The shopkeeper was already lost in his own visions of a bright future, while Song Wanníng returned to the inn and resumed refining pills.
This time, she skipped the beginner-level ghost pills entirely and went straight to crafting fourth-grade ghost pills. The process went just as smoothly. With ease, Song Wanníng produced several furnaces of fourth-grade pills, and every single one was of the highest quality.
Looking at the perfectly round pills, a daring thought rose in her heart. Perhaps she could even refine super-grade ghost pills…
Unfortunately, she had no recipe for them at the moment. Better to focus on earning money for now.
…
The next morning, Song Wanníng saw the shopkeeper again. This time, he had come in person to collect the pills. When he saw they were all top-grade, his heart nearly skipped a beat, his eyes widening in shock. His hands trembled slightly as he accepted the pills, his gaze full of disbelief.
The amount of pills Song Wanníng had refined was double what he had expected. How in the world had she done it? And with only those few herbs…
"Dàrén, these… these were all refined yesterday?"
He stared at Song Wanníng eagerly, a spark of fire burning in his eyes.
"Yes."
Song Wanníng nodded. Refining had consumed some of her spiritual strength, so she looked a bit tired.
"This… this… Dàrén, you are simply incredible!"
The shopkeeper hurried to store the pills away, afraid someone might see them and try to snatch them. He was extremely glad he had come prepared, bringing a few items with him. If someone had poached a Alchemist like her, he would have had nowhere to cry about it. He quickly brought out his prepared offerings. Among them were three pill compendiums, along with herbs, formation disks, and other supplies.
Everything was something Song Wanníng might find useful.
"Dàrén, please accept these."
His smile grew more obsequious, though a shadow of worry flickered in his heart. Someone of her caliber, once discovered, would surely be courted by other factions. All he could do was try to prolong their cooperation and build some rapport.
"Thanks."
Song Wanníng raised a brow and accepted everything without ceremony. Most of it did not interest her much, but those three pill compendiums were a timely gift.
"This particular book has been kept in Yuefeng Pavilion for tens of thousands of years, but because its methods are obscure and differ from common pill refinement, no one has ever paid it much attention," the shopkeeper explained.
"My ancestor once said it was simply waiting for the right person. I thought you might be interested, Dàrén, so I decided to give it to you. I hope it can find a worthy owner."
The man was good with words, and in saying this, he had managed to praise Song Wanníng again.
Song Wanníng's lips curved into a smile.
"Don't worry. Just make sure to bring the materials on time. I need hell coins badly right now."
Without currency, it was impossible to move freely anywhere, and she was never one to wrong herself. Since she had come to the Netherworld, she was determined not to live meekly.
"Yes, of course, Dàrén! I'll deliver them on time!"
Having gotten her promise, the shopkeeper left in high spirits. Song Wanníng did not rest either. She shut her door and got back to work. For the next month, she spent nearly all her time refining pills, growing more and more exhilarated as she worked. The reason was simple: refining pills actually strengthened her Primordial Soul.
Ghost cultivators cultivated the soul.
By using ghost cultivation methods to refine pills, her soul power naturally grew as well, and the speed was far from slow. Her pills became increasingly potent, to the point where she even refined ninth-grade ghost pills.
Word spread like wildfire. Everyone knew Yuefeng Pavilion now had an extraordinary pill refiner, selling all manner of top-grade ghost pills.
In no time, ghost cultivators from nearby cities were flocking to Yuefeng Pavilion, which became packed with customers every day. The Qingfeng Gang behind Yuefeng Pavilion soon learned of this and quietly placed guards around the inn where Song Wanníng stayed.
Another month passed before Song Wanníng finally pulled herself out of that mysterious state. Sensing that her spiritual strength was now comparable to the peak of the Unity stage, her heartbeat quickened.
"Sister, the Netherworld really is an amazing place. My sea of consciousness has expanded more than twice over!"
In her sea of consciousness, Long Ling was leaping about. The speed at which her sea of consciousness had grown recently left all of them stunned. Her master was still only in the Out-of-Body stage. Above that were the Divine Soul stage, the Unity stage, and finally the Mahayana stage.
Now her master's spiritual strength was already brushing against the edge of the Mahayana stage, far surpassing her cultivation level. It was terrifying. It meant that in certain battles, she could suppress her opponent purely through the power of her soul.
"I'm surprised myself. I only came here to broaden my horizons, but now I'm truly starting to like it here."
Smiling brightly, Song Wanníng washed away the grime of long days of work before heading to the main hall. She ordered a few local dishes. They were saturated with dense yin energy but were otherwise no different from ordinary food in the living world. She took a few bites. The taste was acceptable, if nothing special.
"Hey, did you hear? That pill refiner behind Yuefeng Pavilion is said to be from Ghost King Valley!"
"I heard she's one of Ghost King Valley's most outstanding disciples of this generation!"
"No wonder she can produce such perfect pills. I went to Yuefeng Pavilion the other day, and those pills were truly beautiful… Too bad I couldn't afford them."
"Tell me about it. All the high-grade pills have been reserved by the local gangs. We can only buy the low-grade ones."
"Exactly. That's the curse of being loose cultivators without a powerful backer."
Many in the inn were talking about Yuefeng Pavilion, full of admiration for the mysterious refiner, without realizing she was right beside them.
"Hey, I heard the Langya Gang is here too! They've never gotten along with the Qingfeng Gang. I wonder if they're here to buy pills or cause trouble."
"Well… shh! Stop talking!"
The once lively chatter abruptly died down, and everyone's eyes turned warily toward the door.
Curious, Song Wanníng looked over to see a group of ghost cultivators approaching.
At their head was a young man in a black brocade robe, holding a folding fan. At his waist hung a jade pendant engraved with the characters "Langya."
Behind him followed a group dressed in matching dark-gray robes, each with a large "Langya" stitched across their belts.
These were the ghost cultivators of the Langya Gang.
Song Wanníng narrowed her eyes slightly. The leader was at the peak of the Out-of-Body stage, but his aura was unstable, suggesting he had not advanced through solid cultivation. Flanking him were two ghost cultivators at the peak of the Divine Soul stage, standing like bodyguards.
That was interesting.
Ghost cultivators were a special case. Before ascending, they could not bear children. Only after reaching the Immortal Realm and gaining a true spiritual body could they reproduce.
The path of ghost cultivation also required comprehension, so there was no such thing as a "family" lineage among them.
So, what special identity did this man have?