When the formulas for the Soul Nourishing Pill and Soul Condensation Pill were released, the entire Alchemist Association was thrown into a frenzy.
Gu Yan had already confirmed that the formulas for these five pills were accurate! The effects of the Soul Nourishing Pill and Soul Condensation Pill were indeed far superior to those of the Soul Gathering Pill! These two formulas, lost since the era of the Divine Empire, had finally resurfaced!
Previously, several elders had grumbled about Councilor Yang’s bulk purchase of low-quality herbs, but they quickly silenced themselves.
It was no joke that among the dozens of herbs purchased by Councilor Yang, seven were essential for the Soul Nourishing and Soul Condensation Pills.
Just with these two pills alone, the Alchemist Association could earn an unimaginable fortune!
However, they did have questions.
With only seven of the herbs being suitable for these two pills, what were the other herbs for? Did President Gu Yan secretly withhold other formulas?
The Alchemist Association began a grand-scale pill refinement operation.
Nearly every alchemist of apprentice rank or above was hard at work crafting these two pills.
News of the Alchemist Association's activities rapidly spread throughout Glory City.
The long-lost Soul Nourishing Pill and Soul Condensation Pill, with effects dozens or even hundreds of times stronger than the Soul Gathering Pill, sent shockwaves through the city.
The Soul Gathering Pill was seen as overpriced for its weak effects, making many reluctant to buy it despite its cost.
On the other hand, the Soul Nourishing and Soul Condensation Pills required only slightly more expensive ingredients but offered vastly superior results.
The Alchemist Association made clear that, given the abundant production of these two pills, the Soul Nourishing Pill would be priced at twice that of the Soul Gathering Pill, while the Soul Condensation Pill would be twenty times more expensive.
Despite the effects being tenfold or hundredfold, the price increase was much less, causing quite a stir.
Everyone anticipated the mass sale of these two pills!
Gu Yan believed that although there was room for increasing the prices of these two pills, setting them too high would hinder widespread promotion.
Offering them at a lower price would not only lead to more profits but also strengthen Glory City’s defenses against demon beasts while boosting the influence of the Alchemist Association—a multiple win situation.
The introduction of the Soul Nourishing and Soul Condensation Pills brought the once declining Alchemist Association into the spotlight.
Now, everyone seemed eager to get their hands on these pills, and their prices soared in the black market!
Before long, the City Lord's Mansion issued a secret order to the Alchemist Association, urging them to accelerate production of these two pills.
The impact of these pills on Glory City was enormous, capturing even the City Lord's keen attention!
All members of the Alchemist Association worked overtime crafting these pills en masse.
What was typically a heavy workload now earned them multiple times their usual rewards, and no one bothered with the worthless Soul Gathering Pill anymore.
They focused solely on the Soul Nourishing and Soul Condensation Pills!
A number of Soul Nourishing and Soul Condensation Pills leaked from the Alchemist Association, and many demon spirit masters who consumed them found remarkable success.
Many masters with no prior progress experienced sudden boosts in power, igniting excitement and anticipation among the citizens of Glory City.
Wealthy noble families began preparing for bulk purchases of these pills to nurture their younger generations.
These two pills had the potential to cultivate hundreds or even thousands of future demon spirit masters!
Word also circulated that members of a dark guild were making large-scale purchases of these pills on the black market, prompting the City Lord to issue a stern warning: anyone caught reselling these pills to the dark guild would face severe penalties!
As attention on the Alchemist Association intensified due to these two pills, President Gu Yan revealed that they would soon produce three additional pills.
One of these was the Soul Refining Pill, which was said to be ten times more effective than the Soul Condensation Pill and would benefit even Black Gold demon spirit masters and legendary demon spirit masters significantly.
Another was the Flame Body Refining Pill, which could greatly enhance physical capabilities, while the Nine Resurgence Pill could sustain life even after sustaining fatal injuries.
Instantly, the people of Glory City were even more astonished.
Reportedly, on the night news broke, legendary demon spirit master Ye Mo and the City Lord rushed to the Alchemist Association to meet with Gu Yan, spending a small fortune to purchase a large quantity of pills.
Seeing legendary demon spirit master Ye Mo and the City Lord place such importance on these three pills led everyone to develop formidable expectations.
Before long, the Soul Nourishing and Soul Condensation Pills began selling at the Alchemist Association's storefronts.
The scene was beyond what anyone could have imagined; not just the noble families, but also various merchant groups and smaller clans were bidding fiercely.
In one day alone, six hundred million demon spirit coins were sold, and Nie Li received nearly two hundred million demon spirit coins from just this day.
Yang Xin personally delivered this hefty sum to Saint Orchid Academy and handed it over to Nie Li.
