Chapter 55: Soul Pill

That the Azure Cloud Sect was summoning family-based cultivators came as no surprise to Li Ji'an.

This was dictated by the cultivation landscape of the Azure Cloud Prefecture.

After all, nominally, all factions within the entire Azure Cloud Prefecture were under the jurisdiction of the Azure Cloud Sect.

However, Li Ji'an had not expected it to happen so soon.

Putting away the communication talisman, Li Ji'an began to make selections in his pill-refining room.

"The spiritual Qi within the mountain range is chaotic and impure, so I should prepare more Spirit-Replenishing Pills."

"Law-Nourishing Pills cannot be lacking either."

"Flying Spirit Pills can break illusions and barriers..."

...

From discovering the ruins to plotting how to breach them, the Azure Cloud Sect had spent more than twenty years, and a decade ago they had even traded away a century's control over the Immortal City. Now, standing at the critical juncture of excavating the ruins and resisting external enemies, their stockpiles of pill-type military and logistical resources were bound to be somewhat insufficient.

With this batch of summoned family cultivators heading out, aside from basic provisions, it was unlikely they would receive any additional supplies.

Without a doubt, this would herald yet another wave of lucrative business.

Unlike the situation over the past half-year, the primary consumption for this batch of summoned family cultivators should be centered around the provisions needed by late-stage Qi Condensation practitioners.

"This batch of pills obtained from Alchemist Mo can finally be put on the market now." After organizing his inventory of items that offered him little personal benefit, he dug out the spoils of war he had acquired from Alchemist Mo a decade ago.

The finished pills that were worth three thousand spiritual stones back then would likely double in value now.

Because the quality of these pills differed too vastly from his own craftsmanship, coupled with the strict regulations within the Azure Cloud Prefecture, he had previously never found a suitable opportunity to sell them. Right now, however, presented quite a fine chance.

---

"Master Li, this old man has long admired your great reputation and has come specially to request a batch of pills."

On this day, an old man entered the Li residence and requested pills with exceptional cordiality.

Li Ji'an received him with a smile, yet a trace of suspicion flashed through his heart.

For under his late-stage Foundation Establishment spiritual sense, the old man's disguise technique was exposed without a single flaw.

The man's true appearance was that of a rugged middle-aged fellow with a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation base, and his dharma power aura was by no means weak.

Ever since the visitors requesting pills had decreased a month prior, this person had already visited once before using a different identity and appearance.

The pills he requested were unlike those of people eager to venture into the mountain range to seize fortuitous opportunities; he merely sought ordinary second-tier early-stage pills that aided cultivation.

He hadn't paid much attention to it the first time. Nowadays, the Immortal City was a complex mix of dragons and fishes, with most people showing themselves in disguise, so it was nothing out of the ordinary.

Yet now he had come again, and deliberately pretended it was their first meeting.

Was he truly trying to bully Li Ji'an into thinking his cultivation base was lower and that he couldn't see through his disguise?

"Well said, well said, it is merely the flattering of my fellow Daoists." Li Ji'an maintained his composure and sold him a bottle of Qi-Nourishing Pills according to his request.

After handing over the spiritual stones, the old man showed no intention of leaving. He hesitated for a long time before finally making up his mind.

"Master Li, it is said throughout the entire Immortal City that among all second-tier alchemists, your pill-refining art is the highest, and your character is guaranteed. This old man wishes to ask Master Li to help me refine a rather special kind of pill."

"Oh? May I ask what kind of special pill it is?" Li Ji'an's heart eased slightly.

Asking someone to refine pills, especially those who brought their own pill formulas, naturally brought about certain misgivings, and verifying an alchemist's skill beforehand was nothing to be faulted.

"I must ask Master Li to swear a Inner Demon Great Oath, pledging never to leak what this old man is about to say." The old man said with utmost solemnity.

Li Ji'an smiled faintly: "I can understand the Daoist's request. However, Li will not casually swear an Inner Demon Great Oath, and I hope the Daoist will forgive me."

Over the years, Li Ji'an had sworn quite a few Inner Demon Great Oaths.

Most of them were oaths promising not to leak the pill formulas brought by those seeking pills.

The so-called Inner Demon Great Oath primarily exerted its greatest impact during the tribulation of inner demons when crossing celestial tribulations; if one's state of mind was flawed and invaded by inner demons, failure was certain.

Beyond that, it also had an impact on breakthroughs into minor realms, though the effect was not as severe as the Inner Demon Tribulation.

As long as one strictly guarded the oath, there would be no problems.

