CHAPTER 231: CHAPTER 231: SHOPKEEPER QIAN’S DILEMMA_1

Shen Mo currently had just over 250 middle-grade Spirit Stones. He had earned quite a bit, but his expenses were astronomical.

These past few days, just the Destiny ability [Martial Performance] had consumed tens of thousands of low-grade Spirit Stones. The "Insight into All Beings" Destiny ability also required Spirit Stones to use.

He had previously bought treasures like the Gold-thunder Demon Pearl and the Demon Slaying Sword, and purchased demonic beast flesh to feed the Spirit Storage Rat.

On the Tianshan Mountain battlefield, there had been no spare time to craft Elixirs or Talismans for sale. Any Elixirs he managed to craft were consumed...

And purchasing any low-grade spiritual-level cultivation method from the sect’s Magic Tower required at least 300 middle-grade Spirit Stones.

Shen Mo didn’t even dare to imagine a middle-grade spiritual-level cultivation method!

Unless he pulled off another heist like the time he had robbed the Defense Division’s Treasure Hall in Tianshun Country.

Most inner disciples can’t afford a spiritual-level cultivation method!

Only someone like Li Zhong, at the peak of Qi Gathering, could grit his teeth and perhaps afford a low-grade spiritual-level magic.

For now, I’ll focus on crafting Elixirs and Talismans to earn another 100 middle-grade Spirit Stones.

The leftover 50 Spirit Stones were naturally saved for Destiny abilities like [Martial Performance] and "Insight into All Beings".

After some calculation, Shen Mo opened the Destiny Disc interface.

His Destiny Points had risen to 145!

Most of them had been earned from climbing Tianshan Mountain and slaying Heavenly Demons.

Special Destiny abilities are handy, but drawing or upgrading them to blue or purple grades consumes a lot of Destiny Points!

And the grey, white, or green grades aren’t good enough.

For the moment... I won’t draw any more!

Shen Mo not only refrained from drawing Special Destiny abilities from the Destiny Pool, but he also held back from attempting to upgrade his Basic Destiny abilities.

I should save up a bit more before attempting an upgrade!

So I won’t fail like last time, where every attempt at upgrading failed.

Afterward, Shen Mo reviewed his cultivation methods, magic, and other deficiencies in his cultivation and combat systems.

He reorganized the numerous cultivation resources in his Universe Bag.

Then, he took out the Fire Chi Cauldron and began crafting Elixirs.

On the Tianshan Mountain battlefield, there had been no ample time to craft Elixirs.

Occasionally, he had managed to squeeze in time for a few batches.

As a result, his progress in the Alchemy Path was not substantial.

[Alchemy Path: Grade III (730/6,000)]

...

[Soul Nurturing Pill: Elite (MAX)]

[Demon Suppressing Pill: Elite (MAX)]

[Qi Condensation Pill: Junior (105/1,000)]

[Ethereal Void Pill: Junior (250/1,000)]

[Bone Tempering Pill: Junior (95/1,000)]

...

[Exorcism Origin Pill: Junior (190/1,000)]

[Flesh Bone Pill: Great (145/500)]

[Ganoderma Marrow Pill: Great (125/500)]

[Madness Heart-devouring Pill: Great (30/500)]

Given the current situation, cultivators had a high demand for Elixirs that restored Mana and healed injuries, as well as spiritual Elixirs like the Demon Suppressing Pill.

Shen Mo had already considered this.

He would focus on crafting four types of Elixirs: the Demon Suppressing Pill, Ethereal Void Pill, Flesh Bone Pill, and Ganoderma Marrow Pill.

While passing through the Alchemy Zone, he had also conveniently bought many spiritual plants and spiritual medicines.

Regrettably, he had not obtained the elixir recipe for the Grade III Taixu Pill.

Otherwise, given this Elixir’s effectiveness against Demon-corruption, even a flawed one could sell at a considerable price.

As the Nether Fire entered the Fire Chi Cauldron, Shen Mo focused his mind and concentrated on crafting Elixirs.

「Half a month later.」

Shen Mo divided the refined Elixirs into two batches and placed them in his Universe Bag.

One batch contained perfect-quality Elixirs and above, which he intended to sell to Shopkeeper Qian at Baodan Pavilion under the alias ’Mo Shen’.

