After Kim Simona left, Vice Tower President Woods exchanged a few polite pleasantries with Lordi Payne before getting down to business. The numbers were calculated swiftly: the Bone Tempering Pill sold to Kim Simona alone fetched 60 D$t, while the remaining eleven pills were priced at 55 D$t each after some haggling. In total, the vial of Bone Tempering Pills brought in a staggering 665 D$t for Lordi Payne.
After deducting the costs of the first alchemy run, Lordi Payne's net profit was 571 D$t—far beyond his wildest expectations and several times higher than his initial estimate.
This is a real jackpot… an absolute goldmine! Lordi Payne thought, his heart racing with excitement. But he kept his expression neutral, exchanging a few more polite words with Vice President Woods. He promised to return to the Tower of Hundred Treasures with more elixirs of similar quality, then made a quick exit.
Despite the windfall, Lordi Payne knew it was only a drop in the bucket compared to the massive fine looming over him. He still needed to hustle and earn more spirit stones—fast.
It wasn't until he was well away from the Tower of Hundred Treasures that Lordi Payne finally processed what had happened. These people all assumed some "alchemist master" crafted these premium-level pills. Not a single one of them suspected it was him.
Then he remembered the snarky parrot's earlier comments. His lips twitched, and he shrugged. "Fine by me. If they want to believe some mysterious master is behind this, let them. Better than them figuring out it's me."
After all, thanks to the brain-dead AwfulOS system, his low-key profile was already in ashes. He'd violated his principle of staying under the radar again and again. This was the perfect opportunity to pass the buck and avoid unnecessary attention.
——
Meanwhile, in a secluded mountain forest far from the Tower of Hundred Treasures, Ruru Rosa broke the silence. "Junior Sister Kim, premium-level Bone Tempering Pills are so rare. How could that guy named Chen Haunt just give away a whole vial as a reward? Do you think… that junior brother might actually be the alchemist?"
Kim Simona laughed, her tone light but dismissive. "Senior Sister Ruru, you don't know much about alchemy, so it's no wonder you'd think that. Let me put it this way: we've never heard of that junior brother before. Even if he's been studying alchemy since he was a toddler, the fact that he has no reputation whatsoever shows he's mediocre at best."
She paused, her expression turning serious. "If he'd brought entry-level Bone Tempering Pills, I might have believed he crafted them himself. But premium-level? And a whole vial of them? Not a chance. Even if he used up all the luck in this lifetime and the next, he still couldn't pull it off."
Kim Simona pulled out the premium-level Bone Tempering Pill she'd just purchased, holding it up to the sunlight with admiration. "You're an amateur, so you wouldn't see it, but this pill is a masterpiece. The materials used are common, but the alchemy skill behind it is exquisite—nearly perfect. From the very first step of processing the raw materials, every impurity was removed, leaving only the purest medicinal essence. Then, during the alchemy process, every ingredient's potency was maximized, and a perfect balance was maintained from start to finish."
She turned the pill over in her fingers, her voice filled with awe. "This isn't a fluke. None of these pills became premium-level by accident. They're the result of a master alchemist's lifelong effort and skill. For some alchemist newer like me, this pill is priceless—a treasure that shouldn't be sold to the Tower of Hundred Treasures like some ordinary cultivation item. It belongs in a high-end cultivation world auction."
Kim Simona shook her head, her tone final. "If that junior brother were really the alchemist, he'd never have sold them so cheaply. No, he's exactly what he claimed to be—a clueless amateur who stumbled upon something far beyond his understanding. That's why he sold them to the Tower without a second thought."
Kim Simona carefully tucked away the premium-level Bone Tempering Pill, her lips curling into a smirk. "What a dimwit," she said, her tone dripping with disdain. "Selling such treasures to the Tower for peanuts. If that junior brother really were the alchemist behind these pills, I'd eat my newly bought Dao furnace!"
Ruru Rosa and the others nodded in agreement, completely sold on Kim Simona's reasoning.
Shaun Zet's eyes flickered with calculation. "In that case," he said, his voice smooth and deliberate, "should we send someone to Ghost Shade Peak to track down this Chen Haunt immediately? I wouldn't want to delay Junior Sister's chance to seek guidance from this alchemy master."
Kim Simona nodded, her expression serious. "Send someone right away. But remember—until we know the relationship between Chen Haunt and this alchemist master, we must tread carefully. Keep it polite."
