The last thing in the room we checked out were a few old books. They were considered among the most precious treasures there.

With names like Shadows of Arcane Mastery, Abyssal Cultivation Scripture, and Occult Qi Transmutations, it was not difficult to imagine what kinds of techniques they contained.

“Curses, hexes, unorthodox Cultivation techniques, and other similar things are recorded inside. Or so I have been told. I can’t tell you exactly since that is one of the things few I don’t know. What I can tell you though, is they had been sitting here for quite a while, waiting for the right buyer.”

I shook my head. Interesting, but not enough to get me to part with my money. I would love to take a look inside, but as the lady said before, no touching.

[Does the Old House buy things a#s well?] I suddenly asked. I still had a few things I wanted to get rid of.

“Of course! All things you can see here were once either bought or acquired by some other means. As long as it has value, we will buy almost anything.”

[Hmm.] I nodded. [What about trading? One item for another.]

“That too. That’s how most of the Blood Essence was acquired. Trading it for items or services. Of course, the transaction always goes in our favor. It’s just how it is. Why? Do you have something to trade?” Crimson Poppy asked with a smile, clearly smelling a possible transaction coming.

[I might…] I put my hand into my pocket and secretly summoned a small crystal vial with a single Darkfire Infusion Pill inside.

“Oh?” Poppy took the vial as I handed it over. “It looks… interesting. I’m not quite familiar with such a pill. What is it?”

[Darkfire Infusion Pill. It can boost the power of a Golden Core by 20% for 20 minutes. And if I understand it correctly, it even works for Spirit Realm Cultivators, though to a lesser extent, and with fewer drawbacks.]

“Ah? That sounds pretty good… But we would have to confirm that claim before going any further.”

I didn’t expect her to know a pill I only recently found in the crazy Joyous Weed Sect, so I just nodded in agreement. It would be great if I could exchange all those worthless pills for something better.

We went up the stairs and came to a different room I recognized as an alchemy facility. Many people were working inside and the air smelled of medicine and herbs.

“Ah, young lady Crimson. Welcome.” An older man came to meet us and my guide bowed, so I did the same. The man was definitely a Spirit Realm Cultivator. I just hoped he couldn’t see through my disguise. Or maybe it would be better if he did. I wasn’t sure.

“What brings you here?”

“Greeting Elder Callom.” Poppy presented the vial. “We’ve come to ask your opinion about this pill. Its composition, effects, and worth. If you could…”

“Oh, a challenge!” Elder Callom took the vial with a smile. “Sure, come with me, let’s see what this thing can do.”

We followed him to an adjacent room so we could have peace and quiet as the main hall had people preparing ingredients and brewing elixirs. The Elder came to a large stone plate with arrays carved into it and uncorked the vial. He wrapped it Qi and then slowly moved it over to the middle while placing his hands on both sides of the stone slab.

The thing came to life and I could see a myriad of arrays overlapping as they encased the pill in a bright, colorful barrier. Symbols and colors moved before our eyes as the Elder expertly manipulated the energy of the arrays. I had absolutely no clue what any of it meant.

“Hmm, hmm. Very interesting.” The Elder murmured.

We remained quiet, not even daring to breathe loudly, until he finished.

“Hmm, very interesting indeed.”

“What did you learn, Elder?” Poppy asked with bright eyes. She seemed excited.

“Well…” The Elder stroked his short beard slowly. “I’m not completely sure about its composition since there are some things I do not fully recognize, but I can tell you my thoughts about its effects.”

Poppy looked at me and I gave a short nod, so she gave the go-ahead.

“So, this…”

“Darkfire Infusion Pill.” Poppy added.

“I see, so, this Darkfire Infusion Pill, interesting name, is quite a gem. It should create a powerful boost inside the body, stimulating the flow of Qi through the muscles as well as the Meridians. That would create a temporary boost in power, at the expense of damaging the body. There is a secondary component inside it that stimulates the metabolism, so it should be expelled from the system fairly quickly as well.”

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Elder Callom tapped his chin. “Probably to limit the side-effects, would be my guess. Ingenious, really.”

“What about the power? How strong is the boost?” Crimson Poppy asked.

“About a fifth to a quarter would be my guess, based on the amount of stimulant present. 20-25% and it seems to me that the effect is linear with the increase of the number of pills. As is the backlash. I would suggest classifying it as a life-saving item. Something to be used as a last resort.”

“Up to 25%?” Poppy asked, visibly shocked.

“It’s an approximation, but that should be the limit. It’s hard to tell exactly without testing it on a person.”

[Oh, so it’s even better than I thought.] That was a pleasant surprise.

Poppy looked at me and then turned back to the Elder. “And what about the price? An approximation is fine.”

“Well…” The Elder played with the vial in his hand. “Considering it should be used in emergencies… and the fact that the backlash is quite harsh… I would say 7 Spirit Stones would be the very upper limit. 5 Spirit Stones should be a nice middle ground.”

“Per pill?” Poppy gasped.

The Elder nodded. “It’s a powerful one. And I would suggest the user be at the peak of Golden Core with a strong body. Heck, maybe even a Spirit Realm Cultivator would benefit from it, though to a lesser extent since their Qi is already much more active.”

