"Quiet down! Elder Sun told us to come at this hour. He must have his reasons!"

"Exactly! The beauties are leaving in two days, so we have to show our support!"

"Sigh," one of them said in a low, melancholic voice.

"Last night, Yan’Er tearfully said goodbye to me. The fair maiden couldn’t bear to part... It was truly... sigh!"

Hearing the melancholic chatter rising from outside, Bai Mo’s temples throbbed and his chest ached with a dull pain.

He removed the door bolt and applied a bit of force.

"BANG!"

The wooden door swung open.

The few Cultivators huddled furtively outside were startled, their faces pale in the moonlight.

Seeing them panic and shove each other with unsteady steps, Bai Mo doubted if their bodies could even withstand the pill’s potency.

"You... you’re Alchemist Bai!?"

Bai Mo’s face was devoid of expression.

"That’s right. Did Sun Qiao tell you to come?"

Sun Qiao was, in fact, the name of his "good neighbor."

The Cultivators immediately nodded repeatedly and sidled up to him eagerly.

"Indeed. Elder Sun sounded us out about this before, and he was the one who notified us today."

Bai Mo glanced at the sky.

"Why come at such an hour?"

The Cultivators were dressed in brocade robes, clearly not the type to be short on money.

Yet, meeting Bai Mo’s gaze, as calm as still water, they felt a little flustered.

"This... Is this not the right time to come?"

"Elder Sun also arranged for this time, but we don’t know where he went, so we came ahead..."

"Er, besides, by the time we washed up, freshened ourselves, and applied some scented powder, it was already about this late."

Bai Mo had no intention of inviting them inside. He turned and went back into his room.

"Wait."

Back in his room, Bai Mo rummaged around for a moment, placing each Fire Marrow Pill into its own vial.

Behind him, the Cultivators couldn’t help but peek into the room.

"As expected of a Pill Master, he certainly has a unique temperament!"

"A Tier Two Pill... I’ve never even taken one at home..."

"..."

After the men had whispered among themselves for a few moments, Bai Mo came back out, holding several pill vials.

"The price is twenty Spirit Stones. Non-negotiable."

Bai Mo studied their expressions. Seeing no sign of pained reluctance at the price, he sighed to himself.

"This pill has been appraised by a Qi Refining Eighth Layer Cultivator. It is a first-rate pill for cultivation."

"It is especially suitable for Cultivators with yang or fire-aspected constitutions!"

The Cultivators immediately clapped their hands and showered him with praise.

"Alchemist Bai is a great talent!"

"Such profound skill! You’ve truly mastered your craft! The pill’s fragrance alone could lead one into a wondrous state..."

Bai Mo couldn’t stand their flowery language and cut straight to the point.

"Who wants one?"

"Me!"

The Cultivators swarmed forward. After several embroidered pouches were placed in Bai Mo’s hands, the pill vials he was holding were all gone.

Disregarding all etiquette, the Cultivators impatiently opened their vials. Sniffing the Pill Qi within, some of their faces took on expressions of sheer bliss.

"So this is a Tier Two Pill!?"

"My older brother uses pills to aid his cultivation. I’ve seen his, but none were of this quality..."

The Cultivators exchanged glances, a fire seemingly igniting in their eyes. They were filled with the drive to go all out!

Bai Mo surveyed their expressions and finally couldn’t resist saying,

"This pill is excellent for cultivation. It’s more than twice as potent as the Tier One Pills on the market..."

The Cultivators listened intently, nodding from time to time.

"Alchemist Bai is right. I’m a promising talent in my family, you know."

"Our family’s guards have praised my unusual constitution, saying I have a special talent for cultivation..."

"That’s right! I’m already at the fourth layer at my young age. Who dares say I’m not a genius?!"

As they were boasting about their glorious achievements, one of them had a realization.

"Hey! That’s right! We’re all serious Cultivators, dedicated to the path. What’s so unusual about buying pills for cultivation?"

Hearing this, the others also came to their senses.

"How outrageous! Our reputations have been unfairly tarnished!"

Bai Mo saw the clamoring group off.

Returning to his room, he opened the embroidered pouches and saw they were filled to the brim with Spirit Stones.

’In just a short while, I’ve made one hundred and twenty Spirit Stones.’

Bai Mo let out a breath.

’Spirit Stones earned through the Alchemy Dao really do come quickly.’

’Piled high with resources like this, unless my aptitude is truly terrible, reaching Foundation Establishment shouldn’t be too difficult.’

