Chapter 15: Explosive (Signed, please keep reading, please recommend, please bookmark)

Before long, several cultivators entered the shop in groups, scanning the various spiritual items displayed on the counters.

A wide variety of low-grade and mid-grade first-tier magical tools, talismans, and formations occupied more than half of the counter space. The rest was filled with spiritual pills; in addition to the Jade Spirit Pills submitted by Li Zhirui, there were common pills such as Spirit-Replenishing Pills, Blood-Replenishing Pills, and Hemostatic Powders.

Among this dazzling array of spiritual items, the Jade Spirit Pills were the most conspicuous, because a specific sentence had been added to the wooden price tags: "This is a Water-Refined Spiritual Pill!"

"Is this truly a Water-Refined Pill?" one cultivator asked, his eyes shining with excitement; clearly, he knew his stuff.

His companion, however, was clueless and asked curiously, "What is a Water-Refined Pill?"

"It is a spiritual pill refined using spiritual water as the fuel. Because this method is much harder than fire refinement and consumes far more resources, few cultivators bother to learn water refinement techniques."

The man continued, "But the advantages of Water-Refined Pills are obvious. Not only is the pill toxicity lower, but the quality is also superior to fire-refined pills."

"Generally speaking, the price of a Water-Refined Pill will be slightly higher than a fire-refined one." This was why, upon seeing Water-Refined Pills priced the same as fire-refined ones, he suspected whether the shopkeeper was merely using a gimmick.

"My Li family would never do something to tarnish our own reputation," Li Shihua explained with a smile. At the same time, he took out a bottle of Jade Spirit Pills, removed the wooden stopper, and said, "If you are concerned, Fellow Daoist, you may inspect them personally."

The difference between Water-Refined and fire-refined pills was very distinct: one was moist and lustrous, while the other was dry and glowing; they could be distinguished with the naked eye.

"It really is a Water-Refined Pill?!" The cultivator probed it with his divine sense and cried out in pleasant surprise, "I'll take five bottles of Jade Spirit Pills!"

One bottle of Jade Spirit Pills cost twenty-eight spirit stones, so five bottles amounted to one hundred and forty spirit stones, which he produced without hesitation.

Thanks to this man's promotion, many cultivators crowded around. Judging by their expressions, they were clearly tempted, and not a single one suspected he was a shill hired by the Li family.

"I'll go get the spirit stones right now. Please hold ten bottles for me—no! Twenty bottles!" Having said that, without waiting to see if Li Shihua agreed, he rushed out in a hurry.

This finally made the members of the Li family understand why no one suspected him; he must have come from some powerful faction and wouldn't stoop to such deceptive practices.

Seeing that man open his mouth to pre-order twenty bottles of Jade Spirit Pills, the observing cultivators in the shop could no longer restrain themselves. They began to place orders one after another—this person wanted one bottle, that person wanted one bottle. Although they weren't as extravagant as the first man, their sheer numbers meant that over a dozen bottles of Jade Spirit Pills were quickly sold.

Furthermore, as these cultivators departed, news of the Li Family Grocery Store selling Water-Refined Pills spread throughout the market. There was no shortage of knowledgeable cultivators in the crowd, and they began to arrive in succession to make purchases.

By the time the man returned, more than fifty bottles of Jade Spirit Pills had been sold. Considering that only half an hour had passed, it was evident how popular the Water-Refined Pills were.

Such a booming situation caused the Li family members to start worrying whether the family's accumulated stock of two hundred-plus bottles would be enough to meet the demand.

But even if it wasn't enough, there was nothing they could do; these were all the Jade Spirit Pills the family possessed. In fact, to earn even more spirit stones, the family had not even distributed any Jade Spirit Pills to the clansmen.

Meanwhile, Li Zhirui, who was currently wandering through the market, had no idea that the Jade Spirit Pills he had refined were in such high demand, because he was currently haggling with a small vendor over a single spirit stone.

