True Martial World - Chapter 1154: Reason for Danger

News of Dong Xiaowan’s severe sickness quickly spread. Not only were her meridians still damaged, leaving her unable to cultivate after eating Yun Xin Loft's Body Cleansing Pills, she ended up collapsing and was apparently close to perishing.

This made people immediately believe that the things Dong Shaoqing said about Yi Yun successfully refining the Body Cleansing Pills were just fabrications.

"Hahahaha!" Huyan Cang laughed out loud. He was feeling delighted at that moment.

"Dong Shaoqing, to think that you wanted to seek revenge against me. In the end, all you did was smash your own foot with the rock you lifted. I am sure that, in a few days, he will come begging me to save his daughter's life."

"Alchemist Huyan, you are truly prescient." Zuoqiu Haoyu echoed the sentiment with a smile. As a young master of the Myriad Immortal Pavilion, Zuoqiu Haoyu had many competitors in the same sect. He needed to maintain a good relationship with Huyan Cang."Since your abilities are now needed to save her, you will easily be able to bring that Dong Xiaowan into your bedroom to slowly research her body."

There was an underlying tone lacing Zuoqiu Haoyu's words. Huyan Cang stroked his chin. Treating an already unconscious beauty that had no means to resist, allowing him to do anything he wanted, seemed to be quite an intriguing thought as well.

"How can that punk with only an exaggerated opinion of his own abilities be able to refine Body Cleansing Pills? Pills like the Body Cleansing Pill need to be carefully refined even by someone like me. Yi Yun must have refined bogus pills which have large amounts of pill toxins left in them."

Any standard pill carried remnant traces of pill toxins, so a bogus pill would be full of them.

"It seems as though it will be the punk's doomsday in three days, at the bet." Zuoqiu Haoyu heaved a sigh of relief. He was somewhat worried when he heard news of Yi Yun refining Body Cleansing Pills. Now, he realized that his worry had been all for nothing.

…

Three days quickly passed. During those three days, it could be said that Dong Shaoqing had nowhere to turn to for help.

He did not know what had happened to his daughter. As he watched her get frailer by the day, with her vitals gradually weakening, he knew the trend indicated that his daughter would perish in a few days. It was an unbearable setback for Dong Shaoqing.

He was completely penniless, not even having any savings left to treat his daughter’s illness. Furthermore, no other alchemist would touch this matter. The only ones he could conceivably turn to were Yi Yun and Huyan Cang.

Sending his daughter to Huyan Cang would be like sending a sheep to the slaughter. He wanted to send her to Yi Yun, but Yi Yun had already entered seclusion and would not entertain anyone.

Yi Yun's choice to enter seclusion at that particular moment only encouraged the belief that he had refined bogus pills to deceive others. From their point of view, he had clearly used seclusion as a means of avoiding consequences.

However, regardless of what people said, Dong Shaoqing refused to believe that he had been deceived.

He had tested the three pills personally. Even if he had made a mistake due to his lack of ability, he had seen Yi Yun's pill refining process. That godlike technique was obviously remarkable, even to a layperson like him.

Under such circumstances, he could only endure his anxiety and did not disturb Yi Yun's seclusion. He knew that Yi Yun would come out of seclusion very soon, as today was the day he agreed to refine the Supreme Palace Iceheart Pills in public.

And indeed, early that morning, Yi Yun came out of seclusion!

Over the past three days, Yi Yun had used the Skydew Grass to refine a Skydew Mental Nourishing Pill. After consuming it, his soul strengthened tremendously.

Before he had a chance to revel in joy, Ru'er informed him of Dong Xiaowan's dire situation.

"Sir, that is what has happened…"

Ru'er had known of the news for a few days, but she only informed him now. In her eyes, Yi Yun was obviously the most important person.

"You said that Dong Xiaowan's life is in a dire situation?" Yi Yun frowned.

"That's what the people in Myriad City say. Sect Master Dong also came to Yun Xin Loft a few days ago. He personally told me of the situation with his daughter. Her condition is turning for the worse."

"Strange, the Body Cleansing Pills that I refined should have an extremely low amount of pill toxins. They should have mild medicinal properties. Even if she consumed three in one sitting, it shouldn’t lead to any problems."

Yi Yun was perplexed as he suddenly felt something. He transmitted his voice out the door,"Sect Master Dong, I have come out of seclusion. Please come in."

Dong Shaoqing had been waiting outside Yun Xin Loft's door since yesterday night. He was feeling extremely anxious, with no motivation to do anything else. He had spent the past three days almost counting his breaths.

Upon hearing Yi Yun's voice transmission, Dong Shaoqing was overjoyed. He immediately pushed the door open and entered before giving Yi Yun a deep bow.

"Young Master Yi, you must save my daughter!"

Yi Yun was the only person that Dong Shaoqing could rely on.

He knew that as long as Yi Yun did not deliberately refine bogus pills, Yi Yun did not owe him anything. He had no right to ask Yi Yun to save his daughter, so all he could do was beseech him to do so.

"Where's your daughter?" Yi Yun walked down the stairs as Dong Shaoqing hurriedly took out a mobile abode—Well, it couldn't exactly be called an abode. It was about ten square feet large and was obviously an inferior product. Dong Shaoqing had probably pawned his original mobile abode for money.

When the micro abode opened, Yi Yun saw Dong Xiaowan lying within.

Dong Xiaowan wasn't tall and she had a petite figure. She was indeed very beautiful. Even though she was ghostly pale from the Body Cleansing Pills, all it did was add to her frail beauty.

When he saw Dong Xiaowan's state, Yi Yun sighed slightly. Her condition was not indicative of the after effects of consuming Body Cleansing Pills.

"She seems to have been…poisoned."

Yi Yun said with a guess. In the divine alchemist's notes, there were records regarding the treatment of the ill. Although Yi Yun had done some cursory reading on such matters, he had little experience. He could not put theory into practice so easily.

As such, Yi Yun wasn’t really equipped to bring Dong Xiaowan back to life. He could only guess at the reason why she had ended up in this state.

"Poisoned?" Dong Shaoqing faltered for a moment. The famous doctor that had diagnosed Dong Xiaowan had previously mentioned the possibility, but that was only one of the many possibilities.

"Sect Master, what was the reason you wanted Dong Xiaowan to consume the Body Cleansing Pills? It doesn't seem like you only wanted to enhance her talent."

Yi Yun was certain that his Body Cleansing Pills did not have any pill toxins. The only possibility, therefore, was that Dong Xiaowan had been poisoned prior to consuming the Body Cleansing Pills.

"That is not the main reason." Dong Shaoqing quickly explained the situation.

"Oh? After entering a mystic realm, she was unable to raise her cultivation level no matter how much she cultivated? And the Body Cleansing Pill is a prescription given to her by a famous doctor?"

Yi Yun recalled the divine alchemist's notes. He could not find any faults with the famous doctor's prescription of using Body Cleansing Pills as the main medication to treat her. Since a Body Cleansing Pill could cleanse one's body, it could naturally expel poisons and evil elements.

But Dong Xiaowan's life was in danger precisely after consuming the Body Cleansing Pills!

Yi Yun pondered for a moment before saying,"It seems the poison in your daughter's body isn't ordinary. Not only did the poison remain after consumption of the Body Cleansing Pills, it had even been stimulated. It resulted in her current state."

No matter how he thought about it, that was the only possibility.

Dong Shaoqing was stunned hearing this, and sunk into despair."If it's a poison that even Body Cleansing Pills can't remove, what sort of rare poison is it? And how will I be able to save Xiaowan?"

Dong Shaoqing was truly helpless. Ignoring the fact that he was bankrupt now, even if his peak wealth was increased ten times, he probably lacked the means.

Yi Yun said,"I can only give it a try. I'm also not that skilled when it comes to healing people."

