Coming to Sunset City wasn't Lin Qinghen's choice.The Shen Family was the leading family in West Province, and most of the ten large and small cities in West Province had connections with the Shen Family. He didn't understand much and didn't make a decision immediately.This place was actually chosen by Yin Jiuxiao.He didn't say much about his reasons for choosing it.It was a good choice, a great place, so Lin Qinghen didn't ask further.He hadn't left Tear City for a long time, and after settling down and resting for a bit, the excitement in his heart couldn't be suppressed. He cast aside the others and, taking Yin Jiuxiao, ran out, heading straight for the great market.This trip wasn't just for the great changes between powers; it was also for his Pill mission.The types of Spiritual Plants in North Province were limited; to find more Spiritual Plants, he had to come to West Province.Lin Qinghen's Pill Formula improvement mission had made some progress this month.What inspired him was the System's updated influencing factor—additional output. Lin Qinghen had already selected a Pill Formula. Profound Rank Pills took longer to produce, about an hour, and each batch only yielded six Pills. But with a 1.6% chance, Lin Qinghen quickly obtained Pills from additional output.Even with additional output, the System's mechanized Pills were all identical. From Lin Qinghen's perspective, this additional output was more like a "critical hit" when the System produced Pills. Compared to normal output, the Spiritual Power was denser, the effects were better, and after testing, it had an Attach ability.The Sword Soul Pill, specifically made for the Yin Family, had an additional output that, besides providing explosive enhancement, gave the sword a temporary paralyzing effect, causing those wounded by the sword tip to move sluggishly. As for the Calm Heart Powder, it not only increased focus but also added an extra enhancement ability to the product.The enhancement was obvious, but the quantity was small.When Lin Qinghen further analyzed and compared it with ordinary Pills, he felt that besides being more compact and refined in structure, the Pills from additional output seemed different, and it was a difference distinct from the raw Materials, as if something extra had been added.This was a point of inspiration, so Lin Qinghen acquired a large quantity of additional output Pills that alchemists had occasionally obtained, and then proceeded to compare them.These types of Pills were even more varied, and the concept of additional Pills produced by alchemists was different from the System's. The formation of these Pills was mostly due to the uncertainty of Materials or an imbalance in proportions, leading to temporary distortions, most of which were similar to defective products.Lin Qinghen pondered for a moment, then performed a statistical analysis, finding Profound Rank Pills that frequently had additional output. As the president of the Alchemist Association, he had the foundation to pursue this.After repeated research, Lin Qinghen had a target.He felt that the path to significant Pill Formula improvement should not be about meticulous steps or the ratio of existing Materials, but rather that the raw Materials in the Pill Formula were not the most suitable, preventing optimal Fusion and ability manifestation.What the System mission said was "Materials of equal quality," not "the same Materials."These Pills with high additional output that he had screened out were the Breakthrough point. It was like finding the bullseye in the vast sea of Profound Rank Pill Formulas. After repeated comparisons, he identified which types of raw Materials were most prone to problems, and Lin Qinghen needed to find suitable substitutes.However, with the vastness of Spiritual Plants, this research direction was destined to be a task requiring both mental and physical effort.Book knowledge alone was no longer enough. Although Lin Qinghen's perception was subtle, he still had to find and test each one, and now was the time.Sunset City's great market was truly abundant, especially the Pill market. Lin Qinghen felt that the Aura within it pleased him, but he hadn't walked a few steps with Yin Jiuxiao, having just seen a type of Material not found in North Province, when they encountered a commotion.It seemed like someone was arguing ahead....Get out! What kind of garbage did you sell? How dare you try to trick me?It sounded like a young girl's voice, full of aggression.The crowd was gathered in circles, one inside the other. Lin Qinghen stood on his tiptoes but could only see a back. He listened to the discussions around him to understand what was happening."This little girl is going to have bad luck," someone next to Lin Qinghen, who had come to watch the fun, muttered. "How can an outsider expect reason here?"This place was nothing like the Tear City Pill great market. Lin Qinghen managed it strictly, and after severe punishments, no one dared to act recklessly.It was common for vendors outside to sell inferior Materials