Immortality begins with Becoming an Alchemy Grandmaster

Chapter 9: Friend, are you interested in learning about the Allure Pill_1?

Call me Uncle Chen when you need something, and Friend Chen when you don’t!

Elder Chen stroked his beard, then cheerfully started telling his favorite gossip story.

He had such a habit.

Normally stingy, loving to take advantage and never losing out on a sale, even the stall fee was shared equally with Qi Refinement Stage novices like Luo Chen.

The only thing he liked to share freely were probably his insights accumulated in over sixty years.

”Yun Zhonghe? You’re talking about Ascendant Master Yun He, right?”

”If you ask the average person, they probably wouldn’t know, but this old Daoist knows a thing or two.”

”In the Thirty-Six Realms of the Eastern Wasteland, we are situated in the farthest east, next to the Million Mountains. Therefore, the nearby six realms all border with the Million Mountains, earning them the moniker, Six Realms of the Far East.”

”Every Great Realm has numerous sects within it, but only the Great Sects that have produced a Nascent Soul True Master can be named after the Realm.”

”The realm where Ascendant Master Yun He resides is the Hehuan Realm, and his sect is the most powerful one in the Hehuan Realm -- the Hehuan Sect!”

Luo Chen was listening attentively. This was his first glimpse of the world outside The Great River District.

He casually asked one question, ”So our realm would be called the Yu Ding Realm, right?”

”Correct, the strongest sect here is the Yu Ding Sword Sect, so we call it the Yu Ding Realm.”

Elder Chen replied and then continued, ”The Yu Ding Sword Sect is known for its combat power. It is closest to the Million Mountains and manages several large markets that serve as bridgehead forts for assaults on the Million Mountains. The Great River is one such market.”

After a while, he felt something was off.

He stroked his beard and squinted, ”Don’t interrupt, we’re talking about Ascendant Master Yun He.”

”The Hehuan Sect is known for its dual-path cultivation technique. Its specialized industries are spread widely across the Six Realms. For instance, our local Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion is but a small part of their vast conglomerate.”

The Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion is so expansive, with daily income reaching ascendant grade spirit stones, and it’s just a small part of their holdings?

Luo Chen couldn’t help but become interested. This kind of wealthy and prosperous enterprise should be his goal!

”People often dismiss the Hehuan Sect for being unconventional, unproductive, not competing in combat power, and only engaging in flesh-and-blood business. It indeed tarnishes the reputation of us cultivation practitioners. However, an exception occurred three hundred years ago!”

Luo Chen slapped his hand, ”That must be Yun Zhonghe, right?”

”It’s Ascendant Master Yun He! You should address Golden Core cultivators as Ascendant Master!” Elder Chen scolded, before continuing, ”Ascendant Master Yun He practiced the core technique of the Hehuan Sect and pushed it to the highest level. He was not only extremely attractive but also unmatched in combat.”

”When the Yu Ding Realm was first established, although it was spearheaded by the Yu Ding Sword Sect, many experts from the other five realms were sent as well, and Ascendant Master Yun He was one of them.”

”Back then, he was still unknown, just an ordinary early-stage Golden Core cultivator. But during that battle, with his Early Golden Core Stage, he managed to capture a Fourth-order Monster Beast!”

”Do you know what a Fourth-order Monster Beast implies?”

Luo Chen widened his eyes, his pupils like a bull’s.

Then, he gasped, significantly contributing to global warming.

Next, he swallowed a mouthful of saliva, making a gulping sound.

Finally, he let out a deep breath, so heavy that any cultivator would seemingly lose a realm upon smelling it.

”A Fourth-order Monster Beast, wouldn’t that be equivalent to the Nascent Soul True Master of the Human Clan!!!”

Elder Chen was pleased with the audience’s extreme reaction. He stroked his beard contentedly, as if he had been the one to accomplish that.

”Yes, you’re well-informed, boy. A Fourth-order Monster Beast is also known as a Monster Emperor, and its battle prowess even surpasses that of the Nascent Soul True Master of the same stage.”

Luo Chen asked curiously, ”I thought it was extremely difficult to challenge those of higher stages? As an Early Golden Core Stage practitioner then, how did Elder Crane achieve such a glorious feat?”

”The reason behind it isn’t for us juniors to know. Some say it was during the Demon Crane Emperor’s weak period of tribulation, some say it was the work of a True Master from the Hehuan Sect. But the result was that after that battle, Ascendant Master Yun He became famous. He used that Demon Crane Emperor as a battle trophy to establish his reputation, thus earning the title of Ascendant Master Yun He!”

