In truth, the idea of establishing a faction had been brewing in Xiao Yun's mind for a while now. The only reason he hadn't acted on it earlier was because his strength had been too weak. But things were different now—he had broken through to a Nine-Star Dou Grandmaster. Given his current pace, advancing to the Dou Spirit realm was only a matter of time.
So when Fang Wen came to him complaining, Xiao Yun saw the perfect opportunity to go with the flow. Sure, forming a faction would bring its fair share of trouble, but on the bright side, he could offload a bunch of errands—like gathering herbs and selling pills—onto others.
With that thought in mind, Xiao Yun returned to his room, sat cross-legged, and began meditating to stabilize his newly advanced cultivation.
The next morning, he stepped out of his room after completing his cultivation and found Fang Wen snoring on the couch in the living room.
"This brat… don't tell me he waited out here all night?" Xiao Yun muttered to himself.
He tiptoed over quietly, then—smack!—tossed a jade box onto the coffee table with a crisp sound.
"Ugh… Boss, you're up?" Fang Wen jolted awake at the sound. With a single bound, he went from sprawled out to sitting upright, rubbing his bleary eyes as he stared at Xiao Yun.
"Young man, burning the midnight oil isn't good for your kidneys, you know," Xiao Yun said with a grin.
Then he gestured to the jade box. "Take a look. I sorted out these pills last night. None of them are available in the Inner Academy. Their effects are focused on suppressing and cleansing fire poison. You'll lead the team to gather the listed herbs and start selling these pills to students in the Inner Academy."
Fang Wen instantly perked up, sleep forgotten. He fumbled to open the jade box and gawked at the four different types of pills inside, along with detailed notes for each.
"Tier-3 Pill: Frostvein Pill — Suppresses fire poison and extends one's cultivation time in the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower by reducing the body's fire poison buildup."
"Tier-3 Pill: Calmheart Pill — Stabilizes the mind when taken before entering the Refining Tower, accelerating cultivation. Each pill lasts about half a day."
"Tier-3 Pill: Pureflame Pill — Effectively eliminates accumulated fire poison in the body. Ideal for students who regularly train in the tower."
"Tier-4 Pill: Iceheart Pill — Combines the effects of the previous three pills but with greater potency."
Technically speaking, these weren't four separate pills, but one pill broken down. The three Tier-3 pills were simplified versions of the Tier-4 Iceheart Pill, all designed by Xiao Yun.
After all, most Inner Academy students were still Dou Grandmasters. Tier-4 pills weren't suitable for them—they were too expensive and too potent. It would be like feeding caviar to someone used to instant noodles.
So, being the business genius that he was, Xiao Yun broke the Iceheart Pill down into three more accessible varieties. This way, everyone could afford and benefit from his alchemy.
As for Fang Wen? He wasn't an alchemist, so he didn't notice the trick. He just stared at the pills like he'd stumbled into a gold mine.
"If these pills really do what they say…" Fang Wen's eyes sparkled. "Boss, we're gonna be rich! Besides the elders, I've never heard of any student who can make pills that counter fire poison!"
Xiao Yun handed over a scroll. "Here's the pricing sheet. Later, take the recruits you've gathered and head over to the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower. Try selling these pills over there. Trust me, the effects will do the talking."
"One more thing," Xiao Yun added, smiling. "The faction I'm starting is called the Xiao Sect. Anyone who joins gets a 30% discount on all pills. You'll be in charge of member management and herb collection. I'll give you a 10% cut of our monthly sales. How does that sound?"
Xiao Yun knew the secret to a fast horse was good feed. With these pills, the Xiao Sect was bound to become one of the strongest powers within the Inner Academy. As for the daily grind? That could be Fang Wen's headache.
All Xiao Yun had to do was make pills. He'd have an endless supply of herbs for practice, rake in fire energy, and kick back while the profits rolled in. Who wouldn't take that deal?
And as for concerns about the pill formulas leaking? Please. People must've forgotten who Xiao Yun was. If anyone dared to copy the Iceheart Pill's formula, they'd be kicked out of the Inner Academy by Elder Huo—the Academy's top alchemist—before they even had a chance to sell a single pill.
So unless someone came up with a brand-new way to cleanse fire poison, Xiao Yun had nothing to worry about.
"Leave it to me, Boss!" Fang Wen beamed, snatching up the jade box and dashing out the door like a man on a mission.
Xiao Yun watched him go, shaking his head with a smile. "Always in a rush, that guy…"
Back inside the loft's private chamber, Xiao Yun pulled out a mountain of herbs from his spatial ring. These were all stockpiled from his time in the Outer Academy.