Yi Yun pressed down on Dong Xiaowan's weak and pale wrist. He checked her pulse, but he had no experience in doing such things. After all, it was hard to determine the result going solely by the descriptions in the divine alchemist's notes.

Yi Yun felt that Dong Xiaowan's pulse was chaotic. If he wanted to find the root reason, he would only be left confused.

As he pondered, an idea came to him. He activated the Purple Crystal's energy vision.

Ever since Yi Yun fused with the Azure Wood Divine Tree, his perception had been greatly enhanced. He could even penetrate Chaos Stones, so he seldom used the Purple Crystal's energy vision.

Now, after such a long time, he needed to rely on the crystal’s energy vision once again. Non-energetic entities around him vanished. Dong Xiaowan's clothes and body turned into phantom lines.

As for the Dong Xiaowan's meridians and dantian that flowed with energy, they appeared without any abnormalities. Following that, Yi Yun saw a scene that left a chill running down his spine.

He saw an old, hideous face in Dong Xiaowan's body. The face was laughing sinisterly at Yi Yun as if it were mocking him.

What is this!?

True Martial World - Chapter 1153: Unforeseen Matter

"You plan to cleanse your daughter's body, right? Have her consume one of the three pills every two hours. It will lead to even better effects, but the body cleansing process will be rather painful."

Yi Yun directly threw the jade box into the interspatial ring that Dong Shaoqing had previously given him before handing it back.

"This…" Dong Shaoqing's hands trembled as he took the interspatial ring. He did not even know how he could thank Yi Yun.

He had gone through all sorts of difficulty, along with great effort, to find a single Skydew Grass. Now he held three Body Cleansing Pills in hand, and it was like a dream.

"I will never forget Grandmaster Yi's favor my entire life."

Dong Shaoqing held the interspatial ring and gave Yi Yun a deep bow.

He did not decline further. Naturally, three pills were more effective than one. Furthermore, it would cleanse the impurities within his daughter's body, allowing her talent to be enhanced. If that happened, the Jadewave Sect had hopes of prospering.

"With such alchemy skills, Grandmaster Yi's Yun Xin Loft could probably become Myriad City's number one medicinal clinic."

Dong Shaoqing sincerely wished that Yi Yun's Yun Xin Loft would flourish.

However, Yi Yun shook his head. It wasn't that simple to become the number one medicinal clinic. To reach that stage, one first needed unparalleled strength.

Getting stronger was a priority of Yi Yun's.

Upon careful thought, he realized that he needed to strengthen his foundation, enhance his soul, search for the materials for the Hollow Soul Pill, become very familiar with the divine alchemist's notes, and increase his cultivation level. He truly did not have much time.

"Grandmaster Yi, I'll bid you farewell for now. Regarding the refinement of the pills, do you permit me to promote your services to others?"

Dong Shaoqing asked Yi Yun carefully.

Yi Yun immediately understood that Dong Shaoqing wanted to advertise for Yun Xin Loft.

Yi Yun did not mind it. The truly powerful advertisement would be done by Zuoqiu Haoyu and Huyan Cang, two illustrious figures in Myriad City. Furthermore, they did not charge any fees for the advertisement, and were even paying him for the honor. What a steal.

As for Dong Shaoqing boasting so much that Zuoqiu Haoyu and Huyan Cang would consider going back on their word, Yi Yun never considered that a possibility. There had been so many people around when the agreement was made. It was absolutely enforceable. Unless the Heaven Bestowing Medicinal Clinic did not want to continue doing business, they would definitely stick to the agreement. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

"Do as you please. Just don't be too exaggerated in your promotions," Yi Yun said casually, not really caring either way.

Dong Shaoqing thanked him once again before leaving Yun Xin Loft.

In fact, the news spread faster than Yi Yun could have imagined.

In just half a day, nearly every tea shop and wine parlor in Myriad City was abuzz with talk of Yu Xin Loft. Yi Yun might be a trivial figure in Myriad City, but he was becoming rather famous. Days ago, he had been recognized as a friend of Fairy Wuxia at Heavenly Treasures Arch. Not only did they have close relations, Yi Yun had even rejected Zuoqiu Haoyu directly. He had also quarreled with Zuoqiu Haoyu and Huyan Cang. There were always busybodies that would talk about such things after meals.

Of course, it was unavoidable that the news reached Zuoqiu Haoyu and Huyan Cang's ears.

"What? That useless Dong even said that Yi Yun managed to refine three Body Cleansing Pills?"

Zuoqiu Haoyu was shocked when he heard the news. How ludicrous was it if it were true? Wouldn't it mean that Yi Yun possessed the abilities of a top-grade alchemist?

Huyan Cang frowned slightly. He immediately said with a cold snort,"That darn Useless Old Dong. He deliberately released fake information in an attempt to seek revenge against me. Does he think that I will back away in fear and give up on the agreement with that punk, admitting defeat before the challenge even begins?"

"Oh? Alchemist Huyan, what do you mean?" Zuoqiu Haoyu immediately asked when he heard that something was amiss.

Huyan Cang drank a mouthful of tea and said slowly,"To be honest, I had some thoughts on Useless Old Dong's beautiful daughter. However, he reacted like a cat that had its tail stepped on. He wanted to fight me so I threw him out, then he went to Yun Xin Loft."

"I saw the ingredients that Useless Old Dong prepared with my own eyes. Even if I did my best, I could at most produce two Body Cleansing Pills. Yet, he managed to make three? How can it be that easy!? Furthermore, he stepped into Yun Xin Loft less than twelve hours before news of the three Body Cleansing Pills was spread. Such refinement speed leaves me in the dust! If that punk can really refine Body Cleansing Pills in twelve hours, I'll eat this table in front of me."

Huyan Cang said confidently. Zuoqiu Haoyu heaved a sigh of relief when he heard that.

"In that case, Useless Old Dong is trying to seek revenge against you by scaring us into backing off, causing us to lose our reputation?"

"I can't think of it being anything but that. Such thoughts are just too naive." Huyan Cang said conceitedly.

"So that's the case. There are still four days. When the time comes, we will arrive on the appointed hour, exposing Yi Yun for what he is."

"Hahaha! There's no need to even wait that long. If these Body Cleansing Pills are genuine, Useless Old Dong will definitely feed them to his daughter. We will be able to see its effects. I'm sure his daughter will not recover."

In fact, Dong Shaoqing's story left many people doubting. After all, what you hear may be false but what you see is true. With most people's understanding of alchemy, they found it hard to believe what Dong Shaoqing had said. It was too fantastic.

However, there were those who believed in Dong Shaoqing. After all, Dong Shaoqing was a sect master. Even if it was a tiny sect, a sect master would not shoot their mouths off without thought. It would only serve to harm their sect’s reputation.

Therefore, some people did go to Yun Xin Loft to try their luck. They wanted to see if Yi Yun could refine the pills they wanted.

"Hey, where's your boss? I'm here to get him to refine some medicine."

Three large men appeared in Yun Xin Loft's hall, shouting at Ru'er with a muffled tone.

Ru'er was an obedient girl. Regardless of the customers' attitudes, she would respectfully serve tea before informing Yi Yun to come down.

The three men slammed the recipe on the table as they sat down with a wide, open stance.

"Wow! Seven Astralmist Flower Tea. It's good tea. Give me a few more cups."

A delightful look flashed in a man's eyes when he saw the aromatic Seven Astralmist Flower Tea. Such tea was extremely helpful to one's cultivation level.

He immediately picked up another cup and was about to drink it when he felt pain in his glabella. He nearly dropped the cup of tea to the ground.

"A hundred runes per cup. If you want to drink the tea, pay for it."

A cold voice suddenly sounded.

The man was given a fright."What? I'm here to give you business, but you want to collect money from me for drinking tea? And a hundred runes a cup? Why don't you just rob me instead!?"

