The First Immortal of Destiny

Through hard practice, Shen Mo's proficiency in the new Elixirs he acquired had rapidly improved.

[Alchemy Path: Grade II (2,535/3,000)]

...

[Qi Coalescing Pill: Elite (MAX)]

[Soul Nurturing Pill: Elite (MAX)]

[Demon Suppressing Pill: Excellent (105/5,000)]

[Great Yuan Cultivation Pill: Junior (800/1,000)]

[Dragon Power Pill: Junior (784/1,000)]

[Sweet Rain Pill: Junior (766/1,000)]

[Exorcism Origin Pill: Novice (10/100)]

Especially, his control over the Nether Fire for Alchemy was becoming increasingly proficient, which, to a certain extent, improved the success rate of Elixir production.

Shen Mo had also tried refining the Exorcism Origin Pill several times, but without exception, he failed! He planned to further improve his Alchemy Path before attempting to refine this Grade III Elixir again.

But for now, Shen Mo had to leave the cave mansion and head for Jiyun Town. The materials needed for Alchemy had all been used up. He first needed to sell the refined Elixirs to acquire Spirit Stones, then he could buy a batch of spiritual medicinal materials, after which he could continue his great work of Alchemy!

This time, Shen Mo deliberately brought the Spirit Storage Rat, hidden away in a Spirit Pet Bag.

Having concealed his identity and set up his Elixir stall, he then took out the placard that he had prepared in advance from his Universe Bag.

[Selling Demon Suppressing Pill, Great Yuan Cultivation Pill, Dragon Power Pill, Sweet Rain Pill.]

[No bargaining; rude behavior will be met with a stern rebuke!]

Because his Qi Coalescing Pill and Soul Nurturing Pill had reached the Elite level, he was fully proficient in their creation. Producing more of these would lead to negligible improvement in his Alchemy Path. In other words, the cost-effectiveness was extremely low! Therefore, Shen Mo did not make many of these two kinds of Elixirs for sale this time. He still had some in his Universe Bag, just in case. In the future, Shen Mo would keep a stock of any Elixir that he could refine, to avoid being in the same situation as when he was besieged by the minor Heavenly Demon and only had Qi Restoring Pills left on him!

Grade II Elixirs were relatively high in value, and cultivators in the early stages of the Qi Gathering Realm generally couldn't afford them. Only those in the middle and late stages, who had consumed too many Grade V and Grade I Elixirs and developed resistance, would spend more Spirit Stones to buy Grade II Elixirs. There were also some wealthy second-generation prodigals, cognizant of the risk of accumulating pill's poison from consuming too many Elixirs, who would also choose more potent, and thus fewer, high-grade Elixirs.

Anyway, these four kinds of Elixirs were not difficult to sell. But the market dictated that they would sell much slower than Grade I Elixirs!

Shen Mo was in no rush.

Through his Divine Sense, he was constantly instructing the little guy in the Spirit Pet Bag.

"When you come out later, don't provoke those weaker than me!"

"As for those much stronger than me, don't even think about it, lest you lose your little life."

"Qi Gathering Layer II to Qi Gathering Layer VII, got it?"

"If you get discovered, drop whatever treasure you have before escaping. There may be Prohibitions placed on it that can lock onto its position."

"Safety must come first. Don't rely on your Innate Divine Ability to grab whatever treasure you want! If you attract Spirit Sea Realm powerhouses, I won't be able to withstand a single slap from them."

Shen Mo was keen to test to what extent the Spirit Storage Rat's (Hiding) Skill had advanced. At the same time, he was worried that the Spirit Storage Rat might be reckless and attract powerful enemies he couldn't handle.

"Master, rest assured! I've remembered everything," the Spirit Storage Rat communicated, seeming eager to get into action.

It wasn't that it had changed its nature; rather, Shen Mo had enticed it with the roasted meat of a Python Dragon. The thousand-year-old Python Dragon, a peak Class II demonic beast, its Flesh and Blood contained an enormous demonic essence, which was incredibly beneficial to lower-level demonic beasts! Not to mention, the Spirit Storage Rat's ancient bloodline was stirring, allowing it to strengthen itself by devouring the Flesh and Blood of demonic beasts. Its gluttonous nature had been thoroughly whetted! How could it refuse roasted Python Dragon meat?

