Chapter 46: Throwing the Match, Are We?

"How is the restocking going? And what if you don't restock?"

Luo Chen spoke with a hint of nervousness. "If I don't restock, then that becomes my personal secret. If I am to restock, I will expand production as much as possible to meet your needs."

"Haha!"

Seeing his awkward manner, Kang Dongyue burst into laughter, and Manager Liu beside him laughed as well.

Then, Kang Dongyue said regretfully, "I'm afraid we cannot cooperate. Low-grade pills have quite significant side effects. If something goes wrong, I fear my Kang family would not be able to withstand the wrath of certain people."

In other words, cooperation was off the table.

Luo Chen was not disappointed; he was actually well aware of the flaws of the *Zhongmiao* Pills.

When selling them normally, he would often instruct buyers to enjoy them to their heart's content but not to excess. Furthermore, since his current sales volume was low and his clientele mostly consisted of those living for the moment, he hadn't encountered much trouble yet.

The solution to these troubles was simple: upgrading the grade of the pills—removing enough impurities while retaining the medicinal potency.

Luo Chen was confident he could achieve this quickly.

Based on his experience with *Bigu* Pills, the entry and proficient levels were low-grade. The expert and perfect levels were mid-grade pills. Once he broke through to the Grandmaster level, they could be elevated to high-grade pills.

But he couldn't say that!

After chatting for a few more sentences, Manager Liu led Kang Dongyue away, saying he would host a banquet for him at Zhongding's place.

Dahao Workshop was close to the Million Mountains, and some local specialties were enough to pique the interest of Kang Dongyue, who came from Taishan Workshop.

From beginning to end, he never asked Luo Chen if he could refine mid-grade *Zhongmiao* Pills.

The answer was obvious: Luo Chen's current production was not high. Given that he couldn't increase the frequency of refinement, it was clear he couldn't raise the pill grade, let alone the fact that he was a rogue cultivator.

After they left, Luo Chen realized Bai Meiling was standing quietly in the corner.

"Your herbs."

"Thanks."

"Um, what you're selling is..."

"Apologies, currently *Zhongmiao* Pills are only supplied to male cultivators. The version suitable for female cultivators is still in the research and development stage. Miss Meiling, if you have a need..."

"Get out!"

Leaving Baicao Hall dejectedly, Luo Chen felt a profound sense of regret.

Just now had clearly been an opportunity to open a new channel and expand his market, but he couldn't grasp it, nor did he dare to.

He couldn't promise an experienced alchemist like that that he could raise the grade of his pills in a short period. Doing so would make people curious about how he did it.

Naturally, he could not and would not expose his attribute panel.

If he did, the other party might assume he was an alchemy genius.

The latter was not a compliment. Once such a reputation was established, he might be forcibly invited to join a cultivation clan, only to become a mere tool for their alchemy and a machine for generating spirit stones.

"My cultivation realm is still too low!"

At the Qi Refining stage, he was completely at the mercy of others. If he were at the Foundation Establishment stage, let alone cultivation clans, even small sects would show him some respect. Even if he joined them, he would have significant autonomy.

Sighing, Luo Chen intended to head home.

However, as he passed the Yuding Sword Pavilion, he stopped.

One cultivator, one wooden table, and one hanging banner.

The white banner read: *"Dao Discussion Platform officially open for business. Pre-sale tickets available."*

The Dao Discussion Platform was something Luo Chen had heard about for the first time today from Chen Xiuping. But that didn't mean he was unfamiliar with the concept.

Previously, struggling with having no place to practice spells, he had specifically asked Gu Caiyi. At that time, the solution Gu Caiyi provided was the combat platform privately set up by the Yuding Sword Pavilion. It was said to start at one spirit stone, and if one wanted a sparring partner, the price would increase a hundredfold.

Luo Chen had no money back then, so he naturally didn't consider it; later, he simply solved it himself in his courtyard. To that end, he had even destroyed the sunflower seeds Fu Xiuxiu had planted in the corner.

Strictly speaking, the combat platform was actually a subsection of the Yuding Dao Discussion Platform, but it belonged to a private practice area.

Now, it seemed the Yuding Sword Pavilion intended to fully launch the Dao Discussion Platform for all of Dahao Workshop!

"Fellow Daoist, is this platform also located in the Inner City?"

The cultivator at the wooden table was currently slumped over, sleeping. Hearing the voice, he slowly lifted his head.