The remainder consisted of ordinary and superior-quality Elixirs.

Shen Mo planned to sell these at a stall; their ordinary quality would not attract unwanted attention.

Moreover, this would not tarnish the reputation of Alchemist Mo Shen.

The moment he walked out of the Riverside Sect, Shen Mo utilized the Three-Heads Six-Arms True Immortal Technique to change his appearance and soul aura.

He then donned a black robe and a conical bamboo hat.

He strolled leisurely towards Jiyun Town.

「Baodan Pavilion.」

As soon as Shopkeeper Qian saw Shen Mo, he greeted him warmly, "Master Mo, I’ve been eagerly awaiting your arrival! At long last, you’re here!"

"It has been a while, Shopkeeper Qian," Shen Mo replied with a smile. "I was in seclusion recently, focusing on a breakthrough, so I haven’t had leisure time for Alchemy. Please excuse me!"

"Not at all, not at all! As long as you, Master Mo, still remember my humble shop and are willing to sell your Elixirs to me, that is all that matters."

Shopkeeper Qian welcomed Shen Mo into a private room, served him spiritual tea, and then they began their transaction.

Originally, Shen Mo had thought that Shopkeeper Qian would be as calculating as before.

For example, pretending not to know that the price of Demon Suppressing Pills was rising and still trying to purchase his Elixirs at the old price.

Unexpectedly, this time Shopkeeper Qian not only refrained from playing any tricks but even offered a slightly better margin.

After the transaction was complete and they were drinking tea, Shopkeeper Qian’s smile faded, and he began to sigh.

Shen Mo, who had just acquired over one hundred middle-grade Spirit Stones, was in a good mood.

Seeing his demeanor, Shen Mo couldn’t help but ask, "Shopkeeper Qian, what seems to be troubling you? You look so worried."

"Sigh!" Shopkeeper Qian heaved a heavy sigh and downed the tea in his cup.

"Mo, since you are an old acquaintance, I won’t hide it from you."

"In a little while, this Baodan Pavilion, as well as the Ascending Pill Shop, will have to be sold to someone else!"

"When that time comes, even if you still wish to partner with me... I’m afraid I will no longer have the financial capacity to purchase your Elixirs."

Shen Mo frowned, finding it strange. "Aren’t you from the Qian Family, an Immortal family? And isn’t one of your clan uncles an Elder in the Riverside Sect? How could you be reduced to selling your shops?"

When Shopkeeper Qian spoke of selling, he naturally didn’t mean merely relocating and reopening elsewhere. Rather, he meant selling Baodan Pavilion and the Ascending Pill Shop entirely, along with all the Elixirs and resources they contained.

Shopkeeper Qian gave a bitter laugh. "It is precisely my Immortal family, and that clan uncle of mine, who are forcing me to sell these two shops. This is my life’s work, half a lifetime of effort!"

It turned out that ever since a large number of Heavenly Demons had surged from beneath Tianshan Mountain, the Five Great Sects had begun mobilizing the entire cultivation world of the Red Flame Country.

The Qian Family, to which Shopkeeper Qian belonged, naturally could not escape the fate of going to the battlefield.

For now, the situation on the battlefield was still manageable.

However, it was foreseeable that once the Heavenly Demon Realm launched a large-scale invasion, the rogue cultivators, wealthy sects, and small sects within the cultivation world would all face the disaster of annihilation.

Thus, his clan members were pressuring Shopkeeper Qian to sell his assets to fund the family and support the family’s cultivators through this crisis.

It couldn’t be said they were entirely short-sighted for cutting off a major source of the family’s income. After all, if the entire family were to be annihilated, what use would a long-term source of income be?

It was better to sell everything and convert it into strength for themselves, to have a greater chance of surviving the impending Demonic Calamity.

Coincidentally, Shopkeeper Qian’s clan uncle, the Elder from the Riverside Sect, thought the same way. He also wanted to refine a powerful magic treasure, so he colluded with the Qian Family to pressure Shopkeeper Qian.

However, both Baodan Pavilion and the Ascending Pill Shop were the fruits of Shopkeeper Qian’s painstaking labor, accumulated bit by bit over his life.

His clan uncle and family members, merely saying they were "borrowing it from him," were trying to force him to sell all his assets and then intended to take the Spirit Stones he received. How was such an act different from blatant robbery?