Profound Heaven Soul Sovereign

Ye Xuan smiled faintly. "A mere cauldron of Bitter Heart Pills is hardly a challenge for our Profound Light Pavilion. However, I am curious—if we at the Profound Light Pavilion were to refine them for you, what price would you be willing to pay?"

"Price?" Qiu Wushuang frowned. He glanced at the notice to the side and, without hesitation, began pulling items from his Storage Ring.

"I can see your Profound Light Pavilion is very interested in High Tier materials. I have three Tier Eight Spirit Medicines, a piece of Tier Eight Void Brilliance Stone, and a Tier Eight Soul Crystal. A total of five Tier Eight materials. Is that enough for a single refinement from your Profound Light Pavilion?"

Qiu Wushuang said, taking out several treasures without a moment’s hesitation.

Among them were three stalks of Spirit Medicine exuding a dense Spiritual Qi, a red-and-black stone with strange patterns, and a Soul Crystal emitting intense fluctuations.

Ye Xuan was inwardly startled. ’The Bitter Heart Pill is difficult to refine, but it’s still just an Initial Layer of Seventh Grade Pill. Under normal circumstances, its value is equivalent to a single Tier Eight Spirit Medicine. Yet every one of the five treasures Qiu Wushuang produced is no less valuable than the Bitter Heart Pill.’

’Especially that Tier Eight Soul Crystal—that’s something you can only get after killing a Tier Eight Profound Beast. But are Tier Eight Profound Beasts so easy to kill? I doubt even a Nine Heavens Martial Emperor could claim they can get one just because they want one.’

’Qiu Wushuang is really willing to pay a fortune for the Bitter Heart Pill. His need for it must be incredibly urgent.’

Seeing the items Qiu Wushuang had produced, the onlookers gasped. Alchemy was truly a lucrative profession, to so easily trade for so many treasures. Of course, that’s only if you have the skill; otherwise, those treasures wouldn’t be so easy to get your hands on.

"If you feel these treasures are not enough, I can add some Tier Seven treasures. As long as you can refine the Bitter Heart Pill, the price is negotiable."

When Ye Xuan remained silent, Qiu Wushuang quickly added, his gaze composed.

Waving his hand, Ye Xuan said, "There’s no need to add more. Although the Bitter Heart Pill is difficult to refine, these materials are sufficient for one refinement."

Hearing this, the others in the crowd could barely restrain themselves from cursing out loud. ’Sufficient? This is far more than sufficient, okay?’

Ye Xuan was naturally unaware of the others’ thoughts and continued, "However, I have one condition. From one stalk of Bitter Heart Grass, our Profound Light Pavilion can refine six Bitter Heart Pills. When it’s done, I can only give you three Pills. Profound Light Pavilion will keep the other three."

With one stalk of Bitter Heart Grass, an ordinary Alchemist could indeed only refine six pills. But a powerful Alchemist like Ye Xuan could maximize the medicinal properties, achieving a yield of at least nine pills.

In other words, with that one sentence, Ye Xuan had just covertly secured at least six Bitter Heart Pills for himself.

Ye Xuan knew this because for a normal case of the Demon Heart Poison, a single Bitter Heart Pill was enough to dispel it. A more severe case would be completely resolved with two. By offering Qiu Wushuang three, he was confident the man would agree.

"No problem." Qiu Wushuang nodded in agreement without hesitation. "After the refinement, I only want three Bitter Heart Pills. Whatever is left, no matter the number, is yours. In addition, these five Tier Eight materials are also for your Profound Light Pavilion."

"However," At this, Qiu Wushuang’s gaze suddenly turned sharp and cold. He said icily, "If you fail the refinement, you must compensate me with one stalk of Bitter Heart Grass. If you can’t, I want your Profound Light Pavilion to disappear from Celestial Capital Prefecture forever."

"Heh." Ye Xuan’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Making my Profound Light Pavilion disappear isn’t something you can accomplish with just a few words. But I accept your condition. Bring out the materials for the Bitter Heart Pill."

Hearing Ye Xuan’s words, Qiu Wushuang sneered but offered no comment. He unhesitatingly took out a pile of materials.

Ye Xuan glanced at them. They were indeed all materials for refining the Bitter Heart Pill. Moreover, aside from the Bitter Heart Grass, Qiu Wushuang had prepared several sets of the other ingredients. He had clearly come fully prepared.

"Come, let’s go to the refinement chamber." After taking the materials, Ye Xuan spoke directly to Elder Yao and the others behind him, then glanced at Qiu Wushuang and said flatly, "You just wait here."

Qiu Wushuang had no intention of leaving in the first place. He simply sat down right there in the main hall of the Profound Light Pavilion, closed his eyes, and began to cultivate.

The surrounding crowd immediately started whispering amongst themselves.

Ye Xuan and his group went to the refinement chamber on the upper floor of the Profound Light Pavilion. After some brief preparations, they quickly began the refinement process.

Refining a cauldron of Initial Layer of Seventh Grade Pills was not a difficult task for the current Ye Xuan. Although the refinement process for the Bitter Heart Pill was a bit tedious, he didn’t give it much thought. At his fastest, he could be done in half an hour; even if he took his time, an hour would be more than enough.

However, because this was the Profound Light Pavilion’s first custom refinement, and the situation was quite special, Ye Xuan didn’t want any accidents. He deliberately took nearly two hours to complete the entire process.