Luo Chen froze, then chuckled. "Senior Sun, aren't you in charge of housing rentals? Why are you selling tickets now?"

"Hmph!" Sun Shou snorted coldly. "Serving the sect, working tirelessly!"

"You're something else!" Luo Chen gave him a thumbs up.

Sun Shou curled his lip. "In a couple of days, the sect will send an outer disciple to be specifically in charge of this area. You kid, instead of staying home refining pills, what are you doing running out here?"

Luo Chen pointed to the words on the banner.

"Just passing by, curious. Where is this platform located? Is it also inside the Sword Pavilion?"

"How is that possible? The Dao Discussion Platform needs to seat thousands of spectators. There's no way the Sword Pavilion has enough space for that many people."

Thousands!

What a big mouth!

The total number of permanent cultivators in Dahao Workshop was only about ten thousand; even including traveling cultivators, it wouldn't exceed twenty thousand. Nearby cultivation clans and mortal cities were not included in this count. The latter, in particular, merely served as logistics support for Dahao Workshop.

And now you're telling me a Dao Discussion Platform needs to seat thousands of spectators?

Sun Shou didn't care whether Luo Chen believed him or not; he pointed toward the back of the Sword Pavilion.

"You know Falling Phoenix Mountain, right? It's been renamed now—the Yuding Dao Discussion Platform."

Luo Chen looked up and could faintly see the small mountain at the edge of the Inner City.

Strangely enough, the terrain of Dahao Workshop was flat, adjacent to the Million Mountains, with the Lancang River flowing nearby, which was how it earned its name. Yet, when the Inner City was built, a small mountain was incorporated into it.

According to Gu Caiyi, that was a joint decision made by Ailao Mountain and Tianfan City when they built the Inner City together. With that mountain there, they could use its terrain as an anchor for the city's protective formation and use it to suppress the earth's energy. It was even said that the Inner City's first-tier spirit vein originated from Falling Phoenix Mountain.

However, the mountain was simply too small and not very high. It was usually bare, and after living there for a long time, no one paid much attention to it. No one expected that the Yuding Sword Sect would actually transform it into a Dao Discussion Platform.

Luo Chen thought of a possibility: perhaps the mountain was left there in the first place specifically to build the Dao Discussion Platform!

"Kid, do you want to buy a ticket?"

Sun Shou pulled a jade pendant from his storage bag. "Only ten thousand tickets are being sold this time. Buy early to enjoy it early; if you're late, you'll miss the grand opening spectacle."

"Even limited sales? How many spirit stones?"

"One hundred spirit stones per ticket. It's absolutely worth it."

Luo Chen covered his storage bag. "Why don't you just go rob people? Only a fool would buy a ticket."

Sun Shou sneered. "You probably haven't witnessed the opening of the Yuding Sword Sect's Dao Discussion Platform. Let me tell you, witnessing it once is something you can brag about for a lifetime."

Luo Chen's eyes darted around. "In other words, you've seen it?"

"Of course. When the Snow Lotus Workshop Dao Discussion Platform opened ten years ago, there were puppet battles, demon beast battles, Foundation Establishment cultivators dueling with second-order demon beasts, and so on."

Luo Chen was stunned. There were actually that many programs!

"Do you want to buy one? I'm telling you, the main event this time is a clash between two factions. Although it's only at the Qi Refining level, it's a fight to the death—only one can walk off the stage alive."

Luo Chen had heard about the clash between the two factions before, and even the number of participants had been learned from Old Daoist Chen. But he hadn't known it was a fight to the death.

If Wang Yuan went on stage, wouldn't he have to kill his opponent just to leave?

Luo Chen hesitated. "Give me one ticket!"

After all, Wang Yuan was the big brother who looked out for him. Whether it was lending books, giving gifts, or occasional guidance, Wang Yuan had helped him plenty. He had to see it with his own eyes. If Wang Yuan lost, given his personality, there might not even be anyone left to collect his corpse.

"Yo, I didn't think you kid actually had some wealth. Since you're the first to buy, I'll give you a tip: remember to bet on the Great River Gang winning."

Sun Shou took the spirit stones, handed the jade pendant to Luo Chen, and spoke casually.

Was this insider information?

Wait!

Betting?

The Great River Gang wins?

Holy crap, you guys are manipulating the matches? Is this a fixed fight!