"Hmph! Back off. The Divine Eagle Sect wants that Eight-Root Ginseng medicine!"
"Back off yourself! I was the one who picked this pill up first."
"That Sky-Treading Flame pill has to be mine!"
If the Central Palace's first floor could be called chaotic, then the second floor would have to be called a battlefield!
Elite cultivators and wealthy patrons alike could tell at a glance that the first floor existed to capture the city's broad market, using low prices, solid value, and shopping convenience as its main weapons.
But the second floor was different. The number of cases displaying medicine had dropped noticeably, each shelf holding only a handful of varieties. The one thing that made everyone's eyes light up was that every single one of them ranged from mid-grade to high-grade!
The number of disciples assigned to oversee this floor was actually higher than the first floor's, since they had to keep watch and prevent the various factions eyeing the same medicine from causing trouble for other guests, exactly as was happening now.
"No fighting in here!"
"Please put your weapons away."
The instant the two disciples finished speaking, the surrounding air trembled. Threads of red script materialized from every direction, encircling the group about to clash. They bound their hands and feet so tightly that even a peak Grandmaster among them could not so much as budge.
"This is only a warning. Shout all you like, argue all you want, but if it comes to blows, we'll have to ask you to leave this Palace."
"Y-yes... Understood."
"We'll be careful..."
Once they had complied, the red script slowly dissipated. This was because Bai Fanxian had granted "authority" over a portion of the Border, specifically within the Central Palace, to the disciples stationed here, so that no powerful figure could bully or throw their weight around while they worked.
"Ho-ho... Is that a Lotus of Clarity Pill?"
Amid all the squabbling, there were still guests behaving normally, such as this old man, his beard trailing nearly to the floor. He tapped the young disciple on duty and pointed into the case, curious.
"That's right! The Lotus of Clarity Pill is a Grade-5 medicine with a fairly demanding refining process — the alchemist needs a calm and focused mind, along with a good number of treasures known to sharpen the mind and spirit as ingredients. It helps calm a restless mind and makes breakthroughs easier for cultivators up to Sage level."
"Ho... You sure know a lot, little one."
"Thank you!"
The girl on duty beamed with pride. This position had come only after an extremely rigorous selection process. Beyond personality and manner of speech, she had to memorize everything about every single medicine sold on this floor, down to its ingredients and refining method.
"By the way... might I be able to meet whoever refined these Lotus of Clarity Pills?"
The old man narrowed his eyes, genuinely curious as he asked. Even in high-ranking alchemy sects or royal courts, there was hardly anyone capable of refining this kind of medicine. Getting to know such a person would surely prove useful down the line.
"My apologies. I truly cannot disclose the names of our alchemists."
The girl bowed her head sincerely and answered firmly. In truth, it would be more accurate to say she herself did not even know.
Because every single high-grade medicine came out of the forbidden area!
If the alchemist behind it was not the Alchemy Empress herself, then perhaps it was...
...Lady Bai?
This had never actually been confirmed. Even though Lady Bai possessed immense strength and had once given the disciples pointers on refining, not a single one of them had ever actually witnessed her refine medicine herself.
The matter remained a subject of debate among the disciples. Since even the two little Grandmasters could refine medicine flawlessly, it seemed highly plausible that Lady Bai herself might be an alchemist too.
"There's really no way, is there..."
"Greybeard Alchemist, please don't put my disciple in such an awkward position."
Just then, a beautiful, radiant woman appeared behind the old man. As she stepped through the doorway, everyone nearby caught a floral fragrance that left their minds strangely at ease. She stopped in front of the old man and smiled faintly.
The current Alchemy Empress.
Luo Qingyan!
"It's been a long time... More than ten years now, hasn't it?"
Luo Qingyan pressed her palms together in greeting, a sincere smile on her face. The old man's own eyes had gone wide. He studied every inch of her face, astonishment written across his own.
"You've reached Ancient Sage?"
"A stroke of luck on my part."
She looked at the old man known as the "Greybeard Alchemist" with a swirl of mixed feelings. He had once been an old friend of her own master.
