Chapter 33 A Face Full of Righteousness, Words of Stern Morality

"Hmm?"

Eldrin raised an eyebrow, studying him briefly before giving a slight nod at his visibly tense expression.

"I'll take it, but I must verify its authenticity."

"This..."

The youth cast a somewhat fearful glance at Eldrin. The treasures he carried were far too valuable—if others were to catch sight of them, they might very well be tempted to kill him for his possessions.

He hesitated for a moment, recalling the inquiries he had made before coming. The Mu Family's Xuanming Pavilion had been in operation for over 5 100 years, accumulating 5 to 6 centuries' worth of reputation and credibility. It seemed trustworthy.

Moreover, this man had righteous features and an extraordinary demeanor, hardly resembling a villain.

At this thought, he gritted his teeth and still handed over an ancient tome.

"This is my family's heirloom alchemy manual, there cannot be any mistake."

"As long as you pay 5 100 spirit stones, I'll sell it to you."

Eldrin opened the alchemy manual, took a brief glance, and hastily closed it again.

He stared at the young man and spoke without preamble.

"I will give you 1,000 spirit stones, but you must swear a Heart Demon Oath that you will never resell this alchemy manual to anyone else, nor shall you impart its knowledge to another soul."

"This..."

The young man hesitated slightly. This pill recipe was worth a fortune, and he did entertain thoughts of selling it to multiple buyers.

Seeing his hesitation, Eldrin (Person Name) scoffed, "If this pill recipe is sold too widely, it becomes nothing more than a piece of paper that can be copied. By then, it won’t be worth anything."

"You should also understand the principle that 'treasure invites disaster.' With your current cultivation level, each additional pill formula you sell increases the risk of being murdered for your treasures."

"If you sell too much, even if someone wants to avenge you later, they likely won't know who exactly killed you."

Hearing this, the young man also found the reasoning sound. He glanced once more at the signboard of Xuanming Pavilion (Shop Name) before finally nodding.

"I can sell it to you, but I require immediate payment upon delivery."

"Agreed!"

Eldrin nodded and directly retrieved 1,000 spirit stones from his storage pouch.

At the sight of the spirit stones, the young man's eyes lit up, and his anxious heart finally settled.

"This person can produce so many spirit stones in 1 go; he must hold no ordinary status within the Mu Family."

"With the Eldrin Pavilion's 5-100-year reputation and his status, I doubt he would stoop to deceiving me."

At this thought, the youth made a Heart Demon Oath, exchanged the goods and payment in 1 smooth motion, and completed the transaction.

When the proprietress emerged, she happened to see the youth bidding farewell to Eldrin before stepping out of the Xuanming Pavilion.

"What is that?" the female shopkeeper couldn't help but ask.

"I happened to run into a good friend of mine just now, so we exchanged a few words."

Eldrin declared with an unwavering righteous aura, his words ringing with moral conviction.

He then took the Bellheart Grass with 1 hand, paid the spirit stones, and swiftly turned to leave the Xuanming Pavilion.

After leaving the Xuanming Pavilion, he returned to his residence with a heart brimming with excitement and opened the alchemy manual.

This was a complete set of alchemy manuals, compiled by a senior alchemist in his later years by integrating all the various pill formulas he had mastered throughout his life.

This alchemical compendium contained a total of 20-6 pill formulas, among which 17 were first-tier formulas and 9 were second-tier formulas.

Setting aside first-tier formulas, among the 9 second-tier formulas were 5 low-grade, 3 mid-grade, and 1 high-grade.

Among this set of alchemy formulas, 2 of the 5 second-tier low-grade formulas overlapped with those in the Chen Family's collection.

The other 3 elixir recipes were the Spirit-Gathering Pill, the Blood-Unblocking Pill, and the Meridian-Breaking Pill.

The Essence-Gathering Pill is a potent elixir that greatly replenishes true essence, capable of instantly restoring a vast amount of a cultivator's spiritual energy. In essence, this pill is a condensed amalgamation of spiritual qi. While its refinement process is not particularly complex, it requires a rare second-tier spirit fruit as a core ingredient.

