Zhou Xun took out the Spirit Rice and repeated the process he had used before for refining pills.
Soon, a fragrant scent emerged.
"Rise!"
A spell was cast towards the pill furnace.
In no time, the lid flew open, and ten golden Grain Avoidance Pills flew out, landing precisely in the medicine bottle in front of Zhou Xun.
"Ten genuine pills!"
Zhou Xun smiled slightly.
This batch of Grain Avoidance Pills consumed a total of five pounds of Spirit Rice.
Yielding ten genuine Grain Avoidance Pills.
A bottle of ten Grain Avoidance Pills is priced at over 4 pieces of Spirit Essence.
"Alchemy is indeed lucrative!"
And this is just with basic elixirs.
If it were Energy-Introducing Pills or Qi Concealing Pills, the cultivation elixirs, the profit would be even higher.
Zhou Xun continued to refine Grain Avoidance Pills.
Each batch produced at least ten pills, occasionally eleven with exceptional performance.
In one day, Zhou Xun refined a total of six batches of pills.
The reason he could refine this many.
Firstly, the Grain Avoidance Pill is simple to refine, taking only half an hour per batch.
Secondly, Zhou Xun's Divine Sense is strong and his mana enduring, allowing him to sustain longer.
However, six batches were his limit.
By the end of the day, he harvested sixty-two Grain Avoidance Pills.
Valued over 24 pieces of Spirit Essence.
After deducting the costs of ten Spirit Essence, netting a profit of fourteen Spirit Essence.
If refined like this every day, in a month it would amount to four hundred and twenty Spirit Essence.
Such an income was more than tenfold what Zhou Xun earned previously at Miaofu Pavilion.
The wealth of an alchemist is terrifying!
"I must ensure my alchemy activities remain hidden from the Pill Treasure Pavilion!"
Zhou Xun always believed in the saying that the sharpest blade attracts the most attention.
Exhibiting excessive alchemy talent is not always beneficial.
While it may secure more resources for training.
For Zhou Xun, who possesses the Spring Condensation Scripture, staying ordinary and cultivating steadily is the righteous path.
"Perhaps, it's time to visit Brother Hong San!"
...
Hong San was the Hall Master at Shenshou Hall within the Iron Mountain Gang. For safety, he established the hall at his own home.
After all, with the Red Leaf Square Law Enforcement Team around, no one dared to cause trouble here.
On this day, Hong San was in a fury at home.
"Why has this month's income dropped by another twenty percent? If this continues, we can forget about running Shenshou Hall!"
"Third Brother, there's nothing we can do about it. Talisman prices keep rising, and those loose cultivators outside simply can't afford them!"
"Currently, there are several Tier Two Demon Beasts appearing in Hundred Savage Mountain. Those Demon Hunting Cultivators don't dare to enter the mountain, so talisman consumption has drastically reduced. If this continues, we'll soon find ourselves without an income!"
The major consumers of talismans were precisely those Demon Hunting Cultivators who lived in the mountains for long periods.
Given the current trend, Hong San could do nothing to change it.
While anxiously pacing, a subordinate walked in.
"Third Brother, someone has delivered a letter!"
"A letter, what kind of letter?" Hong San impatiently took it, tore open the envelope, and began reading.
"About the agreement from May, right... it's him... it's him, I've found my financial path!"
After reading a few lines, Hong San slapped his thigh.
His previous anxiety vanished, replaced entirely by excitement.
"You all stay home and guard it well."
Hong San was extremely excited, instructed a few words to his subordinate, tucked the letter into his chest, and strode towards the door!
This letter was sent by Zhou Xun.
It turns out, after Zhou Xun made up his mind, he disguised himself again and went to Celestial Fragrance Tower to reserve a private room.
He then hired a servant using a piece of Spirit Essence to deliver the letter to Hong San's house.
To prevent him from being negligent, he specifically informed him that the recipient would give him another piece of Spirit Essence upon delivery.
After leaving, Hong San threw the servant a piece of Spirit Essence and sped towards Celestial Fragrance Tower.
...
Celestial Fragrance Tower, Private Room No. 3, Section B.
Zhou Xun was sitting inside alone, sipping tea.
Suddenly, the door to the private room was pushed open and a man in his thirties with facial scars walked in.
"Alchemist Zhou, long time no see!"
As he entered, the man first saluted with clasped fists.
