"But this improved pill recipe can only be used by me!"
Chen Jinshu's heart surged with excitement, but soon her mind turned to all the potential consequences.
Even though the Medicine King Peak of Xuanming Sect had many skilled alchemists, those capable of improving or creating new pill formulas were exceedingly rare.
Only those who had reached profound mastery in alchemy could acquire such a skill. If she presented a modified Qi Condensation Pill, it would undoubtedly cause a sensation, and with that would come a swarm of troublesome attention.
Her peaceful cultivation life would be over.
"Two new spirit herbs are still missing! I'll go buy them now. Then start refining immediately."
She reviewed the pill formula. Originally it required eight ingredients, but now it had ten. The two new additions, blended ingeniously, maximized the pill's medicinal effect. She couldn't help but marvel.
Two quarters of an hour later, Chen Jinshu hurried toward the affairs hall and bought a number of spirit herbs to obscure her true purpose.
The full set of ten herbs was now ready. She summoned a flame beneath the Genesis Alchemy Furnace, and the spiritual charcoal ignited instantly. Once the temperature reached the right level, she quickly added the ingredients, forming hand seals to begin the refining process.
The overall steps were familiar, but since it was her first time using the two new ingredients, a small mistake occurred—the heat went slightly too far. Still, after half an hour, the pill was successfully completed.
"Only three pills in the end! What a pity!"
She sighed as she looked at the pale-colored pills inside the bottle. Though their gloss wasn't as rich as her previous Qi Condensation Pills, they were still usable. She immediately swallowed one. Upon entering her mouth, it felt much the same as her older pills.
However, once it was absorbed by the birthmark on her forehead, she could clearly sense the spiritual energy was purer than before. An hour later, the pill had been fully refined and absorbed, allowing her to circulate her energy through two additional meridian cycles compared to usual.
And this was from just a low-grade pill. If she managed to produce a medium- or high-grade version, it might rival the effect of taking two regular Qi Condensation Pills. Just by adding two ingredients, she doubled the effect—without disrupting her cultivation rhythm—and could save a good deal of spirit stones this way.
"The results of this improved pill recipe are incredible!" Her joy was nearly overflowing.
"At this rate, maybe I can break through to the sixth layer of Qi Refining before the Pill Alchemy Tournament starts. That would give me a real chance at competing for a spot in the top twenty."
She didn't mind showing off her talent a little. Only when others believed you were valuable would they take an interest in you. Otherwise, who would take a talentless, unremarkable person as a disciple for no reason?
Of course, the display of talent must not be overdone—or it might provoke jealousy instead. A moment later, she composed herself and began a new round of pill refining.
Two Days Later – Shuiyue Pavilion, Pingwu Market
After two days of continuous pill refinement, Chen Jinshu had spent a significant amount of spirit stones. This trip was to test the market value of her new Qi Condensation Pills.
She only held a first-grade, low-tier alchemist certification, but most shops cared more about certification than the actual quality of the pills. That said, if she attempted to sell medium-grade pills as a low-tier alchemist, the shop would naturally lower the offered price. Many first-grade medium-tier alchemists would sell mid-tier pills before they officially passed the medium-tier test, as a way to fund their alchemy.
"Excuse me, senior brother! How much would you offer for these Qi Condensation Pills?" Chen Jinshu held out a pill bottle in one hand, and in the other, her alchemist certificate and sect disciple token.
"Junior sister already reached the fifth layer of Qi Refining and passed the alchemist exam? That's quite impressive. However, to sell medium-grade pills under a low-tier license, we'll need to price it a little lower."
The shop clerk was surprised at her young age but didn't think too much of it. After all, the Medicine King Peak had produced many alchemy talents over the centuries. A fifth-layer cultivator with a low-tier certification was good—but not yet outstanding.
"Would junior sister be willing to accept that?"
"Yes, what price would senior brother offer?" Chen Jinshu wasn't surprised. She had done her homework—these were just the standard rules.
In the end, the clerk purchased the pills at a 20% markdown. This was still a good deal. She earned much more than selling low-grade pills would bring. Now that she rarely made low-grade pills and focused mostly on medium-grade ones, it made sense to sell accordingly.
She also bought some spirit herbs to accelerate plant growth and repair damaged roots before returning to Medicine King Peak. Though the affairs hall was convenient, prices there were inflated. To save spirit stones, she had to walk further to the marketplace.
Half an Hour Later – Cold Pool Herb Garden
Despite ongoing demonic energy contamination, most of it had been cleared by the sect's Golden Core elders. Many disciples had suffered devastating losses and could not afford to lease new plots, so they could only replant in the tainted fields.
Even so, the garden was still bustling with traffic.
"Girl, did your spiritual field get hit too?" the steward elder of the garden asked gently.
"Yes, most of it was ruined, but there's still a small patch left—barely enough to pay the taxes." Chen Jinshu frowned slightly.
"Here, take this. It's the sect's compensation for disciples who suffered losses in the Frost Pool Garden. It's not much, but enough to buy seeds and replant. Also, the sect has waived field taxes for affected disciples this year. You should register."
The steward handed her a small pouch of spirit stones and guided her to the registration desk. No one dared make up lies about something as serious as demonic contamination.
"Thank you, Elder!"
Chen Jinshu registered on the jade slip immediately. She didn't consider it taking advantage of the sect—just a necessary cover-up to keep the demon-repelling properties of her spirit vine a secret. She needed to harvest the herbs here quickly and find a new garden with better soil.
If she stayed here too long, someone might notice something strange. After registering, she headed for her field. Soon, she spotted Senior Brother Lin Yi, who was busy replanting his field.
"Weren't you planning to lease a new field in another herb garden?" Chen Jinshu asked, puzzled.
The last time she saw Lin Yi, he seemed determined to leave. Yet here he was again.
"You probably didn't know— the fields at Ju'an Hall were long rented out. With so many plots affected by demonic energy, those with resources already snatched up the good land. How could minor disciples like us compete?" His voice carried frustration as he kept working the soil.
Chen Jinshu nodded in realization. That made sense. Even with elders clearing the demonic energy regularly, there still weren't enough fields. The contamination must be spreading fast.
"I need to start scouting a few plots early. Otherwise, by the time I finish this harvest, there might be no fields left to lease. All that time wasted..."
She muttered to herself and activated the array to slip quietly into her own spiritual field.