Chapter 694: This Is Going to Make a Fortune
The sudden change in tone caught Zi Ji off guard for a moment. Although he appeared to be only around forty or fifty years old, with not even a trace of white in his hair or beard, his actual age was well over a thousand years. He possessed a breadth of knowledge and experience that ordinary people could not imagine, and had endured a length of vicissitudes beyond common understanding.
Therefore, he could easily see through a person's cunning and heart. Yet now, facing this young man before him who was only twenty-two years old—dozens of times younger than himself—Zi Ji's gaze had become so sharp that it felt as if his very soul was being pierced.
Meeting Yun Che's eyes, Zi Ji hesitated for a breath, then let out a wry smile. "Truly an unbelievable sharpness of insight... No, I should say it's more like an instinct?"
"I admit, telling you about Xuanyuan Yufeng was indeed motivated by personal interest. But what I said earlier was not false in the slightest, nor did I intend to harm you. I was merely doing you a favor while also being glad to see the Tian Wei Sword Domain gain an enemy that could be described as unfathomable."
Yun Che smiled faintly. "I can believe that. If I truly sensed you had malicious intent towards me, I would not still be sitting properly before you."
When he first met Zi Ji three years ago, Yun Che had only felt that he must be of extraordinary status. Now, the more he spoke with him, the more he felt that both his strength and identity were unfathomable. Without further ado, Yun Che reached out, took out the shimmering purple mysterious coin card, and slapped it down in front of Zi Ji. "I've troubled Senior Zi for too long today. Let's get down to business. I need ninety thousand jin of Purgatory Rock, three hundred jin of Burning Demon Vine aged ninety years or more—if it's under ninety but over sixty years, I'll take double the quantity—six thousand Raksha Heart-Crushing Begonias, twelve thousand Skull Seeds, and six thousand Soul-Withering Grass..."
Without pause, Yun Che listed a total of forty-nine materials. If he had mentioned just one, it would not have seemed unusual, but all forty-nine that he named were extremely violent and explosive substances! Each one contained a high density of energy, and precisely for that reason, they were extremely dangerous—for instance, a three-inch length of Burning Demon Vine, if its corrosive power were released, could destroy a Heavenly Xuan realm expert in a matter of breaths.
Purple Vein Heavenly Crystal was precious not only because it contained a high density and level of power, but also because its energy was very gentle, easy to control, guide, and transform for various uses, or even directly absorb. However, the things Yun Che had just named, while also possessing extremely high energy, were at the opposite extreme. Their power attributes varied, but they all shared one common trait: they were extremely violent and extremely difficult to control!
Because of this "violent" nature, one or several of them could occasionally be used to make pills that could break through bottlenecks—but the success rate was undoubtedly abysmally low, accompanied by considerable risk.
Yet if successful, such bottleneck-breaking pills would undoubtedly be priceless treasures.
Therefore, although these forty-nine materials were of a high power level, the demand for them was low, and their prices were naturally not too high—after all, even the most advanced alchemist in all of Tian Xuan Continent would not dare to claim they could perfectly control any single one of them.
If one had to simultaneously control and guide several or even a dozen... maybe not even once in several decades could it succeed.
And Yun Che not only wanted all forty-nine of these violent substances—which were startling just to hear about—but the quantities were also astonishingly large.
The three young women beside him were utterly dumbfounded.
Zi Ji closed his eyes, and a small profound formation appeared in his slightly raised right hand. After a short while, the formation vanished. Opening his eyes, he let out a slight breath and said, "The Black Moon has all forty-nine of these materials in stock, but none are in the quantities you need. To gather them all will take some time."
"How long?" Yun Che asked calmly. He was well aware that the amounts he required were huge, and no other merchant guild could supply them all. But the Black Moon Merchant Guild should not disappoint him—as long as he could pay enough profound coins.
"Purgatory Rock needs to be collected from the depths of lava. For ninety thousand jin, it will take roughly fifteen days. As for the others, they can be gathered within five days," Zi Ji answered.
"Good!" Yun Che nodded. "Then I'll come again in fifteen days. Please give me a quote, Senior Zi. To put the Black Moon at ease, I'll pay half in advance."
Although he spoke with confidence, Yun Che was a little anxious inside. He currently had over nine million Purple Mysterious Coins, enough to buy a small city. These materials were not absurdly expensive, and though the quantities were large, he should still be able to afford them... right?
If he couldn't, he could always consider leeching some from the Phoenix God Sect.
Zi Ji did not haggle over money with him and nodded. "That is best. Although these are not priceless treasures, they are still quite valuable. My preliminary estimate of the total price is eight million Purple Mysterious Coins! As for the deposit, let it be half as you said."
