The emergence of the perfect-grade Return to Heaven Spirit Pill was like a sudden smog that enveloped the entire imperial city in a short time.
Qing Xu Academy and Tianlong Auction House together captured nearly seventy percent of the imperial city’s pill market.
Because business expanded, Qing Xu Academy simply built a new market near the academy. There were too many people, and Tianlong Auction House’s small market was no longer sufficient.
This new market had actually been prepared long ago, just unused. Now it finally served its purpose.
At Qing Xu Academy’s most prosperous time originally, its pill market share was less than twenty percent. Now it reached thirty to forty percent, no lower than Tianlong Auction House or Shen Huang Academy.
And this was merely the beginning.
Although Shen Huang Academy later took measures, adjusting the Return to Heaven Pill price back to a lower level, and improving service attitude considerably.
But people had memories, especially martial artists.
They remembered clearly how Shen Huang Academy treated them before.
So even so, Shen Huang Academy’s market could no longer return to previous prosperity. It could only temporarily stabilise at around thirty percent share, not completely collapsing.
The current situation was that Tianlong Auction House held about thirty percent, Qing Xu Academy about forty percent, Shen Huang Academy about thirty percent. Compared to its peak near ninety percent market share, Shen Huang Academy suffered the most loss.
Tianlong Auction House and Qing Xu Academy both saw increases.
Of course, Shen Huang Academy’s business was not only in the imperial city. It extended across the entire Shen Huang Continent.
Across the continent, their market share remained at seventy to eighty percent.
So temporarily, Shen Huang Academy was still profiting in the pill market. But as the Return to Heaven Spirit Pill’s market range continued expanding, Shen Huang Academy’s pill market would be compressed step by step.
By then, they would truly face losses.
More importantly, Ling Xiao now improved the Return to Heaven Spirit Pill, dividing the refining process into over a dozen steps. What originally only Huang-grade alchemists could refine, now even non-grade alchemists could complete with a dozen people’s cooperation.
Each person handled only one step, or even one link.
Although more people were needed, efficiency was actually higher.
Of course, perfect-grade could not be produced this way, but the price dropped accordingly, still deeply loved by martial artists.
This Return to Heaven Spirit Pill’s market annexation was proceeding with a momentum like a whirlwind sweeping clouds.
It was believed that in less than a month, across the entire Shen Huang Continent, Qing Xu Academy’s pill market share would rise to nearly eighty percent, thoroughly defeating Shen Huang Academy.
The storm caused by the Return to Heaven Spirit Pill truly astonished Qing Xu Academy’s high-level figures.
They originally only thought to use one hundred thousand Return to Heaven Spirit Pills to reclaim their rightful market. That would suffice.
But unexpectedly, not only was the market reclaimed, it also severely suppressed Shen Huang Academy.
If not for the Ice Phoenix Clan interfering, using their power to force some martial artists to buy the inferior Return to Heaven Pills at Shen Huang Academy’s market, Shen Huang Academy’s imperial city market share would already be zero.
Sun Shang tried to refine new pills, but without sufficient herbs, he was extremely anxious.
The current struggle could be said to be Qing Xu Academy’s complete reversal from defeat to victory. Whether Shen Huang Academy would be entirely squeezed out of the pill market depended on whether Qing Xu Academy would show mercy.
…
In Qing Xu Academy’s council hall sat the only student.
He was naturally Ling Xiao.
He earned this honour simply because in this crisis, he turned the tide, not only solving Qing Xu Academy’s major problem but also delivering a heavy blow to the arrogant Shen Huang Academy.
The white-bearded elder had a face full of smiles.
Feng Qing Yan could not hide his excitement.
Huo Pi Li laughed so hard his mouth would not close.
The other high-level figures chatted and laughed.
All this was because Ling Xiao handed over the extremely precious Return to Heaven Spirit Pill formula to Qing Xu Academy for production.
This way, not only was the immediate difficulty solved, future production was no problem.
After all, Ling Xiao still needed to cultivate. He could not always busy himself with pills.
“Hahaha, Ling Xiao, you are truly remarkable. So young, yet with so many new ideas. You divided a pill only Huang-grade alchemists could refine into over ten steps, allowing ordinary alchemists to succeed, and crucially, efficiency greatly increased.”
Huo Pi Li laughed heartily. “I was originally worried what to do after the one hundred thousand Return to Heaven Spirit Pills sold out. Now it seems you thought of the follow-up completely.”
“Exactly. In just three or four days, we not only reclaimed our original market share but exceeded our most prosperous time by nearly three times. Now the scale keeps expanding. The pill market in the imperial city and nearby cities is larger than Shen Huang Academy’s!”
Feng Qing Yan nodded too. “Just these few days’ profits probably equal several months’ previous income. Ling Xiao, this is all your merit. I truly do not know how to thank you.”
The high Qing Xu Academy vice dean never thought of owing anyone a favour, yet in this incident, not only he but the entire Qing Xu Academy owed Ling Xiao a great favour.
He truly did not know how to repay.
“Both vice deans overpraise me. As a Qing Xu Academy disciple, this is merely my duty.”
Ling Xiao smiled slightly.
“You little fellow, quite humble. Even as a Qing Xu Academy disciple, you have no such obligation. You truly helped us greatly this time. This old man does not know how to thank you. Take this badge. In future, you may use any resources within Qing Xu Academy freely. Even bringing outsiders in is no problem.”
The white-bearded elder chuckled and granted Ling Xiao an exquisite badge.
Ling Xiao took the badge, joy rising in his heart.
He needed this exactly. Qing Xu Academy was one of Shen Huang Empire’s two great academies, with deep foundations. If he could select elites from Qin Huo and others to cultivate here, it would absolutely be better than fumbling alone.
He gave those people many martial arts, but they were Tianlong Continent’s, inferior to Qing Xu Academy’s.
This badge was truly timely help.
“This disciple thanks the dean!”
Ling Xiao put the badge into his storage ring and smiled.
“Dean, this alone is probably not enough. Previously, because we were in difficulty, we took sixty percent profit share. Now everything is on track and earning more. Should we yield some share?”
Feng Qing Yan suggested.
In his view, Ling Xiao’s merit was simply too great. If not giving more reward, it might displease the expert behind Ling Xiao.