The man said angrily. He looked up, and standing against the second floor's railing was Yi Yun.

Yi Yun was dressed in azure-colored clothes and he held a black scroll, making him look like a mortal scholar."If you want me to refine pills, regardless of the quality, it starts at 50,000 runes. If the difficulty is higher, 100,000 runes. All the ingredients on your body do not add up to a thousand runes. Yet, you want me to refine pills for you?"

The recipe in the man's hand had been seen clearly by Yi Yun.

There were more than ten recipes listed. They were all cheap and low-grade pills. The ingredients used were so cheap that Yi Yun wouldn't even bother to pick them up if he saw them.

The recipes required minor ingredients of little value. Added up, they were only worth a few hundred runes. Although they were not difficult to refine, they were still extremely tedious.

Yi Yun guessed at these people's thoughts. They had heard from Sect Master Dong that he knew how to refine medicine, and came here to try their luck and cash out. They had deliberately brought some cheap ingredients so that they would not suffer a great loss if the refinement failed. However, if the refinement succeeded, they would make a killing.

Yi Yun had no time to entertain such petty men that used tiny profitable schemes.

"You…"

The three men were enraged. They nearly moved to attack Yi Yun but, when Yi Yun's gaze landed on them, they felt a baffling sense of fear.

"Scram. You should be grateful for Myriad City's rules. Were it not for them, you wouldn't have been able to leave here in one piece."

The three men eventually left dejectedly.

"Ru'er, close the door. I'll be going into seclusion."

Yi Yun decided to use the Skydew Grass that he had obtained by luck to refine Skydew Mental Nourishing Pills. Regardless of when it was, enhancing himself took priority. He obviously had to use the herb if he had it.

With the store open, the ones that came in were mostly thieves and rascals. Yi Yun had no time to deal with them.

"Yes, Sir."

Ru'er immediately closed the door, leaving those that came to Yun Xin Loft hoping to try their luck barred from entering.

The three men that had been chased away by Yi Yun were furious. As a result, they began discrediting Yi Yun wantonly, throwing mud at Yun Xin Loft, and saying how bad Yi Yun was.

Immediately, there were more doubts cast at Yi Yun.

This was unexpected by Dong Shaoqing. He never thought that his promotion would have adverse effects.

Yi Yun was his benefactor, so how could he allow the situation to get worse?

Yi Yun entered reclusion and couldn't be bothered to deal with the matter. However, he couldn’t sit idle. He had the Body Cleansing Pills in hand, insurmountable evidence that could not be doubted.

He showed many people his genuine Body Cleansing Pills and fed the three pills to his daughter in two-hour intervals.

This display attracted the attention of many people. They wanted to know what the effects of the Body Cleansing Pills were.

Logically speaking, after consuming the Body Cleansing Pills, impurities would be expelled from her body and her talent would improve.

People waited to see if there were any changes to Dong Xiaowan's body.

However…what Dong Shaoqing never expected was that after Dong Xiaowan consumed the perfect Body Cleansing Pills, her body began to gradually weaken.

After thirty minutes, Dong Xiaowan's face turned purplish-blue. Her lips turned pale as her body gradually became cold. Even her breathing got weak.

When he felt Dong Xiaowan's pulse, he realized that it was erratic. There was no way to regulate it. It was as if she was beyond cure.

Dong Shaoqing was alarmed. He forced himself to remain calm and convinced himself that it was possible his daughter's body could not withstand the three high-quality Body Cleansing Pill, resulting in side effects.

However, as time went on, Dong Xiaowan's condition turned for the worse. Her flames of vitality also gradually waned, making Dong Shaoqing turn anxious.

This was absolutely not a side effect of the powerful medical essences of the Body Cleansing Pills. Instead, Dong Xiaowan's life was weakening and she was dangerously close to dying!

Why did this happen? She had clearly eaten high-quality Body Cleansing Pills. What happened?

Dong Shaoqing was in a state of utter stupefaction.

True Martial World - Chapter 1152: Refinement Process

"I can watch you?" Sect Master Dong was stunned.

Except for extenuating circumstances, such as Huyan Cang and Zuoqiu Haoyu demanding that Yi Yun refine pills in public, many alchemists forbade people from watching the refinement process. One reason for this was that they didn’t want to be disturbed, while the second reason was a fear that their hand seal techniques and alchemy secrets would end up being copied by others.

Dong Shaoqing had not made any such request, yet Yi Yun invited him to watch on his own. It could not be any better.

"Young Master Yi, won't I disturb you if I’m there on the side, watching?"

Yi Yun smiled and said, "If I’m afraid of being disturbed, aren’t I doomed to fail when I have to refine pills in public five days from now?"

"That is true." Dong Shaoqing was delighted. Although he wasn't certain of Yi Yun's skill, he was somewhat convinced by Yi Yun's confident response.

If Yi Yun truly had no skill, he would not have agreed to make a fool of himself in public.

Yi Yun led Dong Shaoqing into the alchemy lab and closed the door. Ru'er stayed by his side to tend to him, looking somewhat like a medicine child.

Typically, the amount of time alchemists took to refine pills ranged from several hours to several days. When the pill far exceeded the alchemist's level, they would need to set up a massive array and take years to refine it. It could even take hundreds of years. However, such an extensive setup could only be created by alchemist sages. Typical alchemists lacked that ability completely.

In the case of the Body Cleansing Pill, it would take about three or four days to refine.

If it were any other time, three or four days would be nothing to Dong Shaoqing. That was just a single round of meditation. But now, with his daughter's fate hanging in the balance, he was in no mood to meditate. He watched Yi Yun's refinement process intently.

Yi Yun took out a tiny gray cauldron that floated in mid-air. This was the Divine Alchemy Cauldron that had an incomplete array within.

"Phew–"

Yi Yun tapped his finger, causing the cauldron to ignite as he injected a wisp of the Heretical God Fire Seed.

The Heretical God Fire Seed had blended into the flame and remained inconspicuous. It entered into the Divine Alchemy Cauldron in the blink of an eye.

The Heretical God Fire Seed could penetrate the world. Typical cauldrons could not withstand it at all, but the Divine Alchemy Cauldron had accompanied the Heretical God Fire Seed for hundreds of millions of years, making it harmonize with the Heretical God Fire Seed as though they were one. When the Heretical God Fire Seed was injected into the Divine Alchemy Cauldron, it vanished completely. The cauldron's surface remained simple and unsophisticated as if no flame had been ignited.

Upon seeing this, Dong Shaoqing fell into a daze. He had seen alchemists refine pills before, but the scene in front of him was something different.

Yi Yun glanced at the materials beside him. He immediately grabbed a Yang Bizarre Flower and threw it into the Divine Alchemy Cauldron.

The Yang Bizarre Flower was immediately enveloped by flames.

Yi Yun's soul was presently only strong enough to control one tiny wisp of the Heretical God Fire Seed. He was already at his limit.

If he unleashed the Heretical God Fire Seed for pure destruction, such as burning down the Seven Star Dao Palace, Yi Yun could use the Heretical God Fire Seed to create an inferno sea. However, the refinement of medicine was completely different. It required extreme precision.

He could control one wisp of Heretical God Fire Seed easily. If he attempted two, it would be somewhat unstable.

The fire consumed the Yang Bizarre Flower, emitting the medicinal essence. The true extraction and collection of the medicinal essence did not rely on Yi Yun's mental strength, but on the Purple Crystal Origins.

The Purple Crystal Origins was Yi Yun's most precious divine treasure. It had helped Yi Yun survive the most difficult period when he first began practicing martial arts. And in the Primordial Empyrean Heaven and Azure Wood Great World, Yi Yun would not have fully gained insight into the Destruction concept or obtained the Azure Wood Divine Tree's recognition, granting him four nine-leaf Dao fruits, were it not for the Purple Crystal.

