The night deepened, and the two little maids, their eyelids growing heavy, finally succumbed to sleep’s insistent pull, curling up together in their chairs and drifting off.

After taking them upstairs, Nie Kong returned to the first floor.

Time slipped away quietly. Nie Kong ran through every herb he had tasted or heard of in his mind, yet still found no solution.

Unconsciously, Nie Kong’s brow furrowed tighter and tighter. If he couldn't solve the problem of weakening the medicinal potency of the "Blood Scale Thorn," it would be quite a disaster. The persistent little girl, Gu Qi, might really end up sticking to him constantly, mindful that he had tricked her three times.

With a soft breath, Nie Kong sprang up, pacing slowly back and forth in the hall, a single remaining "Blood Zen Pill" pinched between his fingers.

“How could I have forgotten this!”

Fiddling with the pill for a moment, Nie Kong suddenly slapped his head hard. According to the alchemy theories of this Heavenly Spirit Continent, if two herbs like the "Blood Scale Thorn" and the "Bitter Zen Flower" had potencies that naturally and perfectly complemented each other, one must inherently possess a negative side effect, while the other must possess a positive one.

Using the herb with the positive effect as the primary ingredient, one could absolutely refine a spirit medicine capable of restraining the other drug. This was precisely why Nie Kong immediately began researching how to refine the "Blood Zen Pill" the moment he discovered the anomaly between the "Blood Scale Thorn" and the "Bitter Zen Flower."

Similarly, the use of secondary ingredients was wonderfully precise.

For example, to lower the potency of the "Blood Zen Pill," one simply needed to remove an herb in the formula called "Cold Red Palm Leaf Grass," because the main function of "Cold Red Palm Leaf Grass" in the "Blood Zen Pill" formula was to maximize the potency of the "Bitter Zen Flower."

Conversely, if one refined the "Cold Red Palm Leaf Grass" together with the "Blood Scale Thorn"—the counterpart to the "Bitter Zen Flower"—it could actually reduce the potency of the "Blood Scale Thorn."

“Such a simple matter, yet I wasted half the night on it.”

Nie Kong rubbed his temples, which were starting to ache, a wry, almost tearful smile playing on his lips. So often, people are plagued by the simplest problems, only realizing upon final awakening how effortlessly the issue could have been resolved.

The Cold Red Palm Leaf Grass was not a precious herb.

However, it was rarely sold in common apothecaries because the demand for it was pathetically low. It was generally only used to refine common, first-grade spirit medicines, usually for restoring spiritual energy. In most cases, only some low-grade alchemists, utterly bored, would occasionally think of it during practice.

When Nie Kong was researching the "Blood Zen Pill" formula a few days ago, he finally had an inspiration about this herb. He then rushed to the Red Chamber overnight and took all of their already scarce "Cold Red Palm Leaf Grass," refining three "Blood Zen Pills."

It was fortunate that the Red Chamber existed; otherwise, even if Nie Kong had searched every apothecary in Spirit Imperial City, he might not have found the "Cold Red Palm Leaf Grass."

Now, the Red Chamber was out of "Cold Red Palm Leaf Grass," and according to the master who dispensed herbs the other day, they would no longer be collecting this almost forgotten herb, yet it was precisely what he needed now.

The situation was a bit tricky. Although the little creature had the ability to extract the medicinal potency of the "Cold Red Palm Leaf Grass" from within the "Blood Zen Pill" separately, the effect achieved by refining that extracted potency with the Blood Scale Thorn’s potency would be negligible.

If the Red Chamber doesn't have it, perhaps I can search over there…

...

In the inner city, morning arrived shrouded in thick fog. It wasn't until the first rays of dawn appeared that the golden light slanting down began to dispel much of the mist enveloping the district.

After breakfast, Nie Kong headed toward the direction of the Spirit Cultivation Illusion Realm. He wasn't planning to cultivate in the Realm yet; instead, he was going to the Inner City Apothecary located at the base of the cliff. He could postpone entering the "Spirit Cultivation Illusion Realm" until noon, which would save him three integration points.

Right now, he needed to find the "Cold Red Palm Leaf Grass" quickly. It was rumored that the Inner City Apothecary housed a vast quantity of natural medicines, its variety rivaling that of the Red Chamber.

