The rate of pill production was pitifully low. From this, one could see how precious medicinal pills were. It was no wonder that so many people flocked to them.
"We have tried to refine it so many times that there's a large pile of pill dreg beside the cauldron. It's quite troublesome to deal with it..."
Manager Li was rambling on about the Marrow-cleansing Pill, and Gu Xi was a bit distracted. He did not hear anything else clearly, but he caught the words 'pill dreg'.
A thought seemed to flash through his mind. Since spirit stones could be purified, then could dregs be used?
"Can I buy the pill dregs?"
For a moment, Manager Li thought he had heard wrong and could not help but ask, "Young Master, are you going to buy the Marrow-cleansing Pill?"
Gu Xi shook his head, "I want to buy the pill dregs that you have accumulated from failing to refine the Marrow-cleansing Pill."
....
Manager Li revealed a confused expression. He had never heard of such a peculiar request. One had to know that these pill dregs were all failed products. The herbal essence in them had long been exhausted.
"Apart from being discarded and burned, these pill dregs have no use at all. Young Master, you must be joking."
Gu Xi made up a random excuse, "Manager Li, you may not know this, but my master is quite knowledgeable in alchemy and wants to bring them back for research."
Although it sounded a little strange as the dregs had no research value, the greater world was full of wonders. Perhaps those reclusive families and forces really did have some special methods to make use of pill dregs.
Thus, Manager Li did not take it to heart and readily agreed. "These are just dregs. Let's not talk about price. I'll just give them to you, Young Master."
These things were just trash to them, but they could be exchanged for a favor from a powerful force. Why not?
Manager Li brought Gu Xi to the back mountain and even gave him a storage ring, "If Young Master wants it, you can take it all away."
Gu Xi did not want to receive favors from others for no reason, so he took out a supreme-grade spirit stone and placed it in Manager Li's hand.
Manager Li was extremely surprised. After all, it was a supreme-grade spirit stone, and Gu Xi was willing to give it away. Those who did not know better would think that this was a cabbage that could be found everywhere.
"How can I accept this? Young Master, please take it back."
One supreme-grade spirit stone was more than enough to buy all the dregs in this back mountain. Even ten times the amount of dregs would not match up to the value of one supreme-grade spirit stone. The key was that no one cared about these dregs at all, and no one would pay for them with spirit stones.
"I don't want to accept favors for no reason, just take it."
Since he had already said that, it would be a bit ungrateful if he refused again. Manager Li was ecstatic to accept it, and he respectfully sent Gu Xi out of the door.
Looking at his receding figure and the supreme-grade spirit stone he had just received, Manager Li sighed with emotion. All his life, Gu Xi was the most generous person he had ever seen.
He had casually bought an iron sword and pill dregs with supreme-grade spirit stones. Pill dregs were stuff that people would frown at if found at the side of the road. However, Gu Xi was so generous that he did not even bat an eye when he bought them.
"I wonder which faction he is from. He must have an extraordinary background to be so generous."
Thinking of this, Manager Li became even more stern to his subordinates, "How many times have I told you not to judge a book by its cover? Fortunately, this distinguished guest didn't argue with you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to accommodate you here anymore."
The few servants who had ignored Gu Xi earlier were now ashen-faced, their guts felt sick with regret.
A few of Manager Li's trusted aides saw how highly he valued Gu Xi, and they asked, "Do you want us to send someone to follow him and see who he is?"
Manager Li looked as if he was looking at a fool. He said bitterly, "Although his cultivation doesn't seem to be very strong, he must have used some kind of method to hide his strength. Do you think he won't notice that someone is following him? Don't you think we would offend him?"
After returning to the sect, Gu Xi had no idea that so many people were speculating about him. Fortunately, they did not follow him. Otherwise, if they found out his true identity, he would likely get into trouble.
A tree in the forest would be destroyed by the wind. Before he had strength, Gu Xi decided that it was better to keep a low profile.
He found a secluded mountain peak and began to prepare to extract and repair his newly acquired goods. The spiritual energy here was scarce, and there were very few disciples. Therefore, it was a good discreet location for him.
[System has detected the rusty iron sword (?)]
Different from before, the system notification did not appear in Gu Xi's mind. A line of large golden words appeared in the air. Seeing the question mark, he was instantly stunned.
Could it be that the system had not completely detected it? It was indeed as he had expected. This iron sword had an extraordinary origin, but for some unknown reason, it had fallen to such a state.
The large golden character floated in the air, and then purple lightning descended from the sky. Gu Xi was so shocked that she hurriedly dodged it. However, he was not the target.
Boom!
In an instant, the wind and clouds surged, and lightning gathered and struck the golden characters. They slowly dissipated, or more accurately, dissolved. A Lightning Dragon coiled around it, but it did not dissipate for a long time. It felt as if someone was transcending the tribulation.
A surreal thought emerged in Gu Xi's mind, 'Could it be that this sword was transcending the tribulation?'
The Lightning Dragon went berserk and smashed onto the iron sword again and again. Gu Xi thought that the sword would break into pieces. He lunged forward and tried to stop it, but his fear did not materialize.
"It actually withstood the lightning."
Countless bolts of lightning interweaved into a dense electric net that covered the sky and covered the earth, enveloping the iron sword. Gu Xi could not describe the scene in front of him with words.
It felt like Heaven and Earth were used as a furnace to forge this sword. It had fused with the power of the divine lightning of the Nine Heavens, and it had been tempered thousands of times.
Cracks appeared on the originally rusty sword blade, and they quickly spread to the surroundings. Golden light spread in all directions, and in an instant, the wind stopped. Everything returned to calmness as if nothing had happened.
As the saying went, what doesn't break you, makes you stronger. The iron sword shed its rusty shell, and like a phoenix rising from the ashes, it gained a new life. What appeared in front of Gu Xi was a brand new sword.
[Nine Heavens Meteorite Sword]
[The sword will draw the lightning of the Nine Heavens, vanquishing all evil spirits and demons.]
The blade as thin as a cicada's wings flickered with a sharp aura, as if it could even split the air in half. Occasionally, golden light swirled around the sword, interweaving with the power of thunder and lightning. It seemed to give off a thunderous aura, and it was quite intimidating.
Gu Xi held the brand-new weapon as if it was tailor-made for him.
[The system has detected the pill dregs.]
[Discovered 8,745 flaws. Begin to extract the flaws and repair them.]
The pill dregs floated in the air and quickly merged together, forming a huge black-gray sphere. They were constantly being broken down and extracted, and the trajectory of the spiritual energy in the air was filled with an indescribable Dao rhythm. Strange characters appeared and swirled with blinding speed.
With Gu Xi's current level, it was impossible for him to see the characters clearly. Even if he could see them, he would only see some messy traces, as if there was no pattern.
Deep inside, he knew that this was a domain that he could not touch yet.