A god-level alchemist, starting by manually crafting forbidden pills.

Wonderful!

That's great!

Zhang Tie clicked his tongue and applauded.

If you encounter a formidable opponent in the future, just unleash your pressure and scare them to death.

Survival, cunning, and showing off – all in one!

"Senior brother, keep these things safe. Refine the pills as soon as possible; the other disciples are waiting!"

Zhang pointed to the spirit stone on the ground and turned to leave.

Luo Fan stopped him, "Junior Brother Zhang, you paid two hundred spirit stones for that Concealing Breath Pill just now."

"You want more money?"

Zhang Tie turned around with a mournful face.

Wasn't that a test subject? And it really terrified him. Consider it a form of psychological compensation.

"Experiments also have costs. Besides, you know best how effective this pill is."

Luo Fan extended his hand, smiling kindly, "Two hundred spirit stones, you won't lose out, you won't be cheated."

Zhang Tie's lips twitched.

Yes, the effect is obvious; I almost thought I had really become a cripple!

But seeing Luo Fan's smug smile that said he wouldn't leave without paying, he could only reluctantly take out two hundred spirit stones.

"Senior brother, you're really obsessed with money."

"Junior brother, you are mistaken. This is called respecting the fruits of labor. I work hard to refine the pills, and you benefit from testing the medicine."

Luo Fan smiled and put away the spirit stones. "This is a fair trade, no cheating the young or old."

"...!"

Zhang Tie rolled his eyes, turned around and slipped away.

He was afraid that if he stayed any longer, he would be reminded of service fees, consultation fees, and the like.

Senior Brother Luo was so greedy for money that he had no choice but to obediently hand over the spirit stones.

After seeing Zhang Tie off, Luo Fan looked at the spirit stones scattered all over the ground, but there was no joy on his face.

At this time tomorrow, Ji Kun will come to ask for the Rejuvenation Pill.

If she can't hand it over, causing trouble for him is a minor matter, but that guy has ill intentions towards Senior Sister Bai.

He needed to find a way to deal with Ji Kun while also protecting Senior Sister Bai from being schemed against.

Luo Fan's eyes turned cold as he carefully put away the spirit stones.

The next day, before dawn, Luo Fan changed into his simplest clothes and quietly left the sect.

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and the mountain path was slippery, but he walked lightly, circulating his spiritual energy within his body.

With his cultivation at the sixth level of Qi Refining, he could travel much faster than before.

The market town, located a hundred miles away, is jointly maintained by several small sects and an alliance of independent cultivators.

This place is a melting pot of all sorts of people, yet it's also incredibly lively.

Luo Fan had a clear goal and headed straight for the largest medicine shop in the market.

——Bai Cao Ge!

Upon entering, a mixed aroma of herbs wafted towards you.

Behind the counter, a shopkeeper with a goatee and shrewd eyes was calculating on an abacus.

Hearing the sound, she looked up and glanced at him.

Ordinary clothes, low cultivation level, and the aura of a mere first level Qi Refining cultivator are commonplace in the market.

The shopkeeper, without even leaving his armchair, asked in a nonchalant tone, "Sir, what would you like to buy?"

"Rejuvenation Pill, top-grade Yellow Rank."

"have."

The shopkeeper lazily quoted a price: "One hundred and fifty low-grade spirit stones."

Luo Fan frowned.

This price is almost double that of the internal exchange within the sect, but it is still within an acceptable range.

He was about to take the spirit stone out of his pocket.

"Manager Wang! Where is what I ordered?!"

A young gentleman with slicked-back hair and a slicked-back face, dressed in fine clothes.

He swaggered in, accompanied by two equally well-dressed and arrogant henchmen.

The shopkeeper's expression changed instantly. He sprang up from his armchair, his face plastered with a fawning smile, and quickly went to greet him.

"Oh! Young Master Li! You've finally arrived! Everything has been prepared for you!"

He turned around and carefully took something out from the bottom of the counter.

It was a fist-sized, jet-black stone with a pitted and uneven surface.

At first glance, it looks no different from a pebble picked up on the roadside.

"Young Master Li, look, this is the obsidian paperweight!"

The shopkeeper, spitting as he spoke, "Don't let its unassuming appearance fool you; it's incredibly hard and imbued with spiritual energy, making it perfect for paperweights and for playing with!"

Young Master Li took the black stone, weighed it in his hand, and then infused it with a wisp of spiritual energy.

The stone did not react.

He frowned. "Are you sure this thing is a treasure? There's not a trace of spiritual energy in it."