Moreover, this Spirit-Gathering Pill can increase a cultivator's chance of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm by 10 percent. Though the boost may seem modest, it is exceptionally precious.

The Elixir of Stasis Dissolution is a second-tier healing pill, capable of restoring physical injuries and offering considerable efficacy even for Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The Breakthrough Elixir could assist Foundation Establishment cultivators in overcoming bottlenecks. When advancing from Foundation Establishment, Early Stage to Foundation Establishment, Mid Stage, cultivators needed to refine their true essence. Those with mediocre aptitude often remained stuck at this stage for several decades.

With the Primordial Rupture Pill, this process could be drastically accelerated, significantly enhancing the probability of breaking through to Foundation Establishment, Mid Stage (Cultivation Realm).

3 Tier 2 medium-grade pill formulas were obtained, with only 1 overlapping with the Chen Family's existing collection. The other 2 were the Spirit-Concentrating Pill (Spiritual Object) and the Explosive Origin Pill (Spiritual Object).

The Spirit-Concentrating Pill (Spiritual Object) is an elixir that enhances spiritual sense. This pill can increase a Foundation Establishment cultivator's spiritual sense by 30 percent. Cultivators with formidable spiritual awareness often see a slight improvement in their chances of success when breaking through to the Purple Mansion realm.

This demonstrates the rarity of such a pill. Unfortunately, a cultivator can only consume 1 of these pills in their entire lifetime; otherwise, its value would have multiplied several times over.

As for the Exploding Origin Pill, it is a medicinal elixir capable of enhancing a cultivator's true essence. Upon consumption, this pill temporarily boosts the true essence of a Foundation Establishment, Mid Stage (Cultivation Realm) cultivator by 50 percent, elevating them to a level comparable to a Foundation Establishment, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm) cultivator.

However, this pill carries significant side effects. After consuming 1 pill, a cultivator's meridians are often severely damaged, rendering them unable to engage in combat for 10 years. Any reckless use of spiritual power during this period risks having their meridians shattered entirely.

The final second-grade, superior-tier pill formula was the first of its kind that the Chen Clan had ever obtained.

This elixir was none other than the renowned Foundation Establishment Pill (Spiritual Object). As the most widely circulated alchemical formula, the Foundation Establishment Pill (Spiritual Object) held such paramount importance that countless alchemists sought ways to preserve it in their collections.

However, the Foundation Establishment Pill (Spiritual Object) was exceptionally difficult to refine. Though classified as a second-grade superior elixir formula, its crafting complexity rivaled that of ordinary third-grade elixirs.

Generally speaking, alchemists capable of refining Foundation Establishment Pill (Spiritual Object) could already be considered third-tier alchemists, albeit marginally.

Moreover, he discovered that this set of alchemical formulas also contained the compiler's personal refining notes. The youth's ancestors must have been highly skilled alchemists.

He had previously refined all the elixirs listed in the alchemical formula and meticulously recorded the key points of crafting these prescriptions, annotating potential issues that alchemists might encounter.

"This time, I've truly stumbled upon an incredible bargain."

"If the Mu Family were to find out, they'd likely cough up a mouthful of blood in fury."

Eldrin closed the alchemy manual, unable to suppress a faint smile. This collection of notes from a high-level alchemist alone was priceless, offering him immense inspiration.

The value of this set of alchemy manuals, if brought to an auction, would likely fetch at least 6,000 spirit stones. The formula for the Foundation Establishment Pill (Spiritual Object) alone is probably worth over 3,000 spirit stones.

That young man simply didn't know the value of what he had. When he casually named his price at 500 spirit stones, Eldrin almost felt guilty about taking advantage of the situation. In the end, he raised the offer to 1,000 spirit stones for the youth.

This incidentally saved the young man’s life, for had he dared to sell the same goods to 3 different parties, his cultivation level would have ensured he met his end the moment he stepped beyond the Yu Yang Market.

"My rapid progress in alchemy is significantly related to the alchemy notes left by Uncle Qing Meng back then."

"With this alchemy manual now in my possession, my pill refining skills are likely to advance by leaps and bounds in the days to come."