Unbeatable Martial Emperor

C8 – Crazy Pill Refining

After exiting the auction house, Min Zhenkang ducked into a corner to change his clothes and then made a beeline for the pharmacy.

“Pal, I need three doses of these,” he said, handing the previous list back to the pharmacy clerk.

In no time, the clerk had the medicine ready. Min Zhenkang paid and quickly took the medicine back to Min’s mansion.

Upon arriving home, a maidservant stopped him.

“Young Master, Miss Keke was looking for you this morning. She left when she didn’t find you here.”

“Oh no, I completely forgot,” he blurted out, then dashed from Min’s mansion toward the Chu residence.

“Grandfather Chu.” Only Chu Le was present in the courtyard.

“Zhenkang, you’re here for Keke, aren’t you? She’s gone to make tea. Please, have a seat,” Chu Le said, gesturing to a nearby chair.

“Did you attempt to refine any Pills yesterday?”

“Grandfather, I did try to refine a few pills yesterday, but all attempts ended in failure.”

“Failing is to be expected. It’s your first time refining Pills without a master’s guidance; it’s naturally challenging.” Chu Le couldn’t offer much help with pill refining to avoid giving poor advice. “By the way, how has your grandfather been lately?”

“He’s been in seclusion for some time now.”

“Seclusion, huh? It looks like your grandfather is aiming for a final push!”

“Zhenkang, you’re here!” Chu Keke, emerging from the house and spotting Min Zhenkang in the yard, hurried over.

“You two chat; I’m going to rest,” Chu Le said, leaving them.

“Keke, I heard you were looking for me this morning?” Zhenkang asked, a sheepish grin on his face.

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“Yes, but you weren’t at the mansion. Where did you go, Zhenkang?”

“I was at the auction house, so I wasn’t home. You’re not upset, are you, Keke?”

“Zhenkang, what brought you to the auction house? If you need something, just let me know. Maybe I can help you out.”

“Thanks, Keke. I was just browsing at the auction house; I didn’t actually need anything.” Min Zhenkang felt a sudden urge to pull the girl before him into an embrace.

“Zhenkang, why do I sense that you’re a bit different today than you were yesterday?”

“Do you? It must be because you’ve been missing me, that’s all.”

“Oh, Zhenkang, you’re so full of yourself,” Chu Keke teased, playfully scratching her cheek in mock annoyance.

……

Upon returning home, Min Zhenkang learned that his father, Min Qi, wanted to speak with him, prompting him to quickly head to the study.

Knock, knock, knock!

“Enter,” came the robust voice of Min Qi from within.

“Father, you wanted to see me?”

“Zhenkang, come, have a seat,” Min Qi gestured to a chair nearby. “How has your recovery been coming along?”

“I’m nearly back to full health. I’ve even been out shopping with Keke and Tai these past couple of days.”

“That’s good to hear, very good. Keke has been through a lot because of this. You must be kind to her and never mistreat her,” Min Qi said, visibly relieved to see his son’s improved condition. “There’s something else I need to discuss with you. In a few days, I plan to take you and Wang Yuan to Steelgrave City in hopes of finding an opportunity for the both of you.”

“I will follow your lead, Father. If I can secure an opportunity, I promise not to let you down.”

“Very good, that’s my boy! You’ve got ambition, hahaha.”

After some more light conversation in the study, Min Zhenkang returned to his room.

Back in his quarters, he pondered, “According to Father, we might be heading to Steelgrave soon. I need to make the most of the time I have left.”

With that thought, he quickly gathered the medicinal herbs he had purchased that morning, along with the Nine Dragons Cauldron, and set about preparing to concoct pills.

“Given the current situation, I should have no trouble refining a Muscle Meridian Cleansing Powder in one go, but caution is still key.”

With that, he set about refining pills with practiced ease.

He ignited the fire, added the herbs, and refined everything smoothly. Next came the pill fusion and nurturing until the pills were complete.

Min Zhenkang swiftly produced a Body Refining and Marrow Cleansing Powder, identical in quality to the second one he crafted yesterday.

Yet, after the first pill was complete, he found surplus Profound Qi within him, just as he had anticipated. So, for the second pill, he extended the essence-refining stage, aiming for an even higher quality pill.

Putting thought into action, Min Zhenkang, after replenishing his Profound Qi, embarked on refining another pill. This time, he spent one-third more time on the essence, yielding a pill that neared the pinnacle of perfection.

As he finished, his Profound Qi was perfectly depleted.

Learning from his earlier experience, Min Zhenkang proceeded to refine a third pill, achieving a quality consistent with the second.

Looking at the three pills before him, Min Zhenkang took a brief rest before nonchalantly popping one into his mouth and commencing his daily cultivation.

