Chapter 154 Do You Wholesal Pills?

Lin Yi arrived at the Treasure Pavilion, the place where trainees could exchange items for points.

He intended to trade some of the medicinal pills he carried for points.

Stepping up to a counter, Lin Yi asked, "How many points can I get for nine-patina pills here?"

A woman in a black professional suit sat behind the counter, her hair styled in a neat bun, giving her a sharp and efficient appearance.

"Pardon? Sir, you aren't joking, are you?" The woman looked at Lin Yi with a hint of surprise.

Within the entire Martial Arts Association, the highest-grade pills available were four-patina pills, and even those were extremely rare commodities.

Yet this young man, who appeared quite youthful, was asking how many points a nine-patina pill could fetch—something she herself was very eager to know.

"I am serious. I have several nine-patina pills on me and want to exchange all of them for points," Lin Yi replied.

The woman's expression instantly chilled, assuming this person was simply here to cause trouble.

"Sir, if you are trying to flirt, I must apologize, but you've come to the wrong place," she said coldly.

Flirting?

Lin Yi was slightly speechless. While the woman was not unattractive, she certainly did not catch his eye.

There were quite a few people coming and going to trade items, and although the commotion Lin Yi created was not loud, it still drew considerable attention within the Treasure Pavilion.

Merely mentioning the words "nine-patina pills" was enough to drive people wild.

However, no one dared to say too much.

After all, Lin Yi had previously struck down a ferocious giant eagle with a single punch on the mountainside, a feat of formidable and terrifying might.

Who would dare step forward to mock him now? If they happened to catch his eye, wouldn't they be asking for trouble?

Lin Yi took out a nine-patina Peiyuan Pill and said, "This is a Peiyuan Pill. Have a look for yourself."

Skeptical, the woman accepted the pill. It indeed bore nine distinct patterns.

Yet she was no alchemist and had no idea whether the pill was genuine.

"Sir, this... please wait a moment. I will go call an elder to examine it."

Her attitude instantly shifted back to one of respect. Handing the pill back to Lin Yi, she left the counter.

The surrounding onlookers cast sidelong glances, surprised that Lin Yi genuinely possessed a nine-patina pill.

This stirred the greed of quite a few people.

Before long, the woman returned, followed by a long-robed elder with long hair. If not for the smartphone sticking out of his pocket, one might have mistaken him for a time traveler from ancient times.

In truth, that was not far from the truth.

The elder was the Martial Arts Association's chief alchemist elder, named Liu Jiarong. Over two hundred years old, his cultivation was at the fourth layer of the Spirit Venerable realm.

As soon as Liu Jiarong arrived, he impatiently roared into the hall, "Where are the pills? Where is the nine-patina pill?"

"Elder, it's him," the woman said, pointing at Lin Yi.

Liu Jiarong hurried to Lin Yi's side, his eyes burning with fervor. "Quickly, let me see the pill. If it's genuine, you can have whatever you want."

Lin Yi handed the pill to Liu Jiarong. The surrounding crowd held their breath, not daring to make a sound.

Liu Jiarong placed the Peiyuan Pill in his palm, his eyes glowing with a faint purple light.

After more than ten seconds, Liu Jiarong said in a trembling voice, "It's true! It really is a nine-patina pill! I never expected to lay eyes on a nine-patina pill in my lifetime. I can die without regrets now."

With that, Liu Jiarong stared hungrily at Lin Yi again. "Are you planning to sell this pill?"

His expression suggested he would throw a tantrum if Lin Yi refused to sell.

"Yes," Lin Yi nodded.

"Name your price. Whatever you want, just say it."

As Liu Jiarong spoke, he smoothly slipped the pill into his own pocket, finally feeling at ease.

"Upper-grade spirit stones," Lin Yi said.

Liu Jiarong frowned—not because he was reluctant to part with them, but because upper-grade spirit stones could only be utilized by those in the Spirit Venerable realm.

