"A Grade-2 Mystic Art, Mountain-Splitting Fist, only eight hundred spiritual stones! Don't miss out!"
"A Grade-2 Mystic Weapon, Heavenly Mystic Spirit Sword, capable of cutting through iron like mud! Just seven hundred spiritual stones!"
Stepping into the marketplace, various vendors were shouting at the top of their lungs, spraying saliva as they advertised their wares.
"Although this Tianyan Marketplace is rather crude, it's packed with all sorts of goods and has everything one could possibly need."
Ye Han swept his gaze roughly over the stalls, unable to keep a hint of surprise from his face. Perhaps he really could gather all seventeen medicinal ingredients right here.
With that thought, he walked and stopped by turns, searching the major stalls with his eyes. Before long, he spotted the very first ingredient he needed.
"How much for this Ningluo Grass?"
Ye Han picked up a purple herb, placed it in his palm, first inspected its appearance, and then gave it a sniff.
The elderly vendor glanced at Ye Han, saw that he was just a youngster, and flashed a mouthful of yellow teeth with a smile.
"This Ningluo Grass has a full five hundred years of age. The fragrance is rich, the herb is fresh, and its medicinal properties are completely intact. It's eight hundred spiritual stones."
Hearing this, Ye Han shook his head.
"This Ningluo Grass of yours is in decent shape, and at least eighty percent of its medicinal properties are preserved, but its age definitely does not exceed three hundred years."
"Sharp eyes! It seems this old man has run into an expert."
A trace of surprise crossed the old man's face; he hadn't expected someone so young to be able to tell the age of a herb at a single glance.
And to be able to grade a herb's age simply by smelling its scent—that was certainly not something an ordinary alchemist could pull off.
"Four hundred spiritual stones."
Ye Han immediately held up four fingers and said in a deep voice.
"Deal!"
Since the other party was clearly an expert, the old man had no choice but to agree with good grace.
And thus, the very first ingredient—the Ningluo Grass—was successfully secured.
Leaving that stall, Ye Han wandered over to an area specifically designated for selling medicinal ingredients.
This section gathered even more medicinal herbs and spiritual treasures, with every stall displaying precious plants that emitted spiritual ares and rich fragrances.
Looking around, he noticed quite a few alchemists busy selecting spiritual herbs in the vicinity.
Right here in this area, Ye Han managed to buy over a dozen ingredients needed to refine the Spirit Profound Pill, including Thick-Earth Ganoderma, Vitality Fruit, and Purple Orchid Leaf Grass.
However, the final two ingredients—Bone-Washing Flower and Green-Wood Tortoise Vine—were nowhere to be found.
Those two herbs were somewhat uncommon indeed.
"Oh?"
Just as Ye Han was searching for the final two precious ingredients, his gaze was suddenly drawn deeply toward an item at a nearby stall.
On display lay a section of a beast bone, emitting a spiritual glow and gleaming white like jade.
Countless people had gathered around, curiously inspecting this piece of bone.
"Everyone, in order to hunt down this late Spirit Sea Realm Heavenly Mystic Fierce Lion, our Wu family lost quite a few of our elite men! And this section of bone undoubtedly contains a mystic art belonging to the Heavenly Mystic Fierce Lion!"
A burly man declared in a deep voice.
Swoosh!
"A Spirit Sea Realm Heavenly Mystic Fierce Lion!"
"A beast bone mystic art like this is probably at least Grade 5, if not Grade 6 or higher!"
An immediate uproar broke out all around, many martial artists' eyes blazing with fiery desire.
Ye Han also halted his steps, growing quite interested.
In this world, the beast bones of spirit beasts had a certain chance of giving birth to mystic arts, and their might was not a whit inferior to the mystic arts possessed by major families or sects.
The higher the grade of the spirit beast, the higher the grade of the mystic art.
At a single glance, Ye Han could tell that the beast bone treasure art contained within this bone was no ordinary martial art.
"This old man bids one thousand spiritual stones!"
A white-haired elder spoke in an aged voice.
"Our Lin family bids twelve hundred!"
