Treasure Gathering Immortal Furnace

When Lu Fan was about to leave the seclusion, he also made a special check on the condition of the three-eyed crows, but they were still lying in the spirit beast bag and did not seem to have any intention of opening their eyes.

"I wonder how much longer I'll have to wait," Lu Fan thought, not expecting the three-eyed crow to take so long to break through to the fifth rank.

But there was nothing he could do, since he couldn't really help and could only wait.

Lu Fan then removed the isolation array and headed towards the dojo.

Inside the Daoist cave, Ancestor Jing and Ancestor Tianhuo were talking about something when they saw Lu Fan arrive, at which point they smiled.

"Master Lu has been in seclusion for nine years, and he is now in excellent spirits. It seems he has benefited greatly," said Ancestor Jing, looking at the gleam in Lu Fan's eyes.

"Although our Master Lu has ordinary spiritual roots, his Dao heart is exceptionally firm, and he has great potential in the future," said Ancestor Tianhuo, praising him generously.

Lu Fan quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "This disciple greets the two venerable ancestors."

"Let's skip the formalities. There's still a year before the Li Huo Cave opens. Why did Master Lu leave seclusion ahead of schedule?" Ancestor Jing asked.

"This disciple also wishes to enter seclusion for ten years, but I have exhausted all my elixirs, so I would like to ask the two patriarchs for a few Golden Essence Pills," Lu Fan said bluntly without any hesitation.

This Golden Essence Pill is a fourth-grade pill taken by Core Formation stage cultivators. Its medicinal power is mild and can continuously provide spiritual energy to Core Formation cultivators. If a cultivator in the early stage of Core Formation wants to break through to the middle stage of Core Formation, they must take it for a long time to accumulate spiritual energy.

The Golden Essence Pill is considered one of the more precious pills among the fourth-grade pills. Generally, sects only allocate one or two pills to Core Formation cultivators each month, which shows how precious it is.

"Golden Essence Pills, please wait a moment," Ancestor Jing hurriedly rummaged through his storage bag, but after a while, he looked at Ancestor Tianhuo with an embarrassed expression and said, "Senior Brother, please take out a few Golden Essence Pills and give them to Master Lu."

Ancestor Tianhuo was also taken aback for a moment, then looked equally embarrassed and said, "Where would I possibly have such a pill..."

At this point, Ancestor Tianhuo transmitted his voice again, saying, "Junior brother... our Xuan Yang Sword Sect hasn't produced a Core Formation cultivator for hundreds of years, how could such a pill possibly still exist..."

"Oh dear! I forgot about that. Our dignified Xuan Yang Sword Sect can't even produce a single Golden Essence Pill..." Old Ancestor Jing's old face was quite embarrassed.

Seeing the awkward expressions on the two elders' faces, Lu Fan probably understood what was going on, so he cupped his hands and said, "It's alright if you don't have any."

"As a Core Formation cultivator of the Xuan Yang Sword Sect, Lu Shizhi should be supplied with Golden Essence Pills by us. However, as you know, the Xuan Yang Sword Sect has not had a Core Formation cultivator for hundreds of years, so the required pills are extremely scarce. But it's alright, I'll go to other sects to borrow a few," Ancestor Jing said slowly, looking at Lu Fan.

For a dignified Nascent Soul cultivator to borrow Golden Essence Pills from other sects would be incredibly embarrassing. Lu Fan didn't want to owe any more favors, so he said, "No need for that trouble. This disciple can easily get a few Golden Essence Pills by making a trip to Thousand Peaks City."

"Alright, but we'll cover the cost of the Golden Essence Pills with spirit stones," Elder Jing said, taking out a storage bag filled with three or four thousand spirit stones.

Lu Fan didn't refuse and reached out to accept it: "Thank you, Ancestor!"

"Go quickly, don't delay your cultivation," Elder Jing said, raising his hand slightly.

After bowing, Lu Fan transformed into a streak of light and sped towards Thousand Peaks City.

