Complete one practice method every day

Chen Yue frowned almost imperceptibly. He looked at the object...?

Chen Yue pondered for a moment: "One tael of silver."

"What?" The stall owner's smile froze instantly, then turned into displeasure.

"Sir, are you joking? This is the formula for the Spirit Condensation Pill! One hundred taels! Not a penny less!"

One hundred taels—this price is outrageous. Keep in mind, Chen Yue's monthly earnings from alchemy are only seven or eight taels; one hundred taels is practically his entire annual income.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yue made no attempt to bargain. He simply placed the paper back on the stall owner's wooden board, then turned and walked away decisively.

The stall owner was clearly taken aback by Chen Yue's decisiveness. He paused for a moment, opened his mouth, but in the end he just pursed his lips and muttered "poor bastard" under his breath, and actually didn't say anything to stop him.

Chen Yue kept walking, but felt little disappointment.

The stall owner's attitude actually confirmed some of his guesses. Either the other party was certain that the pill formula was a rare commodity and wouldn't have trouble selling it, or there were some unwritten rules or taboos surrounding the trading of such pill formulas in the black market.

Chen Yue did not leave the black market, but instead went to the stall where he had sold the secret manuals before.

The stall remained deserted, and the old man, hands tucked into his sleeves, dozed in the shadows. Hearing footsteps, he lifted his eyelids, his cloudy gaze sweeping over Chen Yue, seemingly pausing for a moment.

"Sir, you're here again? What would you like to order this time?" the old man asked in a hoarse voice, recognizing Chen Yue as a previous customer simply by his physique.

Chen Yue lowered his voice: "Boss, I wanted to ask if you have the recipe for the Spirit Condensation Pill?"

"Spirit Condensation Pill?" The old man was clearly taken aback upon hearing this.

He looked at Chen Yue carefully, then shook his head. "That's a pill that only experts in the Bone Forging Realm would use. The formula is precious, and if taken in large quantities, it can even help those in the Flesh Refining Realm break through to the Bone Forging Realm."

In this Youlin County, this kind of elixir formula is actually under secret control. Several major families and the forces behind them are keeping a close eye on it, and it won't easily leak out. You'll likely find it difficult to find the genuine product elsewhere.

Covert control?

Chen Yue frowned. That made sense. High-level pill formulas were strategic resources, and only by keeping them in the hands of a few could their monopoly and profits be maintained.

He cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and said, "I see. I've learned something." With that, he turned to leave.

"Please wait, sir," the old man suddenly called out to him.

Chen Yue stopped and looked back.

The old man pondered for a moment, his cloudy eyes darting around, and said in a low voice, "I don't have the recipe for the Spirit Condensation Pill here. However, I do have another recipe that you might be interested in."

"Oh? What kind of pill formula?" Chen Yue's heart stirred slightly.

"Marrow Cleansing Pill!" The old man slowly uttered three words, looking at Chen Yue with a meaningful gaze.

Washing pills?

Chen Yue's eyes flickered; he did indeed know about the Marrow Cleansing Pill.

Unlike the Spirit Condensing Pill, which directly enhances cultivation, the Marrow Cleansing Pill focuses more on cleansing the marrow and bones, washing away impurities accumulated later in life, purifying qi and blood, and fundamentally improving a martial artist's physical constitution.

Long-term use of this pill will not significantly improve one's cultivation level as much as the Spirit Condensation Pill, nor can it be used as a pill for breaking through from the Flesh Refining Realm to the Bone Forging Realm. However, it can solidify the foundation of martial arts.

However, it's hard to say how long this will take, and there's no definitive answer as to whether it really has this effect.

However, even setting aside these uncertain benefits, in terms of improving cultivation level alone, the Marrow Cleansing Pill is far more effective than the Qi-Strengthening Pill he is currently taking.

"I need to see the prescription first," Chen Yue said in a low voice.

"That's only right." The stall owner nodded, rummaged around in the rattan box behind him for a while, took out a piece of paper, and handed it to Chen Yue.

