Chapter 687: Immense Gains
The Hall of Offerings was unusually lively as the kings of the Daluo Heavenly Territory fiercely competed for the coveted Fifth Tier Barrier Breaking Spirit Pill.
In the Daluo Heavenly Territory, resources for cultivation could only be obtained in three ways:
Rewards for meritorious service.
Following specific rules for obtaining resources.
Exchanging them with Sovereign Spiritual Liquid.
The kings competing for the Barrier Breaking Spirit Pill were all Fifth Tier Sovereigns, ranking in the upper middle tier of the territory's hierarchy. However, acquiring the pill and breaking through to the Sixth Tier would elevate them into the top ranks.
Their determination was evident this was a rare opportunity. No one knew when another Barrier Breaking Spirit Pill would appear again. Pills that could aid in cultivation were always priceless, retained as a faction's foundation, either to attract powerful experts or to nurture their own prodigies.
As the bidding escalated, the crowd erupted with gasps. For most onlookers retainers of the kings the sums being thrown around were unimaginable, inciting envy and ambition.
"Three hundred thousand Sovereign Spiritual Liquid!"
Gray Bear King's thunderous bid silenced the hall. Eyes widened in shock as they turned to him. The veins on his face bulged, and his reddened eyes betrayed the toll this sum took on him.
The other kings competing with him hesitated. Though they had the means to match his bid, they lacked the certainty that the pill's 30% success rate would yield results. Gray Bear King, desperate to overcome years of stagnation, risked everything. Even if his faction suffered, breaking through to the Sixth Tier would secure his dominance for decades.
The hall grew quiet as Gray Bear King handed over a spatial ring filled with the liquid to Elder Lin. After verifying the amount, Elder Lin presented him with a jade bottle emanating golden light. The rich medicinal fragrance filled the air, causing the onlookers to hold their breath in awe.
Clutching the pill, Gray Bear King's face lit up with joy. Despite the steep price, his hope for advancement justified the cost.
"Elder Lin," a defeated king grumbled sourly, "why are the resources distributed like this? This wasn't the rule before."
Elder Lin glanced at him with a smirk.
"It's the rule set by the new Alchemist Guest Official."
"A what?"
The kings were dumbfounded. Gray Bear King immediately asked, "Elder Lin, why didn't you mention there was an alchemist in the Daluo Heavenly Territory?"
"You didn't ask," Elder Lin replied with a shrug. "You were too eager to exchange for the pill."
Gray Bear King's joy dimmed slightly, while the other kings lit up with interest. The presence of an alchemist in the territory meant future access to rare pills wasn't a one time event.
"Congratulations, Gray Bear King, on your acquisition," one king, Black Scorpion King, said with mock cheer.
"You !" Gray Bear King fumed, but Black Scorpion King turned to Elder Lin.
"When will the Guest Official refine another Barrier Breaking Spirit Pill?"
Elder Lin chuckled.
"Do you think the price will drop just because more pills are available?"
Black Scorpion King's face froze.
"Would you sell something worth 300,000 Sovereign Spiritual Liquid for just 100,000?" Elder Lin's rhetorical question silenced the hall.
The kings' expressions grew tense. Gray Bear King felt marginally better, knowing he hadn't been the only one to pay such a high price.
"Elder Lin, does this Guest Official plan to extort us?" Black Scorpion King's tone turned cold.
Elder Lin gave him a dismissive glance.
"You're free to think what you want. But know this the Guest Official was personally invited by the Domain Lord."
The hall fell into a stunned silence.
"And," Elder Lin added, "the Guest Official holds the Domain Lord's personal token."
Gasps rippled through the crowd. The token represented absolute authority in the Daluo Heavenly Territory. It wasn't just symbolic but conveyed a status higher than even the three ruling emperors.
With such credentials and expertise in alchemy, the Guest Official was untouchable. Any scheme against them would provoke the Domain Lord's wrath.
News of the fierce bidding and the mysterious alchemist spread like wildfire throughout the territory. It became known that the Daluo Heavenly Territory had gained a rare asset: an Alchemist Guest Official.
Meanwhile, the man at the center of this storm, Xiao Ze, sat in a side chamber, organizing his gains.
After Mandala caught him refining pills in her grand hall, she had unceremoniously banished him to a side chamber. However, she tacitly allowed him to remain in her palace, signaling her trust.
Xiao Ze had earlier borrowed 500,000 Sovereign Spiritual Liquid from Mandala to fuel his assimilation of spiritual energy. Now, with his title as Guest Official, he had earned 1,000,000 Sovereign Spiritual Liquid as an annual stipend, effectively erasing his debt.
Of the remaining 500,000, he had spent 50,000 to purchase alchemical materials. By refining cultivation pills, he had already produced a batch worth 500,000 Sovereign Spiritual Liquid.
After meeting Mandala's quota, the excess profits were his to keep.
"1.2 million Sovereign Spiritual Liquid… Alchemy is truly a lucrative profession," Xiao Ze mused with a satisfied smile.
Even after repaying Mandala's loan, he was left with a net profit of over 700,000.
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