The Purple Crystal had absolute control over energy. It allowed Yi Yun to condense the Yang Bizarre Flower's medicinal essence in his hand without any effort.

This entire process took less than a minute.

After the Yang Bizarre Flower's medicinal essence was extracted, Yi Yun did not hesitate to throw the second herb—Glazed Interwoven Grass—into the Divine Alchemy Cauldron.

Similarly, in less than a minute, the Glazed Interwoven Grass's medicinal essence was extracted.

Following that, he threw one herb after another into the Divine Alchemy Cauldron. Yi Yun maintained a constant speed, but this only served to stun Dong Shaoqing, who was watching on the side.

Although Dong Shaoqing could not refine medicine, it did not mean he was completely unaware of what the refinement process was.

The extraction of medicinal essence from herbs was the most critical step for typical alchemists. All it took was one tiny mistake, and the herb would turn to ash.

Many alchemists would fail due to this. In actuality, the pill formation process was relatively easier.

Therefore, alchemists would be extremely cautious during the first step.

Dong Shaoqing had never heard, much less seen, someone work with Yi Yun's speed and accuracy.

Why is he so fast? It took just a minute for another herb to be thrown into the cauldron. It was like a farm girl washing vegetables.

Soon, the medicinal essence of every ingredient was extracted.

Following that, under Yi Yun's control, the medicinal essence began fusing together into a pill.

This process required Yi Yun to inject various Dao pattern seals.

He had already been practicing the Desolate Heaven technique since his days in the Ten Thousand Fey Empyrean Heaven. In addition to the Purple Crystal's absolute control over energy, it was not difficult for him to produce seals. Back at Empress Xuan's banquet, Yi Yun had been able to perfectly form seals, impressing Princess White Fox.

One seal after another was produced by Yi Yun without any errors. With the passage of time, the Body Cleansing Pill quickly took form.

Upon seeing this scene, Dong Shaoqing heaved a sigh of relief. Yi Yun's seals were not as ludicrous as his method of extracting medicinal essence, but he was still faster than the typical alchemist.

He estimated the time passed at about twelve hours. The refinement of the Body Cleansing Pill had reached the final stages.

What Dong Shaoqing did not know was that Yi Yun had deliberately slowed down and held back.

Fifteen minutes later, Yi Yun patted the Divine Alchemy Cauldron lightly, causing the lid to fly up as a green beam of light shot out and flew directly into Yi Yun's hand.

Yi Yun spread his palm open, and three exquisite green pills lay in the middle of his palm.

With sufficient ingredients, a typical alchemist would create a cauldron of several pills. However, the materials provided by Dong Shaoqing were limited. In addition to the fact that few Body Cleansing Pills were produced after formation, refining three pills was already near the maximum.

Upon seeing the three Body Cleansing Pills, Dong Shaoqing was overjoyed.

He had previously seen Body Cleansing Pills before. Just one look at the three pills, full in color with patterns shimmering on the surface, and he knew that they were definitely superior Body Cleansing Pills.

He would’ve already been satisfied if there was only one, pleasantly surprised if there were two. He never even thought of getting three.

"Take them all."

Yi Yun took out a jade box and placed the three pills into it.

"Young Master Yi, Grandmaster Yi…I just need one. The other two were refined from Grandmaster Yi's extraordinary alchemy technique. They should be left with you."

Dong Shaoqing was so excited that his form of address had also changed.

Yi Yun shook his head. Although the Body Cleansing Pill was of value to him, it wasn't that great. Furthermore, he had already received the Skydew Grass that was extremely rare. He felt that he had already taken advantage of Dong Shaoqing, so Yi Yun naturally did not want the excess Body Cleansing Pills.

True Martial World - Chapter 1151: Unexpected Harvest

"Welcome! May I ask why you are here today…?"

When Ru'er saw an azure-clothed elder walk into Yun Xin Loft, she immediately came forward to tend to him. She was also wary of him. Over the past five days, other than Huyan Cang and Zuoqiu Haoyu, Yun Xin Loft had not seen a single customer. Ru'er did not suddenly place her hopes on this one person.

"Where's your master? I want to hire him to refine medicine for me."

Sect Master Dong knew of the quarrel between Yi Yun, Huyan Cang and Zuoqiu Haoyu. He was rather impressed by how the young man with an ordinary background dared to stand up to the Myriad Immortal Pavilion and the Heaven Bestowing Medicinal Clinic. However, he did not think that Yi Yun would win.

Unfortunately, he was desperate today and had nowhere else to turn.

"Oh? You want me to refine medicine?" Yi Yun walked down from upstairs. "You are the first proper customer in five days to request my services."

It had been five days. Yi Yun felt that his Yun Xin Loft was quite a failure. Were it not for Zuoqiu Haoyu and Huyan Cang’s little stunt giving him free publicity, his Yun Xin Loft would probably really close down in the future.

"Young Master Yi." Sect Master Dong bowed, "I'm Jadewave Sect's Sect Master, Dong Shaoqing."

"Nice to meet you, Sect Master Dong." Yi Yun cupped his fists. "Let me make this clear upfront: If the materials end up being destroyed during the refining process, I will not make any compensation. As long as you can accept this condition, I will begin the refining process."

"I naturally know the rules. To be honest, I came here because I was out of options. It's an all-or-nothing bet." Dong Shaoqing spoke honestly. Even if Huyan Cang did not prohibit the other medicinal clinics from making the pill for him, he had no time to seek and gather the refinement fees demanded by the other stores. If there was any further delay, his daughter's talent would truly be wasted.

"Haha." Not only was Yi Yun unoffended by Dong Shaoqing's frank statement, he actually laughed. "Sect Master Dong, please feel free to state your request."

Dong Shaoqing said, "Young Master Yi, I need a Body Cleansing Pill for my daughter. I have already prepared the ingredients. However, I truly can't pay the refinement fees of other establishments. I had a previous deal with Huyan Cang, he wanted a Skydew Grass before he would agree to refine the pill for me. However, he has gone back on his word. All I have is a Skydew Grass. If you are interested in it, take it away. In the next hundred years, I will give you a total of 100,000 runes intermittently as a form of thanks. If Young Master Yi doesn't need the Skydew Grass, then forget it."

"Skydew Grass?"

Yi Yun was surprised. He saw Dong Shaoqin take out a jade box. When he opened it, there was withered yellow grass sitting inside. It looked like it had withered a long time ago, but strangely, there was crystalline dew on the grass's leaf.

"It is indeed Skydew Grass…" Yi Yun never expected to see Skydew Grass.

According to the divine alchemist's notes, Skydew Grass was an extremely rare herb. One might not even find it if they scoured the oceans and mountains.

The divine alchemist's notes also used Skydew Grass as a core ingredient for a pill that could enhance one's soul realm. It was called Skydew Mental Nourishing Pill.

Typically, the strength of a warrior's soul was on par with their cultivation level.

As for peerless geniuses, the strength of their soul would typically be a subrealm or two higher than their cultivation level.

For a person like Yi Yun, who was proficient in four Great Dao laws and had condensed four nine-leaf Dao fruits, constructing a nine-edged Dao Palace, the power of his soul was already comparable to a half-step Supremacy.

However, it was still rather hasty to designate Yi Yun's soul to be invincible among peers at his cultivation level.

After all, Yi Yun was not a warrior that focused on cultivating his soul. People like Fairy Youqin had given birth to soul attacks through her cultivation of Zither Dao. She had trained her soul from a young age, so the power of her soul had long reached an unimaginable level among warriors at her level. She had an edge over Yi Yun.

A powerful soul was usually reflected by good perception sensing, the launching or enduring of mental attacks, as well as nomological insight. It could not directly raise one's combat strength, so warriors that focused on the soul typically did not have an advantage in battle.

However, for alchemists or Desolate Heaven Masters, strength of soul mattered quite a lot. An alchemist with a powerful soul would refine pills of a grade that far exceeded a normal alchemist’s. They could also attempt several highly difficult pills.