---

However, he also had to weigh whether it was worth it.

Upon hearing this, the old man frowned deeply, appearing somewhat as though he wanted to give up.

Yet in the end, he said in a deep voice: "Master Li, what this old man wishes to ask you to refine is a long-lost ancient pill!"

"Li has refined quite a few ancient pills over these years." Li Ji'an still replied indultgently.

This was also the advantage of being a rogue cultivator alchemist; as long as one's reputation was established, there was no need to rack one's brains searching for pill formulas oneself.

Whenever adventurous treasure-seeking cultivators obtained particularly useful pill formulas, they were likely to come to him for refinement.

By then, not only would he earn the labor fee, but he would also acquire a pill formula for free.

Over the years, especially during the past year, Li Ji'an's database of alchemy knowledge had already expanded by nearly ten kinds of long-lost pill formulas.

The old man's expression turned slightly unsightly, and after taking a deep breath, he said: "My pill formula is an essential soul pill for soul cultivators, used to strengthen the divine soul!"

"Is the Daoist speaking the truth?" Li Ji'an turned solemn.

Pills of the divine soul category were extremely rare, and the few types Li Ji'an knew of were merely for nourishing, recovering, or temporary bursts of power, none of which qualified as true soul pills.

Only those that could truly bypass dantian dharma power and cultivation realms, independently strengthening the divine soul and accelerating its condensation, were worthy of being called soul pills.

Yet having been in this realm for many years, he had only ever seen such pills mentioned in ancient texts, and he had always yearned for them.

"Without the slightest falsehood!" The old man said with certainty.

Li Ji'an hesitated no longer and immediately swore an Inner Demon Oath on the spot, pledging never to leak the pill formula nor the information that the old man had asked him to refine this pill.

Only then did the old man let out a long breath: "Many thanks, Master Li."

"This pill formula was accidentally obtained by my ancestors. However, it was passed down all the way to me without producing even a single second-tier alchemist. Coupled with the fact that opportunities in the ruins are everywhere nowadays, I finally could not hold back any longer and came to ask Master Li for help in refining it."

"Easily done. May I ask what pill it is?" Li Ji'an's foundation of the divine soul was already extremely high due to his rejuvenation technique. If he were further aided by a pill that accelerated the condensation of spiritual sense, once he rejuvenated again, he could reach the peak of his divine soul at the fastest possible speed, adding yet another layer of security.

Otherwise, every time after rejuvenation, although he possessed a robust divine soul foundation, he still needed to condense it step by step, delaying far too much time.

"Six-Divine Condensing Yuan Pill!" The old man transmitted via spiritual sense.

"!!!" Li Ji'an's heart skipped a beat.

This pill was not only a true soul pill, but an exceptionally famous and even widely known soul pill at that.

It was once recorded in an ancient text acquired by the Myriad Laws Palace in a set of ruins. It was said that this pill was an essential item for ancient soul cultivators, possessing superb enhancing effects on condensing the divine soul.

Moreover, even without practicing soul-cultivation techniques, simply ingesting this pill allowed one's divine soul to grow twenty percent faster than that of peers at the same realm.

As long as one persisted in taking it, one could almost guarantee that the realm of the divine soul would surpass the realm of dharma power by a minor realm.

"However, this old man has not yet gathered all the medicinal ingredients. If Master Li is interested, I must ask for your help in gathering these three ingredients." The old man immediately listed the three medicinal herbs.

"Good! Leave these three ingredients to Li; at most three days, and I can start the furnace!" Li Ji'an glanced at the three ingredients. They were all second-tier soul-type medicinal herbs. Although they could be considered rare, for someone of his current stature, it was not much of an issue; he had them right in his storage bag.

The old man was pleasantly surprised.

Seeing his reaction, Li Ji'an guessed that this was precisely what he had planned all along.

Not only would he not pay the labor fee, but he also intended to make Li Ji'an fork over some medicinal ingredients.

However, compared to a rare soul pill formula like the Six-Divine Condensing Yuan Pill, Li Ji'an was still making a massive profit.

"Then let us meet here in three days, without fail!" The old man took his leave.

"Without fail!" Li Ji'an escorted him to the entrance.

Watching the old man about to vanish from his field of vision, Li Ji'an's smile faded, and his spiritual sense stirred.

Quack Quack burrowed into the underground from the backyard pond and pursued the old man.

Having lived for several lifetimes, he had long since understood one simple truth: anything that seemed like a heaven-sent opportunity was very likely a heaven-sent trap.

While maintaining anticipation, one had to be exceptionally cautious.