By the next morning, after completing his cultivation, he observed that half of his Ren Meridian had been reconnected. At this rate, he estimated that less than ten days were needed to reconnect the remaining meridians. Without the aid of the Changing Meridian Pills, such a feat would have been impossible in under two to three months.

After resting for several hours, Min Zhenkang rose and hurried to the auction house.

Despite it being a modest auction, the two pills he offered fetched nearly three hundred Mysterious Stones.

He then visited the medicine store, intending to purchase ingredients for nine batches of the Muscle Meridian Cleansing Powder, only to find just six batches available. Settling for the six, he quickly returned home to continue his dedicated pill refining.

After consuming a pill to sustain his cultivation, Min Zhenkang returned to the auction house the next day to continue his business. This time, before the auction commenced, he inquired whether it was possible to barter, specifically to trade pills for medicinal herbs. Receiving an affirmative response, Zhenkang promptly exchanged all his auction proceeds for twenty sets of herbs, two more than the original eighteen sets he was entitled to, thanks to the auction house’s generosity.

Once home, Zhenkang secluded himself to refine pills, and by the time he finished with all twenty sets, daylight had already filled the sky, leaving no time for further cultivation that day.

With that, Zhenkang brought ten pills back to the auction house. Elder Di, the seasoned appraiser, was visibly impressed by the flawless quality of the pills, despite his decades of experience. He scrutinized Min Zhenkang intently, trying to pierce through his disguise, but to no avail.

Even though Zhenkang had altered his voice, Elder Di was no fool. He could tell by Zhenkang’s hands that the voice was feigned—a common trick. Nonetheless, Elder Di acted with haste, passing the pills to the maidservant for auction. As she entered, Zhenkang caught Elder Di off guard with an unexpected remark.

“Elder Di, this will be my final visit to auction pills. I hope they fetch a handsome price.”

“Rest assured, sir, the auction will certainly meet your expectations,” Elder Di replied, secretly lamenting the missed opportunity for the auction house to elevate its status with such exceptional pills, even if they were only Level One Meridian Cleansing Powder. He recognized that the alchemist behind these pills must be of a high caliber, and establishing a connection with such a craftsman would undoubtedly be fortuitous.

The auction house certainly didn’t disappoint Min Zhenkang. The ten Perfect Grade Meridian Cleansing Powders fetched a staggering 4,000 Mysterious Stones, far surpassing Min Zhenkang’s expectations. He had originally thought that selling them for 3,000 Mysterious Stones would have been quite an achievement.

Perhaps the feverish bidding was due to it being the final auction for the Meridian Cleansing Powder, coupled with its impeccable quality and the auction house’s enthusiastic promotion. These factors drove the price to such impressive heights.

“Sir, here are your 4,000 Mysterious Stones, please keep them safe. Additionally, this is our Heaven and Earth Auction House VIP card. With this card, you’re a VIP member at any of our branches, including the main branch. You’ll receive a 10% discount on purchases and a 50% discount on auction commissions,” the auction house representative said.

To forge a friendship with Min Zhenkang, it was clear that the Heaven and Earth Auction House had spared no expense.

Min Zhenkang had seen a VIP card like this with his father before, but this one was clearly different.

“Shouldn’t it be 3,600 Mysterious Stones?” Min Zhenkang asked, puzzled as he looked at the 4,000 Mysterious Stones in his Bag of Heaven and Earth.

“Allow me to explain, sir. The auction house executives decided to waive the commission fee for your auction, so the total is actually 5,000 Mysterious Stones. Please verify the amount,” Elder Di clarified, stepping forward to address Min Zhenkang’s confusion.

“Thank you, Elder Di. I have a question for you,” Zhenkang said, recalling that he still lacked his own flame. While he could manage to refine low-level Pills with his Profound Qi, refining high-level Pills would undoubtedly require a flame of his own.

“Please, sir, don’t hesitate to ask. If there’s any way our auction house can assist you, we are fully committed to doing so,” Elder Di responded warmly.

“Do you have any flames available for auction?”

“May I ask what type of flame you’re interested in? Or perhaps a specific level of flame?”

“The higher the level, the better. Ideally, I’d prefer to barter for it.”

“I’ll keep an eye out for you, sir. But if we do acquire the flame you desire at the auction house, how shall we contact you?” Elder Di was clearly trying to forge a connection with Min Zhenkang.

“If the Heaven and Earth Auction House comes into possession of such a flame, simply hang a flag with a flame emblem at the entrance. I’ll see it and come by.” Min Zhenkang preferred to keep his identity to himself.

“Understood, sir.” It seemed his own plans had come to naught.

“Thank you for your assistance, Elder Di.” With that, Min Zhenkang departed without further delay.

Elder Di watched Min Zhenkang’s retreating figure and hastened to consult with the executives of the Heaven and Earth Auction House. What exactly Elder Di and the auction house officials discussed remained a matter known only to them.