Chapter 1077

As Qin Qi was lost in thought, Xiaoying had already returned to his side, carrying a storage pouch and a list of materials.

"Fellow Daoist Qin!"

With great respect, Xiaoying presented the storage pouch and the list of materials, "You can compare the material list with the resources inside the storage pouch. These materials should cost about eight thousand two hundred battle merits!"

"Oh?" Qin Qi raised an eyebrow.

Eight thousand two hundred battle merits were within his acceptable range.

He checked and found that the resources inside the storage pouch matched the list of materials without any discrepancies.

"Hmm, no problem. Also, I want this Nine Nether Cold Crystal!" Qin Qi said.

"Alright!" Xiaoying beamed with joy.

Soon the transaction was completed.

Qin Qi wandered around a bit more but found nothing of particular interest, so he left the Qinglong Hall.

Xiaoying respectfully stood by, "Fellow Daoist Qin, are you heading to the Black Tortoise Hall next?"

"Yes, that’s right!" Qin Qi replied.

Xiaoying smiled with a hint of ingratiation, "Fellow Daoist Qin, I can serve as your guide at the Black Tortoise Hall, and I won’t charge any battle merits as compensation!"

"Oh?"

Qin Qi raised an eyebrow and said, "Alright, I’ll trouble you then!"

Xiaoying immediately became cheerful and led Qin Qi to the Black Tortoise Hall.

Upon entering the Black Tortoise Hall, he immediately sensed the overwhelming aroma of elixirs.

As soon as they entered the hall, they saw a giant pill furnace standing at the center. The furnace, several hundred feet in length and width, stood there making the entire Black Tortoise Hall resemble a massive alchemy furnace.

Qin Qi asked in confusion, "This list of materials, who is going to make the Breaking Nether Pill?"

Xiaoying promptly explained, "Within the Black Tortoise Hall, there are over three hundred alchemists with placards."

"Over three hundred? That many?" Qin Qi seemed surprised.

"Of course, after all, every alchemist specializes in different kinds of elixir pills. Each has their specialties!"

Xiaoying said gently, "As for this Breaking Nether Pill, I do have a few suitable candidates. I wonder if Fellow Daoist Qin would like to hear about them!"

Naturally, Qin Qi was intrigued, "Oh, let’s hear it!"

Xiaoying immediately listed a few names, "They are Master Xu Yang, Master Huang Yao, and Master Zhang Mian!"

"These three masters have a high success rate in refining the Breaking Nether Pill, especially Master Huang Yao, whose last six batches were all flawless products!"

"However, for that very reason, Master Huang Yao’s fees might be higher than other alchemists!"

Qin Qi curiously asked, "How much battle merits to refine it once?"

"Three thousand!" Xiaoying replied cautiously.

Qin Qi raised an eyebrow.

Damn.

Truly extortionate!

Three thousand at once?

But considering that there’s always a chance of failure in alchemy, Huang Yao’s high charges seemed reasonable. If he tried to save a little by purchasing an extra set of materials, it wouldn’t be worth it.

"Indeed, this frontline battlefield has its own system. However, compared to the vast outside world, it is indeed highly convenient!" Qin Qi thought silently.

Realizing this, Qin Qi straightforwardly said, "Then let’s go with Huang Yao!"

"Alright, I will take you to see Master Huang Yao now!" Xiaoying promptly led the way.

Before long, the two of them arrived at a pill room inside the Black Tortoise Hall.

The door to this pill room was open, revealing a counter inside, with a long-bearded elder sitting behind it.

The elder’s cultivation had reached the Core Formation Stage, and his aura suggested he was around the Third Layer of Core Formation Stage. He was studying an Elixir Book when he seemed to notice someone approaching, and without looking up, he asked, "What kind of elixir are you looking to refine? Are the materials ready? Each attempt costs three thousand battle merits, is that acceptable?"

Xiaoying stepped forward with a smile, "Master Huang, it’s me. I’ve brought you a customer. This time it’s for refining a Breaking Nether Pill. Don’t worry, the materials and battle merits are all ready!"

"Just focus on refining as you please!"

The elder named Huang Yao finally raised his head, glanced Qin Qi up and down, and calmly said, "Fake Core Stage? No wonder you want to refine a Breaking Nether Pill!"

"However, not many can gather three thousand battle merits and materials for a Breaking Nether Pill at the Fake Core Stage."

"Young man, what’s your name?"

Qin Qi replied, "I’m Qin Qi!"

"Qin Qi? Never heard of you!"

Xiaoying explained from the side, "Master Huang, it seems you haven’t been paying attention to the recent war developments. Fellow Daoist Qin has been shining brightly on the battlefield, even managing to single-handedly kill three Elite Demons, securing the Xuanling Pass!"

"Forget a mere three thousand battle merits, even thirty thousand, he could provide!"

Huang Yao raised his eyebrows suddenly interested, "Oh? Is that so?"

Xiaoying smiled sweetly, "Of course, Master Huang, could I possibly deceive you?"

"Very well, young man, just because you’ve earned merits on the battlefield, I can reduce the battle merits for you a bit. Others require three thousand; you can pay two thousand!"

Huang Yao said with hands behind his back, "Although I haven’t been to the battlefield myself, I have great admiration for those who bravely face the enemy in battle!"

"Leave the materials here, and come back at this time in three days! By then, I’ll have the Breaking Nether Pill ready for you!"

Qin Qi handed over his Merit Token.

The battle merits transaction was completed.

Qin Qi did not delay further, "Alright, then I’ll leave it to you!"

Huang Yao made no attempt to retain them, and after receiving the resources from the storage pouch and checking them, finding no issues, he walked toward the nearby alchemy furnace.

"Alright, you two can go now." Huang Yao issued an order to leave.

Xiaoying immediately led Qin Qi out, and only after leaving did she speak, "Fellow Daoist Qin, don’t mind, alchemists are all like this; they don’t like having others around while they work."

"They claim it’s not wanting to be disturbed, but in reality, it’s just about fearing others stealing their skills!"

Qin Qi nodded, having little interest in the art of alchemy.

"Alright then, I’ll take my leave for now." Qin Qi said as he and Xiaoying made their way outside the hall.

Seeing Qin Qi about to leave, Xiaoying showed some reluctance, "Fellow Daoist Qin, would you like to plant a strand of Divine Thought in the token for easy future contact?"

"In the future, if you have any questions about the Qinglong Hall, you can always come to me!"

Qin Qi was not oblivious to Xiaoying’s intentions.

This woman seemed to be trying to throw herself at him.

Though in dealing with women, he usually adopted a come-one-come-all attitude!

However, Xiaoying’s cultivation and appearance weren’t exactly impressive, so he wasn’t very interested.

Thus, he tactfully inquired, "Plant a Divine Thought?"

"There is a special restriction in the Merit Token, by planting someone else’s Divine Thought in it, remote communication can be achieved through this Divine Thought, though the stored Divine Thought is limited and under a time restriction!" Xiaoying explained carefully with a blush.

Qin Qi said slowly, "Oh, so that’s how it is. Well, that’s unnecessary. If I ever need it, I’ll come back to the Qinglong Hall!"

Saying that, Qin Qi turned and left.

Xiaoying’s eyes showed a trace of sadness upon hearing this.

She couldn’t help but wonder if maybe if she had been more enthusiastic from the start, Qin Qi might have had a different attitude toward her.