Immortal Cultivation: Starting from a Pharmacy Apprentice

Chapter 303: Chapter 303: Rising to Prominence

Qin Zheng and the others froze.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

’Is there really no getting out of here today?’

A nameless rage welled up in them, and with a CLANG, they drew their weapons.

TAP.

The sound of footsteps echoed.

"Hah!"

The tension broke, and they all fell back in unison.

Then, a slender figure emerged from the distance. His graceful bearing was nothing like that of a monster that had been buried in an underground palace for years.

Qin Zheng breathed a sigh of relief, but then he saw the approaching man nonchalantly draw a longsword.

With a mere flick of the man’s wrist, the longsword radiated a shimmering light, then rapidly split into multiple copies that settled behind him.

Beneath the brilliant sword light, everyone felt like insects.

"Wait!"

Qin Zheng quickly shouted.

"We are all disciples of the Xuandao Sect! I am Qin Zheng of Divine Dao Mountain. May I ask for your name, Senior Brother!?"

He even announced his own mountain peak to ensure the man would believe him.

As expected, the approaching man paused. He retracted the swords of light behind him, but the longsword in his hand continued to gleam.

Yin Zhen walked closer, frowning slightly.

In his eyes, this group of tattered people clearly looked like monsters that had crawled out from underground—no longer living beings.

Only when their leader stated his identity did Yin Zhen hesitate.

’Qin Zheng... he’s one of Junior Brother Bai’s men.’

’I was only delayed for a moment. Has he already been killed and his body and memories stolen?’

At this thought, Yin Zhen’s expression soured.

He owed a favor for the alchemy, and he didn’t know the secrets behind the opportunity Bai Mo was seeking. If this was the result, the favor would be very difficult to repay.

This change in expression held a different meaning for Qin Zheng and the others.

"Senior Brother, please don’t doubt us! Look, this is my Divine Dao Mountain token. Who could possibly forge this?"

Qin Zheng took a step forward and produced a wooden box, strikingly similar to the one Bai Mo had.

However, the one in Qin Zheng’s hand depicted a sleek-furred rat.

As he formed a hand seal and chanted an incantation, a faint aura of fire emanated from the wooden box, and the air seemed to grow a few degrees hotter.

Only then did Yin Zhen’s expression soften.

"I am Yin Zhen. I was entrusted by Junior Brother Bai to assist you all."

The Dharma Protectors of Divine Dao Mountain each had their own abilities, and all of them recognized their master.

The fact that he could make the wooden box react proved he was the real person, without a doubt.

Hearing this, Qin Zheng’s face lit up with joy. He stepped forward and cupped his hands in a salute.

"So it is Brother Yin. From now on, we’ll be in your care."

The surrounding devastation was clearly caused by this Brother Yin, which explained his immense killing intent when he first saw them.

’With someone this capable, our expedition finally has some real hope!’

Yin Zhen looked them over. Seeing that they had all transformed into such a ghastly state, he couldn’t help but feel curious.

"How did you all end up like this?"

"I almost didn’t hold back. Those patrolling ghost soldiers are indeed quite skilled; no wonder they could force sect disciples into such a sorry state."

"Sigh. It’s a long story."

A shiver went down Qin Zheng’s spine as he recounted their experiences.

’So the ghost soldiers really did clash with Brother Yin!’

’Did he rush into the underground palace to lie low for a while?’

’Or was he planning to use the palace’s layout to fight his enemies?’

’The palace has been empty for years, but there’s no guarantee it doesn’t have other arrangements that people of our shallow cultivation couldn’t possibly understand.’

Despite the racing thoughts in his mind, Qin Zheng’s words remained coherent.

"We really had no idea we would transform like this. And Junior Brother Bai... he didn’t give us any detailed warnings before we left."

This was truly unfair to Bai Mo.

Time was short, and with no time to find test subjects, he had simply handed the Pills over to them.

Unsure of how the medicinal effects would manifest, Bai Mo had decided it was better not to say anything at all.

Watching the light screen, he saw Qin Zheng and the others tidy themselves up and set off with Yin Zhen.

