"Coming through! Clear the way! Big discount on Spirit Gathering Pills, only five hundred spirit stones each!"
"Second-grade spirit technique, Mountain-Splitting Fist, on sale for just eight hundred spirit stones. Don't miss out!"
"Second-grade spirit weapon, Heavenly Profound Spirit Sword, sharp enough to cut iron like mud, yours for seven hundred spirit stones!"
As he walked into the bazaar, vendors were shouting at the top of their lungs, spraying spit as they talked.
"Although this Tianyan Bazaar is humble, it is packed with a dazzling array of goods. It really has everything one could want."
Ye Han scanned the stalls, his eyes lighting up with surprise. Perhaps he really could gather all seventeen medicinal ingredients here.
He wandered about, pausing frequently to search the various stalls. Before long, he discovered the first ingredient he needed.
"How much for this Dew-Condensing Grass?"
Ye Han held a purple herb in his palm, first observing its appearance, then giving it a sniff.
The old man at the stall glanced at Ye Han. Seeing his youth, he flashed a grin full of yellow teeth.
"This Dew-Condensing Grass is five hundred years old. Its fragrance is rich, it’s fresh, and its medicinal properties are perfectly preserved. Eight hundred spirit stones."
Hearing this, Ye Han shook his head.
"This Dew-Condensing Grass is decent, and it has retained at least eighty percent of its medicinal properties, but its age is definitely no more than three hundred years."
"Truly sharp eyes. It seems I’ve met a connoisseur."
The old man looked surprised. He hadn't expected a youth like Ye Han to be able to discern the age of the herb at a glance. Being able to appraise an herb’s age just by its scent was something most ordinary alchemists couldn't achieve.
"Four hundred spirit stones."
Ye Han immediately held up four fingers and spoke in a deep voice.
"Deal!"
Since the other party was an expert, the old man had no choice but to accept readily.
The first ingredient, the Dew-Condensing Grass, was successfully secured.
After leaving the stall, Ye Han made his way to an area specifically dedicated to selling herbs. This section was filled with even more medicinal treasures, the stalls glowing with spiritual light and thick with fragrance. Nearby, quite a few alchemists were busy selecting herbs.
In this area, Ye Han managed to purchase over a dozen ingredients needed for the Spirit Profound Pill, including Thick Earth Fungus, Vitality Fruit, and Purple Orchid Leaf. However, the last two ingredients—Bone-Cleansing Flower and Green Wood Turtle Vine—were nowhere to be found. These two were rather uncommon.
"Huh?"
Just as Ye Han was searching for the last two precious ingredients, his gaze was suddenly drawn to an item at a nearby stall. A section of beast bone was displayed there, emitting a faint spiritual glow and white as jade. A crowd had gathered around, curious to get a closer look.
"Everyone, in order to hunt this late Spirit Sea Realm Heavenly Profound Raging Lion, my Wu family lost quite a few of our elite men. This piece of bone surely contains a spirit technique from the beast itself!" a burly man shouted in a deep voice.
"A late Spirit Sea Realm Heavenly Profound Raging Lion!"
"This bone spirit technique must be at least fifth-grade, if not sixth!"
The crowd erupted in a clamor, many warriors’ eyes burning with desire. Ye Han stopped, feeling intrigued. Beast bones from this world had a chance of harboring spirit techniques, and their power was no less than those possessed by families or sects. The higher the rank of the beast, the higher the rank of the technique. Ye Han could tell at a glance that the technique hidden in this bone was no ordinary martial art.
"One thousand spirit stones!" a white-haired old man rasped.
"The Lin family offers one thousand two!" a youth raised his hand.
"One thousand three!"
"One thousand four!"
Before long, a frantic bidding war broke out among the various parties.
"Two thousand."
Ye Han suddenly raised his hand. Instantly, all eyes turned to him. However, two thousand spirit stones was a high price. After a moment of silence, no one offered more. The bone finally fell into Ye Han's possession.
"I wonder what kind of spirit technique is inside?"
After getting the bone, Ye Han found a quiet spot, intending to open it.
*Hum!*
Spiritual power from his fingertip pierced the bone, and suddenly, runes bloomed as a ray of light shot out.
*Whoosh!*
The light darted into Ye Han’s forehead, instantly transforming into countless mysterious characters in his mind.
*ROAR—*
"Heavenly Lion Gold-Shattering Roar."
An ancient lion’s roar echoed in his head, followed by several golden characters.
"This… this is actually a seventh-grade spirit technique!"
Ye Han was stunned, then delighted. Moreover, this Heavenly Lion Gold-Shattering Roar was an extremely rare sonic-type spirit technique!
***
"A seventh-grade spirit technique!"
