Lu Chang'an finally reached the front of the line, clutching ten Spirit Sand in his hand.
Spirit Sand is a currency in the Cultivation world even lower in grade than Spirit Stones, primarily used for trading Cultivation resources worth less than one standard Low-Grade Spirit Stone.
One standard Low-Grade Spirit Stone can be exchanged for one hundred Spirit Sand.
The rules of Qinghe Town state that upon entering the Town, one must pay ten Spirit Sand, regardless of whether you trade inside or not.
"Go ahead." The Qi Refining Middle Stage gatekeeper took the ten Spirit Sand Lu Chang'an handed him and let Lu Chang'an enter the Town.
"When I get rich, I'll open a Town too. I won't have to do anything but collect entrance fees and easily earn Spirit Stones."
Lu Chang'an thought to himself.
The ten Spirit Sand entrance fee still made him feel a slight pang of pain at the moment.
Upon entering the Town, a complex scent, a Fusion of various Spirit Medicines' unique fragrances and the distinct odors of different Spirit Beasts, assailed him.
In the street stall area, many vendors had already set up their stalls on the bluestone-paved long street.
Not far in front of Lu Chang'an, a Grey-robed Cultivator carrying a large hemp sack yelled, "Spirit Medicine for cheap! Three Blood-Stopping Grass for only one Spirit Stone!"
A nearby old man selling Talisman paper was not to be outdone, shaking the golden Talisman in his hand and shouting, "First-Order Low Grade Golden Light Talismans: buy five, get one free! Only one Spirit Stone per Talisman!"
Lu Chang'an walked forward and noticed a beautiful female Cultivator in a purple skirt. He couldn't help but look at her a few more times. The beautiful female Cultivator was squatting in front of a stall, holding a blue-glowing Medicinal Pill and pouting, "This quality of a bottle still dares to ask for five Spirit Stones?!"
The stall owner had quite a temper: "If you're not buying, then get lost..."
"Alchemy truly is the foremost of the hundred immortal arts. Even a Loose Cultivator Alchemist has such a temper," Lu Chang'an couldn't help but exclaim.
Suddenly, an idea struck him.
The Spirit Medicine matured by the Spirit Pearl Space was indeed difficult to handle. Even if it was a common Spirit Medicine like Golden Leaf Flower, if he frequently sold it in the Town, he would be targeted by those with ulterior motives.
However, if he knew Alchemy, then the matured Spirit Medicine could be processed internally, refining them into Medicinal Pills. Medicinal Pills are much easier to handle than Spirit Medicine.
He could also consume them himself.
"I also have a unique advantage in learning Alchemy. Other Cultivators can only practice once by spending Spirit Stones on one set of raw Materials, but I can use the Spirit Stones for raw Materials to buy seeds and then mature them into Spirit Medicine. The number of times I can practice only depends on how much time I have to practice!"
Lu Chang'an grinned. Compared to mature Spirit Medicine, the price of seeds is vastly different, almost negligible!
This advantage was too great.
One must know that the main reason Alchemists are difficult to Cultivate is because the cost of practice is too high.
If a batch of Medicinal Pills fails to be refined, the Spirit Stones spent on the raw Materials are all wasted.
This is even more true for High-Grade Alchemists. Not only are the Spirit Medicine required for refining High-Grade Medicinal Pills expensive, but also some main Materials are simply priceless and cannot withstand any waste.
Lu Chang'an continued forward, calculating in his mind. At a stall ahead, the buyer and seller were arguing heatedly over the price.
Lu Chang'an was about to watch the commotion when suddenly the crowd parted like a tide.
Six Qing-robed Cultivators walked over. The scar-faced Cultivator leading them coldly swept his gaze across the street: "The two fools who fought in the Town last month are still roasting in the Earth Fire Prison. Do you want to go in and roast a bit too?"
The buyer and seller, who had been arguing heatedly over the price, instantly fell silent.
These six Qing-robed Cultivators were the patrol team of the Town.
Their main duty was to maintain order within the Town, prohibiting Cultivators from fighting, and secondly, to check if any disobedient Cultivators were Cultivating illegally within the Town.
Qinghe Town was built upon a Second-Order Spiritual Vein. The Spiritual Qi provided by the Second-Order Spiritual Vein was sufficient to support Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators in their Cultivation, and the effect of Qi Refining Cultivators Cultivating within the Town was excellent.
However, the entrance fee for the Town was only ten Spirit Sand. If Cultivators were allowed to Cultivate freely, the Town would not only fail to profit but would also suffer losses.
Therefore, the two Foundation Establishment Family who founded the Town stipulated that Cultivators were not allowed to Cultivate in the trading area of Qinghe Town; they could only Cultivate if they stayed in an inn.
Lu Chang'an avoided the patrol team, then continued forward to the core street of the Town. Here, there were no street vendors; instead, there were rows of shop fronts.
