As the two conversed, not far from them, an incredibly opulent building came into view.
Upon the grand plaque hanging high, four characters were clearly inscribed.
Azure Flame Medicine Pavilion.
The entrance of the Azure Flame Medicine Pavilion was bustling with people, countless powerful cultivators entering and exiting.
However, most of them were at the Void Return stage, insignificant in Li Qi's eyes.
Li Qi and Gu Mengping walked into the Azure Flame Medicine Pavilion together.
As expected of a place named "Medicine Pavilion," the Azure Flame Medicine Pavilion sold the most precious and high-end elixirs in the Void Black Market.
As soon as they entered, a rich aroma of elixirs permeated the air.
The grand hall of the Azure Flame Medicine Pavilion was also exquisitely decorated.
The cultivators entering the hall were divided into groups, queuing at several counters in different directions to purchase the elixirs they needed.
Seeing this, Li Qi and Gu Mengping also intended to find a less crowded queue.
But before they could find one.
Beside them, a woman with a charming face, dressed in a seductive and alluring manner like a maid, approached Li Qi and said respectfully.
"Esteemed sir, have you come to our Azure Flame Medicine Pavilion to purchase elixirs? Please follow me."
Li Qi stared at the maid in front of him, then glanced at the people queuing, all of whom were at the Void Return stage.
He sighed inwardly, realizing the prestige of a Dao Integration stage cultivator. They even had a dedicated attendant.
Li Qi nodded slightly.
"Yes, I've come to buy Dao Integration Pills."
Upon hearing this, a flicker of surprise flashed in the eyes of the charming maid. She looked at Gu Mengping, who was at the peak of the Void Return stage, standing beside Li Qi, and a look of understanding dawned on her face.
She then respectfully pointed the way for Li Qi.
"Sir, the public counters in the main hall do not carry Dao Integration Pills. Please follow me to the VIP lounge."
Li Qi and Gu Mengping exchanged glances and, without hesitation, followed her.
Before long, the maid led them to a small room. The room was decorated in a simple yet elegant ancient style, exuding a sense of tranquility.
Under the maid's arrangement, Li Qi and Gu Mengping sat in the small room.
The maid then said,
"Guests, please wait a moment. I will invite the manager to attend to you."
With that, the maid left the small room.
Soon, a middle-aged man in a yellow robe pushed open the door of the small room and walked in.
He looked at Li Qi and Gu Mengping in the room.
The yellow-robed man smiled kindly and cupped his hands towards Li Qi.
"I am Huang Hao, the manager of the Azure Flame Medicine Pavilion. You are here to purchase Dao Integration Pills, correct?"
Li Qi looked at Huang Hao, who introduced himself as the manager, and a look of surprise appeared in his eyes.
Judging by the aura emanating from Huang Hao, he was a cultivator at the second level of Dao Integration.
"Yes, how much is a Dao Integration Pill?"
Li Qi nodded and asked calmly.
Hearing this, Huang Hao's expression remained unchanged, and he smiled.
"My fellow Daoist, the Dao Integration Pills we sell here are called 'Compound Breakthrough Pills.' They are priced at eight million spirit stones each."
Dao Integration Pills, of course, did not refer to a single type of elixir but rather all elixirs that could help Void Return stage cultivators increase their chances of breaking through.
They were simply called Dao Integration Pills for convenience.
Upon hearing the price of the Dao Integration Pills, Gu Mengping's eyes widened.
"Eight million spirit stones? How can it be so much more expensive? I heard that over three hundred years ago, Dao Integration Pills were only six or seven million spirit stones."
Six or seven million was already a sky-high price for Gu Mengping, and now the Dao Integration Pills had increased by over a million, reaching eight million!
This... this was outrageous!
Huang Hao's smile remained. He knew that the intended buyer of the Dao Integration Pill was likely Gu Mengping, who stood beside Li Qi.
After all, Li Qi, who was at the Dao Integration stage, had no need for them.
