He had planned to turn back and return later when it was less crowded. However, he had forgotten that he was no longer an ordinary Inner Sect Disciple. He was fifth on the Ten Heroes List and the favored disciple of Elder Huoyun. How could the Stewards of the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall possibly let him wait in line with the common disciples?
A sharp-eyed Steward from the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall spotted him and, with a smile, immediately led him into a private side hall, shutting the door behind them.
"What brings you here?" Duan Changji asked with a smile.
Xu Yang sat down across from Duan Changji. "Steward Duan, I’d like to get a Tiger Soul Red Sun Fruit. What are the requirements?"
Upon hearing this, a thought crossed Duan Changji’s mind.
The Tiger Soul Red Sun Fruit was a Spirit Medicine. While consuming it directly could raise one’s Cultivation, most disciples wouldn’t do so, as trading for refined Elixirs was a much better value. Only the Pill Masters from Medicine King Peak would approach the Sect to trade for a Tiger Soul Red Sun Fruit.
"Six hundred contribution points, or the equivalent in Spirit Medicine or Spirit Iron," Duan Changji said with a smile.
Although he was puzzled as to why Xu Yang wanted to trade for a Tiger Soul Red Sun Fruit, he didn’t ask.
Xu Yang frowned slightly.
He only had a little over two hundred contribution points, which was less than half of what he needed.
"How much Spirit Iron would be considered equivalent to a Tiger Soul Red Sun Fruit?" Xu Yang asked.
Duan Changji shook his head. "That’s hard to say. A piece of top-grade Spirit Iron the size of a fingernail could be traded for ten Tiger Soul Red Sun Fruits, but for low-grade Spirit Iron, even three or five pounds might not be enough for a single one."
Xu Yang nodded. "Is there a catalog of exchange rates?"
"We do. I’ll go get it."
Duan Changji rose and returned a moment later with a book, which he handed to Xu Yang.
Xu Yang flipped it open and saw it listed the exchange rates between various Spirit Irons, Spirit Medicines, and contribution points at the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall.
’Red Gold Essence: one tael for thirty contribution points!’
He quickly found a type of Spirit Iron that he possessed—Red Gold Essence.
The piece of Red Gold Essence he had was only the size of an egg and should weigh around a pound. Combined with his current contribution points, it should be just about enough to trade for the Tiger Soul Red Sun Fruit.
Xu Yang immediately took the Red Gold Essence from his pouch. "Steward Duan, please take a look. Can you confirm if this is Red Gold Essence?"
"It is indeed Red Gold Essence."
Duan Changji confirmed it was Red Gold Essence without even taking it.
"Are you sure you want to trade this piece of Red Gold Essence for contribution points?" he reminded Xu Yang. "You can trade one tael of Red Gold Essence for thirty contribution points. But if you wanted to buy Red Gold Essence from the Sect, it would cost fifty contribution points per tael."
Inner Sect Disciples could make use of some of the Sect’s resources, but the Sect was no charity. It took a cut on every transaction, whether you were buying or selling.
Xu Yang already knew this. He nodded and said, "I’m sure!"
Duan Changji stood up to get a scale. After weighing it, he found the piece of Red Gold Essence was thirteen taels, which could be exchanged for three hundred ninety contribution points.
Xu Yang then took out another two hundred ten contribution points and handed them to Steward Duan. "I’d like to trade for one Tiger Soul Red Sun Fruit."
Duan Changji smiled as he put the items away. "The Miscellaneous Affairs Hall doesn’t have any Tiger Soul Red Sun Fruit at the moment. We’ll have to procure one from Medicine King Peak. You can come back to pick it up tomorrow."
Xu Yang knew that precious items like Spirit Medicines couldn’t just be kept in a pile at the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, ready to be handed out to whoever needed them.
He immediately cupped his fist. "Thank you, Steward Duan."
The two of them left the side hall, and Xu Yang departed.
Before he even reached his courtyard, he saw Gao Lin standing at the entrance from a distance.
Xu Yang strode forward and cupped his fist. "Senior Brother Gao."
"Junior Brother Xu, what were you thinking?"
Gao Lin said, his voice filled with distress, "How could you bear to waste so many contribution points on a useless Pill Formula?"
Xu Yang was taken aback. ’So the news has already reached Senior Brother Gao’s ears. No wonder the looks people were giving me back at the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall felt a bit strange. I never thought word would spread so quickly.’
Xu Yang shook his head. "Senior Brother Gao, the Pill Formula isn’t useless to me!"
That was as much as he could explain. He had long been prepared for this kind of misunderstanding.
Seeing him still being stubborn, Gao Lin didn’t know what else to say. "You... Your reckless actions have infuriated the Master. He’s punished you with an assignment to garrison Moon Lake. You should brace yourself."
"Hopefully, this experience will help you mature a bit and realize the importance of your Cultivation."
’I’m being punished by Elder Huoyun!’
