Thousand Poisons Qian uncorked the Jade Bottle, his expression changing slightly: "Waste pills of the Nurturing Infant Pill? You can refine Nurturing Infant Pills?"
Mi Xiaojing replied, "I can, but the success rate isn't high."
No one knew that Thousand Poisons Qian's actual cultivation level was merely at the mid Elemental Infant stage. However, after combining his skills with Evolutionary Immortality, his strength was almost on par with those at the Great Perfection of the Elemental Infant stage, even surpassing the average expert at that level.
This was the formidable aspect of dual cultivation, especially when his tactics were unpredictable and he utilized the true words of Evolutionary Immortality to perfection.
Thousand Poisons Qian also longed for the Nurturing Infant Pill, as Spirit Pills used during the Elemental Infant stage would be greatly beneficial to him.
His eyes lit up, and suddenly, Thousand Poisons Qian felt that following Mi Xiaojing might not be such a bad idea. He said, "If I provide the materials, can you refine it? Don't worry, you'll be fully compensated!"
Mi Xiaojing wasn't opposed to alchemy. For him, it was an opportunity. Alchemy was a process of accumulating experience. Only through years of refining could one improve the success rate. His alchemy was always by the book; not exceptionally high in success, but not low either—quite stable.
Especially after acquiring the Kui Dragon Cauldron and Golden Flames, his situation had improved. This Pill Cauldron was an upgrade, an excellent tool for any alchemy master.
Mi Xiaojing said, "Bring the materials, and I can refine the pills. But let me be clear, success isn't guaranteed. If you want me to refine, I will charge a fee regardless of the outcome!" He wasn't about to be overly courteous with Thousand Poisons Qian.
Thousand Poisons Qian responded, "I understand!"
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Mu Hengyuan was dumbfounded as he watched Mi Xiaojing speak bluntly to Thousand Poisons Qian, who showed no signs of anger, much to his surprise.
Mi Xiaojing then eyed the waste pills of the Nurturing Infant Pill in Thousand Poisons Qian's hand and said, "One thousand low-grade Spirit Stones."
Thousand Poisons Qian generously replied, "Do you have any more? I'll take all waste pills above the Ancient Recovery Pill. One thousand low-grade Spirit Stones is no problem!" Over the years, he had done plenty of robbing and extorting; he was not short on Spirit Stones.
Mi Xiaojing had many waste pills he hadn't figured out how to utilize. Selling them to Thousand Poisons Qian was a good deal.
Thousand Poisons Qian spent nearly ten thousand low-grade Spirit Stones to purchase all the waste pills Mi Xiaojing had accumulated.
In front of everyone, he took out his bowl. Mu Hengyuan couldn't help but draw his sword at the sight of it; this was the very object that released the Poison Lotus, terrifyingly powerful!
The bowl had been refined again, but it was still covered in cracks. Thousand Poisons Qian placed the waste pills in one by one, casting Magical Techniques and Incantations, occasionally adding true words.
In just a moment, all the waste pills were in the bowl. Thousand Poisons Qian then put away the bowl, but Mi Xiaojing, with his sharp eyes, noticed that the cracks on the bowl visibly decreased as the waste pills were added.
Then Thousand Poisons Qian stepped out and approached a few Cultivators who had come hoping for an easy gain. He said, "Ten thousand low-grade Spirit Stones each... Leave the Spirit Stones or your life, or your Golden Elixirs. The choice is yours!"
Mi Xiaojing and the others watched in astonishment as Thousand Poisons Qian extorted them. It was no longer extortion, but outright robbery and threats.
The Cultivators had come with ill intentions, so Mi Xiaojing didn't bother to intervene. In just a moment, everyone handed over their Spirit Stones, or if they didn't have enough, they gave other valuables like materials. As long as it was valuable and useful, Thousand Poisons Qian took it all, his appetite enormous.
Thousand Poisons Qian was quite satisfied. The Spirit Stones he had just spent on waste pills were now paid for by these people, and he even made a profit.
Waving his hand, Thousand Poisons Qian said, "Off you go! And feel free to come back, but remember to bring more Spirit Stones—it could save your life!"
The Cultivators scrambled away, cursing their bad luck, vowing never to return even if the Treasure Light soared to the heavens here.
As the group of Foundation Establishment stage Cultivators left, Mi Xiaojing's manor quickly became infamous, turning into a forbidden area in Tianyuan Market. No Cultivator dared to approach, giving Mi Xiaojing and his companions much relief.
Mu Hengyuan asked, "Little Mi, where do you plan to go next?"
Mi Xiaojing shook his head, "I'll stay here for a while; I have nowhere else to go for now."
Mu Hengyuan glanced at Thousand Poisons Qian, who was like a shadow, always meditating not far from Mi Xiaojing.
Knowing Mu Hengyuan had something to say, Mi Xiaojing braced himself and said, "Thousand Poisons Qian, my uncle-master and I need to talk. Could you move further away... please?"
Thousand Poisons Qian silently moved away, feeling extremely frustrated.
Mu Hengyuan asked, "How did you get him to agree to be your guard?"
He was genuinely curious. Thousand Poisons Qian's reputation was not small, and his strength was formidable. He couldn't fathom what could possibly compel Thousand Poisons Qian to serve as a guard for a mere Foundation Establishment disciple—it was inconceivable.
Mi Xiaojing was just as helpless, saying, "I really don't know what got into him."
Mu Hengyuan said, "Let's not talk about him. It's useless to be cautious. If he wanted to cause trouble, we'd be powerless... By the way, do you have any Deadly Thousand Thunder? I won't ask where you got it, but do you have any to spare?"
Mi Xiaojing hesitated, but Wang Weijun shouted, "Don't give it to him!"
"I do have some," Mi Xiaojing admitted.
Mu Hengyuan smiled, "Let me have one Deadly Thousand Thunder."
Mi Xiaojing had obtained many Deadly Thousand Thunders from the treasure, so he didn't mind parting with one. He nodded, "Alright!" and handed Mu Hengyuan a red Deadly Thousand Thunder, the least powerful of the three types.
Mu Hengyuan was touched by the gesture, saying, "I can't just take something from you for nothing. Here, take this!"
The Ancient Tribulation Pill Scripture!
Mi Xiaojing recognized it immediately. This was an unexpected treasure. Wang Weijun was speechless; the Deadly Thousand Thunder and the Ancient Tribulation Pill Scripture were incomparable. The Pill Scripture was an ancient treasure, not something a mere Deadly Thousand Thunder could match.
Mu Hengyuan explained, "This is from Elder Yu Hong. He said that only you could make use of this treasure. It's not of much use to us. Ha, after so many years of study, no one has understood its contents."
Mi Xiaojing said, "Thank you, senior."
Mu Hengyuan replied, "You don't need to thank me. We're all without a sect now, just Rogue Cultivators. I'm counting on you for alchemy in the future. Let's consider it a connection."
Wang Weijun and Mi Xiaojing suddenly understood. They needed Spirit Pills, so it was essential to maintain a good relationship with Mi Xiaojing. With the Heart Sect destroyed, they had no hopes of restoring it and were focused on their own cultivation, making Spirit Pills extremely important.
Others might not be aware, but Yu Hong and Mu Hengyuan knew well that Mi Xiaojing had great potential. Giving him an Ancient Tribulation Pill Scripture that they couldn't use to forge a good relationship with Mi Xiaojing was beneficial for both sides.
Especially since this favor was something Mi Xiaojing would surely acknowledge.
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas