A few days passed, and Xitu finally completed his preparations for the second sale. During that time, he had done nothing but cultivate and practice spells, quietly waiting for the right moment.
He had already decided on his main product: Qi Harmonization Pellet. After all, it was considered a 'populace' pill—a staple that every low-level cultivator needed. They provided a small amount of Spiritual Energy and improved Qi circulation, increasing the cultivation speed for its user.
It was a Low Rank, Excellent Grade pill, widely used by those in the Vein Opening Realm and even occasionally by Qi Foundation cultivators. The recipe had been around for many years and refined to near perfection, allowing Alchemists to produce multiple pills per batch. As a result, the pellets were commonly traded in bulk.
To avoid drawing attention to himself, Xitu decided he would only visit the Myriad Treasures Pavilion once per week. Showing up too often might invite suspicion, and he needed to make his identity as an Alchemist appear more believable. After all, pill refinement wasn't something one could succeed at easily or frequently. Success rates depended heavily on experience and skill.
Typically, a well-known, low-tier pill like the Qi Harmonization Pellet had already reached the peak of optimization. Nowadays, Alchemists could refine them up to 10 pills per batch to improve efficiency. But most Alchemists couldn't achieve that perfect number. Xitu didn't know the exact success rates, but he did know that unless one was a high-tier Alchemist refining a low-tier pill, you couldn't achieve anywhere near a perfect success rate.
He had decided on a modest success rate of 5/10 pills per batch. Assuming he refined 5 batches a day, that came out to around 175 pills a week. But factoring in rest, mental fatigue, and occasional mistakes, he planned to sell 150 pills each week.
It was not that he wanted to make less profit—but with only a 9th stage Vein Opening Realm cultivation, claiming a higher success rate would raise eyebrows, especially since he didn't know the success rate of other Low Rank Alchemists in making Qi Harmonization Pellets.
Earlier this week, he visited the Alchemist Association and purchased 8 bottles of Qi Harmonization Pellets for duplication. The total cost was 104 Spirit Stones. Including the 4 Spirit Stones to power the bowl, the weekly expense came out to 108 Spirit Stones. He planned to sell 15 bottles and keep 1 for his own use.
From what he'd learned, the Myriad Treasures Pavilion paid 10 Spirit Stones per bottle when purchasing in bulk. That meant he would earn 150 Spirit Stones per week, netting a profit of 42 after deducting costs. After covering his living expenses, he'd still have about 25 Spirit Stones saved each week.
'I could live like a king and still save Spirit Stones! Enjoy Magic Beast meat every day and use pills to boost my cultivation! Now that is a dream come true.'
He nearly drooled at the thought. With such resources, his cultivation would soar. Once he reached the Qi Foundation Realm, he might even 'improve' his success rate or start 'refining' higher-ranked pills for higher profit.
Today was the day. He packed everything he needed into a cloth bag and set out.
Xitu headed toward the forest. When he reached a secluded area, he stopped, carefully scanning his surroundings. After confirming he was alone, he set down the cloth bag and pulled out his disguises.
They included a fake beard, a fake mustache, a wide-brimmed bamboo hat, and an Alchemist Robe. His chosen persona: a middle-aged hermit Alchemist.
The Alchemist Robe was a Low Rank, Excellent Grade artifact. It offered no protection but had 2 practical arrays: one to regulate the wearer's temperature and another to clean the robe when infused with a little Qi. Both features were quite useful for Alchemists. He bought it new for 20 Spirit Stones.
With that, his stash was nearly gone, leaving only 2 Spirit Stones behind—all invested in this so-called 'business operation.' If anything went wrong, he'd be screwed!
After putting on the disguise, he stored the cloth bag in his storage pouch and made his way toward the Cultivation District.
Of course, he had duplicated both the storage pouch and the robe. He intended to use 1 pouch for his Alchemist persona and keep the other for himself.
On the road, he adopted a slightly hunched posture, tilting the brim of his hat to shadow his eyes. Arriving at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, he took a moment to scan the hall before settling his eyes on a young woman near the Low Rank pills section.
She looked to be in her early 20s, dressed in a flowing light-blue robe. A wooden name tag was pinned to her chest, and the Pavilion's emblem adorned her back. Her posture was graceful and elegant. With delicate features and calm, observant eyes, no one would guess she was merely a shop attendant if they saw her outside.
Xitu approached her steadily and said with a hoarse voice,
"Hello, miss... Qi? May I ask if your store buys Qi Harmonization Pellets in bulk?"
She blinked once before offering a polite smile. "Yes, Daoist. We offer 10 Spirit Stones per bottle."
He nodded slowly as if considering it. Then he deliberately reached into the storage pouch hanging at his hip and produced a neatly sealed jade box, placing it on the counter.
"There are 150 pills inside," he said. "All of good quality with minimal impurities. You may inspect them."
Naturally, he put all the pills into a jade box instead of keeping them in their original bottles. After all, they had the Alchemist Association's mark underneath.
She accepted the box with both hands and opened it carefully. A faint medicinal scent wafted out, clean and soothing. After a brief visual inspection, she gave a slight nod.
"They appear to meet our standards. However, I'll need to verify their purity levels using a tool in the back. Please wait a moment."
"Okay," Xitu replied, giving a calm nod.
A few minutes later, she returned with a gentle smile.
"All pills are good quality with acceptable impurity levels. We can offer you 150 Spirit Stones. Will that do?"
Xitu barely managed to keep his lips from curving in joy. Keeping a stoic face, he answered:
"That's fair. Your store offers a fitting price. I'll return when I refine more."
After exchanging the pills for Spirit Stones, Miss Qi bowed slightly and sent him off with a professional demeanor.
"Thank you for doing business with us. I look forward to serving you again."