Despite having refined so many Jade Spirit Pills, he currently had very few spirit stones on him; in fact, he was burdened with a debt of one thousand two hundred spirit stones.

Li Zhirui only had about a hundred spirit stones on his person, which was why he didn't go to the specialized shops to buy spiritual herb seeds and seedlings, but instead picked through street stalls, hoping to save a few spirit stones.

"I'm buying dozens of types of spiritual herb seeds, and you want to charge me an extra spirit stone? Can't you spare it?" Li Zhirui said indignantly.

"Do you know that one spirit stone can buy one-third of a Jade Spirit Pill?" the stall owner replied without yielding. "Besides, the price I'm giving you is already very reasonable. If you went to a proper shop, you wouldn't be able to get them for less than sixty or seventy spirit stones!"

Li Zhirui was momentarily speechless because the man had a point. Moreover, along this entire street of stalls, this vendor had the most complete selection of spiritual herb seeds and decent quality, saving Li Zhirui from having to buy them in scattered locations.

"Fine." But after thinking it over, Li Zhirui still felt somewhat unwilling, so he pointed to a thumb-sized, pitch-black seed nearby that was impossible to identify. "But you have to throw in that seed."

"Fine, fine, you win! You've got me!" The stall owner waved his hand, putting on a helpless expression.

Li Zhirui curled his lip. He hadn't had much contact with the merchants of the cultivation world, but in his past life, he had heard plenty of stories about small-time vendors who were secretly millionaires owning multiple luxury villas. He didn't believe for a second that he had gained such a massive advantage.

With the transaction complete, Li Zhirui turned to leave the street of stalls, only to run straight into several of his younger kinsmen, including Li Zhizhun and Li Zhihao.

"Big Brother, Second Sister..." Since he had run into them, Li Zhirui couldn't pretend not to know them and leave, so he stepped forward to greet them.

"Ninth Brother/Ninth Brother." Everyone greeted Li Zhirui in unison. Li Zhihao, who was closest to him, said, "You're here too?"

"Yeah, I came to buy some spiritual herb seeds. Things here are cheaper than in the shops, but..." Li Zhirui lowered his voice to a minimum. "There are also many fakes, so it's best to look carefully when buying and not to be greedy for small bargains."

As for whether he would be targeted? Li Zhirui wasn't worried. These siblings didn't have many spirit stones on them and couldn't buy much, plus there were two Foundation Establishment elders in the market.

"How do you know so much? Have you been here before?" Li Zhihao looked at Li Zhirui with curiosity.

Li Zhirui nodded and said, "I came here once before with Uncle Ren."

The group didn't ask further, mainly because gathering in a group on the street was somewhat blocking the way. After a few pleasantries, they dispersed, and Li Zhirui silently followed alongside Li Zhihao.

The street of stalls wasn't large, and they finished browsing quickly. Aside from Li Zhirui, the other clansmen had all bought varying amounts of spiritual items.

The most eye-catching person was Li Zhizhun, the "cheap" elder brother; judging by his beaming smile, it was clear he had obtained something good this time.

However, Li Zhirui didn't ask much. After all, they weren't that close, and as cultivators, it was normal to have one's own secrets.

"Big Brother, if there's nothing else, shall we head back to the shop?" Li Zhirui spoke up.

"Mm, let's go." Li Zhizhun still maintained a certain level of composure befitting an elder brother; he quickly composed himself and led the younger siblings back toward the grocery store.

However, the closer they got to the shop, the more cultivators they encountered, and many were discussing the Water-Refined Pills.

*It looks like business is going very well,* Li Zhirui thought to himself.

Meanwhile, the other clansmen's gazes drifted toward Li Zhirui. Outsiders didn't know the origin of the Water-Refined Pills, but the clansmen did—those Water-Refined Pills were the work of the renowned genius standing right before them!

Not only did he have excellent aptitude, but his talent for alchemy was also so high that even the closely related clansmen couldn't help but feel a trace of envy in their hearts.