Chapter 784: Suppressing cultivation, only to end up in loneliness?

"Hehe, Young Master Xu, you don't need to worry about me." Xiao Wanfeng chuckled dryly, scratching his head. But as he scratched, he pulled out a clump of hair, and his smile instantly froze.

"I'll handle the matters of the Multi-Gold Merchant Guild. Go get some rest quickly; I'm giving you two days off!" Xu Xiaoshou felt a prickle on his scalp.

He had a feeling Xiao Wanfeng was about to make history. The first Sword Master on the continent to die suddenly from hiding swords and chronic sleep deprivation – if that really happened at the Heaven's First Tower, it wouldn't be a good thing at all. It would be a notorious legacy, remembered for ten thousand years.

"Alright, alright, I'll take my leave then." Xiao Wanfeng also realized he was running on fumes and quickly excused himself to catch up on sleep.

"Young Master Xu is quite considerate of his subordinates!" At that moment, Xiaolian turned from outside the door, her pretty face adorned with a smile. She said softly, "In our Multi-Gold Merchant Guild, if this happened, we'd just give them a Blood Qi Pill and a Hallucination Pill, let them rest for an hour, and then they could get back to work."

Xu Xiaoshou: "..."

Is this the power of capital? That's utterly diabolical!

Although Xiaolian's voice was very low, Xu Xiaoshou could clearly perceive that after her remark, Xiao Wanfeng outside the door visibly trembled and started moving faster.

"So, what's the situation?" Xiaolian paid no mind to a mere mortal subordinate like Xiao Wanfeng. She got straight to the point: "Young Master Xu has been busy strutting around the Royal City these past few days; you haven't forgotten about our main business, have you?"

Xu Xiaoshou naturally knew what this "main business" referred to. Among his dealings with the Multi-Gold Merchant Guild, the "pill supply" clause hadn't been fulfilled yet! They had provided tens of millions worth of medicinal ingredients, and if they truly encountered a swindler and lost both their money and goods, that would indeed be disastrous news. Therefore, Xiaolian's anxious visit to request pills was a perfectly normal reaction.

"Of course not." Xu Xiaoshou waved his hand dismissively.

Although it had only been a few days since he took over the medicinal ingredients, he didn't need to produce the pills himself. Instead, he entrusted all of it to Greed God within his Yuan Mansion World. To outsiders, pills had to be refined one batch at a time, but Greed God could operate thirty thousand pill cauldrons simultaneously! This was the allure of the "Soup-Brewing" pill refining technique!

Currently, after accounting for what Greed God ruined, secretly ate, or openly consumed, there were over three hundred thousand portions of Scarlet Gold Liquid, categorized and organized by Little Chick Xu, stacked neatly into more than thirty distinct blocks.

With Greed God refining pills and Little Chick organizing, Xu Xiaoshou could make money just by lying down. This joy was practically threefold.

"How much do you need?" Although his Yuan Mansion World contained over three hundred thousand portions of medicinal ingredients, Xu Xiaoshou didn't plan to reveal them all at once. After all, to an average person, producing hundreds of thousands of portions of ingredients in just a few days would be equivalent to thousands of alchemists working non-stop through the night.

Xiaolian hesitated upon hearing this. She had only come to confirm whether Heaven's First Tower truly had the capacity to produce large quantities of Scarlet Gold Liquid. But hearing Young Master Xu's words, he seemed fully confident? Her pre-prepared speech was on her lips, but Xiaolian seized the opportunity to change her approach:

"To be frank, Young Master Xu, the Multi-Gold Merchant Guild has done an excellent job with promotion recently. The market is extremely hot right now. As long as Young Master Xu can... can start supplying pills from now on, you'll definitely be raking in money daily!" Xiaolian changed her wording. She had originally planned to say that as long as Young Master Xu could start supplying pills within ten days, they could begin making money. But at this moment, she felt that Young Master Xu could produce the pills on the spot.

"Is that so..." Xu Xiaoshou had no doubts. He trusted the Multi-Gold Merchant Guild's capabilities and was quite tempted at the moment. The Spirit Citadel Trade Fair had shown him the true wealth of major powers – that was real extravagance. His personal coffers were almost empty now. In the world of cultivation, how could he possibly go out without a few hundred billion on him?

So Xu Xiaoshou pondered for a moment, then mentally increased the baseline number for pill supply: "If I provide you with one hundred thousand portions of Scarlet Gold Liquid now, can you handle that?"