He sat cross-legged, took a deep breath, and summoned a crimson cauldron into the room. His expression turned calm.
For now, he would focus on crafting Tier-3 pills. He was already a master at this level. His success rate with Tier-3 pills was a terrifying 80%, and he had even reached a 30% success rate with Tier-4 pills—enough to try qualifying as a certified Tier-4 Alchemist.
What's more, since he had simplified the Iceheart Pill into three recipes, the herbs needed and the difficulty of refinement had been greatly reduced.
With the recipes playing in his mind, Xiao Yun formed a complex hand seal. Immediately, the Violet Crystal Lion Flame burst forth from his fingertips.
The gentle violet flame danced like a living spirit, and the temperature in the room swiftly rose.
He flicked his finger. The flame arced through the air and entered the furnace, roaring to life the moment it hit the bottom. The heat was so intense the air itself distorted.
His eyes fixed on the furnace, Xiao Yun swept his hand. Herbs wrapped in fiery red Dou Qi soared into the cauldron.
Sizzle!
The herbs were devoured by flame, releasing a sharp crackling sound. Unfazed, Xiao Yun formed more seals to stabilize the fire while extending his soul sense to monitor the process.
Soon, the herbal essences were fully extracted, leaving behind withered remains that were quickly turned to ash.
With a calm expression, Xiao Yun surrounded the essence with fire, refining it further while continuously adding more ingredients.
Inside the furnace, his soul power manipulated the flame's intensity to remove impurities and blend the components together smoothly.
Ten minutes later, Xiao Yun exhaled deeply.
A gleaming, snow-white pill the size of a longan fruit hovered before him, emitting a strong medicinal fragrance. Delicate wave-like patterns danced across its surface.
"A Tier-3 Frostvein Pill… and it even has a pill pattern," Xiao Yun muttered, pleasantly surprised. "A month without refining and I still haven't gotten rusty."
With a flick of his fingers, he sent the pill flying into a nearby jade bottle and returned to work on the next batch.
Meanwhile, the Inner Academy was in an uproar.
Fang Wen had led the new recruits to the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower and started advertising the new pills. At first, no one believed them. Most thought Fang Wen and his crew had lost their minds, trying to get rich by selling fake medicine.
But word began to spread.
Some students plagued by fire poison decided to take a gamble and bought a few pills. The results were immediate—their symptoms improved drastically. The red glow in their eyes faded, and their blocked meridians began to flow freely again.
In an instant, the Inner Academy was buzzing.
The demand exploded. Students emptied their fire crystal cards and rushed to buy every pill in sight. Fang Wen's stock was gone in a flash.
Back in the courtyard outside the loft, Fang Wen was pacing anxiously.
He had clearly underestimated how much the students craved an effective antidote to fire poison. Even after repeatedly telling everyone the pills were sold out, students kept showing up—some of them even ranked powerhouses.
"No way Boss can keep up with this demand alone… What now? What do I do?" Fang Wen was nearly in tears. Xiao Yun had locked himself in the loft all day, and countless students had hounded him nonstop. He was this close to hiding in a hole and never coming out again.
Creak—
Just then, the door to the loft finally opened.
Fang Wen's head snapped up. "Boss! You're finally out!"
Xiao Yun stepped out of the room, eyebrows raised. "Why do you sound like someone just died? Something happen to the Xiao Sect?"
"No, no, nothing bad," Fang Wen said, rushing up like a drowning man clinging to a lifebuoy. "It's just… the pills! They're too effective! We're completely sold out! Everyone's waiting for you to refine more!"
"That's it?" Xiao Yun gave a casual wave of his hand.
Thud!
Over a hundred jade bottles appeared on the ground.
"There are 160 pills here. Should keep them satisfied for a while. Trade the fire energy we earn for more herbs. Also, head over to the Alchemy Division and recruit some Tier-3 Alchemists. From now on, they'll handle the pill-making. We take 70% of the earnings, and they get 30%."
Xiao Yun clapped Fang Wen on the shoulder. "You've done well. Keep it up."
Fang Wen blinked. "But… most alchemists are pretty proud. Will they even agree to a 30% cut?"
"They better," Xiao Yun scoffed. "They don't have to provide herbs, and they still get fire energy and a cut of the profits. Where else are they going to find a deal this good? If they don't want it, someone else will. Just do as I say. I've got other things to handle—I'm heading to the Refining Tower."
He turned and walked off, not the slightest bit worried.
Recruiting alchemists? Not a problem. With such effective pill recipes, plus free herbs and a piece of the profit pie, any rational alchemist would jump at the chance.
And if they weren't rational?
Then they didn't deserve it.