Chapter 101: Tier Two Alchemist
The Nourishing Essence Pill was a cultivation elixir suitable for Foundation Establishment Great Demons, making it a true Tier Two Elixir.
Xu Chang’an’s successful refining meant he had officially reached the skill level of a Tier Two Alchemist.
’I finally crossed this threshold!’
Xu Chang’an felt a sense of relief and exhilaration.
Though the titles of Quasi-second-rank Alchemist and Tier Two Alchemist sounded similar, the status they represented was worlds apart.
It was like the difference between the Peak of the Ninth Level of Qi Refining and a Foundation Establishment Great Demon.
With Tier Two Alchemy skills, Xu Chang’an could easily establish a foothold in Peacock Demon City if he wished.
However, despite having Pill Master Ye’s endorsement, it hadn’t been long enough. It wasn’t the right time to reveal his Tier Two Alchemy Skill.
Xu Chang’an removed the Nourishing Essence Pill from the Pill Furnace and swallowed it in a single gulp.
’Since I’m not planning to sell it, I might as well convert it into Energy for the panel.’
A searing current surged through him, transforming into Energy that the panel fully absorbed.
Name: Xu Chang’an
Bloodline: Earth Rock Rat (Lower-class Bloodline)
Lifespan: 168 Years
Realm: Early-stage Foundation Establishment
Skills: Alchemy (Tier Two Low Grade)
Energy: (1873/2000)
...
It had been almost a year since Xu Chang’an arrived in Peacock Demon City.
During that time, he had sold all the resources he’d acquired from the Elephant Demon and Cheng Mengying, earning a substantial amount of Demon Stones.
Afterward, he had continuously bought up batches of Spiritual Herbs and Plants, as well as Elixirs.
Naturally, all of these items ended up in his stomach, converted into Energy for his panel.
This caused his accumulated Energy on the panel to skyrocket.
’Step by step, a steady advance.’
Xu Chang’an felt a sense of calm.
He would continue down the Demon Path, one steady step at a time.
Over the past few months, a few letters had arrived for him.
Even that prickly little lioness from Lion’s Mane Cave had written back.
At least his efforts hadn’t been in vain; a preliminary connection had been established between them.
Jin Ling’Er’s letter, on the other hand, was full of resentment, asking Xu Chang’an why he had left without a word.
He hadn’t even given her the chance to say a proper goodbye.
Xu Chang’an, of course, wrote back to appease her.
Most notably, the Yellow Wasp Spirit’s letter mentioned that he was preparing to send his son to Red Cloud Mountain.
With the Little Yellow Wasp Spirit’s Middle-grade Bloodline, getting into Red Cloud Mountain shouldn’t be much of an issue.
He planned to focus on cultivating his son in the coming days to ensure his Demon Path would be even smoother.
Xu Chang’an naturally offered his congratulations in advance.
Being able to enter Red Cloud Mountain, no matter how you looked at it, meant he already had a head start over most other Demons.
Xiong Da had been doing well at Langlang Mountain lately.
According to him, he had recently performed a great deed and had almost gathered enough Merit Points to exchange for a Middle-grade Magical Artifact.
’That lunkheaded bear!’
Yu Ruyan’s reply sent her regards to Xu Chang’an.
She said her previous trouble had been resolved and she didn’t need Xu Chang’an’s help.
On the contrary, if Xu Chang’an himself ran into any trouble in Peacock Demon City, he could seek her out.
She held a decent position at Red Cloud Mountain now and could assist him to some degree.
Xu Chang’an thanked each of them in his replies.
After meditating for a while in the Alchemy Room to regulate his condition, Xu Chang’an went downstairs and opened the shop.
It couldn’t be helped. With no Alchemy Apprentice, he was the only Demon running the shop.
Whenever he needed to refine an Elixir, he had to close up shop first.
This was likely one of the reasons his business had never taken off.
However, Xu Chang’an had no plans to recruit an Alchemy Apprentice.
