It is said that after Yu Lei refined the Falling Treasure Copper Coin and gained a new divine ability, he quietly returned to his cave dwelling to cultivate.
The cave dwelling was expensive, but it was worth the price. Although the spiritual energy density was not as high as a blessed land, it was still far better than his previous cultivation environment.
Yu Lei used the Nine-Breath Breathing divine ability to frantically absorb the spiritual energy within the cave dwelling, making one day of cultivation equal to three or four days of training in the outside world.
However, someone soon interrupted Yu Lei's cultivation.
"Hahaha, Daoist Yu Lei, I apologize for the interruption. I brought a friend with me, do you mind?"
Xiao Sheng stood outside the cave dwelling, a chubby True Immortal beside him, with an expectant expression.
Yu Lei couldn't help but smile, "Where are you saying that, friend? Please, come in!"
He welcomed the two into his cave dwelling and examined the chubby True Immortal, curiously asking, "I wonder, who might this Daoist be?"
Xiao Sheng immediately introduced him, "This is my friend, Cao Bao. Daoist Yu Lei, don't underestimate him. Cao Bao is a master alchemist!"
Yu Lei knew the name Cao Bao, but he never expected the two of them to be friends.
Yu Lei hastily said, "So Daoist Cao Bao is a master alchemist! My apologies for the oversight!"
Cao Bao chuckled and waved his hand, "Oh, please, what master alchemist? It's just my friends flattering me."
Xiao Sheng once again displayed a warm smile, pulling Yu Lei closer and saying, "Daoist Yu Lei, we are both independent cultivators, and when we travel, the most important thing is to be prepared for any unforeseen circumstances, right?"
Yu Lei raised an eyebrow and nodded in agreement, "That's true."
Xiao Sheng continued, "Exactly, that's why we need to have plenty of pills on hand. Right now is a great opportunity!"
Yu Lei suddenly understood, and then felt a bit amused.
So, it turned out that Xiao Sheng brought Cao Bao to visit him to help his friend sell pills.
But Yu Lei didn't mind. After all, he had taken advantage of the Falling Treasure Copper Coin, so it wouldn't hurt to let these two gain a little benefit.
Yu Lei looked at Cao Bao, curious, "I wonder what kind of pills you have for sale? Do you have any Golden Core Pills? They don't need to be very high grade, a first or second rank would do."
Cao Bao, who had been smiling the whole time, suddenly became a bit awkward, "Daoist, you're joking. I'm not a disciple of a major sect, so where would I find the resources to refine Golden Core Pills?"
Yu Lei was slightly disappointed, but he still nodded with a smile, "I'm not familiar with the intricacies."
This was just a polite remark. Yu Lei naturally understood the process, but he still held out hope.
So-called Golden Core Pills were a general term for pills that could enhance cultivation, ranging from first rank to ninth rank, with higher ranks being more valuable.
These pills were almost all standard formulas, as their recipes all originated from the first master of alchemy in the primordial universe, the Primordial Saint of Purity.
Each rank of the pill formula for enhancing cultivation had been refined to the extreme by the Primordial Saint of Purity, with the properties and ingredients perfectly balanced and beyond improvement.
And the Primordial Saint of Purity generously spread the knowledge of these pills, first from the Palace of Eight Sceneries, then to the two sects of Interpretation and Extermination, and finally to the entire primordial universe.
Especially the formulas for first to sixth rank Golden Core Pills were not secret knowledge in the primordial universe.
After all, they were just formulas.
The saying "Saints spread medicine but not fire, the secrets of the flame remain unknown to most," was very fitting here. Because even if one knew the formula, but didn't understand the techniques and heat control of alchemy, nine out of ten people would be unable to refine Golden Core Pills.
It wasn't that the Primordial Saint of Purity intentionally hid the secrets, but the precise heat control required for each batch of pills varied greatly and couldn't be fixedly taught.
