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**
After waiting for a few minutes, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed outside the door, gradually growing closer.
Soon, the wooden door to the VIP room was gently pushed open, and a middle-aged man in his thirties stepped inside.
"Greetings, esteemed guest. I am Lu Jin, the branch manager of the Black Rock City Mittel Auction House. I understand you are looking for a third-tier pill formula?"
Upon entering, Lu Jin stepped forward, cupped his fists in a respectful greeting, and inquired politely.
"That's correct. Do you have one available?"
Lin Feng nodded slightly and repeated his question.
Lu Jin glanced at the hood of Lin Feng's black cloak before responding, "Our Black Rock City branch does have two third-tier pill formulas in stock."
He then began introducing them, "The first is the 'Breaking Qi Pill' , which can help a Dou Zhe-level cultivator advance by one star, but it has no effect on breaking through to Dou Shi."
"The second is the 'Healing Pill', an excellent recovery pill that works well for common injuries."
"I'll take the Breaking Qi Pill formula. How much does it cost?"
After listening to the descriptions, Lin Feng immediately made his choice and asked for the price.
"Only 350,000 gold coins, and it's yours."
Lin Feng raised an eyebrow.
"That cheap?"
Pill formulas, especially those at third-tier and above, were typically very expensive.
On the Dou Qi Continent, alchemical pills were classified from first-tier to ninth-tier, with legendary Di-Tier pills beyond that.
Most low-quality first-tier formulas were sold cheaply due to their simplicity and the minimal amount of materials required.
However, formulas at second-tier and above needed to be inscribed with a soul imprint using an alchemist's soul power on specially crafted scrolls.
This process was not only difficult but also had a high failure rate.
For a third-tier formula, a fourth-tier Alchemist would need at least one to two years to successfully create it.
And yet, this formula was selling for just 350,000 gold coins?
Something felt off.
Sensing Lin Feng's doubts, Lu Jin quickly explained, "The reason for the low price is that this formula has already been read four times before. It only has one more readable use left."
"Ah, that explains it."
Lin Feng immediately understood.
A soul-inscribed formula would lose clarity each time it was read, as the soul energy would gradually fade.
Once a formula was read more than five times, the information would become incomplete and fragmented.
At that point, the reader would have to rely on their own knowledge to fill in the gaps, making the learning process much harder and more time-consuming.
Since this formula could only be fully read once, it couldn't be resold or passed down, making it much less valuable.
Most buyers would avoid purchasing such formulas unless they had no other choice.
But for Lin Feng, this wasn't an issue.
He only needed the formula to improve his alchemy skills and had no plans to resell it.
As long as he could completely memorize it in one go, he didn't care how many times it had been used before.
With that in mind, he took out a spatial ring containing the gold coins he had collected from the mountain cave, along with a gold card, and handed them over.
"Let's proceed with the transaction."
Lu Jin's eyes lit up.
This formula had been sitting in the auction house's treasury collecting dust for years, and now it was finally sold!
Taking the items from Lin Feng, he quickly scanned the spatial ring and found that it contained around 200,000 gold coins.
With the balance on his gold card added to the amount in his spatial ring, the total was enough to purchase the pill formula. Lu Jin's tone became noticeably more respectful.
"Please wait a moment, esteemed guest. I will have it prepared immediately."
After speaking, he left the VIP room and headed toward the auction house's treasury.
After all, a third-tier pill formula was an extremely valuable asset, and in the entire Black Rock City branch, only he had the authority to retrieve it.
A short while later, Lu Jin returned, this time accompanied by a female attendant carrying a jade tray.
The attendant approached Lin Feng, bent slightly, and spoke in a soft voice.
"Esteemed guest, please."
Lin Feng's eyes, hidden beneath his hood, swept over the tray.
Resting atop it was a spatial ring, which no doubt contained what he sought.
He reached out and picked up the ring, withdrawing the scroll within and examining it carefully.
After confirming there were no issues, he swiftly left the Mittel Auction House.
In a secluded alley, Lin Feng changed his attire.
Then, choosing an ordinary inn at random, he rented a room and settled in.
Once inside, he retrieved the Breaking Qi Pill formula from his spatial ring, pressed it to his forehead, and infused his soul perception into it.
Immediately, information from the scroll flooded into his mind.
Breaking Qi Pill – third-tier Alchemical Pill
Effects: Upon consumption, a Dou Zhe-level cultivator can advance by one star.
Additionally, any excess energy within the pill will flush through the consumer's body, offering mild muscle and bone-strengthening effects.
Warning: This pill cannot help a Dou Zhe break through to Dou Shi.
If consumed during a breakthrough attempt, the rampant energy may disrupt the process, potentially causing failure.
Required Ingredients:
Rank 2 Magic Core
Qi-containing Grass
Flowerless Vine
…
After fully absorbing the formula's contents, Lin Feng slowly opened his eyes.
Even though this wasn't his first time using soul-reading, he still marveled at its mysterious properties.
Just as Lu Jin had warned, the soul imprint within the scroll had noticeably weakened.
If he attempted to read it again, how much information he could still extract would be pure luck.
Placing the formula aside, Lin Feng rummaged through several of his spatial rings.
After searching, he found that in Mu She's collection, there were several Rank 2 Magic Cores.
Additionally, from Boss Yao's spatial ring, he had most of the required medicinal ingredients.
In total, he had enough materials to refine three batches of Breaking Qi Pills.
Checking his gold card balance, Lin Feng calculated that he still had around 100,000 gold coins left.
This amount should be just enough to sustain his alchemy practice until he successfully refined the pill.
One Month Later
Lin Feng's eyes were locked onto the pill cauldron before him.
Inside, a deformed, unrefined pill embryo was slowly taking shape.
At this critical moment, he didn't dare make a single mistake.
Under the constant tempering of the flames, the pill embryo gradually became smoother and rounder.
Only then did Lin Feng finally relax.
Moments later, with a flick of his hand, a silver-white pill flew out and landed precisely into a jade bottle.
"Heh heh…"
Exhausted from consuming a significant amount of Dou Qi, Lin Feng's face was pale.
But as he gazed at the Breaking Qi Pill in his hands, he couldn't contain his excitement.
"I guess I can officially call myself a third-tier Alchemist now."
However, when he thought about his nearly empty gold card, his excitement faded slightly.
A hint of bitterness appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Sigh… no wonder so many people fight tooth and nail to join powerful factions."
"Trying to survive alone is really a struggle."
"Everything has to be handled personally… Maybe it's time to find Qing Lin and consider heading to Jia Nan Academy."
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