Chapter 292: Trade Fair Area

After parting with Xiao Ming, Xiao Yi Xian directly took Qing Ling to search for the so-called trade fair area in the Pill Tower.

Fortunately, it wasn't difficult to find. They soon arrived at a gate with a sign indicating it.

As they entered, a spacious and cool corridor greeted them, filled with the sounds of bustling activity. Xiao Yi Xian led Qing Ling through the corridor, scanning her surroundings as they walked.

Ahead of them was an extremely spacious hall, filled with many neatly arranged stone platforms that resembled vendor stalls. Behind these platforms, some people who looked like stall owners were sitting cross-legged, giving off a lazy vibe that did not seem like typical business people. Of course, they were not…

The spacious hall was mostly populated by alchemists, many of whom were of high tiers, including some in the seventh tier, indicating that the quality of the trade fair area in the Pill Tower's headquarters was indeed good.

The Alchemists strolled around the spacious hall, stopping occasionally in front of stone platforms to examine the displayed items carefully. If they found something of interest, they would pause and negotiate with the stall owner.

Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Ling's arrival did not attract much attention.

They scoured the different stalls, each displaying various strange and curious things.

However, due to their profession, most of the items for sale were related to alchemy, such as pill recipes, medicinal cauldrons, and medicinal herbs.

After a thorough search, Xiao Yi Xian found many useful medicinal herbs but had to pay a hefty price to obtain them.

In this kind of trade fair area, gold coins didn't hold much value. After all, which alchemist present wasn't a rich person with money to burn? Gold coins were just a meaningless number to them.

Only goods were exchanged here. Fortunately, Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Ling had plenty of valuable items on them, such as the storage rings of captured beasts like Yao Yun and others, which Xiao Ming had given them without taking much for himself.

In addition, he also left behind some good Dou Techniques that they could practice. Combined with their own accumulation, they could be considered as qualified small wealthy women.

After spending some time browsing, Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Ling were about to leave the trade fair area. Just as they were about to leave and wait for Xiao Ming at the entrance, Xiao Yi Xian noticed a jade stone platform in the north corner. A faint chill emanated from the platform and spread out, lowering the temperature considerably.

On the jade platform, there were scattered herbs, scrolls, and even pills, which didn't look like ordinary items.

Many people were gathered around the jade platform, obviously interested in the things on top.

Behind the jade platform was a gray-haired old man, who was sloppy and lazy-looking, lying on the platform and ignoring the onlookers, carelessly picking his ears.

"Old Yan, I've told you before that you only set up a stall once in a blue moon, and every time there are very few successful trades. Isn't it because your stuff is too expensive? Sell me this Snow Bone Ginseng at a lower price! You didn't come here for nothing this time, did you?"

The speaker was an elderly man with a low-grade seventh-tier badge on his chest.

"Ha! You wish! You guys just come to look but not to buy. You still complain that it's too expensive. This Snow Bone Ginseng is worth a high seventh-tier pill, and if you think it's too expensive, I'll give you a chance. How about an intermediate seventh-tier pill?"

The scruffy old man rolled his eyes and spat on the ground without caring about his image.

Xiao Yi Xian was stunned by the old man's attitude. She glanced at the badge on his chest, which was also a seventh-tier badge, but a high-grade one. Obviously, he was a high-grade seventh-tier Alchemist.

"Ahem..." The seventh-tier Alchemist who spoke was a bit embarrassed by his words. However, he seemed to really want the Snow Bone Ginseng. He gritted his teeth and took out a jade bottle to hand it to the scruffy old man. "This is an intermediate seventh-tier pill, can you consider it…?"

"No, I don't like this pill." After taking the pill and carefully examining it, the scruffy old man returned it to the Alchemist.

"You..." Now the man was speechless. He wanted to curse, but it wasn't appropriate to argue in this kind of place, so he could only leave embarrassedly.

After the man left, Xiao Yi Xian noticed a jade box on the icy platform with a snow-white ginseng inside that resembled a bone, lying quietly within.

"Isn't that the Snow Bone Ginseng that young master needs?" Qing Lin asked, stepping forward to point to the jade box on the icy platform. She was well-informed about her young master's affairs and knew about his quest for this particular herb.

"Yes, it's the herb that Xiao Ming is looking for. Let's wait here for him. We probably can't obtain it without him."

Not having any intermediate seventh-tier pills on her, Xiao Yi Xian knew that even if she did, she would likely face the same fate as the previous seventh-tier Alchemist who failed to acquire the ginseng. So she was smart not to approach and decided to wait patiently.

Half an hour later, Xiao Ming strolled leisurely down the road, catching the attention of Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin.

Xiao Ming had changed his badge, and although there were still seven stars on it, the color of the seventh star was no different from the others. It was evident that he had passed the incredibly strict testing of the Pill Tower and had become a high-grade seventh-tier Alchemist.

It was quite unbelievable that Xiao Ming had passed the rigorous testing of the Pill Tower without ever having refined a single high seventh-tier pill before.

This was a story that no one would believe if it were told.

As Xiao Ming wandered around the trade fair area, everyone who saw him had their pupils shrink in shock.

"Am I seeing things? A high-grade seventh-tier Alchemist?"

"One, two, three, four, six, seven, seven stars! You are not blind; he really is a high-grade seventh-tier Alchemist!"

*Gasp*

Wherever Xiao Ming passed, there was a sound of inhaling cold air.

The fact that he was a high-grade seventh-tier Alchemist wasn't enough to make them so amazed, considering that even eighth-tier Alchemists were seen here. Rather, it was his youthful appearance that stunned onlookers, he looked like he was not even twenty years old.

They had never seen such a prodigy before.

Some older men with gray beards secretly covered up their once-proud badges, as Xiao Ming's appearance dealt them a heavy blow.

Ignoring the stares and whispers around him, Xiao Ming spotted Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin, and a faint smile appeared on his face as he walked towards them.

"Why are you two standing here so quietly? Have you found everything you needed?" he asked.

"We've found everything I need to mix into a poisonous potion. It should be enough to help me cultivate until the six-star Dou Ancestor. Oh, by the way, we found the Snow Bone Ginseng you were looking for. But he is asking for a high price..." Xiao Yi Xian explained.

"Oh?" Xiao Ming followed her gesture towards the direction of the Snow Bone Ginseng.