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His gaze swept across the blood-red fruit inside the jade box, a thick aura of blood energy swirling around it.
Immediately after, Wei Yang shifted his eyes toward the seller standing behind the stone platform.
It was an old man in a black robe, with a High Tier 6 badge pinned to his chest.
"Sir, have you taken a liking to something?" The black-robed old man also lifted his head, his eyes falling on the badge on Wei Yang's chest. His expression immediately turned solemn, and he cupped his hands with a polite smile as he asked.
"This thing, how do you want to trade?" Wei Yang nodded, going straight to the point as he pointed at the Blood Essence Demon Fruit.
"Hehe, so sir has set his eyes on the Blood Essence Demon Fruit." The black-robed old man clearly knew his own goods well, immediately revealing its background.
"Surely sir already knows the rarity of this Blood Essence Demon Fruit. When refining certain High Tier 7 pills, or even Tier 8 pills, it is often required."
The black-robed old man chuckled, stroking his beard as he said, "My Blood Essence Demon Fruit, I wish to exchange it for a Low Tier 7 pill formula that this old man has not yet studied. What does sir think?"
Hearing this, Wei Yang frowned slightly and said in a flat tone, "You're asking a bit too much. You're only a High Tier 6 alchemist. Common Low Tier 7 pill formulas, I'm sure you've already studied them."
"The ones left are the truly rare Low Tier 7 pill formulas. And those formulas are considered the private secrets of an alchemist, their signature treasures. The Blood Essence Demon Fruit may be rare, but a private Tier 7 pill formula is priceless. Who would take it out to exchange with you?"
Any rare Tier 7 pill formula is either the legacy passed down by a master or something acquired by sheer luck, treasured as a bottom-of-the-chest heirloom. It's their livelihood, priceless and never easily traded.
The Blood Essence Demon Fruit, though rare and precious, still could not compare in value to one of those pill formulas.
Over the years, Wei Yang had indeed accumulated quite a number of rare Tier 7 pill formulas through looting corpses, plucking wool from old alchemists, complete peak Tier 7 inheritances, and from people like Bing He and Tian Shuang Zi. But that did not mean he would casually take them out for trade.
And seeing the other side's blatant lion's mouth bargaining, he naturally wouldn't be the fool who paid the price. Wei Yang's words caused the black-robed old man's face to show an embarrassed look.
He also knew he was asking too much, but he truly wanted a rare Tier 7 pill formula, hoping it might help him break through his bottleneck into the Tier 7.
He had studied all the common Low Tier 7 formulas, but none helped him improve his alchemy. So he wanted to try another path.
Among his collection, only this Blood Essence Demon Fruit was the rarest and most valuable. Attending this trading meet, he had come with high hopes.
Thus, he could only grit his teeth and say, "As long as sir is willing to provide a rare Tier 7 pill formula, besides the Blood Essence Demon Fruit, anything else here that sir finds useful, just take it."
As he spoke, he pointed at the other items on the stone platform.
Wei Yang merely swept his gaze over them, then let out a dismissive scoff, shaking his head as he said blandly, "Other than the Blood Essence Demon Fruit, I see nothing worth my time."
"In that case, I'm sorry sir, but I will only trade for a rare Low Tier 7 pill formula." The black-robed old man clenched his teeth and refused firmly.
Wei Yang frowned slightly, turning to leave, but after some thought, he stopped, turned back, and asked, "You want to study a Tier 7 pill formula to step into the Tier 7?"
"Yes." The black-robed old man nodded honestly, a trace of longing flashing in his eyes.
The Tier 7 was his lifelong pursuit. If he could just obtain a relatively simpler Low Tier 7 formula, perhaps he could break through.
Wei Yang pondered for a moment, then said, "I see your situation isn't easy. How about this, I'll give you a Mid Tier 7 pill: Elemental Heart Pill. You should have heard of its effects. When refining pills, consuming it helps stabilize the mind and increases success rate. Perhaps with its aid, you could successfully refine a Tier 7 pill."
"And once you've refined a Tier 7 pill successfully, with that experience, as long as you're not foolish, you should be able to break into the Tier 7 after a few more attempts. How about it?"
Hearing this, the black-robed old man's eyes first lit up, but then he frowned slightly, face showing hesitation as he weighed the gains and losses.
Using an Elemental Heart Pill as assistance was indeed a clever workaround. But it would only give him one chance. If he failed once, the opportunity was gone. Naturally, his heart was conflicted.
Seeing this, Wei Yang shook his head.
Flipping his hand, he took out two jade bottles and handed them to Ah Da. "Here are two Mid Tier 7 pills. One is the Elemental Heart Pill, the other is the Life Returning Pill. Take them, and go exchange them with others here on the second floor. I'll head up to the top floor for a look."
