The alchemists immediately exploded upon hearing this.
To know that each profession had its own specialty, if they were just to refine pills, it would be fine, but if they were asked to refine artifacts, it would truly be asking too much of them.
Although alchemy and artifact refining shared some commonalities, for instance, both required quenching, quenching was not the same for both.
When quenching for alchemy, the heat in the alchemical furnace had to be gentle and sustained, while for artifact refining, it was the complete opposite; the heat had to be fierce and rapid.
…
Facing this considerable pressure, the alchemists who initially supported the Dao of Stone-Gold Alchemy began to waver!
While those who opposed the Dao of Stone-Gold Alchemy grew increasingly emboldened, their numbers swelling.
And at this very moment, the owners of the spirit herb and spirit medicine gardens also began to make their move.
The grand meeting hall.
"Absurd! Ridiculous! Who do these alchemists think they are? What are they? They actually want to refine pills using ore?"
"Aren't they afraid that we'll, in our anger, refuse to give them a single spirit herb or spirit medicine, and then see what they refine in the end?"
A powerful cultivator at the late-peak Golden Core stage, owner of a blessed land filled with spirit herbs and spirit medicines, roared in anger.
It turned out that in recent years, due to the significant increase in the prices of spirit herbs and spirit medicines, he had profited immensely.
Lying at home, doing nothing, he earned three hundred thousand spirit stones annually. It was also because of this that he had abundant resources for cultivation, leading him to reach his current late-peak Golden Core stage.
However, if the Dao of Stone-Gold Alchemy succeeded, the prices of spirit herbs and spirit medicines would drop, and his income would be greatly reduced. How could he not be furious?
Another Nascent Soul stage cultivator, who owned three spirit herb and spirit medicine gardens, sneered at the others, "I have already placed a hefty bounty in the Assassination Pavilion for the head of that so-called alchemy grandmaster who proposed this idea."
"I want to see that fellow's head. What Dao of Stone-Gold Alchemy? Without spirit herbs and spirit medicines, no matter how skilled their alchemy is, they can't refine pills."
Yet another cultivator at the mid-Nascent Soul stage, owner of five spirit herb and spirit medicine gardens, his eyes bloodshot, said angrily, "How many cultivators in the immortal cultivation world make a living by selling spirit herbs and spirit medicines…"
"If the Dao of Stone-Gold Alchemy is truly researched successfully, it will cut off the financial lifeline of so many people…"
"If they don't want mutual destruction, they must stop immediately!"
…
Almost everyone in the hall was in this state.
They were all top-tier cultivators, each possessing immense influence.
When they united due to their vested interests, there was very little in this world that could stop them.
…
A large number of spirit herbs and spirit medicines, previously declared extinct, suddenly appeared on the market.
At this point, almost all alchemists shifted their gaze, focusing their efforts on researching how to improve pill recipes and create new ones with existing spirit herbs and spirit medicines.
This idea was more realistic than the Dao of Stone-Gold Alchemy.
Moreover, they could utilize pill recipes passed down from the Primordial, Desolate, and Ancient eras, which was much easier than starting from scratch.
Since there was a better option, the Dao of Stone-Gold Alchemy was almost instantly forgotten by everyone.
It merely left an insignificant mark on the historical chapter of alchemy development, representing a once-present arrogant conjecture.
Finally, the young alchemy grandmaster who first proposed the epoch-making conjecture of the Dao of Stone-Gold Alchemy died silently in his cave dwelling.
…
However, in this underground immortal cultivation world, the Dao of Stone-Gold Alchemy was not merely a conjecture.
It was a tangible, developed, and perfected alchemical art sufficient to support the cultivation of a large number of cultivators, and was widely promoted.
…
As he traveled, he initially didn't feel anything.
But as he saw more and more, Wu Tao grew increasingly perplexed.
The vicinity of the giant city of Tongguan possessed abundant immortal cultivation resources, far surpassing the prosperous market towns he had seen in Qingzhou, Liangzhou, and Yanzhou.
Artifacts, magic treasures, pills, talismans, and other items commonly needed by cultivators were all available.
Everything was similar to the Kyushu immortal cultivation world, except for one thing: there were simply too many ores.
He had seen hundreds, if not dozens, of stalls.
Among such a large number of stalls, almost all of them primarily dealt in ores, with virtually no spirit herbs or spirit medicines.
It was only when Wu Tao learned that the underground immortal cultivation world manufactured pills using the Dao of Stone-Gold Alchemy that he finally understood.
The special environment of the underground immortal cultivation world, without the sun or sunlight, and even the spiritual energy contained in the air being different from the Kyushu immortal cultivation world.