This was something he hadn’t anticipated.
However, considering Elder Huoyun’s expectations for him, it was actually a normal reaction. In the eyes of outsiders, his behavior truly was reckless, neglecting the fundamentals for the sake of trivial pursuits.
"Is the Master alright?"
Gao Lin shook his head. "The Master is a Celestial Essence Martial Artist; what could possibly happen to him? He’s just angry that you’re not focusing on your proper duties. Go and reflect on your actions. After some time, once his anger has subsided, I’ll help plead your case and ask him to call you back."
Xu Yang nodded. "When do I have to go to Moon Lake?"
He wasn’t too concerned. All Inner Disciples were required to contribute to the Sect each year by garrisoning its properties.
If everyone holed up in the Sect doing nothing like him, the Sect would have collapsed long ago. Even Jiang Fan, the Young Master Marquis, had already been sent out on assignment for a long time.
"Next month!"
’Next month?’
’That’s still plenty of time. It’s enough for me to refine a batch of Dragon and Tiger Great Gold Pills. That way, when I go to Moon Lake, I won’t have to worry about a lack of cultivation resources.’
Gao Lin left soon after.
「The next day」
He successfully picked up the Tiger Soul Red Sun Fruit from the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall. The way Steward Duan looked at him was strange as well.
Being a Steward of the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, he naturally knew that the Tiger Soul Red Sun Fruit was one of the two main Spirit Medicines required to refine the Dragon and Tiger Great Gold Pill.
Back in his courtyard, Xu Yang gathered the Dragon Beard Root and the other medicinal ingredients he had for refining the Dragon and Tiger Great Gold Pill, slung Cold Abyss onto his back, and immediately hurried down Li Fire Peak, making a beeline for Cyan Yang City.
A quarter of an hour later, he appeared at the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.
"Greetings, Master Xu!" Zhou Yong greeted him with a smile, though he was secretly astonished.
Even though he was in Cyan Yang City, he had heard the news that Xu Yang had become fifth on the Ten Heroes List.
He never would have guessed that the person he had been optimistic about would exceed everyone’s expectations time and time again.
"See if you can fill this prescription for me!"
Xu Yang handed Zhou Yong a list he had written out, detailing the medicinal ingredients he was still missing.
"We can!" Zhou Yong affirmed immediately after a quick glance.
"Then gather everything on the list for me in the amounts specified. Also, get me one set of ingredients to refine a Gathering Essence Pill."
The Gathering Essence Pill was for Xu Qing.
From now on, he would be using the Dragon and Tiger Great Gold Pill for his own cultivation.
"Please wait a moment, Master Xu."
An hour later, all the medicinal ingredients were ready. Xu Yang paid for them and left the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.
’I need to find a way to make some money!’
Buying the ingredients this time had cost him over a thousand taels of silver, leaving him with only two or three thousand taels to his name.
Excluding the two primary Spirit Medicines, a single set of the remaining ingredients for the Dragon and Tiger Great Gold Pill cost over a thousand taels. Furthermore, Xu Qing was beginning to learn Alchemy, which would require a huge sum of money for her to buy ingredients to practice with.
He found a deserted alley to put on his Conical Hat, then quickly made his way to the courtyard he had purchased and entered the underground Alchemy Room.
He took out all the medicinal ingredients and sorted them into categories. Then, Xu Yang began to clean the Pill Furnace and light the fire beneath it.
This being his first time refining the Dragon and Tiger Great Gold Pill, he was extremely cautious. He mentally ran through the entire Alchemy process in detail before he started adding ingredients into the Pill Furnace.
Refining the Dragon and Tiger Great Gold Pill was far more time-consuming than making the Gathering Essence Pill.
An entire night passed, but the refinement of the Dragon and Tiger Great Gold Pill was still not complete. It wasn’t until the next morning that a fragrant medicinal aroma began to emanate from the furnace.
THUMP... THUMP...
The furnace lid began to tremble. Not daring to delay, Xu Yang waved a hand, sending out a blast of Gang Qi to extinguish the firewood. He quickly lifted the lid with his fingers and saw ten golden Dragon and Tiger Great Gold Pills, each the size of a pigeon’s egg, resting quietly at the bottom of the Pill Furnace.
Ten Refined Pills!
"Success!"
Xu Yang couldn’t help but smile. With these ten Dragon and Tiger Great Gold Pills, he would soon be able to reach Marrow Cleansing Great Success.
Moreover, compared to items like the Profound Yuan Qi Transformation Pill or the Gathering Essence Pill, the Dragon and Tiger Great Gold Pill could be considered a strategic asset. It was valuable enough to be traded for other Spirit Medicines and Spirit Irons.
From now on, collecting Spirit Medicines and Spirit Irons would be much easier.
Taking out a Jade Box he had prepared in advance, he carefully placed the Dragon and Tiger Great Gold Pills inside.