Starting as a stray dog, I embarked on a journey of cultivation.

On this day, Gou An, as usual, stood outside the alchemy room waiting for Huang Pingzi to come and inspect the pills.

Before long, Huang Pingzi arrived as promised and examined each of the twenty Transformation Pills.

The pills were perfectly round and of uniform medicinal power, with not a single flaw to be found.

A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and he sincerely praised, "Your alchemy skills have improved so quickly in such a short time; it's truly astonishing."

Gou An chuckled, his tone tinged with amusement: "Speaking of which, I must thank you for your rigorous inspection, fellow Daoist. If you hadn't carefully selected each time, I wouldn't have been able to calmly hone my skills."

Huang Pingzi put all the pills into a jade bottle and then said, "Perfect timing, Master has summoned you."

Gou An was slightly taken aback: "Ask Master Xu?"

"That's right." Huang Pingzi nodded in confirmation.

Gou An pondered to himself that ever since he was recruited into the Wan Dan Hall by Master Wenxu, he had never met the other party alone again.

The purpose of this sudden summons was unknown, but he did not hesitate and followed Huang Pingzi to a grand hall.

Inside the main hall, Master Wenxu sat quietly at his desk, sipping tea and perusing ancient books.

After Huang Pingzi finished his announcement, Master Wenxu looked up at Gou An with a kind expression and gestured, "Fellow Daoist Gou has arrived. Please come forward and sit down for some tea."

Gou An sat down as instructed and asked directly, "I wonder what brings you here, Master?"

Master Wenxu slowly explained the reason: "In the past, the task of collecting pills from various rooms and escorting them to the Demon King's Mansion for handover was always handled by my disciple Huang Pingzi."

"However, I have other important matters to attend to for him recently, and I intend to hand over this task to you."

Gou An was surprised and instinctively wanted to decline: "I have never been in charge of escorting and handing over pills before. Is it inappropriate to entrust this to me?"

"This matter is not difficult," Master Wenxu said calmly. "It only requires escorting them three times a month, once every ten days."

"Huang Pingzi will inform you of the route and handover rules shortly. Just go to the designated location on time to complete the handover."

Gou An felt a growing sense of unease.

Among all the alchemists in Wan Dan Hall, I was the last to join and ranked last in terms of seniority. Why did such a crucial task fall to me?

He went straight to the point and asked, "There are many capable people in the hall, so why did you choose a junior instead of someone else?"

With a solemn expression, Master Wenxu explained earnestly, "Simply delivering pills may seem simple, but it involves collecting the pills produced by each alchemist daily, verifying their quality one by one, and then delivering them to the Demon King's Mansion on time. There can be no carelessness whatsoever."

"One must have a solid foundation in alchemy, be able to distinguish between good and bad pills, and also be quick-witted and adept at maneuvering, while also taking into account quality control and coordination with the Demon King's Palace."

"After careful consideration, I believe that among all the people in the hall, you are the most suitable to succeed Huang Pingzi."

He paused for a moment, then offered generous compensation: "Of course, I won't let you work for nothing. From now on, in addition to your original salary, you will receive an extra 10,000 demon gold coins each month, plus an additional 200 spirit stones as a bonus."

"Spirit stones?" Gou An's eyes flickered, unable to hide his surprise.

This is really good stuff!

Master Wenxu nodded slightly: "When we deliver the pills, the Demon King's Palace will settle accounts in spirit stones. All profits of the Myriad Pill Hall will be in spirit stones."

Gou An pressed on with doubt, "But I heard before that the City of Ten Thousand Demons explicitly forbids the circulation of spirit stones in the market and prohibits demons from trading them privately?"

"The ban only restricts the lower-level demons, not us." Master Wenxu smiled faintly: "The Demon King's Palace controls the mining of spirit mines throughout the city, so naturally spirit stones are used as the currency for large-scale transactions."

"If there weren't such treasures as spirit stones as an attraction, how could so many human cultivators and powerful demon cultivators gather in Ten Thousand Demon City to serve them?"

Gou An quickly weighed the pros and cons in his mind and immediately agreed.

Spirit stones are top-grade cultivation resources; they can be directly absorbed to nourish demonic power.

Unlike elixirs, long-term use will cause erysipelas to accumulate.

Spirit stones, on the other hand, pose no hidden dangers and are extremely tempting.

"When will you officially take over?"

"It will be ready tomorrow," Master Wenxu replied. "Tomorrow, Huang Pingzi will guide you through the first escort and handover, familiarizing you with the entire process. After that, you will be on your own."

His expression was solemn as he earnestly instructed, "This task is of great importance, directly concerning the reputation and status of Wan Dan Hall in front of the Demon King. I have high hopes for you, so do not make any mistakes."

"Rest assured, Master!" Gou An immediately assured him, "I will certainly handle this matter well!"

The next morning, just as dawn broke.

Huang Pingzi arrived at Gou An's residence on time. Without saying much, he took Gou An and left Wandan Hall together.

During the journey, Huang Pingzi gave instructions: "According to the established rules, each escort must carry no less than a thousand Transformation Pills, and the transformation success rate of the demon beasts after consuming them must be at least 80%."

"Eighty percent? That means at least eight hundred demonic beasts can successfully transform into human form?" Gou An asked thoughtfully.

Eight hundred in ten days—that's just the number for one alchemy hall.

If all three pill halls are like this, it would be more than two thousand in ten days, and seven or eight thousand in a month!

Such a large loss?

Huang Pingzi nodded slightly, then took out a storage porcelain bottle from his bosom, which was the very bottle he used to store elixirs.

The bottle is not large, but it has a small storage space inside, enough to hold a large number of pills.

"A thousand Transformation Pills have been prepared in the bottle." Huang Pingzi handed the porcelain bottle to Gou An: "Today, you will be in charge of the handover. I will accompany you and show you the whole process."

"Thank you for your trouble, fellow Daoist." Gou An took the porcelain bottle, uncorked it, poured out a pill, and examined it closely.

Only after confirming that the pills were in perfect condition were they placed back into the bottle and the stopper tightened.

As the two continued on their journey, Gou An gradually realized that something was wrong with the route. They were clearly heading further and further away from the Demon King's Palace, so he couldn't help but ask, "Where are we going? Aren't we going to the Demon King's Palace to complete the transaction?"

"Of course we don't go to the Demon King's Palace," Huang Pingzi replied calmly. "For a long time, the pills have been sent directly to the mining area, where the Demon King has designated personnel to inspect and count them."

As the group walked out of the city gates of the Demon City, the influence of the anti-flying array that had enveloped the entire city dissipated.

Huang Pingzi took out a flying boat the size of a palm and gently tossed it into the air.

The flying boat stretched out in the wind, expanding in an instant, transforming into a small flying vessel resembling a fishing boat.

Although it couldn't compare to the magnificent sect ship that Gou An had once seen from the Tianxing Sect, the ship's hull was filled with spiritual light, and the array was operating smoothly.

The two jumped onto the boat, which soared into the sky and sped rapidly into the depths of the mountains.

On the way, Gou An couldn't help but ask, "Fellow Daoist, I haven't learned the art of flight yet. The journey to exchange pills is long and inconvenient!"

Upon hearing this, Huang Pingzi replied calmly, "You can borrow this boat when the time comes. Just return it to me when I've finished dealing with my business."

Upon hearing this, Gou An grinned and said, "That would be perfect!"

I'll return it to you then?

Think more!

Once I've got my hands on this treasure, there's no reason to give it back.

Before long, a series of desolate mountains came into view.

Looking down from the sky, open-pit mines are scattered among the mountains, with ravines and gullies, and the air carries the faint, cold scent of minerals.

This is the spirit stone mine controlled by the Demon King.