as good quality, especially now that the city was crowded. It was easy to trick newcomers. This young girl was a young alchemist, and by the looks of it, she had been scammed.Lin Qinghen looked back at Yin Jiuxiao and smiled, "What if that outsider wants to open a Pill store here?""Heh," the spectator looked back at him, but even at such close proximity, with the hooded cloak, he couldn't clearly see Lin Qinghen's face. "She'd probably lose even more!"As they spoke, the situation in the center had already become uglier."What? Don't you know 'buyer beware'?" The vendor was indeed quite arrogant. "You want a refund? Go ask around who runs this area, little girl. I advise you to be sensible and get lost quickly, otherwise..."He was very impatient and reached out to push the young girl, but perhaps she had some Spiritual Artifact on her, for he was pricked by a burst of power, and blood immediately streamed down his arm.The vendor cried out in pain, then his expression changed. He cursed and summoned a large man, who was clearly a high-star Profound Rank cultivator with considerable Spiritual Power."You dared to injure me, you're not leaving today!"The crowd merely watched the spectacle; no one stepped forward to help.Lin Qinghen frowned, thinking that she was, after all, a girl who had been cheated. If she was truly being bullied while seeking justice, he couldn't stand idly by.Given Yin Jiuxiao's abilities, he could help without being noticed. He tugged at Yin Jiuxiao's sleeve but saw that he wasn't in a hurry."Qinghen, don't rush," he said. "The world outside is more complex than you imagine."The situation indeed changed as Yin Jiuxiao had said.Just as that group of fierce-looking men was about to drag the young girl away, she showed no sign of panic. A spiritual light flashed around her, like the effect of a Spiritual Artifact, and she conjured a barrier.Then, with a flick of her sleeve, a black light emerged, and a large black dog suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It looked like a Spirit Beast, with sharp teeth and claws, at least Earth Rank, and extremely ferocious. It charged at the men and began to tear and bite.The onlookers immediately stepped back. The vendor's subordinates were bitten and retreated, finally only able to utter threats: "You just wait!""Wait then, let's see who's unlucky in the end! If I see you again next time, I'll skin you alive and see if you dare to sell inferior goods as good!"The young girl snorted, watching the men flee in disarray, then called out to the large dog: "Xiao Bao, come back."But at this moment, the large dog uncharacteristically didn't obey her. It twitched its nose, sniffing the surrounding Aura, as if it sensed something.Then it glanced in Lin Qinghen's direction, but due to its master's command, it didn't stray too far. Lin Qinghen, however, could feel its doggy eyes looking over.The crowd dispersed out of fear, and finally, Lin Qinghen, hidden beneath his hood, could clearly see the young girl's appearance.Wow, an acquaintance!As for this large black dog... it was also an acquaintance.This was Yuan Rongrong.There were two people who bought his Pills back then. Lin Qinghen still didn't know who the other person was who caused him to be exposed, but she was one of them.Now Lin Qinghen knew that this dog, which he had once fed jerky, was her Pill-serving Spirit Beast, different from ordinary Spirit Beasts.A Pill-serving Spirit Beast was a kind of Legacy; it was transformed from a spiritual embryo and then bound by a blood pact with a young alchemist. After being raised for a long time, its Spiritual Power Rank would change with the alchemist's Rank. It could assist in Cultivation, but its greater purpose was to protect the alchemist, much more effective than protective Spiritual Artifacts with limited uses, but also very rare.Yuan Rongrong noticed that her dog seemed to be staring at the gray-robed person. The two people stood at the street corner, both deliberately concealing their appearance, making them easy to overlook at a glance, which seemed odd.This time, she hadn't brought any guards, insisting on seeking justice herself. She felt that coming to Sunset City had already made her feel stifled, truly not a good place. But Xiao Bao's unusual behavior immediately caught her attention."Hey, that person over there—"Yuan Rongrong pushed through the crowd and walked towards them, but even though they were so close, in the blink of an eye, that person was gone... What incredible footwork!Heaven Rank?This entire Pill market was mainly for Profound Rank Materials, yet she actually encountered a Heaven Rank cultivator?Naturally, it was Yin Jiuxiao who took Lin Qinghen away.Lin Qinghen was amazed that he had so coincidentally met Yuan Rongrong again and was noticed by her for the first time. Fortunately, Yin Jiuxiao reacted quickly and took him away, otherwise, running into her at this moment wouldn't have been good.Actually, it wasn't a coincidence. The Fuxin Temple's external affairs were always handled by Elder Yuan