Lord of the Demon Sect

Jiang Chen was aware of the rules of the Ghostly Slaughter Sect. As a named disciple, he received no sect benefits beyond the uniform, black dagger, and storage bag given at the time of entry. In contrast, outer sect disciples received two low-grade spirit stones each month, while inner sect disciples not only received five spirit stones but also a pill that could enhance their cultivation level.

After browsing around, Jiang Chen had a preliminary understanding of the prices of pills. Alchemy truly was a lucrative path! The qi nourishing pill he had taken cost two spirit stones each, gathering qi powder was five spirit stones a piece, and the Qi condensing pill was even more expensive, costing ten spirit stones each.

Du Wei, whom he had killed, had reached the third layer of the Qi Refinement Stage, yet his possessions amounted to only twenty spirit stones. This illustrated just how difficult it was to earn spirit stones. However, if he could master alchemy, crafting a batch of pills to sell at the bazaar could easily earn him several hundred spirit stones. At that point, he could afford not only the “poison mist gourd” but possibly even a pricier skeleton warhorse or even a flying spiritual artifact.

Of course, besides pills, the bazaar offered various low-level talismans for sale, including Fireball Talisman, Water Arrow Talisman, Earth Shield Talisman, and other elemental spells.

The Ghostly Slaughter Sect primarily practiced dark arts and had little depth in the study of elemental spells. Thus, the achievements of sect disciples in elemental magic were rather low. However, in day-to-day combat, elemental spells proved practical in many situations, making these talismans quite sought after.

In addition to the low-level cultivation manuals, there were numerous complex materials needed for alchemy and artifact crafting, such as medicinal herbs, ores, beast bones, and so on, an array so vast it could easily overwhelm one’s senses.

At one stall, Jiang Chen spotted the Hundred Souls Banner for sale. When he inquired about the price, he was shocked to learn that it cost five hundred spirit stones. It was clear that this item was not something a low-level cultivator could afford.

Having browsed through the bazaar, Jiang Chen already had a good idea of what he wanted to buy. He headed straight for a stall specializing in alchemy supplies and pointed at an ancient-looking blue alchemy furnace, saying, “Boss, how much for that furnace?”

The owner, a middle-aged man in his forties, was thrilled to hear that Jiang Chen wanted to buy a furnace. He thought to himself that he had finally encountered a disciple who knew how to refine pills, and with a big smile, he replied, “Young brother, are you looking to buy an alchemy furnace?”

“Yes! I see you’ve priced it at sixty spirit stones. Can you go any lower?” Jiang Chen asked.

“Ah, young brother, this furnace is truly a top-quality Qingpu Pill Furnace. If you were to buy it elsewhere, it would be hard to find for under a hundred spirit stones. If it weren’t for my circumstances, I wouldn’t want to sell it at all,” the owner said with a bitter smile. “How about this: If you buy the furnace, I’ll throw in a pill recipe for you!”

“A pill recipe? That works!” Jiang Chen thought for a moment; a pill recipe would sell for twenty to thirty spirit stones in the bazaar.

He then pointed to a book titled Introduction to Alchemy on the table and said, “Then throw this book in as well, and I’ll pay sixty spirit stones for the whole deal!”

“What? You want to buy that book too?” The middle-aged man was taken aback and, with a puzzled expression, reminded him, “Young brother, that book is meant for those who don’t yet know how to refine pills; it’s for beginner learning!”

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Jiang Chen admitted, “Actually, I don’t know how to refine pills yet, but I want to learn!”

At this, the owner found himself speechless. It was truly absurd that someone who didn’t even know how to refine pills wanted to buy a furnace. Any aspiring alchemist would first be guided by a master, gradually exploring the art and only purchasing a furnace after confirming they had some talent, thus beginning their journey into alchemy.

And this kid, who didn’t seem very wealthy, had never even refined a single pill, yet here he was, wanting to buy a pill furnace. Was he hiding some secret identity as a wealthy second-generation cultivator? Did his family have an elder in a sect or belong to a prominent cultivation family? It was the only way he could be so reckless with money.

The owner couldn’t help but regret that he had lowered the price so much just to sell the furnace. Had he known this would happen, he would have held out for a better offer.

However, at this moment, Jiang Chen’s actions clearly contradicted the owner’s assumptions.

Jiang Chen pulled out twenty spirit stones and a vial of qi nourishing pills from his storage bag. He poured out twenty golden pills that released a refreshing aroma, then awkwardly handed them to Liu Jie, saying, “Sir, each qi nourishing pill is worth two spirit stones, so twenty of them makes forty spirit stones. Adding this twenty spirit stones makes it about right, doesn’t it?”

Now the middle-aged man was completely convinced: Jiang Chen was definitely not some wealthy second-generation cultivator but rather a genuine penniless beginner. Otherwise, how could he not even have sixty spirit stones and resorted to selling his own qi nourishing pills? While the market price was two spirit stones each, that was for the lowest quality pills; slightly better ones would sell for three spirit stones. Plus, they were often hard to find. Any savvy individual wouldn’t sell decent quality pills they could use themselves at market price.

“Alright! It’s a deal!” he thought to himself, his spirits lifting.

Quickly, the owner took the twenty qi nourishing pills and twenty spirit stones into his storage bag, then handed the Qingpu Pill Furnace and the book Introduction to Alchemy over to Jiang Chen.