Chapter 439: Chapter 439: Collective Breakthrough
Many of the Martial Artists in front of the opposing Qin family Pharmacy erupted into a frenzy of discussion, like a pot boiling over. They roared with laughter, as almost everyone believed Ye Xuan was bragging and lying.
"Looks like the Luo family is really done for. To think they’d stoop to telling such lies. What future could a family like that possibly have?"
In the distance, the upper echelons of the other three great Alchemy Dao titans shook their heads and sighed. Their gazes were filled with pity, mockery, or disdain. Most of them looked at Ye Xuan as if he were a mere clown.
Faced with such intense ridicule and sneering from the crowd, Ye Xuan simply maintained a faint smile.
"So what’s the price of your Luo family’s Chongxuan Pill?" a Martial Artist asked, his tone laced with sarcasm.
As if he hadn’t heard the sarcasm in the man’s voice, Ye Xuan continued, "Here at the Profound Pill Pavilion, we consider it our duty to give back to the world’s Martial Artists. Therefore, our prices are absolutely unbeatable."
"Take the Third Grade Chongxuan Pill, for example. The market price for one that boosts the success rate by twenty percent is 100,000 Profound Coins. A thirty-percent boost costs 200,000, and a forty-percent boost costs 300,000. But for our Luo family’s Pills? A pill with a forty-percent boost costs only 200,000 Profound Coins. A sixty-percent boost is 300,000, and an eighty-percent boost is 500,000."
"And so on. The Fourth Grade Breaking Profound Pill and the Fifth Grade Nixuan Pill follow a similar pricing structure."
The moment Ye Xuan finished speaking, East Street erupted in discussion once more.
Far from convincing the crowd, Ye Xuan’s announced prices only made them more suspicious.
The Qin family had been in the business of breakthrough Pills for over a thousand years. They had optimized their material costs and crafting processes to the bare minimum, yet their pills with a forty-percent success rate still sold for 300,000 Profound Coins. How could the Luo family possibly sell theirs for only 200,000? It seemed impossible.
Although consumers generally want prices to be as low as possible, many also firmly believed in the saying, "you get what you pay for."
If a family like the Qin family launched a new Pill, people might believe it. But the Luo family? A minor house, a second-rate power at best in the empire’s Pill market, launching such a revolutionary Pill?
Who would believe that?
Whether anyone else would believe it or not, not a single Martial Artist or noble present did.
For a time, the entire street was filled with sounds of mockery and debate, but not a single person actually stepped forward to make a purchase.
"Father, just watch. I’m about to add some fuel to the fire and completely ruin the Luo family’s reputation."
On the second-floor balcony of the Qin family Pharmacy, Qin Yu gave a cunning smile and shot a meaningful glance at a Martial Artist in the crowd below.
The Martial Artist understood. He immediately stepped out from the crowd and said loudly, "Hey kid, you’ve made the Pills from your Profound Pill Pavilion sound so miraculous that I’m tempted to try one. But your Profound Pill Pavilion is just a small-time operation, and it’s not easy for us Martial Artists to save up money. What if you’re trying to scam us?"
Ye Xuan smiled faintly. "Here at the Profound Pill Pavilion, we are open for business, and our primary principle is integrity. We would never exaggerate the effects of our Pills. They do what we say they do. If anyone discovers that we have falsely advertised our Pills, just provide the evidence, and we guarantee we will pay ten for every fake."
The Martial Artist’s eyes darted. "Pay ten for every fake? Is there really such a good deal? With so many people here today, I trust your Profound Pill Pavilion wouldn’t dare to just scam people. I, Li Daniu, am not afraid to try new things! I originally came here today to buy a Chongxuan Pill from the Qin family for my breakthrough. Since you’ve made yours sound so divine, come on! Give me one of your Chongxuan Pills to try. Let’s see if its effect is really as amazing as you claim."
"And which grade would you require?" Ye Xuan asked, glancing at him with a half-smile.
"The very best one, of course! The one with an eighty-percent success rate! I, Li Daniu, have roamed the empire for more than a decade, and this is the first time I’ve ever heard of a Chongxuan Pill with such a high success rate."
"Here! Here’s 500,000 Profound Coins. I want to test it right here, right now."
For a mere Earth Martial Artist of the Second Layer like him to claim he had "roamed the empire" immediately drew a round of laughter from the crowd. Still, he had captured their attention. Everyone was now curious to see if the Profound Pill Pavilion’s Pills were truly as amazing as advertised.
An eighty-percent success rate was practically a guarantee of a breakthrough.
If Li Daniu failed to break through, it would obviously prove that the Profound Pill Pavilion was a scam.
This was precisely the outcome Qin Yu was counting on when he deliberately sent Li Daniu up to test the pill.
Soon, a special-grade Chongxuan Pill was delivered into Li Daniu’s hands.
Without hesitation, Li Daniu sneered inwardly, sat down right there in the street, and took the pill in front of everyone.
In that instant, all eyes were fixed on him.
In the middle of the street, Li Daniu swallowed the special-grade Chongxuan Pill in one gulp.
The moment the Pill entered his stomach, a unique medicinal power immediately began to circulate through his body. It started to guide his Profound Qi, pushing him toward the Third Layer of the Earth Martial Artist realm.
