Chapter 204: Astonishing Pill-Concocting Skills

Chapter 204: Astonishing Pill-Concocting Skills

Five days later, beneath the cliff where Chu Ning resided in his cave abode, cultivators had already begun to gather early.

This caused Chu Ning, who was studying the 'Wind and Fire Ravager' technique in the attic, to furrow his brows slightly.

He had no choice but to don the silver mask earlier than expected.

After all, Chu Ning couldn't be certain if there were other cultivators with powerful spiritual senses who could perceive through the array formation and sense the situation within the masked man's abode.

He had only found time to research the 'Wind and Fire Ravager' technique these past two days.

Prior to that, he had been occupied with studying pill concocting techniques and refining pills.

It was only during these two days of respite that Chu Ning remembered the top-tier initial-stage technique he had obtained from the Thunderfire Sect's ruins.

Theoretically, this was Chu Ning's first encounter with a top-tier technique.

However, after cultivating the 'Blazing Flame Fist', he vaguely acknowledged the rumors that had circulated within the Green Creek Sect.

It was highly probable that the 'Blazing Flame Fist' was indeed a top-tier technique.

After all, he had only managed to condense the third type of flame, yet its power far surpassed that of a typical Foundation Establishment cultivator's technique.

If he could master the 'Wind and Fire Ravager' technique and combine it with the 'Blazing Flame Fist', the resulting might would likely exceed his expectations.

Thus, Chu Ning had been pondering this technique for the past two days.

However, for someone like him who had only recently started delving into wind-attribute techniques, mastering this art wouldn't be easy.

The true challenge of this technique lay in understanding how to condense enhancing winds that complement different fire-attribute techniques.

After all, the interplay of wind and fire followed certain patterns.

Hence, Chu Ning was still in the stage of comprehending the technique and hadn't attempted to cultivate it yet.

Moreover, even if he were to start cultivating, he probably shouldn't begin with the 'Blazing Flame Fist'. Instead, he would need to start from scratch with simpler techniques.

As time passed, more and more cultivators gathered below, and some had even begun their own simple transactions.

Although Chu Ning had already witnessed such scenes through Xiao Cheng's memories, he was still surprised by the sight before him.

The bustling atmosphere beneath the cliff could even rival that of a small market square.

After observing for several days, Chu Ning had a general idea of the reason behind this gathering.

On one hand, Xiao Cheng's pills had indeed gained some fame in this region.

Especially the pills refined from the ancient pill manual, which often proved to be highly effective.

Although they had some side effects, unless one consumed them for an extended period or had a deep understanding of pill refinement, these drawbacks wouldn't be easily discovered.

On the other hand, the situation was also influenced by the fact that the Nine Florescent Mountain nearby was completely monopolized by the Nine Florescent Sect, and they didn't establish a small market square.

Surrounding cultivators who wanted to purchase items had to travel a great distance to the Nine Florescent City.

It was somewhat inconvenient.

Of course, cultivators with higher realms or those from prominent families naturally had other means to acquire resources.

However, most solitary cultivators didn't have such connections.

Xiao Cheng's bi-monthly pill sales provided these cultivators with a rare opportunity to trade and acquire what they needed.

Chu Ning watched the gathering crowd below until he felt it was about time.

Then, he stood up, left the attic, and leaped down.

"Pill Master Xiao is here!"

"Pill Master Xiao!!"

As soon as Chu Ning appeared, the numerous cultivators present temporarily halted their transactions.

Everyone knew about "Pill Master Xiao's" eccentric temperament, and no one wanted to risk offending him and bringing trouble upon themselves.

Chu Ning, wearing the silver mask, swept his gaze across the crowd.

There were about forty people present, clearly divided into two groups.

Among them, there were around six or seven Foundation Establishment cultivators standing together.

The remaining forty cultivators in the Qi Refining stage stood on the other side, relatively more scattered.

Chu Ning also spotted the plump Foundation Establishment cultivator who had visited five days ago.

Finally, Chu Ning's gaze landed on a white-haired elder standing beside the plump man. Surprisingly, he was also a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

When the white-haired elder noticed Chu Ning's gaze, he smiled and bowed slightly to Chu Ning.

