A Man came to buy Dan.

There are indeed genuine items at informal markets like this. And if you have a good enough eye, you can get amazing bargains. But there are even more fakes here.

Especially when it comes to elixirs!

An average person who takes out a finished elixir wouldn't be able to tell if it's a quality elixir or not, let alone if it's a waste pill or even worse, a poison pill, or if it's the elixir he wants.

Don't expect professional elixir-selling sects like Zhican Valley to have integrity either. In fact, elixirs that these major sects bring to places like this to secretly sell are obviously of questionable origin... Maybe it's a pill that was wasted by some inner sect disciple, or one that some elder casually refined. Anyway, elixirs from major sects may be even more unreliable.

It's best to go through official channels and trade between sects for elixirs.

If you must buy privately for whatever reason, you'd better know a thing or two about elixirs yourself. If not, find someone trustworthy who does. By all means do not blindly buy like a clueless kid, or you're guaranteed to get ripped off.

Huang Feiyu was clearly no clueless kid. He didn't know elixirs himself, but he knew to ask Qin Ran for help.

"What do you need Ice Condensation Pill for?" Qin Ran asked.

"This junior is practicing an ice-type sword art, and needs Ice Condensation Pill to assist cultivation," Huang Feiyu quickly explained.

Practicing an ice-type sword art means he has a water spirit root. Qin Ran pondered briefly and said, "Although I've done some research on Ice Condensation Pills, I haven't personally refined one before. I can't say for sure how much I can help you."

Just from his words, you could tell he was being coy. He didn't directly agree to help, but his willingness was obvious.

Huang Feiyu understood this. He bowed again and said, "Elder martial brother is indeed profoundly learned, even studying obscure elixirs like Ice Condensation Pill. With elder brother's help, we're sure to obtain a top-quality Ice Condensation Pill."

Qin Ran knew he was just buttering him up. That was a classic maneuver in the cultivation world - praise first regardless of the situation. If things don't work out and they end up with a low-quality pill, they would certainly hold it against him later. Qin Ran saw right through this, but he didn't respond. He just maintained the bearing of the Peak Master of Dan Peak.

After agreeing with Qin Ran, Huang Feiyu didn't immediately take him to buy elixirs. Instead, he turned around and pulled over a pretty young girl, bringing her before Qin Ran and introduced, "This is my junior martial sister, Tian Wenjin. She wants to buy some Gathering Spirit Pills. I hope elder brother can also look out for her."

Qin Ran looked at Tian Wenjin and sized her up. He saw she was a fifteen or sixteen year old girl, very beautiful with an aloof fox-like face. She possessed an explosive kind of beauty that drew eyes. She was comparable to Li Shiyin.

And from her expression, she still carried an air of the mundane world. Clearly she had not yet absorbed the spiritual qi of heaven and earth, meaning she had not started cultivating yet. She must be a new disciple who just joined Dao Sword Sect at the previous Questioning Dao Conference.

Upon closer examination, Qin Ran noticed currents of qi flowing inside her body. So she already had qi perception. To develop qi perception in less than five days after the Questioning Dao Conference, it seems her talent is also considerable.

Adding to her looks, Qin Ran's thoughts wandered. If Li Shiyin had also joined Sword Peak that day, the two of them would surely become the next generation of peerless beauties at Sword Peak.

"This is the Peak Master of Sword Peak. Call him Elder Martial Brother Qin," Huang Feiyu said to Tian Wenjin.

Tian Wenjin nodded, but brazenly looked Qin Ran up and down, saying, "I know, saw him at the Questioning Dao Conference... That Li Shiyin with the top-tier gold spirit root went with him to refine pills."

Goodness, although Qin Ran looked young, he was still in the elder generation. Yet she eyed him like that, truly lacking manners.

Qin Ran saw this and knew this girl must be quite arrogant thanks to her talent, not taking anyone seriously despite her young age.

