CHAPTER 212: CHAPTER 18: WANDERING ALCHEMIST

"A shop, huh..."

Lin Jing took a liking to the commercial street of the Qingming Chamber of Commerce.

In the chaotic Qingzhou, renting a shop here would be considered a place of rare order.

The Qingming Chamber of Commerce, being a force with a Void Profound Great Cultivator in residence, is not a place where ordinary people dare to cause trouble.

Even if Lin Jing, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, presented treasures that would tempt a Nascent Soul Cultivator, ordinary Nascent Souls wouldn’t dare break the rules out of fear of the order maintained by the Qingming Chamber of Commerce.

As a commercial organization, the Qingming Chamber of Commerce values its reputation above all, and it’s unlikely it would have any ill intentions towards the low-grade treasures Lin Jing presents.

Although none of this is absolute, as long as Lin Jing balances the value of the items he presents, this place would be an excellent temporary abode for him.

"There are too many special plants in Qingzhou."

"I can gather some and have the Pine Leaf Mouse synthesize them in the Beast Taming space to see if anything useful emerges to enhance my foundation."

"Then, using these synthesized plants, I will research some novel and special low-grade pills."

"With these elixirs, I’ll open up a unique market for my pills."

"At that time, to purchase these pills, the primary exchange won’t be Spirit Stones but rather intelligence on elemental fires! Or the elemental fires themselves."

Lin Jing felt that relying solely on his personal efforts to seek out the elemental fires needed to enhance the Fire Qilin Dragon and cultivate the Celestial Demon Body was ultimately too slow.

Based on the experience of establishing a Dragon Palace within the academy, he suddenly wanted to return to his old trade.

Through elixirs, have others help him gather elemental fires!

This commercial street in the Qingming Chamber of Commerce in Qingzhou provides a perfect stage for him.

"Moreover, with my current Illusion Technique, it’s not impossible to mimic the might of a Divinity Transformation."

"I can even create the illusion of having a Divinity Transformation master as a mentor at specific moments, to intimidate petty schemers and make others wary."

"This way, with dual safeguards, I will have a long period of time to gradually enhance my power."

Having made his decision, Lin Jing began his journey to Celestial Cyan City, the second-largest city on the Qingming Dao, according to the map he acquired from Thousand Illusions Mountain.

The largest city, Qingming City, with a Void Profound Great Cultivator in residence, was best avoided.

The second largest city has only Divinity Transformation Cultivators in charge, which is relatively safe for Lin Jing, without the worry of being accidentally discovered for his Illusion Techniques.

After all, not every Divinity Transformation Cultivator is as skilled in the Illusion Dao as the ancestor of Thousand Illusions Mountain.

......

Celestial Cyan City, commercial street under the Qingming Chamber of Commerce.

A young alchemist dressed in Fire Cloud Pill attire arrives at the shop rental office on the commercial street.

In this attic, an elderly bald man with Golden Core Cultivation sits in the back, deeply engaged with a puzzle lock. He looks at Lin Jing entering the room and casually asks, "Renting a shop?"

"Yes, I am a Wandering Alchemist, looking to rent a place where I can refine pills, take a break, and sell some elixirs," Lin Jing responded while maintaining eye contact, showing no signs of inferiority typical of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator when facing a Golden Core Cultivator, and instead appeared utterly composed.

"Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivation, what grade of alchemist are you?"

"Third-grade," Lin Jing replied. The bald old man paused at the information and then smiled.

"Little friend, being so young and already a third-grade alchemist, is impressive. May I ask who your mentor is? Do you have alchemical certification?"

"My master is the Fire Dragon Pill Venerable, a Loose Cultivator, without much alchemical certification... But this, will it suffice?"

Lin Jing extended his finger, and a miniature furnace flickered at his fingertip, with a hundred layers of fire waves rotating and compressing around the furnace, dazzling and eye-catching.

"Third-grade fire control technique..." the bald old man nodded and said, "That’s sufficient."

A third-grade alchemist can refine third-grade elixirs. Generally, first-grade elixirs are for Qi Cultivation Cultivators, second-grade for Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and third-grade for Golden Core Cultivators to use!

A third-grade alchemist at the Foundation Establishment stage is far rarer than a usual Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and even some Core Formation Cultivators who cannot perform alchemy are willing to make equal friendships with them.

Thus, Lin Jing’s display of his third-grade alchemist identity removed any necessity for subservience before a Golden Core Cultivator, allowing him to genuinely appear as a third-grade alchemist.

Additionally, primarily, Lin Jing claimed his master as a "Pill Venerable," a title generally reserved for Divinity Transformation Cultivators or fifth-grade alchemists!

Therefore, the renting elder immediately faced Lin Jing with a broad smile, regardless of the truthfulness of Lin Jing’s words. Being amicable poses no harm or loss.