Chu Ning responded with an almost imperceptible nod, maintaining his aloof demeanor.

Then, Chu Ning waved his hand, and a table appeared in front of him.

With another wave, over a dozen pill bottles appeared on the table.

Along with the bottles, several plaques also materialized.

Once everything was in place, Chu Ning's indifferent voice echoed.

"Recently, I've been a little bored, so I refined a few new types of pills. This time, I've brought them all out.

Feel free to take a look if you're interested. The effects and prices are clearly marked.

Just buy what you want, and don't ask me too many questions."

Although Chu Ning's words were arrogant, no one in the crowd disagreed.

Instead, every cultivator present displayed an eager expression.

The few Foundation Establishment cultivators immediately stepped forward to examine the dozen or so jade bottles.

The Qi Refining cultivators stood behind them, trying to catch a glimpse whenever they could.

Chu Ning stood coldly at a distance, appearing as if he didn't want to bother with anyone.

However, with his powerful spiritual sense, he observed every movement and action of those present.

Soon, he noticed that the bottles on the left, the ones he had refined himself, attracted more attention.

Those five pill bottles indeed contained the pills crafted by Chu Ning.

As for the pills refined using Xiao Cheng's ancient pill manual, Chu Ning truly looked down upon them.

He had no intention of refining many of them.

In his opinion, as a pill master, refining pills with such significant side effects was truly lacking in skill.

However, Chu Ning didn't stop selling these pills altogether.

After all, these pills had been sold together previously, and suddenly discontinuing them would likely arouse curiosity and suspicion.

In fact, many of them proved to have a keen eye.

It was unclear if some had already suspected something amiss after consuming Xiao Cheng's pills or if they noticed the difference from Chu Ning's description of the pills' effects.

Surprisingly, several cultivators in a row bought the pills that Chu Ning had "newly introduced."

Among them were the few Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Moreover, more people kept buying.

The purchasing process was simple; they could take as many pills as they wanted and then place the corresponding amount of spirit stones on the table. Chu Ning would then use the Driving Beast Technique to take the payment.

As for the plump elder and the white-haired mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, they looked around but did not make a purchase.

After about a quarter of an hour, Chu Ning had earned nearly ten thousand lower-grade spirit stones, minus the cost of the spirit herbs.

A rough calculation by Chu Ning estimated his profit to be around six to seven thousand lower-grade spirit stones.

Of course, such high profits were largely due to his exceptionally high pill concocting success rate.

As the crowd of buyers thinned out, Chu Ning's busy demeanor also eased up.

The plump elder and the white-haired elder exchanged glances and finally couldn't resist stepping forward. They cupped their hands toward Chu Ning and said, "Pill Master Xiao, about the pill you promised us five days ago..."

Hearing the plump elder's question, Chu Ning casually took out a small jade bottle from his storage bag and tossed it to the man.

The plump elder's eyes lit up immediately, and he reached out to catch it.

Then, without hesitation, he opened the bottle and poured out the pill.

Instantly, a delightful fragrance filled the air, captivating the crowd.

The Qi Refining cultivators were merely curious, but the few Foundation Establishment cultivators were visibly shocked.

"Foundation Establishment Pill!"

Finally, one of the early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators exclaimed in surprise.

The next moment, exclamations of astonishment echoed one after another.

"What? Foundation Establishment Pill? He actually has a Foundation Establishment Pill!"

"Did Pill Master Xiao really concoct a Foundation Establishment Pill?"

...

In an instant, the entire crowd was stirred into a frenzy.

Seeing this, the plump cultivator's face lit up with joy, and he quickly put the pill back into the bottle.

Then, he took out a bag of spirit stones from his storage bag and threw it toward Chu Ning.

"Pill Master Xiao, I hope these spirit stones are enough."

Chu Ning caught the bag and gave it a quick glance to count the number of spirit stones inside.

There were one thousand eight hundred lower-grade spirit stones, a price slightly higher than what Chu Ning knew from the East Sacred Continent.

On the East Sacred Continent, a Foundation Establishment Pill usually cost around one thousand six hundred lower-grade spirit stones.

This price was even higher than that of many intermediate-grade, mid-tier pills, reflecting the high demand for this particular pill.