For example, a batch of pills might require several hundred-year-old spiritual roots and several thousand-year-old spiritual roots.
The number and types of spiritual roots were fixed, but the "years" part was a huge variable.
Spiritual roots of different ages naturally had different properties, requiring the alchemist to adjust the heat control accordingly.
If one had a master, the master would naturally guide them based on the situation until the alchemist mastered the heat control.
But if one didn't have a master, it wasn't impossible to refine pills, but one had to be prepared to waste a lot of ingredients and keep experimenting until they accumulated enough experience.
And for a True Immortal alchemist like Cao Bao, even gathering the ingredients for a few batches of first rank Golden Core Pills would be a challenge. How could he have enough chances to experiment?
Even if he had the opportunity to refine Golden Core Pills, he wouldn't dare, because the loss would be too great.
This was the typical situation for independent cultivators who practiced alchemy.
Therefore, Yu Lei estimated that Cao Bao probably didn't have any valuable pills.
But he needed to give his friend some face. Yu Lei said earnestly, "I wonder what kind of pills you have for sale, Daoist Cao Bao?"
At the mention of this, Cao Bao finally perked up, showing a strange smile, "It depends on what kind of pills Daoist Yu Lei needs. I don't have any Golden Core Pills, but I have plenty of poison pills."
"Here, this is an antidote pill. Don't underestimate it. One of these will definitely cure any poison below the True Immortal level!"
"And here's a poison pill. Even a Heavenly Immortal wouldn't be able to withstand one! And this is a mind-control pill..."
The more Cao Bao talked, the more excited he got, while Yu Lei became speechless.
Antidote pill?
His own physical body had reached True Immortal perfection. Pills that could poison a True Immortal were like candy to him. Why would he need such a thing?
The poison pill was even more ridiculous. A Heavenly Immortal? He could kill one with just a glance. Why bother with poison?
Seeing Yu Lei remain emotionless, Cao Bao became a bit anxious. He immediately took out another bottle of pills and poured out a red pill.
He said in a mysterious tone, "Daoist, take a look at this. It's my most popular pill, called the Yang Qi Pill. As for its effects... hehe, you know what I mean!"
Yu Lei was stunned for a moment, then realized what he meant.
Well, so it turns out even immortals need little pills?
And according to Cao Bao, they were quite popular?
Yu Lei, still a virgin since his arrival in this world, was speechless. He was a True Immortal now. While he couldn't say he was invincible, he surely wouldn't need this stuff, right?
Well, he should not...
"Ahem, forget about the Yang Qi Pill. Daoist Cao Bao, just give me some of those poison pills and mind-control pills," Yu Lei said with a serious expression.
Cao Bao chuckled and shrewdly put away the red pill, beginning to count the pills for Yu Lei.
Regardless, as long as he made the sale, that was all that mattered.
This was a big customer!
Xiao Sheng, seeing his friend make a sale, also smiled and said, "By the way, Daoist Yu Lei, we have one more good thing to tell you!"
Yu Lei's heart skipped a beat, "Oh?"
Xiao Sheng said seriously, "Daoist, do you know that there is another place in this Two Dragon Ridge that contains a strange land with Dao韵 (Dao rhythm)!"
Hearing this, Yu Lei's eyes lit up, "Is there such a treasure? Why haven't I heard of it before?"
Dao韵 was inherently born and contained the mysteries of heaven and earth, making it an excellent place for comprehension!
Xiao Sheng smiled, "Of course, because the place is occupied by someone, well, by a Golden Immortal."
Yu Lei immediately rolled his eyes.
What's the point of telling me that?
Although Dao韵 was good, it wasn't worth fighting a Golden Immortal over!
Xiao Sheng hurriedly added, "But Daoist, don't be discouraged. Although the Golden Immortal has occupied the Dao韵 land, he isn't greedy. As long as you are willing to pay, you can still go in and comprehend for a few days."
"However, it's quite expensive."
"Daoist Yu Lei, what do you think?"