"Wise call, Junior Sister," Shaun Zet said, his tone oozing charm. "I'll make sure my men understand the importance of discretion."
----
Lordi Payne, meanwhile, had no idea what was being plotted behind his back. After leaving the Tower of Hundred Treasures, he instinctively headed for the grand market. But halfway there, he froze mid-step, a realization hitting him like a thunderbolt: The system can handle the alchemy process, but my spiritual energy can't keep up!
His dream of nonstop, sleepless pill-alchemy was dead in the water. The system might be flawless, but his own cultivation level was the bottleneck. The second round of alchemy had failed because his spiritual energy had been completely depleted.
"At least Senior Sister Kim gave me this bottle of Spirit Restore Pills," Lordi Payne thought, pulling out the vial. "These should restore my spiritual energy—enough to keep me going for a few days."
But once the pills ran out, he'd be back to square one: depleted spiritual energy and wasted materials.
"It seems my original plan to ditch cultivation and focus solely on earning spirit stones isn't reliable," Lordi Payne grimaced, his mind racing. "If I want to earn enough spirit stones, I need to keep up with my cultivation. Otherwise, even if the system can craft premium-level pills every time, I might still fall short of paying the fine within three months."
With that in mind, Lordi Payne decided to adjust his strategy: he would keep a portion of the Bone Tempering Pills for himself. Once his cultivation level improved to the point where the system wouldn't fail due to spiritual energy depletion, he could sell the remaining pills.
"But if I keep selling premium-level elixirs, even if I disguise myself, trouble is inevitable," Lordi Payne mused, his brow furrowed. "I'm just a new disciple with no influence and weak cultivation. I won't survive the schemes of these sharks. Maybe I should discuss this with Senior Brother Wexford and act under his name? His clout might protect me."
Then another thought struck him, sending a chill down his spine. Wait. Money attracts greed. What if Senior Brother Wexford has ulterior motives too?
As he pondered, he took a step forward—and suddenly, the world around him went silent.
Lordi Payne's breath hitched as the world around him twisted and warped. The once vibrant mountain woods, alive with the chirping of birds and the gentle rustle of leaves, suddenly bled of color. The lush greens and sparkling blues of the streams faded into a lifeless, monochrome gray. The scenery crumbled before his eyes, transforming into a desolate wasteland of decay and ruin. It was as if the very essence of life had been drained from the world, leaving behind a hollow, skeletal remains.
"Lady Willow?" Lordi Payne murmured, his voice steady despite the eerie transformation. He had experienced this before, after all. The memory of her haunting presence was still fresh in his mind. He bowed politely, his tone respectful but cautious. "Madam, are you here?"
The air around him shimmered, rippling like the surface of a disturbed pond. From the darkness, a delicate, pale finger emerged, its icy touch brushing against his cheek with the tenderness of a lover's caress. The cold seeped into his skin, sending a shiver racing down his spine.
From the rippling shadows, Phantom Maid Willow materialized, her form coalescing into a vision of haunting beauty. Her skin was as pale as moonlight, flawless and ethereal, but her eyes were endless voids of black, devoid of light or life. Long, dark lashes framed those hollow pits, adding an unsettling contrast to her otherwise delicate features. Her lips, soft and pale, curled into a faint, almost playful smile. The air around her was thick with a chilling aura, and the faint scent of mint sweetness wafted from her, both alluring and terrifying.
"Young sir Lordi Payne," she whispered, her voice a melodic echo that seemed to rise from the depths of the underworld. Her icy fingers trailed down his face, lingering on his lips. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"
Lordi Payne swallowed hard, his body tense under the crushing weight of her presence. Though her touch was gentle, almost affectionate, the oppressive aura surrounding her felt like a thousand-pound boulder of ice pressing down on him. Every breath was a struggle, the cold seeping into his bones, threatening to freeze him from the inside out.
Forcing a grin, Lordi Payne tried to steady himself. "I've mastered the Blood Lothgar Footwork Art," he said, his voice strained but determined. "Please, Madam, release your suppression so I can demonstrate it for you."
Willow's expression shifted, her hauntingly beautiful face flickering with confusion. Her black, hollow eyes widened slightly, and she tilted her head, her lips parting in a mix of curiosity and disbelief. "What is this… Blood Lothgar Footwork Art?" she asked, her tone sweet and the laced icy chill faded a bit. "Wasn't it the Blood Spectre Footwork Art?"