He would have to see for himself how accurate that was.

The Apothecary was built against the cliff face, only three stories high, with a magnificent exterior. Its doors were open, and the figures of inner city disciples could occasionally be seen entering and exiting.

Most people who came here were the Spirit Alchemists among the inner city disciples.

Although those natural herbs could increase spiritual power considerably even when taken directly, all medicines here had to be exchanged for integration points. For the average inner city disciple, points were incredibly precious. They felt it was better to use those points to cultivate in the Spirit Cultivation Illusion Realm for faster advancement rather than exchanging them for herbs.

But for Spirit Alchemists, it was different. If they successfully refined a good medicine, they could definitely earn far more points from other inner city disciples. This kind of business was much easier than fighting tooth and nail in the Sovereign Ascent Hall to earn points, so Spirit Alchemists were extremely keen on it.

Although possessing a waist token and a gold insignia granted free entry and exit to the inner city without being affected by illusions, the inner city was still the inner city. Except during the period of the Grand Six Hall Competition each year when inner city disciples could move about freely, normally they were not allowed to leave the inner city perimeter without permission.

When they couldn't freely travel to the outer city to purchase spirit medicines, the medicines refined by Spirit Alchemists became highly sought after, especially high-grade medicines with good integration rates. In this inner city, sparring and fighting occurred daily in the Sovereign Ascent Hall, and the consumption of various spirit medicines over a year was staggering.

Therefore, this medicine hall could be called the playground of Spirit Alchemists.

Catching the scent of various medicinal fragrances wafting from the hall, Nie Kong hurried inside. Numerous medicine shelves were neatly arranged, and an endless array of medicine boxes lined them, each box clearly labeled with the name of the material within. At this moment, the little creature suddenly cried out, "Ay-yaya!" in the Jade Pool space.

Nie Kong ignored it. Xiangxiang must have sensed the good medicines in this hall; it wasn't strange at all. If a grand inner city medicine hall didn't even possess precious herbs like "Electric Light Vine" or "Crimson Back Heavenly Net," it would be a laughingstock.

Those precious herbs were surely kept on the top floor.

With that thought, Nie Kong began searching among the shelves, just like the other inner city disciples.

The little creature cried out for a long time without response. It flapped the small flower bud atop its head a few times, probably realizing Nie Kong had ignored it. It immediately transformed into a petulant child trying to gain parental attention with simulated cries, rolling around on the dark green liquid mass while wailing, "Ay-yaya!"

Regrettably, it still failed to attract Nie Kong’s notice. The little creature grew even angrier and violently slammed its flower bud against the side of the small aperture.

"Bang!"

Faintly, a muffled sound echoed.

“Stop fussing, I’ll go up and look soon enough.”

Nie Kong was at a loss for words. He had made up his mind to find the "Cold Red Palm Leaf Grass" and leave immediately, so he had kept ignoring the little creature. He hadn't expected it to resort to this kind of "self-harm." Looking at how tender the flower bud appeared, if it hit itself again, it might wither before it could even bloom.

“Ay-yaya.”

The little creature instantly brightened, its stem and leaves rustling loudly. Seeing its delighted actions, Nie Kong suddenly, for some reason, thought of that little girl, Gu Qi. In this regard, the two creatures seemed truly similar; neither would stop until their objective was achieved.

He scanned row after row of shelves, but still found no trace of the "Cold Red Palm Leaf Flower." Nie Kong felt a hidden frustration. If he couldn't find it in the inner city medicine hall, would he have to pass the problem back to Gu Qi? Perhaps she couldn't manage it, but her grand-aunt surely would have a way to find the "Cold Red Palm Leaf Flower."

“It’s really not here!”

After finishing the last row of shelves, Nie Kong sighed helplessly and headed toward the second floor of the medicine hall.

The second floor had far fewer shelves. In front of the medicine boxes, besides the name of the herb, there was also the number of integration points required to exchange for one qian of the material. The herbs on this floor were all good quality, likely capable of becoming the main ingredient for third or fourth-grade spirit medicines, but the points required were astonishingly high.

