Star Sky Professional

"Ah..."

Fang Xing opened the door and sighed.

The Ghost God Saber was difficult to master, which meant he could not increase his combat strength significantly anytime soon—this really made him feel insecure.

Moreover, he still had unresolved grudges noted down in his booklet!

"Brother Fang..."

Just then, Meng Yi from next door came out and greeted him, "Long time no see..."

"Previously, seeing how formidable the Demon Bird was, I chose to seclude myself. How did it go?" Fang Xing asked without any embarrassment.

"That Demon Bird was taken down by the elder of the Zheng Family quite some time ago... When a Foundation Establishment Cultivator takes action, it's truly extraordinary. It's a pity you didn't see it, Brother Fang," Meng Yi replied, seemingly longing for more.

'I bet you weren't excited seeing the Foundation Establishment Cultivator in action but excited about the loot you scored!'

Witnessing this scene, Fang Xing could not help but criticize inwardly.

That day, upon encountering the Demon Bird, Meng Yi had his wife hide in Qinglin Square while he excitedly rushed out, clearly not to help deal with the bird, but to scavenge for spoils!

After chatting with Meng Yi briefly, Fang Xing steered the conversation toward Martial Arts.

After all, Otherworld had many valuable aspects; fusing the strengths of both worlds was the splendid use of his Golden Finger!

"Oh? So Brother Fang is cultivating a Demon Skill, but is troubled by distracting and evil thoughts?" Meng Yi spoke composedly.

After all, he was also a Martial Artist and had cultivated some worldly so-called 'Demon Skills'; he had no prejudice against them.

"Meng brother, do you have a solution?"

Seeing Meng Yi's expression, Fang Xing's eyes brightened as he earnestly requested, "Please do not hesitate to enlighten me..."

"Ha ha, you must know, most Martial Arts, in the eyes of Cultivators, are rather rudimentary... Even the Demon Skills that dominate the Martial Arts are the same," Meng Yi laughed. "The inner demons of Cultivators are much more terrifying than the distractions we encounter while cultivating Demon Skills. It's even said that high-rank Cultivators face physical manifestations of Outer Heaven Demons obstructing their way when they attempt to break through a major realm. Hence, Cultivators' experience in dealing with such situations is copious, whether it's cultivating special techniques or collecting relevant Elixirs and Magic Artifacts... all have certain effects. Brother Fang could search for them; they should yield some results. After all, we are merely Martial Artists; the Elixirs and Magic Artifacts effective for Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivators, even if not very effective for Cultivators, are sufficient for us..."

"So Cultivators are best at handling these situations? Thank you very much!"

Fang Xing bowed and immediately headed to the market square.

Of course, he was not going to completely trust Meng Yi's words, so he planned to ask someone else.

Old Master Ding Bushan was an excellent candidate.

...

Several hours later.

Green Pill Workshop.

Fang Xing looked up at the shop sign and Green Leaf Seal and entered with long strides.

He had also just visited Ding Bushan, asking about a few things under the guise of buying Spirit Rice.

According to the Qi Cultivation Middle Stage Cultivator's words, Cultivators indeed had many methods to deal with inner demons.

But most were not what ordinary Qi Cultivators could hope for.

As for a Martial Artist?

That needed no saying.

But Fang Xing was still willing to give it a try.

'Cultivators' secret techniques, Magic Artifacts that guard the mind... I can't use them anyway, damn it, it's because I lack a Spirit Root... Besides, these aren't easy to find, and the prices are outrageous...'

'As for Talisman, there's one called the Calming Talisman particularly suited for these situations. The unfortunate thing is, it requires at least Innate True Qi to be activated...'

'The only thing left to try would be an Elixir...'

While pondering this, Fang Xing glanced at the approaching young girl.

He was lucky; this time he encountered the same woman he had met the first time he came to Qinglin Square, who had a pleasant demeanor.

"Esteemed guest, what kind of Elixir do you require?"

The girl smiled charmingly.

"For a Martial Artist, to handle distracting thoughts while cultivating Martial Arts..."

Fang Xing stated his requirements.

After listening, the girl pondered for a moment, "For your situation, our shop only has the 'Calming Pill' which might be suitable. This pill can slightly enhance the Spiritual Sense of Qi Cultivators and has the effect of clarifying the mind... but..."

"As for the price, let's talk numbers. How many Spirit Stones?"

Fang Xing appeared as if he wasn't short on Spirit Stones.

Indeed, that was the case. After all, he had drone-assisted harvesting, so even if he ran out of Spirit Stones, he could simply sell more collected herbs.

Moreover, due to the recent surge of monster attacks, the dangers of gathering herbs had increased significantly, and the price of Spiritual Medicine had risen quite a bit.

Currently, Fang Xing could easily produce dozens of Spirit Stones.

Had it not been for the need for Calming Pills, he would have already bought an Innate Pill to store away.

He just wondered if the Elixirs from the Cultivation World had a shelf life.

"Calming Pills were previously sold for thirty Spirit Stones per bottle... but currently, they are out of stock in our shop..."

The girl apologized with a smile.

"What? Out of stock?"

Fang Xing was slightly surprised, "Why is that?"

"To refine the Calming Flower, one needs a type of Spiritual Medicine called 'Illusion Heart Orchid'. The shop used to occasionally receive a few, but now with the monster rampage, and the fact that 'Illusion Heart Orchid' requires very particular growing conditions, mostly found deep in the Great Wilderness, there are no Medicine Gatherers who can go there, hence the gradual shortage..."

