Chapter 21: Muscle-Strengthening and Bone-Fortifying Pill

"Is that all a five-fold spirit-refiner can do? Pathetic." Qin Liang’s tone was casual.

The crowd around them fell into a deathly silence, their hearts filled with shock. The rumors of Qin Liang’s performance at the Jiang family square had spread far and wide, but many had dismissed them as exaggerations. Now that they were witnessing it for themselves, they had no choice but to believe. A young five-fold spirit-refiner, a rare talent even in Sulfur City, had been defeated by Qin Liang with a single punch.

"With such a talent, the rise of the Jiang family is just around the corner!" someone remarked, stroking their beard in awe. Everyone nodded in agreement; as long as Qin Liang did not perish prematurely, the resurgence of the Jiang family was inevitable.

"Brother Xiang! Brother Xiang, are you alright?" Several cronies scrambled in a panic, dragging Feng Xiang away to keep him as far as possible from the dangerous youth.

However, Qin Liang did not hold back. With wind beneath his feet, he lunged forward, throwing a series of punches.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

Dull sounds echoed as, in a flash, the remaining cronies—who were only four-fold spirit-refiners—were completely outmatched. They were all knocked down by Qin Liang, their cultivation bases crippled, and their storage bags seized.

"How stingy. You're even poorer than I am." Qin Liang weighed the storage bags, his tone one of genuine disappointment, leaving the onlookers completely bewildered. Feng Xiang, just regaining consciousness, heard this remark and was so infuriated that he spat out another mouthful of blood and fainted once more.

"Could a few kind souls please toss them back to the Feng family? And mention this: for every member of the Feng family I see, I will cripple them. If I see two, I will cripple both." As he spoke, Qin Liang pulled spirit coins from one of the bags and scattered them as a reward.

The crowd scrambled to grab the coins, causing a chaotic mess, with some accidentally trampling on the unconscious Feng Xiang and his men, whose cries of agony rang out. Soon, the men were dragged out of the smithy, their wails fading into the distance. Unlike the Treasure Pavilion, the smithy did not forbid violence; as long as no one died, the proprietor did not care.

This was merely a small episode, but the name of Qin Liang spread rapidly through Sulfur City.

"Senior, how much for this sword blank?" Qin Liang turned his attention back to the stall, addressing the disheveled old man sitting cross-legged on the ground. To call him disheveled was an understatement; he looked absolutely wretched, as if he had just crawled out of a coal mine.

"Not for sale. Only for trade." The old man never opened his eyes. He hadn't even spared a glance at Qin Liang’s earlier display of force; clearly, in his view, it was nothing more than children’s play.

Jiang Xuehan was ready to pay, but hearing this, she retracted her hand and asked, "What is it that you wish to trade for, Senior? Name it. As long as it isn't something bizarre, the Jiang family can provide it."

In Sulfur City, the Jiang family had deep roots, and as their eldest daughter, she possessed such confidence.

"A Tendon-Strengthening and Bone-Forging Pill." The old man kept his eyes shut, not holding out much hope. He had sat here for over a month and had yet to find what he needed.

"This..." Jiang Xuehan was rendered speechless. With the Jiang family's foundation, they truly could not produce such a pill. Even the City Lord's Mansion likely couldn't produce many, as there was currently only one first-grade alchemist in Sulfur City, and first-grade pills were worth their weight in gold.

"We don't have the pill. What should we do?" Jiang Xuehan looked at Qin Liang, gesturing for him to check elsewhere; perhaps other stalls had something good that didn't require a pill for trade.

Qin Liang shook his head. They had already made a round, and his spiritual perception confirmed that this sword blank was extraordinary. If they left this stall, they would not find another like it. Seeing her distress, Qin Liang comforted her, "Don't worry, leave it to me."

