Lord of the Demon Sect

When Liu Yong proposed his method, everyone was taken aback and astonished. However, given the current power of the Shang family, the Liu family stood no chance against them. Although this approach might seem somewhat forced, it at least ensured that the family members could make a living and wouldn’t be reduced to rogue cultivators.

“I oppose this! By doing so, the lifeline of the Liu family would fall into the hands of the Shang family! In less than twenty years, I fear the Liu family will be completely swallowed up by the Shang family!” A crisp and melodious voice rang out.

Everyone looked up to see a stunning young woman in a light green outfit approaching. It was Liu Mo, the rising star of the Liu family and the most outstanding female disciple of this generation.

“Mo’er, if you don’t agree with this plan, then propose a solution!” Liu Yong sneered. For the past few days, Liu Mo had been busy brewing spirit wine and acquiring materials, spending a lot of time at the artifact crafting pavilion she was in charge of, yet there hadn’t been many spiritual artifacts produced. It was unclear what exactly she had been occupied with.

“My solution is- to reopen the alchemy workshop!” Liu Mo declared loudly. She cast a glance at Liu Yong, her expression revealing a hint of disdain. She had actually arrived some time ago but chose to remain silent to see what surprising actions her second and third uncles would take. She found that her third uncle, Liu Wei, acted relatively normal, while her second uncle, Liu Yong, seemed intent on seizing the family leadership and even sought to marry into the Shang family, which was quite abnormal.

At that moment, the people in the hall began to murmur after hearing Liu Mo’s words.

“Reopen the alchemy workshop? We don’t even have an alchemist; can we compete with the Shang family?”

“Exactly! It’s easy to open a workshop, but if the pills we sell aren’t competitive, we’ll just become a laughingstock!”

“Right! We don’t have any alchemists serving our Liu family. Opening a workshop would just lead to losses, so why bother?”

A wave of opposition filled the hall.

Liu Mo paid no attention to the dissenting voices. She walked up to the large round table in the hall, took out her storage bag, and tilted it toward the table…

“Wow! So many jade porcelain bottles!”

The Liu family members sitting in the hall instantly exclaimed in surprise.

The vast surface of the round table was quickly covered with neatly stacked jade porcelain bottles, leaving no gaps in sight.

Looking at the mountain-like pile of jade porcelain bottles that appeared out of nowhere, everyone in the hall, except for Liu Jie who was seated at the head of the table, gasped in shock at the sheer number of pills.

“These are all Qi Condensing Pills, which are significantly more effective than the Gathering Qi Powder commonly used by middle-stage Qi Refinement cultivators. Preliminary estimates suggest their effectiveness is over double. If we make these Qi Condensing Pills our main product, supplemented with Detoxification Pills, Mind-enhancing Pills, Qi Nourishing Pills, and others, I believe we can reclaim our lost customers and market!” Liu Mo seemed quite pleased with the astonished expressions on everyone’s faces. She glanced around the room and said loudly.

“However! Nie’er, this Qi Condensing Pill’s price…” The speaker was Liu Wei, who had previously attempted to learn alchemy but had no talent for it. He wasted a considerable amount of the family’s spiritual herbs in vain and subsequently gave up. However, having had some experience in alchemy, he understood the prices of various pills and the materials and success rates involved far better than ordinary cultivators. He naturally knew that Qi Condensing Pills were extremely difficult to craft.

“Don’t worry! I purchased these from a senior alchemist who offered them to me at the same price as Gathering Qi Powder! So, if we mark up the price by just twenty percent, those cultivators will know how to choose!” Liu Mo replied with a smile in her eyes, “There are one thousand three hundred sixty-five bottles of Qi Condensing Pills here, each containing ten pills. They can be sold individually or in bulk! This should be enough to keep us afloat for a while, right?”

Her seemingly casual demeanor left everyone in the room stunned.

Liu Wei inhaled sharply, the faint fragrance of the medicine wafting through the hall, before breaking into a broad smile. “Mo’er, this is a truly remarkable move! You’ve been hiding your strength for so long just to make such a stunning entrance! You certainly startled this trio of old men!”

Liu Yong, however, furrowed his brows and said, “These Qi Condensing Pills are indeed excellent, and selling them at this price will certainly turn the situation around and help us reclaim the market. But will this senior alchemist be willing to continue crafting pills for our Liu family? If this is just a one-time deal, once we sell out this batch of pills, then what…”

Liu Mo smiled faintly, her eyes sparkling as she replied, “Uncle, there’s no need to worry. This alchemist has agreed, and unless something major occurs, he will continue to work with us. However, due to confidentiality, I cannot disclose his name or origin!”

Upon hearing this, everyone felt relieved. Many alchemists had eccentric personalities and disliked revealing their identities. Liu Mo’s explanation made sense under the circumstances.

At this moment, Liu Jie let out a hearty laugh and said, “Mo’er, you’ve accomplished a tremendous feat for the Liu family! I hereby officially announce that you are the successor to the next family head! I believe no one has any objections, right?”

