Chapter 8

Almost immediately, a fiery orange flame erupted.

The alchemy furnace began to heat up, and soon, the medicinal herbs inside started emitting steam.

Chu Ning breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.

The alchemy techniques of this era were not much different from the ones she had practiced before. She should be able to successfully refine the pills.

Ten minutes later, the fragrance of the pills wafted from the furnace.

Chu Ning knew that she must have succeeded.

After a moment, once she sensed the perfect timing, Chu Ning quickly pulled back, finishing the pill refinement.

After the refinement was completed, Chu Ning remained still in place.

Five minutes later, when the residual heat from the furnace had subsided, and the pills had reached their ideal condition, she reached out to open the furnace lid.

As the lid was lifted, a fragrant scent rushed toward her.

The heat dispersed, and Chu Ning saw the glistening pills inside the furnace.

“Top quality, they turned out quite well,” she said with a smile.

Then, she took a pill bottle and poured the pills from the furnace into it.

From this first batch, she had produced six pills, with almost no residue left behind.

This meant that nearly all the medicinal materials used had been fully utilized.

Chu Ning was satisfied with the results. After collecting the pills, she began preparing to refine the second batch.

With the experience from the first batch of pain-relief pills, Chu Ning did not restrict the amount of medicinal materials this time and put all the remaining herbs into the furnace.

Having already gone through the process once, she was now much more confident in her alchemy skills.

However, halfway through refining the pills, Chu Ning realized she had overexerted herself.

This batch required more herbs and a longer refining time. Her spiritual power was already low, and after completing the first batch, she wasn’t sure if she could continue and finish this second batch.

If she stopped halfway, this batch of pills would be ruined.

Unable to bear the loss, Chu Ning gritted her teeth and pressed on.

In the end, she barely managed to complete the second batch of pain-relief pills.

However, her spiritual power had been depleted too much, and she nearly collapsed after finishing.

Steadying herself, Chu Ning quickly sat down and took a Jade Dew Pill from her space ring, swallowing it.

The Jade Dew Pill was used by cultivators below the Golden Core stage to rapidly recover both spiritual and physical energy.

In this world, spiritual power was equivalent to magical energy, and a single Jade Dew Pill was enough to alleviate her current exhaustion.

Sure enough, after taking the pill, Chu Ning immediately felt much more comfortable.

One minute later, her spiritual power not only recovered but also returned to full strength.

Looking at the Jade Dew Pill in her hand, Chu Ning hesitated for a moment.

The number of Jade Dew Pills she had was limited.

Although it was a high-quality pill, it could only be made by a cultivator at the mid Foundation Building stage.

She was still in the Qi Refining stage, so it would take some time before she could refine such pills herself.

“Take it slow,” she comforted herself before putting the pill back into the space ring.

After putting away the pill, Chu Ning waited for a while before getting up to check on the second batch of pain-relief pills she had just refined.

Opening the furnace lid, mist billowed out, and this batch of pills was of higher quality than the first.

Chu Ning carefully took the pills and poured them into a bottle.

This time, she had obtained fifteen pain-relief pills, and all of them were top quality.

As expected, there was almost no waste, and the furnace was nearly empty of residue.

With two bottles of pills in hand, Chu Ning was in a good mood. She opened her light brain and added the contact information for the store on the small card.

The other party almost immediately accepted her friend request.

Chu Ning was about to type a greeting when the other party sent a message first.

“We sincerely buy all kinds of pills at high prices! We welcome cooperation with all levels of alchemists! Our purchasing price for pills is 10% higher than the Alchemist Association’s price!”

“Hello, respected alchemist. Do you have pills for sale? Could you kindly provide the names of the pills? We can give you an immediate quote.”

Chu Ning was surprised by the other party’s enthusiasm.

After a moment’s hesitation, she typed a response.

“Hello, how much do you offer for pain-relief pills?”

“Pain-relief pills are a Grade 1 pill, not very high in rank, but in great demand. Our current purchasing price is 90 star coins per pill. If the quality is top-notch, we can offer 92 star coins. May I ask how many pain-relief pills you have?”

Chu Ning opened the calculator and figured out how much she could make from selling 21 top-quality pain-relief pills.

The result came quickly: 1932 star coins.

After deducting the cost of 928 star coins, she would earn a profit of 1004 star coins—about double her initial investment, which wasn’t too bad.

Looking at the numbers, Chu Ning didn’t rush to reply, instead asking, “If I have a larger quantity, can the price go up?”

“Yes, if you sell more than 1000 pills at once, we can offer you 92 star coins, regardless of the quality. If all of them are top-quality, we can offer you 94.”

Selling 1000 pills at once didn’t increase the price by much.

This worked out fine since she didn’t have that many pills to sell.

“As for the price, please rest assured. Our store’s offer is among the highest on the market.”

“Also, if you cooperate with us, we offer a 10% discount on medicinal herbs. Our store’s herbs are renowned for their quality. You won’t regret working with us.”

Chu Ning was somewhat familiar with the reputation of the store.

While she didn’t know much about other places, this store had a solid reputation in the local city.

As for the price of the pain-relief pills, the quote she received was indeed a bit higher than the one from the Alchemist Association.

“I have 21 top-quality pain-relief pills. How do we proceed with the transaction?” Chu Ning responded.

“If it’s convenient, you can provide your address, and I’ll send a delivery robot to pick up the goods. We can pay you half of the amount in advance, and the rest will be paid after we confirm the goods. Delivery fees are on us.”

Chu Ning frowned.

“Is there another way to do the transaction?” Although she thought the other party was likely trustworthy, there was always a chance of something going wrong.

“Alternatively, you can list the goods in your star network store and send me the link. After I make the payment, I’ll arrange for the delivery robot to pick up the goods.”

Chu Ning hesitated.

The first option seemed safer since it had some platform guarantees.

But she hadn’t opened an online store.

Just as she was in a bit of a dilemma, the other party made a voice call.

Chu Ning hesitated for a moment before answering.

“Hello, respected guest!” The voice on the other end was that of a clear-voiced beastman.

“Hello,” Chu Ning replied.

“Rest assured, we have a reputation to uphold and will definitely pay for your pills.”

“How about this? If you’ve previously purchased medicinal herbs from our store, I can make an exception and pay you in advance for this first transaction to facilitate the deal.”

Chu Ning’s face lit up with joy.

“I bought something just over two hours ago,” she replied immediately.

“Good. Could you kindly provide your order address? I’ll verify it on my end.”

Without hesitation, Chu Ning gave her address to the other party.

“I’ve checked. Your order was placed at 2:10 PM, and the total was 928 star coins. Are you Miss Chu?”