Ordinary spirit herbs and spirit medicines simply could not survive in the underground immortal cultivation world. Even if cultivated through special methods, their costs would be far higher than in the Kyushu immortal cultivation world.
Moreover, in the underground immortal cultivation world, everything was scarce except for inexhaustible mineral resources.
…
"Senior, look…"
A cautious voice reached Wu Tao's ears; it was the stall owner.
The stall owner had clearly noticed him standing there silently for a long time and had become a bit anxious.
Wu Tao smiled slightly upon hearing this, did not haggle, and threw down ten spirit stones, purchasing the Thick Earth Essence Stone.
Immediately afterward, he vanished from the spot.
…
After leaving the small stall, Wu Tao also browsed through Tongguan City thoroughly. Apart from the large shops, he visited almost all the small stalls.
Having done this, he finally had a general understanding of the resources in the underground world.
Ores, excluding some rare ones, were abundant, including ordinary ones that could be found on the surface.
Moreover, their prices were extremely low. Even some that were almost impossible to find on the surface were often seen here.
For a moment, Wu Tao felt a sense of being overwhelmed and overjoyed.
If he hadn't known that he couldn't return to the Kyushu immortal cultivation world, Wu Tao would have wanted to spend all his fortune to sweep up all these ores.
Then, returning to the Kyushu immortal cultivation world to sell them would definitely yield a large profit.
…
Meanwhile.
The terrain in the underground immortal cultivation world was peculiar and extremely chaotic.
Swamps, plains, volcanoes, ice peaks… numerous conflicting landforms blended together, forming deformed regions.
However, hidden within these deformed regions were countless intertwined and complex mineral veins.
They varied in size, some exposed, running crisscrossed, appearing very strange.
Furthermore, most of the ores produced from these mineral veins were useful to cultivators.
As a result, the price of artifacts was relatively lower than in the Kyushu immortal cultivation world.
Pills, however, were different.
Here, the price of pills was outrageously expensive.
Especially those pills that necessarily contained some spirit herbs and spirit medicines, which seemed like they would eat people alive.
A few ordinary pills for Qi Condensation stage cultivators cost over several hundred spirit stones.
Such pills, in the Kyushu immortal cultivation world, would barely cost a few dozen spirit stones at most.
After browsing, he had basically obtained the information he wanted to know.
To understand deeper matters, he would have to seek out cultivators of higher realms.
However, Wu Tao did not intend to go further. Originally, if he had not obtained the information he desired from these stalls, he would have gone. Now, he would avoid it if possible.
…
After all, this was not the Kyushu immortal cultivation world. Without the backing of the dominant Taiyi Immortal Sect, many things were not as convenient, and many precautions had to be taken out of nowhere.
If he were in the Kyushu immortal cultivation world, he could naturally appear openly in various large shops without worrying about revealing his wealth.
After all, as long as he did not display treasures beyond his cultivation level, those large shops would not risk offending the Taiyi Immortal Sect to engage in robbery and murder.
It was different now. Without sufficient preparation and absolute confidence, he would not venture into such places unnecessarily.
Because his most important task now was to find a safe and reliable place to break through to the Golden Core stage.
In fact, after the grand martial arts competition ended and his journey to the Primordial Sea, Wu Tao had already met the basic requirements for a perfect breakthrough to the Golden Core stage.
…
Being new to Tongguan City and unaware of its rules, Wu Tao brazenly appeared in the western district of Tongguan City.
This was not the most critical issue. The main problem was that he happened to, by sheer bad luck, appear in the cultivator conscription area.
Standing in the cultivator conscription area, Wu Tao was quite puzzled at the moment.
Because he noticed that most of the cultivators in this area were male, and the vast majority appeared to be youths or middle-aged men, with few elderly cultivators with gray hair.
As Wu Tao stood there contemplating, a commotion suddenly erupted behind him.
Wu Tao turned his head upon hearing this and, the next moment, a look of surprise flashed across his face.
On the branch streets of the western district, the previously crowded throng of cultivators abruptly and neatly dispersed.
As if an invisible force had pushed the dense crowd to the sides, in front of the stalls and shops, clearing the wide street.
A grand carriage was slowly advancing forward on the street.
The wheels, made of millennium crystal, crushed the bluestone slabs, emitting a "creak, creak" sound!
This carriage was about half a zhang high and three zhang wide!
Exquisitely crafted, it was entirely crimson, noble and elegant.
In front, armored, strong, and sturdy cultivator-soldiers led the way, and behind followed maids of various charming postures and luxurious attire.
They all possessed a cultivation of the thirteenth level of Qi Condensation.
They marched in neat rows and columns, in an orderly fashion.