Chen Yue took it, leaned close to the lantern, and examined it intently.

Chen Yue observed it very carefully, verifying it one by one with his knowledge of alchemy principles.

This outline of the Marrow Cleansing Pill is also logically rigorous, with exquisite combinations of medicinal materials. Overall, the authenticity of this pill formula is over 70-80%.

However, its refining difficulty is probably much greater than that of the Spirit Condensation Pill, requiring extremely high control from the alchemist.

"What's the price?" Chen Yue asked the stall owner directly.

The stall owner, Shen Dujiang, smiled and held up one finger: "In this black market, the prices of pill formulas at the level of Marrow Cleansing Pills and Spirit Condensing Pills are actually pretty much fixed. If you want to buy one, it will cost at least one hundred taels of silver."

One hundred taels! The same price again!

Chen Yue frowned. The price of one hundred taels for the Spirit Condensation Pill was probably not just a random figure of speech. Even if he went to other stalls, he would probably get the same price.

But the key issue is that Chen Yue has no money.

How long have I been an alchemist? My monthly share is only seven or eight taels of silver. I also have to buy the ingredients for the Qi-stabilizing pills and pay for my living expenses. I also bought a secret manual before. The amount of cash I have is far from one hundred taels.

Seemingly sensing Chen Yue's hesitation, Shen Dujiang changed the subject: "Of course, if you can't come up with one hundred taels of silver right away, we can find another way."

"What method?" Chen Yue's heart skipped a beat.

"I can sell you this prescription for fifty taels of silver."

Shen Dujiang said slowly, his gaze fixed on Chen Yue's reaction, "Furthermore, I can help you find the medicinal herbs needed for the Marrow Cleansing Pill. However, there's a condition: once you successfully refine the Marrow Cleansing Pill, you must sell it through me. How about it?"

Fifty taels?

"Aren't you afraid that once I take the pill formula, I'll never come back to this black market?" Chen Yue asked.

"I'm scared."

Shen Dujiang actually nodded, frankly admitting, "Doing business always involves some risks..."

He paused, then said meaningfully, "This black market isn't that big, but it's not that small either. If you've mastered it and want to sell it for a good price without causing too much trouble, my place might be a good option."

Chen Yue remained silent; what the other person said made sense.

He did need the elixir formula, but lacked reliable channels to purchase the medicinal materials. Entrusting the elixir to a regular black market dealer would, although a portion of the profits would be taken, would save him a lot of trouble and risk.

"You'll provide the medicinal herbs needed for the Marrow Cleansing Pill for free?" Chen Yue pressed for details.

"What kind of good deal is that!"

Shen Dujiang smiled and shook his head. "I can help you find the medicinal herbs, but you'll have to pay for them yourself. Once you've successfully refined the Marrow Cleansing Pill and are selling it here, starting with the second batch of herbs, I can provide some free herbs, depending on the situation. Of course, this depends on how many pills you can produce and their quality."

A very practical approach: don't act until you see the benefits.

"If I were to sell it here, what price would you offer for a single Marrow Cleansing Pill?" Chen Yue asked the most crucial question.

Shen Dujiang was clearly well-versed in the market and replied without hesitation, "Currently, a decent quality Marrow Cleansing Pill in Youlin County sells for around nine taels of silver. If I provide the medicinal materials for free, I can set the purchase price at five taels of silver per pill."

He bought the herbs for five taels and resold them for nine taels, making a profit of four taels. Even with the cost of the herbs, the profit margin was still very large.

"Five taels is too low."

Chen Yue shook his head. "It will take at least seven ounces. You should know that the difficulty of refining the Marrow Cleansing Pill is far beyond that of ordinary pills."

Shen Dujiang looked at Chen Yue and finally smiled: "The price can be discussed further, but that will have to wait until the Marrow Cleansing Pill is actually refined. It's too early to talk about that now."

That was the truth. Chen Yue stopped worrying about the specific purchase price and changed the subject: "Alright, then I'll pay one tael of silver for this pill formula."