This arrogance was different from Li Shiyin's clueless, silly arrogance.

He shook his head to himself and privately judged - this kind of person won't live long in the cultivation world if she doesn't correct her mentality in time.

Because the cultivation world has no shortage of geniuses.

Huang Feiyu was clearly trying to pursue Tian Wenjin. Seeing her attitude, he quickly tried to smooth things over, smiling at Qin Ran, "Elder brother, this way please. I saw Ice Condensation Pills at a stall run by a Zhican Valley disciple."

Qin Ran glanced at Huang Feiyu but didn't say anything more. It wasn't that he was magnanimous, just too lazy to nitpick. That said, he really should have spoken up to discipline her, since Tian Wenjin's personality was prone to getting into trouble...and prone to dying.

Huang Feiyu led the way up front. Soon, the three arrived at the stall selling Ice Condensation Pills.

As a sect focused on pill refining, Zhican Valley produced thousands of pills every day, just like Dao Sword Sect. It was one of the five great sects of North Chu Country.

Behind those thousands of qualified pills produced in pill refining sects like Zhican Valley each day, there were even more subpar pills.

For example, waste pills produced by disciples learning pill refining, poison pills from experimental new pills, and so on. Naturally, other sects wouldn't want these pills. The better ones would be consumed internally, and those that really no one wanted, they would try to sell off to other sects in North Chu Country.

The youth at this stall was selling such pills.

With one glance, Qin Ran could see the quality of the pills at this stall was terrible. There were even a small amount of waste and poison pills.

Since there were basically no pill refiners left in Dao Sword Sect, with Qin Ran being the only one, the Zhican Valley disciples selling pills to Dao Sword Sect were naturally even more brazen. They dared to pass off waste pills as top-grade pills, and inferior pills as high-grade ones.

"How much for your Ice Condensation Pills?" Huang Feiyu casually browsed for a while, then randomly picked up a bottle of Ice Condensation Pill and asked.

"500 low-grade spirit stones a bottle, no bargaining," the vendor lazily replied.

Ice Condensation Pill was an auxiliary pill, very simple to refine. Frankly, it was just a lump of ice that could disperse into ice qi. Even 500 spirit stones was exorbitant for such a pill, let alone 5 spirit stones.

Moreover...

He also crouched down and took over the porcelain bottle in Huang Feiyu's hand. Casually breaking the seal, he peered inside.

"Hey, don't open it! You'll be responsible if it affects the quality!" Seeing Qin Ran's actions, the vendor shouted and tried to snatch back the bottle.

Qin Ran dodged his hand and resealed the bottle.

"Are you an outer sect disciple or apprentice?" Qin Ran asked, still holding the pill bottle. Only disciples of those levels would be made to peddle subpar pills.

"What's it to you?" Zhican Valley disciples had always been arrogant. Even if he was an outer sect disciple, he dared to glare at Qin Ran.

"If you can approve this sale...I'll give you one spirit stone for this bottle," Qin Ran said, tossing the bottle casually.

What crazy bargaining was this? The spectating Tian Wenjin frowned in confusion. She was just arrogant, not stupid, so she didn't make some thoughtless remark.

Huang Feiyu also couldn't help but glance at Qin Ran. He knew the nature of these places. Half price bargaining was normal, but...bargaining like Qin Ran's, this was the first time he'd seen it.

Hearing those words, the vendor knew the man before him was knowledgeable about pills. He sized Qin Ran up a couple times, then hesitated slightly. "Two spirit stones. My master said it has to sell for at least one spirit stone. I want one stone as hardship pay."

"One spirit stone..." Qin Ran didn't back down at all. "I don't believe any pill refiner would refine Ice Condensation Pill to this quality and still daringly sell it."

The vendor fell silent. This was indeed a pill discarded as waste that he had picked up.

"One...one spirit stone then." He replied.

"Tsk!" Qin Ran shook his head in disdain and walked away.