Capítulo 135 — Persona e identidade secreta

Shen Mo sent a thought through his mind, withdrawing the nether earth-fire from the alchemy cauldron back into his dantian.

"Using earth-fire for alchemy is truly convenient," he mused. "No need to chop wood or tend to flames, it responds perfectly to my will, and it even enhances the quality of the pills. It is no wonder those alchemists and master blacksmiths covet it so, exhausting their fortunes just to pursue a single strand of their desired earth-fire. The Alchemy Tower holds many treasures; once I have maxed out the proficiency for the remaining four types of spirit pills, I shall return and fleece it thoroughly!"

Suppressing these distracting thoughts, Shen Mo swallowed an Exorcism Origin Pill. Simultaneously, he began to circulate the *Purple Mansion Heart Sutra*.

[You have consumed an Exorcism Origin Pill. Its medicinal power is being refined by the Purple Mansion Heart Sutra, and the pill toxins within your body are being continuously purged.]

As the pill reached his stomach, a sensation of coolness spread through his abdomen. Then, as the *Purple Mansion Heart Sutra* circulated, a sharp, burning sensation emerged in his dantian, meridians, and internal organs. Gradually, the cooling force spread throughout his body, acting like an invading army claiming territory. The stinging sensation did not diminish; instead, it intensified, causing beads of sweat to form on Shen Mo’s forehead, nearly forcing him to interrupt his cultivation.

"Cough!"

"Cough, cough!"

With a sudden, violent bout of coughing, he expelled a cloud of gray-white mist. Simultaneously, the sharp, burning sensation throughout his body began to subside until it vanished completely.

"Not bad!"

Shen Mo felt a sense of total comfort, as if he had just taken a refreshing cold shower. "Eighty to ninety percent of the pill toxins in my body are gone; they will no longer affect my cultivation. Consuming two more Exorcism Origin Pills should clear the toxins entirely. If they were of perfect or supreme quality, a single pill would have sufficed!"

Even among pills of the same type and grade, the difference in quality could lead to vastly different medicinal effects, sometimes varying by dozens of times. Refining higher-quality pills was the tireless pursuit of every alchemist, and Shen Mo was no exception. With his Destiny Panel to assist him, he was confident that one day, he would be able to refine supreme-grade pills for everything he set his hand to.

He continued to refine and sell pills, earning spirit stones to fuel his martial practice. However, it wasn't long before Shen Mo encountered trouble. The frequent sale of high-quality pills had finally caught the attention of those with ulterior motives.

Within Jiyun Town, protected by a Yuan Dan ancestor and maintained by a garrison, those with ill intent dared not act within the marketplace. But once outside the town, they had no such scruples.

Shen Mo masked his identity with a bamboo hat and white robe, careful not to reveal he was a disciple of the Linjiang Sect. Consequently, in the eyes of his pursuers, he was merely a cash cow growing in the wild.

The three cultivators who intercepted him were all mid-stage Qi Gathering realm practitioners, spanning the fourth, fifth, and sixth levels. They did not intend to kill him and seize his resources; rather, they sought to subdue and imprison him, turning him into a tireless beast of burden to refine pills for their profit.

To them, dealing with a fourth-level Qi Gathering cultivator using three mid-stage experts was as easy as grabbing a snail with three fingers—a sure success.

The result?

They were swept up by Shen Mo’s Soul Refining Banner, transformed into three soul generals amid the swirling shadows of heavenly demons.

What Shen Mo found most unacceptable was that these three were paupers. After ransacking their storage bags, he found only materials and talismans worth less than three hundred spirit stones. There were a few incomplete evil cultivation techniques, but Shen Mo found them beneath his notice and tossed them into a corner of his storage bag to gather dust.

Such was the state of most cultivators: they always spent more than they earned. While Shen Mo’s alchemical and talisman-making skills were advancing by leaps and bounds, bringing in a steady stream of stones, his expenses were even greater.

This incident served as a wake-up call. If he continued to set up a stall in the Jiyun Town marketplace, his fourth-level Qi Gathering cultivation would no longer be enough to deter petty thieves.

"Ying! Ying!"

The Spirit-Treasury Mouse, thinking it was being called a "petty thief," crawled out from his pet pouch. It scrambled up his clothes, climbed onto his shoulder, and rubbed against his cheek.

"I wasn't talking about you, you glutton!" Shen Mo flicked the little creature’s head and handed it a piece of dried meat made from a thousand-year-old python. Only then did the mouse return to its pouch, satisfied.

"I must find a way to resolve this hidden danger. Today it was mid-stage Qi Gathering cultivators; tomorrow it might be those at the late stage, or perhaps even a Spirit Sea realm expert might feel tempted."

It was common knowledge in the cultivation world that skilled alchemists were lucrative. His frequent sales of high-quality first-grade pills, including some of perfect or supreme quality, showed his alchemy was exceptional—if not already at the second-grade level, he was very close. Given his apparent fourth-level cultivation and his guise as a rogue cultivator, he was a target for anyone.

"Revealing myself as an inner disciple of the Linjiang Sect is also unwise. The sect is not a place of peace and harmony. Even among fellow disciples—let alone the backstabbing one sees in the world—greed often turns kin into enemies. Since my current cultivation cannot deter the masses, I shall forge a formidable alter ego."

Having made his decision, Shen Mo did not set up his stall when he went down the mountain to sell his pills. Sensing several malicious gazes lingering on him within the market, he cursed internally, "A bunch of clowns, thinking I’m an easy target!" He then walked boldly into the Treasure Alchemy Pavilion.

He had been here before; it was where he had bought his Red Cloud Cauldron and stumbled upon the alchemy insights of the master Red Cloud. He frequently visited this shop to purchase materials. Through these visits, he had become well-acquainted with the short, stout shopkeeper.

"Ah, our regular customer! What can I get for you today?" The shopkeeper greeted him with a smile. Even with his face and physique masked, the shopkeeper recognized him by his mannerisms and aura. Plus, the shopkeeper's porter, He Qi, had once carried the Red Cloud Cauldron into the Linjiang Sect's outer gate with Shen Mo.

Shen Mo knew the shopkeeper was well aware he was a Linjiang Sect disciple, but as the saying goes, some things are better left unsaid. He was happy to do business with a man who understood the rules.

"Shopkeeper, do you purchase second-grade pills?" Shen Mo asked directly.

The Treasure Alchemy Pavilion specialized in alchemy supplies but didn't seem to sell finished pills, hence the question. If they didn't buy them, he would simply go elsewhere.

"We do, we do!" The stout shopkeeper nodded eagerly, smiling broadly. "You might not know this, but the Ascension Pill Shop not far from here is also a property of ours!"