However, refining elixirs requires medicinal ingredients.
And vast quantities of precious herbs at that.
These ingredients cannot be gathered by hand; they must be purchased with spirit stones.
When Ling Xiao departed the Tianlong Continent, he left substantial spirit stones with Wu Xiang, Ling Luo, and the Moon Maiden.
Though he still possessed a fair amount now, it could scarcely be called ample compared to before.
The ingredients for the Celestial Spirit Pills were exceedingly costly. With only the low-grade spirit stones he carried, he estimated they would be spent entirely on refining a mere hundred low-grade Celestial Spirit Pills.
He was unwilling to use his medium-grade or high-grade spirit stones.
Medium-grade spirit stones were best utilised during the Cave Heaven Realm cultivation stage, while high-grade spirit stones were even more precious—keeping them stored was undoubtedly the right choice.
Besides, he had means to procure herbs and low-grade spirit stones; he wasn’t at the end of his rope.
He refined one hundred low-grade Celestial Spirit Pills and auctioned them all off.
This would net him tenfold the low-grade spirit stones, sufficient to refine one thousand low-grade Celestial Spirit Pills.
With that quantity, he could elevate his cultivation to the peak of the Two Extremes Heaven Realm.
Provided he could reach the peak of the Two Extremes Heaven realm within a month, he was utterly confident he could eliminate that Blood Skull.
Though any Yellow-grade alchemist could refine low-grade Heaven Spirit Pills,
across the entire Shenhuang Continent, there were scarcely more than a dozen such alchemists. The most formidable among them was Sun Shang, the Divine Hand Venerable of Shenhuang Academy.
Moreover, even with identical formulas, the quality of the final product varied greatly between alchemists.
Furthermore, Ling Xiao had utilised the analytical capabilities of his Mountain-River Martial Soul. After thousands of trials, he had refined the Heavenly Spirit Pill.
He had created an evolved version: the “Heavenly Spirit Divine Pill”.
Though sharing the same tier as the inferior Heavenly Spirit Pill, its efficacy surpassed the original by one to twofold.
More remarkably, any martial artist at the Heavenly Man Realm could utilise it.
Unlike the inferior Heavenly Spirit Pill, which was restricted to practitioners at the One-Line Heaven, Two-Polar Heaven, and Three-Talent Heaven realms, its scope was far too narrow.
He possessed absolute confidence that no one could replicate his process or methods for refining the “Heavenly Pulse Divine Pill”.
Though his Hell Dragon Fire was sealed, this merely prevented its use for attack or cultivation; for alchemy, it remained accessible.
During alchemy, Ling Xiao employed a unique blend of three flames—Hell Dragon Fire, Death’s Dark Flame, and Three-Fold True Fire—to regulate the process. This alone was impossible to replicate.
Not to mention, the slightest variation in the quantities of his secret ingredients would determine the success or failure of the concoction.
Even that master alchemist, Sun Shang, would likely spend a lifetime merely deciphering this formula.
As for replicating the refinement process? Forget it.
Thus, Ling Xiao’s Celestial Spirit Divine Pill was absolutely unique across both the Divine Phoenix Continent and the Celestial Dragon Continent.
Would auctioning such a divine elixir prove difficult?
Of course not!
Having made his decision, Ling Xiao visited the imperial city’s herbal shops, spending every last low-grade spirit stone on his person to purchase vast quantities of medicinal ingredients.
The imperial city truly lived up to its name. The sheer variety of herbs available astonished Ling Xiao; with sufficient spirit stones, nothing was beyond acquisition.
After procuring the herbs, he did not return to Qingxu Academy. Instead, he sought out a secluded inn within the imperial city and began refining the low-grade Celestial Spirit Divine Pills.
The Infernal Crucible could naturally be utilised during the alchemical process.
The Human Sovereign’s seal was remarkably accommodating, restricting Ling Xiao’s use of these items only during combat or cultivation.
However, there were no restrictions whatsoever for alchemy, array forging, or artefact refinement.
After refining the low-grade Celestial Spirit Divine Pills, a total of one hundred were produced. Ling Xiao examined them carefully.
Though it was his first attempt at refining them, they were nonetheless flawless!
The grade of these pills should only be mid-level Yellow Grade, yet practitioners at the Heavenly Man Realm could still use them. The higher one’s cultivation, however, the less effective they became.
Regardless, they possessed efficacy, unlike the inferior Heavenly Spirit Pills which proved utterly useless beyond the Four Symbols Heaven cultivation level.
He stored all these flawless inferior Heavenly Spirit Divine Pills within a gourd, then placed the gourd into his storage ring.
Stepping out of the inn, he headed straight for the imperial capital’s largest auction house—the Celestial Dragon Auction House.
The name alone suggested its connection to the Celestial Dragon Continent.
Ling Xiao found himself somewhat puzzled. To have expanded operations to the Divine Phoenix Continent and achieved such prominence, the proprietor of this auction house must possess considerable skill.
Yet, the greater the skill, the better.
In that case, the hundred low-grade Celestial Spirit Divine Pills in his possession could fetch an even higher price at auction.
What he lacked most now was spirit stones. With sufficient spirit stones, he could purchase vast quantities of medicinal herbs and refine large batches of pills, rivalling the offspring of those wealthy clans.
Rumour had it that the Celestial Dragon Auction House enjoyed supporters among the imperial family of the Divine Phoenix Empire, with some even holding shares in it.
Thus, despite the auction house’s lucrative profits arousing envy in many quarters, scarcely anyone dared to target it.
There had been one instance, involving a notorious bandit renowned across the Divine Phoenix Continent.
Yet by the following day, many witnessed the bandit’s corpse hanging from the city gate tower.
A thief at the Realm of Caverns level, no less, met such an end, with all stolen goods recovered.
Since then, no one dared target the auction house again….
After leaving the inn, Ling Xiao turned into an alleyway. Only after confirming no one was following did he don the ghost mask from before and alter his appearance.
In his current guise, only those closest to him would recognise him.
Only after completing his disguise did Ling Xiao make his way towards the Tianlong Auction House.
His caution was well-founded. As a mere fifteen-year-old youth, if word spread that he could refine Heavenly Spirit Pills, it would inevitably attract the attention of various factions.
He might well be seized for forced labour the moment he stepped outside.
His cultivation was still insufficient, so exercising caution was prudent.
The ghost mask served as excellent cover; even if someone took notice, it mattered little, for he never appeared in public in this guise.
“It’s him!”
Outside the auction house, several guards recognised Ling Xiao’s ghost mask.
He was the one who had exposed Sikuang Zun’s true identity at the gates of Shenhuang Academy, wearing that very mask.
“Not necessarily. These masks have become quite the fashionable collectible lately.”
“True. Though His Imperial Majesty didn’t punish that sea clan, that masked figure has become a hero in the eyes of many martial artists in the imperial city.”
“To expose the sea clan’s true colours before so many and walk away unscathed? Of course he’s a hero.”
The guards murmured among themselves as Ling Xiao entered the auction house.
The auction house operated as a public establishment, so strangers were generally permitted entry unless they clearly came seeking trouble.
Upon stepping inside, Ling Xiao couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