"What?!" Xiaolian's jaw dropped at the colossal number. "Ten... one hundred thousand portions?" She had expected to first get a hundred or so portions of Scarlet Gold Liquid from Young Master Xu to internally test their quality and potency, then use them as a market gimmick. Who would have thought Young Master Xu would be so exaggerated, offering one hundred thousand portions right off the bat? A thousand times more? It's only been a few days! Is he crazy, or am I hallucinating? So, is Young Master Xu really having pills refined in the Northern Region, then arranging for Severed Path and Grand Void cultivators to transport them overnight to make money? Is he that short on money? Xiaolian felt dizzy, her mind swirling with questions.

Xu Xiaoshou raised an eyebrow: "Can't handle it?" "Oh, no, no, no..." Xiaolian finally reacted to his question. "We can definitely handle it! One hundred thousand portions wouldn't even fill the market gap, as long as the potency of your Scarlet Gold Liquid is guaranteed..."

Xu Xiaoshou chuckled at her words. People, as expected, always worried about quality when faced with high output in a short period.

But who was he, Xu Xiaoshou, to deceive her with fakes? He immediately pulled out a spatial ring, and with a neat sweep, one hundred thousand portions of medicinal ingredients appeared. Xu Xiaoshou handed it over. "Check it yourself."

Xiaolian dazedly took the spatial ring Young Master Xu handed her. Her spiritual perception swept through it, and her body went limp, nearly collapsing. "Th-this... it's all Scarlet Gold Liquid?" Inside the ring, they were densely packed, neatly arranged, like ten huge mountains. "Mm-hm," Xu Xiaoshou smiled. "It's not Scarlet Gold Pills or Spirit Refining Pills, just something to make up the numbers, is it?" Xiaolian asked, dumbfounded. "No," Xu Xiaoshou refuted with a smile. "Since when did Scarlet Gold Pills and Spirit Refining Pills become mere filler? They are valuable in themselves; don't belittle them." Xiaolian: "..." With one hundred thousand portions of your Scarlet Gold Liquid out there, I don't know about Spirit Refining Pills, but Scarlet Gold Pills will definitely be almost worthless!

"Young Master Xu is highly productive..." Xiaolian praised him distractedly, then sampled a few jars of Scarlet Gold Liquid. She found them all to be high-quality authentic products, which made her head spin even more. "Young Master Xu... your productivity is simply astonishing!" "Heh heh." Xu Xiaoshou was amused. Only after the girl in front of him recovered from her dizziness did he speak: "Well, you've seen my high productivity. It's time to prepare the next batch of medicinal ingredients, because this is just a warm-up. I'm not yet proficient. Once I've mastered the process, the pill supply will only get faster."

Xiaolian was speechless on the spot. This isn't considered fast? There's still room for improvement?

"Were all these pills refined by Young Master Xu alone?" At this point, Xiaolian keenly caught the information revealed in Young Master Xu's words. There truly weren't thousands of alchemists working behind the scenes, nor Severed Path and Grand Void cultivators acting as transporters? "You could say that, yes!" Xu Xiaoshou didn't feel like explaining.

Xiaolian was astonished. She suddenly remembered something: "I heard before that Young Master Xu wanted to participate in the Royal City Trial. Has Young Master Xu obtained a Trial Jade Pendant yet?" "Not yet." Xu Xiaoshou didn't understand why she brought up this topic.

Xiaolian, however, became extremely excited: "Then Young Master Xu could absolutely try the alchemy trial that the Alchemist Association is about to hold! With your ability..." Xiaolian was so excited that her words became jumbled. Although what he had provided was only tenth-grade Scarlet Gold Liquid, if it truly came from Young Master Xu's own hands, being able to improve Scarlet Gold Pills and produce tenth-grade pills in such high quantities in a short time, this was certainly not just tenth- or ninth-grade alchemy ability. At this moment, in Xiaolian's mind, Young Master Xu had transformed into an alchemy prodigy who knew nothing but pill refining and was oblivious to the outside world. Perhaps Young Master Xu himself still thought he was weak, and might even have self-doubt about his current alchemy level, lacking association recognition because he had only received a low-grade alchemist badge long ago. But such people are often grandmasters who are almost ready to ascend to godhood, yet still believe themselves to be mere rookies!