As the Pill Furnace opened, twelve Pills, emitting a rich fragrance, fell into his hand.

Among them, four were Supreme Grade Bitter Heart Pills, and the other eight were Upper Grade Bitter Heart Pills.

Ye Xuan naturally had no intention of giving the Supreme Grade Bitter Heart Pills to Qiu Wushuang. An ordinary Alchemist could refine Pills for a lifetime and might never produce a single Supreme Grade Pill. If he were to produce a Supreme Grade Bitter Heart Pill, others would easily assume that the Profound Light Pavilion had an Eighth Grade, Emperor Level Alchemist.

So, he took three of the eight Upper Grade Bitter Heart Pills and placed them in a jade bottle.

"Young Master Ye, how did it go?"

When Ye Xuan walked out of the refinement chamber, Su Xiuyi and the others gathered around him nervously. Seeing the calm expression on Ye Xuan’s face, they all instantly understood that Young Master Ye must have succeeded.

"Come, let’s go downstairs."

Soon, led by Ye Xuan, the group returned to the main hall on the first floor.

"The people from Profound Light Pavilion are coming down." A stir went through the crowd. After learning the details of the first custom service, many people had deliberately gathered here, wanting to see the result.

At this moment, hearing the commotion, Qiu Wushuang, who was sitting cross-legged in the main hall, instantly opened his eyes. He saw Ye Xuan’s group descending and, without waiting for Ye Xuan to speak, shot to his feet and asked anxiously, "How did the refinement of the Bitter Heart Pill go? Was it a success?"

"See for yourself." Ye Xuan casually tossed a jade bottle over.

Qiu Wushuang eagerly opened the jade bottle. When he saw the three Upper Grade Bitter Heart Pills inside, a look of shock, quickly followed by elation, appeared on his face.

"Excellent! These are definitely Bitter Heart Pills, and all of them are Upper Grade."

With an excited expression, Qiu Wushuang impatiently consumed one of the Bitter Heart Pills right there in front of everyone, then began refining its effects in the middle of the hall.

It dawned on everyone. No wonder Qiu Wushuang had been so anxious; it turned out he was the one afflicted with the Demon Heart Poison.

After the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, Qiu Wushuang’s eyes flew open, filled with joyous surprise.

"Haha," he laughed heartily. "As expected of an Upper Grade Bitter Heart Pill! The effects are astonishing. In just the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, it has purged the Demon Heart Poison from my body."

When Qiu Wushuang looked at Ye Xuan and the others again, his eyes were filled with gratitude. He respectfully cupped his fists and said, "Profound Light Pavilion is truly formidable. I apologize for my earlier rash behavior. Thank you, everyone."

Ye Xuan smiled faintly. "We are merely merchants. We each simply took what we needed."

Qiu Wushuang shook his head. "No. To you, this may have just been a transaction, but to me, it was my life. I have approached countless Alchemists before, but not a single one dared to take on my request. Only your Profound Light Pavilion dared to accept, and you succeeded. To put it frankly, of all the establishments I have encountered, your Profound Light Pavilion has the most profound capabilities. You’re definitely number one in the West District."

His voice thick with emotion, Qiu Wushuang took out several more Tier Seven materials and handed them to Ye Xuan. "In addition to the five materials from before, take these Tier Seven materials as well. I don’t have any more Tier Eight materials, I’m truly sorry."

Ye Xuan smiled, refusing the additional materials he was offered. "The five materials from before were more than enough to cover the cost of refining the Bitter Heart Pill, so I cannot accept these Tier Seven materials."

"Good!" Unexpectedly, Ye Xuan’s refusal impressed Qiu Wushuang even more. He gave a thumbs-up and said, "I’ve been around this West District for a long time, but this is the first time I’ve met someone as principled as you, sir. I, Qiu Wushuang, have made you my friend! From now on, if anyone dares to cause trouble at your Profound Light Pavilion, just call for me. In this West District, there’s no one I’m afraid of!"

Qiu Wushuang declared in a booming voice.

"As for these Tier Seven materials, don’t refuse them. They’re no damn use to me anyway."

Seeing that Ye Xuan still seemed about to refuse, Qiu Wushuang said directly, "Alright, how about this? I’ll just pick out a few more Pills and consider this payment for them."

With that, he picked out a few Sixth Grade Pills, the value of which paled in comparison to the extra materials he was giving.

"Alright, I’ll be taking my leave. If your Profound Light Pavilion ever needs anything in the future, don’t hesitate to find me."

After saying that, Qiu Wushuang left without a backward glance.

Ye Xuan was left a bit speechless. He could see that while Qiu Wushuang appeared short-tempered and had a murderous aura, that was just his personality. The man himself was definitely a very forthright and generous person.

Because of the incident with Qiu Wushuang, the reputation of their premium service immediately took off.

Although the price of three Tier Eight materials was steep, it still attracted the attention of many people.

Sure enough, just half an hour after Qiu Wushuang left, another person came directly to their door.

This person wore an azure robe, his hair tied up in a topknot. His aura was dense; he was actually another Tier Eight Second Layer Martial Sovereign. A young man followed beside him.

"It’s Elder Xu Zhen of the Xu family."

Someone exclaimed immediately upon seeing him.