"Heh heh, honored guest, as you mentioned, the price of six or seven million spirit stones was over three hundred years ago. It's quite normal for it to be a bit more expensive after three centuries, isn't it?"
"Moreover, you might not know, but the Compound Breakthrough Pills sold at our Azure Flame Medicine Pavilion have undergone many improvements compared to those from over three hundred years ago, and their effects are even greater."
"Not to mention the costs of research, development, and the labor of our alchemists at the Azure Flame Medicine Pavilion, even calculating the total price of the herbs required for the Compound Breakthrough Pills alone is extremely expensive."
"Some of the herbs are even unobtainable in the lower realms. It is only because our Azure Flame Medicine Pavilion has connections in the Upper Realm that we can acquire the necessary spirit herbs. Otherwise, it's questionable if this entire Void Black Market would even have Dao Integration Pills for sale."
As he spoke, Huang Hao's face showed a hint of pride.
Not a single word he spoke was false.
Although both the Azure Cloud Realm of the Upper Realm and the smaller worlds of the Lower Realm used spirit stones as currency, the Upper Realm was, after all, the Upper Realm. Relatively speaking, the concentration of spirit energy and the abundance of various resources were incomparable to the Lower Realm.
For instance, some special mineral veins or heavenly spiritual herbs were completely impossible to produce in the impoverished Lower Realm. Only powerful worlds like the Upper Realm had the capacity to produce such treasures.
Then, Huang Hao's expression returned to calm as he looked at Gu Mengping.
"If you are unwilling to purchase, you are welcome to try your luck at the public trading area on the other side. Perhaps someone else might be selling other Dao Integration Pills. However, the last time I heard of anyone selling Dao Integration Pills was over a hundred years ago."
The implication in his words was crystal clear.
The Compound Breakthrough Pill was the only Dao Integration Pill in this Void Black Market, a monopoly. If they didn't buy it, there would be nowhere else to find it.
Gu Mengping's brow furrowed deeply.
He had only brought three masses of Heaven's Will from the fourth level of Void Return on this trip, equivalent to seven and a half million spirit stones. He was still short fifty thousand spirit stones.
Gu Mengping rummaged through his spatial ring. Due to his previous actions of collecting Heaven's Will from outside the realm, he had acquired quite a few spirit stones.
But in total, it was only about three hundred thousand spirit stones. A substantial amount, but not enough.
He was still short two hundred thousand spirit stones.
Gu Mengping's eyes turned to Li Qi. With a gritted jaw, he requested,
"Fellow Daoist Li, if possible, could you lend me two hundred thousand spirit stones to purchase the Dao Integration Pill? If you agree, I am willing to offer you Heaven's Will worth two hundred thousand spirit stones as compensation upon our return."
Li Qi's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this.
"We are from the same place. Forget about dividing the Heaven's Will from your own small world. Just make sure to gather the spirit stones and repay me promptly."
With that, Li Qi reached into his spatial ring and produced two hundred thousand spirit stones, handing them to Gu Mengping.
"Thank you, thank you."
Gratitude flickered across Gu Mengping's face.
Having gathered the eight million spirit stones,
Gu Mengping handed the equivalent value of Heaven's Will and spirit stones to Huang Hao. Huang Hao then presented a Compound Breakthrough Pill for Gu Mengping to inspect.
Once they confirmed the pill was in order,
The two immediately left the Azure Flame Medicine Pavilion.
Stepping out of the Azure Flame Medicine Pavilion, Gu Mengping's expression was not entirely pleasant.
The exorbitant price of eight million spirit stones this time had exceeded his expectations. But there was nothing he could do... monopolistic businesses were indeed that profitable.
Just then, Li Qi's voice rang out.
"Since your matter is settled, wait for me for a while. I also need to buy some things. We'll return together later."
Hearing this, Gu Mengping didn't think much of it and didn't ask what Li Qi was going to do.
"Naturally. Fellow Daoist Li, please go ahead. I will wait for you."
The two then agreed on a meeting place, and Li Qi headed in a different direction.