After wandering through the marketplace for a while, Xiao Yan came across quite a few decent items. However, most of them weren't of much use to someone of his current strength, so he didn't make any purchases. His funds were extremely limited, and there was no need to waste them on marginal things.
After passing several more stalls, Xiao Yan finally stopped in his tracks. What caught his eye was a cauldron placed on display—exactly what he'd come out searching for. In addition to the cauldron, the stall even had some pill recipes and medicinal ingredients. Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow, finding it rather odd. Looking up at the vendor, he asked, "You're a Spiritual Pill Master? How did you end up peddling wares at a street stall like this?"
His question was understandable. On the Dou Qi Continent, alchemists were some of the wealthiest and most revered figures. Even in the Great Thousand World, Spiritual Pill Masters held considerable status and were courted by every major faction. No matter how broke they got, you wouldn't expect one to be selling wares on the street.
"I'm not a Spiritual Pill Master. These things belonged to my family, and I just happened to… well, borrow them," the vendor replied quickly.
Xiao Yan couldn't help but feel speechless. 'So even here, guarding against theft from within the family is the hardest,' he thought.
He glanced over the stall again, then picked up a modestly ornate-looking cauldron and asked, "How much for this?"
"Just 70,000 drops of Sovereign Spiritual Liquid."
"That's fair." Xiao Yan nodded slightly. The cauldron was of upper-grade artifact quality. Typically, such items sold for around 50,000 drops, but cauldrons used for alchemy had specific utility, and this one was clearly tailored for pill refining. A slightly higher price was reasonable.
The vendor gave a bitter smile. He had originally priced it several times higher, but no one had shown interest. Even after adjusting the price to market rate, it hadn't changed anything.
After all, while his goods were related to pill refinement, they weren't ready-to-use pills. If he were selling those, his stock would've been cleared out in ten minutes. But the current items only interested real Spiritual Pill Masters, and casual passersby didn't care. That explained his stall's lack of business.
"You've even got pill formulas…" Xiao Yan muttered as he looked around. After buying the cauldron, he turned his attention to the other items. Most of the pill recipes weren't particularly useful to him. Just as he was about to leave, a black scroll caught his attention.
"Heart Demon Pill? What kind of pill is this?" he asked curiously, reading the name on the scroll.
"It's an auxiliary-type spiritual pill that can temporarily enhance combat power," the vendor said quickly upon seeing Xiao Yan pick up the scroll.
"A temporary boost, huh." Xiao Yan immediately lost interest. As a high-level alchemist, he knew full well how these pills worked. While they could indeed enhance strength for a short time, they often left the user in a weakened state afterward. He had already purchased similar pills while with the Nine Nether Sparrows, so he didn't need more.
"This one's different from the usual kind. It doesn't boost spiritual energy directly—it uses another method to enhance combat power, and there are absolutely no side effects," the vendor added quickly, seeing Xiao Yan about to put the scroll down.
"Oh? Another method?" Xiao Yan paused. "What do you mean?"
"You've heard of the Thunder God Palace, right?"
"Yeah," Xiao Yan nodded. He had heard about it before—it was one of the Great Thousand World's superpowers, on par with the Nine Nether Sparrow Clan.
"The Thunder God Palace has a signature divine ability called the Supreme Heart Demon Scripture. It's not one of the thirty-six absolute divine arts, but it's still a top-tier technique," the vendor explained.
"You're saying this Heart Demon Pill is related to the Supreme Heart Demon Scripture?" Xiao Yan asked, noting the shared term heart demon between the two names.
"That's right. My Heart Demon Pill is indeed linked to that scripture," the vendor said with a sly smile.
"You see, the most terrifying part of the Supreme Heart Demon Scripture is that it allows the user to enter a 'Heart Demon State'—a state of absolute clarity and reason. External influences are completely shut out, and every ounce of one's power can be drawn out and utilized to the fullest. In that state, what do you think happens to your combat strength?"
"So that's how it works." Xiao Yan's eyes lit up. If what this vendor said was true, the Heart Demon State was indeed powerful. And not just for combat—if he could enter that state while refining pills, his success rate would undoubtedly soar.
"Just one Heart Demon Pill can replicate a similar effect to the Supreme Heart Demon Scripture. Of course, it's not perfect. It's only a partial replication, so at best, you could call it a pseudo Heart Demon State," the vendor admitted. "Still, even as a pseudo-state, it's not far off in terms of results."
Xiao Yan wasn't surprised by that. If a pill could fully replicate a divine art of that level, it would be way too overpowered. Still, he was intrigued.
Yet, unlike before, he didn't immediately purchase it. Instead, he looked at the scroll in his hand and asked, "According to you, the Supreme Heart Demon Scripture is a divine technique, while your Heart Demon Pill is just a Heaven-tier spiritual pill. You expect me to believe this pill can reproduce the effects of a divine art?"
"Uh… well, you're not wrong," the vendor admitted. "The Heart Demon State within the Supreme Heart Demon Scripture has three levels—Lesser Heart Demon State, Greater Heart Demon State, and the Perfect State. The Palace Master of Thunder God Palace once used the Perfect State to fight a real Heavenly Sovereign while only being at half-step Heavenly Sovereign himself."
"My Heart Demon Pill can only replicate the Lesser Heart Demon State."
"I see." Xiao Yan nodded lightly. That made more sense. A Lesser Heart Demon State would still be within the bounds of divine technique level. If that was the case, it wasn't unbelievable for a Heaven-tier pill to mimic it. But that also made him curious—if this pill could replicate such a state, then there had to be a direct link between the two.
'Could this guy be from Thunder God Palace himself?'
(End of Chapter)
---
This Fanfiction Has Been Completed on Patreon, There is 2 Chapters Ahead of Release for Free Members on my Patreon.
Support me if you like this Fanfiction.
Patreon,com/Fallen_Archangel_
(Remove comma for dot.)
Leave a 5 star Review and a Power Stone.