With his hands behind his back, Bai Mo pondered for a long moment before lying down on his bed.

’No wonder you rarely see older Pill Masters with low cultivation levels.’

’I’ve heard that others use Arrays to draw Spiritual Qi from Spirit Stones, supplementing their meditation with pills. Their cultivation progresses as if divinely aided!’

Bai Mo’s mind raced with these scattered thoughts.

’Another day, I’ll definitely have to try it!’

Just as he was thinking this, the voice of his good neighbor, Sun Qiao, drifted faintly to his ears.

"How could you fall for that woman’s tricks!?"

"I told you before, that woman looked shady! I told you to stay away from her!"

Sun Qiao’s tone was one of flustered exasperation.

"Forget it. I’ll go ask Alchemist Bai for you in a bit, see if there’s any hope..."

BANG!

Bai Mo’s window flew open, startling Sun Qiao, who was walking by. He froze right in front of it.

Bai Mo said coolly, "Although I have some minor accomplishments in the Alchemy Dao, I have not yet dabbled in the art of medicine."

"If you are ill, you can seek treatment at Saint Hand Hall."

Sun Qiao snapped back to his senses. Realizing the person in question had overheard him, he gave a sheepish grin.

He gestured for the person behind him to step forward.

"It’s not about seeking treatment—he’s already been. Shopkeeper Bai, please take a look!"

A man stepped out timidly, his head bowed.

Bai Mo took one look and was shocked as well.

The man was gaunt, with protruding joints, and his brocade robe hung loosely on his frame.

The occasional glance he cast seemed to burn with a wildfire, suffused with a strange light.

Even though Bai Mo knew nothing of medicine, he recognized this as something akin to the final flare of life before death.

"Wasted away to skin and bones... I fear his very essence has been overdrawn. Fellow Daoist, what have you been through?"

Sun Qiao sighed, a look of exasperation on his face, as if scolding the man for his own foolishness.

"He took a liking to a shady woman, couldn’t resist getting involved, and ended up being drained like this. It serves him right!"

The man couldn’t help but try to explain.

"Ah Lian didn’t even benefit that much... I checked, her cultivation hasn’t improved..."

Sun Qiao was rendered speechless with anger.

Bai Mo interjected, "It wasn’t necessarily a vitality-draining technique. A cultivator’s yang energy has many uses beyond personal absorption."

The Alchemy Dao also had such methods, similar to the creation of a Human Pill. They were all techniques that involved borrowing qi to achieve a result.

Sun Qiao looked over. "Shopkeeper Bai, do you have any pills that can replenish qi and benefit the body?"

Bai Mo looked at him and said coolly, "Twenty Spirit Stones."

The man immediately handed over the Spirit Stones.

Bai Mo took them, tossed out a pill vial, and the man hastily fumbled to catch it.

Sun Qiao asked in surprise, "What kind of pill is this, to have such an effect?"

Bai Mo snorted coldly.

"The Fire Marrow Pill. It drives yang energy into the very bones and nourishes the body, making it perfectly suited for this condition."

"And just what did you think the Fire Marrow Pill was for, Daoist Sun?"

Sun Qiao looked abashed and also handed over some Spirit Stones.

"Give me one as well."

Bai Mo tossed out another pill vial.

"I have twelve pills left. Have your people come get them quickly. I need to rest for a while."

"Don’t worry." Sun Qiao’s eyes darted about as an idea struck him.

"I’ll round up a few more tonight, and that will be all of them. Just you wait, Shopkeeper Bai."

...

Sun Qiao was true to his word. By the end of the night, all of Bai Mo’s Fire Marrow Pills were sold out.

With the Spirit Stones he needed now gathered, Bai Mo didn’t rush to find Li Hu.

Instead, he had a full night’s sleep, then went to a tavern near the city gate.

A waiter enthusiastically brought over the Demon Beast meat that Bai Mo had ordered.

"It’s a soft-shelled turtle, stewed in this pot for four hours."

"You look exhausted, Shopkeeper Bai. You really must get some rest!"

Bai Mo was quite satisfied. He put down three Spirit Stones and left with the jar.

The turtle soup was deeply nourishing. Well-fed and well-rested, Bai Mo casually circulated his Spiritual Qi the next day and broke through to the next realm.

His vitality and spirit were instantly restored by a good measure.

With no time for idle reflection, Bai Mo counted his Spirit Stones and ambled over to Li Hu’s home.