I liked to hear those words. I mentally rubbed my hands. The pill was a treasure! Even the Elder said it could help those in the Spirit Realm. That gave it much more credibility and worked great in my favor. I could see in Poppy’s eyes that she was already considering the implications.

The Elder returned the pill and we left the alchemy hall.

“So, do you wish to sell the pill or trade it for something?” She finally asked. “The Old House can give you a good price.”

[I do…] I smiled with much more confidence than I had displayed before. A few extra crystal vials appeared on my hand, filled with Darkfire Infusion Pills. I smiled with my wealth on display. [I would like to do a trade.]

***

After my guide recovered from the shock, she contacted her supervisor. It was another woman, though that one was much older and also in the Spirit Realm. I didn’t exactly confirm that, but it wasn’t hard to guess.

Crimson Poppy explained the situation, and though suspicious at first, after the older woman confirmed everything with Elder Collom, I was allowed to make my request.

“Blackshell Titan? Really?” Poppy sounded slightly disappointed. I don’t know what she expected, but I didn’t have enough pills to trade for the Shadowbeast.

“You know you have to be at the Golden Core to use it, right?”

[I know.] I smiled.

“Oh well, suit yourself…”

After a bit of back and forward we settled on the price of 12 pills for the Blood Essence. It was a bit on the expensive side, but such was life.

[The House always wins in the end, huh?] I murmured.

“What was that?”

[Oh, nothing.] I waved my hand. [How much for the Shadowbeast if I give you the rest of the pills?]

Poppy frowned and looked at her superior who lifted an eyebrow in surprise.

“You are not trying to scam the Old House, are you? These pills are not fake?” The woman said.

[I wouldn’t dream of it, Elder. I just have no use for them.]

“Nor do you have for the bloodlines…” She murmured but didn’t push the issue. “Very well. The Shadowbeast Blood Essence can be yours for just 200 Spirit Stones if you hand over the pills.”

It was the same price as the previous pills, so I accepted. I quickly took out the remaining crystals before they changed their mind.

Crimson Poppy looked at it all play out while the Elder pocketed the goods and then wrote something in her notebook. Probably recording the transaction.

We then left the room and she left while I just smiled stupidly with the vials of blood in my hands.

“Um…” It was Poppy’s turn to be awkward. “Usually we would offer you a chamber for the ritual after such a purchase, but...”

[Oh, you have that? Free of charge?]

“Well, yes, but…”

[Then let’s go!] I shouted in excitement. I couldn’t wait to get my new abilities. Buying powerups FTW!

I would have dragged Poppy behind me to go faster, but I didn’t know the way. So we slowly made our way through a corridor until we reached an empty chamber. It was all I expected it to be.

Empty, cold stone floor, a few bright lights, and a shelf for storing personal items.

[A permanent Formation? That’s nice!] I was happy that I didn’t have to draw it manually again. There were empty grooves carved into the floor that would still have to be filled with blood, but that was the easy part.

“Yes, this is where people would usually do it, but that’s after they reach the Golden Core and-”

[I know.] I interrupted her and placed the vials on the shelf. Then I took off my robe.

“What- what are you doing?” She stammered, her face turning crimson.

I turned around and grinned. [I like you, you are funny.]

She gave the most confused expression you can imagine and I almost burst out laughing. My fake weakness was too convincing. Well, that soon ended.

I took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled. My body began to expand. My bones elongated and returned to their original size. My flesh inflated, no longer constrained to its smaller, weaker form. I grew from a small boy into a giant. While before she was taller than me, after the transformation was complete, I towered over her. Luckily the ceiling was high up, made for large people like everything else so I didn’t hit my head.

“Ah…” She gasped and then immediately became alert, pulling a dagger from somewhere.

[Hahaha! Put the knife away Poppy, I’m not going to bite.]

“Y- you, you…” She was clearly too shocked to speak. I know, I would be stunned too if such a handsome man just suddenly appeared before me. Her expression was really funny. There was really nothing better than pretending to be weak and then displaying my true power at the perfect moment.

“You are so big!” She finally said, eyes wide. I just gave her a smile.

♫ [I’m both big and strong, with a massive, tasty schlong.] ♫

[How much to pay for your silence?]

“I… what? I… work here. I can’t lie to the Elders.” She said quietly.

I squeezed a Spirit Stone into her hand and looked her in the eyes. [But, if they don’t ask, you don’t have to tell, right? I’m not asking you to lie, just, you know… Shhh.] I placed my finger over my lips and gave her a wink. She blushed and quickly looked away. I was still in my underwear, maybe that played a role.

I then gently placed my hand over hers and took the knife.

[Nice blade. May I?]

She didn’t say anything and just stared. I took that as a yes.

I sat on the ground in the middle of the formation and then sliced open my arm, letting the flood accumulate as it floated in the air before me, suspended there with the power of my mind. I then added a delicious crystal, I mean the beast core, and ground it down, before mixing the two together.

After I was done, I let the newly formed ink flow, and it spread out through the channels, forming the Formation. I then closed my eyes and released the knife, letting it float above me.

[Let the games begin.] I whispered and plunged the weapon into my back.