Chu Ning nodded slightly.

"Fellow Daoist Ma also provided the spirit herbs, so this is sufficient."

Before Chu Ning had finished speaking, and while the crowd was still abuzz with excitement, the white-haired mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator stepped forward and said:

"Pill Master Xiao, I, Liao, came here with Fellow Daoist Ma.

I would also like to request a Foundation Establishment Pill."

The white-haired cultivator, who was at the same cultivation level as Chu Ning, was surprisingly polite in his request.

Chu Ning gave him an indifferent glance and then reached out to take another small jade bottle.

However, instead of throwing it to the white-haired cultivator, he kept his eyes on the man, waiting.

The cultivator named Liao immediately took out a small bag of spirit stones and a jade box from his storage bag.

Then, he spoke, "I have twenty mid-grade spirit stones here, as well as a Red Fire Lotus Heart Leaf. I wish to exchange these for a Foundation Establishment Pill from Pill Master Xiao."

Hearing this, Chu Ning gave Liao a slight glance, feeling somewhat surprised.

Although the Foundation Establishment Pill was in high demand and often in short supply, Liao had directly offered a price of two thousand lower-grade spirit stones, using mid-grade spirit stones, which was higher than the market price.

Moreover, he had also offered a Red Fire Lotus Heart Leaf, a valuable herb for fire-attribute pill concoction, worth several hundred spirit stones by itself.

With such a generous offer, Chu Ning had no reason to refuse.

He waved his hand, sending the jade bottle containing the Foundation Establishment Pill flying toward Liao.

The man's face lit up with joy, and he immediately sent the bag of spirit stones and the jade box flying toward Chu Ning using the Driving Beast Technique.

Both parties received their items.

Chu Ning scanned the bag of spirit stones with his spiritual sense and opened the jade box to inspect the herb inside.

After confirming that everything was in order, he calmly stored them away in his own bag.

Liao, on the other hand, opened the small jade bottle and inspected its contents without even pouring out the pill. Then, with a delighted expression, he kept the pill safe.

At this moment, the crowd's gazes toward Chu Ning became even more fervent.

"Pill Master Xiao really can concoct the Foundation Establishment Pill!"

"This Foundation Establishment Pill is something only the pill concoctors within the Nine Florescent Sect can make!"

When Chu Ning had given the first Foundation Establishment Pill to the plump cultivator, the crowd had been filled with doubt and suspicion.

Some had even wondered if Chu Ning had obtained the pill from somewhere else.

But now, after witnessing Chu Ning casually selling another Foundation Establishment Pill to Liao, their doubts vanished.

Immediately, amid the crowd's heated gazes, another Foundation Establishment cultivator stepped forward to make a purchase.

He offered three types of spirit herbs along with one thousand five hundred lower-grade spirit stones.

Although the amount of spirit stones was not high, Chu Ning saw that the spirit herbs would be of great use to him, so he agreed to the deal.

Chu Ning gave him a cold glance and bluntly replied with two words.

"Not selling!"

The young-looking cultivator with the mole on his face hesitated, his smile freezing on his lips.

However, he still spoke up, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, I don't have any valuable spirit herbs on hand at the moment.

But my offer of 2,500 lower-grade spirit stones far exceeds the usual price of a Foundation Establishment Pill. You..."

"Then go find somewhere else to buy it with your spirit stones," Chu Ning said indifferently.

The cultivator's face turned red and white by turns.

Chu Ning, however, was unconcerned. This "Fellow Daoist Xiao" was known for his eccentric temperament, after all.

He was surprised that the Foundation Establishment Pills were so well-received and that people were willing to pay such high prices.

But he also realized that Foundation Establishment Pills were probably in short supply in the Nine Florescent Mountain.

"Could this be related to the accident involving the Nine Florescent Sect's pill concoctor?"

Chu Ning quickly speculated and deduced the reason for the crowd's eagerness.

The fact that so many solitary cultivators were here meant that Foundation Establishment Pills used to be available to them.

Combining this with Xiao Cheng's memories of the consecutive accidents involving the Nine Florescent Sect's pill concoctors and their invitation for him to join their sect, Chu Ning formed his own judgment.

