Chapter 9: Fellow Daoist, are you interested in learning about the Zhongmiao Pill?

"When you need something, it's 'Uncle Chen'; when you don't, it's 'Fellow Daoist Chen'!"

Old Daoist Chen stroked his beard, then happily launched into his favorite gossip.

He had a habit of doing this.

Usually, he was stingy, petty, and loved to take advantage of others. He never took a loss when selling goods, and he even insisted on splitting the stall fees with a rookie like Luo Chen, who was only at the third level of Qi Refining.

The only thing he liked to share for free was, perhaps, the things he had seen and heard over his sixty-some years.

"Yun Zhonghe? You must mean Master Yunhe!"

"If you asked an average person, they probably wouldn't know, but this old daoist knows a thing or two."

"Of the Thirty-Six Domains of the Eastern Wasteland, we are located in the far east, near the Million Mountains. Because of this, the six domains in this vicinity all border the Million Mountains, earning them the collective nickname: the Six Far-Eastern Domains."

"Each great domain contains countless sects, but only those that have produced a Nascent Soul True Person can use the prestige of their sect to name the domain."

"Master Yunhe is from the Hehuan Domain, and his sect is the strongest in that domain—the Hehuan Sect!"

Luo Chen listened with great interest; this was his first time learning about the world beyond Dahe Market.

He asked casually, "In that case, doesn't that mean our domain is called the Yuding Domain?"

"Exactly. The strongest sect here is the Yuding Sword Sect, so we are called the Yuding Domain."

Old Daoist Chen replied, then continued: "The Yuding Sword Sect is renowned for its combat prowess, which is why it is closest to the Million Mountains. It has several large markets under its jurisdiction that serve as bridgeheads for attacking the Million Mountains, and Dahe Market is one of them."

As he spoke, he felt something was off.

He puffed out his cheeks and glared. "Don't interrupt, kid. I was talking about Master Yunhe."

"The Hehuan Sect is famous for its dual-cultivation techniques, and its signature industries are spread throughout the six domains. For example, our Tianxiang Pavilion is just one of their minor, inconspicuous businesses."

Tianxiang Pavilion was so large, bringing in top-grade spirit stones every day, and it was just a minor, inconspicuous business?

Luo Chen couldn't help but become interested. A massive enterprise with so much money and beautiful women—this was exactly the goal he should be striving for!

"The world says the Hehuan Sect doesn't walk the righteous path, doesn't engage in production, and doesn't rely on combat strength, only dealing in fleshly business, truly tarnishing the reputation of us cultivators. However, three hundred years ago, a freak occurrence happened!"

Luo Chen clapped his hands. "That was Yun Zhonghe, right!"

"It's Master Yunhe! For a Golden Core cultivator, you must use the respectful title of 'Master'!" Old Daoist Chen scolded, then continued: "That Master Yunhe practiced the core techniques of the Hehuan Sect and pushed them to the highest level. Not only was he exceptionally graceful, but his combat power was also peerless."

"Back when the Yuding Domain was being opened up, although the Yuding Sword Sect led the charge, the other five domains also sent many experts, and Master Yunhe was one of them."

"At that time, he was still unknown, just an unremarkable early-stage Golden Core cultivator. But in that battle, he actually managed to capture a fourth-rank demonic beast while only at the early Golden Core stage!"

"Do you know what a fourth-rank demonic beast means?"

Luo Chen’s eyes widened like a cow's.

Then he sucked in a cold breath, making a huge contribution to global warming.

Next, he swallowed a mouthful of saliva, making a loud *gulp* sound.

Finally, he exhaled a deep, foul breath—the kind that would make other cultivators drop a cultivation level just by smelling it.

"A fourth-rank demonic beast... doesn't that equate to a human Nascent Soul True Person!!!"

Old Daoist Chen was very satisfied with his listener's dramatic reaction and stroked his beard with self-satisfaction, as if he were the one who had done the deed.

"Correct, you kid actually have some knowledge. A fourth-rank demonic beast is also known as a Beast Emperor, and its combat power is even above that of a Nascent Soul True Person of the same rank."

Luo Chen asked skeptically, "Isn't it said that challenging across ranks is extremely difficult? Master Yunhe was only at the early Golden Core stage back then; how could he achieve such a glorious result?"

"The reasons for that are not for us juniors to know. Some say he took advantage of the Demon Crane Emperor's weakness during its tribulation, others say a True Person from the Hehuan Sect intervened, but the result was that Master Yunhe became famous in one battle. He even used that Demon Crane Emperor as his trophy to make a name for himself, earning the title of Master Yunhe!"