At that moment, Lin Jing could indeed refine third-grade elixirs. However, if the Fire Qilin Dragon’s fused elemental fire was utilized, fourth-grade elixirs could actually be refined!

However, he feared that being a Foundation Establishment Cultivator capable of refining fourth-grade elixirs was too shocking for the world, so he reported a lower grade. Besides, he also didn’t plan to sell four-grade special elixirs...

"How long does the little friend plan to rent? The shops here are rented for a minimum of one month," the bald old man inquired.

"Let’s start with six months," Lin Jing replied. The Qingming Chamber of Commerce’s commercial street has a massive flow of people. Renting a shop here, although costly, would not be unprofitable as long as the quality of the goods themselves is up to standard.

"Let me see, a pill shop... There happens to be a vacancy, but the location is lacking," the bald old man remarked.

Lin Jing nodded in agreement and said, "Location doesn’t matter, as long as the price is reasonable. A fragrant pill can always be discovered."

"Good!" the bald old man stated, "Then I’ll draft the contract!"

Lin Jing smiled, confident in the quality of his pills.

The popular Dragon Ascending Pill is an example.

However, something like the Dragon Ascending Pill, due to its significant sales in the Ancient Country, could not be sold here, as it would reveal his identity.

Various mainstream elixirs are sold everywhere across the continent, and Lin Jing, a nameless wandering Loose Cultivator alchemist selling them, would attract customers only with cut-throat prices; otherwise, they’d rather purchase from more prominent establishments...

Therefore, for Lin Jing’s pill shop to operate successfully, he must research some new kinds of elixirs.

Of course, he still had some unique elixirs that hadn’t been exposed much, unlike the Dragon Ascending Pill, which was auctioned in the Ancient Country...

Such as the Pain Relief Pill... But this is a demonic elixir; its market might not be good, so let’s drop it.

Besides the Pain Relief Pill, Lin Jing believes the most suitable one to sell would probably be the Gluttonous Pill, an elixir they frequently use, made from golden Spirit Rice.

Golden Spirit Rice is the first special Spiritual Object synthesized by the Pine Leaf Rat’s Glazed Immortal Pupil, possessing digestive aid abilities.

The Gluttonous Pill refined with other materials has no side effects and is much more effective.

If a Foundation Establishment Cultivator obtained a high-grade Spirit Grass capable of increasing cultivation, they would generally need to retreat for years to digest the energy upon consumption.

But with the Gluttonous Pill, he would only need to consume a large amount of it before taking the Spirit Grass, allowing him to convert the Spirit Grass’s power into his cultivation within two days.

And this isn’t even the most remarkable feature of the Gluttonous Pill.

The most unprecedented power of the Gluttonous Pill lies in that even a Qi Cultivation Cultivator can consume it to intake high-grade pills, with a very low consumption threshold.

Just like the little Green Worm Lin Jing casually caught back then, with its cultivation level, ingesting a third-grade Dragon Ascending Pill would undoubtedly result in self-destruction due to inability to bear the pill’s power.

However, as Lin Jing had fed it a Gluttonous Pill in advance, it was capable of perfectly digesting the third-grade pill and completing its bloodline evolution, even at the first level of Qi Cultivation.

For cultivators who have inherited opportunities they can’t digest, the Gluttonous Pill is certainly a divine medicine, allowing them to consume potent Spirit Grasses and Spirit Pills with ease, defying fate.

Unfortunately, Lin Jing has a Longevity Body; otherwise, with this miraculous pill aiding his cultivation, he could have probably reached Nascent Soul by now.

......

Soon after.

A shop named "Nameless Pill Pavilion" opened at a corner of the commercial street in Celestial Cyan City. On the surface, the pavilion only displayed common first-grade, second-grade, and third-grade pills found throughout the continent, priced comparably to other pill shops and bought with Spirit Stones.

Aside from common products, at the very center of the shop, a special pill named the Gluttonous Pill is placed.

This pill’s introduction: After consumption, gain the power of the Glutton, allowing low-level cultivators to consume higher-grade Spirit Pills without side effects, leaping several levels!

Price: Not for normal sale! Requires information on or seeds of elemental fires. A corresponding number of Gluttonous Pills will be provided based on the value of the information and elemental fire grade!

"Regardless of the elemental fire grade, Fire Qilin Dragon can swiftly convert it into its power, thanks to the ’Treasure Beast Divine Skill Flame Emperor’ it possesses."

"In Qingzhou, it is the only Pet Beast that can be openly revealed; priority is to cultivate it to the Golden Core Stage!"

Lin Jing sat on a wooden chair at the back of the Pill Pavilion, overseeing the Pine Leaf Rat farming in the gourd and the Fire Qilin Dragon refining pills in the pendant, while planning for future directions... Just then, a figure stepped into the freshly opened Pill Pavilion, marking the arrival of its first customer.