Yi Yun estimated that with the Skydew Mental Nourishing Pill, there would come a day when his soul slowly rose from half-step Supremacy to the level of Supremacy. As such, he would be more confident when he began refining the Hollow Soul Pill. Yi Yun had even considered the idea of using other herbs to replace the Skydew Mental Nourishing Pill.

"Young Master Yi, I know this Skydew Grass might not be of much use to you, but I really do not have anything else other than this." Sect Master Dong said with shame.

After all, he had been scammed by Huyan Cang. He knew that Yi Yun and Huyan Cang had a grudge. Only when Huyan Cang refused to refine the pill for him did he seek Yi Yun's help. Moreover, he had brought the same herb that Huyan Cang had rejected. He felt somewhat apologetic. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

Not be of much use?

Yi Yun faltered slightly. Thinking back on what Dong Shaoqing said, Huyan Cang had wanted a Skydew Grass but had gone back on his word. Clearly, Skydew Grass wasn’t something he cared much about.

Why did all the present alchemists think lowly of Skydew Grass?

Or could it be…that the Skydew Mental Nourishing Pill was the product of one of the divine alchemist's exclusive recipes that no one knew of?

Yi Yun thought for a moment and found the latter rather likely. Many recipes were invented by alchemists themselves. They were typically secrets that weren’t simply passed on. If an alchemist did not have a successor, or if the successor was too limited in ability to properly recreate the recipe, then recipes would be lost over time.

The Skydew Mental Nourishing Pill recipe was apparently one of those lost recipes.

It resulted in Skydew Grass becoming an extremely rare but not very useful herb to alchemists.

If that was truly the case, he had truly struck the lottery!

Yi Yun felt that he could have refined the pills free for his first true customer. However, he really wanted the Skydew Grass.

Furthermore, if what Dong Shaoqing said was true, the number of alchemists that wanted Skydew Grass was extremely low. It would only be a pearl covered in dust if it landed in the hands of another. That would be such a pity.

After some thought, he said, "Sect Master Dong, to be honest, I happen to need this Skydew Grass. I can refine the Body Cleansing Pill for you. As for giving me 100,000 runes within a hundred years, there's no need for that."

Yi Yun did not hide his intentions. Dong Shaoqing was delighted when he heard that. Although he wasn't sure if Yi Yun could succeed in refining the Body Cleansing Pill, it at least gave him hope.

He immediately handed the Skydew Grass to Yi Yun, who took it carefully.

"Materials."

Yi Yun stretched out his hand. Sect Master Dong handed an interspatial ring to him without any hesitation.

"Young Master Yi, when can I receive the pills?"

Sect Master Dong asked anxiously. The materials in the interspatial ring represented the entirety of his wealth. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t panic a little after just handing it all over to Yi Yun.

Yi Yun glanced at Sect Master Dong and read his mind. He said with a smile, "If you are worried, follow me into the alchemy lab. I'll hand it to you directly once I'm done refining."

True Martial World - Chapter 1150: Body Cleansing Pill

As the biggest medicinal clinic in Myriad City, the Heaven Bestowing Medicinal Clinic had no lack of customers. Alchemist Huyan Cang was one of the mainstays of the Heaven Bestowing Medicinal Clinic, so he was naturally a hot commodity. Numerous people sought his talents in refining medicine on a daily basis.

Alchemist Huyan was very picky when it came to refining medicine. If the price was too low, he naturally wouldn't bother.

He refused to refine medicine that was easy to make—it was a waste of his time.

He also refused to refine medicine that was too difficult—Although he was not required to compensate lost materials, a failure would still affect his reputation.

To Alchemist Huyan, time was money. As long as he was willing to take on business, the Myriad Runes would come to him. As such, he was no longer very motivated to earn Myriad Runes.

Furthermore, as Huyan Cang began getting on in years, his spirit of enterprise waned. Since he was already at that age, he was unable to make any new breakthroughs. Even if he cultivated arduously, it would be fruitless. He might as well enjoy life.

Alchemist Huyan had consumed Youth Retention Pills in his early years, making him appear to be in his twenties. However, his lifeblood was already on the decline.

Huyan Cang could not stand gentrifying. Besides taking pills to extend his lifespan, he also cultivated in bedroom mystic techniques. By obtaining the Primordial Yin of young girls, he was able to barely stimulate his gradually waning fire of life.

In fact, Huyan Cang was rather obsessed with beauty and sex. He would often refine medicines that enhanced his sexual performance. There were even times when beautiful female warriors requested his refinement services, and he would take that opportunity to extort them into sleeping with him, under threat of not receiving their pills.

His modus operandi was infamous but Huyan Cang did not worry about the infamy.

Just that day, in Heaven Bestowing Medicinal Clinic, he had just failed in refining a cauldron of pills. The materials he destroyed were worth tens of thousands of runes.

But Huyan Cang didn't care about the loss of the materials. He only sensed that, with him growing older by the day, his soul was becoming inadequate. If it were tens of thousands of years ago, he would have easily succeeded in refining that cauldron of pills.

As he lamented, Huyan Cang could not help but think of the bet he made with Yun Xin Loft's Yi Yun five days ago. He frowned slightly. Where did that punk get his confidence from?

Yi Yun’s refinement process would be made public. Zuoqiu Haoyu had even invited several alchemists to audit the process. It could not be faked. It was impossible that Yi Yun truly had the ability to refine the Supreme Palace Iceheart Pills himself, right?

Huyan Cang believed that Yi Yun did know a little alchemy. That on top of Yi Yun's rather impressive talent made Huyan Cang extremely jealous. As he declined, Yi Yun, who had endless possibilities in the future, remained extremely young. How could he be okay with that?

"I definitely must make it impossible for that punk to rise up…"

As he was deliberating it, Huyan Cang suddenly heard an announcement—

"Master Huyan, Jadewave Sect's Sect Master Dong wishes to see you."

Jadewave Sect's sect master?

Huyan Cang stroked his chin. The person in question had sought his services numerous times. Every time, he could not be bothered to entertain his request. The pill the sect master wanted to have refined took four to five days. It also demanded a lot of one's strength of the soul. With Huyan Cang's soul in decline, he was not willing to go through the trouble. In addition, the price offered by Jadewave Sect's sect master hardly interested him.

If this were any other day, he would have sent him away. But today, he was feeling vexed. After some thought, he said to the manager, "Let him in."

The Jadewave Sect was a tiny sect in the Myriad Divine Territory. It was far inferior to even the Clarity Pool Sword Sect.

Years ago, the Jadewave Sect's sect master had managed to raise his cultivation level to half-step Supremacy at great cost. He could be said to be the weakest half-step Supremacy. Under such circumstances, it was very difficult for him to afford the expensive refinement fee.

"Master Huyan, I went through great efforts to obtain the Skydew Grass that you instructed me to prepare. Is it possible for you to refine the Body Cleansing Pill as per our original agreement? I would be extremely grateful."

As the sect master said this, he gave Huyan Cang a deep bow.

"Skydew Grass? You actually managed to find it." Huyan Cang was extremely surprised. A year ago, the last time the sect master came to him, he had told Sect Master Dong that he needed Skydew Grass.

This ingredient did not actually cost much, as it only occasionally appeared in medicinal recipes, but it was extremely rare. Even in Myriad City that claimed to have everything, it was a hard find. Huyan Cang had nonchalantly given the sect master the task of finding it, hoping to be rid of him. Yet here he was with the item in hand.

But now, Huyan Cang did not wish to refine the requested pill. So the Skydew Grass failed to impress him.

"Where's your daughter? Why isn't she here with you?"

Huyan Cang suddenly asked.

The moment the Jadewave Sect's sect master heard Huyan Cang mention his daughter, his expression stiffened.

