The attendant respectfully guided Damian through the inner hallway of the Golden Medicine Pavilion.

Compared to the outer area filled with noise, customers, and the thick smell of various medicinal herbs, the inner part of the pavilion was much quieter.

The walls were decorated with elegant wooden shelves, and several faint formations could be seen glowing softly along the corners.

Even the spiritual Qi here seemed cleaner, mixed with a calming medicinal fragrance that made people feel strangely comfortable.

Damian followed behind the attendant casually, but inwardly, he was already feeling a little curious.

After all, pill recipes were apparently treated like precious inheritances, so if the manager was willing to personally meet him, then this manager probably had some status.

Soon, the attendant stopped in front of a private room and bowed politely. "Fellow cultivator, our manager is waiting inside."

Damian nodded. "Alright."

The attendant pushed the door open and gestured for him to enter.

Damian calmly walked inside, but the moment his gaze landed on the person sitting behind the table, he quickly froze.

Inside the room, there was a beautiful woman who could even surpass Violetta in beauty.

She had long emerald-green hair that flowed smoothly over her shoulders, and her eyes had the same deep emerald color.

Her facial features were mature, elegant, and flawless, giving her a graceful charm that felt completely different from ordinary beauties.

But the thing that shocked Damian was actually not her beauty, but her data. The moment he saw her, the screen appeared in front of him.

---

[Name: Esmeralda]

[Spiritual Root: Noble Grade Neutral Root]

[Physique: Mortal Body]

[Bloodline: Human]

[Cultivation: Ninth Stage Foundation Establishment Realm]

[Comprehension: Genius]

[Multiplier: 100×]

---

This Esmeralda had a fucking Noble Grade Spiritual Root, and not only that, she also had a fucking 100× multiplier, double Violetta’s original one.

That was why Damian was so shocked that he froze, as if his brain had stopped working for a moment.

Damian almost wanted to shout right there. "Fuck... what kind of monster treasure chest did I just find?"

But he quickly controlled himself because he knew where he was.

He was not inside his residence, but in the famous Golden Medicine Pavilion.

This Esmeralda was clearly not someone simple, so if he acted too strangely, he might ruin everything before he could even get started.

Meanwhile, Esmeralda looked at Damian’s frozen expression and chuckled softly. "It seems that fellow cultivator is quite surprised by my appearance."

Damian instantly snapped out of his thoughts and quickly coughed into his fist. "Ah, sorry about that. I just never expected you to be this beautiful."

Esmeralda only smiled because, in her eyes, Damian was like many other men, so she was already used to this kind of reaction.

But that didn’t mean she hated it. In fact, she even liked it a little, because it meant she could control the negotiation even better.

She turned toward the attendant and spoke lightly. "You may leave first."

The attendant immediately bowed. "Yes, Manager."

After saying that, he quietly left the room and closed the door behind him.

Now, only Damian and Esmeralda remained inside the room, and she gestured for Damian to sit in front of her. "Please sit."

Damian nodded and sat down calmly, though inwardly, he was still screaming.

Esmeralda smiled faintly. "My name is Esmeralda. I am the manager of this branch of the Golden Medicine Pavilion."

Damian smiled back and cupped his hands slightly. "Damian."

Esmeralda nodded. "Fellow cultivator Damian, I heard from my attendant that you wish to buy pill recipes."

Damian nodded directly. "Yeah. I want pill recipes and also all kinds of books related to alchemy."

Esmeralda’s expression paused slightly after hearing that. "All kinds of books related to alchemy?"

Damian nodded again. "Yes. Basic theory, herb classification, pill refinement methods, furnace control, flame control, pill failure records... anything useful for learning alchemy."

This time, Esmeralda was quite surprised and turned a bit more serious. "Wait a minute. Are you telling me that you are only just beginning to learn alchemy?"

Damian did not hide it and nodded honestly. "Yeah. Is there something wrong with that?"

Esmeralda stared at him for a moment before laughing softly. "No, no. There is nothing wrong with that. I am just a bit surprised."

She lightly tapped the table with her slender finger as she turned toward him.

"Usually, people who want to become alchemists first search for a master, and only after learning for a while do they dare to touch a pill recipe."

Her emerald eyes narrowed slightly with curiosity. "But you suddenly came here alone and asked to buy alchemy books and pill recipes directly. That is quite unusual."

Damian grinned confidently. "That’s because I’m a genius. I believe I can do it."

For a moment, the room became silent, and then Esmeralda smiled politely as she became even more interested in him.

"I see. I quite like your confidence, Sir Damian, so how about this?"

She tapped the table once before explaining. "Since you’re interested in learning alchemy, I can sell you some books."

Damian’s eyes brightened slightly. "Really?"

Esmeralda nodded. "Yes. I can give you basic alchemy theory books and even several beginner pill refinement experiences written by low-level alchemists."

She paused for a moment before continuing. "As for pill recipes, I can sell you one basic recipe first."

Damian leaned forward slightly. "Which one?"

Esmeralda smiled. "The Low-Rank Mortal Grade Body Nourishment Pill."

Damian blinked, as this pill was actually one of the most popular and common pills around. But he didn’t care, since he could use it for practice.

Damian nodded. "That’s fine. I’ll take it."

Esmeralda smiled. "Good."

Then she added, "But I should warn you first. Alchemy is not as easy as it looks. Many people think that as long as they memorize a pill recipe, they can refine pills. In reality, most beginners fail dozens or even hundreds of times before producing one barely usable pill."

Damian grinned. "Don’t worry. I already said I’m a genius."

Esmeralda looked at him for a moment, then chuckled again. "You really are confident."

Damian shrugged. "If I don’t even believe in myself, then what’s the point?"

Esmeralda’s gaze lingered on him for a moment longer, as for some reason, she found this young man quite interesting.

He looked young, but his confidence did not feel completely empty.

Most importantly, he did not look at her with the same greedy gaze as many other men.

He had been shocked by her appearance at first, yes, but after that, his eyes became strangely calculating instead of lustful, and that was why she became quite curious about him.

Finally, Esmeralda nodded. "Very well, then. I will have someone prepare the books and the recipe for you."

Damian smiled and cupped his hands. "Thank you, Manager Esmeralda."

Esmeralda smiled back. "No need to be so polite. As long as you can pay, we will naturally do business with you."

Damian laughed lightly. "That’s fair."