"It's been a while, Third Brother, please have a seat!" Zhou Xun responded with a saluting gesture.
"Alchemist Zhou invited me here, could it be that the pills are ready?" As soon as he sat down, the man couldn't resist asking.
Zhou Xun smiled slightly, not responding directly.
"Don't be in a hurry, Third Brother, try the Spirit Fish of Celestial Fragrance Tower first. They say it's freshly caught from Lingyue Lake, very fresh!"
This was one of Zhou Xun's negotiation tactics.
Intentionally avoiding the main topic to elicit urgency from the other party.
The more impatient they became, the calmer Zhou Xun remained.
When the other party couldn't stand it anymore, that was the best time to negotiate.
This way, he could maintain the advantage in negotiations.
Seeing Zhou Xun say this, Hong San had no choice but to suppress his anxiety, randomly grabbed a few bites with chopsticks, and stuffed them into his mouth.
"Indeed, it's a rare delicacy!"
Zhou Xun, however, remained unhurried, his movements elegant, resembling those of a noble young master.
"Try this dish, Third Brother! This is the hind leg slices of a Tier One Low-Grade Spirit-Horned Deer, marinated for three days — a rare delicacy!" Zhou Xun pointed to a plate of meat slices before him, recommending it.
Having no choice, Hong San picked up a few more bites, put them into his mouth, chewed casually a few times, and swallowed.
His eyes were filled with urgency, without any mood for savoring the fine food.
Thus, Zhou Xun went over every dish on the table, recommending each one.
Until Hong San could hardly stand the wait, Zhou Xun finally put down his chopsticks and started discussing business.
"Third Brother, I believe you can guess why I've invited you — that's right, there is progress with the pills!"
Overjoyed, Hong San quickly replied:
"Great! Which pills are they, and how many?"
"For now, only the Grain Avoidance Pills!" Zhou Xun said slowly after taking a sip of Spirit Tea.
"Only the Grain Avoidance Pills?" Hong San's joy suddenly diminished.
This Grain Avoidance Pill is easy to refine, and even alchemy apprentices can prepare it.
Therefore, its price is low, and profits are not substantial.
"It's our first collaboration, of course..." Zhou Xun stopped mid-sentence, smirked without explaining.
Hong San suddenly understood, repeatedly slapped his forehead.
"I was too reckless!"
In their first collaboration, Zhou Xun obviously wouldn't present high-value items. The Grain Avoidance Pill was merely a probe, and Hong San naturally filled in the blanks.
This was exactly the effect Zhou Xun intended to achieve.
"The Grain Avoidance Pill is also good — it has a broad audience. Despite low profits, large sales mean considerable income overall!"
"But how many pills can Alchemist Zhou supply?"
"Fifty bottles of Grain Avoidance Pills per month!" Zhou Xun thought for a moment and replied.
Goods valued at two hundred pieces of Spirit Essence each month was fairly promising for an initial collaboration.
Hong San nodded and further asked:
"How many Spirit Essence per sale?"
"Three and a half, how about it?" Zhou Xun pondered briefly and proposed a price.
"Three and a half, this....." Hong San showed signs of difficulty.
"Recently, elixir prices have risen, and sometimes Grain Avoidance Pills can fetch as high as five Spirit Essence. A profit of one and a half per pill is quite substantial!" Zhou Xun remarked casually.
"Fifty bottles total can be calculated at one hundred seventy pieces of Spirit Essence, how's that?" Hong San, seeing Zhou Xun understood market trends, hesitated no longer and offered a figure.
"Deal!" Zhou Xun smiled in agreement.
The cost for fifty bottles of Grain Avoidance Pills was around eighty Spirit Essence; this meant he'd profit ninety Spirit Essence monthly.
Plus, an additional monthly stipend of twenty Spirit Essence from Pill Treasure Pavilion.
His total monthly income reached one hundred and one Spirit Essence, exceeding one Spirit Stone.
After this, they continued discussing cooperation details, agreeing on a monthly trade on the fifteenth.
Then both parted ways.
....
Zhou Xun circled around, changed his attire again, and headed to Hundred Treasures Pavilion at the market center.
This time, he intended to buy the Pill Recipe for Energy-Introducing Pills.
After all, Grain Avoidance Pills are merely basic elixirs; refining them for an entire day yields limited revenue, merely earning hardworking wages.
The real path to riches lies in high-tier elixirs.