Mo Dao Merchant Association, Headquarters.
Guild Leader Mo Qiong sat imposingly in the grand hall as always.
However, at this moment, as Mo Qiong looked at the message delivered by his subordinate, his eyes furrowed slightly.
"What! You're saying that Zhao Qin and the three cultivators at the ninth level of Tribulation who went with him are all dead? Did the Penguin Medicine Pavilion do this?"
Before Mo Qiong, a kneeling cultivator trembled slightly and nodded.
Upon receiving the affirmative answer, Mo Qiong's brow furrowed even deeper, and his calm inquiry echoed again.
"Do you know the specifics of what happened?"
"Yes, Guild Leader. There were many domain masters of small worlds and planes in the vicinity of where this incident occurred. It was easy to get information."
The scout before Mo Qiong spoke quickly.
He then proceeded to recount to Mo Qiong the information he had gathered and compiled from numerous domain masters in the surrounding decentralized regions.
When Mo Qiong heard that Li Qi had acted and effortlessly crushed Zhao Qin and the other three cultivators at the ninth level of Tribulation in a dominant fashion, a flicker of shock, unprecedented even for him, arose in Mo Qiong's eyes.
As the Guild Leader of the Mo Dao Merchant Association, he was aware of Zhao Qin's strength.
Although he was merely an ordinary cultivator at the peak of Tribulation, his combat experience and the assistance of the three cultivators at the ninth level of Tribulation personally sought by Zhao Qin meant that he would not have been so easily crushed, even when facing a cultivator at the peak of Tribulation who was truly comparable to a half-step Great Ascension.
"To think that the Penguin Medicine Pavilion harbors such a terrifying existence."
Someone who could so easily crush an ordinary peak Tribulation cultivator and three at the ninth level of Tribulation could not possibly be a peak Tribulation cultivator who had only just reached the combat power of a half-step Great Ascension.
This would at least require a peak Tribulation cultivator who had long immersed themselves in the combat power of a half-step Great Ascension.
Yet, there were not many individuals with such strength even in the Qingrao Domain.
For instance, decades ago, Qin Zhang, the guild leader of the annihilated Qin Yang Merchant Association, was one such person – a peak Tribulation cultivator whose combat power had truly reached its apex, a half-step Great Ascension.
Where did this power come from!
A deep sense of apprehension flickered in Mo Qiong's eyes.
The most pressing issue now was his complete lack of understanding regarding the background of the Penguin Medicine Pavilion.
Concurrently, Mo Qiong felt a sense of relief that he had not personally intervened this time, thus exposing the entire Mo Dao Merchant Association to open danger.
Otherwise, facing such a peak Tribulation expert at the zenith of combat power would have presented considerable trouble even for the Mo Dao Merchant Association to handle.
Mo Qiong's expression was serene, his gaze profound, making it impossible to discern his current thoughts.
"You may go now."
"Your subordinate takes his leave."
The cultivator who had come to report to Mo Qiong bowed and quickly withdrew, leaving Mo Qiong alone.
"Trouble indeed."
After a long silence, Mo Qiong couldn't help but sigh, a hint of vexation clouding his face as he murmured.
Why did it have to be their Mo Dao Merchant Association's Jade Dew Concentric Pill? Why couldn't it be those modified, sky-high-priced elixirs sold by other merchant associations?
Mo Qiong rubbed his somewhat sore eyes.
However, the only ray of hope was that this power called Penguin Medicine Pavilion, despite selling a more potent Jade Dew Concentric Pill, showed no signs of expanding outwards.
If they were to expand, with an even more potent Jade Dew Concentric Pill on the market, no cultivator would likely be willing to purchase their Mo Dao Merchant Association's elixirs.
Their only recourse would be to lower the price of the Jade Dew Concentric Pill and sell it at a bargain.
But that would mean a significant loss of profit.
After all, while prosperous regions were easier to earn resources from than remote areas, the consumption of resources was also at a much larger scale.
In the short term, Mo Qiong truly had no perfect solution to deal with the Penguin Medicine Pavilion.
"Alas, first send people to seal off information about the location of the Penguin Medicine Pavilion. Don't let news of the Jade Dew Concentric Pill leak out."
Mo Qiong spoke to himself.
After all, the Qingrao Domain was vast. Without deliberate promotion, if the matter of the Penguin Medicine Pavilion was only discussed among acquaintances, the number of cultivators who would learn about the more potent Jade Dew Concentric Pill from the Penguin Medicine Pavilion would actually be quite small given the vastness of the Qingrao Domain.
Furthermore, even though there was competition among merchant associations and among cultivators, those cultivators who needed the Jade Dew Concentric Pill would not be foolish enough to spread word about the Penguin Medicine Pavilion's more effective elixir.
After all, compared to a crowd scrambling to buy, it was much easier to purchase when there were fewer people.
If even more people were to rush to buy, and the Penguin Medicine Pavilion either increased prices or, due to production limitations, they couldn't buy it, they would have no one to blame.
Therefore, most cultivators who knew about the existence of such a beneficial elixir would generally not inform outsiders.
It could be said that as long as the Penguin Medicine Pavilion did not expand on its own, the loss of business in that small area was something the Mo Dao Merchant Association could easily bear.
"Let's leave it at that for now."
Mo Qiong murmured, and his figure finally slowly disappeared from the grand hall.
...
In a deserted asteroid field where few dared to tread.
After his last outing to intimidate the Penguin Medicine Pavilion and display his strength, Li Qi had returned to his hidden formation within his secluded abode, a place he had occupied for several decades and could be considered a relatively prosperous location.
Two years passed in the blink of an eye.
At this moment, Li Qi was not engaged in modifying new medicinal formulas.
The primary reason was that Li Qi knew that after two years, he would need to summon his two natal spirit puppets.
If he were to be disturbed again midway, it would greatly disrupt his train of thought.
Therefore, after returning that day, Li Qi had no intention of continuing to research new medicinal formulas.
Instead, Li Qi took advantage of that time to digest the feedback from his Gate of Nirvana, thereby improving his cultivation.
Combined with decades of research into medicinal principles and the immense feedback of pure energy received in a short period, Li Qi's cultivation, though not yet at the peak of the fourth level of Tribulation, had already made significant progress within that realm.
And at this very moment, Li Qi's eyes finally opened.
Two years had passed, and the cooldown period for his two natal spirit puppets had ended.
The moment he opened his eyes, Li Qi willed it, and then spoke!
"Come out, my second and third natal spirit puppets."
The next moment.
Before Li Qi, the long-absent second and third natal spirit puppets were generated.