At this point, Old Daoist Chen raised a hand and pointed far away toward a pink-painted embroidered building in the center of the inner city.

"The Six Far-Eastern Domains have intertwined industries. Even a wealthy sect like the Medicine King Sect only managed to open shops in four domains. Only the Hehuan Sect has opened businesses across all six. Even in our most remote Dahe Market, there is a Tianxiang Pavilion singing and dancing every night."

"In all of this, the credit, to a greater or lesser extent, belongs to Master Yunhe, the 'Number One Person Below the Nascent Soul'!"

Master Yunhe, the number one person below the Nascent Soul.

What a title, what a story!

Luo Chen couldn't help but cast a grateful look at Wang Yuan, who was at a distant stall. That copy of *Customs and Traditions of the Six Domains* was definitely worth the free read.

When he had money in the future, he would definitely buy it and study it carefully.

"Cough, cough, kid Luo, you've made me thirsty. Give me a piece of beef jerky to quench it."

Luo Chen ignored him and laid out all his medicinal pills.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, it's time to earn resources for cultivation. Given time, who's to say you and I won't be addressed as 'Master' ourselves!"

Chen Xiuping’s eyes widened, his white beard trembling with anger.

Taking advantage of his height, Luo Chen patted the old daoist on the shoulder. "I only hope that when we meet again as Golden Cores, calling each other 'Fellow Daoist' won't feel so bitter!"

"Get lost! I'm already sixty-five. To hell with your Golden Core dream!"

After cursing, Chen Xiuping took a deep breath. *Don't be angry, don't be angry; if you get sick from anger, no one will take your place.*

His gaze habitually fell onto Luo Chen's stall, and he froze.

"Twenty-one bottles? Are these all Bigu Pills, or did you really refine a new pill?"

Luo Chen sighed, looking dejected. "This junior is dull-witted. I exhausted my family's wealth just to barely refine one bottle of a new pill. I hope Fellow Daoist Chen will forgive my incompetence."

*Gulp!*

Old Daoist Chen swallowed his saliva.

"You didn't actually refine that incomplete second-rank pill formula, did you!"

"Sigh, this junior is incompetent; I cannot refine second-rank pills."

"That's true, with your skills—"

"So I had to settle for second best and derive it into a first-rank pill."

"A first-rank Jade Dew Pill?" Old Daoist Chen’s eyes widened.

This little old man had quite the range of expressions—swallowing saliva, widening his eyes... he couldn't possibly suck in a cold breath next, could he!

Luo Chen put his hands behind his back and said solemnly, "That wasn't some incomplete Jade Dew formula. It is actually the secret pill formula of Master Yunhe of the Hehuan Sect: the Zhongmiao Pill. It was only left behind in this Dahe Market during the great war that opened up the Yuding Domain. You mustn't talk nonsense about it in the future, Fellow Daoist!"

*Hiss!!!*

Luo Chen covered his face with his hand. He could feel the climate of the Yuding Domain warming up!

In reality, the temperature was indeed warming up, because the sun had come out.

With the sun out, the flow of customers naturally increased.

There were many cultivators who liked to browse the rogue cultivator area; after all, everyone wanted to purchase high-quality, low-priced resources or perhaps find a hidden gem.

As always, Old Daoist Chen’s business was the first to open.

He had been setting up his stall here for many years. Although he was stingy, his reputation was rock solid.

It wasn't just others buying talismans; some peers who found it troublesome even bought talisman paper from him to draw their own talismans back home.

With Old Daoist Chen’s business opening, it meant Luo Chen’s business was about to start as well.

"Bigu Pills?"

"The color and scent are quite good, and they contain decent spiritual energy. Top-tier goods! How are you selling them?"

The buyer picked up five bottles and tossed a low-grade spirit stone to Luo Chen.

Five bottles, fifty Bigu Pills. One pill could keep you full for a meal; if you were frugal, one could last fifty days!

Of course, that was an extreme case. Under normal circumstances, it was enough to sustain a person for half a month without eating.

However, the taste was mediocre, and it wasn't beneficial for a cultivator's practice. Unless one was truly poor, in seclusion, or entering the mountains to hunt and gather herbs, no one usually ate them as a staple.

After buying the spirit stone, the chubby cultivator intended to leave, but Luo Chen called out to him.

"Fellow Daoist, are you interested in learning about the Zhongmiao Pill?"