The First Immortal of Destiny

Good grief, Shen Mo exclaimed inwardly, now that's clever!

They were essentially integrating their entire supply chain, connecting both upstream and downstream operations.

But on second thought, it seemed quite reasonable.

Baodan Pavilion dealt with Alchemists year-round. Naturally, some would find it troublesome to sell elixirs themselves and would casually ask the Shopkeeper, "Do you buy elixirs?"

As more people asked, this elixir shop was born!

That made things much simpler.

Shen Mo took out boxes of sealed elixirs from his Universe Bag, spread them before the Shopkeeper, and said, "These are all decent Grade II Elixirs."

"There are Demon Suppressing Pills, Great Yuan Cultivation Pills, Dragon Power Pills, and Sweet Rain Pills. Most are of perfect quality, and some are even exquisite."

"If you offer a fair price, I'll have exquisite quality Qi Coalescing Pills and Soul Nurturing Pills in the future!"

"What do you think? Do these elixirs meet your discerning taste, Shopkeeper?"

The short, stout Shopkeeper's cultivation wasn't high, but having been immersed in this trade for many years, he had handled countless alchemical materials and finished elixirs.

Naturally, he could discern the quality of these elixirs!

"They most certainly are! If these don't meet my standards, then my eyes must be blind."

The Shopkeeper's face bloomed into a wide smile. He picked up a Demon Suppressing Pill to examine, then leaned over to sniff a Great Yuan Cultivation Pill.

Although he had been running the elixir shop for many years, he had rarely received such high-quality Grade II Elixirs.

Firstly, Grade III Alchemists were scarce.

Secondly, Alchemists of such a grade pursued higher achievements in Alchemy.

Those who specialized in crafting perfect-quality elixirs one grade lower existed, but they were few.

Thirdly, perfect and even exquisite-quality elixirs were mostly consumed internally by large sects or wealthy immortal clans, so the quantity circulating to Jiyun Town was limited.

Now that he had acquired this batch of high-quality Grade II Elixirs, aside from making a profit, the crucial thing was that he could also build the reputation of his Ascending Pill Shop!

The short, plump Shopkeeper would greet even a junior cultivator in the Body Tempering Realm with a smile.

Not to mention, Shen Mo was now a veritable god of wealth in his eyes.

He ordered someone to serve spiritual tea and pastries and lavished Shen Mo with such flattery that Shen Mo almost believed he was some extraordinarily important figure.

However, no matter how much the Shopkeeper tried to sweet-talk him, Shen Mo stood firm on the elixir prices and refused to budge.

After some intense haggling, Shen Mo secured a reasonably fair price—ten percent less than if he had sold them himself at a stall.

After all, retail sales at a stall couldn't be compared to selling in bulk to a shop.

This transaction yielded eleven middle-grade Spirit Stones and forty-five low-grade Spirit Stones.

During their discussion, the short, stout Shopkeeper intentionally or unintentionally revealed his family background. He was from the Qian Family, and his younger brother was an inner disciple of the Riverside Sect, cultivating at the prominent Rising Sun Peak.

He even had a clan uncle who was a Spirit Sea Realm Elder in the Riverside Sect.

However, his own cultivation Talent was extremely poor, so he had taken over the family business and now managed Baodan Pavilion.

As for the Ascending Pill Shop, he had enlisted members of his Qian Family to help manage it, though he himself was still the one in charge. Life was quite comfortable for him!

Shen Mo remained unimpressed.

This Shopkeeper Qian was prospering thanks to the backing of his Spirit Sea Realm clan uncle and the Qian Family. However, his personal strength was lacking. For now, things were fine; at most, he'd have to share some profits. But once he passed away, these two shops would either fall into his clan uncle's hands or be taken by his younger brother. Still, none of this was Shen Mo's concern.

After Shopkeeper Qian revealed his background, he began to probe the source of Shen Mo's batch of Grade II Elixirs and the identity of the Alchemist behind them.

He still remembered Shen Mo purchasing a primary-level cauldron and appearing like a naive newcomer to the Alchemy Path.