A young man raised his hand.
"Thirteen hundred!"
"Fourteen hundred!"
Before long, a fierce bidding war had broken out among various factions over this section of bone.
"Two thousand."
At that moment, Ye Han suddenly raised his hand as well.
Instantly, everyone's gaze converged upon him. Still, a price of two thousand spiritual stones was already considered quite high.
The surroundings fell silent for a moment, and no one offered a higher price. In the end, this section of bone fell into Ye Han's hands.
"I wonder what kind of mystic art is inside?"
After acquiring the beast bone, Ye Han sought out a secluded spot, intending to open it up.
Hum!
The spiritual power at his fingertips pierced through the bone, and instantly rune light blossomed as a beam of light shot out from within.
Swish!
That beam of light shot straight into Ye Han's glabella, instantly transforming into countless profound characters within his mind.
Roar—!
"Heavenly Lion Gold-Shattering Roar!"
An ancient lion roar echoed out, and several golden characters floated up within his mind.
"This... this is actually a Grade-7 Mystic Art!"
Ye Han was stunned at first, and then his expression turned to one of pleasant surprise.
Moreover, this Heavenly Lion Gold-Shattering Roar was an extremely special and rare sonic-type mystic art!
***
Chapter 6: Alchemist Guild
"It's actually a Grade-7 Mystic Art!"
Sensing the information hidden within his mind, Ye Han could not help but wear a look of pleasant surprise.
This mystic art was called the Heavenly Lion Gold-Shattering Roar!
Not only did it reach the Grade-7 level, but it was also an exceptionally rare sonic-type mystic art.
Therefore, in terms of value, it was probably enough to rival a Grade-8 mystic art.
In this world, mystic arts were initially divided from grades one to nine; above grade nine came Mystic Arts, Heavenly Mystic Arts, Dao Palace Arts, Divine Powers, Supreme Arts, and so on...
One had to know that even within the Ye Family, a Grade-7 mystic art was considered a rare and superior mystic art!
"A Grade-7 mystic art like this is worth at least eight thousand spiritual stones. I've really made a killing."
Ye Han stroked the beast bone in his palm, the corners of his mouth curving upward slightly.
In his past life, although he was a Saint-grade alchemist, he had spent barely twenty years completely immersed in alchemy, neglecting his martial cultivation.
In this lifetime, he naturally understood even better the importance of possessing powerful personal strength!
He not only wanted to reach the pinnacle of the Pill God, but he also wanted to surpass the Pill Martial Great Emperor in terms of cultivation!
Thinking thus, Ye Han cheerfully placed the beast bone into his Qiankun bag and continued searching for the remaining ingredients.
Unawares, several hours slipped by.
Refining the Grade-3 Spirit Profound Pill required a total of seventeen ingredients, and after these few hours of searching, he had already found fifteen of them.
However, the single Bone-Washing Grass and the single Green-Wood Tortoise Vine were nowhere to be found.
Those two ingredients were comparatively rare and precious.
Yet hard work pays off: after patient searching, Ye Han finally discovered the sixteenth ingredient—the Bone-Washing Grass!
In a quiet corner not far away, a tattered stall had been set up.
And the precious Bone-Washing Grass was actually displayed in such an inconspicuous corner.
The vendor selling the herbs was a scrawny, sloppy-looking old man.
"A Grade-2 alchemist."
With just a single look, Ye Han discerned the sloppy old man's identity.
The old man carried the lingering scent of medicinal pills left behind from years of alchemy, and the highest-grade pill among those lingering scents was the Heavenly Mystic Pill.
In other words, a Grade-High Tier-2 pill!
To put it another way, this sloppy old man was at least a Grade-High Tier-2 alchemist.
Ye Han strode forward and asked politely,
"How much for this Bone-Washing Grass?"
The sloppy old man stretched, lazily let out a yawn, and then smiled warmly as he said,
"Young man, anyone who needs an ingredient like Bone-Washing Grass must be at least a fairly proficient alchemist. You should surely know how rare this Bone-Washing Grass is; outside of my place here, you won't find a second stalk in the entire exchange market."
