Chapter 24: A Path to Profit

"A Spirit Initiation Pill — first-grade mid-tier," Tang Yan said with a smile. "By your logic, a pill like this doesn't qualify for auction?"

"Not even close." The old man waved his hand dismissively, thinking to himself that he knew there wouldn't be anything worthwhile.

"This pill may only be a first-grade mid-tier, but compared to an ordinary upper-tier first-grade Pill, it holds its own.

It can boost cultivation and provides powerful support for Primary Realm warriors. A warrior at the ninth grade of the Primary Realm who takes it has a ninety percent chance of breaking through to the Yellow Realm.

More importantly, it can be taken consecutively!" Tang Yan said unhurriedly. "I won't go into all the other supplementary effects — why don't you take another look?"

"I'm afraid not." The old man showed no courtesy and had no interest in further discussion.

"You'll regret this, sir. Farewell."

"Keep dreaming." Watching Tang Yan turn to leave, the old man scoffed with contempt. If everything Tang Yan said were true, how could this pill only be first-grade mid-tier? It should be at least second-grade lower-tier.

"Truly doesn't know a treasure." Once outside, Tang Yan let out a quiet sigh.

When all was said and done, the fault actually lay with Tang Yan himself.

A pill's grade is determined by a combination of its refinement difficulty and its medicinal efficacy.

The Spirit Initiation Pill's effects were no inferior to those of second-grade pills. The reason Tang Yan had classified it as first-grade mid-tier was that refining it did not demand high martial strength. Though the process was intricate, a first-grade Alchemist with solid fundamentals and diligent practice could manage to produce it.

Classifying the Spirit Initiation Pill as a second-grade pill would not have been unreasonable either. After all, since Tang Yan had brought this pill from China, he had the most authority to determine its grade.

Unaware of the issue, Tang Yan walked along the street, continuously pondering other paths to profit.

In his previous life, though Tang Yan had spent most of his time operating within the inner jianghu, he had still come into contact with the modern world of Earth. He had some understanding of how modern commerce worked.

Before long, Tang Yan's eyes lit up.

A long-term plan for making money slowly took shape in his mind.

He found a secluded spot, smeared his face a few times to restore his original appearance, then strode quickly toward Miaodan Pavilion.

The moment he arrived at Miaodan Pavilion, the shop attendants recognized Tang Yan.

This young man whom even Grandmaster Ge treated with great courtesy — they dared not be negligent.

"Young Master Tang, please come in! I'll go inform Grandmaster Ge right away." The shop attendant greeted him warmly.

Tang Yan didn't stand on ceremony. He gave a nod and let his gaze sweep casually around the shop. Though there were quite a few people inside, one woman in particular caught his attention.

The woman stood about 1.65 meters tall, dressed in a form-fitting white robe that accentuated her mature and elegant figure. Her lustrous hair fell like spilled ink, draped loosely over her shoulders. Her large eyes shimmered like autumn waters — bright and spirited, yet carrying a coldness that kept others at a thousand paces.

Compared to Lin Dongxue and Wu Xuan, this woman's beauty was in no way inferior, and her bearing was even more otherworldly.

Such a stunning beauty naturally drew eyes, and many gazes in the hall drifted frequently toward her.

She seemed long accustomed to such attention and showed no sign of discomfort.

After a brief moment of admiration, Tang Yan's eyes narrowed slightly, and a quiet wariness stirred in his heart.

If one only looked at the surface, they would surely be deceived by her appearance. She stood there in silence, not releasing even a trace of True Qi, making it impossible for Tang Yan to see through her true strength. Yet a cold, forbidding aura emanated from her — faint, but unmistakably present.

Most people in the room would have difficulty detecting anything unusual about her, but Tang Yan, having encountered countless individuals in his previous life, quietly tagged this woman as dangerous.

He searched his memory thoroughly but could not identify who she was — she was most likely from out of town.

As he passed by her, Tang Yan's nose suddenly wrinkled, and he sniffed the air a few times.

Sensing an unfamiliar man standing beside her, the woman's brow furrowed, and she turned her head to fix Tang Yan with a stare.

"Smells wonderful," Tang Yan muttered to himself, tilting his head back as he continued walking. "It'd be nice to bring her home as a wife."

Apparently having never encountered someone so shameless, the woman's cold expression grew even icier. Tang Yan, still walking forward, suddenly felt a chill run down his back, and fine beads of sweat instantly broke out across his forehead.

He forced himself to keep walking with a composed air, and only after that killing intent flashed and vanished did Tang Yan finally breathe easy.

After that brief exchange, Tang Yan had confirmed two things.

First, this woman was injured. Second, even injured, she was someone he absolutely could not afford to provoke.

"Brother Tang, you're finally here." After the shop attendant led Tang Yan to a guest room, Ge Ming hurried over to greet him.

Tang Yan glanced at Ge Ming — the red glint in his eyes had already disappeared. This told Tang Yan something about Miaodan Pavilion's efficiency; it seemed that a third-grade pill truly was nothing remarkable to them.

"Ha, congratulations, Old Ge." Tang Yan cupped his hands in greeting.

Ge Ming understood immediately, knowing full well what Tang Yan was referring to, and laughed. "It's all thanks to Brother Tang's pill formula. I must apologize for my poor eyesight that day — I failed to recognize that you, Brother Tang, are the famous young master of Yun City. It turns out the most remarkable young talent in Yun City isn't from the Liu Family, but from the Tang Clan."

"Not worth mentioning — all credit goes to my master's guidance." Tang Yan once again invoked his master's name as a cover.

"No need for formalities with me, Brother. What brings you to Miaodan Pavilion this time?" Ge Ming asked with a smile.

Inwardly noting that these people were all sharp as a tack, Tang Yan spoke plainly: "Then I won't beat around the bush. I've come this time, on my master's instructions, to discuss a business deal with Miaodan Pavilion."

Deeply intrigued by a master-and-disciple pair who could casually hand over a third-grade pill formula, Ge Ming asked eagerly: "What sort of business does your esteemed master wish to discuss with Miaodan Pavilion?"

"Meridian Tempering Powder. When taken by Primary Realm warriors, it can improve the quality of their Meridians to a certain degree." Tang Yan stated the terms of the deal calmly.

"What!" The moment Tang Yan finished speaking, Ge Ming leapt to his feet in shock.

A pill formula that could improve Meridian quality was extraordinarily rare throughout the entire alchemy world. If he could acquire it and present it to headquarters, it would be a great achievement on his part.

Tang Yan, who had been quietly sipping his tea, was caught completely off guard by Ge Ming's outburst and gave a startled jolt, spilling tea all over his hand. He said helplessly: "Old Brother Ge, please sit down and talk — sit down."

Ge Ming, aware that he had lost his composure, quickly apologized with a sheepish grin. "Sorry, sorry — I got too excited. Is Brother Tang looking to sell the pill formula this time?"

"Exactly." Tang Yan nodded.

As an Alchemist himself, Tang Yan had anticipated Ge Ming's reaction.

He was highly confident this venture would yield a handsome profit. Because in this world, pills capable of improving Meridian quality were exceedingly rare.

Take Yun City as an example — the Four Great Families were evenly matched, each holding the others in check. But if one family produced an exceptionally talented younger generation, within a few years, that family would inevitably come to dominate the other three.

So while this pill formula was only effective for Primary Realm warriors, it would absolutely become the object of fierce competition among countless great and small families alike.

As a member of one of Yun City's Four Great Families, Tang Yan understood well how much effort and resources great families poured into cultivating talented younger members.

Once the Meridian Tempering Powder became known to the world, it would be scrambled over by every major family.