"Yes, Master." Ah Da respectfully accepted the two jade bottles.
Wei Yang glanced at the frowning, hesitating black-robed old man one last time, then ignored him and turned to head upstairs. The items on the second floor were still of slightly lower grade, few of them able to truly pique his interest.
After Wei Yang left, Ah Da straightened up, his gaze turning cold as he stared at the frowning old man. With some impatience he said, "Hey, idiot, have you made up your mind yet, are you trading or not?"
"You." The black-robed old man's face instantly darkened with anger, yet he didn't dare to lash out. He could only fling his sleeve and remain silent.
"What, you're upset just because I called you an idiot?"
Ah Da sneered darkly, "My master already pointed out the best shortcut for you to step into the Tier 7, yet you still can't wrap your head around it. Calling you an idiot is actually me flattering you."
"But the Elemental Heart Pill can only be used once. If I fail, that's it." The black-robed old man frowned.
"You know why you've never been able to step into the Tier 7? I don't think your alchemy is the biggest problem, it's your cowardice. You don't even dare to try. Without even that bit of courage, you still dream of reaching the Tier 7? You might as well go home and farm."
Ah Da mocked, "Not to mention anything else, but just one Mid Tier 7 pill being exchanged for a single medicinal material is already quite the bargain. What's more, this pill was refined personally by my master. If it weren't for his generosity, you think anyone else would trade with you?"
With that, he flung his sleeve and turned to leave. "Idiot, keep waiting here if you like. Best if you take that Blood Essence Demon Fruit home and worship it like an ancestor."
"Refined personally by your master? Isn't he only Low Tier 7?" The black-robed old man was stunned, then as if thinking of something, his pupils contracted and he quickly reached out, shouting, "Wait, let me at least see that Elemental Heart Pill first."
Ah Da stopped, tilting his head slightly, his tone half mocking, "I'm not in the mood right now, I don't feel like showing you. If you want to trade, then trade, it's up to whether you've got the guts."
"This…" The black-robed old man hesitated again, somewhat dissatisfied. "If you don't let me see it, how do I know it's really an Elemental Heart Pill?"
"Pah, you think my master would deceive a mere Tier 6 alchemist like you? How much are you even worth?" Ah Da nearly laughed in anger, then turned and walked away. "And what, you think the Pill Tower hosting this trade meet is just for decoration?"
"Uh, that's true." The black-robed old man thought carefully and realized it made sense. A Mid Tier 7 pill was worth far less than the reputation of a Tier 7 alchemist.
A Tier 7 alchemist valued their reputation more than anything.
Sometimes, even more than life itself.
Who would be so bored as to ruin their own name just to swindle a mere Tier 6 alchemist over a Blood Essence Demon Fruit?
Thinking of this.
"To hell with it!" He looked at Ah Da's departing back, gritted his teeth, and shouted, "Wait, I'll trade!"
The words had barely left his mouth.
Whoosh~
A jade bottle flew over, landing steadily in front of the black-robed old man. Immediately after, an invisible suction force surged out, grabbing the jade box that contained the Blood Essence Demon Fruit and pulling it away.
"Meeting my master today is your fortune, so be grateful, future Tier 7 alchemist."
Ah Da's sleeve swept as he caught the jade box, his figure drifting away, leaving behind only those pretentious words echoing slowly in the black-robed old man's ears.
The old man's brows arched. He picked up the jade bottle and opened the lid. In that instant, an incredibly rich medicinal fragrance surged out from the mouth of the bottle.
"This!" Through the thick aroma, the black-robed old man's eyes fell upon the pill inside. His eyes instantly widened as he exclaimed in shock, "Such strong spirituality!"
This was a pill with extremely powerful spirit!
Spirit Infusion!
The word immediately surfaced in his mind.
A Mid Tier 7 pill… imbued with spirit?!
Heavens!
That was such a waste.
The black-robed old man trembled inwardly, then quickly closed the bottle and placed several seals upon it.
He then opened his mouth and sucked in all the lingering medicinal fragrance that had spread around, swallowing it into his stomach.
Instantly, his entire being felt revitalized.
After doing this, he clutched the jade bottle tightly, his face filled with excitement. To be extravagant enough to imbue a Tier 7 pill with spirit, who else could it be?
It could only be some Tier 8 alchemist with nothing better to do.
The black-robed old man took a deep breath of the lingering medicinal fragrance in the air, then bowed deeply in the direction Wei Yang had departed. After that, he quickly packed up his things on the platform and left in a hurry.
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