Bai Mo explained:

"Actually, according to my original design, the Cultivators who took the Pill shouldn’t have ended up looking like that at all."

"They were supposed to gain a physique with soaring qi and blood, capable of dispelling yin energy, and only become gaunt and emaciated as time passed."

"It seems now that a Cultivator’s constitution benefits from the Pill to a degree that exceeds my estimations."

The disciple across from Bai Mo, listening to his explanation, bowed his head in thought.

"If we were to purchase them with Spirit Stones, Junior Brother, what would be the price for your Pills?"

Beneath the light screen, beside Stone Peak.

Bai Mo leaned against the mountain wall, smiling as he looked at the dozen or so disciples before him.

They were disciples from various peaks. Their cultivation wasn’t particularly profound, but they all bore the heavy responsibilities entrusted to them by their own lineages.

Having heard about Yuan Chu and his two companions, and with the recent events involving Qin Zheng and his group, how could they not know?

This Junior Brother Bai was actually an unassumingly brilliant master of the Alchemy Dao in the outer sect?

After all, even the outer sect’s Pill Peak had rarely produced such wondrous Pills.

And so, they had sought him out.

As one of them asked the question, the others became visibly nervous.

Bai Mo spoke up:

"Although the effects are potent, it is ultimately a life-risking Pill. The price can’t be too high."

"I will only charge one hundred Spirit Stones per Pill."

The disciples all nodded silently.

One hundred Spirit Stones to gain a better chance of survival in the Secret Realm was well worth it. It wasn’t an outrageous price.

Those who had the spare funds immediately took out their Spirit Stones.

"I’ll take one to start. After we’ve tested it, we might purchase another batch..."

"Me too!"

Five or six people took out their Spirit Stones, while the rest did not.

Bai Mo accepted the Spirit Stones and handed over the Pills.

"That’s reasonable. However, if you require more Pills in the future, please let me know a few days in advance."

"I don’t have any more in stock, so you’ll have to give me time to prepare them."

His words already showed his certainty that they would be back for more.

An Caiwei, who had just hurried back, was stunned to see Bai Mo casually earn six hundred Spirit Stones.

Even for a well-established family like the An family, which had its own cultivation-related businesses, none of their clansmen could claim to earn Spirit Stones so easily.

"Junior Brother, I wasn’t able to find many of the medicinal ingredients you wanted."

"Especially the Sinful Dragon Seed. I only found two taels..."

An Caiwei said softly.

"That’s enough," Bai Mo nodded.

"Sinful Dragon Seed is extremely potent, so not much is needed..."

An Caiwei’s face flushed slightly.

She hadn’t known what it was, but after asking around at the market, she learned it was an aphrodisiac.

Due to its astonishing potency, it was often used by the disciples of Beast Taming Peak to help their Spirit Beasts reproduce.

Some even used it to concoct famous veterinary medicines like ’Spirit Turtle’s Arousal’ and the ’Fierce Tiger Pregnancy Pill’.

She had to do a lot of convincing, and it was only by leveraging Bai Mo’s reputation at Beast Taming Peak that she managed to secure two taels of it.

An Caiwei pushed the thoughts from her mind.

"Junior Brother, as I was running your errands, I was often followed in secret by fellow disciples who were observing where I went."

"A disciple at the pharmacy who helped me confirmed that people have been asking about the ingredients I purchased."

She asked hesitantly:

"Aren’t you afraid someone will steal your Pill Formula by being so unguarded?"

Bai Mo was taken aback for a moment, but he wasn’t worried. He reassured her, saying:

"Putting aside the fact that I mixed in other ingredients I need for myself, the specific ratios and my personal refining techniques are not things others can easily figure out."

"If there really is such a genius out there, then all I can say is, I’m impressed..."

Far away, an old Daoist in a yellow robe looked down at the confident Bai Mo, listening intently for a moment.

He couldn’t help but shake his head slightly and said to the long-bearded elder beside him:

"Well? This kid is already making quite a name for himself in the outer sect."

"If we don’t get him into the inner sect soon, we’ll just have to watch him call the shots and swindle the disciples out here..."

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