This was truly a classic example of someone who doesn't show their true colors until they stun everyone with their talent! Young Master Xu's alchemy strength might even completely transcend the seventh and eighth-grade Innate ranks, reaching the higher Grandmaster level. A Grandmaster-level alchemist... If he went to the Alchemist Association and participated in the alchemy trial, he would definitely be a dark horse! The most crucial point was that Young Master Xu currently lacked a Trial Jade Pendant, and this alchemy trial was conveniently about to be held, with Trial Jade Pendants for the top ten... How could he not go?

Xiaolian organized her thoughts. She believed that Young Master Xu providing such a large quantity of Scarlet Gold Liquid in a short time would be an immense help to the Multi-Gold Merchant Guild. She absolutely had to ensure Young Master Xu shone brightly in the alchemy trial. Moreover, she wanted to let this Young Master Xu, who loved to strut around and act eccentrically, experience true, awe-inspiring joy!

"Young Master Xu..." Exhaling deeply, Xiaolian's face was serious: "I truly believe your alchemy level is very high! Furthermore, since you're currently banned from the Heavenly Net Arena, the alchemy trial is undoubtedly the most feasible way for you to obtain a Trial Jade Pendant right now."

Xu Xiaoshou gazed at the young girl, who had suddenly started worrying about him, with a puzzled expression. He knew his own alchemy level well. If the competition were about the "improperness" of alchemy, he would undoubtedly be first. But for an alchemy grand event aiming for the top ten "proper" alchemists in the entire Eastern Heaven Realm, Xu Xiaoshou truly lacked that confidence.

As for the Trial Jade Pendant... Xu Xiaoshou suddenly fell into thought. Xiaolian's reminder was spot on; this was indeed something he needed to get his hands on quickly. If he couldn't obtain one before the Royal City Trial began, then when it started, a successor from some prominent family or force would surely suffer the painful loss of a qualification... Xu Xiaoshou considered himself a good person and didn't want to unjustly seize someone else's resources. It seemed this alchemy trial was indeed a feasible option?

As for his alchemy level... "Wait!" Xu Xiaoshou mused, then his eyes suddenly lit up. He had somewhat forgotten that his current concerns should be different from those a few days ago. A few days ago, when he thought about the alchemy trial, he lacked confidence. That was because he was still at the Innate cultivation level then, and his "Culinary Mastery" could only reach the Grandmaster tier. At best, he could only rely on heat control to refine seventh-grade Innate-tier pills. But now his cultivation was at the Grandmaster level. As long as his "Culinary Mastery" could be blindly pushed to the Throne stage, with a little more practice, wouldn't Grandmaster-tier pills be effortlessly refined?

"Fifth-grade pills?" Xu Xiaoshou was moved. Sixth-grade and fifth-grade pills were collectively classified as Grandmaster-tier pills. The thought of his alchemy level possibly soaring directly to the fifth-grade tier made him excited all over.

One must know that before this, he was merely a pseudo-ninth-grade alchemist, unrecognized by the official association, only able to show off by using his junior sister's alchemist badge! "Have the time and location for the alchemy trial been announced?" Thinking of this, Xu Xiaoshou quickly asked.

"Yes, they have!" Xiaolian even clenched her fists. She had an urge to tell Young Master Xu how amazing he was, but if Young Master Xu truly realized his own brilliance, the thrill of astounding everyone later might not be as great. Therefore, adhering to the principle of customer satisfaction, Xiaolian chose not to tell him, merely suppressing her excitement as she said: "Young Master Xu, you really should try it. In three days, at the Alchemist Association headquarters, not only the alchemy trial but also the Spirit Array Trial and others will be held as scheduled, without delay due to last night's battle in the Royal City."

"Huh?" Xu Xiaoshou was momentarily stunned, his brows slightly furrowing. "The Spirit Array Trial is also happening at the same time?" Seeing his reaction, Xiaolian's excitement almost got stuck. She felt as if she understood Young Master Xu's reaction and expression, yet at the same time, she didn't... What was going on? Why did he look like he wanted to participate in not just the alchemy trial, but the Spirit Array Trial as well? And judging by that expression... It wouldn't be an exaggeration to add that he might want to win them all!

"Yes, they are happening simultaneously. Is there a problem?" Xiaolian asked, raising an eyebrow. "That's a shame then..." Xu Xiaoshou could only sigh at the moment, without offering further explanation.

