Endless Ascension

Chapter 31: Alchemy

Playing games requires not only strength but also cunning.

Be generous to your own people and cunning to the villains. Qin Ze, who had been navigating the internet for years, could easily employ tactics like framing and implicating others without any difficulty.

After Qin Ze's maneuver, Qin Xiao would probably never have a chance to rise again. This is how you deal with villains...

Qin Ze had been poor and unpopular for a long time, causing many people to dislike him. Now, everything was different; he was well-liked everywhere. Even some influential elders would nod and smile at him.

Qin Ze was not foolish; he knew the reason for these gestures of goodwill.

When he returned to the backyard of the Furong Tavern, it was already morning.

Hei Yan and Meng Lei were not at the tavern. After asking Zhang Dafu, he learned that they had gone to practice by the Qingshui River.

Qin Ze was delighted. He thought, "Fatty's opportunity has arrived."

The Refining Qi Realm was undoubtedly a powerful existence. Meng Lei would surely make breakthroughs under Hei Yan's guidance. Qin Ze believed that Meng Lei, with his innate strength, would soon take flight.

He just lacked an opportunity. Now, with this opportunity, he would undoubtedly undergo a qualitative transformation.

Qin Ze sat in the courtyard, and Zhang Dafu brought him some snacks before daring not to disturb him further.

Qin Ze took out three cultivation techniques: one for Meng Lei, one for Yun Man, and an auxiliary technique, Alchemy.

Most of the slightly better cultivation techniques in the library were incomplete, and none of the others caught his eye. He decided to pick one for Meng Lei and one for Yun Man, both tailored to their needs.

Meng Lei's was 'Luo Han Wang Quan' (Arhat King's Fist), an upper-grade cultivation technique. For someone with divine strength like Meng Lei, who was like a Vajra Arhat, this cultivation technique was perfect.

Yun Man's was 'Feng Wu Jiu Tian' (Dancing Phoenix in the Nine Heavens), also an upper-grade cultivation technique. Seeing the name of the cultivation technique, Qin Ze immediately thought of Yun Man, who excelled at ribbon attacks, already resembling a fallen celestial. If she practiced this cultivation technique, she would surely captivate many people.

Qin Ze picked up the Alchemy book and opened the first page. Suddenly, the system prompted in his mind, "Congratulations, player 'Qin Ze,' for obtaining the auxiliary cultivation technique Alchemy. Would you like to practice it?"

Delighted, he immediately chose to practice it.

A new skill appeared in his skill bar: Life Auxiliary Skill: Alchemy.

Alchemy

Level: 0 (Level 0 produces rough dan pills, Level 1 produces lower-grade dan pills, Level 2 produces mid-grade dan pills...)

Proficiency: 0/1000

Note: Reaching the perfect realm in Alchemy can produce supreme celestial dan pills.

The words 'supreme celestial dan pills' immediately captivated Qin Ze. He already knew that dan pills were scarce in the Tianyuan Continent. 'Supreme celestial dan pills' were probably extremely rare even in the cultivation realm. The thought of being able to produce such dan pills made his heart boil. He longed to immediately elevate his Alchemy skill to perfection.

Through his research in recent days, Qin Ze had gained a deep understanding of dan pills. For him, dan pills were like red and blue potions, which increased Qi and life points when consumed.

Therefore, he urgently needed good dan pills. Otherwise, he wouldn't have picked an auxiliary cultivation technique like Alchemy that had been left untouched in the library for decades.

After the excitement, Qin Ze also calmed down.

The proficiency in Alchemy was accumulated through herbal medicines. The reason why dan pills were scarce these days was because herbal medicines were scarce. A good alchemist could not produce good dan pills without high-grade herbal medicines.

One of the main reasons the Qin family could cultivate an alchemist was their advantageous position near the Kunlun Mountains. They charged fees for entering and exiting, usually paid in herbal medicines.

Qin Pei had summarized successful experiences from countless failures. The cost of cultivating an alchemist was so high that many families had given up on it.

Alchemists were not concerned with whether someone was talented or not; they were all products of accumulated herbal medicines. Qin Ze thought about the several thousand taels of silver he had collected and wondered how much herbal medicine he could buy. He didn't think too much about it and called out, "Zhang Dafu..."

Zhang Dafu immediately rushed to the backyard and stood respectfully beside Qin Ze, bowing and saying, "Young master, what are your instructions?"

"Is there a place in Qinghe City that sells herbal medicines?" Qin Ze asked casually.

Zhang Dafu immediately replied, "There's one in the south of the city, but the prices are quite high. If you need high-grade herbal medicines, you can go to the black market in the west of the city. There are many miscellaneous items there, and many adventure teams sell things they obtained from the Kunlun Mountains."

"The black market in the west of the city?" Qin Ze murmured.

"Young master, should I take you there personally?"

"No need. It's almost noon. If you leave, who will manage the tavern?"

Qin Ze put away the three cultivation techniques and asked for the specific location of the black market before heading west.

Passersby and vendors saw Qin Ze and pointed and whispered, discussing him but only saying good things, like how he had turned his life around.

Qin Ze didn't care. He just wanted to try out his Alchemy skill now.

He wanted to see what kind of dan pills he could produce with Level 0 Alchemy.

Since he was idle, he might as well go out and explore.

The west of Qinghe City was the most complex place in Qinghe City, with various forces intertwined.

Many adventure teams gathered here, coming from all directions, excitedly entering the Kunlun Mountains. Some people were lucky and rose to great heights, while others never returned.

Of course, if you just wanted to make a small fortune and didn't go deep into the Kunlun Mountains, staying safe was not a problem.

Many adventure teams dug up herbal medicines or hunted beasts in the outskirts of the Kunlun Mountains, collecting their fur and bones to sell at the Qinghe City black market.

Although fourth-grade beasts had not condensed crystal cores, their fur and bones were worth some money. They were essential for making battle armor and refining weapons, so adventure teams could survive by selling these items.

The black market in the west of the city was the best place for transactions, so the west had become their gathering point.

Before Qin Ze even entered the black market, he heard the hawkers inside, just like the bargaining aunties in a marketplace, arguing fiercely over a scallion.

"Teeth of a fourth-grade beast, the patterned spider! Knowledgeable bosses, come and see! Five hundred taels of silver for sale..."

"Ribs of a fourth-grade beast, the fierce tiger king! Only two hundred taels of silver per rib..."

"Third-grade herbal medicine, Iron Orchid Grass! One thousand taels of silver per piece..."

...

Hearing the hawkers, Qin Ze had a familiar feeling. Wasn't this just like the trading market in the game?

Qin Ze smiled to himself and walked in.

"Brother, do you need beast bones to make weapons?"

"Boss, this is top-quality beast fur. It's impervious to knives and guns. Do you want to see it?"

...

As Qin Ze just walked in, many people approached him to sell their stuff. Qin Ze smiled and rejected them, noticing a group of people gathered at a stall ahead. Among them was a middle-aged man with a thunderous voice saying, "Little girl, I advise you to sell it to me."

"You... your offer is too low."

The voice was weak, but Qin Ze's heart trembled when he heard it, and he immediately walked up.