Inside a spacious room, a man sat at a desk, eyes focused on the papers in front of him. After a while, a soft knock came from outside.
"Come in. The door's not locked," he said lightly.
A young woman entered, quietly closing the door behind her. If Xitu were here, he would've immediately recognized her—his pills handler, Qi Yue. She approached the desk, her lips parting slowly.
"What do you need me for, Store Manager?"
"Ah, it's nothing major. How are Low Rank pills sales this month?"
"Normal. Nothing spectacular. The same as previous months."
Store Manager Lu Chen let out a sigh.
"That's why I called you today. As you know, we're constantly competing with the Floating Cloud Sect's official store since this is their territory. And ever since the Alchemist Association set up shop here a few years ago, our sales have steadily declined, especially for low-level pills. They've got far more low-level Alchemists working with them. Our stock can't match theirs in both quantity and quality. High-level Alchemists affiliated with us don't even bother making these low-profit pills either. The higher-ups have issued a new order: we need to attract more low-level Alchemists to work with us."
Qi Yue tilted her head slightly, voicing her doubt.
"But Manager, the Alchemist Association is practically a sanctuary for Alchemists. Their reputation spans far and wide, built over countless years. If we don't offer something compelling, few will want to work with us."
Lu Chen rubbed his temples with a few fingers and replied tiredly.
"Alright... Starting today, we'll offer a slightly better price for Low Rank pills than before. If they agree to sell exclusively to us, we'll consider giving them a Myriad Badge."
Qi Yue's eyes widened in surprise.
"A Myriad Badge? Isn't that a bit much? I thought we only issued those to Mid Rank Alchemists and above. Even then, under strict requirements."
"We've got no choice. Floating Cloud Sect has been pushing us hard lately. Losing the low-level pill market as well would deal a serious blow to us."
"Understood. I'll follow your orders."
With that, Qi Yue turned and left, closing the door behind her.
Lu Chen remained seated, lost in thought.
'Sigh... So many troubles. The Floating Cloud Sect's been secretly doing something in the forest for a while too...'
He looked out the window, his expression grim.
Meanwhile, in the vendor street, Xitu was strolling around, not in any rush to visit Luo An's stall. He wanted to look around first, hoping his 'sharp eyes' might spot another hidden treasure like the bowl from before. Unfortunately, he had no such luck today. After all, in all the years of keeping up this habit, he had only ever found 1 true 'hidden treasure.'
Disappointed, he made his way to Luo An's stall. As usual, the man sat there with a bored expression and lifeless eyes.
Xitu walked up and smirked.
"Why do you look so spiritless there? Did a demoness drain all your life essence last night or what?"
Luo An turned his head, clearly confused.
"Oh, it's you. What are you talking about?"
Xitu laughed.
"Haha! No need to play dumb. I saw you this morning walking out of Red Light Street. Living it up every night like some young master, huh?"
Luo An's eyes lit up in realization. Then he stared at Xitu as if he was staring at some idiot.
"Oh, that? It's nothing special. Yin and Yang in harmony—it's the way of Heaven and Earth. Men must enjoy the company of women regularly. What's wrong with that? Only a virgin like you would question it."
Xitu's face twisted in panic as he blurted out weakly.
"Wha... what?! How do you know I'm a—no, never mind! You're just spouting nonsense to justify your debaucherous lifestyle!"
"Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night. So, what breeze blew this 'fledgling' over here?"
"Don't call me 'fledgling'!" Xitu snapped. "I want to buy a book with basic spells for early Qi Foundation cultivators. Stuff that a Vein Opening late-stage can still practice."
Luo An rummaged through a pile of goods and pulled out a black-covered book.
"Here. This one should suit your needs. It has offensive, defensive, and utility spells useful for early Qi Foundation."
Xitu eyed the ugly handwritten title on the cover: Basic Spells for Newbies. He raised a brow.
"You sure this is the one?"
"Of course. I've practiced all of these myself."
"Alright. How much?"
"20 Spirit Stones."
"What? So expensive! You can copy this and resell it again!"
Luo An shrugged, as if stating the obvious. "It is what it is. Besides, I use a Spirit Artifact to copy it. If I tried doing it by hand and messed up a Qi circulation diagram, someone could explode. And then the Floating Cloud Sect would come after me."
Xitu hesitated, then reluctantly reached into his pocket and handed over 20 Spirit Stones. He almost didn't bring enough.
"Fine. Here you go."
After taking the book, he said goodbye and headed home.
Later that day, Xitu was reading through the book's contents. It included 10 simple spells: Fireball, Ice Spear, Earth Wall, Cleansing, Floating, and so on. You could find most of them on low-level talismans.
Generally, Vein Opening cultivators didn't practice these spells. They would drain a cultivator's entire Qi reserve after just a few attempts. Additionally, it took too long to activate them as a Vein Opening cultivator, so they had no practical use at this stage.
Only after reaching the Qi Foundation Realm, with more Qi and better control, would one begin to master them. If Vein Opening cultivators wanted to use them, they could always rely on single-use talismans.
Xitu had his reasons to practice them, though. It was part boredom, part preparation for the future. He had nearly mastered the Qi Bullet Spell, and now he wanted to do something else. With the treasure bowl at his disposal, he was confident in his chances of making it to the Qi Foundation Realm soon.
So, why not start practicing now while he has nothing better to do?
'If I start now, by the time I reach the Qi Foundation Realm, I'll have mastered most of them already.' he thought hopefully.
With that, Xitu added another task to his daily routine for the foreseeable future.