Chapter 96 Absurd

Yun Bai hurriedly returned to the State Religion with three million Spirit Stones.

Since the guarding enforcement Cultivators already recognized him, they did not stop him again.

Yun Bai found Supervisor Zhou Shengtai, who was busy at the time.

Seeing Yun Bai, he had someone take him to the side hall again and taught him the secret technique to enter the Mind Realm.

Supervisor Zhou Shengtai told Yun Bai that the Mind Realm was a core strategic location for the Human Race and not a secret; once Yun Bai signed a Heaven-Grade contract in the future, he would also gain the qualification to enter the Mind Realm, and this was just a slight accommodation for now.

However, when Yun Bai rushed back to the Heart Realm Grotto-heaven in a hurry and dashed into the "Drunkard's Pill Shop," which was filled with the smell of inferior alcohol.

He saw that the old drunkard had completely passed out, snoring like thunder while slumped over the greasy counter.

Beside him, a burly, bearded man was diligently wiping the counter with a rag. When he saw Yun Bai enter, he didn't even lift his eyelids and said in an indifferent tone, as if it were none of his business, "Oh, it's you. Don't bother looking; the soul-stabilizing pill you wanted was just bought by someone else."

"What?!" Yun Bai felt his head buzz, his vision went dark, and it was as if he had been struck by a bolt of lightning from the Nine Heavens!

"It… it hasn't even been half an hour! How is that possible?! Who bought it?!" He rushed forward, bracing his hands on the counter, his voice hoarse.

The man frowned at his ferocious appearance, took a step back, and rolled his eyes impatiently: "What are you yelling about! How would I know who bought it? They were wearing a mask! With the war at the border recently, the Demon Race doesn't know what kind of evil things they are using that specifically damage the Divine Soul, so soul-stabilizing pills are being snatched up like crazy! My master used to think this thing wasn't very useful and rarely refined it, but now the stock is empty, and supply cannot meet demand, get it?"

"Then… is there any more?! What about other shops?!" Yun Bai refused to give up, like someone clutching at the last straw.

"My younger sister is in critical condition and desperately needs a soul-stabilizing pill to save her life. I hope Your Excellency can have mercy and help me find a way!" Yun Bai said earnestly.

"We do have one!" The man scratched his head and pointed to a jade box behind the counter shrouded in spiritual light, "Here, a Rank-6 'Soul-Solidifying and Spirit-Nurturing Pill.' Its effect is ten times better than a soul-stabilizing pill! It specifically treats severe damage to the Divine Soul and collapse of the Sea of Consciousness! It costs 16 million Low-Grade Spirit Stones! Can you afford it?"

He looked Yun Bai up and down, taking in his disheveled appearance, his eyes full of suspicion.

A Rank-6 soul-stabilizing pill?

One must know that the soul-stabilizing pill was originally just a Rank-4 Medicinal Pill.

The grade of the finished pill is determined when the Pill Formula is designed; if one needs to forcefully raise it.

One must either optimize the Pill Formula or use some precious auxiliary materials to forcefully elevate the grade of the Medicinal Pill. Regardless of which method is used, the cost is immense.

Furthermore, raising a Rank-4 pill to a Rank-6 pill can be said to be rare in the world.

It is enough to prove the unfathomable strength of the Alchemist.

But this price… 16 million?

For Yun Bai, it was simply an astronomical figure.

Yun Bai did not know that this price was already extremely reasonable.

Because for such a special Medicinal Pill, being able to give a specific price in Spirit Stones is a rare occurrence, let alone that this price was only four or five times that of a Rank-4 Medicinal Pill.

For Medicinal Pills like this, taking them to an auction or bartering is the common phenomenon.

But how could Yun Bai think about all this at this moment?

This number was like a ten-thousand-pound hammer, ruthlessly smashing the last bit of hope in Yun Bai's heart! It plunged him completely into an abyss of despair! He stumbled backward, lost and soul-less, as if all his strength had been drained in an instant.

"Can you make it cheaper? Please make an exception for the sake of Elder Huang Shouren and Great Elder Xu Antong." Yun Bai tried to haggle in the style of Supervisor Zhou Shengtai.

The man frowned, thinking that this kid really didn't know the value of goods.

His round eyes glared at Yun Bai, his tone unfriendly: "Just now, my master said that the Rank-4 soul-stabilizing pill could be given to you for a price of 3 million Spirit Stones, so this Rank-6 soul-stabilizing pill can only be sold to you for a minimum of 14 million Spirit Stones; otherwise, no deal."

"This—" Yun Bai was unwilling to give up and wanted to argue further, but the other party did not give him a chance.

"Get lost! Don't get in the way here! If you don't have money, don't hinder my master's business!" The man waved his hand impatiently, and a surge of spiritual power poured out, sending the distraught Yun Bai flying backward once again, landing in a disheveled heap on the cold stone floor.

He gathered his wits and looked around, discovering that he had been sent flying hundreds of zhang away, and could no longer even see the shadow of the "Drunkard's Pill Shop."

Yun Bai climbed to his feet, and his gaze happened to meet the fat man in luxurious clothing who had previously been begging the old drunkard to refine pills.

The fat man was standing by his side at this moment, and there was no trace of his previous grief on his Face; he looked at him with a grin: "Yo, brother, are you also here to beg Senior Jiu to refine pills? Tsk tsk, you got swatted out too?"

Yun Bai asked hoarsely: "You… you are also here to request pills?"

The middle-aged fat man in luxurious clothes laughed, his Face flesh bunching up: "That's right, little brother, tsk tsk. You won't get anywhere by hitting a hard nail like that."

A faint glimmer of hope ignited in Yun Bai's heart: "Could it be that you have a way?"

The fat man instantly seemed like a different person; his Face was full of exaggerated piety as he kowtowed with every step, muttering incantations as he moved toward the shop, saying: "Brother, if you want to earn this kind of money, you have to suffer this kind of hardship! Sincerity leads to efficacy! Get it?"

Yun Bai frowned, not understanding: "What money? I need a Medicinal Pill to save a life!"

The fat man was stunned, stopped his actions, and looked at Yun Bai up and down with confusion, as if looking at an idiot: "A life-saving Medicinal Pill? Then just buy it with money, right? Aren't you here for the reputation of Senior Jiu, wanting to beg for a few pills refined by his own hands to take back as a treasure for your shop or to use as gifts to save Face?"

He had an expression that said, "We're all business people, why are you pretending?"

Boom!

An uncontrollable rage instantly rushed to the top of Yun Bai's head!

So that was it!

No wonder the servant in the shop recommended the rare "Rank-6 soul-stabilizing pill" to him without a second thought. It turned out they also considered him a merchant looking for rare goods.

It was precisely because of these parasites who engaged in speculation and hoarding, and because of these bastards who only treated life-saving Medicinal Pills as capital for showing off and tools for profit, that the servant in the shop was so indifferent and disdainful toward those who truly needed to save a life!

Yun Bai's fists instantly clenched with a rattling sound, his knuckles turning white from the force, and his nails digging deep into his palms.

He stared fixedly at the fat man's comical back as he kowtowed with every step, his eyes almost spitting fire, and intense killing intent surged out as if it were tangible.

However, looking at the drunk old man and the indifferent man, and then thinking of his Spirit Stones and the little time he had left...

The boundless anger eventually turned into a deeper sense of powerlessness.

He suppressed the anger that was almost about to explode, crawled up from the ground with a stagger, and walked out of the Heart Realm Grotto-heaven.