Naturally, remarks like these were meant to signal that the price of this Bone-Washing Grass definitely would not be low.
"Name your price. I can afford it."
Ye Han was quite straightforward; he didn't want to waste time haggling.
"Four thousand premium spiritual stones."
The sloppy old man held up three fingers.
"Four thousand?"
Hearing this, Ye Han frowned, looking somewhat displeased.
This price was clearly a bit on the high side, but being able to find this stalk of Bone-Washing Grass at all was already quite remarkable. After pondering for a moment, he nodded and said,
"Fine, I'll buy it!"
Yet just as the two of them were about to complete the transaction, a wave of fragrance suddenly swept in from behind Ye Han.
"Found it! Bone-Washing Grass!"
A girl dressed in red, looking to be about seventeen or eighteen years of age, walked over.
This young girl was bright and lively, with skin as delicate as it could be broken by a mere breath. Her exquisite oval face was stunningly beautiful. Her figure was slender with a willow-like waist, standing tall and graceful. Though she hadn't fully matured yet, one could already tell she was destined to be a great beauty.
"Hey, old man, I want this stalk of Bone-Washing Grass. Name your price already."
The young girl casually pointed at the Bone-Washing Grass.
"What a pity, this young man has already bought this ingredient a step ahead."
The sloppy old man pointed at Ye Han and said.
"Him?"
The girl in red glanced sideways at Ye Han, putting on an air of great wealth as she spoke like a proud little peacock,
"Isn't the Bone-Washing Grass still sitting right there on the stall? I'll pay five times his price!"
"This..."
The old man looked at Ye Han apologetically, his hand—which had been about to hand over the Bone-Washing Grass—hesitatingly pulling back.
Seeing how overbearing and unreasonable this red-clad girl was, Ye Han's face darkened, and he said in an indifferent tone,
"First come, first served. Since I've already bought this Bone-Washing Grass, you'd better look elsewhere."
Never had Ye Han expected that this single remark would enrage the young girl. She frowned and said coldly,
"Who do you think you are, lecturing me like that? Don't you know my master is Master Zhuge of the Alchemist Guild?!"
"What? Master Zhuge?"
The sloppy old man's eyes suddenly lit up. He looked the girl over carefully once more, then exclaimed in amazement,
"Could you be the most outstanding genius alchemist in the entire Flame City, Liu Qitan?"
The young girl looked quite pleased with that reaction and nodded proudly.
Liu Qitan: a disciple of Master Zhuge, a Grade-High Tier-3 alchemist of the Alchemist Guild, who had already advanced to a Grade-2 alchemist at the tender age of sixteen!
Even ordinary Spirit Sea Realm powerhouses probably wouldn't dare easily offend her.
"Just a Grade-2 alchemist, yet quite the temper..."
Ye Han, however, wore a nonchalant expression, his tone completely flat.
"Such nerve!"
Liu Qitan laughed out of sheer anger. A sixteen-year-old Grade-2 alchemist—no matter how one looked at it, her talent was at the monster level.
Yet from Ye Han's mouth, it had only elicited a dismissive word of evaluation: "merely".
In Ye Han's eyes, however, a sixteen-year-old Grade-2 alchemist truly was unremarkable.
After all, back when he was sixteen, he had already reached the pinnacle of the Pill Emperor, causing a sensation across an entire domain!
"Old man, I'll pay seven times the price. Sell the Bone-Washing Grass to me. A man of such short-sighted vision would only waste such a precious medicinal ingredient!"
Refusing to let the matter rest, Liu Qitan raised her offer once again.
"Sigh..."
A troubled look crossed the sloppy old man's face.
"How about this? I'll trade a Grade-3 pill formula for it. Do we trade or not?"
Ye Han retrieved an ancient scroll from his sleeve and handed it over. The old man hurriedly opened the scroll to take a look, his eyes bursting with intense light.
"It's a deal! Deal, deal!"
"Are you crazy?! You must have stolen this Grade-3 pill formula?!"
Liu Qitan bit her silver teeth, stamping her foot in anger.