Moving forward, he would continue to see a steady stream of income.
All the elders in the Alchemist Association were deeply shaken by this figure.
Gu Yan's status within the association grew more solidified.
Previously, Elder Hu Shuo had allied with two other elders to challenge Gu Yan’s position as president, but now, Elder Hu Shuo had fallen quiet, and the two elders he had recruited shifted their support to Gu Yan.
The financial strength of the Alchemist Association ballooned to staggering proportions.
They announced plans across Glory City to widely recruit disciples into the Alchemist Association, waiving all tuition fees and allowing apprentices to make money once they reached the intermediate rank.
This immediately heightened the allure of the Alchemist Association, causing many commoners unable to enter Saint Orchid Academy to eagerly join in!
More than a month flew by in a hurry.
Everything remained quiet.
Although occasional dark guild members could be spotted in Glory City, no major incidents occurred.
With Ye Mo and the City Lord keeping watch, as long as high-level demon beasts didn’t attack, Glory City stood firm and unwavering.
Nie Li and his companions, Du Ze and Lu Piao, devoted themselves to rigorous training within Saint Orchid Academy.
They practiced the most powerful techniques, benefitting daily from the abundant Soul Refining and Flame Body Refining Pills in their spatial rings.
Each night, they used Purple Mist Grass for their baths, resulting in exponential growth in their cultivations.
Although some outside forces wished to do Nie Li harm, he and his friends remained hidden within the academy, leaving their enemies helpless.
The year-end test was on the horizon.
The results of this exam would impact the future and fate of every student at Saint Orchid Academy! After completion, all students would be reclassified, and the gaps in performance between classmates would widen.
Once the test concluded, students could go home, but they would also face their parents' inquiries regarding their achievements throughout the year.
Every student at Saint Orchid Academy prepared nervously, striving to achieve excellent results in this test.
In the junior martial artist class, the most anticipated matter involved the wager between Nie Li and Instructor Shen Xiu.
Nie Li, Du Ze, and Lu Piao had not been seen in classes for quite some time.
Was it possible for Nie Li to break through to become a Bronze One Star martial artist in just two months?
“Brother Shen Yue, Nie Li and his group are hiding in the library every day, too afraid to show their faces in the academy! I bet he couldn’t possibly have reached the Bronze One Star rank; just wait for him to be expelled!” One of Shen Yue's subordinates laughed, flattering him. “Brother Shen Yue has consumed several Soul Condensation Pills; he must be on the verge of reaching Bronze Two Star!”
Did Nie Li really dare not show himself? Could he truly not reach Bronze One Star? Shen Yue didn’t know how to answer.
After all, Nie Li had defeated Chu Yuan, who was already a Bronze Three Star! Was it merely because Nie Li’s mastery over soul force exceeded that of ordinary people? That reasoning seemed questionable.
Yet, Shen Yue chose to believe that Nie Li had not reached Bronze One Star!
Since Nie Li appeared, Ye Ziyun had never given him a second glance! Shen Yue detested Nie Li to the core! But he hadn’t found an opportunity to trouble him.
After the test concluded, if Nie Li were expelled, he wouldn’t let him off easily.
Shen Yue was determined to make Nie Li’s life a living hell!
Nie Li had exposed Hu Yan's plagiarism of the Fire Explosion Runes, enraging the Divine Sacred Family, who subsequently pursued a suppression campaign against the Heavenly Mark Family.
Even if Nie Li did not withdraw from Saint Orchid Academy, he would undoubtedly become a pariah.
Shen Yue could almost envision Nie Li’s tragic fate!
“Who let you offend me and my brother!” Shen Yue thought to himself, wondering if fate were truly against him and the Divine Sacred Family.
Not only did Nie Li take away his woman, but he also snatched his brother’s partner, and his brother was the future successor of the Divine Sacred Family!
Across the Saint Orchid Academy playground and in the woods, many were training hard for the test.
To prepare, many noble families had consumed significant amounts of Soul Nourishing and Soul Condensation Pills, and the effects were quite evident.
Some with prominent family backgrounds even managed to obtain a few Soul Refining or Flame Body Refining Pills!
The effectiveness of these pills was apparent.
The strength of this year’s students seemed significantly improved compared to the previous class, much to the delight of the academy's higher-ups.
They wondered how many in this year's genius class would reach Silver Five Star rank! Achieving Silver Five Star before age sixteen would signify them as pillars of Glory City in the future and make them important power holders.
Simply reaching the Silver level would guarantee a bright future.
Among the previous class of genius students, nearly half would graduate, while new students would enter.
It remained unknown how many from this class would qualify for the genius class, creating much anticipation.
Saint Orchid Academy adorned itself with lights and colors, preparing for this momentous occasion.
(End of Chapter)