331: Chapter 331 Do you want it or not?

Less than a quarter of an hour later, thirty or forty people had gathered at the entrance of the shop. Most were Qi Refining Cultivators, including both Loose Cultivators and Family Disciples, all noisily crowding in front of the counter, digging out their Spirit Stones.

The shop assistant's throat was almost hoarse from shouting: "Line up, line up! One by one! Limit of five pills per person, per month!"

"Shopkeeper, five body tempering pills!"

"Can I buy in bulk? Our gang needs twenty."

"Don't push, you stepped on my foot!"

The commotion in front of the shop spread by the afternoon. It wasn't that the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce had deliberately advertised it, but rather that those who had bought and consumed the pills found the effects were truly beyond words.

After taking one top-grade qi gathering pill, the speed of Qi Condensation was three times faster than with High Grade pills, the medicinal efficacy lasted longer, and the Qi was purer.

"Is a supreme grade Medicinal Pill really this good? I've been Cultivating for decades, and this is my first time buying one."

"It was refined by Su Cheng of the Danding Sect, the first place winner of the Alchemy Hall Competition. Could it be bad?"

Su Cheng's name was spread by the Cultivators buying the pills. Being personally refined by a Danding Sect Personal Disciple carried a lot of weight among low and mid-level Cultivators.

The next day, before the shop even opened, over a hundred people were already lined up outside.

The Foundation Establishment Families were the first to lose their composure. supreme grade first-rank Medicinal Pills were great for boosting the cultivation of their own Qi Refining Disciples, and the price was so cheap.

Several managers from Foundation Establishment Families came directly with Storage Pouches, demanding to buy fifty pills each.

The shop assistant blocked them: "Limit of five pills per person, per month. It's the same for everyone."

The manager grew anxious: "I'm not buying for myself, I'm representing the Zhang Family..."

"It doesn't matter who you represent. The rules are set. If you need more, come back next month."

When the news reached the Golden Core Families, their reaction was much more indifferent.

Zhao Chongde, the head of the Zhao Family, listened to the report and was slightly surprised: "A first-rank supreme grade Medicinal Pill?"

"Yes, the quality is excellent, and the medicinal efficacy is pure."

Zhao Chongde snorted. First-rank Medicinal Pills weren't rare for the Zhao Family; they had their own alchemists, and they had plenty of Medium Grade and High Grade pills.

While supreme grade was nice, it only meant saving their Qi Refining juniors a few months of hard Cultivation; it wasn't worth getting too worked up over.

After all, to a Golden Core Family, Qi Refining Cultivators were just the bottom layer, unless the other party could produce second-rank supreme grade pills.

"Then just send someone to buy some. Not many, twenty of each type, to distribute among the juniors in the clan."

The other families reacted similarly, all sending subordinates to queue up and buy a batch to check them out.

For the Golden Core Families, the profits from first-rank Medicinal Pills weren't part of their core business, and there was no need to cause trouble with the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce over such a small matter; they gave some Face.

However, it was different for those lower Foundation Establishment Families and Loose Cultivator factions; they were scrambling over each other, and that was putting it politely.

The managers of the Foundation Establishment Families couldn't get in line during the day, so they guarded the shop entrance at night, waiting for it to open the next day. Some even sent several people to take turns camping out; whoever got in line would buy, and after buying, they would rush back to report.

In less than three days, the 1,500 pills of the three types were sold out, and this was with the daily limit in place.

The shop assistant hung up a "Sold Out for This Month" sign. When those who arrived later saw it, some cursed and some sighed, but most followed the assistant, asking when they would restock next month.

Su Cheng was listening to Li Shi's report on sales in the back courtyard of the Chamber of Commerce, feeling a headache.

1,500 pills, gone in three days.

There were truly a lot of wealthy people in the Prefecture City. He thought it would last for ten days or half a month, but it didn't even hold up for three days.

