Chapter Sixteen: The Pill of Stone

Several dozen days later.

In a narrow alley of Deyang City, at some unknown moment, a small pill shop had appeared.

This modest shop sold only two kinds of pills, yet even so, not a day passed without a steady stream of cultivators coming to purchase them.

“Shopkeeper Sun, are there any Pan Pills left today?” A dark-skinned, powerfully built cultivator hurried anxiously to the counter.

Sun Qi shook his head with a smile. “Dear customer, please come earlier tomorrow. We’ve just sold out for today.”

“So early? Already sold out!” The robust cultivator left, disappointed and dejected.

Watching the departing figure, Sun Qi sighed in sympathy, then turned to serve the next customer.

This little shop, named Jade Wood Hall, was naturally managed by Li Mu.

Within the Spirit Tower, Li Mu ceaselessly experimented—keeping the main ingredients unchanged, he adjusted the auxiliary herbs countless times until he found the optimal formula, ultimately fusing the two pill recipes that Sun Sanjiu had shared with him.

There was little more to say about the Rejuvenation Pill: the fusion process in the Spirit Tower produced only high-quality pills. Compared to ordinary ones, his fused Rejuvenation Pills were nearly thirty percent more effective.

Yet, he sold them at the same price as the marketplace—each pill costing five low-grade spirit crystals. So, within a few short days, he attracted a great number of cultivators.

But what drew them even more was the other pill: the Pan Pill.

The Pan Pill was designed to aid novice cultivators in their cultivation. Once ingested, it forcibly sealed the cultivator’s senses, rendering the body as solid as stone, utterly impervious to disturbance. In this state, the body could cultivate freely, with results almost fifty percent better than usual.

However, there were two severe drawbacks. First, the Pan Pill could only be used in times of absolute safety. If disturbed during cultivation, even a common person could take one’s life, for the user would be utterly defenseless, unable to resist—left waiting for death.

Second, the duration of the Pan Pill’s effects was unpredictable—sometimes only a few days, sometimes more than ten. Even master alchemists could not determine the precise duration of their own pills. What was certain was that until the effect dissipated, the cultivator could not awaken on their own. For those in the Qi Condensation and Foundation Building stages, five days of continuous cultivation without nutritional support would severely deplete their bodies, causing great harm.

If forcibly awakened during the effect, the damage to the body would be even greater.

Thus, while the Pan Pill was immensely useful, few dared to use it.

But Li Mu’s fusion of the Pan Pill resolved the second problem: his Pan Pills had a stable, fixed duration of exactly three days.

With this flaw addressed, Li Mu’s Pan Pills quickly became coveted treasures among cultivators. Many, even those from sects and under their protection, would gladly take Li Mu’s Pan Pills whenever they felt free from enemies.

Every day, numerous cultivators queued outside Jade Wood Hall, hoping to buy a Pan Pill.

But Li Mu deliberately limited the supply, selling only a few dozen pills each day—never more. This was the only way to maintain such a scene.

Once the crowd dispersed, Sun Qi placed a “Pan Pills Sold Out” sign at the counter and took a leisurely break.

At that moment, two new customers appeared at the door.

The young man was handsome, but his every move carried an air of disdain that made him instantly unlikeable. At his side, the woman in green robes was wrapped head to toe, her face covered with gauze, leaving only two limpid eyes—clear as water and full of expectation—that could make one’s heart race with a single glance.

Sun Qi dared not be the slightest bit careless, and immediately stood to greet them. “Honored guests, how may I assist you?”

One look told him these two were both Foundation Building cultivators, and had likely been so for quite some time.

The young man spoke haughtily. “Shopkeeper, bring out all your Pan Pills. I’ll buy them all.”

Sun Qi bowed apologetically. “Senior, you’ve come a bit late. Today’s Pan Pills are already sold out.”

“What?” The young man snorted. “You don’t keep any in reserve? What kind of business is this? You might as well close up early.”

The woman in green shot the young man a look of clear distaste. “Senior Zhao, please don’t cause a scene here.”

The young man’s expression shifted instantly, and he spoke with forced humility. “Junior Sister Shen is right. I was being impatient.” With that, he even cupped his hands to Sun Qi, though there was not a hint of genuine apology in his gesture.

Sun Qi took no offense. “We truly have no stock left, seniors. Perhaps you could return tomorrow.”

Behind the gauze, the woman’s features shifted as if she were smiling. “Shopkeeper, I wish to meet the alchemist who made these pills. Is that possible?”

Though she was making a request, her tone was edged with command, her bearing effortlessly exuding the aura of a superior cultivator. It was the natural pressure of a Foundation Building expert speaking to one in the Qi Condensation stage.

Since following Li Mu, Sun Qi’s will had become much more resolute. Though he felt the pressure for a moment, he quickly steadied himself. “Allow me to seek permission.”

The woman nodded and stood silently, making no move to leave.

The young man, however, was less patient, restlessly glancing about the shop.

Sun Qi retreated to the back. Inside a rear chamber, Sun Sanjiu was seated before the alchemy cauldron, testing various herbs.

Li Mu was not there; he was occupied, guiding Li Ying in cultivation within the practice room.

On the surface, Sun Qi was the shopkeeper of Jade Wood Hall, but the true alchemist was Sun Sanjiu.

“Brother, there are two Foundation Building cultivators who wish to meet the maker of the Pan Pills. They’re probably alchemists themselves. Are you up for it?” Sun Qi’s face showed traces of anxiety.

Sun Sanjiu smiled. “No problem. In recent days, Big Brother Li Mu has gotten me many jade slips on alchemy. I’ve learned a lot. I can handle this. Didn’t I already deal with several alchemists who came by in the past few days?”

Since the shop’s opening, other alchemists had come—some offering high prices, others seeking to coerce the recipe from them. But within Deyang City, few dared act rashly, so they tried other tactics.

Yet, Sun Sanjiu had grown much since his tribulations. Following Li Mu’s advice, he handled these alchemists with words alone, ensuring they believed Sun Sanjiu was the sole creator of the pills and that there were no weaknesses to exploit.

As for the formula itself, Sun Sanjiu had none to give.

“If only I could master Big Brother Li’s skills. He’s been cultivating for such a short time and can already make such a difficult Pan Pill—he’s a true prodigy, even superior to Alchemist Shen.” Rising to his feet, Sun Sanjiu sighed as he headed for the door.

Now, with an abundance of herbs and jade slips for study, he clearly understood the challenges of crafting Pan Pills.

Sun Qi followed behind, speaking cautiously. “Don’t be rash, brother. Trust Big Brother—just follow Li Mu, and you can’t go wrong.”

Sun Sanjiu nodded earnestly. “Don’t worry, brother. I’ve seen Li Mu’s abilities these days—I’ll listen to him absolutely.”

The two passed through the back and made their way toward the shop.

But just as they were about to return, Sun Sanjiu froze, his entire body tense, and immediately retreated.

“What’s wrong, brother?” Sun Qi stopped with him.

Sun Sanjiu pointed outside, voice trembling. “I can’t go out there—it’s Wang Qi and Alchemist Shen!”

“It’s really them?” Sun Qi glanced at the two in the shop, his gaze instantly changing to one of cold indifference tinged with resentment.