Once the desire for consumption is unleashed, it surges like a breached dike, becoming uncontrollable.

As this famous saying by the business mogul from his previous life, Ma Yunduo, echoed in his mind, Qi Xiu, clutching a large stack of Pill Tomes and Medicine Classics, without a single coin left in his pocket, felt full of emotion.

He had spent all of the more than ten thousand Dao Coins he had left on him.

I have no idea how much Master earned today.

With the revenue stream from Divine Soul Elixirs at hand, this was also why Qi Xiu dared to go on a sudden spending spree today.

Given the value of the Divine Soul Elixirs, plus the target audience being, at minimum, great cultivators of the Blood-Stained Realm, Qi Xiu estimated that the earnings must be substantial.

Even after splitting profits fifty-fifty, it would definitely be a considerable income.

But after returning to Yunti Peak with Daoist Yunxiong, the old Daoist vanished the moment he turned around, leaving Qi Xiu unsure if he had gone to deliver goods or collect payments.

Qi Xiu had no choice but to return to his courtyard alone, carrying a hefty pile of Pill Tomes and Medicine Classics.

He neatly arranged the ten-plus books he had purchased on the desk.

Qi Xiu let out a long sigh.

All these Pill Tomes and Medicine Classics were of high quality.

But because ninety-nine percent of the Shenxiao Sect's cultivators practiced Thunder Magic, and few dabbled in assorted skills like alchemy or crafting, the goods seized during his travels could only be sold at the Wanbao Hall.

After all, that was certainly better than allowing them to gather dust at home and depreciate.

Glancing over these Pill Tomes and Medicine Classics, Qi Xiu roughly estimated that the Dao Coins spent that day amounted to less than seventy percent of these books' original value.

Two of them were practically going for the price of cabbage.

When I fully grasp these Pill Tomes and Medicine Classics, perhaps my Alchemy Skill can reach the Fifth Realm! His gaze on the scriptures, Qi Xiu rolled up his sleeves.

The Divine Marvel effect from his many years of Alchemy had always been remarkably stable, consistently reducing the quantity of the four pillar medicinal ingredients required for concocting pills.

However, after advancing to the Fourth Realm, he still had a vague premonition that Alchemy in the Fifth Realm might undergo a qualitative change in its Divine Marvel.

Just like calligraphy in the Fourth Realm, which manifested the Divine Marvel effect of drawing symbols in the void.

Why calligraphy experienced this transformation in the Fourth Realm, while Alchemy awaited the Fifth Realm, is something I can't quite figure out at the moment.

But a transformation is always good news.

With its practicality, any transformation in Alchemy would be entirely beneficial and not harmful to my future cultivation.

With a goal in mind, Qi Xiu buckled down to study the Pill Tomes and Medicine Classics he had brought back.

Grinding proficiency, leveling up skills.

This was already an instinct he had mastered.

One by one, he flipped through the Medicine Classics, Qi Xiu's eyes focused, his expression absorbed, his cultivation unwavering day after day over the years.

This had granted him an ability countless people dreamed of: Focus!

Once he began cultivating, whether it was a True Scripture's Dharma Gate or a Mysterious Ability, Qi Xiu could quickly enter a state of absolute concentration.

Sitting quietly, each Pill Tome and Medicine Classic resonating sentence by sentence in his heart, his Mental State was as placid as a serene lake, maintaining composure and focus regardless of the outer world's noise.

All he saw were the pages of text filled with knowledge.

Spring passed and winter took its hold.

The patches of green plants in the courtyard began to turn yellow and wither.

In the yard, silently sweeping up the fallen leaves with a broom, Qingyi gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, casting a glance at Qi Xiu, still engrossed in the Pill Tomes and Medicine Classics.

"Sister Qingyi, when exactly is Seventh Master Qi going to finish reading his books?"

Lying on the bridge, bored, Bai Ling swung her clean, translucent feet back and forth in the air.