With Nie Kong’s current total of over one hundred thirty points, the maximum he could exchange for was enough to refine ten third-grade spirit medicines. For a general Spirit Alchemist, the amount would be even less, as they lacked Nie Kong’s high success rate; one failure, and over ten points would be wasted.

Points were hard to earn in the inner city, and the medicines were so expensive. Nie Kong wondered who had set the exchange rate; it truly stung.

Muttering to himself, Nie Kong swiftly swept through the second floor. Something like the "Cold Red Palm Leaf Grass" would certainly not appear here. The only reason he wasted time here was so that if he needed a certain herb in the future, he would know immediately where to look.

A few minutes later, Nie Kong went straight to the third floor.

The third floor had even fewer shelves, perhaps only seventy or eighty medicine boxes. Of course, the truly precious herbs of the inner city would not all be displayed here. Nie Kong approached to examine them. Each box was covered by a transparent jade cover, intricately carved with fine patterns—all spiritual pattern tools.

“Crimson Back Heavenly Net?”

Upon seeing the label in front of the first box, Nie Kong couldn't help but exclaim softly.

The "Crimson Back Heavenly Net," rarely seen elsewhere—there were two stalks in the Spirit Imperial City Inner City? Nie Kong’s heart skipped a beat. Since Gu Qi’s stalk of "Crimson Back Heavenly Net" was inconvenient to touch, he could exchange his points for the stalk in the medicine hall and leave it for his master.

However, when Nie Kong’s gaze shifted to the latter half of the label, his eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets, staring fixedly at the number written there.

“I…”

Nie Kong suppressed the urge to curse loudly, holding the 'f' sound back. It actually read: "Crimson Back Heavenly Net" requires fifty thousand points!

Surely they didn't accidentally write an extra zero after the 'five'? Fifty thousand points was enough to cultivate in the "Spirit Cultivation Illusion Realm" for over ten thousand days—that was forty years! Which inner city disciple could earn that many points within a few years? Would they have to stay in the inner city for decades?

The disparity between the same type of herb was so vast. If Nie Kong had been ruthless last night, the "Crimson Back Heavenly Net" would have been easily obtainable.

The jarring string of ‘zeros’ immediately dispelled all of Nie Kong’s thoughts. He walked right past the "Crimson Back Heavenly Net," not sparing it another glance. The herbs that followed were also precious and excellent, but their point costs were equally exorbitant, nearly half exceeding ten thousand.

Compared to the herbs on the first and second floors, the difference was like heaven and earth.

“Hoo!”

Nie Kong let out a breath, his interest entirely extinguished. These herbs were all things he could only look at from afar, unattainable. The more he looked, the more discouraged he became. But just as Nie Kong turned away, the little creature seemed to sense his decision to stop looking and hastily shook its stem and roots, crying out anxiously.

“Ay-yaya, ay-yaya…”

“You little rascal, can’t you just settle down for a bit?”

Nie Kong, helpless, had to turn back and look again.

This little creature, at times, filled him with such joy that he wanted to pull it out of the Jade Pool space and smother it with kisses, but at other times, it was incredibly annoying. Nie Kong knew that if he didn't grant its wish today, it could cry all day long.

Nie Kong shared a deep connection with it; whenever it cried out, the sound-form of its intent would echo in his mind. Because of this, Nie Kong wouldn't find a moment's peace.

While he could forcibly stop its crying, Nie Kong was reluctant to use such methods. Having raised the little creature for so long, watching it sprout, take root, grow leaves, and finally bud, it was practically his own child. Moreover, it had contributed an incomparably huge amount to his cultivation. Nie Kong cherished it too much to treat it with such commanding methods.

“……”

“Jade Marrow Fragrant Wood!”

“Dwarf Yellow Grass!”

“Phoenix Plume Illusion Immortal…”

Nie Kong moved his feet quickly, murmuring herb names aloud, but his eyes deliberately avoided the point values listed behind the names, lest he be discouraged again.

“Ay-yaya!”

The little creature, quiet for only a moment, suddenly jumped up.

Nie Kong stopped in his tracks, his gaze falling on the medicine box he had just passed. Judging by the sound of the little creature’s cries, this was the one it was most interested in.

“Phoenix Plume Illusion Immortal Flower?” Nie Kong muttered.

