Not long after, Bai Xiaochun limped back to his courtyard on Xiangyun Mountain, his hair standing on end and his face a bit blackened. His heart trembled at the thought of the countless bolts of lightning chasing him just moments ago. He immediately swore never to fly his sword during a thunderstorm again.
"This isn't flying—this is suicide!"
Inside his wooden hut, Bai Xiaochun sat wincing in pain for a long while before calming himself down. He sat cross-legged on his bed, looking at the rain outside the window while his cultivation slowly circulated through his body.
"Tier-two pills are only good for those below the eighth layer of Qi Condensation. If I want to improve further, I have to refine tier-three pills." He rested his chin on his hand, thinking.
"Tier-three pills must be extremely difficult. I need to master tier-two pills thoroughly first, or my foundation will be shaky, and the success rate will be too low." He opened his storage pouch and checked his savings, then sighed. He had received many gifts because of his Honor Disciple status.
But recently, his pill refining consumed a lot of resources. Despite his frugality, his stash had shrunk drastically.
"This won't do. I'll run out eventually." He frowned.
"I'm already a skilled apothecary! I can sell my pills!" The thought energized him. When the rain stopped the next morning, he rushed to the market at the foot of the mountain to investigate prices, then bought a large quantity of herbs and even exchanged contribution points for rarer ones.
Returning to the Pill Pavilion, he started refining. He didn't choose tier-two pills despite their higher price since they consumed more materials and time—and he knew himself well enough: once he started, he'd lose track of time.
So he decided to stick with the tier-one pills he knew best. A few days later, he produced three batches, each with eight or nine pills, plus two sticks of spirit incense. He then went down to the market.
The southern market below the Lingxi Sect was small. Only elders and powerful inner disciples could own shops there; most businesses were run by cultivation clans from Donglin Continent.
It felt like a small bustling town, with disciples from the sect constantly coming and going. Bai Xiaochun, who was familiar with the place, walked straight into a pharmacy, cleared his throat, and soon an attendant came over.
"Call your manager. I'm here to buy herbs—and sell some pills too." Bai Xiaochun sat down with a grin.
Soon a middle-aged man in a purple robe came over. When he saw Bai Xiaochun, he smiled warmly.
"Fellow Daoist Bai! I've long heard of your illustrious deeds. I feared disturbing you, so I never visited in person—please forgive me." He cupped his fists respectfully, for he knew Bai Xiaochun's status was exceptional—especially as an Honor Disciple.
Bai Xiaochun laughed and exchanged pleasantries. Then he took out three bottles and two sticks of spirit incense, placing them on the table.
"Name your price," he said with his chin held high.
Sun Chen carefully examined them, surprised. Though these were low-grade tier-one pills, they were almost mid-grade—unlike most low-grade pills with higher impurity levels.
"Brother Bai's pill-crafting is exquisite! My Sun Clan will buy them all—how about 120 spirit stones?" Sun Chen's eyes glowed.
Bai Xiaochun was delighted. That meant about four spirit stones per pill—a high price for low-grade pills. His actual cost was only about one and a half stones per pill.
Happily, they sealed the deal. Sun Chen, eager to build ties, treated him warmly. Bai Xiaochun didn't even take the stones, exchanging them for rare herbs instead, then left content.
Months passed. Bai Xiaochun kept refining and selling tier-one pills to Sun Chen, who eagerly bought them all. Meanwhile, he secretly practiced tier-two pill refining and grew increasingly skilled.
One day, Sun Chen suggested, "Brother Bai, with your skills, why not refine some tier-two pills for the Hundred Clans Auction in three months? I can arrange for them to be auctioned for a much higher price."
Bai Xiaochun had heard of this auction—a grand event held every few years by a hundred cultivation clans of Donglin, split into three sessions: the first in the North Bank's market, the second in the South Bank's market, and the grand finale in Donglin City, the continent's largest cultivator hub.
The last time it was held, Bai Xiaochun had just become an outer disciple—too busy stealing spirit chickens to care. But now he was intrigued.
"Right! Instead of selling a few at a time, I could sell a batch at a high price and get rare herbs!" After thinking, he decided to craft Purple Qi Ascension Pills, which he knew well.
He shut himself in the Pill Pavilion. After two months, he produced three bottles—ten pills each. One pill was different: a deep purple hue, subtle yet potent.
When he crafted it, the pill furnace trembled, and the ground fire flared.
Holding the deep purple pill, Bai Xiaochun's eyes shone.
"Mid-grade! I did it again!"
But then he hesitated. "To really cause a stir at the auction, maybe that's not enough..."
So he brought out his turtle-engraved cauldron for spirit-enhancing refinement. After three rounds, silver light gleamed—the pill rose to fine-grade quality with minimal impurities.
He engraved a tiny turtle on it.
"The Turtle Grandmaster returns!" He laughed, then delivered the pills to Sun Chen—who was so shocked his jaw nearly dropped.
Back in his room, Bai Xiaochun excitedly awaited the auction.
As the day neared, the sect buzzed with talk of the auction's rare treasures and the upcoming South-North Outer Sect Elite Tournament.
Finally, on the auction day's dawn, as Bai Xiaochun meditated, his token lit up—time to go. He rushed to the market, flew on his Golden Crow Sword, and was escorted by Sun Chen to a private second-floor room overlooking the main hall.
He leaned out, coughing for attention, hoping people would notice.
But the place was packed—no one did, not even Hou Xiaomei or Zhou Xinqi, whom he spotted from afar.
Half an hour later, a bronze bell rang; silence fell. A man in a blue robe appeared to host the auction.
The precious items appeared one by one—bids soared crazily.
One by one, Bai Xiaochun's Purple Qi Ascension Pills went up. He nearly wept when the first one got lukewarm attention, but someone finally bid—he breathed a sigh of relief.
His bottles sold well enough, until at last—his special spirit-refined pill with the turtle engraving appeared!