His daughter, Dong Xiaowan, had excellent talent. Years ago, there had been a beauty and talent ranking of the blessed daughters of heavens in Myriad City. The one that topped the charts was obviously Fairy Youqin. As for Dong Xiaowan, she managed to make an appearance on the charts. Although she was ranked nineteenth, it was still quite impressive for a woman from a small sect.

Sect Master Dong believed his daughter to be the hope of Jadewave Sect but, two years ago, something strange happened to his daughter after she returned from an experiential training journey. Regardless of how much time she put into cultivation, her cultivation level did not increase one bit.

This made Sect Master Dong anxious. He depended on his only precious daughter to bring the Jadewave Sect to greater heights in the future. This was the golden period for her cultivation growth, so every year delayed made his heart bleed.

He brought his daughter everywhere in search of medical advice. One famous doctor guessed that there was a tiny fault with her dantian. If she took a Body Cleansing Pill, it could cleanse her body, resolving all of her problems.

The refinement of a Body Cleansing Pill was extremely expensive. The Jadewave Sect's sect master used all his savings to gather the ingredients, but the refinement fee was something he could not afford.

He had been shunned several times in Myriad City until he found Huyan Cang. Huyan Cang's price was the only one he could barely afford, which was the Skydew Grass.

However, he never imagined that Huyan Cang would lose interest in the Skydew Grass after a year. He casually tossed the Skydew Grass into a jade box before asking again, "Your daughter's name is Dong Xiaowan, right? The Body Cleansing Pill is for her, so why didn't you bring her along?"

Huyan Cang stroked his chin as Sect Master Dong suddenly realized something was amiss. He had heard of Huyan Cang's reputation, and it was for that very reason that he never brought his daughter with him.

"Master Huyan, my daughter's body is weak, so it's difficult for her to travel. That’s why I'm seeking alchemists to refine the Body Cleansing Pill to save my daughter." Sect Master Dong said earnestly.

Huyan Cang chuckled, "Her body is weak and it's difficult for her to travel? Yet, I've only heard that her cultivation level has stagnated. No amount of cultivation can increase her Yuan Qi, but she is not affected in any other aspect. So why can't she travel?"

"Since there is a need for me to refine the pill, doesn’t it seem insincere that the person who needs it most will not appear? Bring her here. I'll examine her body and feel her pulse. Only then can I give the proper medication."

Upon hearing Huyan Cang saying that, Sect Master Dong's expression changed. "Alchemists aren't doctors, why is there a need to feel her pulse?"

"Oh? Are you questioning me?" Huyan Cang frowned. He was already in a bad mood after his earlier failure. He hoped to see Dong Xiaowan and if possible use her need for medicine to take advantage of her. Then, he could give her some pills and subsequently have intercourse with her to slow down the waning of his soul's strength.

He never expected that the old man in front of him would be impenetrably thickheaded. It only served to make his mood worse.

"You want me to refine a Body Cleansing Pill with one crappy herb? Dream on! I will consider refining the pill for you when you bring your daughter to me." Huyan Cang's expression turned cold as he spoke impatiently.

Sect Master Dong was infuriated. The one that wanted the Skydew Grass in the first place was Huyan Cang, but now he said he didn't want it?

He had searched seven divine territories over the past year for the Skydew Grass. He had spent all of his remaining savings on it and still had to borrow money. But now, Huyan Cang had gone back on his word so easily. It made his Skydew Grass turn useless because, although it was rare, it had little use. Pretty much no alchemist needed it.

Not only that, Huyan Cang was older than him, yet he had his sights on his young daughter. To speak so frivolously in front of him, as a father, was taking bullying to the extreme!

Sect Master Dong was incensed but Huyan Cang glanced at him and said with a sneer, "Why? Are you thinking of attacking me? You are just a person that relied on herbs to forcefully reach the half-step Supremacy stage, with a tiny sect backing you. Your sect is not in Myriad City and it is not protected by Myriad City's rules. Be careful not to get wiped out!"

Huyan Cang was emboldened by his status. The corners of Sect Master Dong's mouth quivered as his face turned pale. However, he could not do a thing. His Jadewave Sect was no match for the Heaven Bestowing Medicinal Clinic.

Sect Master Dong took a few deep breaths as he clenched his fists before slowly releasing them.

With the situation developing to this point, he could only endure the bullying because he was weak.

Sect Master Dong turned and left. Huyan Cang snorted coldly and deliberately said to the manager beside him with a loud voice, "Tell the other medicinal clinics that anyone who refines medicine for him is deliberately going against me, Huyan Cang."

The words were meant for Sect Master Dong, whose footsteps came to a momentary halt. However, he still strode out of Heaven Bestowing Medicinal Clinic's door.

Seeing how Sect Master Dong did not capitulate, Huyan Cang frowned. As he gradually aged, his temperament was also beginning to distort. He began to enjoy the feeling status and power gave him as he toyed with the fates of others.

Furthermore, he was indeed interested in Dong Xiaowan. Being able to have intercourse with such a top-grade, talented beauty would greatly delay his gentrification.

"Alchemist Huyan, I'll do as you instructed." The manager responded. Just as he was about to spread the news, Huyan Cang's eyes narrowed as his expression turned extremely ugly.

"Alchemist Huyan…what's the matter?"

"You truly have some guts."

Huyan Cang stood up as his eyes flared with pangs of anger.

He had sent his perception to follow closely behind Sect Master Dong. He saw Sect Master Dong walk down a street and turn around the corner before coming to a store. Sect Master Dong faltered slightly in front of the entrance before entering with his teeth gritted.

The plaque on this store contained three words—'Yun Xin Loft'!

True Martial World - Chapter 1149: Supreme Palace Iceheart Pill

Yi Yun caught the pill recipe and scanned the ingredients listed on it—Ice Tharm Grass, Shattered Fissure Jade, Nine Crow Flame Plume, ten-thousand-year-old Fogheart Flower, Thunderous Wolf Spine…

The pills that Zuoqiu Haoyu wanted to be produced were named "Supreme Palace Iceheart Pills!"

There were records of this pill in the divine alchemist's notes. It had a long history, and had existed well before the divine alchemist made a name for himself.

And in fact, the records contained in the divine alchemist's notes were much more complex than the recipe Zuoqiu Haoyu had given him. The effectiveness of the final product was also much better.

Due to the passage of time, some ancient pill recipes could end up losing pieces for a myriad of reasons. They were later completed by others, but the effect was no longer as good as before.

"I never expected Zuoqiu Haoyu and Old Ghoul Huyan to have such good reserves."

Yi Yun let a slight smile escape, but in truth, his heart was filled with joy.

The Supreme Palace Iceheart Pills were excellent pills that could fortify the soul and rejuvenate the blood, while also enhancing one's cultivation level and nourishing one's dantian.

Not only would the pills save Ling Xie'er, they would also be very beneficial to Yi Yun. After rapidly breaking through to the Dao Palace realm, he was in need of pills that could nourish his foundation. If more than ten pills out of a cauldron of Supreme Palace Iceheart Pills succeeded, he would make a killing.

Of course, they were very difficult pills to refine. Not only did it require a powerful soul, but the handling of the Nine Crow Flame Plume and Thunderous Wolf Spine needed the Desolate Heaven technique.

Although alchemy and the Desolate Heaven technique were essentially the same, due to the differences in handling spiritual plants and Fey beasts, many alchemists were unable to practice both.

In the Ten Thousand Fey Empyrean Heaven, the Desolate Heaven technique was more popular due to the prevalence of Fey beasts. In the Yang God Empyrean Heaven, alchemy was more popular.

Yi Yun happened to be proficient in both. He was quite confident that he could succeed in refining the Supreme Palace Iceheart Pills.