“Ay-yaya!”

Seeing that Nie Kong had noticed, the little creature cried out with extreme excitement. The meaning transmitted through its cries was very clear: Eat this, and I can advance to the fourth stage immediately!

“Oh?”

Nie Kong was overjoyed. His gaze shot toward the spot behind the herb name. No wonder the little creature had frantically urged him to come to the back; it turned out that something capable of rapidly advancing its stage was hidden here.

The little creature had advanced to the third stage at the beginning of this year. Half a year had passed, and it showed no further signs of progression, which had begun to worry Nie Kong. The dozens of rare herbs obtained from Long Xuechan had almost all been consumed by it. Nie Kong was just planning how to find good medicine for it when it provided such a clear signal itself.

“I!”

However, upon seeing the string of numbers, Nie Kong’s vision went dark, and he could no longer suppress the urge to curse. Eighty thousand points! It was even three thousand more expensive than the "Crimson Back Heavenly Net" at the front.

“Ay-yaya?”

Its roots gently touched Nie Kong’s aperture, and the little creature seemed a bit puzzled.

“You little scamp, why pick something so expensive? Why not pick something else? Even if you stripped your master naked a hundred times, we couldn't afford it!” Nie Kong felt a throbbing headache and extreme frustration. In the end, he managed to hold back the final curse. This little creature had no parents; he was practically its mother and father. To scold it was to scold himself.

“Ay-yaya?”

Although the little creature didn't grasp the meaning of Nie Kong’s words, it could sense his emotions. Its leaves and flower bud, which had been vibrant, now looked somewhat wilted. Its small roots weakly stroked the side of Nie Kong’s aperture, every part of the tender sprout exuding an air of dejection.

“Fine, I’ll think of another way. If I really can’t get it, don’t blame me!” Nie Kong said glumly.

“Ay-yaya!”

The little creature paused, and then its listless stem and leaves stood upright again.

Sensing the cheer in its voice, Nie Kong couldn't bring himself to be happy. This little creature wasn't just a pet; it was his little ancestor. He regretted coming to this medicine hall today, as it had brought him a task that was nearly impossible to complete.

Without the "Phoenix Plume Illusion Immortal Flower," the little creature should still be able to advance, just much more slowly. Based on the name of the herb, Nie Kong guessed it might be somewhat similar to the cluster of "Crescent Hook Green" separated from the "Fog Hidden Pill"; both possessed illusory effects.

However, the potency of that "Crescent Hook Green" was pitifully small. Although the little creature had shown interest in it, it hadn't fixated on it.

“Eighty thousand points! How am I supposed to get that!”

Nie Kong rubbed his forehead in distress and sighed heavily.

“Junior Brother Nie Kong, you’re interested in this ‘Phoenix Plume Illusion Immortal Flower’?” A familiar, clear voice sounded beside him, quite pleasant to the ear.

“Senior Brother Lan Shang!”

Nie Kong turned sideways and saw Lan Shang, the foremost disciple of the inner city, looking at him with a gentle smile. He couldn’t help but give a wry smile. “Yes, sadly it’s too expensive. My one hundred-plus points are just a drop in the bucket. Inner city points are too hard to come by; I don't know what year or month it will be before I gather eighty thousand.”

Although he earned points during the supplementary trials, that was compensation given to outer city disciples because the "Grand Six Hall Competition" was interrupted, allowing Nie Kong to snag over a hundred points. Such an opportunity appeared only once in countless years—it hadn't happened before, and it wouldn't happen again.

Hearing Nie Kong’s lament, Lan Shang smiled. “That’s not entirely true, Junior Brother Nie Kong. Do you know who else visits here besides the inner city disciples?”

“Who?” Nie Kong paused in surprise.

“There’s the City Lord, Vice City Lord, Hall Masters, Vice Hall Masters, Professors… they all hold large numbers of points,” Lan Shang said with a smiling face.

“Senior Brother Lan Shang, you’re not suggesting I try to earn points from them, are you?” Nie Kong couldn’t help but chuckle. Lan Shang was right; many Professors in the inner city, as well as Hall Masters and Vice Hall Masters from the outer city, often came to cultivate in the inner city’s "Spirit Cultivation Illusion Realm." But the points…

“That’s right!”

