315: Chapter 315 Forget it, you can take them all.

In the Alchemy Hall's deliberation hall, after Su Cheng announced his arrival, he was guided into the inner hall.

Head Xu Changqing was reviewing a Jade Slip behind his desk. Seeing Su Cheng arrive, he set down what was in his hands and sized him up from head to toe.

This was the first time the two had met alone since the Grand Competition ended.

"Has your body recovered?" Head Xu Changqing asked.

"Thank you for your concern, Head. I am no longer in any serious trouble."

"Sit."

After Su Cheng took his seat in the guest area, Head Xu Changqing did not beat around the bush: "The matter of the spirit nurturing pill Pill Formula is not urgent. I have something else to discuss with you first."

Su Cheng listened quietly.

"In the few days since the Grand Competition, the people coming to the Alchemy Hall to request pills have lined up out the door." Head Xu Changqing's tone was not exactly happy, but rather a bit helpless. "It's not just Disciples within the sect; outside forces are also asking around. The Giant Spirit Sect, Shiyin Sect, Fentian Sect, as well as the Han and Liu Families have all sent word, asking if the supreme grade nine-aperture golden spirit pill can be refined on their behalf."

(The Alchemy Hall is also the Danding Sect's external representative for Medicinal Pill sales, so most forces requiring pills must first go through the Alchemy Hall before being transferred to Qingmu Peak. As for those who privately find Qingmu Peak, they are still in the minority.)

Su Cheng waited for him to continue. Although others could also refine the nine-aperture golden spirit pill, currently only Su Cheng could refine it to supreme grade. No one would choose High Grade over supreme grade when the cost was the same.

"The Spirit Medicine for this pill is too expensive. Three stalks of third-tier spirit medicine, one set of Materials costs at least 3,000 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones. If the other party requests it to be refined on their behalf, they must prepare at least three sets of Materials, given the success rate. That is nearly 10,000 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones."

Head Xu Changqing continued: "You are the Alchemy Hall Competition first place winner, and this pill was refined by your own hands. Theoretically, the Alchemy Hall should only be responsible for passing the message to you."

"But you must think clearly about one thing. Your current cultivation is only Early Foundation Establishment Stage. Once your reputation spreads, all sorts of monsters and demons will flock to you."

"You can handle one or two jobs one-on-one, but you cannot handle ten or twenty. When someone comes to request pills today and another comes to urge progress tomorrow, will you still be able to cultivate? Relying on your Revered Master alone won't work, and besides, he specializes in the Way of Grass and Wood and needs quiet cultivation."

These words made sense. Su Cheng nodded: "What is your suggestion, Head?"

"Hand it over to the Alchemy Hall to handle completely. You only need to accept orders and refine the pills."

Head Xu Changqing stated his meaning plainly: The Alchemy Hall would uniformly interface with all forces requesting pills, screen them, schedule them, and collect the Spirit Medicine. Su Cheng would only need to worry about refining and delivering the pills; he would not need to concern himself with anything else.

"We don't want the profits," Head Xu Changqing added. "What the Alchemy Hall gains is reputation and control over the channels. All orders for the supreme grade nine-aperture golden spirit pill will go through this Alchemy Hall checkpoint. If people outside want to obtain the pill, they must first pass through us."

Su Cheng did not reply immediately after hearing this. The benefits of the Alchemy Hall handling it completely were obvious to him.

Not only would it save time, effort, and worry, but his reputation would not suffer, and the other party would not even charge a fee.

But what was the cost? The cost was that the outside world would gradually form an impression that Su Cheng's supreme grade nine-aperture golden spirit pill could only be obtained through the Alchemy Hall.

In other words, the Alchemy Hall did not just want the status of an intermediary; they wanted a monopoly.

Once this was given away, it would be difficult to take back in the future.

Su Cheng's mind turned a few times, and he said: "Head, I accept this suggestion. But I have two conditions on my end, and I hope you can agree to them."

"Speak."

"First, refining this pill requires at least three sets of Spirit Medicine. How the outside world spreads the word is their business, but here at the Alchemy Hall, the rules must be set firmly. One set of spirit Materials definitely cannot refine a supreme grade pill, and I cannot conjure Spirit Medicine out of thin air to fill the gap."