Although Liu Mo had long been regarded as the best candidate for the next family head, it had never been publicly announced until now.

Although Liu Mo’s cousins were not as skilled or talented as she was, their status as men meant they did not harbor the same concerns about “married daughters being like spilled water.” As a result, there was some contention over the succession of the family head position.

Liu Jie seized the opportunity to publicly announce Liu Mo’s appointment as the successor while she was busy rescuing the Liu family from its crisis. It was the perfect timing, and no one dared to voice any objections.

Sure enough, the hall erupted in cheers, with everyone applauding and no one daring to oppose. Liu Mo was already the most powerful cultivator in the family, with both her father and uncles lagging behind her. Being an artifact craftsman and extraordinarily beautiful, she had many admirers within the family. This matter was quickly settled.

…

“What? The Liu family’s alchemy workshop has reopened? And they are selling Qi Condensing Pills at a low price?”

At the entrance of the Shang family’s alchemy workshop, the cultivators waiting in line to purchase pills were taken aback by the news.

“No way! Weren’t the alchemists in the city reluctant to craft pills for the Liu family? Where did they get so many pills? And Qi Condensing Pills, no less! My heavens!”

“Who knows? Maybe they sourced them from other cities! Or perhaps there’s an alchemist willing to work for the Liu family, despite the Shang family’s disapproval?”

“Well! Either way, more choices are always good for us cultivators! Not long ago, only the Shang family’s workshop on East Street was operating, and the workshops on the other streets didn’t sell these low-level pills. Qi Condensing Pills are twice as effective as Gathering Qi Powder. The Liu family is selling them for only twenty percent more than Gathering Qi Powder, which is quite generous!”

“Great! I’m going to buy some too!”

Immediately, the crowd of cultivators waiting outside the Shang family’s workshop surged toward the Liu family’s bazaar, abandoning their spots.

What had once been a bustling and crowded Shang family alchemy workshop fell eerily silent after this wave of excitement. With only a few shop assistants remaining, there were hardly any customers left.

“It seems the Liu family, after months of silence… has finally begun to strike back.” Upon hearing this news, Shang Zhengwu’s eyes glinted with a fierce light as he turned to his son, Shang Kexi. “Kexi, find out who has the audacity to help the Liu family craft pills. This person can create Qi Condensing Pills, and judging by the apparent success rate, they must be quite a prominent figure in the alchemy world. It shouldn’t be too hard to track them down!”

“Yes, Father! To marry Mo’er, I, Shang Kexi, will dig three feet into the ground if necessary! I will definitely unearth this ungrateful alchemist!” Shang Kexi’s chubby face darkened with determination.

He had long been infatuated with the charming Liu Mo, yet her cultivation level and talent far surpassed his own. Additionally, his reputation in Blood Shadow City was abysmal. Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible for him to marry Liu Mo. Thus, he had resorted to desperate measures. Just when he seemed on the verge of success, the Liu family suddenly mounted a counterattack.

Shang Kexi harbored a deep-seated hatred for the alchemist thwarting his plans.

“Hmph! Liu Yong, that old fool, has already been brought to heel by me. His status in the Liu family is not low; if I ask him to help, he should be able to find out who this alchemist is!” Shang Kexi mused to himself.

Outside Blood Shadow City, Jiang Chen had just bid farewell to Liu Mo and was making his way to the Ghostly Slaughter Sect. The three months spent on alchemy had greatly enhanced his abilities. Not only had his alchemical skills progressed significantly, but his control over spiritual power, as well as his proficiency with various pills and materials, had also increased considerably.

He was now capable of producing thirty-three Qi Condensing Pills from one hundred units of materials. Although, after accounting for the thirty percent failure rate, only three pills reflected his true alchemical ability, it was still a promising start, proving that he possessed a certain talent for alchemy.

After consuming the Qi Condensing Pills for an extended period, he had reached the peak of the fourth layer of qi refinement, with only a thin line separating him from breaking through to the fifth layer.

In contrast, he was pleasantly surprised by Xiao Qian’s cultivation advancement. By eliminating the time spent purchasing and selling materials and mastering the creation of Jiangshi cultivation pills, he had crafted over two hundred pills in three months. After giving Xiao Qian one each day and having consumed over a hundred himself, he still had more than one hundred pills stored away-enough for Xiao Qian for three months.

Xiao Qian had indeed improved in her cultivation during this time, reaching the fifth layer of qi refinement, one layer above him. Moreover, her proficiency in using the “Netherworld Ghost Claw” and “Ghost Flame Sword” had reached a considerable level. Although she still couldn’t learn martial skills, her ability to execute basic combat techniques-such as “grab,” “stab,” “slash,” and “chop”-was even better than Jiang Chen’s. He thought to himself that if he were to face Xiao Qian in a one-on-one duel, he might very well find himself on the losing side.