No matter how he looked at it, Lin Yi was merely a talented youngster here for advanced training; requesting upper-grade spirit stones was a pure waste.

"Is that not allowed?" Lin Yi asked.

"It is allowed. How many do you want?" Liu Jiarong inquired.

"Hmm, about a pound..." Lin Yi decided to fleece the wealthy elder.

Liu Jiarong fell silent.

"Too much?" Lin Yi asked. He was generally quite reasonable; if necessary, he could lower the amount.

"It's not too much; if anything, it's too little," Liu Jiarong sighed with emotion. "While upper-grade spirit stones are scarce, they aren't completely nonexistent. To witness a nine-patina pill even once in a lifetime is already a supreme blessing."

Lin Yi said nothing more. As expected, alchemists were wealthy.

Initially, he had only intended to trade the nine-patina pill for some points, never expecting to reel in such a massive financial whale.

Reflecting on this, he felt he might have suffered a slight loss when he sold those nine-patina pills at the martial arts trading assembly last time.

Next time, he would definitely have Xiao Qian reduce the number of pill patterns; four patinas should be about right.

If anyone knew what Lin Yi was thinking right now, they would likely weep out of pure frustration.

Every alchemist racked their brains and tried every conceivable method to elevate the quality of their pills, yet making any further progress remained exceedingly difficult.

Yet when it came to Lin Yi, he was doing the exact opposite.

Unwilling to waste even a single second, Liu Jiarong waved his hand and retrieved a full pound of upper-grade spirit stones from his storage pouch.

Once the transaction was complete, Liu Jiarong prepared to leave, but Lin Yi called out to him.

"I have a few more nine-patina pills. Do you want them?"

Liu Jiarong's eyes widened, utterly unable to believe his ears.

There were more?

Since when did nine-patina pills start piling up in bundles?

"Yes! Of course I do! How many more do you have? I'll buy every single one at the exact same price," Liu Jiarong agreed hurriedly, speaking with magnificent generosity.

"Not that many, just around a hundred or so," Lin Yi said casually.

The surrounding crowd was startled by his words.

"H-how many?" Liu Jiarong stammered, his speech faltering.

Just a moment ago, he had been lamenting how rare nine-patina pills were.

Yet in the blink of an eye, this kid produced so many of them. What was he, a wholesale vendor of nine-patina pills?

"One hundred," Lin Yi stated.

"Take them out and let me see," Liu Jiarong said, finding it hard to accept.

Lin Yi produced ten jade bottles, each containing ten Peiyuan Pills.

Liu Jiarong uncorked one bottle, and a rich medicinal fragrance instantly saturated the entire Treasure Pavilion.

He poured out the pills for inspection: all ten were indeed nine-patina pills.

Refusing to believe it, Liu Jiarong opened a second bottle, only to find the exact same result.

After a brief moment of silence, he asked, "Where did you get so many nine-patina pills?"

"They fell from the sky while I was sleeping," Lin Yi lied with a straight face.

The onlookers: "..."

Could your excuses be even slightly believable?

Fell from the sky while sleeping? Why didn't any of us encounter such a wonderful stroke of luck?

We all have one nose and two eyes; why should you be so blessed?

At that moment, Lin Yi urged impatiently, "Do you want them or not?"

Liu Jiarong took a deep breath. Of course he wanted a hundred nine-patina pills, but the problem was he simply couldn't afford them all at once.

Though he possessed some upper-grade spirit stones, he only had about seven or eight pounds in total.

He had expected Lin Yi to have at most two or three nine-patina pills, never dreaming he would pull out a hundred of them.

"Can I pay on credit?" Liu Jiarong asked.

"No. Oh, and bag up those five hundred grams of upper-grade spirit stones for the point exchange as well," Lin Yi instructed.

"This..." The woman looked toward Liu Jiarong for guidance.

Liu Jiarong nodded. "Do as he says."

The woman nodded and retrieved another pound of upper-grade spirit stones from the back.