...

A few days later...

Thousand Peaks City.

Nine years later, Lu Fan returned to Thousand Peaks City. As usual, he took a disguise pill and transformed into a middle-aged man.

The main purpose of this trip was to purchase Golden Essence Pills, so we headed straight for the Wanmeng Chamber of Commerce.

After all, Luo Yan has already retired from his criminal activities, and Lu Fan can only rely on the Wanmeng Chamber of Commerce. Hopefully, he won't have to wait too long this time.

This Golden Essence Pill is not the Golden Marrow Pill. Although the materials required for its refinement are extremely expensive, they are not unavailable. Moreover, long-term use can greatly increase cultivation speed.

Even so, not many Core Formation cultivators are so extravagant as to consume it long-term.

But Lu Fan is different. He is not an ordinary Core Formation cultivator. As long as he can buy a Golden Essence Pill, he can mass-produce it, greatly increasing his cultivation speed.

When Lu Fan stepped into the Wanmeng Chamber of Commerce again, those beautiful women came to greet him once more, with the same professional smiles and standardized rhetoric as before.

Lu Fan was already tired of hearing this, so he said directly, "I only want to buy one Golden Essence Pill, so just tell me if you have it or not."

Seeing that Lu Fan showed no annoyance upon his arrival, the woman quickly replied, "Senior, we have Golden Essence Pills, but you still need to queue up to buy them. Generally, you need to make an appointment in advance."

Hearing this again, Lu Fan's face turned extremely ugly. The previous times he had come to find medicinal materials, he had to wait and the procedures were complicated.

He was puzzled. This prestigious Wanmeng Chamber of Commerce, which receives so many cultivators every day and has business all over the Great Yan and Feng Kingdoms, makes even purchasing a small Golden Yuan Pill so complicated.

This made Lu Fan seriously suspect that the Wanmeng Chamber of Commerce was operating some kind of special system. If there were a way, one could quickly obtain what one wanted.

"When I was in the Foundation Establishment stage, you made me wait, and I had no complaints. Now that I've reached the Core Formation stage, is this the treatment you give me? Do you really not consider Core Formation cultivators to be anything special?"

At this moment, Lu Fan was somewhat angry. He wasn't angry at the beautiful woman, but at the entire trading mechanism of the Wanmeng Chamber of Commerce, which was absolutely rotten!

If this were in any other market, a Core Formation cultivator like him would definitely be treated as an honored guest. But this Wanmeng Chamber of Commerce is still playing the auction and waiting game.

When Lu Fan lost his temper, his mid-stage Core Formation divine sense involuntarily erupted! This caused many cultivators in the Chamber of Commerce to look terrified.

The beautiful woman was also startled and quickly bowed, saying, "Senior, please calm down! Our Wanmeng Chamber of Commerce has a special channel for high-level cultivators; I can apply for one for you!"

"No need! I refuse to believe that without your Myriad Alliance Merchant Guild, I can't even buy a single Golden Essence Pill in this vast Thousand Peaks City!"

"Also, I will never come to your Wanmeng Chamber of Commerce again."

After Lu Fan finished speaking, he stormed off, leaving the beautiful woman looking completely bewildered, though she seemed to have no other options.

However...

Just as Lu Fan left, a graceful and beautiful early-stage Foundation Establishment female cultivator suddenly followed behind.

Seeing that Lu Fan hadn't fled, the female cultivator mustered her courage and stepped forward, calling out, "Senior! I have some Golden Essence Pills here, may I stay?"

The sudden shout startled Lu Fan, who then turned to look and saw a beautiful woman with a slender figure, delicate features, and the air of a well-bred lady.

"You have it?" Lu Fan turned to look at the somewhat timid woman in front of him, his brows furrowing slightly.

Could it be that Luo Yan has retired from his life of crime, and someone else, fearless and daring, has taken his place?

Just as Lu Fan was wondering, his gaze was fixed on the woman's appearance, as if he had seen her somewhere before.