If it weren't for the fact that he possessed some trump cards for self-preservation and believed he could handle the other party's malice, he would most likely have gritted his teeth and given up on such a monstrous stroke of good fortune.

Before long, Quack Quack's perception and vision were transmitted through the spiritual pet contract.

---

The old man had just stepped out of the inner city's core district when he transformed at a street corner, turning into a mediocre-looking yellow-faced cultivator who blended seamlessly into the crowd.

After winding through several alleys and stepping in and out of a few shops, he arrived at the Peace Inn, sat motionlessly in solitude for the better part of a day, and only circled around to a rented courtyard in the outer city when night fell.

By this time, his appearance had transformed into that of a young cultivator, and his cultivation aura had also been restrained to the late stage of Qi Condensation.

Li Ji'an understood and approved of such caution.

It matched the actions of a cultivator harboring great treasures who wished to avoid being targeted by others.

However, the moment the man stepped into the room, Li Ji'an instantly sighed.

There were three people inside the room, two men and one woman.

"Father, how did it go?" The three of them asked anxiously the moment he walked in.

"Heh~ Which alchemist could possibly resist such a temptation?"

"Hahaha, good! That alchemist has earned quite a lot during this period. I estimated it myself—just the labor fees he collected are no less than ten thousand spiritual stones. Coupled with the pills he sold, he probably has at least twenty thousand spiritual stones."

"I reckon it's more than twenty thousand. He refines pills all day long and has hardly ever left the inner city's core district, only taking in and never paying out. His stockpiled spiritual stones probably exceed thirty thousand pieces!"

"Thirty thousand pieces! Just how many storage bags would that take to hold?"

"With those thirty thousand stones, we'll have almost enough to go back to the Dao Origin Prefecture and buy that spiritual vein Dao-doctrinal ground. In the future, we finally won't have to drift around like rootless duckweed anymore."

"Hahaha, those fools trying to snatch food from the Azure Cloud Sect's jaws probably don't have profits like ours!"

"Big brother, are we only going after this one alchemist? I reckon that musician's net worth is also substantial; the profits from Spring Breeze Tower are no less than an alchemist's."

"Hmph, you've just taken a fancy to that flirting vixen, haven't you?"

"Don't be careless! That musician is exceptionally skilled in sonic secret arts, which are impossible to guard against. Furthermore, I can't even see through her true appearance, making it impossible to determine the strength of her divine sense."

"What about that other old alchemist? It is said that person has been in the Immortal City for nearly a hundred years, perhaps his net worth is even more bountiful."

"Crap, this concubine has already looked into it. That old alchemist is just a half-baked hack with mediocre pill-refining skills, and he keeps a whole household of wives, concubines, children, and grandchildren. He probably has very little left over."

"My thought is, pulling off this job will inevitably alert others. Why not hit two targets at once? Otherwise, if we wait for the next time, they might be on their guard."

"Do not be greedy! Among those seven, aside from this Li Alchemist, the rest all carry risks. An old man becomes a master of trickery; even that old alchemist has crawled and scrambled through the cultivation world for all these years, so he definitely has trump cards to save his life.

As for the others, stay far away from the formation master first; otherwise, stepping into his residence would be walking right into a trap.

The physician must be proficient in the Dao of poisons, making him the hardest to guard against.

The weapon refiner..."

"That Li Alchemist has the weakest dharma power aura, entered Foundation Establishment only a few years ago, and previously even lived in the outer city district. His financial resources shouldn't be enough to accumulate trump cards..."

---

Listening to the secret deliberations of the few, Li Ji'an shook his head with a light chuckle.

Another bunch of bullies who feared the strong and preyed on the weak.

This also made him acutely aware of the contradictions within the cultivation world.

If he exposed his true strength, it would likely invite targeted hostility from others.

Yet if he did not expose it, he was all too easily treated like a soft persimmon and targeted all the more readily.

"One mid-stage Foundation Establishment, two early-stage Foundation Establishment, and one late-stage Qi Condensation..."

Pondering for a moment, Li Ji-an suppressed the notion of reporting them to the Immortal City management office.

The manpower the Qi family had left in the Immortal City was insufficient, and with only a single mid-stage Foundation Establishment expert holding down the fort, there was no guarantee they could completely annihilate these four bandits.

And once one of them escaped, given their covetous eyes upon him, there was no telling whether they would make a comeback when the situation here grew turbulent again.

There was no logic in being on the defensive against thieves for a thousand days.

Three days later, the other party arrived right on schedule.