The moment Yang Kai stepped inside, he was greeted by a wave of scorching heat that washed over him.
"Alchemy Master Yang, take your time here studying the mysteries of those pill recipes. There's no rush with the actual refining—just let me know when you're ready." Kang Siran, worried that Yang Kai might not be sufficiently prepared, added one more word of caution.
Yang Kai nodded and turned back to ask, "Oh right, Shopkeeper Kang, which type of spirit pill is your workshop most short on at the moment?"
"Source Condensing Pills, of course. There are countless Void King Realm martial artists in Maple Forest City, and the demand for this particular pill is enormous. Every batch of Source Condensing Pills we produce sells out almost the instant it comes off the line." Kang Siran answered with an unmistakable note of pride.
"I see." Yang Kai gave a slight nod, his mind already forming a plan.
…
There were countless types of spirit pills and elixirs under the heavens, and no one could tally the total number of pill recipes. But if you asked martial artists which spirit pill they needed most, the answer—aside from healing pills and energy-restoration pills—was undoubtedly the Source Condensing Pill!
The Source Condensing Pill had accompanied Void King Realm martial artists for many years. Every single Void King Realm cultivator had a tremendous demand for it, because it could accelerate the conversion of Source Power within their bodies.
Maple Forest City was not large, and Dao Source Realm powerhouses were few and far between. Yet it had become a gathering place for a vast number of Void King Realm martial artists, so the staggering demand for Source Condensing Pills there was easy to imagine.
You simply could not run a pill shop in Maple Forest City without stocking Source Condensing Pills.
And the Spirit Pill Workshop's Source Condensing Pill recipe had been refined by an Emperor-grade alchemist, making its efficacy roughly ten percent superior to that of ordinary versions. It had long since accumulated a mountain of praise and an avid following.
Countless martial artists clamored to purchase Source Condensing Pills from the Spirit Pill Workshop. Every time a fresh batch was produced, it was snatched up in a frenzy.
And this was with Kang Siran imposing purchase limits on each customer.
Without those limits, the scrambling would have been even worse!
Now, with the Spirit Pill Workshop's supply of Source Condensing Pills suddenly cut off, it was only natural that many long-time customers were growing unhappy.
Outside the alchemy chamber, Kang Siran paced back and forth, his mood anxious and unsettled. For a man of his cultivation level—which was hardly low—and his position as the manager of an entire workshop, he was typically composed and steady. But right now, he was as frantic as an ant on a hot pan.
If he listened closely, he could still hear from the floor above, right at the entrance of the Spirit Pill Workshop, the impatient shouts of those Void King Realm martial artists demanding their pills.
Tap, tap, tap—a rapid succession of footsteps echoed down from above.
Kang Siran didn't even need to look to know it was one of the shop assistants rushing over.
He halted mid-stride and, before the assistant could even open his mouth, snapped irritably, "Didn't I tell you to go calm the customers down? Why are you back down here?"
"I can't do it, Shopkeeper! The situation's getting out of hand. We were supposed to have a new batch of Source Condensing Pills ready yesterday, and a lot of our regulars have been lining up since then, but they still haven't gotten their hands on anything. They've been waiting for ages and they're already furious."
"So what if they're furious? Am I supposed to conjure pills out of thin air? Tell them to wait!" Kang Siran replied impatiently.
"I've told them that over and over, but they won't listen." The assistant's face was a mask of misery. "And… and there's more…"
"More what?" Kang Siran's expression darkened.
"And… somehow a rumor's gotten around saying that the Spirit Pill Workshop will never supply pills again. Some customers who couldn't stand waiting any longer have already left." The assistant's voice dropped to a near-whisper.
"Zhuo Ningsi! You wretched harlot!" Kang Siran nearly ground his teeth to dust.
He hadn't seen it with his own eyes, but a man of his shrewdness could hardly fail to recognize that Zhuo Ningsi had her hand in this—covertly stirring up trouble behind the scenes. That venomous woman would never miss an opportunity to kick someone when they were down. She would love nothing more than to see the Spirit Pill Workshop collapse.
He could spit with contempt all he liked, but the truth was—this was genuinely trouble.
If they couldn't produce Source Condensing Pills within a short time, those uninformed customers would very likely believe the rumor. When that happened, a massive portion of their clientele would vanish, dealing a devastating blow to the Spirit Pill Workshop's future.
But in this situation, what could Kang Siran possibly do?
He turned his head and gazed with desperate hope at the tightly shut door of the alchemy chamber, silently praying that Yang Kai would not let him down.
"Shopkeeper… is this Alchemy Master Yang really up to the task?" The assistant seemed to have little confidence in Yang Kai either. He'd met plenty of alchemists in his time, but none of them possessed such a high cultivation base. Besides, alchemists typically cut rather slovenly figures—having spent years dealing with herbs, they carried a distinctive medicinal fragrance about them. From his earlier encounters with Yang Kai, the man hardly seemed like a conventional alchemist at all.
"How should I know?" Kang Siran answered weakly.
It had already been a full ten days since Yang Kai entered the alchemy chamber. During the first two, he had been studying the pill recipes. On the third day, he had requested a massive quantity of materials for refining Source Condensing Pills, then promptly sealed the chamber door and hadn't emerged since.
Kang Siran desperately wanted to burst in and see for himself exactly how many Source Condensing Pills Yang Kai had produced—and how many raw materials he had wasted in the process!
Every alchemist incurred some material loss during the refining process; it was unavoidable. Even the most seasoned alchemist could not guarantee that every single cauldron would yield a successful batch.
The rate of loss varied, of course, depending on each alchemist's individual skill.
Among the three alchemists the Spirit Pill Workshop had employed before, the best one had managed to keep the material loss rate to around thirty percent—meaning that out of every ten cauldrons attempted, seven would succeed and the materials for the remaining three would be entirely wasted.
That was already a remarkably impressive record. Fan Hong's loss rate, on the other hand, had hovered around fifty percent.
Even so, Kang Siran had been forced to treat him as an honored guest. After all, the man was a Void King-grade alchemist.