That was a precious Grade-3 pill formula!
Even the value of a hundred stalks of Bone-Washing Grass couldn't compare to a single Grade-3 pill formula.
"What business is it of yours?"
Ye Han put away the Bone-Washing Grass, making sure to stick a pin in Liu Qitan as he did so. Having been a Pill Saint in his past life, the one thing he lacked least was pill formulas!
"Fine, you just wait!"
Furious and frustrated, Liu Qitan spun around and stalked off in defeat.
"Old mister, I also need an ingredient called Green-Wood Tortoise Vine. Do you happen to have it?"
Ye Han turned his gaze back to the stall owner, taking the opportunity to inquire.
"Green-Wood Tortoise Vine? That's a precious ingredient that reaches Grade 4! In the entire Flame City, I'm afraid only the Alchemist Guild has it."
Having spoken, the sloppy old man—fearing that Ye Han might change his mind and take back the Grade-3 pill formula—rolled up his stall in a flash and scurried away, vanishing without a trace.
"The Alchemist Guild."
From the memories of this mortal body, Ye Han gathered information regarding the Alchemist Guild.
When it came to the most prestigious faction and organization in all of Flame City, it was neither the major families nor the City Lord's Mansion, but the Alchemist Guild!
Only alchemists with exceptional talent were qualified to join the Alchemist Guild. That Liu Qitan from earlier, being a disciple of Master Zhuge, also held an extremely high position within the guild. Even the City Lord of Flame City had to treat the alchemists of the Guild with utmost respect.
Ye Han pondered for a moment; for the sake of that final ingredient, he had no choice but to make a trip there.
However, he'd better not run into that overbearing and rude Liu Qitan again, otherwise this trip might encounter a few twists and turns...
***
Chapter 7: Master Zhuge
Flame City, Alchemy Square.
This jade-stone plaza served as the dedicated grounds for the disciples of the Alchemist Guild to practice alchemy.
Puff! Puff! Puff!
Searing flames surged upward, rolling within cauldrons and sending rolling waves of heat rippling outward in all directions. Across this spacious square, over a hundred alchemists were currently busy refining pills in full swing, drawing numerous onlookers who stopped to watch and marvel in amazement.
Instantly, the entire plaza was suffused with the fragrance of medicinal pills.
Bang!
Yet occasionally, the sound of a pill cauldron exploding would ring out from somewhere nearby, and a few soot-covered disciples would bolt out from the flames, only to be sternly reprimanded by the elders.
Today, aside from the disciples of the Alchemist Guild, countless martial artists and alchemists from all over Flame City had gathered here as well.
In the central area of the alchemy grounds, a massive crowd formed a huge circle several layers deep—completely packed and tightly sealed, presenting a most magnificent spectacle.
They seemed to be observing something, watching with great interest as endless streams of discussion filled the air.
At the very center of the circle stood a three-meter-high black stone platform.
Upon the platform stood an elderly man with white hair, dressed in a black robe. He looked stern, with a face full of wrinkles.
Before him was placed a vermilion pill cauldron adorned with a divine bird pattern.
This elder was none other than an elder of the Alchemist Guild—Master Zhuge!
"Hehe, I heard this is the first time Master Zhuge is refining pills in public! We're truly going to feast our eyes today. Master Zhuge's alchemy skills are peerless; being able to witness him publicly refine pills just once in this lifetime can be considered a supreme fortune!"
An admiring alchemist among the spectators exclaimed. As it turned out, the reason this place was packed solid today was because Master Zhuge was going to conduct a public pill refinement!
"I hear Master Zhuge has stepped into the ranks of Grade-3 alchemists for many years, and is only a single step away from becoming a Grade-4 alchemist. Aside from the Guild President, no one in the entire Flame City can match him. If we can comprehend even a fraction of his exquisite alchemy techniques, it will benefit us endlessly."
The crowd chimed in with agreement.
The reason Master Zhuge enjoyed such a massive reputation was precisely because he was a Grade-High Tier-3 alchemist!