These Cultivators had more Spirit Stones on hand than he expected, and since supreme grade Medicinal Pills were genuinely scarce goods, it was inevitable that demand would outstrip supply.

The problem was, although he was very fast at refining first-rank Medicinal Pills and didn't lack Spirit Medicine, he couldn't keep up with such open sales.

He still had second-rank pills to refine, the nine-aperture golden spirit pill to deliver to the Alchemy Hall, and his own Cultivation couldn't stop. He only had so much time every day; it wasn't realistic to dump it all into first-rank Medicinal Pills.

Su Cheng calculated for a long time and finally set a policy.

"Starting next month, each of the three types of pills will be limited to 1,000, for a total of 3,000. No price increase, still 150 Low-Grade Spirit Stones each, and the purchase limit remains five per person. Once sold out, that's it, no additional stock."

Li Shi noted it down and asked: "Young Master Su, this quantity of 3,000 per month..."

"Don't worry." Su Cheng waved his hand, "Just have the Chamber of Commerce continue to procure Spirit Medicine through the original channels; just don't let it be cut off."

Li Shi agreed and withdrew.

Su Cheng leaned back in his chair and rubbed his brow.

Putting 3,000 supreme grade first-rank Medicinal Pills into the Prefecture City market every month was a moderate amount—enough to keep the bottom-tier Cultivators wanting more but not enough to satisfy them, just right to maintain that hunger.

Those Loose Cultivators and small factions who had tasted the sweetness wouldn't be able to run away. They couldn't buy this quality at this price anywhere else, so they would have to come and line up on time every month.

Once or twice is a transaction, three or five times becomes dependency. What was that saying from his past life? Encircle the cities from the countryside.

He wouldn't clash head-on with the Golden Core Families in the high-end market; instead, he would snatch their downstream customers one by one. By the time they realized what was happening, they would find that the web below no longer belonged to the Zhaos or the Zhous.

Su Cheng was drinking Spirit Tea in the study of the Chamber of Commerce's back courtyard, enjoying a rare moment of leisure for half a day.

Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long. Half a month later, Lin Feng came again.

This time there were no new injuries on his Face, but he looked extremely exhausted.

"Young Master Su, it is done."

Su Cheng poured him a cup of tea: "Sit down and talk."

...

On the fifth day after Lin Feng brought the 3,000 bottles of Medicinal Pills back to the Hundred Herbs Hall, he began to make his move.

He sought out clan members who were above the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, had decent Aptitude, but were not held in high regard within the clan.

Although Lin Feng had reached Foundation Establishment, his status was never taken seriously by these clansmen. Furthermore, given Golden Core Elder Lin Xiaotian's behavior, they only viewed Lin Feng as a tool for cooperating with the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce.

Until Lin Feng took out a jade bottle from his Storage Pouch.

"supreme grade Medicinal Pill." Lin Feng placed the bottle on the table. "100 Spirit Stones each, available every month. However, just like the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce, I only sell five at a time."

The look in that person's eyes changed instantly, from contempt to greed, then to longing, and finally, they reached out impatiently.

"supreme grade Medicinal Pill? Lin Feng, where did you get this?"

"Given by the Danding Sect Personal Disciple, Young Master Su Cheng."

Although these Qi Refining clansmen didn't have high status, they were well-informed. They knew Su Cheng's identity and knew that these first-rank supreme grade Medicinal Pills were in very short supply throughout Tianlan Province.

The batch that the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce put on the shelves a few days ago sold out in three days. Many Loose Cultivators in the Prefecture City had queued all night and still didn't get any.

Now Lin Feng had stock, and the price was only 100 Low-Grade Spirit Stones each.

"Lin, Lin Feng. Ah no... Brother Feng, is this really..."

"Of course. Otherwise, do you think I could have robbed it?"

"Then your relationship with Young Master Su, this is too... Isn't Elder Lin Xiaotian..."

"Heh, seeing is believing. Do you want it or not?"