At this point, he also recalled the troublesome matter of his cultivation breakthrough to the Grandmaster level. Xiaolian clearly knew a lot about the alchemy trial, so Xu Xiaoshou asked, "Are there any other restrictions for the alchemy trial?" "No, Young Master Xu, you completely qualify." Xiaolian waved her hand, speaking without hesitation. But she quickly realized Young Master Xu was asking about something else and immediately answered seriously: "My point is, Young Master Xu, you fully meet the requirements, because the alchemy trial has only one restriction: age below thirty. That's it."

"Only one restriction?" Xu Xiaoshou was startled. "Mm-hm." "Nothing else?" Xu Xiaoshou seemed to have thought of something, his face turning pale. "What 'else'?" Xiaolian repeated, then suddenly paused, amused. "Young Master Xu, you're not asking about cultivation level restrictions, are you? There's no such thing in the alchemy trial."

"None?!" Xu Xiaoshou exclaimed, his face drained of color, his voice slightly rising. He finally realized the source of that odd feeling. "That's right, there are no cultivation level restrictions." Xiaolian looked at him as if he were an idiot, but only for a moment before composing herself and returning to her usual demeanor. She said, "Young Master Xu, think about it: A Grandmaster-level alchemist with Grandmaster cultivation, and a Grandmaster-level alchemist with Throne cultivation – which one would you prefer?"

Xu Xiaoshou stumbled a step. Xiaolian didn't understand his reaction but explained further: "Besides, after putting in so much effort to break through to the Grandmaster level as an alchemist before the age of thirty, what energy would an ordinary person have left to focus on cultivation matters? Being at the Innate level is already good enough, so there's no need for the trial to restrict cultivation levels."

Xu Xiaoshou swayed, nearly losing his balance. Xiaolian quickly stepped forward, intending to steady him, but seeing Young Master Xu's reaction, she was also surprised and cautiously added: "A proper person... *cough*, I mean, who could be like Young Master Xu, with high alchemy proficiency, high cultivation, and high combat power, all at once?" "Otherwise, why would Xiaolian say Young Master Xu is perfectly suited for the alchemy trial?" "It's precisely because your individual combat ability is strong enough that, once you pass the alchemy trial, you can bring two additional guardians to participate in the Royal City Trial." "This is clearly just bullying others!"

At this moment, Xu Xiaoshou's head buzzed. He was so overwhelmed by the repeated blows that he nearly lay down directly. He finally realized that he had fallen into a critically fatal blind spot in his thinking. Indeed! Why would an alchemy trial need cultivation level restrictions? Would a thirty-year-old Grand Void cultivator, who had mastered Grandmaster-level alchemy, be blocked by the Holy Palace from participating in the trial simply because their cultivation exceeded the Innate level? The Holy Palace would even wish for more people like that to come! Because essentially, they wanted to select high-quality talents, not restrict them! In other words, if you are an alchemist, your cultivation being too high is not a bad thing; it's even something you can use to negotiate with the Holy Palace. "I have Throne cultivation, complete Dao Realm, plus Grandmaster alchemy. But I'm thirty-one now. Can I ask the Holy Palace for an exception to let me participate in the trial?" That would definitely work!

The problem was, Xiaolian was right. Combat-oriented talents generally disdained cultivating alchemy. And alchemy, which required deep immersion in techniques and vast amounts of time to master, was inherently unsuitable for serious combat-oriented talents to waste their time cultivating. It was too difficult to have both the fish and the bear's paw. Yet, Xu Xiaoshou was precisely that fish with a bear's paw. But he had been using normal people's logic to reason about the Royal City Trial and the alchemy trial, following his habitual way of thinking. So, if no one had pointed it out, he wouldn't have realized this at all.

"Cultivation level restrictions..." Xu Xiaoshou mumbled distractedly, shaking his head with increasing force. He finally understood why Bazun An only told him to participate in the Royal City Trial but never mentioned suppressing his cultivation. Because it wasn't even necessary!

Xiaolian's words hit him hard; at this moment, Xu Xiaoshou's mindset completely shattered. Because once he fully grasped this concept – slightly unconventional, something an abnormal person wouldn't think of, yet entirely normal – a thought suddenly surged into his mind:

"So, all this time, what exactly was the point of me desperately suppressing my cultivation?" "For nothing?"