"It should be soon, I guess."

Glancing at the diminishing stack of Pill Tomes and Medicine Classics beside Qi Xiu, curiosity also sparked in Qingyi's eyes.

Over a year had passed since he delved deep into the world of Pill Tomes and Medicine Classics.

In that time, apart from occasionally summoning Qingyi to bring him some spiritual food to stave off hunger, he spent every day either cultivating his life-bound great manual, the Hunyuan Dragon Tiger Scripture Mystery, or studying Pill Tomes and Medicine Classics.

During this period, Daoist Yunxiong also visited once.

But seeing Qi Xiu so dedicated, he held his tongue.

And as time went by, the stack of scriptures, once quite tall, was gradually digested by Qi Xiu, transforming into proficiency points on his status panel.

SNAP.

Closing the last Pill Tome, Qi Xiu pinched the bridge of his nose.

The knowledge learned over the past year, combined with all the experience and systems of his entire Alchemy Skill, was brewing a qualitative change in his mind.

The process was slow yet steadfast.

Until all his experience and knowledge fully integrated, Qi Xiu's motion of massaging his nose suddenly paused.

Alchemy Fifth Realm!

Sitting up straight, Qi Xiu quietly contemplated the transformation and evolution brought about by his Alchemy Skill entering the Fifth Realm.

The number of exempted medicinal ingredients has increased; I can even exempt one of the main ingredients.

With this, my need for materials in Alchemy is even lower, Qi Xiu thought with a hint of delight as he continued his contemplation.

Suddenly, his expression shifted, revealing an odd look.

This name... doesn't sound very nice.

Upon detecting the transformative Divine Marvel of Fifth Realm Alchemy, Qi Xiu pursed his lips.

But it's quite straightforward and easy to understand, 'Super Elixir.' Those who don't know might think I'm selling some miracle tonic, he mused.

Indeed, the transformative Divine Marvel resulting from Fifth Realm Alchemy was named 'Super Elixir.'

Its effect was that during Alchemy, there was an extremely low probability of producing a 'Super Elixir.'

As for why it was called Super Elixir?

Because the quality and efficacy of this Great Pill would be... one hundred times that of an ordinary elixir!

I just don't know how low this 'extremely low probability' actually is.

Stroking his thumb ring, Qi Xiu rose to prepare the Pill Furnace and medicinal ingredients, ready to start concocting elixirs to test the actual probability of producing a 'Super Elixir.'

However, just as he stood up and was about to take a step, something suddenly occurred to him.

To purchase these Pill Tomes and Medicine Classics, he had become an utter pauper, without a single coin to his name.

How could he afford to purchase a Pill Furnace and medicinal ingredients?

Looks like I need to pay a visit to my esteemed mentor.

After more than a year, the payment for the Divine Soul Elixirs he sold must have certainly come through, and Qi Xiu, with his pockets empty, naturally thought of his master, Daoist Yunxiong.

Leaving the inner room, Qi Xiu was about to summon his Escape Light when, looking up, he saw Bai Ling lying atop the wall, looking utterly bored.

Hm?

A purple glint flashed in his pupils, and Qi Xiu frowned slightly.

Realizing Qi Xiu was looking her way, Bai Ling thought her posture had upset Seventh Master Qi and hurriedly scurried down, hunched over, and ran away out of sight.

Strange. Her aura is faint and flickering, barely there. What's going on with this Little Demon?

Sensing something was off, but with the matter of the Super Elixir on his mind, Qi Xiu decided to put aside his suspicions for the time being and would check more carefully when he had some free time later.

He leaped up, transforming into a surging torrent of fiery clouds and lightning, and arrived directly at Guanlan Cliff.

At this moment, his Martial Uncle Yunqing was also there.

The two old Daoists were red-faced, glaring at each other, seemingly engaged in a heated argument.

"Master."