As Ye Han sensed the information hidden in his mind, he couldn't help but feel pleasantly surprised. The technique was named the Heavenly Lion Gold-Shattering Roar. Not only was it seventh-grade, but it was an extremely rare sonic-type technique, meaning its value was likely comparable to an eighth-grade technique.
Spirit techniques in this world are ranked one through nine; above nine are Profound Arts, Heavenly Profound Arts, Dao Palace Arts, Divine Abilities, and Supreme Arts. A seventh-grade spirit technique was considered a rare, top-tier martial art even within the Ye Family.
"This seventh-grade technique is worth at least eight thousand spirit stones. I really made a profit."
Ye Han touched the bone in his palm, his lips curling into a slight smile. In his past life, he was a Saint-grade Alchemist, but he had spent twenty years obsessively focused on alchemy, neglecting his martial cultivation. In this life, he understood the importance of possessing powerful strength. He didn't just want to reach the pinnacle as an Alchemical Emperor; he wanted to surpass the Great Emperor in cultivation as well.
Thinking this, Ye Han placed the bone into his storage bag and continued searching for the remaining ingredients.
Hours passed. He had found fifteen of the seventeen ingredients needed for the third-grade Spirit Profound Pill. But the Bone-Cleansing Flower and the Green Wood Turtle Vine remained elusive. These two were rare and precious.
However, hard work pays off. After patient searching, Ye Han finally found the sixteenth ingredient—the Bone-Cleansing Flower!
It was sitting on a dilapidated stall in a quiet, distant corner. The seller was a scrawny, scruffy-looking old man.
"A second-grade alchemist."
Ye Han identified him with a single glance. The man smelled of herbs from years of alchemy, and the highest grade of pill he had brewed was a Heavenly Profound Pill—a high-grade second-grade pill. In other words, he was at least a high-grade second-grade alchemist.
Ye Han stepped forward and asked politely, "What is the price for this Bone-Cleansing Flower?"
The scruffy man stretched, let out a lazy yawn, and smiled. "Young man, anyone who needs a Bone-Cleansing Flower is at least an alchemist of significant standing. You should know how rare this is. You won't find another one in the exchange."
He was clearly implying the price wouldn't be low.
"Name your price, I can afford it." Ye Han was straightforward; he didn't want to waste time haggling.
"Four thousand high-grade spirit stones." The old man held up three fingers.
"Four thousand?" Ye Han frowned, feeling slightly annoyed. The price was clearly inflated, but since finding this flower was difficult, he pondered for a moment and nodded. "Fine, I’ll take it!"
Just as they were about to exchange, a fragrant breeze swept past Ye Han’s back.
"Found it! The Bone-Cleansing Flower!"
A girl in red, appearing to be about seventeen or eighteen, walked over. She was vibrant, her skin delicate and flawless. She had a refined, oval-shaped face and a willowy figure. Though not yet fully grown, she was clearly a future beauty.
"Hey, old man, I want this Bone-Cleansing Flower. Name a price!" she commanded, pointing casually.
"My apologies, but this young man has already bought it," the scruffy man said, gesturing to Ye Han.
"Him?" The girl in red glanced at Ye Han with an arrogant air, like a proud peacock. "It’s still on the stall, isn’t it? I’ll pay five times his price!"
"This..." The old man looked at Ye Han apologetically, hesitating to hand over the flower.
Seeing the girl’s unreasonable behavior, Ye Han’s expression darkened. "First come, first served. I’ve already bought this. You should look elsewhere."
Ye Han’s words seemed to infuriate her. She frowned and snapped, "Who do you think you are, lecturing me? Do you have any idea who my master is? It’s Master Zhuge from the Alchemist Guild!"
"What? Master Zhuge?" The scruffy man’s eyes brightened. He looked at the girl carefully and said in surprise, "Could you be the most talented alchemist in all of Yancheng, Liu Qintan?"
The girl looked satisfied, nodding haughtily. Liu Qintan was a disciple of Master Zhuge, a high-grade third-grade alchemist at the Alchemist Guild, and she had become a second-grade alchemist at only sixteen! Even ordinary Spirit Sea Realm experts wouldn't dare offend her.
"Only a second-grade alchemist, yet such a big temper..." Ye Han said indifferently.
"How dare you!" Liu Qintan laughed in anger. Being a second-grade alchemist at sixteen was monstrous talent, yet in Ye Han’s eyes, it was merely "only." In Ye Han’s eyes, however, it was indeed mediocre—at sixteen, he had already reached the rank of Alchemical Emperor and shaken an entire region!
"Old man, I’ll pay seven times the price. Sell it to me. This short-sighted person will only waste such a precious herb!"
"Sigh..." The scruffy man looked conflicted.
"How about this? I’ll trade you a third-grade pill formula," Ye Han said, pulling an ancient scroll from his sleeve. The old man snatched it, opened it, and his eyes exploded with intensity.
"Deal! It's a deal!"
