Three male cultivators in tight-fitting robes gathered around, bending down to look at the items on the stone slab.

"Hey, a qi-concealing talisman, nice! How much for one?"

"Only five spirit stones each! Perfect for travel or mountain hunting. In a pinch, activate this talisman, and even a Thorn Wolf won't catch your scent"

"That expensive? Why don't you just rob us?"

"Just say if you want it or not!"

"Lower the price, we're heading into the mountains and we need a couple types of talismans. We could buy a whole stack from you."

"Didn't you bother asking around? My reputation in Dahe Market, my craftsmanship in making talismans!! And besides, even if I gave you a discount, do you think a beast would bite you any less when it charged at you?"

"Three spirit stones for the qi-concealing talisman and we will also buy the Earth Spike Talismans and six Fireball Talismans as well."

"Four spirit stones! No less. This qi-concealing talisman is exclusive to me, and I only make one a month!"

The three male cultivators discussed briefly and decided to buy the qi-concealing talisman.

After settling the deal, they turned their attention to the jade bottles in the corner.

"Fasting pills?"

Luo Chen perked up. "One pill will fill you up, ten pills will keep you full for three days and nights. How many bottles do you want?"

"How much?"

"Let me tell you, these fasting pills are made with high-quality first-tier yellow beef as the main ingredient, supplemented with ginseng and angelica root... and finally refined with the unique fragrant honey from the Medicine King Sect. They're definitely worth the price!"

"Are they really that good?"

"Here, smell this. Isn't it rich? And look at the color—absolutely no flour mixed in to fake it. I dare say, no one in this area has better quality than mine!"

"Big brother, it does smell better than the fasting pills we bought before."

"Exactly! Can tell a fellow cultivator knows quality when he sees it. You were probably tricked before. Were those fasting pills dry and tasteless? They must've used fake beef!"

"How much?"

"Four bottles for just one spirit stone!"

"Why don't you just rob us?"

"Just say if you want it or not! Once you pass this stall, you won't find such good stuff. Let me tell you, I've got plenty of regular customers. In a bit, I'll be sold out and heading home."

"Any cheaper?"

"I can see you three are sincere buyers, how about this, still one spirit stone, but I'll give you five bottles! Deal? Consider it a friendly gesture. When I release new pills in the future, I'll give you a discount too!"

"Alright, give us ten bottles. We've still got some left from before, but we'll try yours this time."

With the deal concluded, Luo Chen and Old Man Chen cupped their hands and wished them, "A safe journey into the mountains and a bountiful harvest."

After the group left, the two exchanged a knowing smile.

Old Man Chen quietly placed another qi-concealing talisman on the stall.

Didn't he say he only made one a month?

As the sun rose, the rogue cultivator area in the southwestern corner became increasingly lively.

People selling pills, cultivation techniques, and demonic beast meat were everywhere.

Shoppers and bargain hunters came in a steady stream, and occasionally, one or two disciples in the official robes of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect could be seen.

The appearance of the latter energized the rogue cultivators, and prices were shouted higher than usual.

People from sects were considered prime targets for making a profit!

But this had nothing to do with Luo Chen.

Fasting pills were the most common of common goods—every sect had them.

Moreover, the fasting pills he refined were of the lowest tier; they were not even true pills, just fasting concoctions shaped into pill form.

No matter how well he refined it, it still wouldn't have much competitiveness.

By noon, Luo Chen had sold nearly all of his stock.

He had only twenty bottles in total, which wasn't much, and it had taken him six or seven days to gather that much.

Low-tier alchemists sure have a miserable life!

If one was not supported by a sect, it would be even more unbearably tragic being a low-tier alchemist as a rogue cultivator!

There was nothing to pack up. Luo Chen handed Old Man Chen a few pieces of beef jerky made from leftovers and prepared to leave.Before Luo Chen left, Old Man Chen chewed on dried beef while washing it down with clear water and called out to him.

"You’re introducing a new pill? Don’t tell me it’s that incomplete pill formula you picked up last year?"

"Kid, don’t aim too high. I’ve seen too many rogue alchemists go broke researching new pill formulas, losing everything."

"It’s not easy for you to save up those spirit stones. You’d be better off buying two bottles of qi-nourishing pills from the Spirit Medicine Pavilion to boost your cultivation a bit."

This was one of the rare sincere moments from this stingy, opportunistic old man.

Luo Chen could hear the sincerity in his words.

In reality, the price the original owner had paid for that incomplete alchemical formula was even greater than what Old Man Chen described.

However, Luo Chen had his own plans and naturally wouldn’t make such an overambitious mistake.

"You should worry about your teeth, old man. This dried beef is tough enough to crack them."

Old Man Chen grimaced as he took a vicious bite of the dried beef. The meat fibers got stuck in his teeth, making him uncomfortable, but he stubbornly swallowed it down.

He glared at Luo Chen.

"Get lost!"

Luo Chen chuckled, squeezed into the crowd, and disappeared in an instant.

***

He was still in the southwest section of the rogue cultivator area, but this time, he had entered the herbal trading district. Having spent years frequenting this place, he was thoroughly familiar with the buying and selling of various goods.

"Sister Wang, did your husband just bring these back from the mountains? They don’t seem dried properly yet—afraid the real experts won’t take them."

"Since I’m feeling generous today, I’ll do you a favor and take ten jin off your hands!"

"This fallopia doesn’t seem to be fully ten years old! Give me a discount, and I’ll take it."

"Jade Yam, yes, give me fifty pounds. I used to get twenty pounds for one spirit stone—now the price has doubled. How about a little discount?"

"Fine, I won’t haggle. Just throw in a Red Fir Fruit—this one, the big one."

***

For an entire afternoon, Luo Chen wandered through the herbal district, making large-scale purchases of all the medicinal ingredients he needed.

Since all the sellers were rogue cultivators hawking their goods on makeshift stalls, the quality depended entirely on one’s own judgment, and the price was purely a matter of negotiation.

After bargaining until his lips were dry, Luo Chen finally gathered most of what he needed.

Next, he had to make a trip to the inner city’s central district.

The Spirit Medicine Pavilion, one of the six top-tier shops in Dahe Market, stood in the most prominent location in the city center. Five stories tall, with upturned eaves, painted walls, and intricately carved railings—it was truly a breathtaking sight.

However, this place only dealt in finished pills, making it far beyond Luo Chen’s current spending power.

His actual destination was the Hall of Hundred Herbs next to the Spirit Medicine Pavilion.

Rumor had it that both the Spirit Medicine Pavilion and Hall of Hundred Herbs originated from the Medicine King Sect, though no one knew why they operated as two separate businesses.

Compared to the grandiosity of the Spirit Medicine Pavilion, the Hall of Hundred Herbs was far more modest.

A row of simple, single-story buildings stretched into the distance, appearing utterly unremarkable.

Yet the moment one approached, the thick scent of medicinal herbs filled the air.

Luo Chen’s spirits lifted as he gently placed the large sack from his back by the entrance.

The plump shopkeeper squinted at the sack, twitched his nose slightly, and then shook his head.

Luo Chen didn’t mind and stepped up to the counter.

"Senior, do you still have Conpoy and Fire Hound Whip?"

Upon hearing the names of these two ingredients, the plump shopkeeper’s gaze turned amused.