"Oh! Young Master Li, you just don't understand!"

The shopkeeper patted his chest and said, "The real treasures are all understated. Look at the patterns and the feel of them, they are definitely antiques!"

"If it weren't for the fact that you, Young Master Li, have a discerning eye, I wouldn't have brought this out to just anyone!"

Young Master Li was still hesitant and had some doubts.

Just then, Luo Fan's Great Dao Furnace, which he had absorbed into his sea of ​​consciousness, suddenly trembled!

It felt like a hungry wolf smelling blood, or a magnet encountering a block of iron!

An extremely faint yet bone-chilling energy fluctuation emanated through the rough stone shell!

This is definitely not a paperweight!

Luo Fan's heart pounded, but he forced himself to suppress his excitement and spoke casually.

"Shopkeeper, this stone is quite unique, may I take a look at it?"

Everyone was taken aback.

Young Master Li and his followers all looked at Luo Fan with strange expressions.

The shopkeeper was taken aback, then chuckled, "Sir, this obsidian paperweight was first set on by Young Master Li. It costs fifty low-grade spirit stones. Can you afford it?"

"I can't afford it."

Luo Fan said calmly, "So, I'll offer ten."

"Ten yuan?"

The shopkeeper chuckled in exasperation, "Young man, are you making fun of me?"

"If you don't sell, you won't get a single spirit stone."

Luo Fan glanced at him. "If I were you, I would have acted as soon as possible."

The shopkeeper frowned.

Why does this kid have such a strange confidence about him?

Young Master Li was initially hesitant, but seeing others vying for it, he became interested instead.

His followers, eager for a good show, started making a fuss.

"Brother Zhao, I think this poor lad really wants it! Why don't we make an offer?"

"Okay! I'll offer twenty!"

"I'll bet twenty-five!"

They deliberately raised the price to see how much this poorly dressed young man would offer.

The shopkeeper was overjoyed; he loved the wicked humor of these spoiled young men.

"Oh ho, so you've gotten into a fight?"

Young Master Li chuckled, finding the penniless young man quite amusing. "I'll bet ninety! Are you in or not?"

Luo Fan feigned anger and gritted his teeth, saying, "I'll offer a hundred!"

"one hundred?"

Young Master Li raised an eyebrow. "You're really willing to part with a broken rock?"

"If you ask for more, I'll give it to you!"

Luo Fan turned his head away in a huff.

Young Master Li stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed and waved his hand.

"Alright, alright, this is boring. It's pointless to argue with an idiot over a piece of junk."

He turned to the shopkeeper, "Shopkeeper Wang, sell him!"

"Alright!"

The shopkeeper grabbed the hundred low-grade spirit stones Luo Fan handed him, grinning from ear to ear, "Sir, here's your paperweight!"

He picked up this broken stone years ago and sold it for a hundred spirit stones, making a fortune!

Those spoiled brats were also stunned.

Is this poor kid really willing to spend money?

"What a fool with so much money!"

"Judging by his shabby appearance, he probably saved up his entire fortune over half a lifetime, and now it's all gone!"

Luo Fan lowered his head and took the heavy black stone.

The moment I got my hands on it, the sensation of the Great Dao Furnace became ten times stronger!

He could even see inside the stone shell, where the layers of spiritual energy were incredibly complex!

And deepest within, there lies a dormant, icy-blue flame that sends shivers down your spine!

Is this the spiritual fire of heaven and earth?!

Luo Fan's hand trembled.

Click.

A very faint cracking sound came from inside the black stone.

The voice was very soft, but everyone present was a cultivator, so they could hear it clearly.

Everyone was stunned.

The shopkeeper, Young Master Li, and his followers all turned their gazes toward the black stone in Luo Fan's hand.

On the rough, black stone shell, a crack as thin as a hair had appeared.

In the crevice.

A faint, icy blue light emanated from the shop, and an indescribable chill permeated the entire space!

"This...this is?!" The shopkeeper's eyes widened.

Young Master Li's mocking expression froze, then turned into disbelief. "There's something inside?!"

Alarm bells rang in Luo Fan's mind.

Oops!

This spiritual fire is about to be born!

And it happened in public!

He tried to put the stone into his storage bag, but it was too late; the sound of it shattering continued unabated.

The crack spread at a speed visible to the naked eye, and in the blink of an eye, it covered most of the stone surface!

Ice-blue light seeped wildly from countless cracks!

The temperature inside the shop plummeted!

Tiny ice crystals began to condense in the air!