Cultivation begins with planting techniques

Chapter 30: Disciple of Zixuan Sect (Please read!)

Market town, where treasures are gathered.

A man with an ordinary face, dressed in the robes of a disciple of the Purple Xuan Sect, walked into the store. The waiter immediately came to greet him.
"Sir, what do you need from my Baibaoju?"

"My family's medicines, magic tools, talismans, and spiritual materials are all top-notch. I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

Li Ye glanced at him and said lightly,
"Are there any alchemy furnaces for sale?"

He asked directly, without wearing a hat or anything like that to hide his appearance and identity.

After all, all of Li Ye's current wealth has its origins, so there is nothing to hide.

In this market town directly opened by the Zixuan Sect, compared to hiding one's head and showing one's tail, the deterrent power brought by the robes of the Zixuan Sect disciples is the greatest!

He had also known Baibaoju from his previous trips to the market. It was one of the more reputable shops among the many.

Behind it seems to be the Yue family, one of the major founding families of the Huan State.

It is said that there are as many as three foundation-building cultivators in the clan, which is much stronger than the Li family, a family that relies entirely on an old foundation-building ancestor for support!
Upon hearing what Li Ye said, the waiter who was originally trying to cope with it suddenly brightened up his eyes.

This is big business!

He quickly replied,
"Of course we have the alchemy furnace!"

"It's just that we can't make the decision for such a small business. Please rest on the second floor. I'll ask our shopkeeper to come over!"

As he spoke, he bent down slightly and led Li Ye upstairs to sit down.

After the waiter served him tea and snacks, a slightly wealthy man walked over with brisk steps.

He glanced at the purple Xuan Sect disciple uniform on Li Ye, bowed to him and asked with a smile,

"My name is Yue Quan, and I'm the owner of Baibaoju. Does this fellow Taoist wish to purchase an alchemy furnace?"

"My name is Li Ye, and I'd like to take a look at your store's alchemy furnace."

Li Ye nodded and added, "It doesn't need to be too high-level, just enough for beginners."

"I see."

Yue Quan's smile remained undimmed. "I happen to have a low-grade alchemy furnace in stock. I'd like to ask you to take a look and see if it satisfies you."

As he spoke, he slapped the storage bag on his waist, and with a clang, a brass furnace half a person's height fell in front of them.

Li Ye put down the teacup, stood up, looked around the alchemy furnace, and opened the lid to take a look.

After closing the lid, he reached out and tapped lightly at several locations around the furnace, listening carefully to the echo.

He used his magic power again to simulate the control.

This series of actions left Yue Quan and the waiter waiting beside him stunned.

You also said that an entry-level alchemy furnace would be enough. Your inspection techniques and understanding of alchemy furnaces don't seem like what a novice alchemist can have, right?

Hiss... Could it be that this guy was sent by some rival shop to challenge us?

Yue Quan and the waiter looked at each other, feeling unsure.

In this moment, Li Ye completed the inspection and said to Yue Quan,

“This furnace is pretty good!”

"There's one spot where the echo is uneven, suggesting a refining error. There's a weak spot, and if the fire is too strong, there's a risk of burning through..."

"I wonder how much your store is planning to sell it for?"

Yue Quan's heart suddenly moved when he heard this. The notes of the weapon refiner attached to the furnace when it was first delivered seemed to have mentioned something about this.

However, even a weapon refiner might not be able to discover such a minor mistake on the spot, let alone the alchemy apprentice who came to purchase it!
He had read it then and forgotten about it, but he hadn't expected it to be thoroughly investigated the moment he took it out today. "Fellow Daoist, your methods are truly eye-opening!"

Yue Quan gave Li Ye a thumbs up with a look of admiration on his face.
"To be honest, I was just about to explain a few things to you and clarify the problem, but I never thought you could see it so clearly after just a quick inspection!"

"This alchemy furnace does have some flaws. How about we only charge you sixty spirit stones?"

If a low-grade magic weapon is of the attack type, it can be sold for thirty or forty spirit stones at most. Defensive items such as shields, robes and armor will be slightly more expensive.

And tools such as alchemy furnaces and refining cauldrons are not of high rank.

However, its production process is much more complicated and often requires a higher-level refiner to make it, so the selling price is often almost double that of the same-level magic tools.

"Fifty spirit stones, plus a recipe for the Qi and Blood Pill!"

Li Ye said calmly, then he sat back and picked up a piece of cake and ate it carefully.

Yue Quan's expression changed immediately after hearing the offer, "Fellow Daoist, you're asking for too much..."

Li Ye shook his head.
"I specifically inquired in the market and heard that your store had a good reputation, so I came here to buy something. However, I never thought that the alchemy furnace you brought out would have such a dangerous flaw..."

"In that case, I might as well go check out other shops!"

As he said this, he was about to get up and leave.

Yue Quan's expression suddenly changed into a smile.

"Don't worry, fellow Daoist. Just do as you say. Fifty is fifty!"

Li Ye's expression remained unchanged. He simply counted out fifty spirit stones from his storage bag and placed them on the table.

The waiter immediately went to get a recipe for Qi and Blood Pill.

"Fellow Daoist, take care. If you have any elixirs to sell in the future, please come to my Baibaoju... I will make sure the price satisfies you!"

"Of course, of course. As long as your shop doesn't mind my poor craftsmanship, I will come to your store."

After the payment and goods were settled, Li Ye put away the alchemy furnace and the recipe. Yue Quan personally sent him downstairs, and the two of them started talking and laughing again.

After Li Ye disappeared in the crowd, the two returned upstairs.

The waiter then asked with some confusion, "Uncle, if we sell the furnace at that price and that person also gives us a recipe, won't we be losing money?"

Yue Quan shook his head. "Did you know that when the furnace was delivered, it was noted that if anyone discovered any flaws, it could be sold at a low price to protect the store's reputation?"

"Since it really happened, I just followed the rules."

If you don’t meet a customer with good vision, you can only make money from him with tears!

"As for the Qi and Blood Pill formula... it's a common item for alchemists. It's not worth anything at all. Just give it away!"

"Moreover, Li Ye is only at the fourth level of Qi training, yet he's able to spot flaws in the furnace. Clearly, his attainments in alchemy aren't as novice as he claims. It's just that the inheritance he has is mostly incomplete or pieced together, so he lacks the basic alchemy formula..."

"If we can establish a good relationship with him, we'll have another way to steadily supply elixirs in the future, which will be very beneficial to our advancement!"

The waiter nodded suddenly, but a fierce look flashed across his face.
"In that case, why not just find an opportunity to capture him..."

Not only can I capture the person, but I can also get the alchemy furnace back. Isn’t that wonderful!

Snapped!
Yue Quan slapped the waiter on the head with a stern tone.
"Just start fighting! Do you think this person is one of those down-and-out independent cultivators with no foundation?"

"This man is a disciple of the Purple Profound Sect! If we can capture him in one strike, it'll be fine. But if he escapes and the news leaks out, you and I will both be expelled from the family to pay the penalty!"

"Watch your mouth from now on! If you dare to talk nonsense again, I'll be the first to teach you a lesson!"

Frightened by Yue Quan's stern look, the waiter nodded repeatedly, and the thoughts in his mind immediately disappeared.

(End of this chapter)