Or to put it more precisely, an old friend of the previous Alchemy Empress!
No one knew his real name. People of that era had simply grown used to calling him the Greybeard Alchemist. His obsession with alchemy kept him drifting from city to city across the world in search of new medicine, which made tracking him down or even getting word of him harder than finding a needle in the ocean.
The first time he met her, Luo Qingyan had still been a young girl on the cusp of adolescence. He had visited her master once, before vanishing for years at a stretch between each reunion.
"Even though it's been so long since we last met, I'm afraid I'll have to be rude and can't play proper host to you this time..."
Luo Qingyan apologized sincerely. This old man belonged to no faction, no power bloc — he simply kept company with anyone who shared his passion for the craft. After so many years apart, she genuinely wanted to sit down and talk alchemy with him to her heart's content, but for now, she had something more pressing to attend to.
"My apologies for keeping everyone waiting so long."
She walked to the center of the hall. Her voice, backed by a faint pulse of overwhelming qi rippling outward in every direction, drew every eye in the room. That single motion alone was enough to bring the entire hall to dead silence, every gaze fixed on her.
"I know exactly what many of you came here for today..."
The moment she finished speaking, movement rippled through the room. These were people who had been quietly watching and waiting the entire time, and now, as one, they all stepped forward.
"That's right, Alchemy Empress."
A man with a round, plump face and an unusually humble smile pressed his palms together and continued.
"I'm quite impressed with the Grade-5 medicine you have here. The prices and the quality are both beyond reproach. But..."
"That man is..."
Whispers broke out the instant he appeared. Most people in the trading business had at least heard his name or recognized his face — because this portly man was famous across all three of the great cities!
The young lord of the Seabound Caravan.
Ma Junfei!
He was one of the vital forces driving trade between cities in this brutal world. What he possessed was not just deep pockets — running a business like his required a fighting force strong enough to travel safely without falling victim to demonic beasts or human bandits!
His ability and his wealth were both the genuine article, which was why every shop and business wanted to work with him one way or another.
This time, he had come to Moondrift City just after the war had passed, and with rumors of high-grade medicine circulating, he had decided to see for himself.
And he had not been disappointed at all by the merchandise on the first and second floors, which only made him more eager for the main attraction still to come.
"When do we get to see the Grade-6 medicine?"
Under normal circumstances, Ma Junfei would never have been this patient. But after having his men look into it and learning the woman before him was an Ancient Sage, he forced himself to behave with the utmost courtesy, careful not to offend her.
"..."
"There's no need to rush..."
Luo Qingyan smiled faintly. With a single wave of her hand, a Palace disciple carried in a tray lined with fine red velvet, and resting on top of it, what else could it be but a single, dazzling white pill!
"That's..."
"...This pressure — there's no mistaking it!?"
Everyone watching stared at the pill so intently they nearly forgot to breathe. The moment it was set down on the central platform, a murmur of astonishment swept through the crowd, and they surged forward to get a closer look.
"Grade-6 medicine! It's really Grade-6!"
"This is the first time I've ever laid eyes on one! My sect used its last Grade-6 pill twenty years ago!"
"If they'd kept it until now, it would've become an heirloom of the sect for sure..."
"No wonder... Even the great powers only have a handful of these left in their possession."
"...What do you think?"
Even Young Lord Ma Junfei himself, in his entire life, had only ever laid eyes on genuine Grade-6 medicine a handful of times. Uncertain, he could not help but turn to the middle-aged man beside him for his opinion. This man was both a Tier-4 alchemist and one of Ma Junfei's trusted confidants; whenever there was medicine to buy, the young man always brought him along to appraise it.
"...It's genuine, without a doubt, sir. No — I should say I've never in my life seen a Grade-6 medicine this flawless before, sir."
Once he had his confirmation, the plump man broke into a wide grin. He thrust a finger high into the air and announced, booming.
"Ten million gold! I'm offering ten million gold!"
His words alone sent an immediate wave of astonishment through the crowd. Grade-6 medicine rarely surfaced on the open market at all, which made its value wildly unpredictable, depending entirely on the quality and type. Yet Young Master Ma had made his generous offer before he even knew what the medicine actually was.