He wouldn't assume, as others might, that Shen Mo himself was the Alchemist who had produced these elixirs.

Truly, he couldn't see the forest for the trees!

This played right into Shen Mo's hands.

However, Shen Mo deliberately feigned displeasure, his tone indignant as he said, "Shopkeeper Qian, are you perhaps trying to get to my master?"

"Ah, I wouldn't dare suggest such a thing..."

Shopkeeper Qian quickly shook his head in denial. "If we can build the Alchemist's reputation, we can mark up the price of the elixirs considerably when selling them."

Indeed, such a practice existed in the Alchemy profession.

Highly skilled Alchemists would usually engrave their names on the boxes or jade vases containing their elixirs.

The more famous the Alchemist, the more people would seek out the elixirs they refined.

Of course, this only applied to Grade II Alchemists and above.

Labeling a Grade V Elixir or an ordinary-quality Grade I Elixir with an Alchemist's name would simply make one a laughingstock!

Hearing Shopkeeper Qian's explanation, Shen Mo feigned calmness, pretending his anger had subsided.

Then he began to pour out his grievances.

"Recently, while I've been selling at my stall, I've often felt malicious gazes on me."

"Some people have even tried to attack me directly, wanting to capture and imprison me, to force me to toil like an animal refining elixirs!"

"I'm only here selling elixirs for my master. I'm just a humble Grade V Alchemist; how could I possibly refine exquisite-quality Grade II Elixirs?"

"Only my master, Mo Shen, with his incomparably profound attainments in Alchemy, possesses such skill!"

While Shopkeeper Qian comforted Shen Mo, he accurately pinpointed the information he was seeking.

"Mo Shen!"

Shopkeeper Qian exclaimed, then asked excitedly, "You're saying your master is Mo Shen?"

"The Mo Shen who repeatedly broke Zhao Lingyin's records at the Alchemy Tower and became famous throughout the Alchemy Zone of the Riverside Sect?"

...

"Yes, my master is indeed Mo Shen."

Although Shen Mo was concealed by a wide-brimmed straw hat and a dark robe, making his facial expression invisible, Shopkeeper Qian could still detect the pride and self-assurance in his tone.

Shopkeeper Qian was not part of the Alchemy Zone. However, his immortal clan had close ties with the Riverside Sect, and since he made his living in this trade, he was naturally more knowledgeable about industry developments than other cultivators.

Mo Shen, who had remained low-key and mysterious while repeatedly breaking the Alchemy Tower records of Zhao Lingyin—the foremost prodigy of the Riverside Sect's Alchemy Zone—was undoubtedly worthy of the title Master Alchemist!

If he could use Mo Shen's name...

Forget ordinary customers; even the Alchemists drawn by the news would be enough to pack his elixir shop to the rafters.

Shopkeeper Qian's smile grew even wider.

He proposed holding a grand "Elixir Tasting Conference" specifically to showcase the elixirs refined by Master Mo Shen.

He also requested Shen Mo to make an appearance at the conference in his capacity as "Mo Shen's disciple."

Naturally, Shen Mo resolutely refused!

What a joke! He was still on the Deacon Hall's task list with a bounty of two thousand low-grade Spirit Stones placed on his head by Zhao Lingyin. If she heard that "Mo Shen's disciple" was appearing at an Elixir Tasting Conference, wouldn't she come rushing over immediately? That would just lead to another heap of trouble.

The current situation was sufficient. He just needed to pin the "cash cow" label onto the Alchemy Master "Mo Shen." Those miscreants with ill intent wouldn't dare barge into the Alchemy Zone to kidnap Mo Shen, would they? And even if they did, it wouldn't matter! They'd soon discover that absolutely no one knew who Mo Shen was. Heh, surprise! Didn't see that coming, did you? To confirm Mo Shen's true identity, they'd first have to find "Mo Shen's disciple." But then another problem arose: no one knew who "Mo Shen's disciple" was either! Double the surprise, double the unexpectedness!