Fang Hao took stock of his assets, and his heart was filled with worry.

He had broken through to the seventh layer of Qi Refining, but his savings were completely drained. The Myriad Manifestations Heaven Swallowing Art was powerful indeed, but these Seven Spiritual Roots were like a bottomless pit, capable of swallowing any amount of resources he threw at them. The time-slowing function of the qiankun ring was useful, but even the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice; without Spirit Stones or Medicinal Pills, having extra time was useless.

Last time he went to the Secret Realm with Senior Sister Liang Ling, although he shared many good items, he had spent almost all his savings on a large number of Talismans and Medicinal Pills to prepare for that expedition. Now, there were only a little over a hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones left in his storage ring, and his contribution points were nearly depleted.

"I need to find a way to earn Spirit Stones," Fang Hao mused, stroking his chin.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration hit him—with the qiankun ring’s time-slowing function, he could use it for Alchemy and Talisman crafting! While it took others a whole day to refine a batch of pills, it would only take him a little over two hours inside the ring! With this efficiency, it would be hard not to get rich!

No sooner said than done. Fang Hao immediately set off for the Sect’s Qingyun Market.

The Qingyun Market was bustling with activity, filled with Disciples setting up stalls and Cultivators coming and going. The sounds of hawking and haggling rose and fell in succession.

"High Grade Magical Artifacts, selling cheap!"

"Freshly picked Spiritual Plants, full of medicinal properties!"

"Teaming up to hunt Demon Beasts, need a Formation Master!"

Fang Hao first took a lap around the market to get a feel for the prices. Talismans and Medicinal Pills were hard currency, never lacking buyers. Low-level bigu pills and qi gathering pills had the highest sales volume; though the profit was thin, the turnover was high. The same went for Talismans; the lowest-level Cleansing Talismans and Fireball Talismans sold the best.

He first found a stall and spent dozens of Spirit Stones to buy ’An Introduction to Talisman Crafting’ and ’An Introduction to Alchemy.’ He then gritted his teeth and bought the cheapest talisman paper, cinnabar, talisman ink, and a balding talisman brush.

The Pill Furnace was more troublesome. Even the cheapest one cost fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones, which Fang Hao simply couldn’t afford. Just as he was worrying, he suddenly saw a stall selling second-hand goods.

"Fellow Daoist, take a look at this Pill Furnace?" The stall owner was a fat Cultivator who promoted it enthusiastically. "Although it’s a bit old, it’s definitely functional! Only thirty Spirit Stones!"

Fang Hao looked closely; the Pill Furnace was indeed old, with several cracks on it, but the main structure was intact.

"Twenty Spirit Stones, and I’ll take it," Fang Hao bargained.

"Twenty-five, that’s the lowest!"

"Twenty-two, or I’m leaving."

"Deal!"

Fang Hao paid twenty-two Low-Grade Spirit Stones—this was the last of his savings. He also bought some common Spiritual Plants for refining bigu pills and qi gathering pills before heading back home.

Returning to his residence, Fang Hao immediately began studying ’An Introduction to Alchemy.’ First, he had to Cultivate pill fire, which was the foundation of Alchemy.

Fortunately, a cultivation level of the seventh layer of Qi Refining was enough to condense pill fire. Fang Hao followed the method in the book, attempting to transform the Qi in his body into flames.

On his first attempt, a flame sputtered out, nearly singeing his eyebrows. On the second, the heat was insufficient and it went out instantly. The third time... the fourth time...

Under the time-slowing effect of the qiankun ring, Fang Hao practiced for the equivalent of twenty whole days, finally succeeding in Cultivating a stable pill fire after two days in the outside world!

A cluster of pale yellow flame danced in his palm; the temperature was controllable, and its size followed his will.

"Success!" Fang Hao was incredibly excited.

Next was fire control practice. The most critical part of Alchemy was controlling the heat; a bit too much and it burns, a bit too little and it’s undercooked.

Fang Hao first practiced with the cheapest Spiritual Plants. Under the time-slowing effect, he repeatedly practiced fire control techniques, starting over whenever he failed; after all, he had plenty of time inside the ring.

Three days passed in the outside world, but Fang Hao had practiced for the equivalent of a month inside the ring! His fire control technique was now quite proficient.

He began attempting to refine bigu pills. These were the most basic Medicinal Pills, with simple ingredients and uncomplicated processes.

During the first refinement, he didn’t master the heat, and the whole batch of pills was ruined, turning into a lump of black sludge.

The second time, the timing for Fusion was wrong, and the pills wouldn’t take shape.

The third time, he was too hasty in collecting the pills, and they exploded...