Eight million—Purple Mysterious Coins at that—was undoubtedly an astronomical figure, even for the Black Moon headquarters, it was a large sum. Yun Che breathed a silent sigh of relief, cleanly pushed the coin card over to Zi Ji, and paid four million Purple Mysterious Coins.
After paying the remaining balance, the ten million Purple Mysterious Coins he had extorted from the Xiao Sect would be basically depleted...
Yun Che groaned inwardly. He had originally thought this huge fortune would be enough to squander for several lifetimes. Never did he expect... Sigh! He was about to go broke.
After the deposit was paid, Zi Ji hesitated briefly and with difficulty. Finally, he asked, "Yun Che, the Black Moon Merchant Guild never inquires about what our esteemed guests purchase or for what purpose. But I am genuinely curious. These forty-nine materials are all of the most violent and explosive kind, and in such astonishing quantities. What exactly are you going to use them for? Haha, if it's convenient, I would appreciate your insight. If not, just laugh it off. This old man will not press further, nor will I investigate secretly."
Yun Che smiled, turned his palm over, and placed a deep brown round pill on the stone table. Instantly, a rich, pungent medicinal aroma began to spread at an alarming rate, causing the three girls beside him to furrow their brows simultaneously.
"May I trouble Senior Zi to appraise this pill? If I were to entrust it to the Black Moon Merchant Guild for auction, what price could it fetch?"
"This is..." Zi Ji's gaze immediately locked onto it. Just from its aura, he could tell this was no ordinary pill. He extended two fingers, carefully picked it up, and held it before his eyes. The pill was very lustrous and translucent; Zi Ji's gaze could pass directly through it and see Yun Che's face clearly. What startled him most was the aura it emitted. After a brief observation, he concentrated his spirit and slowly infused his profound energy into it...
In just an instant, Zi Ji suddenly raised his head and exclaimed with deep surprise, "This is a precious pill that can break through extremely high bottlenecks!!"
"And it can directly break through below the Overlord Xuan realm!"
"Directly break through below Overlord Xuan"—these words, Zi Ji shouted with great shock. Even ordinary profound practitioners, let alone the masters of the Four Sacred Grounds, would be astounded upon hearing them.
Because the meaning was clear: this pill could eliminate all bottlenecks below the Overlord Xuan realm!
This pill was the "Overlord Pill" from the Huan Yao Realm, which could allow a profound practitioner at the peak of King Xuan to directly break through the bottleneck and become an Overlord Emperor. However, the difference was that the Overlord Pill of the Huan Yao Realm was refined from thirty-six materials, while the one Yun Che had presented was made from forty-nine, and its quality was flawless. In terms of medicinal power, it was incomparable to the Overlord Pill crafted by the Illusion Demon Royal Clan.
"Senior Zi indeed has sharp eyes." Yun Che praised with sincerity. With such a simple test, Zi Ji had accurately stated the effect of the Overlord Pill—this was far beyond the ability of ordinary people. "Please enlighten me, Senior, roughly what price it could fetch?"
Zi Ji's spirit was now completely absorbed by the Overlord Pill. As his profound energy detection deepened, his usually calm face showed increasingly obvious astonishment. After a full dozen breaths of silence, he slowly set the Overlord Pill down and looked at Yun Che, shaking his head. "In all my life, I have come across countless spiritual pills and rare treasures. I can usually identify their authenticity and value the moment I hold them... But this precious pill—its value is truly difficult for me to estimate."
"Pills that can break through bottlenecks must have extremely fierce medicinal properties. Hence, they are not only extremely difficult to refine but also carry high risks when consumed. The higher the bottleneck, the harder it is to refine and the greater the risk. A pill that can break through the Heavenly Xuan bottleneck with moderate risk is already a priceless treasure even in the Four Sacred Grounds, reserved only for the most core young disciples. And this precious pill..."
Zi Ji spoke with unstoppable excitement. "The medicinal power contained within is wondrous, complex, and incomparably domineering. Its aura numbers in the dozens, and just binding them together would be as difficult as ascending to heaven. Even more astonishing is that, under the fusion of these dozens of domineering powers, their reaction to external force is extremely gentle and easy to control. A profound practitioner with Overlord Xuan realm strength can easily guide it. A practitioner who has reached the peak of King Xuan and is stuck at the bottleneck can, after swallowing this pill, become an Overlord Emperor in just a day or two, without failure—unless disturbed by external forces. Moreover, the entire process is completely risk-free; there is no need to worry about the medicinal power going berserk and backlashing."
