Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 170: Chapter 170: Refining the Soul-Enhancing Pill

Upon seeing Ye Qingchen’s surprised expression, Li Zongrui finally found a reason to mock him. A sense of pride in his worldly knowledge welled up, and he spoke in a sarcastic tone, ”Qingchen, are you shocked by your first visit to the capital? This city is more than a thousand times larger than your Qingyun Town. You’d better stick close to us later. It would be a real hassle if you got lost!”

Ye Qingchen was not angered by Li Zongrui’s sarcasm. Instead, he nodded, cupped his hands respectfully, and said, ”Then I thank the Young Sect Master for the reminder. I will be mindful.”

Li Zongrui felt as if he had punched a wad of cotton. The mocking words he had prepared caught in his throat, and his face flushed red.

But clearly, Ye Qingchen was not one to take a loss lying down. He continued, ”The Young Sect Master’s wealth of experience and vast acquaintance with people are truly admirable.”

After saying this, Ye Qingchen ignored Li Zongrui and followed Pavilion Master Zhang and the others toward the city gate.

Hearing Ye Qingchen actively praise him, Li Zongrui felt a surge of delight, and his steps grew much lighter.

Ye Qingchen, oh Ye Qingchen, you finally recognize the gap between us. As the Young Sect Master of the Qingyun Sect, I am naturally worldly and acquainted with countless people. How can someone from a small town like you possibly compare to me?

Li Zongrui thought to himself, a smug smile spreading across his face, but he quickly realized something was off.

”Vast acquaintance with people...” He wasn’t praising me at all; he was clearly mocking me! Both Li Susu and Hu Ji had fooled me multiple times, and in the end, it was Ye Qingchen who had seen through their deceptions. Now this kid is saying I’m experienced and have judged countless people—isn’t that just a slap in my own face?

”Ye Qingchen, you stop right there!”

Having figured it out, Li Zongrui shouted and chased after Ye Qingchen, but by then, Ye Qingchen had already entered the city with the group.

Vice Pavilion Master Liu was naturally in charge of making arrangements for the group. Pavilion Master Zhang, knowing this was Ye Qingchen’s first time in the capital and that he was unfamiliar with the place, personally took him to search for the Thousand-Year Peony Heart Grass.

With practiced ease, Pavilion Master Zhang led Ye Qingchen through various large establishments. Yet after a busy half-day of searching the major shops, they still hadn’t found any trace of the Thousand-Year Peony Heart Grass.

Ye Qingchen sighed. It was just as the others had said. A treasure like the Thousand-Year Peony Heart Grass was rare, even in the bustling capital.

Seeing Ye Qingchen sigh, Pavilion Master Zhang smiled and comforted him, ”There’s no need to rush, Qingchen. Didn’t those people mention an upcoming auction where a Thousand-Year Peony Heart Grass would be one of the items?”

Ye Qingchen nodded, hope rekindling in his eyes.

Pavilion Master Zhang then led Ye Qingchen to ask about the auction. They soon received news that the Rising Sun Pavilion would be hosting an auction in three days. Among the announced treasures was, indeed, the Thousand-Year Peony Heart Grass.

The Rising Sun Pavilion?

At the mention of this name, the image of a person surfaced in Ye Qingchen’s mind: Qin Yue.

Back in Qingyun Town, Qin Yue had helped him enter Qingyun Mountain to find herbs to save Xiao Xiao. During that time, something rather titillating had occurred between them, leaving a vivid memory. Moreover, Qin Yue had saved him on multiple occasions. How could he possibly forget her?

The Rising Sun Pavilion belongs to the Qin Family. I wonder if I can find any news of Qin Yue here.

Lost in thought, Ye Qingchen momentarily forgot that Pavilion Master Zhang was still beside him.

In the end, it was Pavilion Master Zhang’s laughter that broke his reverie. ”Qingchen, although we now know the whereabouts of the Thousand-Year Peony Heart Grass, a treasure like this appearing at an auction means its price will undoubtedly be steep. You’d best start preparing.”

”Ah? But...”

Pavilion Master Zhang’s words jolted Ye Qingchen back to his senses. He was right. Bidding on the Thousand-Year Peony Heart Grass would require a great number of Spirit Stones. However, Ye Qingchen had been using Spirit Stones for his cultivation recently and had only two or three left. Forget bidding on the treasure; he probably couldn’t even afford the entrance fee for the auction.

Pavilion Master Zhang seemed to notice Ye Qingchen’s predicament. After all, Ye Qingchen had only recently joined the Qingyun Sect, so it was inevitable that he was short on funds. He offered some comfort, ”Qingchen, you gathered so many medicinal herbs in the Great Wilderness Mountain Range. Why not try refining some Spirit Pills to trade for Spirit Stones? Wouldn’t that solve the problem?”

After speaking, Pavilion Master Zhang handed Ye Qingchen a pill recipe. ”This is the recipe for the Soul-Enhancing Pill. Study it well.”

Ye Qingchen accepted the pill recipe and nodded gratefully.

Subsequently, Pavilion Master Zhang led him back to the inn where the Qingyun Sect disciples were staying. Upon entering his reserved room, Ye Qingchen immediately began to study the Soul-Enhancing Pill.

The Soul-Enhancing Pill was a third-grade Spirit Pill that helped Martial Artists strengthen their souls. However, a person could only consume ten in their entire lifetime, making it highly sought after and naturally expensive. It seemed Pavilion Master Zhang had given him this recipe after careful consideration.

But precisely because the Soul-Enhancing Pill was so valuable, its refinement was also incredibly difficult, and Ye Qingchen dared not be careless. The herbs required were themselves precious, and too many failures would result in a significant loss.

After studying for two hours, Ye Qingchen took out his Alchemy Furnace and began to concoct the Soul-Enhancing Pill.

Even back in the Qingyun Sect, Ye Qingchen could already refine third-grade Spirit Pills with ease and maintain a high success rate. Coupled with Pavilion Master Zhang’s recent guidance, he felt very confident about this attempt. Nevertheless, he activated his Dual Pupil Martial Soul to assist in the process.

In the end, his diligence paid off. Ye Qingchen successfully refined ten supreme-quality Soul-Enhancing Pills!

The value of a Soul-Enhancing Pill was already considerable, and they were nearly impossible to find on the market. Moreover, a set of ten supreme-quality pills refined by the same person shared the same origin, making them even rarer.

If all ten were sold together, their price would definitely exceed one thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones!

A flicker of joy lit up Ye Qingchen’s heart. As long as he sold these Soul-Enhancing Pills, he should have enough to win the bid for the Thousand-Year Peony Heart Grass!

With this thought, he did not linger in his room but headed directly toward the Rising Sun Pavilion. Given the Pavilion’s reputation and the upcoming auction, his Soul-Enhancing Pills might fetch an even higher price. His first instinct was to head there and try his luck.

Having already learned the location, Ye Qingchen reached the entrance of the Rising Sun Pavilion in just an hour.

The Rising Sun Pavilion in the capital was an immense and luxurious structure, on a completely different level than the one in Qingyun Town.