Approaching Daoist Yunxiong, Qi Xiu bowed in respect.

"Xiuer, your timing is impeccable! Help us judge this matter. Can there be such a person? I generously sold him one thousand Divine Soul Elixirs on credit.

"We agreed to settle the account after a year.

"Yet this goatee dares claim those thousand Divine Soul Elixirs were a birthday gift to him!

"Confound it! In my several hundred years of life, I, this old Daoist, have never encountered someone so shameless.

"No! I swear I'll give you a beating today."

The more he tried to endure it, the angrier he became; the more he thought about backing down, the more incensed he felt.

His eyes blazed with fury. Before he finished speaking, Daoist Yunxiong rose, ready to pounce on Daoist Priest Yunqing, prepared for a bloody battle.

"Hey, hey, Master, please calm down!"

Grabbing hold of his master, Qi Xiu looked helpless.

These two old brothers had minor fights every three days and major ones every five, yet they always found reasons to be around each other.

"Good on you, Nephew! Martial Uncle will take his leave first. Come to Yun Ming Peak for a meal another day!"

Seeing Daoist Yunxiong about to take action, Daoist Priest Yunqing, knowing he was in the wrong, got up and fled. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a streak of Lei Mang and vanished over the horizon.

"Alright, Master. Worst comes to worst, I'll help you collect the debt in a few days."

After placating Daoist Yunxiong, Qi Xiu took a seat opposite and rubbed his fingers at his master. "Master, it's been over a year. Shouldn't we settle the accounts?"

"Hiss, I think I left the kettle boiling in my room."

Pretending to remember something, Daoist Yunxiong also made to stand up and leave.

"You come back here! Does a Dao Expert like yourself really need to boil his own water?"

With resignation, Qi Xiu half-smiled as he grabbed Daoist Yunxiong's sleeve. "Alright, I won't ask for much.

"Just give me thirty thousand Dao Coins for starters. I need to buy a Pill Furnace and some medicinal ingredients."

Hearing Qi Xiu say this, Daoist Yunxiong, whose palm was crackling with Lei Mang as he prepared to secretly zap the fingers Qi Xiu used to tug his sleeve, let out a sigh of relief.

"You should have said so earlier!

"What do you need a Pill Furnace and ingredients for? You know Alchemy too?"

"A little."

"Hmm, alright. I'll buy the Pill Furnace for you. I know an old codger... I mean, an old Daoist priest who just happens to have a high-quality Pill Furnace.

"I reckon twenty thousand Dao Coins should be about right.

"So I can just give you ten thousand Dao Coins."

Nodding his head, Daoist Yunxiong, in just a few words, slashed the thirty thousand Dao Coins Qi Xiu asked for down to ten thousand.

"Master, we agreed to split the profits fifty-fifty," Qi Xiu said, sighing in resignation. He hadn't expected his ordinarily dignified master to also have this greedy streak.

"You child, you think your master would take your money?"

With a stern face, Daoist Yunxiong declared, "I am saving it for you. When you... when you reach the Dao Body Realm, it will all be yours."

Qi Xiu: "..."

It was like someone poor suddenly striking it rich, or a long-suffering daughter-in-law finally becoming the matriarch. Daoist Yunxiong, who had struggled for so long to support Yunti Peak, even having to take odd jobs, now suddenly possessed such wealth. Qi Xiu could only smile wryly and understand.

"Alright, alright, I won't ask for much more. Twenty thousand Dao Coins, and you help me get that Pill Furnace. That should be enough, right?"

"Fine, why wouldn't it be? Is there anything that can't be settled between us, master and disciple?"

Smiling from ear to ear, Daoist Yunxiong's eyes twinkled. "How about I give you fifteen thousand to spend for now?"

"You should just give me all the money."

"You child, can't you take a joke? Hey, hey, hey, don't reach for my money pouch!

"Good lad! Take this—Five Thunder Orthodox Skill!"

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