"It really is the Snow Bone Ginseng." Xiao Ming said with a bit of surprise as he led Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin to the jade platform.
Xiao Ming's arrival naturally caught the attention of the scruffy old man.
Looking at the badge hanging from Xiao Ming's chest, the scruffy old man felt a bit surprised.
'Such a young high-grade seventh-tier Alchemist, truly a little monster. I wonder which old monster taught him,' he thought to himself.
Thinking this, the scruffy old man's expression was not as casual as before. Of course, perhaps due to his personality, he didn't show too much politeness either.
Xiao Ming walked to the stall in front of him and gazed closely at the snow-white ginseng. After a moment, he nodded slowly. Judging by the aura emanating from the ginseng, the Snow Bone Ginseng was of decent quality and not a low-grade product.
"Don't bother looking, I don't have any fake items here. Do you want to buy something?" The scruffy old man smiled.
"Maybe you want this Snow Bone Ginseng? It's yours for only a high seventh-tier pill! As a high-grade seventh-tier Alchemist, you should have it, right?"
At these words, Xiao Ming furrowed his eyebrows. A high seventh-tier pill... the price was really steep!
"Just recently, you were selling it to others for an intermediate seventh-tier pill!" Hearing this, Qing Lin couldn't help but speak up. She didn't want to see her young master being scammed.
"You girls heard that, huh? Well, fine, I'll sell it to you for an intermediate seventh-tier pill too," the scruffy old man chuckled. His expression was natural, without any awkwardness from being exposed. He was obviously an extremely thick-skinned person.
'An intermediate seventh-tier pill...' Xiao Ming frowned.
While the Snow Bone Ginseng was slightly less valuable compared to an intermediate seventh-tier pill, he could still accept it. The problem was that he didn't have any intermediate seventh-tier pills on him at the moment, which put him in a bit of a predicament.
After some thought, Xiao Ming said, "An intermediate seventh-tier pill can indeed be exchanged, but do you exchange anything else besides pills?"
"An intermediate seventh-tier pill recipe that I haven't studied before would also work," the scruffy old man replied.
"You've got to be kidding, Senior. Although the Snow Bone Ginseng is rare, an intermediate seventh-tier pill recipe is priceless. Who would give it to you in exchange?" Xiao Ming said, wordlessly.
Xiao Ming had nearly a hundred seventh-tier pill recipes, which may seem like a lot, but that didn't mean he would give them away unwisely. The Snow Bone Ginseng was indeed precious, but it still couldn't compare to an intermediate seventh-tier pill recipe, especially one that the other party hadn't studied before.
"I haven't finished speaking yet. If you give me an intermediate seventh-tier pill recipe, I'll give you another Snow Bone Ginseng," the old man said.
Xiao Ming was speechless. Pill recipes were the greatest treasure of alchemists, and ordinary people wouldn't usually make their own pill recipes public.
Seeing Xiao Ming's silence, the scruffy old man thought he was not believed, so he took out a jade box from his storage ring. Inside the jade box, there was actually another Snow Bone Ginseng, and it looked even better than the one Xiao Ming had seen before.
"Since you want it, you must be interested in refining high seventh-tier pills. How about another Snow Bone Ginseng as well?" the old man suggested.
Two Snow Bone Ginsengs were still not worth as much as an intermediate seventh-tier pill recipe, so Xiao Ming was considering whether or not to make the exchange.
Just then, Xiao Ming suddenly thought that since the old man had set up a stall in the Pill Tower headquarters and seemed to be familiar with the people around him, he must have been here for a long time and was likely knowledgeable about the Pill Tower. So, Xiao Ming decided to ask him about the news regarding the Thousand-Year-Old Green Spiritual Vine and the Core Soul Marrow.
Glancing at the old man, Xiao Ming smiled and said, "You should know that the value of two Snow Bone Ginsengs is not as good as an intermediate seventh-tier pill. But I heard that the Pill Tower has the Thousand-Year-Old Green Spiritual Vine and the Core Soul Marrow. If you give me information about any of them, we have a deal."
"This..." The old man hesitated at his words.
He didn't know the information about the Thousand-Year-Old Green Spiritual Vine, but he did know about the Core Soul Marrow. However, he had his own thoughts about it. If he told Xiao Ming, wouldn't he have another competitor? After all, the young man in front of him was not weaker than himself.
After a moment of deliberation, the old man let out a sigh.
'Forget it, it's just information. If I don't tell him, he might hear it from someone else. Besides, the chance of me obtaining the Core Soul Marrow is not great. Those old geezers are all lusting after it.'
Muttering to himself, the scruffy old man smiled at Xiao Ming.
"Young man, you've come to the right person. I have the information about the Core Soul Marrow. I've been hanging around here for a long time, and I'm well-informed. If you ask someone else, they might not know."