"Even more astonishing is its purity. The medicinal aura is flawless. I probed it several times just now but found no impurities whatsoever! A precious pill of this level with such purity—I have lived over a thousand years and have only seen it now for the first time."
Zi Ji's lavish praise and astonishment did not seem particularly remarkable to Yun Che, since this Overlord Pill was made by his own hands. He knew its medicinal power and purity better than anyone, and was only slightly surprised that Zi Ji was so knowledgeable about pills. But the three girls beside him widened their beautiful eyes, their mouths hanging open for a long time...
Because this was the first time they had heard such "exaggerated" praise from Zi Ji.
"Since this pill has received such high praise from Senior Zi, then if it were sold to the Four Sacred Grounds, could one pill be exchanged for three liang of Purple Vein Divine Crystal?" Yun Che asked very seriously.
Divine objects like Purple Vein Divine Crystal—only powers like the Four Sacred Grounds, with ten thousand years of accumulated heritage, could supply in large quantities. Some ordinary sects might not even have seen what Purple Vein Divine Crystal looks like.
"Hehe," Zi Ji laughed, then shook his head and slowly extended two fingers toward Yun Che.
"Oh, about two liang?" Yun Che nodded slowly. But he was not disappointed at all, because Purple Vein Divine Crystal was extremely rare and precious. A pill that cost him very little to make could be exchanged for as much as two liang of Purple Vein Divine Crystal—that was already an incredible bargain.
"No!" Zi Ji shook his head again. "Two jin!"
"Huh?" Yun Che was stunned.
"You have underestimated the value and rarity of such bottleneck-breaking pills." Zi Ji said with a sigh. "Purple Vein Divine Crystal is certainly precious. It can drastically increase a profound practitioner's power in a short time. But if one is stuck at a bottleneck and cannot break through, no amount of Purple Vein Divine Crystal is of any use. In places like the Four Sacred Grounds, bottlenecks below the King Xuan realm can be forcibly broken through with the help of several Emperor Lords. But at the peak of King Xuan, the bottleneck leading to the Overlord Xuan realm cannot be broken through even with the power of Emperor Lords. In the past ten thousand years, how many talented youths of the Sacred Grounds, eager to break through the King Xuan bottleneck as soon as possible and not fall behind, have desperately cultivated and meditated while also painstakingly searching for precious pills that could assist them in breaking through? Yet precious pills that can break through the King Xuan bottleneck are rare in the world. When one is obtained by chance, it is always given to the most core disciples of the sect. And such pills often come with uncontrollable risks. How many highly positioned, talented young disciples have suffered backlash from such pills, damaged their meridians, reduced their talent, and destroyed their profound path? And those who do not dare or are unwilling to use external help—how many have remained stuck at the King Xuan bottleneck for years or even decades, unable to break through, and when they finally do, they have fallen far behind and become mediocre?"
"And this pill in my hand not only directly breaks through the King Xuan bottleneck but also carries no risk—and even has a considerable effect on breaking through the Overlord Xuan bottleneck."
Even though he had already given so much praise, Zi Ji's eyes still sparkled with wonder. "If this pill were known to the Four Sacred Grounds, it would surely cause an uproar. They would pay a huge price to compete for it. Two jin of Purple Vein Divine Crystal is still a conservative estimate, after all, obtaining this precious pill would allow a junior to break through to Overlord Emperor in the shortest time, giving the sect a powerful pillar in the future."
"Oh..." Yun Che's gaze became unfocused. Damn, this is going to make a fortune!
"Yun Che, would you be willing to tell me the name of this precious pill and which master refined it?" Zi Ji asked eagerly. He was very familiar with the highest-level alchemists of Tian Xuan Continent. But none of them could possibly refine such a precious pill—if they could, he would have known long ago.
"Oh, this pill was refined casually, so it hasn't been named yet." Yun Che said calmly. He couldn't very well say the name "Overlord Pill" because if there were records about the Huan Yao Realm's "Overlord Pill" in Tian Xuan Continent, that would be troublesome. Besides, its effects far surpassed that of the Overlord Pill, so not calling it that was fine.
"Hehe," Zi Ji shook his head with a smile. "I find that hard to believe. Such a precious pill—one alone would shake the world. How could it be casually refined? Since it's inconvenient to tell, I naturally won't ask further."
Yun Che glanced at him, the corner of his mouth turning up, and flipped his left hand.
With a clattering sound, over thirty Overlord Pills were tossed by Yun Che onto the stone table, as casually as if he were throwing out a handful of candies.