Looking across the entire Flame City, Master Zhuge's alchemy standards were easily ranked among the top three.
"His disciple Liu Qitan is even more extraordinary! At merely seventeen years of age, she has already stepped into the ranks of Grade-2 alchemists. Given time, surpassing the Guild President probably won't be out of the question!"
Everyone cast their gazes outward, spotting a red-robed young girl standing beside Master Zhuge.
Resembling the stars holding up the moon, she stood like a proud peacock, and at that moment had become one of the focal points of the entire audience.
"So that's Master Zhuge?"
Within the crowd, Ye Han had arrived at some point. His gaze fixed upon the master and disciple pair on the stone platform, the corners of his mouth curving slightly upward.
"Just in time to witness what kind of standard Flame City's top alchemist possesses. I hope this Master Zhuge won't disappoint me..."
As time passed, the flow of people gathered in the square grew larger and larger.
In order to witness Master Zhuge's demeanor, everyone's emotions ran high at this moment, their gazes filled with anticipation.
Among them, quite a few alchemists had come specifically to pay their respects and study, hoping to glean a few pointers from Master Zhuge's alchemy process.
"Qitan, bring out the ingredients."
Master Zhuge remained stern and solemn-faced.
"Yes, Master!"
Liu Qitan nodded, and with a gentle wave of her delicate hand, over a hundred medicinal ingredients—emitting various spiritual glows and exuding fragrant aromas—dropped onto the stone platform before them.
"Grade-3 pill, Flame Spirit Pill."
With a rough sweep of his gaze, Ye Han merely looked at the ingredients on the platform to instantly know what kind of pill Master Zhuge intended to refine.
Puff!
Flames surged in Master Zhuge's palm, wriggling like fire serpents across his hand.
Swish—!
"Heavens! What exquisite fire-control techniques!"
"I am inferior; truly, Master Zhuge lives up to his name!"
Bursts of amazed exclamation immediately erupted from below, rolling like a tidal wave.
Ye Han, however, frowned slightly, looking somewhat disappointed.
This fire-control technique was slightly crude.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~
Enveloping his spiritual power around his palm, Master Zhuge used the flames to cradle the ingredients and guide them into the furnace cauldron.
At that moment, the cauldron suspended itself in the air, after which a formidable wave of soul power swept out, surging into the pill cauldron together with the flames to extract the medicinal essences.
Right then, Master Zhuge was completely immersed in the alchemy process, as if cut off from the outside world.
He continuously changed his alchemy hand seals, and that dazzling degree of complexity left one gasping in admiration!
Boom!
Suddenly, the flames flared wildly, shooting high into the air. The entire pill cauldron surged upward in tandem, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
Following that, the pill cauldron spun continuously while Master Zhuge's divine soul worked to blend the medicinal liquid.
"Divine! Truly divine!"
"This kind of alchemy skill has already reached mastery!"
"As expected of a Grade-3 alchemist of the Alchemist Guild!"
The crowd praised him one after another. Such alchemy skills were simply breathtaking and beyond description!
The refining process flowed as smoothly as a stream, leaving one in awe and demanding genuine admiration.
Clang~
Finally, after several hours, the pill cauldron landed.
The Flame Spirit Pill was complete!
Yet everyone remained immersed in those supreme alchemy techniques, still feeling unsatisfied.
Hum—!
The lid of the pill cauldron lifted, and a wave of blazing spiritual energy surged outward in all directions. A rounded, crimson-red pill slowly hovered upward.
"A Grade-High Tier-3 pill!"
"The Flame Spirit Pill!"
Countless people grew fanatical with excitement, and after the exclamations continued for several minutes, the crowd slowly grew quiet.
Just as everyone calmed down, however, an abrupt voice rang out:
"The fire-control technique is slightly lacking; the control of soul power isn't quite smooth yet, and the alchemy hand seals are even a bit crude. Otherwise, this Flame Spirit Pill should have been able to give birth to pill patterns. What a pity, what a pity."
Hiss—!
"Who is spouting such nonsense?!"
The crowd was startled, casting their gazes about in search of the speaker.