Since that was the case, he couldn't just sell the Foundation Establishment Pills willy-nilly; it wouldn't fit with Fellow Daoist Xiao's style.

The previous three cultivators had offered spirit herbs along with their spirit stones, so he had agreed to their requests.

But now, this cultivator was trying to buy a pill with only spirit stones, and Chu Ning refused without hesitation.

The cultivator with the mole on his face hesitated, his expression fluctuating as he held the bag of spirit stones. Eventually, he put the bag away without saying anything and turned to fly away.

Although he left, the crowd's gazes at Chu Ning remained fervent.

Naturally, everyone present wanted to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill.

The Qi Refining cultivators, of course, had no chance, but even the Foundation Establishment cultivators had their own disciples to think about.

Among them, one Foundation Establishment cultivator merely looked on curiously and showed no signs of making a move.

The rest, however, were eager to give it a try.

But after seeing that the previous cultivator was rejected even with an offer of 2,500 spirit stones, the rest exchanged glances, unsure of what to do.

Finally, another Foundation Establishment cultivator who had been eyeing the pills stepped forward.

He offered 2,000 lower-grade spirit stones and an additional spirit herb in exchange for a pill.

However, Chu Ning didn't think much of the spirit herb, so he directly refused.

The cultivator's face fell in disappointment.

But unlike the previous cultivator, he didn't leave in a huff. Instead, he politely cupped his hands and said, "If Zhuang manages to obtain some valuable spirit herbs in the future, I will come to Fellow Daoist Xiao to purchase pills again."

Subsequently, several Qi Refining cultivators stepped forward to make their requests.

However, none of them had any spirit herbs that caught Chu Ning's interest.

Without prior preparation, it was unlikely for these Qi Refining cultivators to suddenly produce high-quality spirit herbs.

After a few attempts, Chu Ning waved his hand impatiently and said, "Those who want the Foundation Establishment Pills should consider the value of what they're offering. Otherwise, don't bother asking."

No one in the crowd dared to speak up after that.

Everyone resumed their trading, buying other pills, or exchanging items among themselves.

About half an hour later, a figure flew into view from the distance and landed in front of the crowd. The newcomer was not tall, with an ordinary appearance and a mix of black and white hair, but his eyes were bright and piercing.

His aura was also stronger than everyone present, indicating that he was a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"Fellow Daoist Li!"

"Greetings, Li!"

The mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator's arrival prompted several Foundation Establishment cultivators to greet him.

Apparently, he was someone of renown.

Fellow Daoist Li merely returned their greetings with a bow and then turned his attention to Chu Ning.

"I heard that Fellow Daoist Xiao has refined Foundation Establishment Pills. I, Li, would also like to request one."

As he spoke, he threw several items toward Chu Ning.

There was a bag of spirit stones and two jade boxes containing spirit herbs.

Chu Ning caught them and inspected the contents. There were twenty medium-grade spirit stones, and the spirit herbs in the jade boxes were indeed the ingredients for refining Foundation Establishment Pills.

Chu Ning nodded slightly, took out a small jade bottle containing a Foundation Establishment Pill, and threw it to Fellow Daoist Li.

Fellow Daoist Li opened the bottle to inspect the pill, nodded with a smile, and then exclaimed with a surprised expression, "Fellow Daoist Xiao's pill is of superior quality. Even the pills refined by Qiu and Ling from the Nine Florescent Sect may not be as good as this.

Only Elder Ling himself could have refined a pill of this quality."

As soon as Fellow Daoist Li voiced his assessment, the crowd burst into an uproar once again.

Although the previous cultivators had recognized the high quality of Chu Ning's Foundation Establishment Pills, they hadn't compared them so directly.

But everyone knew that Fellow Daoist Li was the head of the Li family, a cultivator family on Nine Florescent Mountain, and he himself was a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

His family had produced other Foundation Establishment cultivators in the past, so they must have purchased their pills from the Nine Florescent Sect.

Naturally, everyone believed his words.

In an instant, the crowd's gazes toward Chu Ning became even more astonished.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao's pill concocting skills are truly remarkable!"

"Among Foundation Establishment cultivators, Fellow Daoist Xiao is undoubtedly the number one pill master on Nine Florescent Mountain!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end