Lan Shang grew serious. “Junior Brother Nie Kong, many inner city disciples have managed to obtain vast amounts of points from them through various methods in the past. Not to look too far back, just five years ago, a certain Senior Brother refined a peculiar spirit medicine and earned one hundred thousand points in one go. Fifty thousand came from City Lord Meng Feiyang himself, and the remaining fifty thousand were rewards gifted by the Vice City Lord and the various Hall Masters. That Senior Brother then exchanged them in this medicine hall for a stalk of ‘Myriad Manifestation Purple Dragon Beard,’ the main ingredient for the seventh-grade spirit medicine, the ‘Myriad Manifestation Heaven Breaking Pill.’”

Nie Kong exclaimed, “That really happened?” One spirit medicine worth a hundred thousand points? What kind of spirit medicine could earn the admiration of the City Lord and Vice City Lord?

“At this time, many inner city disciples know that if that Senior Brother could do it, surely you can too, Junior Brother Nie Kong,” Lan Shang said with a smile. After speaking, Lan Shang walked to a medicine shelf, swiped his waist token across the groove at the bottom of the spiritual patterned jade cover, and with a kacha, the cover immediately opened. Lan Shang quickly took out the wooden box inside. Nie Kong noticed that the number displayed on the surface of the waist token had sharply decreased from twenty thousand to eight thousand.

The herb inside was worth twelve thousand integration points!

These inner city disciples truly had extremes of wealth and poverty. In the Sovereign Ascent Hall, those inner city disciples sparred relentlessly over a few points, yet Lan Shang spent twelve thousand points without even wrinkling his brow. His action truly provoked Nie Kong.

However, Nie Kong also knew that among the inner city disciples, those as affluent as Lan Shang were certainly not many; one could count them on two hands and still have fingers left over.

“Junior Brother Nie Kong, work hard. I heard your alchemy skills are excellent; perhaps I, your Senior Brother, will have to ask for your help in refining spirit medicines in the future!” Lan Shang gave Nie Kong, who was staring blankly, an encouraging look, then pulled out his waist token, took the medicine box, and left the third floor.

“So wealthy and extravagant!”

Nie Kong snapped back to reality. Although Lan Shang’s action startled him, his words also gave Nie Kong more confidence. Looking again at the number behind the "Phoenix Plume Illusion Immortal Flower" label, the four zeros written in red ink no longer seemed as glaringly offensive as before.

Leaving the Inner City Apothecary, Nie Kong temporarily set aside the matter of the "Phoenix Plume Illusion Immortal Flower" and returned to pondering the "Cold Red Palm Leaf Grass."

Nie Kong had never been so troubled by an herb that could genuinely be considered "trash." The "Cold Red Palm Leaf Grass" generally grew in dense forests covered in decaying leaves. In the past, even if Nie Kong discovered it, he wouldn't have given it a second glance, but now that he needed it, he couldn't find it.

A clever housewife cannot cook without rice!

At this moment, Nie Kong certainly could hand the problem over to Gu Qi, but he wouldn't do so unless it was absolutely necessary. This wasn't about saving face; it was about his own principles.

Upon accepting the "Nirvana of Bathing Fire" and instructing the young girl to retrieve it within five days, the transaction was concluded, at least from Nie Kong's perspective. It was much like when Nie Kong closed his clinic in his previous life; any patient who sought his help was charged upfront before treatment began. He would always clearly articulate the achievable treatment level before receiving payment, ensuring there were no hidden surprises. Once paid, Nie Kong's results would only ever exceed expectations, never fall short.

If he were to approach Gu Qi now, it would be akin to telling a paying patient that their illness was incurable—a direct violation of Nie Kong's principles. Though this current matter was minor, compromising one's principles over small things could easily lead to an inability to uphold them when facing something significant later on.

“Hooah…”

2011-3-2 12:35 Reply

A sudden clamor pierced his ears, and Nie Kong realized he had unconsciously arrived outside the Ascension Hall, the shouting emanating from within.

His gaze swept over the makeshift stalls outside the hall, and a thought sparked in his mind. He walked directly to a clean-cut inner-city disciple, patted his shoulder, and smiled, “Brother, how about we team up?”

