Seeing everyone's cheers, Qin Feng was also very happy, as this was part of his plan. As long as these people brought him a continuous supply of alchemical ingredients, his alchemy skills would improve, and as his reputation spread, powerful individuals would surely come to visit. At that time, he could seize the opportunity to complete his next step.
Hearing the commotion at the inn's entrance, Ye Shen and the guards from the two sects also came out.
They were all very surprised to see so many medicinal herbs displayed at the inn's entrance. Qin Feng briefly explained to them. Ye Shen quickly understood that these herbs were for alchemy, and the guards from the two sects were very respectful of Qin Feng's words. Although they didn't know what these herbs were for, they understood that the "God of Wealth" before them had a particular fondness for medicinal herbs.
One of them immediately said, "This kind of medicinal herb is not rare. If you want it, I can also get it for you without needing outsiders. What do you think?"
Qin Feng shook his head and said, "You two, I have other things for you to do. You don't need to trouble yourselves with collecting medicinal herbs. Now, I'll ask you two to settle the accounts for these herbs, and then I'll write a few lists and give them to you to distribute to them, asking them to find these medicinal herbs. From now on, you two will be my stewards, responsible for settling all payments for these goods, and I will also give you a certain profit."
The two immediately nodded. Being stewards for this "God of Wealth" was a great advantage, much more beneficial than simply transporting medicinal herbs.
The two immediately patted their chests and said, "Don't worry, we will not disappoint you in our work."
Qin Feng nodded, then beckoned the two into the inn. He explained the rules to them and offered to purchase each medicinal herb at double the market price. For every payment settled, these stewards would receive a substantial income. They were already overjoyed, firmly believing that Qin Feng was a true "God of Wealth."
They had never seen anyone spend money so lavishly. By staying by his side, they were sure to become rich and prosperous in the future. Therefore, they worked diligently. They took the lists of medicinal herbs written by Qin Feng and went out, informing everyone present of the herbs Qin Feng needed and urging them to procure them quickly. They also settled the payments for these people, allowing everyone to leave with joy and dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to Qin Feng's service.
Afterward, Qin Feng asked the two to find him a quiet place in the town where he would not be disturbed, as he intended to refine alchemy there in peace.
The two were very familiar with the area. Upon hearing Qin Feng's instructions, they immediately found a family and offered a high price for them to move out. Qin Feng was very satisfied with this place. It was originally inhabited by a farmer who lived a leisurely life, tending to his crops and enjoying the natural scenery.
The environment was beautiful and undisturbed, surrounded by fields with no other people in sight.
Ye Shen was also pleased with the environment.
The two guards settled Qin Feng in, then turned and left. They needed to return to the inn in town to settle accounts with the medicinal herb vendors and arrange for the transportation of the herbs once a sufficient quantity had been accumulated.
Qin Feng had made these arrangements specifically to avoid being disturbed, and seeing the two guards leave, he could finally focus on alchemy with peace of mind.
Ye Shen also did not remain idle. She held a spirit stone in her hand and sat cross-legged on the ground, absorbing the power within the spirit stone to enhance her own strength.
After a moment, the spirit stone shattered, and her strength increased slightly. She stood up, very pleased, and said, "Fantastic! This spirit stone is truly magical. If its power is absorbed, it instantly becomes one's own strength. With enough of these magical things, wouldn't we be invincible?"
After saying this, she noticed Qin Feng's indifferent expression and scratched her head, asking, "Why didn't you ask those two guys to exchange for more spirit stones? The power in this thing can be directly absorbed by us, isn't that simpler than alchemy?"
Qin Feng naturally knew that the power of spirit stones could be absorbed by him, but that was dependent on one's cultivation realm.
If the power within spirit stones could continuously increase his strength, he wouldn't bother with alchemy.
Therefore, he explained, "The power within spirit stones is very helpful to you, but it is useless to me. The power within spirit stones is indeed very pure and can be directly absorbed into the body without side effects, directly increasing one's strength. However, this is only effective for those below the Golden Core stage. Now that my strength has reached the Golden Core stage, the power within spirit stones will no longer bring about realm advancements. Although it can temporarily increase my strength a bit, once I reach a bottleneck, no amount of spirit stones will yield any further gains. That is why I choose alchemy over absorbing the power of spirit stones!"
Hearing Qin Feng's explanation, Ye Shen nodded and said, "Oh! How do you know that? Did those two guards tell you?"
Qin Feng shook his head and said, "The moment I obtained the spirit stone, I understood the power contained within it. It's like a fish entering water and naturally knowing how to swim. I can sense what kind of changes this power can bring. You will understand when you reach the Golden Core stage!"
Hearing this, Ye Shen nodded and then asked, "Can I use the power of spirit stones to increase my strength to the Golden Core stage?"
Qin Feng nodded and said, "Of course, you can. However, it requires a very large number of spirit stones to achieve that. If you were to exchange these spirit stones for money to buy medicinal herbs, you might be able to reach a higher realm. Directly absorbing the power of spirit stones is not cost-effective. Using it as a currency for transactions is its true value."
Hearing this, Ye Shen fell into a dilemma. She didn't know whether to continue cultivating, wait for Qin Feng's alchemy skills to mature, or directly purchase items to enhance her strength in this world.
Qin Feng knew that Ye Shen was currently experiencing decision paralysis. He directly said, "Don't worry! Your current strength doesn't require you to overthink things. Just use the power of spirit stones to improve yourself. By the time you start finding the power within spirit stones too weak, I believe my alchemy skills should have already achieved some success."
Hearing this, Ye Shen's eyes lit up, and she exclaimed with surprise, "Really? That's great! I want to advance my strength further before this 30-day period is up, hahaha..."
With that, Ye Shen began to cultivate. It now took her an hour to fully absorb the power of one spirit stone. They had exchanged hundreds of spirit stones, which was enough for her to cultivate during this time.
Qin Feng was also not idle. He finished organizing the medicinal herbs and took out his alchemy furnace to begin refining pills.