In the eyes of others, Sun Shang was a towering figure, astonishingly skilled, the unrivalled alchemist of Tianlong and Divine Phoenix continents, with no one able to match him.
But Ling Xiao didn’t think much of him.
Given enough materials, Ling Xiao could easily refine high-grade Yellow Rank pills at his current stage.
So, he wasn’t too concerned about Sun Shang.
“Miss Yanran, go find Vice-Dean Qingyan and tell him not to worry. This matter involves me too, and I’ll handle it for you,” Ling Xiao said with a slight smile.
Anything that opposed Divine Phoenix Academy was something he eagerly embraced.
After parting with Feng Yanran, Ling Xiao disguised himself simply and left Qingxu Academy, heading to the bustling pill market in the imperial city.
As a student of Qingxu Academy, Ling Xiao didn’t want his academy suppressed.
Moreover, Feng Qingyan had helped him greatly in the past, a favour he needed to repay.
Besides, when his group fled from Tianlong to Divine Phoenix continent, it was Qingxu Academy that granted them disciple status and arranged for their stay.
One must always repay kindness.
This time, he had to help Qingxu Academy.
More importantly, he wanted to seize this chance to crush Sun Shang, dealing a heavy blow to the fame-seeking alchemist.
However, he hadn’t fully decided how to proceed, so he planned to visit the market to assess the situation before making a plan.
In the past, the market was split evenly between Divine Phoenix Academy and Qingxu Academy.
But today, as Ling Xiao entered, he saw that most of Qingxu Academy’s market share had been bought or leased by Divine Phoenix Academy.
Qingxu Academy was left with a single corner shop, with barely any customers.
In contrast, Divine Phoenix Academy’s shops and stalls, though numerous, were overcrowded, with deafening clamour that made Ling Xiao shake his head.
Most customers were Heaven-Human Realm martial artists.
In the Divine Phoenix continent, Heaven-Human Realm martial artists were the mainstream. Capturing this market meant steady profits.
Martial artists consumed internal energy most during combat or missions. Replenishing it with spirit stones was slow and inefficient.
Other pills were either too expensive or less effective.
Until now, no pill in the Divine Phoenix continent was specifically designed to restore internal energy.
Thus, the Heavenly Return Pill became a bestselling miracle drug, dominating the market.
One must not underestimate it; a single pill could save a life.
With internal energy, one could escape or heal.
Without it, even uninjured, one became an easy target.
“Line up, line up!”
“Keep up at the back!”
“Those who’ve bought, don’t stand there, move!” came the shouts from Divine Phoenix Academy’s staff. Despite the cold weather, they were sweating, visibly pleased.
“I want ten Heavenly Return Pills!”
“Give me a hundred!”
“Fifty!” Martial artists who bought the pills left excitedly.
Those who hadn’t were anxiously waiting.
With high production, they weren’t worried about shortages.
“Let’s see what makes this Heavenly Return Pill so popular,” Ling Xiao muttered, joining the crowd and queuing to buy a bottle of fifty pills.
The cost was low: one pill for one low-grade spirit stone, fifty for fifty stones, affordable for most Heaven-Human Realm martial artists.
However, the staff’s attitude was poor.
They acted arrogantly, as if they were above everyone, a service attitude that left much to be desired.
This wasn’t just towards him; nearly every martial artist faced the same treatment.
Clearly, they felt the Heavenly Return Pill’s lack of competition allowed them to act superior.
Ling Xiao even heard a clerk say, “Buy it or get lost.”
He smirked inwardly. With such an attitude, if Qingxu Academy offered a similar pill with better service, they could reclaim the market quickly.
The loss of this market wasn’t a concern; the imperial city was vast, and a new market could be opened.
With effective pills, no promotion was needed; word would spread naturally.
In a quieter spot, Ling Xiao opened the bottle, sniffed it, and swallowed a pill, frowning.
“It’s decent, but the potency is weak. Probably cut costs by using inferior materials,” he thought, cursing Sun Shang’s greed.
He had initially thought the pill was good value, but now his opinion shifted.
A hundred pills for a hundred low-grade spirit stones?
If he refined it, the cost wouldn’t even reach one low-grade spirit stone, and many ingredients could be bought with gold or silver from commoners.
Pure profit!
Absolute profiteering!
This was the advantage of technical expertise.
A pill costing less than one spirit stone sold for a hundred, and people still thought it cheap because they didn’t understand alchemy.
“Sun Shang, your greed gives me the perfect chance to turn the tables,” Ling Xiao chuckled.
If his pills were slightly better, priced lower, and promoted a bit, what could Sun Shang compete with?
Normally, refining such low-grade pills felt beneath him.
But for Qingxu Academy, to strike at Sun Shang and Divine Phoenix Academy, he’d lower himself this once.
Helping martial artists would be a good deed too.
After much killing, doing something good felt refreshing.
“I’ll go to Tianlong Auction House for materials. Princess Yunya is capable; she’ll have no issue helping,” Ling Xiao decided, choosing not to hide his identity.
Yunya, sharp as she was, likely suspected the skilled alchemist was linked to him.
Though she might not know it was him, she’d treat him courteously.
As expected, upon seeing Ling Xiao, Tianlong Auction House staff warmly welcomed him into a VIP room and informed Yunya.
Yunya changed into a stunning, alluring outfit to meet him, showing keen interest in this mysterious young man, the chosen one of Tianlong continent.