SWOOSH!

Shen Mo lightly tapped the Spirit Pet Bag.

A crimson afterimage scurried out; it was the impatient Spirit Storage Rat. It saluted Shen Mo with its slender claws, then squeaked twice before burrowing into the crowd and disappearing.

To avoid being seen, Shen Mo, after sitting down, intentionally covered the Spirit Pet Bag with his sleeve. This way, when the Spirit Storage Rat returned, it could bring the treasures directly into the bag without having to hand them over to Shen Mo.

A morning passed.

He successfully sold almost half of the Elixirs, and the Spirit Storage Rat did not disappoint Shen Mo. It sequentially brought back three treasures: one Frozen Blood Lotus needed for crafting the Soul Nurturing Pill, a middle-grade Spirit Stone, and a piece of Qiling Iron weighing half a jin. In terms of value, undoubtedly, the middle-grade Spirit Stone was more valuable, directly equivalent to one hundred low-grade Spirit Stones! Shen Mo wasn't picky. After all, these were "picked up," so why be demanding?

However, just after Shen Mo had rewarded the Spirit Storage Rat, it got into trouble that afternoon.

It had wandered off to some Treasure Tower and, ignoring its protective Prohibitions, directly stole a profound level middle-grade magic artifact. This immediately startled the cultivator watching the shop! Moreover, there was a Prohibition mark on that magic artifact. The angry owner and the Keeper of the Market were almost led directly to Shen Mo. Frightened, Shen Mo continuously urged the Spirit Storage Rat with his Divine Sense to drop the middle-grade magic artifact, finally shaking off the pursuit of the owner and the Keeper.

When the little fellow returned, looking pitiful, Shen Mo immediately willed the Spirit Pet Bag shut. He dared not let the Spirit Storage Rat run around anymore!

That was close... I almost got found out... Shen Mo thought. If they had discovered that I was the one behind it all, even if I didn't die today, I would have been skinned alive! But this little guy's Skills are becoming more and more difficult to guard against. Once my strength improves, if any Treasure Tower dares to swindle me, I'll have this little guy steal everything they have. Wait, that's not right! By then, no shopkeeper would be foolish enough to dare provoke me.

When the moon rose over the willows, this batch of Grade II Elixirs was finally sold out, netting a total of eight hundred Spirit Stones!

After all, these were among the first few kinds of Elixirs he had refined. The yield rate and quality of the Elixirs still needed improvement. If he were to make Qi Coalescing Pills and Soul Nurturing Pills, which he was at an Elite level in producing, the Spirit Stones earned from the same investment would more than double.

Of course, at the moment, Shen Mo urgently needed to improve his Alchemy Path; as long as he had enough Spirit Stones for circulation and for [Martial Performance], that was sufficient. After all, one had to prioritize, and refining the Exorcism Origin Pill was the most pressing matter.

And so it went. Shen Mo continued refining the four kinds of Elixirs, improving his Alchemy Path, while also selling Elixirs to ensure a flow of Spirit Stones so he could continue to purchase spiritual medicinal materials.

「As ten days passed.」

Shen Mo finally elevated his Alchemy Path to a level extremely close to Grade III. Relying on the previously accumulated materials, Shen Mo managed to raise his proficiency with the Exorcism Origin Pill from Novice to Junior in one go!

[You attempted to refine an Exorcism Origin Pill and failed.]

[You attempted to refine an Exorcism Origin Pill. During the refining process, you gained a deeper understanding of the Exorcism Origin Pill and its profound mysteries. Your Alchemy Path experience +40, Exorcism Origin Pill proficiency +100.]

...

[You attempted to refine an Exorcism Origin Pill and succeeded! During the refining process, you gained a deeper understanding of the Exorcism Origin Pill and its profound mysteries. Your Alchemy Path experience +200, Exorcism Origin Pill proficiency +500.]

"HUFF!"

Shen Mo let out a long breath. Did I succeed? A gratified smile surfaced on his face.

As the cauldron opened, a round, lustrous, white Elixir floated up. Shen Mo reached out and caught it in his palm.

Even with his Alchemy Path prowess nearing Grade III, combined with the Ascending Alchemy Method and the enhancement from the Nether Fire, this Grade III Elixir still hadn't reached perfect quality! It had barely reached superior quality.