His next step was to go to the Flame Leaf Alchemy Workshop, so recruiting an Alchemy Apprentice now would only be an unnecessary complication.
He could consider it later, after he set up his own establishment.
It really wasn’t necessary during this transitional phase.
After keeping the Elixir Shop open for most of the day, he had only made three small sales.
In terms of profit, it was barely enough to cover the shop’s rent.
Xu Chang’an was essentially working for free.
In the days that followed, Xu Chang’an continued to visit Pill Master Ye once a month to ask for guidance.
Over time, the Demons at the Flame Leaf Alchemy Workshop became quite familiar with him.
Pill Master Ye was also surprised by Xu Chang’an’s progress.
He estimated that in another three or four years, this Gray Rat Demon should be able to truly reach the skill level of a Tier Two Alchemist.
Very satisfied with his own eye for talent, he began to teach Xu Chang’an with a bit more diligence.
This pace was, of course, the result of Xu Chang’an deliberately holding back and managing his performance.
In addition, Xu Chang’an dedicated some of his energy to collecting the materials needed to refine the Transformation Pill.
The Transformation Pill was a rather obscure elixir among Tier Two Elixirs.
It wasn’t commonly traded and fell into the category of niche, custom-ordered elixirs.
Market demand was limited, the Elixir was obscure, and most Tier Two Alchemists wouldn’t have bothered to master its refining technique.
Xu Chang’an secretly gathered the refining materials for the Transformation Pill, mixing them in with his purchases of other Spirit Medicine and Spiritual Materials.
Within a year, Xu Chang’an had managed to gather most of the required materials.
He was still missing two types of Spiritual Materials.
Xu Chang’an wasn’t anxious; he continued to proceed methodically.
In the process, he also used his connections within the Pear Blossom Lane merchant alliance to occasionally inquire about Spiritual Items that could improve one’s Bloodline aptitude.
He wouldn’t ask directly, but would instead steer conversations to get others to bring up the topic themselves.
"Fellow Daoist Qing Niu, business has been booming for you lately!"
"Not at all! It’s just because of the upcoming auction in the Demon City!"
"What does an auction in the Demon City have to do with your business being good?"
"With the auction about to be held, everyone’s trying to gather resources. It’s only normal for some fights to break out during that process."
"I see."
In his spare time, Xu Chang’an would often chat with the neighboring shopkeepers.
In three months, Peacock Demon City was set to hold an auction.
The auction wasn’t of a particularly high caliber, but compared to a typical Marketplace, it was still a high-profile event.
’Perhaps I should go take a look at the auction.’ Xu Chang’an mused to himself. ’After all, I’m still missing two Spiritual Materials for the Transformation Pill I want to refine!’
...
The closer it got to the auction, the livelier Peacock Demon City became.
Even business at Xu Chang’an’s Gray Mouse Elixir Shop picked up a little.
Whether for Magical Combat or cultivation, for healing or recovery, Elixirs were always in high demand.
On this day, the auction in Peacock Demon City officially began.
Although the auction wasn’t of the highest caliber, numerous territorial powers, merchant guilds, and Independent Cultivator Great Demons still participated.
Even a good number of Top-tier Great Demons made an appearance.
Foundation Establishment Pills, Supreme-grade Magical Artifacts, Tier Two High-Grade Demon Talismans, and even Arrays appeared at the auction.
The final item up for auction was actually a Quasi-Magical Treasure!
It prompted many Great Demons to place bids, and the competition was even more intense than what he had seen at the Lujiao Mountain Marketplace.
In the end, the Quasi-Magical Treasure was won by a renowned Top-tier Great Demon for an enormous sum of Demon Stones.
Xu Chang’an also managed to acquire something at the auction.
He managed to acquire one of the two missing Spiritual Materials for his Transformation Pill.
This particular Spiritual Material was merely uncommon.
It wasn’t particularly valuable and could be used as a refining material for various Elixirs.
Furthermore, since a decent quantity of it was being auctioned, Xu Chang’an was able to make a low-key bid without attracting the attention of any other Demons.