The girl explained earnestly, "Perhaps after the monster surge, you can come and check again..."

"Thank you. May I ask for your name?"

Fang Xing, slightly disappointed, was preparing to leave but thought better of it as he felt establishing a good relationship with this young girl might prove useful.

After all, he was appearing with his true face now, wanting to fully explore the potential of this world; maintaining good relationships was also very important.

Cultivation was not just about fighting and killing!

"My name is Xiao Rui!"

The girl smiled brightly, "Next time you come, you can ask directly for me..."

"Okay, I will remember that."

Fang Xing nodded solemnly.

...

Even though he knew this, Fang Xing still wasn't quite willing to give up.

After all, although the Calming Pill was not available in the elixir shops, there might be some leftover stock that had been sold previously, and it might also be available at some stalls.

However, after scouring the area, he became somewhat disheartened.

Given the nature of Loose Cultivators, once they got their hands on elixirs beneficial for their cultivation, they would almost certainly consume them to increase their strength, leaving few behind.

Moreover, even if there were one or two pills at a Loose Cultivator's stall, Fang Xing wouldn't dare to use them.

Shouldn't he buy enough for a dose at once, ask a "lab rat" to test them first, and then give them a try?

Of course, if the original Jade Bottle was still unopened, that would be even better.

In the stalls of Loose Cultivators, loose, unbranded elixirs of unknown origin would definitely be priced much lower than the unopened, genuine items.

In Qinglin Square, stalls selling elixirs were very rare.

The four arts of cultivation—formations, elixirs, artifacts, talismans; with Alchemy Technique ranking second, the tradition was rare and the consumption was tremendous.

Generally speaking, Loose Cultivators wouldn't trouble themselves with learning the craft of alchemy.

Even if there were one or two 'Alchemists', they would specialize in one or two particular elixirs, often very niche.

Moreover, their competitiveness often fell short of the larger elixir shops.

Precisely because of this, stalls selling elixirs were very rare.

Fang Xing searched extensively before he found a few stalls, and the elixirs available were few and far between.

"May I ask if there are 'Calming Pills' for sale here?"

He approached a stall where an old man with a hair bun secured with ebony wood and wearing a sparkling magic robe was tending.

Hearing Fang Xing's inquiry, the elder's eyes lit up, smiling, "Fellow Daoist has indeed come to the right person. In this square, there are very few channels for 'Calming Pills', but I am indeed one of them…"

"Oh? You have Calming Pills? What is the price?"

Fang Xing became spirited.

"Still in the furnace…"

The elder stroked his beard, appearing every bit the accomplished sage.

Fang Xing turned and walked away immediately.

"Hey, wait… young brother, wait!"

The old Daoist immediately jumped up, "Hear me out, my young friend, I truly am an Alchemist. In my earlier years, I obtained the recipe for 'Calming Pills' and have about sixty to seventy percent confidence in solidifying them. If you don't believe me, go and inquire about my great name in Wan Fenglin!"

Fang Xing paused slightly in his steps, "So… do you have the pills or not?"

"About that…" The old alchemist chuckled, "The other fellow Daoists and I have already gathered materials for several batches of 'Calming Pills', only missing one ingredient, the 'Illusion Heart Orchid'..."

"That's as good as saying nothing…"

Fang Xing continued to turn his head.

"Why the hurry, young brother? I have discovered a growing spot for the 'Illusion Heart Orchid'. It's just that the place is slightly dangerous, with a swarm of 'Purple Winged Scorpions' lurking… I am preparing to invite fellow Daoists to eradicate this menace. Once that's done, wouldn't obtaining 'Calming Pills' be within easy reach?"

"Then I'll just wait until you've made the elixirs before buying… The price is negotiable."

Fang Xing nodded, taking a deep look at the old man.

"This... young brother, would you care to lend a hand? If successful, I can reduce a lot of the cost…" the old alchemist tentatively said.

"As a mere Postnatal Martial Artist, what help can I offer?"

Fang Xing scoffed and turned around to leave without hesitation.

"…"

The old man watched Fang Xing's retreating back, wanting to retain him but unable to articulate the words, only able to let out a deep sigh.

He continued tending his stall, selling some low-rank Fasting Pills among other elixirs, until the sun set and dusk fell before slowly packing up and returning to his tent.

The alchemist was unaware that, hidden in a corner of the tent, a beetle-sized eavesdropping device had been lying there quietly since who knows when.

Due to its small size, resembling a dead object, it emitted no spiritual energy.

To Fang Xing, this beetle-like listening device was simply a divine artifact.

The old man's behavior today was a bit suspicious since if it were merely about selling elixirs, he should have asked him to return another day.

Why would he recruit a Postnatal Martial Artist?

Unless the other party knew he was not simple!

Thus, after leaving, Fang Xing immediately deployed the beetle eavesdropper.

The old man returned to his tent, first mediating to rest, then swallowing a Fasting Pill before going to the adjacent workshop to handle some medicinal华materials.

Everything looked very ordinary.

Until late at night when a knocking sound, three long, two short, came from the door.

The old man immediately got up to open the door.

The wooden door creaked open, revealing a silhouette.

"You've arrived?"

Seeing the visitor, the old man's face immediately showed a hint of displeasure.