Lu Chang'an went directly to a three-story pavilion in the core area of the Town.
This three-story pavilion shop was bustling with business, with Cultivators constantly coming and going through its entrance.
"Wanbao Pavilion." Lu Chang'an looked up at the golden characters, written in Dragon and Phoenix style, on the pavilion's plaque, then his gaze fell to the signature in the lower right corner of the plaque: Immortal Master Ziyang.
In this Cultivation world, Cultivators who can be called Immortal Master are usually Core Formation Cultivators.
"The Qi Gathering Pills at Wanbao Pavilion are of the best quality," Lu Chang'an thought to himself.
Wanbao Pavilion was a shop opened by Qingyun Sect, one of the three major Sects of Yue Kingdom, in Qinghe Town. The Medicinal Pills, Talismans, and Magical Artifacts it sold all originated from Qingyun Sect. Although the prices were slightly higher, the quality was universally praised.
"I just don't know if Wanbao Pavilion accepts First-Order Low Grade Spirit Medicine like Golden Leaf Flower."
Lu Chang'an was unsure about this point and could only go in and try his luck.
As Lu Chang'an stepped over the threshold of Wanbao Pavilion, he immediately bumped into a beautiful female Cultivator in a goose-yellow gauze skirt. A green jade butterfly hairpin adorned her bun, and silver bells jingled at her waist with each delicate step. She also had a Qi Refining third-layer Cultivation.
"Fellow Daoist, what would you like to purchase?" The female Cultivator smiled, revealing two dimples, and asked enthusiastically, "At our Wanbao Pavilion, there's nothing you want that we don't have."
Lu Chang'an immediately understood that this female Cultivator was a receptionist at Wanbao Pavilion. He couldn't help but sigh with emotion, Wanbao Pavilion truly had strength; even a regular first-floor receptionist was a beautiful female Cultivator at the third layer of Qi Refining.
"May I ask if your Wanbao Pavilion acquires First-Order Low Grade Spirit Medicine, Golden Leaf Flower?" Lu Chang'an clutched his Storage Pouch.
"So Fellow Daoist wishes to sell Spirit Medicine." The female Cultivator nodded, "Our Wanbao Pavilion never picks and chooses the grade of Spirit Medicine we acquire. Fellow Daoist, please come this way."
The female Cultivator led Lu Chang'an to a counter. Lu Chang'an took out twenty Golden Leaf Flowers from his Storage Pouch and placed them on the counter.
For the small business of twenty Golden Leaf Flowers, the female Cultivator remained unperturbed. She carefully examined each Golden Leaf Flower, then looked up and said, "The quality is acceptable. The market price is two Spirit Stones per plant."
"Deal." Lu Chang'an readily agreed.
The female Cultivator took out forty Spirit Stones and placed them on the counter, pushing them towards Lu Chang'an.
Lu Chang'an stared at the forty Low-Grade Spirit Stones pushed towards him, all of them water-attribute Spirit Stones, with a faint blue Spiritual Qi rippling like water on their surface.
Money for goods.
"Fellow Daoist, next time you have goods, please come find me again." The female Cultivator smiled at Lu Chang'an, her fingertips unconsciously caressing a Golden Leaf Flower petal.
Lu Chang'an did not reply, nor did he collect the forty Spirit Stones on the counter. He asked, "Do you have Qi Gathering Pills here?"
A hint of joy flashed across the female Cultivator's face. Qi Gathering Pills had a market price of one hundred Spirit Stones, and Wanbao Pavilion sold them for one hundred and one Spirit Stones. If she sold one, she would receive a commission of twenty Spirit Sand.
"Of course." The female Cultivator smiled sweetly and said softly, "I'll go fetch it for Fellow Daoist right away."
The female Cultivator turned and retrieved an exquisite jade bottle from the back cabinet. She placed the small bottle on the counter and carefully introduced it, "High Grade First-Order High Grade Qi Gathering Pill. Fellow Daoist, please inspect the goods first."
Lu Chang'an took the bottle and opened the stopper. A rich Medicinal Pill fragrance diffused. Lu Chang'an carefully examined the Medicinal Pill for a few moments, then asked calmly, "What is the price?"
The female Cultivator's face held a smile, and her voice carried a hint of anticipation: "One hundred and one Spirit Stones per pill."
"I'll take one." Lu Chang'an nodded, taking out the corresponding Spirit Stones from his Storage Pouch and placing them on the counter. These Spirit Stones were colorful and of various attributes.
The female Cultivator enthusiastically took an empty jade bottle, poured one Qi Gathering Pill into it, and handed it to Lu Chang'an.
Lu Chang'an took the Medicinal Pill, said nothing more, and turned to leave with an expectant look on his face.
Lu Chang'an hurried out of Wanbao Pavilion, completely unaware that on a nearby street, a Grey-robed Cultivator's gaze remained fixed on him.