Chapter 18

In the abandoned alchemy room, Su Shier had no idea that he had not been discovered by the black-clothed man, but instead had been noticed by other fellow disciples.

A plot against him was quietly unfolding.

After repelling the two servant disciples, he continued to cultivate diligently in the abandoned alchemy room.

Apart from the monthly delivery of waste pills by disciples from various peaks, he rarely went out.

Occasionally, when beasts intruded into his territory, he could easily slay them with the help of two secular martial arts and a high-quality magical tool.

Time flew by, and four years had passed in the blink of an eye.

On this early morning, on Yi Huan Mountain, a lean young man, about sixteen or seventeen years old, with sun-tanned skin and wearing the disciple uniform of Yun Ge Sect, slowly walked to the trading square at the mountain top.

The square was square-shaped, covering more than ten acres. It was divided into four main streets and nine areas in a "well" shape, with each area further divided by cross-shaped lines.

The roads crisscrossed, and along the way, there were various cultivators setting up stalls. Whether they were setting up stalls or browsing, everyone wore disciple uniforms.

People came and went, bustling and lively!

The young man mixed in the crowd, carrying a sword sheath made of animal skin on his back. His face was ordinary, and he looked unremarkable. He looked around without rushing to buy anything.

This young man was Su Shier, who had been cultivating diligently in the abandoned alchemy room on Cui Huan Mountain for four years.

After four years of hard cultivation, with the help of a large number of top-grade Qi-gathering pills, his cultivation continuously improved.

A day ago, after persistent cultivation, the true essence in his body finally grew to the size of a fist, successfully reaching the fourth level of the Qi Cultivation stage.

Such a cultivation speed was enough to rival ordinary prodigies.

At this point, there was less than half a year left until the new disciple trial. In such a short time, he believed it was impossible to break through to the fifth level of the Qi Cultivation stage. After careful consideration, he decided to come to the trading square to buy items that could enhance his strength to prepare for the upcoming new disciple trial.

After a round of browsing, Su Shier bought nothing, but he gained a general understanding of the trading square.

The items sold in the square were varied, including herbs, iron and stones, beast skins and bones, pills, talismans, magical tools, cultivation techniques, and more.

The currency used for transactions was not fixed, with the most common being Qi-gathering pills, followed by gold and silver, and occasionally direct bartering.

As Su Shier walked, he was greatly impressed and very eager.

Among the items, he also saw a talisman identical to the one used by the sword-carrying youth who fled four years ago at an inconspicuous stall.

A first-grade lower-grade teleportation talisman for three high-grade Qi-gathering pills.

Su Shier glanced at it but did not make a transaction.

As he was walking, he suddenly stopped, his gaze falling on a stall not far away.

The stall was surrounded by five or six cultivators, with many good items displayed, including several talismans and blank talisman papers, and about ten books related to talismans.

What caught everyone's attention was a sandalwood box in the center, containing a talisman emitting a faint earth-yellow glow.

A sign next to it read in large letters: "First-grade supreme defensive talisman: three lower-grade Qi-gathering pills."

Below that, in smaller letters: "First-grade lower-grade spirit talisman: three high-grade Qi-gathering pills. First-grade middle-grade spirit talisman: ten high-grade Qi-gathering pills. Talisman books: fifty Qi-gathering pills per book."

"A first-grade supreme defensive talisman?"

Su Shier's pupils constricted. After browsing for a while, he had seen the most first-grade middle-grade talismans. This was the first time he had seen a supreme-grade talisman, and it was the most precious defensive talisman among offensive and defensive talismans.

His eyes turned, and he couldn't help but examine it closely. He could clearly feel the dense earth-yellow spiritual energy surrounding the talisman, giving it a heavy, mountain-like feel.

The spiritual power it contained made him feel a chill, far surpassing ordinary talismans.

"Indeed, you don't know how big the world is until you step out. Once this talisman is activated, let alone me, even cultivators at the seventh or eighth level of Qi Cultivation might not be able to break it!"

Su Shier felt a burning desire and was secretly alarmed.

At this moment, one of the onlookers, a handsome young man with a sword in his hands and a headband, spoke up: "I'll offer three hundred high-grade Qi-gathering pills for this first-grade supreme defensive talisman. Will you sell it?"

"No! I only exchange this supreme defensive talisman for Qi-gathering pills," the stall owner, a female cultivator in her twenties wearing a yellow dress, shook her head without hesitation.

"Four hundred high-grade Qi-gathering pills! Sister Chu, one lower-grade Qi-gathering pill is worth at most one hundred Qi-gathering pills. This price is a great deal for you," the young man with the headband continued.

Sister Chu, with a delicate finger, rolled her eyes coquettishly, "Don't be silly! Lower-grade Qi-gathering pills are hard to come by. If you really want it, bring Qi-gathering pills to exchange."

The young man with the headband pouted and turned away, looking dejected.

The others, seeing this, also shook their heads and dispersed.

Among them, the highest cultivation was the young man with the headband, at the fifth level of Qi Cultivation.

It was impossible for them to have Qi-gathering pills, and even if they did, they would use them for their own cultivation, not easily exchanging them.

Soon, the stall was empty.

Seeing this, Su Shier hesitated for a moment, looked around, and, seeing no one paying attention, walked up.

"Boss, this first-grade supreme defensive talisman..."

Before Su Shier could finish, the female cultivator with the surname Chu glanced at him and coldly said, "Brother, I only exchange this first-grade supreme defensive talisman for Qi-gathering pills."

"I know. How about this?" Su Shier nodded and took out a medicine bottle from his chest, handing it to her.

The female cultivator with the surname Chu frowned and casually opened the bottle. Su Shier looked ordinary and didn't seem like someone with money.

She had almost no hope for Su Shier.

However, the moment the bottle was opened, a round, lustrous Qi-gathering pill lay inside.

Her pupils constricted, and she exclaimed, "A middle-grade Qi-gathering pill?!!"

She swallowed her exclamation halfway.

Her gaze scrutinized Su Shier, and the intense heat in her eyes was quickly suppressed. She smiled and said, "Brother, your pill is good, but one middle-grade Qi-gathering pill is worth at most two lower-grade Qi-gathering pills. How about this: if you can provide another one, I'll give you an additional fifteen first-grade middle-grade talismans. What do you think?"

"I only have one Qi-gathering pill. You should know that Qi-gathering pills are hard to come by. Exchanging one middle-grade Qi-gathering pill for your talisman isn't a bad deal, right?" Su Shier firmly shook his head.

His peripheral vision quickly scanned the other items on the stall, and both the other talismans and those few books made his heart race.

But he knew that taking out this one Qi-gathering pill was already a risk, and he couldn't possibly take out more.

"Really only one?" The female cultivator with the surname Chu sized up Su Shier, giving him a flirtatious look that almost made him lose his composure.

"Of course! Do you want to exchange or not? If not, consider it as if I said nothing!" Su Shier insisted, reaching out to take back his Qi-gathering pill.

If possible, he didn't want to use a middle-grade Qi-gathering pill for the transaction. It was too likely to draw attention!

But there was no choice. The mysterious alchemy furnace was too powerful, and waste Qi-gathering pills placed inside would be refined into supreme-grade Qi-gathering pills in a few breaths.

He had tried no less than twenty times and managed to refine only two.