"In two months' time, there will be a competition held within the Pill Tower, and only high-grade seventh-tier alchemists or higher can participate."
"Oh, can you tell me more?" Xiao Ming raised an eyebrow. He really didn't know about this.
"This kind of competition is a tradition, just like the Pill Gathering. It is held every few years, but on a smaller scale and with a much higher threshold, because it is for the selection of a candidate for the Eight Great Elders of the Pill Tower!"
"To encourage Alchemists to participate, the Pill Tower offers some significant treasures every year. It is said that this time, they will offer the Core Soul Marrow as the prize."
"Tsk tsk, with this thing, it won't take much time to enter the Spirit Realm, and becoming an eighth-tier alchemist is just a matter of time. Many high-grade seventh-tier alchemists I know are tempted. This competition is going to be extremely fierce."
Xiao Ming nodded understandingly. The turnover of the upper echelon of a force is an inevitable thing, and it was normal for the Pill Tower to hold such a competition.
The Eight Great Elders of the Pill Tower were all eighth-tier alchemists and could be considered the true high-level figures of the Pill Tower. It was also normal for the Pill Tower to offer the Core Soul Marrow as a reward for the competition to select Elders.
Xiao Ming was also very interested in the Core Soul Marrow.
"How can I participate in this competition? The requirements for electing an Elder should not be that simple."
"Hehe, you're right. In addition to being a high-grade seventh-tier alchemist, in order to prevent people with ulterior motives from infiltrating, you also need to be certified by the Pill Tower for more than seven years."
"Then I can't participate..." Xiao Ming sighed. He had only been certified for a few days, so he was far from meeting the requirements.
Seeing Xiao Ming's expression, the scruffy old man knew what he was worried about.
"Don't worry. If you haven't been certified for seven years, you can find someone to vouch for you. However, the person who vouches for you must have enough influence. Maybe you can try to approach the Five Great Clans. The people from the Five Great Clans have a long history in the Pill Tower and definitely have the qualifications to vouch for you..."
"Oh, I see," Xiao Ming nodded when he heard this, feeling much relieved.
"But the Core Soul Marrow is also the target of the Five Great Clans. How could they easily vouch for others to compete with them?"
"One of the Five Great Clans, the Ye Clan, has been declining in recent years... hehe... I have provided you with the information about the Core Soul Marrow. Here are two Snow Bone Ginsengs for you. Now give me the recipe."
"It really is the Snow Bone Ginseng." Xiao Ming said with a bit of surprise as he led Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin to the jade platform.
Xiao Ming's arrival naturally caught the attention of the scruffy old man.
Looking at the badge hanging from Xiao Ming's chest, the scruffy old man felt a bit surprised.
'Such a young high-grade seventh-tier Alchemist, truly a little monster. I wonder which old monster taught him,' he thought to himself.
Thinking this, the scruffy old man's expression was not as casual as before. Of course, perhaps due to his personality, he didn't show too much politeness either.
Xiao Ming walked to the stall in front of him and gazed closely at the snow-white ginseng. After a moment, he nodded slowly. Judging by the aura emanating from the ginseng, the Snow Bone Ginseng was of decent quality and not a low-grade product.
"Don't bother looking, I don't have any fake items here. Do you want to buy something?" The scruffy old man smiled.
"Maybe you want this Snow Bone Ginseng? It's yours for only a high seventh-tier pill! As a high-grade seventh-tier Alchemist, you should have it, right?"
At these words, Xiao Ming furrowed his eyebrows. A high seventh-tier pill... the price was really steep!
"Just recently, you were selling it to others for an intermediate seventh-tier pill!" Hearing this, Qing Lin couldn't help but speak up. She didn't want to see her young master being scammed.
"You girls heard that, huh? Well, fine, I'll sell it to you for an intermediate seventh-tier pill too," the scruffy old man chuckled. His expression was natural, without any awkwardness from being exposed. He was obviously an extremely thick-skinned person.
'An intermediate seventh-tier pill...' Xiao Ming frowned.
While the Snow Bone Ginseng was slightly less valuable compared to an intermediate seventh-tier pill, he could still accept it. The problem was that he didn't have any intermediate seventh-tier pills on him at the moment, which put him in a bit of a predicament.
After some thought, Xiao Ming said, "An intermediate seventh-tier pill can indeed be exchanged, but do you exchange anything else besides pills?"
"An intermediate seventh-tier pill recipe that I haven't studied before would also work," the scruffy old man replied.
"You've got to be kidding, Senior. Although the Snow Bone Ginseng is rare, an intermediate seventh-tier pill recipe is priceless. Who would give it to you in exchange?" Xiao Ming said, wordlessly.