"Are you insane?! That third-grade formula must be stolen!" Liu Qintan gritted her teeth, stomping in rage. That was a precious third-grade formula! Even a hundred Bone-Cleansing Flowers weren't worth as much.
"Does that concern you?" Ye Han put the flower away, not missing the chance to needle her. As a former Alchemy Saint, pill formulas were the one thing he had in abundance!
"Fine, just you wait!" Liu Qintan turned and stormed off in defeat.
"Sir, I still need an ingredient called Green Wood Turtle Vine. Do you have it?" Ye Han asked the stall owner.
"Green Wood Turtle Vine? That’s a precious fourth-grade herb. The whole of Yancheng likely only has it at the Alchemist Guild."
After saying this, the old man, fearing Ye Han might regret the trade, snatched up his stall and vanished in a flash.
"The Alchemist Guild."
From the memories of this body, Ye Han learned about the guild. It was the most prestigious organization in Yancheng—more so than the families or the City Lord's Mansion. Only the most gifted alchemists could join. Liu Qintan held a high status there as Master Zhuge’s disciple, and even the City Lord treated the guild's alchemists with reverence.
Ye Han pondered. To get the final ingredient, he had no choice but to go. He just hoped he wouldn't run into that arrogant Liu Qintan again, or this trip might get complicated.
***
Yancheng, Alchemy Plaza.
This jade plaza was where the Alchemist Guild’s disciples practiced.
*Puff! Puff! Puff!*
Scorching flames rose in the furnaces, creating waves of heat that spread across the square. Hundreds of alchemists were busy refining pills, drawing crowds of spectators who watched in wonder. The entire square was filled with the fragrance of pills.
*BOOM!*
Occasionally, the sound of a furnace exploding broke the rhythm, followed by the shouts of elders scolding disciples who emerged from the fire soot-faced.
Today, in addition to the disciples, countless warriors and alchemists from across Yancheng had gathered. In the center, thousands of people were packed into a massive, multi-layered circle, watching with intense interest.
At the center stood a three-meter-tall black stone platform. Standing upon it was a white-haired old man in a black robe, looking stern and wrinkle-faced. In front of him sat a vermilion-colored furnace with a divine bird pattern. This was the Alchemist Guild Elder—Master Zhuge!
"Hehe, I heard this is Master Zhuge’s first time refining in public. We’re in for a treat. To witness a master like him refine is a stroke of luck that comes once in a lifetime!" a bystander exclaimed.
"I hear he’s been a third-grade alchemist for years and is only one step away from the fourth grade. Only the President can rival him in all of Yancheng," others chimed in.
"And his disciple, Liu Qintan, is incredible. Already a second-grade alchemist at seventeen. She’ll surpass the President in no time!"
The crowd’s eyes turned to the girl in red standing beside Master Zhuge. Like a proud peacock, she was the focus of everyone’s attention.
"So that’s Master Zhuge?" Ye Han had arrived, watching the pair on the stage. His lips curled upward. "I’ll see just how good the top alchemist in Yancheng is. I hope Master Zhuge doesn't disappoint me..."
As time passed, the crowd grew. Everyone watched with high anticipation.
"Qintan, get the herbs," Master Zhuge said solemnly.
"Yes, Master!" Liu Qintan nodded, waving her hand to summon hundreds of glowing, fragrant herbs onto the platform.
"A third-grade pill, the Flame Spirit Pill," Ye Han noted, recognizing the materials instantly.
*Puff!*
Flames erupted from Master Zhuge’s palms like dancing serpents.
"Heaven! Such exquisite fire control!"
"I am humbled. Master Zhuge is truly worthy of his name!" The crowd erupted in praise.
Ye Han, however, frowned. *His fire control is slightly crude,* he thought.
Master Zhuge wrapped the herbs in spiritual power and fire, guiding them into the furnace. The vessel hovered in the air as he unleashed a surge of powerful soul energy to extract the medicinal essences. He was completely immersed, his techniques dazzling and breathtaking.
*BOOM!*
The flames surged toward the sky. The furnace spun as Master Zhuge’s soul energy began to meld the medicinal liquids.
"Amazing! Truly amazing!"
"This technique is masterful!"
The crowd cheered. The process was as smooth as flowing water, leaving everyone in awe.
*Clang.*
Hours later, the furnace landed. The Flame Spirit Pill was complete. As the lid opened, a wave of fiery spiritual power rippled outward, and a perfectly round, crimson pill floated into the air.
"A high-grade third-grade pill! The Flame Spirit Pill!"
The crowd was ecstatic, their cheers lasting for minutes. Just as the noise began to settle, a sudden, dissonant voice cut through the air:
"The fire control is slightly lacking, the soul power management is not entirely fluid, and the refining techniques are a bit rough. If not for that, this pill would have developed pill veins. A pity, truly a pity."