"I’ll have to think about it."
Xiao Hao didn’t rush to give him an answer.
Becoming the Celestial Pill Pavilion’s chief Alchemist certainly had its benefits, but it could also easily expose his true identity and even restrict his freedom.
"Of course. If you change your mind, you can come find me anytime! This is our Celestial Pill Pavilion’s Venerable VIP Card. Please, accept it."
Pavilion Master Ma took out a Purple Gold Card and handed it to Xiao Hao.
This was the Celestial Pill Pavilion’s Venerable VIP Card. Its holder would become one of the Pavilion’s most esteemed members and enjoy a variety of special services.
Naturally, Xiao Hao didn’t refuse and put it away.
"I’d like to purchase the same batch of Spirit Medicines as last time, but I need three times the amount."
Xiao Hao said.
"Distinguished guest, this branch is out of stock of that particular batch of Spirit Medicines. However, since you’re one of our venerable members, I can apply to have some transferred from our headquarters."
Pavilion Master Ma hurriedly explained.
"How long will that take?"
Xiao Hao inquired.
"Around four days. You can come pick them up then. As for the price, we can give you a ten percent discount."
Pavilion Master Ma said with a slight smile.
This was one of the benefits of being a venerable member.
"Alright! However, I don’t have that many Spirit Stones on me at the moment. Can I pay with flawless Purple Spirit Pills instead?"
Xiao Hao said.
Last time, he had purchased one set of Spirit Medicines to refine Foundation Establishment Pills, which had cost him sixty thousand Low Grade Spirit Stones.
This time, he was buying three full sets. Even with a ten percent discount, he would need around one hundred sixty thousand Low Grade Spirit Stones.
He couldn’t possibly come up with that many Spirit Stones right now.
However, he had already thought of a solution before coming here.
"Yes, of course!"
Pavilion Master Ma’s face lit up with joy.
After all, those seven Purple Spirit Pills from last time had earned the Celestial Pill Pavilion a massive profit.
He was naturally dying to get his hands on more Purple Spirit Pills.
As long as they were of flawless quality, not only would they be easy to sell, but they could also fetch an extremely high price.
"However, you must provide the Medicinal Materials to refine the Purple Spirit Pills. And I’ll sell the finished pills back to you for five thousand Spirit Stones apiece."
Xiao Hao stated.
"No problem! I’ll go prepare the Medicinal Materials right away. Please wait just a moment."
Pavilion Master Ma said hurriedly, afraid that Xiao Hao would go back on his word.
A short while later, Pavilion Master Ma returned with all the Medicinal Materials needed to refine the Purple Spirit Pills.
These Medicinal Materials were enough to refine forty Purple Spirit Pills.
"I’ll be back in four days."
After checking the Medicinal Materials, Xiao Hao didn’t linger and quickly left the Celestial Pill Pavilion.
"Haha! The Celestial Pill Pavilion is going to make another killing! That distinguished guest... he truly is my cash cow!"
Watching Xiao Hao’s departing figure, Pavilion Master Ma said with a beaming smile.
Although Xiao Hao hadn’t agreed to become the Celestial Pill Pavilion’s chief Alchemist, if he could continue to provide them with flawless Elixirs, it would be no different than having one on staff.
...
Half an hour later, Xiao Hao returned to his room.
He then took the Medicinal Materials for the Purple Spirit Pills from a beast-hide bundle and placed them into the Purple Phoenix Furnace.
Since he had already succeeded in refining a batch of flawless Purple Spirit Pills once, this time, the process was practically effortless.
In less than an hour, he successfully refined a batch of Purple Spirit Pills.
The furnace yielded a total of forty Purple Spirit Pills, all of flawless quality.
Selling them to the Celestial Pill Pavilion would earn him two hundred thousand Low Grade Spirit Stones. Not only could he pay off his debt, but he would also have thirty to forty thousand Low Grade Spirit Stones to spare.
’Three sets of Medicinal Materials for Foundation Establishment Pills should be enough to refine thirty pills. That’s more than enough for me to raise my Cultivation to the Earth Realm.’
Xiao Hao’s eyes filled with deep anticipation. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on those three sets of Medicinal Materials.
The next moment, Xiao Hao placed the forty Purple Spirit Pills into a Jade Bottle and put it away in his Storage Ring.
Afterward, he consumed a Foundation Establishment Pill and began its Refinement.
By now, he had already used up six Foundation Establishment Pills, and his Cultivation had soared from the Profound Realm First Layer to the Profound Realm Fourth Layer.
If his calculations were correct, he would need to refine four more Foundation Establishment Pills to break through to the Profound Realm Fifth Layer.
After all, the effects of the Foundation Establishment Pills diminished with each use.
...
While Xiao Hao was cultivating in seclusion, a Bai Family Elder was in Bai Xiong’s room, his face incredibly grim.
"Patriarch, something terrible has happened. Third Elder and his men are all dead."
"What? What on earth happened? Where is Xiao Chen!"
Bai Xiong froze as if struck by lightning.
"Xiao Chen and Xiao Ming are still alive. It must have been Xiao Chen who killed the Third Elder and his men."
the Elder said, gritting his teeth.
"Impossible! There must be some other expert helping him."
Bai Xiong said, his face dark.
He had sent Bai Shan to kill Xiao Chen personally precisely to ensure it was a foolproof plan.
Even at his peak, Xiao Chen would have found it difficult to kill Bai Shan, let alone now, with his Dantian severely damaged.
Therefore, someone else must have been the one to kill Bai Shan.
"Patriarch, what should we do now? We can’t let the Third Elder and the others die in vain!"
the Elder said.
"The expert behind Xiao Chen was able to kill the Third Elder, so their strength must be at least at the Profound Realm Seventh Layer or above. It’s possible they were the ones who destroyed Evil Wolf Stronghold. Before we figure out their origin, we’d best not act rashly."
A flicker of fear flashed through Bai Xiong’s eyes.
"Yes! Patriarch! Actually, we don’t need to be the ones to kill Xiao Chen. The Black Dragon Alliance will definitely not let him go."
The elder sneered.
The Black Dragon Alliance was considered a top-tier power in the entire Great Li Dynasty and was even said to have a legendary Innate Grandmaster overseeing it.
They could send any one of their experts and crush Xiao Chen with ease.
"Hmph! They might already be on their way! By the way, what about that trash Xiao Hao? Bai Lin and his men should have killed him by now!"
A greedy light flickered in Bai Xiong’s eyes.
As soon as Xiao Hao was dead, he could obtain the Secret Treasure he carried.
"Patriarch, they’ve all gone missing. I suspect the expert behind Xiao Chen did it, too."
The elder said with a sigh.
"Useless fools! They couldn’t even take care of a single piece of trash."
Bai Xiong’s face was livid as he spoke.
The reason he lured Xiao Chen out of Celestial Water City was mainly to seize the Secret Treasure from Xiao Hao, but in the end, it failed.
It infuriated him!
"Patriarch, please calm your anger. That piece of trash awakened a One-Star Bronze Martial Soul. He’ll never amount to anything in his life. We can kill him whenever we want in the future."
The elder sneered contemptuously.
"That’s true. Once the people from the Black Dragon Alliance have dealt with Xiao Chen, we can handle that piece of trash however we please."
Bai Xiong said coldly.
...
「Four days passed in the blink of an eye.」
"I’ve finally broken through to the Profound Realm Fifth Layer."
Inside the Cultivation Chamber, a smile touched Xiao Hao’s lips.