Even so, Yi Yun did not immediately agree to do it. He looked at Zuoqiu Haoyu carefully and said, "You really are willing to invest. These herbs probably cost more than 1.5 million runes. When doubled, that's three million. Do you think I can afford to pay that?"

"It doesn't matter if you don’t have the runes. According to Myriad City's rules, any debt can be repaid by severing one's limbs. If that's not enough, your life can be used. Although your life isn't worth anything, I'm still very willing to accept it. Furthermore, I believe Fairy Wuxia would not sit idly by when she sees you being sliced apart."

Zuoqiu Haoyu mentioned Fairy Wuxia once again. Yi Yun knew that if he truly got into trouble, Princess White Fox would definitely not sit idle. Of course, Yi Yun did not believe that he would fail.

"In ten days, I will begin the refining process!" Yi Yun did not engage in idle banter and directly agreed to it.

"Hahaha! Alright! I will be here. I have to see you refine it with your own hands!" Zuoqiu Haoyu smiled sinisterly. He had sealed off Yi Yun's routes of retreat.

Zuoqiu Haoyu left and the bystanders began to disperse.

The news that Yi Yun would start to refine Supreme Palace Iceheart Pills in ten says quickly spread throughout Myriad City.

Although Yi Yun was not considered a big shot, anything involving Alchemist Huyan and Zuoqiu Haoyu naturally garnered the attention of many.

Princess White Fox and City Lord Qin naturally received the news as well.

"Oh, your friend also knows alchemy?" City Lord Qin was rather astonished. According to what Princess White Fox had told him, Yi Yun was only a junior. Young people didn’t even have enough time to cultivate, but this one had even practiced alchemy, going so far as to dare to refine the Supreme Palace Iceheart Pills?

Princess White Fox frowned slightly as she said with a nod, "Uncle Qin, Yi Yun is indeed proficient in the Desolate Heaven technique. I have seen him refine Fey bone relics. However, I do not know how well he does when refining spiritual plants into pills. Furthermore…if the refinement of Supreme Palace Iceheart Pills is as hard as you say, perhaps it might not be that easy for Yi Yun to refine them."

Princess White Fox had some understanding of Yi Yun's Desolate Heaven technique. Although he was excellently talented in the Desolate Heaven technique, he was probably greatly inferior to master alchemists. Moreover, the Supreme Palace Iceheart Pills were something that even many famous alchemists in Myriad City could not guarantee success in, according to City Lord Qin.

"The date is ten days from now. I'll be there and we will see for ourselves." City Lord Qin said. The matter sounded fascinating, so he naturally did not want to miss it.

…

As City Lord Qin and Princess White Fox were conversing, Yi Yun was cooped up in his room, studying a little gray cauldron.

It was the Divine Alchemy Cauldron left behind by the divine alchemist!

Before the divine alchemist died, he had used the Divine Alchemy Cauldron to establish a massive array to revive his daughter, but he failed in the end. For hundreds of millions of years, the Divine Alchemy Cauldron had been burning in pure Yang flames. The burning had even changed its appearance slightly. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

The Divine Alchemy Cauldron was now of better quality than it was when it was used by the divine alchemist. The only pity was that the Divine Alchemy Cauldron's internal array was broken.

The array had fused with the worldly formation of the Sun Burial Sandsea, but it was broken by Yi Yun. As such, the Divine Alchemy Cauldron's array dispersed into the worldly formation. Yi Yun felt that it was quite a pity.

But even so, the Divine Alchemy Cauldron with a broken array was still a hundred times more powerful than any cauldron used by Myriad City's alchemists.

It meant that Yi Yun's refinement would produce double the results for half the effort.

"I'm unable to fully control this Divine Alchemy Cauldron. I can only use a portion of it. What a pity. If I can mend its missing array in the future, I'll be able to restore it to its former glory, or even better."

Yi Yun knew that the divine alchemist had set up the array without the intention of leaving it to a successor. However, he had stumbled into inheriting the divine alchemist's mantle. Since it happened, he wanted to develop whatever the divine alchemist left behind into something that would shine with even greater brilliance.

It was always a pity when bright pearls were covered in dust.

Yi Yun tapped his finger gently as a herbal plant transformed into a stream of light, flying into the Divine Alchemy Cauldron. Soon, it was enveloped by flames and transformed into medicinal fluid…

From beginning to end, the Divine Alchemy Cauldron did not emit any light. From the looks of it, it was an ordinary cauldron.

This was because the core array had cracked, causing the Divine Alchemy Cauldron to lose its luster. Even a Divine Lord alchemist would probably find it hard to tell what was special about the cauldron. That actually saved Yi Yun some trouble.

Yi Yun needed to hone his control over the Divine Alchemy Cauldron in ten days, so he could attain optimal working conditions. As for the recipe of the Supreme Palace Iceheart Pills, be it the old or new recipe, Yi Yun had memorized it by heart. Everything would be settled in ten days.

If he could successfully refine the Supreme Palace Iceheart Pills, he would be able to find his footing in Myriad City, earning large amounts of resources.

"Xie'er, I will definitely wake you up in at most three years." Yi Yun said inwardly.

At that moment, Ling Xie'er was lying on Yi Yun's bed. Her body was translucent and she held the Soul Returning Root in hand. A dancing Heretical God Fire Seed illuminated her tiny face with a weak glow. Her expression looked peaceful as if she was deep asleep…

True Martial World - Chapter 1148: Business Comes

"Yes, Sir."

Ru'er took the plaque. The text was written on it in vigorous and fine strokes. Ever since Yi Yun became a swordsman, he stroked his words like he was swinging a sword. Each stroke contained innate Sword Dao that left lasting impressions on others.

"Sir, you plan on being a proxy alchemist of pill recipes?"

Although Yi Yun had been given 800,000 runes, renting the new store had cost him a good deal of it. If he were to spend the remaining runes on ingredients to make medicine, he would simply put himself into a dire financial position. Even if he could refine some pills, there was no guarantee that an unknown like him could even attract the customers to buy them.

Therefore, Yi Yun decided to hang a plaque and be a proxy refiner. Such a business did not require startup funds. It was fine if he did not have much capital.

"That's right." Yi Yun nodded. The demand for pills in Myriad City exceeds supply. As long as the pills I refine reach a passable standard, customers will slowly begin to swarm in."

"Sir, but…" Ru'er stammered. She found it inappropriate to say certain things. According to Yi Yun's plaque, the refinement of pills was free the first time. Subsequent refinements cost about as much as the Heaven Bestowing Medicinal Clinic would charge. How would customers be enticed by that?

Come to think of it, Ru'er did not know how skilled Yi Yun was at refining pills. But even if he was very good, it only made sense for him charge lower prices at the start of his business.

"Sir, should we add a line that if we end up destroying their ingredients, we will compensate them several times more…?"

Ru'er said softly. Although she was innocent by nature, she had some sense. As it was, there was a chance that Yi Yun's plaque would only be mocked. Why would anyone come to employ his services? Gathering materials for pill refinement was very difficult. Who would just casually let an unknown alchemist have a go with their precious materials? If the ingredients were destroyed, it would be a great loss.

Upon hearing Ru'er's words, Yi Yun laughed.

"Ru'er, I don't mind adding that line. It would not do me any harm either. However, my alchemical skills were inherited by an impressive alchemist senior. They don’t come cheap."

"I'm different from others when it comes to alchemy. If I’m not confident I can do it, I won’t do it. As such, there will not be a situation of me destroying the ingredients."

"If I succeed every time and refine high-quality pills, then those who are willing to believe in me will receive handsome rewards. Those who do not believe in me are free to go to another store."

Yi Yun had the Purple Crystal Origins, the Heretical God Fire Seed, and the divine alchemist's heritage. He was well-versed in the Desolate Heaven technique in the Tian Yuan World and in the Luo clan. In the past two years, he greatly improved his alchemical skills and Desolate Heaven technique. Under these circumstances, Yi Yun was naturally confident.

