to one of the guards standing beside the officials.

“Let’s test it, then.”

The guard, a tall, broad-shouldered man with a comparatively smaller waist in reinforced armor stepped forward and accepted the pill with a quiet bow. He held it up, examining it briefly, and for a moment, Chen Ren found himself narrowing his eyes.

What’s going on in his head right now?

Even a fool knew that testing an unverified pill was dangerous. Pills that weren’t tested by hundreds could rupture meridians, twist the body from within, or worse. And yet… this man didn’t look like he’d back down.

Without hesitation, the guard gulped down the pill.

Almost instantly, the man’s body tensed—shoulders stiffening, jaw locking. A blast of qi erupted from him, a visible shimmer cracking through the air. For a moment, Chen Ren braced himself, wondering if he was about to witness a disaster—ruptured organs, exploded pathways, a bleeding mess on the city lord’s platform.

But then… the qi stabilized.

The guard exhaled slowly, visibly adjusting his posture as if testing his own flow. His eyes widened just a touch before he turned to the City Lord and bowed.

“I feel my qi flowing more freely,” he said. “The meridians… they’ve cleared.”

A wave of impressed murmurs spread through the audience.

Bai Huiqin turned back to Ningkai and gave him an approving nod. “You’ve done a splendid job once again, Ningkai. The Darkmoon Sect must be proud to have you in their ranks.”

To that, the Darkmoon Sect leader, Gao Moyue smiled. “Ningkai is a very diligent disciple,” he said.

Ningkai bowed again, perfectly poised, before stepping off the stage. Then the announcer stepped forward once more, raising his voice above the renewed cheers.

“Ningkai has once again shown us why he has stood at the top for these past few years,” he said while gesturing with his hands dramatically. “But there are still more alchemists to come. Can one of them impress the City Lord even more? You will know. And now presenting… Yeqing of the Darkmoon Sect.”

The spy strode forward with a swagger that eclipsed even Ningkai’s. His chest was intentionally puffed forward, chin held high and confidence bled every step. He bowed low dramatically then raised his head.

“This pill,” he said, his voice loud and full of pride, “is called the Basilisk Hide Pill, City Lord.”

Chen Ren’s eyes narrowed.

“It’s filled with the qi of a Stonehide Basilisk, City Lord,” Yeqing declared, his voice echoing across the arena. “Ingesting it grants the consumer a body that is impenetrable by any attack from a qi refinement realm cultivator.”

A ripple of interest moved through the crowd—shock, skepticism, and curiosity all mixing together.

Even City Lord Bai Huiqin raised a brow, clearly impressed, or at least intrigued.

But Yeqing wasn’t done. He took a step forward, lifting the jade box just slightly.

“Moreover,” he continued, “compared to other Earth-grade pills, this one is significantly cheaper to produce. With the right resources, it could be mass-produced by the alchemists of the Darkmoon Sect.”

That caught the City Lord’s attention. Mass production was what turned powerful pills from luxuries into tools of war.

“If that’s true, Disciple Yeqing,” Bai Huiqin said, folding his arms, “then that is indeed extraordinary.”

He gave a small wave toward his guards. Before the order could even be voiced, one of them—a shorter, steel-eyed, and clearly eager—stepped forward and plucked the pill straight from the box and ate it.

Gasps rippled across the platform.

Almost instantly, the man’s body arched in pain, a cry escaping his throat as his knees buckled. Waves of qi surged out of him, chaotic and uncontrolled, drawing alarmed murmurs from the stands.

For a moment, even Chen Ren saw Yeqing’s face pale. But then, it changed.

From the guard’s skin, a rocky sheen began to spread. Not suddenly or explosively, but a slow, crawling transformation that wrapped around his limbs, his torso, and finally his shoulders. Stone plates formed like armor, each piece locking into place with a dull clack. Everything was covered—everything except the face.

Exactly like the Stonehide Basilisk itself.

Chen Ren’s eyes narrowed. The alchemical mimicry was surprisingly detailed.

City Lord Bai Huiqin gestured sharply, and another guard stepped forward, this one already channeling his qi. A moment later, his hand flashed with wind and flame, forming a whirling axe of elemental force, which he hurled toward the transformed man’s chest.

The impact cracked through the silence of the square. The guard was blasted backward, thrown off the stage like a ragdoll, dust and stone spraying around him.

