Qin Chu smiled, his thoughts were quite numerous.
After eating with Lang Lang, Qin Chu returned to the Alchemist Guild. He couldn't run around now; too many people were watching him, wanting to kill him!
Back at the Alchemist Guild, Qin Chu went to pick up mission slips.
The mission slips for refining top-grade Medicinal Pills are endless because too many people need them. In addition, there are also bounties for some specialized Medicinal Pills, such as Detoxification Pills, Tranquility Pills, Grain Abstinence Pills, etc. Specialized Medicinal Pills are not just about Materials; there are also other rewards.
Currently, at the Alchemist Guild, Qin Chu refines one Medicinal Pill and hands in one set of Materials, but his income varies. The lowest income for one Medicinal Pill is one set of Materials, and some mission givers offer higher rewards. This allows Qin Chu to accumulate resources very smoothly, with Materials and Spirit Stones continuously entering his Storage Ring.
Ji Xin, Elder Lin, Vice President Shi, and Elder Zhou often sought out Qin Chu to chat and drink tea. This made the members of the Alchemist Guild aware of Qin Chu's special status within the guild. Although he was not an official member of the Alchemist Guild, his identity and position were by no means inferior.
The most uncomfortable person was Gu Zhenxiong. Seeing Qin Chu, he would think of Qin Chu not giving him any Face, and he would think of the several setbacks his Gu family forces had suffered.
The Gu family has now become a laughingstock in Saint Martial City. Gu Zhenxiong is currently powerless to change this situation. Inside the Alchemist Guild, the combined efforts of Ji Xin and Vice President Shi Xun are something he cannot shake. Furthermore, Elder Lin and Elder Zhou also stand with them, meaning Gu Zhenxiong is effectively isolated.
If Gu Zhenxiong said something was impossible, Ji Xin would definitely say it was possible; if Gu Zhenxiong said something was possible, Ji Xin would definitely object, and even if it was inconvenient to object, she would suppress it. In short, she treated Gu Zhenxiong's Face as if it were nothing, and Gu Zhenxiong would pay the price for his past arrogance.
The covert war in Saint Martial City quieted down a bit because the White Tiger Saint Clan and the Blazing Thunder Saint Clan dared not easily send out secret agents. If they sent them out, they would be killed. How many were there to kill?
After Cultivating all night, Qin Chu's arrival at the Alchemist Guild hall to pick up mission slips caused a commotion. Some people were dissatisfied. They wanted top-grade Medicinal Pills but didn't have Materials to place an order. They wanted to purchase them, but there was no way to do so because the Alchemist Guild currently had no top-grade Medicinal Pills for sale. When they saw Qin Chu arrive, they sought him out to purchase. Everyone shouted that price was not an issue, only Medicinal Pills. A group of people rushed towards Qin Chu, but the Alchemist Guild staff blocked them; otherwise, the crowd would have devoured Qin Chu.
This situation only stabilized when Ji Xin and Elder Zhou appeared. Ji Xin said she would consider the matter, and the commotion from the pill seekers stopped.
Qin Chu, having picked up his mission slips, went to perform Alchemy, while Ji Xin convened a meeting, attended by the Vice President and the Elders.
"In the past, the Alchemy of top-grade Medicinal Pills was only possible by the President and the Patrol Elder. Because of their special status, they didn't casually perform Alchemy, so Cultivators in Saint Martial City knew the difficulty of obtaining top-grade Medicinal Pills and hardly pursued them. But now the situation has changed. Qin Chu can refine them, but the Materials of the pill seekers are an issue. If there are no Materials, can they purchase with Spirit Stones? What are everyone's opinions?" Ji Xin began, stating the meeting's agenda.
"The Alchemist Guild has always operated on a mission basis, exchanging Materials for Medicinal Pills. If we allow purchases with Spirit Stones, wouldn't that cause chaos?" Gu Zhenxiong spoke up.
"There's no chaos. The guild sets the price. Whoever wants to buy will use Spirit Stones. It's a transaction, there's a buyer for every seller, it's fair and reasonable!" As soon as Gu Zhenxiong spoke, Vice President Shi Xun directly refuted him.