People like Alchemist Huyan, meanwhile, received godlike treatment from the various major factions. His services were rendered based purely on his mood. Even if he took on a job, there was no guarantee of success, nor was he required to pay for the failure.

But for Yi Yun, if he had to lower his prices and pay for the materials, what point was there? He might as well give the pills away for free.

Along the martial path, one had to pay the price to reap rewards. It was the same for everyone.

Ru'er weakly nodded and hung the plaque outside.

The moment it was hung, it naturally attracted a lot of attention.

People were somewhat dumbfounded when they caught sight of it.

"It's free the first time. Anyone that wants subsequent pills refined will have to pay prices that match the three major medicinal clinics?"

"The materials are provided by the customer, but there is no compensation if they get destroyed during the refinement process?"

Many people were rendered speechless when they saw the conditions on the plaque. If this was a plaque hung by the Heaven Bestowing Medicinal Clinic, no one would dare question it. In fact, mega stores like the Heaven Bestowing Medicinal Clinic did have such conditions, and the customers had to accept them. If the refinement failed, they had to consider it bad luck and move on.

However, for Yun Xin Loft to hang up such conditions, it only appeared as a joke.

Not a single person walked into the store to request Yi Yun’s services. Who would risk the ingredients that they had so painstakingly gathered? If they did so, they would probably become the laughing stock of Myriad City.

Yi Yun did not mind the people’s reactions. He took out the divine alchemist's notes and continued studying them.

He was in no hurry to take action. If no one came for his services, he could continue researching alchemy and the Desolate Heaven technique. Learning was an endless process. It all served to pave the way for Yi Yun's martial path.

"Ru'er, look at those people outside mocking us. Remember their faces…"

"Ah? Why?" Ru'er was stupefied.

"Nothing much. It's fine for them to doubt me. But it's irritating to hear their mockery. When the day comes that they request for my services, I'll charge them double. I'm a person that remembers grudges."

Yi Yun said languidly. Ru'er could only nod. From Yi Yun's tone, he appeared rather confident and was sure that these people would seek his services in the future. However, the store currently had zero business. Would anyone really come?

Ru'er waited helplessly, but not a single person came the entire afternoon. Ru'er ended up memorizing the faces of hundreds of warriors. They had all mocked the plaque.

Ru'er was innately very intelligent. It was not difficult for her to remember them all.

At evening, the illumination arrays began lighting up in the central business district. Instead of getting quieter, the streets began to be filled with more people.

Ru'er watched the open door in a daze, straining her eyes in anxiousness, hoping that someone would appear. Just as she was giving into exhaustion, a silk-clothed person stepped into the store. He surveyed the store and said with a smile, "Where's your boss? I want to get him to refine medicine!"

Was this really a customer?

Ru'er was delighted. If such an expensive store perpetually had no business, Ru'er would truly die from anxiousness. She hoped that Yi Yun could win this customer’s business and deliver, making a name for himself.

"My master is upstairs. Sir, what would you like refined? I'll call my master down."

Ru'er said happily. At that moment, Yi Yun had already walked down from the second floor. In fact, he had sensed the person the moment they entered his store.

Yi Yun unhurriedly closed the scroll in his hand. He looked at the customer in the main hall and walked down the steps one step at a time.

"What irony. To think that my Yun Xin Loft's first customer is you—Alchemist Huyan!"

"Hahaha! Don't you welcome business?" A boisterous laughter sounded as another man walked into the store. He was none other than Zuoqiu Haoyu!

"I wondered who was so audacious as to match the prices of the Heaven Bestowing Medicinal Clinic. I later learned that it was you, the little bastard. Could it be that your soul was damaged, but as a result of not consuming the Soul Restoring Relic in time, your soul sea cracked and you turned dumb? You actually opened a medicinal clinic near the Heaven Bestowing Medicinal Clinic and even wrote such an amusing plaque."

Zuoqiu Haoyu's voice rang loud and clear. It attracted a good deal of the foot traffic in the business district, causing people to look over.

"What's the point of engaging in a war of words? From my point of view, you are like a village shrew that quarrels for no good reason. Just a little offense and you unleash a barrage of invectives. Other than making people think lowly of you, what does it accomplish?"

Yi Yun's voice was nonchalant. By that point, quite a big crowd had gathered because of Zuoqiu Haoyu and Alchemist Huyan's appearance.

Many people were unaware of the quarrel between Yi Yun and Zuoqiu Haoyu at the Heaven Bestowing Medicinal Clinic. They were perplexed as to why Zuoqiu Haoyu was being so rude.

Alchemist Huyan stroked his chin. Yi Yun was an unknown junior with nothing to lose, so he was fearless. He had hung up a foolish refinement notice. The impression others had of Yi Yun was that he was mad and retarded. His standing could not be any lower.

However, the two of them were people of status. If people of status came to mock a fool, it would only add fame to the fool. It would also make others think lowly of them.

"Young Master Haoyu, this is the business district. There are many people watching so it's pointless to mock him."

"Got it." Zuoqiu Haoyu snorted coldly and turned towards Yi Yun. "Yi Yun, you hung up such a foolish notice. You want customers to prepare the refinement ingredients, but you do not need to compensate upon failure. Do you know how much effort is needed to gather ingredients? It might take hundreds, if not thousands, of years. People can go broke gathering the ingredients, and then place all their hopes on the refinement. Yet, you plan on using their efforts to practice. Have you ever considered the price they would pay when you fail? How shameless you are."

Zuoqiu Haoyu's words received the approving nods from many people. As warriors that did not have powerful factions to rely on, gathering ingredients was not an easy task. They had to go through great ordeals.

Yi Yun knew that Zuoqiu Haoyu came to his store with ill intentions. He said with a sneer, "Zuoqiu Haoyu, after saying all this nonsense, why are you here? Are you retarded?"

"Hehe." A sinister beam flashed in Zuoqiu Haoyu's eyes. "What I said does not affect the reason I'm here. Since you have opened a medicinal clinic, how can I not show you support? I have a recipe here and I would like you to refine it. If it succeeds, I will pay you double the price. Conversely, and due to the expensive nature of the ingredients I prepared, you must agree to compensate me double if you fail!"

"I see." Yi Yun chuckled. He long knew that Zuoqiu Haoyu would cause trouble for him. He had clearly brought an extremely difficult recipe. Furthermore, it needed especially valuable ingredients, and so was probably designed to scam him, making him go bankrupt from paying the compensation.

He never expected that his first customer would be such an ordeal. How could he accept such conditions?

"Are you not awake yet? If I refine the pills for you, the pills are yours if the refinement succeeds. All I get is double the pill refinement fee. If I fail, I need to pay double the ingredients' cost in compensation. These ingredients must cost an astronomical sum, right? Why would I do business that is obviously a loss for me?"

When Yi Yun finished speaking, Ru'er finally understood the brilliance behind Yi Yun’s plaque. If he were to indicate on the plaque that refinement failures would be compensated, Zuoqiu Haoyu could hire Yi Yun's services without trouble. He could then treat Yi Yun as a free alchemist and order him around. Yi Yun would not even be able to make an attempt to bargain.

"Hmph! If you succeed in the refinement, I won't even want the pill. I'll give it to you! Twice the refinement fee will be paid as well. If you fail, you will compensate me double. Do you dare?"

Zuoqiu Haoyu went for broke. He no longer hid his motives, going as far as to gamble the pill. If he really was there to refine a pill, why would he offer to give it up?

Yi Yun waved his hand and said, "Pill recipe!"

"Alright!" Zuoqiu Haoyu's eyes flashed with a teasing look. He refused to believe that Yi Yun was an alchemist. How could alchemy be that easy to learn? Furthermore, the recipe he prepared was ridiculously difficult.

Zuoqiu Haoyu threw a scroll, sending it flying at Yi Yun.