"Won't you at least hear what it is first?"
Rather than accepting or refusing right away, Luo Qingyan simply picked up the pill and blew on it gently, releasing a fragrance that filled the entire hall.
"This pill is called the 'Heaven's Reprieve Elixir.' It carries an enormous reserve of life force. It can heal injuries and fully restore the strength of anyone at Sage level or below. If an ordinary person swallowed it, the life force alone would be enough to extend their years by a full decade."
"...Even at Sage level?"
At that very moment, everyone on the second floor could feel strength flooding into their bodies. They closed their eyes, lost in the sensation, until the sweet fragrance slowly faded away.
"*Sniff...* Just smelling it and all my exhaustion practically vanished."
"Truly an extraordinary medicine."
Even the Greybeard Alchemist could not help but nod in acknowledgment. He had never seen this particular medicine before, but a single visual inspection was enough to confirm it had to be top-tier!
"More importantly, it's a restoration-type medicine. If used at the right moment..."
That single sentence made plenty of people think twice. A restoration medicine was not like an ordinary power boost or a cultivation aid. Imagine a life-or-death duel, or a war where a commanding general took a mortal wound — if either side possessed this pill, the outcome would practically already be decided!
"Ten million might just..."
All eyes turned toward Young Master Ma at once. It seemed just that one explanation from Luo Qingyan was already enough to make ten million look woefully inadequate!
"I'll offer twelve million."
"I'll offer fifteen million!"
Voices began rising from the back of the room. Turning to look, it became clear they belonged to various powers whose primary military strength rested on Sage-level cultivators. For a medicine that amounted to a second life for their Sages, every single one of them was ready to pour out nearly their entire fortune to claim it.
Because it would guarantee the stability of their power for years, if not decades, to come!
If a rival power of equal standing ever considered going to war, they would have to think long and hard about whether they were truly prepared to face a Sage who could restore themselves to full strength in the blink of an eye, even after burning through everything they had!
"Hmph..."
Ma Junfei gritted his teeth. He calculated the funds he had brought with him today for a long moment before steeling himself and shouting once more.
"Twenty million! I'll offer twenty million!"
"..."
And it seemed to work. Twenty million was more than enough to build an entire new grand palace from scratch, in this Myriad Demon World. The other powers glanced at Ma Junfei's resolve and could only concede, however reluctantly.
Falling out of favor with the Seabound Caravan was clearly not worth it.
"Are you sure about this?"
"Absolutely!"
"...As you wish."
Seeing the plump man's confidence, Luo Qingyan let out a soft sigh and handed the pill to a disciple standing nearby.
"Wrap this up for the young master."
"Understood! Young Master Ma, this way, please!"
The girl smiled sweetly and gestured toward the checkout counter off to the side. The plump man raised no objection, walking with his chin held high in pride past the various powers watching him with open envy.
It seemed today was simply not their day.
But just as they were about to disperse or move on to browse other goods as a consolation prize, Luo Qingyan, standing at the center, raised an eyebrow, an odd look crossing her face.
"Where are you all rushing off to?"
"Ancient Sage Luo, isn't today's business concluded?"
"We were very impressed. We'll definitely be back to shop here again another day."
"That's right. Just bad luck today. If you have more Grade-6 medicine another day, please don't forget to let us know."
"..."
"...You might not have to wait for another day at all."
The disappointed cultivators watched, baffled, as Luo Qingyan gave a light wave of her hand once more. But what happened next left every single one of them frozen in stunned disbelief.
Ma Junfei especially stared so hard his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. He stood frozen stiff, having already paid his twenty million gold and holding the pill safely in his hand.
Because before them stood dozens more Grade-6 pills, each one radiating a fierce, uncompromising pressure of its own!
A group of disciples carried them out carefully together, arranging them in the center until the dazzling display overwhelmed the eye!
"Didn't I tell you all from the very beginning...
...that we'd have 'plenty' of high-grade medicine on sale today?"