Xiao Ming had nearly a hundred seventh-tier pill recipes, which may seem like a lot, but that didn't mean he would give them away unwisely. The Snow Bone Ginseng was indeed precious, but it still couldn't compare to an intermediate seventh-tier pill recipe, especially one that the other party hadn't studied before.
"I haven't finished speaking yet. If you give me an intermediate seventh-tier pill recipe, I'll give you another Snow Bone Ginseng," the old man said.
Xiao Ming was speechless. Pill recipes were the greatest treasure of alchemists, and ordinary people wouldn't usually make their own pill recipes public.
Seeing Xiao Ming's silence, the scruffy old man thought he was not believed, so he took out a jade box from his storage ring. Inside the jade box, there was actually another Snow Bone Ginseng, and it looked even better than the one Xiao Ming had seen before.
"Since you want it, you must be interested in refining high seventh-tier pills. How about another Snow Bone Ginseng as well?" the old man suggested.
Two Snow Bone Ginsengs were still not worth as much as an intermediate seventh-tier pill recipe, so Xiao Ming was considering whether or not to make the exchange.
Just then, Xiao Ming suddenly thought that since the old man had set up a stall in the Pill Tower headquarters and seemed to be familiar with the people around him, he must have been here for a long time and was likely knowledgeable about the Pill Tower. So, Xiao Ming decided to ask him about the news regarding the Thousand-Year-Old Green Spiritual Vine and the Core Soul Marrow.
Glancing at the old man, Xiao Ming smiled and said, "You should know that the value of two Snow Bone Ginsengs is not as good as an intermediate seventh-tier pill. But I heard that the Pill Tower has the Thousand-Year-Old Green Spiritual Vine and the Core Soul Marrow. If you give me information about any of them, we have a deal."
"This..." The old man hesitated at his words.
He didn't know the information about the Thousand-Year-Old Green Spiritual Vine, but he did know about the Core Soul Marrow. However, he had his own thoughts about it. If he told Xiao Ming, wouldn't he have another competitor? After all, the young man in front of him was not weaker than himself.
After a moment of deliberation, the old man let out a sigh.
'Forget it, it's just information. If I don't tell him, he might hear it from someone else. Besides, the chance of me obtaining the Core Soul Marrow is not great. Those old geezers are all lusting after it.'
Muttering to himself, the scruffy old man smiled at Xiao Ming.
"Young man, you've come to the right person. I have the information about the Core Soul Marrow. I've been hanging around here for a long time, and I'm well-informed. If you ask someone else, they might not know."
"In two months' time, there will be a competition held within the Pill Tower, and only high-grade seventh-tier alchemists or higher can participate."
"Oh, can you tell me more?" Xiao Ming raised an eyebrow. He really didn't know about this.
"This kind of competition is a tradition, just like the Pill Gathering. It is held every few years, but on a smaller scale and with a much higher threshold, because it is for the selection of a candidate for the Eight Great Elders of the Pill Tower!"
"To encourage Alchemists to participate, the Pill Tower offers some significant treasures every year. It is said that this time, they will offer the Core Soul Marrow as the prize."
"Tsk tsk, with this thing, it won't take much time to enter the Spirit Realm, and becoming an eighth-tier alchemist is just a matter of time. Many high-grade seventh-tier alchemists I know are tempted. This competition is going to be extremely fierce."
Xiao Ming nodded understandingly. The turnover of the upper echelon of a force is an inevitable thing, and it was normal for the Pill Tower to hold such a competition.
The Eight Great Elders of the Pill Tower were all eighth-tier alchemists and could be considered the true high-level figures of the Pill Tower. It was also normal for the Pill Tower to offer the Core Soul Marrow as a reward for the competition to select Elders.
Xiao Ming was also very interested in the Core Soul Marrow.
"How can I participate in this competition? The requirements for electing an Elder should not be that simple."
"Hehe, you're right. In addition to being a high-grade seventh-tier alchemist, in order to prevent people with ulterior motives from infiltrating, you also need to be certified by the Pill Tower for more than seven years."
"Then I can't participate..." Xiao Ming sighed. He had only been certified for a few days, so he was far from meeting the requirements.
Seeing Xiao Ming's expression, the scruffy old man knew what he was worried about.
"Don't worry. If you haven't been certified for seven years, you can find someone to vouch for you. However, the person who vouches for you must have enough influence. Maybe you can try to approach the Five Great Clans. The people from the Five Great Clans have a long history in the Pill Tower and definitely have the qualifications to vouch for you..."
"Oh, I see," Xiao Ming nodded when he heard this, feeling much relieved.
"But the Core Soul Marrow is also the target of the Five Great Clans. How could they easily vouch for others to compete with them?"
"One of the Five Great Clans, the Ye Clan, has been declining in recent years... hehe... I have provided you with the information about the Core Soul Marrow. Here are two Snow Bone Ginsengs for you. Now give me the recipe."