For one terrible breath, everyone stilled. And then, the guard stood up.

Damn, no blood or wound visible. Just a patch of blackened, cracked stone over his chest. The armor had held.

A thunderous cheer tore through the arena—louder, far louder than what Ningkai had received.

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Chen Ren watched as Yeqing lifted his head, his expression dripping with pride, basking in the applause like it was his birthright.

Even Chen Ren had to admit—it was impressive. He folded his arms as the cheers continued.

It’s not easy to use pills that rely on foreign qi. That was one of the first things any alchemist learned—foreign beast qi conflicted with a cultivator’s internal flow. It could disrupt meridians, cause backlash, even rupture a dantian if handled poorly.

And yet, the stonehide basilisk qi in that pill had somehow… bypassed that.

Instead of merging with the user’s own qi, it had burned itself out to form the armor, doing its job without interfering with internal circulation. Or at least, that’s what it looked like to Chen Ren.

Very clever. Or rather… very refined.

Just then, Yalan’s voice stirred in his mind, calm and amused. “Wang Jun said he could make better pills like that.”

Chen Ren smirked, lips twitching with the smallest trace of amusement.

Of course he did.

Meanwhile, the crowd roared again as City Lord Bai Huiqin stepped forward, placing a hand on Yeqing’s shoulder with the practiced grace of a politician.

“You’ve presented something truly useful and extraordinary,” the City Lord said, voice carrying easily over the crowd.

More cheering followed, even louder this time.

Yeqing stood there, absorbing it all, his smile wide and proud as if he had already won the trials.

Chen Ren watched him with narrowed eyes.

There’s no way he made that pill himself.

If the Darkmoon Sect had sent him as a spy, they considered him disposable. And no one who could come up with a recipe like that was disposable. Still, credit where it was due. Crafting it successfully, even with help, was a feat. Earth-grade pills were no joke.

So why was he treated like expendable trash before?

Chen Ren almost pondered it longer, but then shook the thought off.

Not my problem.

Soon after, Yeqing stepped off the stage, still glowing with self-satisfaction. The next alchemist came forward, but the air had shifted. The weight of the two Darkmoon presentations had clearly set the bar high.

The rogue cultivator, Anming, a young man with signs of a beard growing and the gait of someone who hadn’t slept properly in weeks was the next one.

Just watching him shuffle forward, Chen Ren could already tell—the man knew the pill hadn’t come out well.

Anming offered a deep bow and presented a pill he called the Needle Bloom Elixir, a small violet sphere with dull sheen.

“It’s used to sharpen perception,” he explained. “Sight, hearing, spatial awareness… common among assassins, scouts, and hunters.”

A few murmurs passed through the crowd. It was a useful pill, certainly, but not anything rare, and definitely not unique. It was a respectable effort, but compared to a pill that gave one stone armor, or improved meridian flow? It felt short.

But to his credit, Anming hadn’t made just a basic assassin’s pill.

As he continued explaining, Chen Ren realized the man had actually made considerable alterations to the pills found in market. Instead of enhancing just one sense, the Needle Bloom Elixir enhanced sight, smell, and hearing simultaneously.

That kind of multisensory enhancement was not easy. Most pills focused on one path of qi sensitivity. Mixing too many often led to instability or sensory overload.

Unfortunately, that’s exactly what had happened.

The alchemist claimed the effect would last a minute or two, but the guard who tested it showed visible results for barely ten seconds before the glow faded. Worse, the purity was revealed to be a mere thirty percent—functional, but not elegant.

The City Lord gave him a courteous nod. “Still, an impressive attempt to enhance multiple sensory paths. I commend your ambition.”

But the words felt more like consolation than praise. And the audience could tell. Anming bowed low again, then walked off the stage with slumped shoulders.

Tau Liu was after him.

He strode forward with confidence, and Chen Ren noted that he looked genuinely proud of what he’d made. That wasn’t just bravado. He knew what he had done, and he knew it was good.

He bowed before the City Lord and opened the jade box.

“This is the Blazing Stone Pill, City Lord,” he said. “A strength-enhancing pill that also imbues the user’s qi with a temporary burst of flame energy. Ideal for enhancing physical combat and area control.”

Chen Ren saw some people even leaning in, to hear better. Strength pills were common. Basic. Every sect had them. But adding elemental augmentation to one without destabilizing the user’s core qi?

That took skill.