Qin Liang’s mind held countless first-grade alchemical formulas, and he already knew the details of the Tendon-Strengthening and Bone-Forging Pill. As the name suggested, it was a pill that enhanced one's physique and strengthened tendons and bones—especially tempting for those who performed heavy labor. Among the known paths—martial, alchemical, smithing, talismans, arrays, sound, and poison—only the path of smithing required strength beyond one's own cultivation.

"If I am not mistaken, you are a master smith, aren't you?" Qin Liang asked calmly. The path of smithing allowed for the forging of common iron tools, at best qualifying one as an apprentice. To be called a master smith, one had to be able to forge Yuan weapons and possess at least the cultivation of a Profound Yuan realm expert.

At these words, the old man’s eyes snapped open, and for the first time, he examined Qin Liang. Jiang Xuehan was stunned; she had not expected the disheveled old man to be of such high standing. Judging by his reaction, Qin Liang was right—truly, one should never judge a book by its cover. Who would have thought the mysterious master smith of the smithy would be sitting in a corner like a beggar?

"I don't have the pill, but if you can gather the required spiritual herbs, I can refine it for you." Qin Liang met the old man's gaze without a hint of fear. He had his heart set on the sword blank and was determined to have it.

"Qin Liang!" Jiang Xuehan tugged at his sleeve, urging him not to joke. This was a Profound Yuan realm expert and a master smith; they could not afford to offend him. Qin Liang patted the back of her hand, signaling her not to worry. But how could she not worry? Joking with a Profound Yuan expert could easily cost them their heads.

The old man scanned Qin Liang up and down, his face darkening. "A mere spirit-refiner dares to boast about alchemy? Do you take me for an old fool because of my age? If you waste my time again, do not blame the sword for being heartless."

It was common knowledge that the requirements to become an alchemist were extremely harsh, with the minimum requirement also being the Profound Yuan realm. But the youth before him didn't even show a ripple of Yuan power. Was this not a mockery?

Qin Liang pulled out paper and pen without haste and wrote down the herbs required for the Tendon-Strengthening and Bone-Forging Pill. "With these herbs, the pill can be refined." He handed over the scrawled formula for the man to inspect.

*I hope we can bluff our way through this,* Jiang Xuehan prayed silently. If things went south, she would risk her life to ensure Qin Liang escaped.

A single glance was all it took for the old man’s eyes to widen. His gaze darted back and forth between Qin Liang and the paper, as if he found it impossible to reconcile the two. Even as a Profound Yuan expert, he could hardly suppress the turmoil in his heart.

"Can you truly refine it?" the old man asked excitedly. He knew these herbs better than anyone and had already gathered them, but with the renowned Master Mo away on travels, he had come here to try his luck.

"Refining without reaching the Profound Yuan realm is indeed much more difficult and is often seen as a fantasy. However, as long as one manages the heat well, while I cannot guarantee the quality, producing the pill is not a problem." Qin Liang was speaking the truth. Alchemists required strong spiritual power to control the fire and perceive the temperature accurately, greatly increasing the success rate. Ordinary spirit-refiners had weak perception and struggled with temperature control. Without spiritual power, the task was usually impossible, but not entirely so.

"What is your success rate?" the old man asked cautiously.

Qin Liang held up a hand. "Fifty percent!" The other fifty percent was pinned on the Heavenly Wilderness Cauldron; he hoped that treasure was as reliable as it had been before.

"That is enough!" The old man gritted his teeth, deciding to take the chance. With Master Mo still away, he could not wait indefinitely. "Young friend Qin, please follow me." The old man rose, his sleeves sweeping the sword blank off the ground.

The two followed the old man deep into the smithy. Jiang Xuehan felt quite uneasy, but seeing Qin Liang’s calm expression, she was truly baffled. What exactly was his confidence based on? She knew he had only just completed his fourth spirit-refinement and had barely grasped the path of martial arts; how could he possibly know how to refine pills?

Qin Liang could not explain it to her, so he simply comforted her again: "Don't worry, I have everything under control."