After more than a dozen failures, Fang Hao finally succeeded in refining a batch of bigu pills. Although the quality was average, they were indeed completed pills!

With the first successful experience, things went much smoother afterward. His success rate climbed higher and higher, and the quality of the pills improved as well.

Once he was proficient with bigu pills, Fang Hao began attempting to refine qi gathering pills. These were more difficult than bigu pills, but they were helpful for cultivation and had good sales.

Similarly, after many failures, Fang Hao finally mastered the refinement techniques for qi gathering pills.

Next was Talisman crafting. Compared to Alchemy, Talisman crafting was easier for Fang Hao—he had a foundation in Formations, and Talisman runes shared similarities with Formation patterns.

He learned how to make the lowest-level Talismans like Cleansing Talismans and Fireball Talismans almost instantly. Soon, he was able to mass-produce them.

With finished products in hand, Fang Hao returned to the Qingyun Market and set up a small stall.

"bigu pills, qi gathering pills, selling cheap!"

"Various common Talismans, discounts for bulk orders!"

Business was average at first; everyone saw he was a new face and didn’t quite trust the quality of his pills. Fang Hao wasn’t in a hurry and gave away a few for free to let people test the effects.

Sure enough, those who tried them found his pills were effective and cheap, and they returned to buy more. The same went for the Talismans; the quality was stable and the price was fair.

Gradually, Fang Hao’s small stall gained repeat customers. Sometimes, as soon as he set up, old customers would buy out his entire stock.

Fang Hao’s business philosophy was simple: small profits, quick turnover. While others sold qi gathering pills for three Spirit Stones each, he sold them for two. While others sold Cleansing Talismans for one Spirit Stone each, he sold three for two Spirit Stones.

Anyway, he had the qiankun ring; his time cost was ten times lower than others, and his efficiency was ten times higher, so he wasn’t afraid to sell cheap.

In a month, Fang Hao actually earned over five hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones! This was more than all his previous income combined!

With Spirit Stones in hand, Fang Hao began upgrading his equipment. He replaced his Pill Furnace with a better one, and bought higher-quality talisman brushes and Spiritual Plants. He also bought a ’Compendium of Basic Pill Formulas’ to learn how to refine more types of Medicinal Pills.

As his business grew larger, Fang Hao couldn’t manage it alone. He simply hired an Outer Sect Disciple to help watch the stall while he focused on production and developing new products.

Now, he didn’t just sell the lowest-level pills and Talismans; he also began refining some Intermediate products. Items like qi recovery pills and Healing Powder offered higher profits.

In terms of Talismans, he also started making practical ones like Light-Body Talismans and Protection Talismans, which were very popular among Disciples going out on missions.

With his pockets full, Fang Hao’s cultivation resources were also sufficient. Aided by a large number of Medicinal Pills and the qiankun ring, his cultivation level rose steadily, soon reaching the Middle Stage of the seventh layer of Qi Refining.

With half a month left before the Outer Sect Grand Competition, Fang Hao had already amassed a small fortune and was considered a somewhat famous supplier of pills and Talismans in the Qingyun Market.

One day, while Fang Hao was refining a batch of qi gathering pills, he had a sudden realization and tried to integrate a trace of the Myriad Manifestations Heaven Swallowing Art’s Qi into the pill fire.

To his surprise, this attempt led to an unexpected discovery—the pill fire infused with the Myriad Manifestations Heaven Swallowing Art’s Qi significantly improved the quality of the refined pills! The medicinal effect was more than thirty percent stronger than ordinary pills!

Fang Hao was overjoyed. This was practically a secret recipe! From now on, he wouldn’t have to worry about selling his pills!

Sure enough, as soon as this batch of special qi gathering pills hit the market, they were instantly snatched up. Customers reported that the effects were exceptionally good, even better than those sold in some established shops.

Fang Hao’s business became even more explosive, with products in short supply every day. He had to increase production, spending all day immersed in the qiankun ring refining pills and crafting Talismans.

Although it was tiring, seeing the Spirit Stones pour in made Fang Hao feel wonderful. At this rate, by the time of the Grand Competition, he would have saved enough Spirit Stones to buy a decent Magical Artifact.

One day, while Fang Hao was busy at his stall, several uninvited guests suddenly arrived.

The leader was a Cultivator with a face full of scars who looked like trouble. He picked up a bottle of qi gathering pills, looked at it, and suddenly slammed it onto the ground!

"Fake medicine peddler! There’s something wrong with your pills!" the scarred Cultivator roared. "My Junior Brother took your pills and almost suffered Qi Deviation while cultivating!"

Fang Hao’s heart sank, knowing that trouble-seekers had arrived.