The same guard who had tried Yeqing’s pill stepped forward and swallowed the pill. He still had the stone armour around his skin and as the pill’s effect kicked in—a bright red-orange hue flaring across the surface of his stony skin, it gave the appearance of magma.

The heat shimmered visibly off his form. Flames danced along the cracks of the armor without harming the user. Even Chen Ren raised a brow.

That’s solid work.

The effect lasted over a minute, and though the purity was only fifty percent, the pill’s utility and synergistic power were undeniable. Tau Liu had been working on this formula for years and it showed.

To Chen Ren, Tau Liu’s pill was more impressive in design than either of the Darkmoon disciples’. It was original, well-executed, and certainly not borrowed from an elder or even the sect leader. It was his.

But would that be enough?

Because in the end, the winner wasn’t decided by purity alone. Or uniqueness. Or even raw power.

It was decided by one man. City Lord Bai Huiqin. And he had no idea what that man truly valued.

He almost wondered—just briefly—if the trials were rigged.

The City Lord had shown nothing but warmth toward Darkmoon Sect, had laughed and patted their disciples on the back like proud uncles at a family feast. The way he praised Yeqing’s pill, the easy camaraderie with the sect leader—it didn’t take a genius to see there were favorable ties.

But it wasn’t as if Chen Ren could do anything about it if that were the case. Politics were as much a part of cultivation as pills and blades.

So when his name was called, he said nothing. He simply strode forward holding the jade box containing his creation.

The City Lord watched him approach, and for a moment—just a flicker—Chen Ren saw something unusual in the man’s gaze. Curiosity. Interest. A glimmer of amusement, perhaps. But more than that… as he got close, he felt it.

A subtle pressure beneath the City Lord’s robes. The kind of spiritual density that didn’t belong to anyone below foundation establishment. Well past it, actually.

Chen Ren bowed low and recited the formal greeting the others had used.

The City Lord nodded. “And what pill have you conceived, Sect Leader Chen?”

Without hesitation, Chen Ren opened the jade box.

Inside sat a pill that shimmered with a deep, crimson sheen, so red it looked almost wet, almost alive. Like it had been plucked from a vein instead of a cauldron.

The City Lord’s eyes narrowed slightly as he studied it.

“This is a Bloodroot Ascension Pill,” Chen Ren said evenly. “A kind of cultivation-boosting pill.”

An eyebrow rose. “Cultivation-boosting?” Bai Huiqin echoed, intrigued. “Not temporary strength?”

“No,” Chen Ren said. “Unlike enhancement pills, this one doesn’t give a momentary surge of power. It pushes the user forward—past a bottleneck, advancing them one, even two stars forward… permanently.”

The effect was immediate.

Gasps broke out—not just from the crowd, but from the platform itself. Ministers exchanged glances. One of the officials even stepped forward before being waved back.

Even Yeqing shifted uncomfortably behind him, and Chen Ren felt it—the eyes. He could feel the sting of judgment at his back. The Darkmoon disciples, no doubt.

But Chen Ren wasn’t done.

He turned his attention back to the City Lord, who was still regarding the pill with a kind of awe. “It doesn’t do this freely, of course,” he continued. “It doesn’t shatter bottlenecks by brute force.”

The City Lord’s eyes met his. “What are the side effects?”

Chen Ren didn’t flinch. “The pill requires life energy to be completed. Blood refined with spiritual intent. The alchemist loses one to two years of their life in exchange for the boost it offers the user.”

A hush fell.

Even the ever-smiling City Lord looked like he didn’t know what to say for a moment, his expression flickering between fascination and quiet alarm.

Finally, he gestured toward the guards. “Let’s test it.”

Chen Ren stepped forward and handed over the pill.

For the first time during the trials, the guard hesitated. He looked down at the crimson sphere like it might bite him. But after a heartbeat, he steeled himself and gulped it down.

Everyone waited.

One second. Two. Five.

Nothing happened. Everyone kept their gazes on the guard like he’d grown a second head, but they all held their breath. Chen Ren would hear a pin if one were to drop.

They didn’t have to wait long. A choking sound came out of the man as he dropped to his knees with a clunk.

Chen Ren’s eyes widened.

What the fuck? Did I mess up the mixture? Was the qi balance wrong? Was the blood not refined enough?

A dozen calculations flashed through his mind—formulas, sequences, error points.

Did I mess up the pill?

***

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