"If the rules are set reasonably, then there's no problem." Elder Lin also spoke up. Subsequently, Elder Zhou and another Elder attending the meeting both supported Shi Xun's opinion, and Gu Zhenxiong was ignored again.
Ji Xin then proposed setting up a trading area in the side section of the Alchemist Guild hall. Not just top-grade Medicinal Pills, but other Medicinal Pills could also be bought and sold. Alchemists selling Medicinal Pills would have to pay a certain percentage of profit to the Alchemist Guild, similar to the setup of a Medicinal Pill Pavilion.
Elder Lin, Elder Zhou, and Vice President Shi Xun all agreed. Gu Zhenxiong remained silent; even if he spoke, it would be useless, as the others had no intention of listening to his opinion.
Once the matter was settled, Elder Lin was put in charge.
Qin Chu finished his Alchemy missions in the morning. While he was Cultivating in the afternoon, Elder Lin arrived and told Qin Chu about the Alchemist Guild's plan to set up a trading area.
"This is very good. The Alchemist Guild doesn't do transactions, but other Medicinal Pill Pavilions and Medicinal Pill shops do. As long as it's done reasonably, it's a good thing!" Qin Chu said.
"I will reserve a spot for you in the trading area. If you have extra Medicinal Pills, you can go and sell them, exchanging them for needed Materials or Spirit Stones. This will also be quite convenient," Elder Lin said.
Qin Chu nodded and said it was no problem. He knew that Elder Lin and the others would not trick him.
In his spare time, Qin Chu refined some more Medicinal Pills to earn resources, which was an effort towards his rise.
The news that the Alchemist Guild was opening a trading area caused some stir in Saint Martial City.
It was true that there were many Medicinal Pill shops and Medicinal Pill Pavilions in Saint Martial City, but the quality of their Medicinal Pills varied. If it were a trading area managed by the Alchemist Guild, such issues would not arise.
Originally, the Alchemist Guild planned to set up a trading area in a corner of the main hall, but seeing that the Alchemists were all very excited and wanted to participate in transactions, the Alchemist Guild changed its mind. They cleared out the staff resting area on the side of the Alchemist Guild and turned it into a trading area.
After the trading area opened, many Alchemists set up counters to sell their Medicinal Pills. However, there was one excellent spot that many Alchemists wanted but couldn't get; it was the area Elder Lin had reserved for Qin Chu.
Elder Lin found Qin Chu and told him that a spot was available, and he could put his Medicinal Pills up for sale at any time.
"Elder Lin, Qin Chu doesn't know how to price the Medicinal Pills. Could you help?" Qin Chu asked Elder Lin.
"Alright! Prepare your Medicinal Pills, but don't make too many; scarcity makes things valuable. I'll go and research to see what pricing is appropriate," Elder Lin said to Qin Chu.
After seeing Elder Lin off, Qin Chu refined some more Medicinal Pills: some fourth-grade top-grade Spirit Essence Pills, fifth-grade top-grade Heaven Essence Pills, fifth-grade top-grade Grain Abstinence Pills, and fifth-grade top-grade Detoxification Pills.
Early the next morning, Elder Lin brought Qin Chu to the trading area.
The trading area already had many people. Some Alchemists had displayed their Medicinal Pills, some for Materials, some for Spirit Stones. After Elder Lin took Qin Chu around, they arrived at the spot reserved for Qin Chu.
"Qin Chu, prices cannot be arbitrarily changed, as that would involve credibility and integrity. So, the pricing cannot be low. How about three bottles of fourth-grade Medicinal Pills for one Spirit Stone, and one bottle of fifth-grade Medicinal Pills for one Spirit Stone?" Elder Lin asked Qin Chu.
"Isn't that too expensive?" Qin Chu's voice was quite low. He saw other people's Heaven Essence Pills, five bottles together selling for only one Spirit Stone, while his was one bottle for one Spirit Stone, which seemed a bit exorbitant!