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Chapter 30: Taking advantage of a mistake
As per the usual propaganda of the Alchemist Guild, most of the privately made pills sold in the market have issues like insufficient medicinal properties and excessively strong pill toxins. In some cases, these pills are even deadly. Moreover, there is an abundance of scammers who claim to sell pills but actually offer fake ones. Reports of unfortunate victims falling for such tricks are not uncommon.
While it's true that the Alchemist Guild has raised valid concerns about these problems, it's an exaggeration to claim that all privately made pills are faulty. The officially recognized pills certified by the Alchemist Guild are often too expensive for impoverished cultivators to afford. Compared to that, privately made pills are more affordable.
In the Cultivation World, pills serve various purposes, not just for assisting in cultivation and enhancing one's Cultivation Base. In reality, the majority of pill consumption is for healing and detoxification. Where there is demand, there will always be a market. Regardless of how the Alchemist Guild tries to suppress it, privately made pills will continue to exist, and wild Alchemists will persist.
As the young man approached Meng Zhang, the latter read his thoughts using Mind Reading. Being a small sect like Taiyi Sect, they also had a need for various pills. If they could buy suitable pills at a lower cost, it would be a great advantage. Upon hearing Meng Zhang mention privately made pills, the young man smiled and politely introduced himself, "You must be Taiyi Sect's new Sect Master, Meng Zhang. I'm Shi Weiming, just a humble merchant."
"I wonder if Sect Master Meng is interested in the goods I have," he added.
Both Meng Zhang and Shi Weiming were at the Mid Refining Qi stage in their Cultivation Base. Meng Zhang's Divine Ability, Mind Reading, couldn't penetrate too deeply into Shi Weiming's thoughts, but it gave him some surface-level insights.
Even though Taiyi Sect was a small sect, they had dealt with them before. The former Sect Master was Daoist Profound Spirit, and they had pleasant exchanges a few times.
"As for the variety of goods, we have almost everything commonly found in the market. If you are concerned about the quality, you can inspect the goods yourself," Shi Weiming said, having previously gathered information about Taiyi Sect and observed Meng Zhang for some time before taking the initiative to approach him.
He handed Meng Zhang two bottles of pills. After a careful examination using his Divine Ability, Deception Breaking Eye, and his knowledge of pills, Meng Zhang concluded that the pills were indeed of good quality.
"If all the goods are of this quality and the prices are reasonable, I'm interested in purchasing several bottles," Meng Zhang responded straightforwardly.
Both parties were sincere in conducting the trade, and after some negotiations, they reached a preliminary agreement. Shi Weiming provided Meng Zhang with a list of pills he could offer, and Meng Zhang chose the types and quantities he needed.
They agreed to meet in Singing Sand City the next evening for the trade—cash in hand, goods in exchange.
After the agreement, Shi Weiming quickly disappeared into the darkness.
Meng Zhang had pursued this trade not only to acquire relatively cheaper pills but also to establish a channel of communication, hopefully forming a connection with the Alchemist behind Shi Weiming. One never knew when he might need the Alchemist's assistance. Some far-sighted sects and families would even invest in supporting Alchemists, even if they couldn't join the Alchemist Guild officially. Such deals might incur losses, but it was worth it to have a reliable source of pills when needed.
Meng Zhang understood this reasoning and hoped that Taiyi Sect could have its own Alchemist eventually. However, such matters couldn't be rushed. At present, Taiyi Sect had to focus on surviving before considering anything else.
After leaving the Ghost Market, Meng Zhang visited some shops that were still open in the market and bought several types of medicinal materials before returning to his inn.
He had chosen a private courtyard room, which was a bit expensive but provided enough privacy. With the inn's token, he activated the protective formation in the courtyard. After confirming that the protective formation was not designed to monitor the guests inside, he felt relieved. Forest Spring Watch seemed to have done a good job in this regard, explaining their good reputation.
Compared to the domineering Twin Success Valley, Forest Spring Watch's approach, both in style and policy, appeared more gentle and benevolent.
Having checked that the protective formation had no major issues, Meng Zhang went back to his room. He first took out the Thousand Jun Peak he had bought earlier.
The Thousand Jun Peak was a magic tool resembling a small mountain peak, severely damaged, with the upper part completely missing, leaving only the lower half, which was also covered in scars, appearing as if it could fall apart at any moment.
Ignoring the condition, Meng Zhang carefully prepared the medicinal solution. He had purchased various medicinal materials from different shops, and the recipe for the preparation came from the Trial Ground.
After a busy session, Meng Zhang successfully prepared a pot of dark green medicinal solution. He applied the medicinal solution to the surface of the Thousand Jun Peak and infused it with true qi, gently shaking it.
After a while, the surface of the Thousand Jun Peak began to shed layer by layer. Meng Zhang performed his actions with extreme caution, afraid of damaging the magic tool.
After about half an hour of effort, Meng Zhang finally succeeded. The outer shell of the Thousand Jun Peak had been completely stripped away, revealing a faint golden metal lump inside. The surface of the lump was covered in dense and intricate runes, many of which were damaged and no longer effective.
"Sure enough, there's a treasure like Hundred Refinements Fine Gold hidden inside. I wonder which fool of a tool refiner crafted this Thousand Jun Peak?"
The Thousand Jun Peak had clearly been around for quite some time, and it was unclear from where it had been unearthed. It ended up being placed on a stall in the Ghost Market, benefiting discerning buyers like Meng Zhang.
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