Liu Jiarong exchanged them for another five Peiyuan Pills, casting a deeply meaningful glance at Lin Yi before departing.

Lin Yi paid it no mind; his sole focus was his harvest. "Seven pounds of upper-grade spirit stones. Not bad."

With the transactions concluded, Lin Yi left the Treasure Pavilion.

Originally, he had planned to secure the upper-grade spirit stones and leave immediately.

Yet judging by this, the major factions were truly the wealthy ones.

After Lin Yi's departure, the entire Treasure Pavilion erupted into a flurry of animated discussion.

Countless people gazed covetously at his retreating figure, wishing they could simply rob him on the spot.

***

Wooden Cabin Area.

"Little wench, hand over your wooden cabin right now. Judging by how tender and delicate you look, don't blame me if I show you no courtesy."

The speaker was a vicious-looking man with a flat top and triangular eyes, dressed in casual wear. His gaze carried the chilling stillness of a venomous snake, making anyone uncomfortable.

"Scram! If you want this cabin, you'll have to ask if the sword in my hand agrees," Yu Xiaoyu said angrily, gripping a crimson longsword.

Beside her stood another girl with a meat bun hairstyle and chubby cheeks, looking rather adorable.

The battle for the wooden cabins had begun yesterday, and by today, the situation had grown increasingly fierce.

Because staying inside a wooden cabin automatically generated points—ten points per day—and a single point could be traded for ten spirit stones, the temptation was immeasurable.

Aside from a few major factions and exceptionally powerful individuals, everyone else who held a wooden cabin had become a target for attack.

Having broken through to the Grandmaster realm only recently, Yu Xiaoyu was naturally a prime target. From yesterday until today, she had already fended off three separate groups of attackers.

She was exhausted, both physically and mentally.

Part of her wanted to give up, but a martial artist's resources were meant to be won through struggle.

"Little Yu, maybe we should just give up the cabin," the bun-haired girl suggested.

Her face was pale, and a gruesome wound on her arm made it difficult for her to even hold her sword steady.

"No way. The word 'give up' does not exist in Yu Xiaoyu's dictionary!"

Yu Xiaoyu smiled grimly, a bloodthirsty glint flashing in her eyes.

Tightening her grip on the longsword, she lunged forward to slash at the man.

The man sneered disdainfully. Wielding a pitch-black dagger, he parried horizontally.

*Clang!*

The dagger collided with the longsword, sending a flurry of sparks flying.

The man's arm twitched slightly as he effortlessly deflected the recoil force.

Without missing a beat, Yu Xiaoyu flicked her wrist and slashed toward his chest once more.

"Too slow."

Ducking aside with ease, the man acted as though he were merely toying with her.

"Hmph," Yu Xiaoyu let out a soft cold hum. Her longsword began to radiate a brilliant crimson glow, appearing uncommonly alluring.

*Dancing Golden Serpent!*

This was the unpassed secret sword technique of Serpent Valley, capable of unleashing eighty-one rapid thrusts in a single instant.

However, the technique consumed immense vital energy; given Yu Xiaoyu's current strength, she could manage eighteen thrusts at most.

*Swish, swish, swish!*

A sky full of serpentine sword lights lunged toward the man.

The man's expression shifted slightly, clearly not anticipating that Yu Xiaoyu still harbored such a lethal trump card.

"Myriad Transformations!"

With a low cry, the man's figure abruptly blurred and became illusory.

Simultaneously, the serpentine sword lights struck, tearing the man's image apart, yet strangely leaving behind not a single drop of blood.

"Oh no! It's an afterimage!"

Yu Xiaoyu's heart leaped into her throat as a fierce attack struck from behind.

Instinctively, she swung her longsword backward, only to strike empty air once more—another afterimage.

"Little Yu, watch your back!" the bun-haired girl warned.

Before Yu Xiaoyu could turn around, a dagger cleanly slit her throat.