"That is only natural."

"Second, if those close to me need this pill, I have the right to refine and distribute it myself, without needing to go through the Alchemy Hall."

Head Xu Changqing laughed: "If someone in your Family needs it, refining a few for your own people is something the Alchemy Hall cannot and will not interfere with, as long as you do not publicly sell them outside."

Su Cheng thought for a moment and asked another question: "Among the people requesting pills, if there are Disciples or Elders I am familiar with who want to come directly to me for private refining without going through the Alchemy Hall, is that acceptable?"

Head Xu Changqing's expression did not change, but he was thinking it over.

"Such matters cannot be explicitly stated, but the rules must be clear. The Alchemy Hall will not interfere in your private relationships. However, the premise is that the quantity must be controllable and not reach a scale. If you privately refine one or two for a Senior Brother you are close with, I will not pursue it. But if you accept more private orders than those going through the Alchemy Hall, then that would be unjustifiable."

Su Cheng understood. The subtext was: no one will care about small, minor matters, but do not affect the Alchemy Hall's monopoly position.

"Fine, it is settled." Su Cheng stood up and cupped his hands. "I will await your notification for the subsequent procedures, Head."

"Good." Head Xu Changqing also stood up, took a Jade Slip from the desk, and pushed it toward Su Cheng. "This is the spirit nurturing pill Pill Formula, one of the rewards from the Grand Competition. Keep it well."

Su Cheng received it with both hands, expressed his thanks, and then took his leave.

As he walked out the gates of the Alchemy Hall, Su Cheng let out a sigh.

This transaction with the Alchemy Hall, on the surface, looked like he had ceded most of his autonomy and let the Alchemy Hall control the channels, but in reality, it was a brilliant move that killed two birds with one stone.

First, there were the profits that others simply could not see or guess.

His true production capacity came from the qiankun creation furnace in his Sea of Consciousness. A "100% success rate" meant that out of the three sets of Materials sent from the outside, he only needed to consume one.

The extra two sets of top-tier Spirit Medicine were pure profit. This account of making a fortune in silence was unknown to the Alchemy Hall, and even less known to the outside world.

Second, and most importantly, was the binding of interests.

Letting the Alchemy Hall earn enough reputation and channel control might appear to be Su Cheng's loss on the surface, but in reality, he was proactively binding his own interests with the entire Alchemy Hall.

As the current sole supplier of the supreme grade nine-aperture golden spirit pill, as long as this business was still running, the Alchemy Hall, this behemoth with monstrous power within the Danding Sect, would automatically transform into Su Cheng's most indestructible super backer.

With this great backer holding down the fort, in the future, if any force wanted to move against him in the shadows or covet the supreme grade Medicinal Pills in his hands, they would first have to ask if Head Xu Changqing agreed.

Giving up empty fame and trivial matters in exchange for massive amounts of high-tier Spirit Medicine reserves, plus a great backer—this was truly getting what each needed.

After returning to Qingmu Peak, Su Cheng first went to the mountaintop and told Elder Qingmu about the cooperation with the Alchemy Hall.

Elder Qingmu was pruning the branches and leaves of that dragon beard vine. Since the dragon beard vine had regained its spirituality, he had to take time every day to maintain it, fearing it would wither again.

"Well handled." Elder Qingmu said with a smile, "In the future, those messy people won't need to run to my side anymore, right?"

"Yes, they will all go to the Alchemy Hall."

"Good." The expression on Elder Qingmu's face relaxed quite a bit. "Otherwise, if it continued like that, I wouldn't need to cultivate the Way of Grass and Wood anymore; I might as well cultivate the Way of Hospitality instead."

Su Cheng held back his laughter.

After finishing the serious matters, he brought up the matter of the Spirit Medicine for the spirit nurturing pill.

"Revered Master, the Spirit Medicine needed for the spirit nurturing pill..."

"Heh, you brat." Elder Qingmu glanced at him. "We have some seeds on Qingmu Peak, but I estimate there are only about ten or so sets. Forget it, just take them all away."

Su Cheng hurriedly expressed his thanks.

"You just received the Pill Formula, and you're already preparing to start the furnace?" Elder Qingmu asked in confusion.