’Heh, so this Profound Pill Pavilion’s Pill actually has some kick to it?’
Li Daniu sneered inwardly. He didn’t circulate his Profound Qi or make any attempt to break through the barrier to the next layer. Instead, he fortified his will and actively tried to suppress the medicinal power from spreading.
He might have looked like a simple-minded brute, but he was actually quite meticulous. He knew exactly what Young Master Qin Yu wanted him to do. The goal wasn’t to break through, but to fail, so he could thoroughly humiliate the Profound Pill Pavilion.
However, to his surprise, even though he was deliberately suppressing it, the Chongxuan Pill’s medicinal power rapidly diffused anyway. An overwhelmingly strong force surged up from within him.
’This is bad.’
Li Daniu was alarmed and hastily tried to suppress it, but before he could even react...
CRACK.
Something inside him seemed to shatter, and a much more powerful force burst forth from his body.
"He broke through! The guy actually broke through!"
"From the Second Layer of the Earth Martial Artist realm to the Third Layer... That was so fast! It only took a few breaths!"
"Could this Li Daniu be a plant hired by the Profound Pill Pavilion?"
"That’s impossible, isn’t it? You can hire a plant for other things, but a breakthrough? With so many experts present, including quite a few Tier Six Martial Venerables, how could they possibly be fooled?"
"Could it be... that the Profound Pill Pavilion’s Chongxuan Pill is really that miraculous?"
Seeing Li Daniu break through, the crowd erupted once more. Discussions broke out everywhere, and many people were now genuinely interested in the Profound Pill Pavilion’s Chongxuan Pill.
Qin Yu’s expression suddenly turned ugly.
He never would have imagined that his attempt to frame the Profound Pill Pavilion would end up creating hype for them instead.
At his side, Qin Feng and the others shot Qin Yu a displeased look.
"Father, that must have been an accident. This time, there will be no mistakes."
With a hint of panic on his face, Qin Yu immediately sent out another set of orders via voice transmission, cursing inwardly, ’That Li Daniu is a complete idiot. Didn’t he know to suppress it?’
Even as he cursed, he looked down at the street with anticipation.
Sure enough, after he sent the transmission, a series of voices rang out.
"That Li Daniu actually broke through."
"Is it really that miraculous?"
"I’ll give it a try too!"
Within a few breaths, seven or eight Martial Artists stepped out from the crowd in front of the Qin family Pharmacy. Every single one of them was an Earth Martial Artist, either at the First or Second Layer, and all had reached the peak of their respective minor realms, just one step away from a breakthrough.
These Martial Artists had, in fact, been arranged by the Qin family long ago.
Their original purpose had been to promote the success rate of their own pharmacy’s pills during its grand opening, but the event had been so successful that they weren’t needed.
Now, with the Profound Pill Pavilion opening, a new plan had immediately formed in Qin Yu’s mind.
A Martial Artist’s breakthrough depends not only on the Pill, but also on the Martial Artist’s own cooperation. That part is essential.
Qin Yu had already given his orders: after taking the Pill, these Martial Artists were to suppress their cultivation with all their might and do everything they could to prevent a breakthrough.
Qin Yu was confident that by doing so, few, if any, of the seven or eight Martial Artists would manage to break through.
At that point, he could immediately launch his attack and completely crush the Profound Pill Pavilion.
At this thought, a smug smile involuntarily touched the corners of Qin Yu’s lips.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the seven or eight Martial Artists wasted no words. Each one grandly slapped down 500,000 Profound Coins and bought a special-grade Chongxuan Pill.
"An eighty-percent chance of breakthrough? That’s practically a sure thing!"
"Heh heh, I’m going to take it right here and now to see if this pill is real or fake."
"If I don’t break through and expose this scam, I’ll get ten times my money back!"
Each of the seven or eight Martial Artists, harboring ulterior motives, let their shifty eyes roam before sitting down cross-legged in public and consuming the Pills.
"Young Master Ye, something isn’t right," Luo Min said, a little nervous. "I thought I saw Qin Yu transmit some kind of order just now. Those Martial Artists... they couldn’t be plants from the Qin family, could they?"
"They were most likely arranged by the Qin family," Elder Lu Li, who was standing to the side, suddenly spoke up. "Those Martial Artists were using voice transmissions with each other earlier, and they exchanged glances with Qin Yu."
With his sharp perception, Lu Li naturally noticed many things that others could not.
"What do we do?" Luo Min’s face was etched with anxiety. For the Qin family to do this, they were clearly up to no good.
"Patriarch Luo, everyone, you can all just relax and watch."
On the high platform, a confident smile played on Ye Xuan’s lips.
In the street, after consuming the Chongxuan Pills, the seven or eight Martial Artists immediately shut their Profound Veins and began to suppress their power with all their might.
When a Martial Artist suppresses their Profound Power, a breakthrough is nearly impossible.
However, to their shock, no matter how hard they suppressed it, the Profound Qi in their bodies was mobilized against their will.
A few breaths later...
BANG! BANG! BANG!
A series of explosive sounds echoed through the street. Potent streams of Profound Qi erupted from the bodies of the seven or eight Martial Artists as, at almost the exact same moment, every single one of them broke through.
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