“Huh?”

The inner-city disciple froze in surprise.

Nie Kong smiled faintly, pulled down the wooden placard he was using to advertise, then picked up the brush and ink he had set aside, and began writing immediately: Urgently require four liang of “Cold Red Palm Leaf Essence.” Will refine a Third-Grade Spirit Elixir as payment, regardless of the elixir type, with guaranteed fusion exceeding ninety percent!

“Brother, are you an Elixir Master?”

The inner-city disciple grew increasingly astonished as he read. When he saw Nie Kong plainly write, “fusion guaranteed to exceed ninety percent,” he could barely remain seated. Unlike Nie Kong, who was searching for an essence, this disciple needed an Elixir Master to refine an elixir for him. It was likely his meager contribution of contribution points and overly high demands were the reason no one had responded.

“Indeed. Thank you!”

Nie Kong smiled and nodded, affixing the wooden placard back in place.

Now, the left side of the placard displayed Nie Kong’s information about the essence he sought, while the right side showed the inner-city disciple’s request for an Elixir Master.

“No trouble at all, not at all.”

The inner-city disciple’s eyes shone with eagerness, his heart stirring. He was, in fact, an Elixir Master. If he asked Nie Kong to refine an elixir for him, would he agree? It was a pity he didn't possess the ‘Cold Red Palm Leaf Essence.’ Otherwise… ninety percent fusion! He would have been perfectly content with eighty-five percent!

He had taken advantage of the opportunity presented by the Six Halls Grand Competition to travel to the outer city, intending to purchase the spirit essence directly.

However, the specific type of spirit essence he required was notoriously difficult to raise the fusion rate on. The highest fusion rate available at general elixir shops was only seventy percent. The Crimson Tower did possess one at seventy-eight percent, but the price was exorbitant. After much circling, he had returned to the inner city, hoping to find a highly skilled Elixir Master among the inner-city disciples.

Regrettably, the thirty contribution points he offered, alongside the demand for over eighty percent fusion, had failed to capture the interest of any Elixir Master.

“Brother, my name is Xi Yue. And yours?” He plastered a solicitous smile on his face, laced with a hint of flattery.

“Nie Kong!”

“You are Nie Kong? The one who won first place in the monthly assessment three times in a row, was granted the rare exception to participate in the Six Halls Grand Competition, then expelled dozens of inner-city disciples from the Illusory Space during the competition, and finally entered the inner city with a perfect score of 124 points in the supplementary test?” Xi Yue exclaimed in shock.

“Uh, that’s right!” Nie Kong felt dizzy from the lengthy string of descriptors attached to his name, and Xi Yue’s booming voice made Nie Kong’s ears ring.

“Incredible, incredible. That Luo Sheng was truly despicable, always wearing that icy scowl. I can’t believe you managed to get him ousted,” Xi Yue said, raising a thumb.

“It wasn’t me who ousted him; he ousted himself,” Nie Kong corrected.

“Same difference, same difference.”

Xi Yue chuckled wryly. “Um… Nie Kong, are you absolutely certain you can guarantee that any Third-Grade Spirit Elixir you refine will reach ninety percent fusion?”

“Naturally,” Nie Kong replied with a smile.

Xi Yue’s loud voice had already drawn the attention of several surrounding inner-city disciples. The words “ninety percent fusion” struck everyone as highly provocative:

“Unlikely! Even several Fourth-Grade Elixir Masters in the inner city wouldn’t dare slap their chests and claim they could guarantee ninety percent fusion on every Third-Grade Elixir they refine?”

“Boasting! Pure bragging! Isn’t he afraid of making an absolute fool of himself?”

“If he dares to make such a bold claim, perhaps he actually possesses the ability. Right, what essence is he looking for? If someone has it, they should go test him.”

“‘Cold Red Palm Leaf Essence’? That… ha! What garbage essence!”

“…”

Nie Kong subtly observed the movements of the inner-city disciples nearby. He suddenly noticed one fellow tending a stall staring at his wooden placard a few times before hastily departing. A surge of inner delight washed over him; it seemed promising. He hadn't expected Xi Yue’s loud mouth to inadvertently do him a favor…