At this point, Elder Chen pointed to a red silken tower at the center of the Inner City.

”Within the Six Realms of the Far East, various industries intertwined and strewn about, like the wealthy Medicine King Sect, they only managed to establish shops in four realms. Only the Hehuan Sect, has managed to spread their business across all six realms; even in such a remote market as ours, there is a Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion providing nightly entertainment.”

”To an extent, all this was due to Ascendant Master Yun He, the man who is considered the strongest below the Nascent Soul level!”

Ascendant Master Yun He, the strongest below the Nascent Soul level.

What a great title, what a great story!

Luo Chen couldn’t help but cast a grateful glance towards Wang Yuan at the distant stall. The copy of ”Records of the Customs of Six Realms” that he acquired at no cost indeed came in handy.

He would surely buy it when he had the money to do so, and scrutinize it thoroughly.

”Ahem, young man Luo, my mouth is a bit dry from talking so much. Give me a piece of dried beef to quench my thirst.”

Luo Chen didn’t respond to this, instead, he laid out all the pills.

”Friend Chen, you should start gathering resources for your cultivation. In due course, it’s by no means impossible for us to rise above the ranks and be known as Ascendant Masters!”

Chen Xiuping’s eyes widened, his grayish-white beard shaking

Taking advantage of his height, Luo Chen patted Elder Chen’s shoulder, ”I just hope that when we again meet as Golden Core cultivators, being called ’friend’ won’t be a sorrowful occurrence!”

”Get lost, I’m sixty-five; go to hell with your Golden Core dreams!”

After a fierce curse, Chen Xiuping took a deep breath. He shouldn’t get angry, no one could replace him if he got sick from it.

His gaze habitually fell on Luo Chen’s stall, his eyes involuntarily narrowed.

”Twenty-one bottles? All Fasting Elixirs, or did you actually refine a new pill?”

Luo Chen sighed and said with a dejected expression: ”With my dull aptitude, after exhausting all my wealth, I finally managed to barely refine a new pill. I’m sure this will amuse Friend Chen.”

Gulp!

Elder Chen swallowed his saliva.

”You didn’t actually manage to refine that second-order incomplete pill formula, did you!”

”Alas, with my limited abilities, I couldn’t produce a second-order pill.”

”That’s true, someone like you...”

”Therefore, I had no choice but to go a step backward and formulate it into a first-order pill.”

”First Order Jade Dew Pill?” Elder Chen widened his eyes.

This old guy was wearing his feelings on his face, swallowing saliva, and widening his eyes. Surely, he wasn’t going to gasp in surprise next!

With his hands folded behind his back, Luo Chen said solemnly: ”This isn’t any incomplete Jade Dew Pill formula, it’s actually the secret Allure Pill formula from Ascendant Master Yun He of the Hehuan Sect. It just happened to be left behind in the Great River District after a big battle when Yu Ding Territory was established. Friend, you can’t go around making unfounded claims in the future!”

Hiss!

Luo Chen covered his face with his hand. He felt that the temperature in the Yu Ding Territory had warmed up!

Actually, the temperature did warm up because the sun came out.

With the sunrise, the customer traffic also increased.

There were many believers who enjoyed wandering around the area for rogue cultivators. After all, everybody wants to buy quality resources at a low price or to spot a real bargain.

As always, Elder Chen was the first to open his business.

He had been running a stall here for many years. Although he was tight-fisted, his reputation was top-notch.

Not only did others buy talisman from him, some even bought talisman paper to draw talismans directly, avoiding the hassle.

The opening of Elder Chen’s business implied that Luo Chen’s business would soon start too.

”Fasting Elixir?”

”The color and aroma are quite good, and it contains considerable spirit qi – a superb item indeed! How much is it?”

The buyer casually picked up five bottles, and threw a lower grade spirit stone at Luo Chen.

Five bottles containing fifty Fasting Elixirs. One is enough for a full meal, stretching it out could last for fifty days!

Of course, that’s an extreme case; under normal circumstances, it would be enough to keep someone from eating for half a month.

However, the taste was just so-so, and it wasn’t beneficial for a cultivator’s progress. Except for those who were really poor, or those who went into closed-door cultivation, mountain hunting or gathering herbs, nobody really enjoyed them as their regular meals.

After purchasing the spirit stone, this chubby cultivator intended to leave but was stopped by Luo Chen.

”Friend, are you interested in the Allure Pill?”