Jiang, who had a good relationship with the Shen Family. With the Alliance's leadership change, he had been in West Province for discussions for the past month.The method of allocating seats allowed for an Alliance between the Three Mountains and the aristocratic families, with the goal of holding more seats. He had come here with the Shen Family's people, wanting to gauge the Wu Family's strength.And what Yin Jiuxiao felt was that coming to the great market at this time seemed like watching a replay of the past.For him, it was a great coincidence that he emerged from Chui Feng Cliff around this time. After the strange power beneath the cliff spat him out, he randomly landed near Sunset City in West Province.Yuan Rongrong was nothing. He knew that this place would soon face a great disaster.The recent Beast Tides and Devilish Qi rifts appearing here were not uncommon. For example, the rat plague the city experienced when Lin Qinghen first arrived in Tear City, there were similar situations outside.West Province had many forests and abundant Spiritual Plant resources, which was why the alchemist Shen Family often rooted here. Outside Sunset City lay the vast Sunset Forest, so Beast Tides occurred every so often. This was a phenomenon that inevitably arose when Spirit Beasts reproduced too quickly without powerful natural predators, leading to overpopulation.Sunset City would issue bounty missions in advance at such times, attracting adventurers from all over the Spirit Realm to deal with them. Coupled with the recent increase in small Devilish Qi rifts outside the city, many teams eager to earn a fortune were also drawn in.However, the Wu Family, who ruled Sunset City, did not expect this Beast Tide to be as simple as they imagined.The small Devilish Qi rifts that had suddenly become frequent were just a symptom. About ten days later, a massive Devilish Qi rift would appear not far outside the city. The most powerful Spirit Beast chosen by the Devilish Qi this time was a Earth Rank nine-star Silver Emperor Fox Wolf.This type of Spirit Beast was already highly intelligent, and this particular one happened to be the leader of its pack. After going berserk, it became even more cunning, and its strength rapidly expanded to high-star Heaven Rank.It used the Silver Emperor Fox Wolf's special ability to unleash a powerful Gu-like charm, causing the Spirit Beasts in the Beast Tide to be guided, listening to its commands to gather and begin attacking the city. Mixed with increasingly violent demonic power, it nearly destroyed Sunset City.Fortunately, at that time, there were people from the Shen Family and Fuxin Temple here, who saved the city at a critical moment. And Yin Jiuxiao, who had landed here, also rose to prominence, attracting the attention of the Shen Family and Fuxin Temple.Although he didn't manage to kill the most powerful Silver Emperor Fox Wolf, he managed to hold the almost collapsing defense line on the west side of the city during the Beast Tide's assault, preventing the city center from being breached. By a stroke of luck, he also saved Yuan Rongrong, the only daughter of Elder Yuan Jiang of Fuxin Temple, who had come here with him.It seemed Yuan Rongrong was the source of the trouble buried at this time. She was separated during the chaos in the city and happened to be intercepted by the vendor's backer and his men. The opponent had many people, and her Spirit Beast was injured, nearly costing her its life.Yin Jiuxiao took the Opportunity to save her, subsequently connecting with Fuxin Temple, and also befriending Wu Wei, the Young Lord of the Wu Family in the city.At that time, he had no genuine feelings, purely using them to climb the Ranks. Now, he had some emotions for Lin Qinghen, but he had no intention of extending this soft-heartedness to outsiders.He was also lucky at the time. He was ambushed in the chaotic city but successfully counter-killed, seizing an Earth Rank Spiritual Artifact from his opponent. It had a similar effect to the silver mask Yin Jiuxiao now wore on his face, capable of subtly altering his appearance and the style of his Spirit Marrow, a rare type of concealing Spiritual Artifact.There were many sword-type Spirit Marrows in the Spirit Realm, and Yin Jiuxiao's sword was originally plain. Compared to the Nine Clouds Severing Sword everyone had previously known, there were also many changes. After a slight alteration, it became even plainer, preventing them from recognizing his identity.Now, the disaster was unavoidable. At most, they could deploy in advance to save more people from suffering, and this was an Opportunity for them, coming from North Province.Yin Jiuxiao had no intention of letting others have that Silver Emperor Fox Wolf. At that time, Yin Jiuxiao, who had just climbed out from under Chui Feng Cliff, was probably around Earth Rank five-star. Now, he was on a completely different Rank, a world apart. Coupled with the people who came with him, he had the ability to snatch the prey.This time, it wasn't for himself, but for Lin Qinghen.
