Chapter 83: Sales Technique

Chapter 83 - Sales Technique In the suite at Withered Orchid Villa, the Dao furnace gleamed. A treasure provided by Kinson Wexford, it promised precision and power, and this model should've be much better than the D-grade lab room one Lordi Payne once used on Alchemy Peak. Yet now, as he stared into its vast basin, his gut twisted. Only two Bone Tempering Pills lied at the bottom—pathetic specks in the furnace's wide maw. Worse, the air stayed flat—no trace of the rich elixir fragrance scent that usually flooded the room when a batch of pill finished. Lordi Payne's face shadowed, a frown creasing his brow. A failure? Did the system churn out junk this time? The sting of failure gnawed at him—hours of energy drained for this? Lordi took out the pills, rolling them between his fingers, ready to toss them aside. But then he paused—his breath hitched. They weren't the dull, grayish lumps he'd braced for. Instead, Aafaint glow pulsed from them, their hue a creamy, milky white, shot through with delicate azure rings swirling across the surface. In his palm, they shimmered like twin cat's-eye gems, cool and crystalline, almost alive. Wait... these aren't looked like rubbish waste. Lordi's pulse quickened, confusion tangling with a flicker of hope. With Kinson Wexford absent, there was no one to consult—no quick answers. He turned the pills over, squinting, mind racing. "Better than usual, maybe? But two? What's the AwfulOS system playing at?" After a beat, he exhaled, shoving the questions down. "Doesn't matter right now. I'm not hurting for a couple of Bone Tempering Pills." One botched run—or whatever this was—wouldn't derail him. Lordi left the strange pills in the furnace, resolve hardening. "I'll figure it out later. Time to cultivate." Thinking of this, Lordi Payne steadied his breath and called AllFullOS in his mind: "System, I want to cultivate! Select the Bone Tempering Art. Smart Duration! One-Click-Cultivation!" ~ Ding! *System Notification Chime* [AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0] > All-Smart Full-Host Cultivation SystemTM is at your service! > [OCC] - One-Click-Cultivation activated. > Features: Temporary practice, smart duration, and questionable decision-making. ... A soft ping echoed in his skull, and the AllFullOS hummed to life, seizing his body with a familiar jolt. ~ Ding! *System Notification Chime* [AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0] > Detected a lack of cultivation pills: Bone Tempering Pills. (Error: 404). Pending.. > Analyzing available options... > Pending... ... ~ Ding! *System Notification Chime* [AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0] ... > Executing optimal solution... > All-Smart Full-Host Cultivation SystemTM has decided to be *GENEROUS* today! > Bone Tempering Pill will be gifted to the host for FREE. > Processing... Lordi Payne's hands moved on their own, guided by the system, his hand fetching for Bone Tempering Pill from the Dao Furnace. Its sleek surface still warm from the last alchemy run. He watched the process, unease prickling his gut. "Just two pills total—will that be enough?" But then he steadied, he's now in Withered Orchid Villa, Kinson Wexford's residence, and surely this Senior Brother Wexford had stashed extra Bone Tempering Pills around. "If I run out of pills, the AllFullOS system will automatically fetch more by itself." Anyway, now his bond with Kinson Wexford ran deeper than before, so the worst case was he just need to craft a few more batches of pills to make up and repay for this Senior Brother after cultivation. Thinking of this, he felt relieved, letting the system take over. However, he watched the system grabbing only one Bone Tempering Pill from the bottom of the Dao furnace and stuffed it into his mouth. ~ Ding! *System Notification Chime* [AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0] > Item: Bone Tempering Pill > Quantity: 1 > Status: Gifted successfully. > Resuming cultivation process... What? Just one? How? Why? Lordi Payne's mind reeled, a flash of disbelief cutting through. "AwfulOS System, you glitchy piece of junk—what's with this?" "First you botch the alchemy, now the cultivation session's also glitching?! Bruh! The hell?" Worry spiked his gut, Lordi Payne still couldn't figure out the cause. However, just right after he swallowing this Bone Tempering Pill, he felt a wildfire blooming and rising from his dantian! The immense potency elixir power quickly flooded to his limbs and bones. Lordi Payne felt as if his whole body was burning again. The Ice Pith Fire flared inner body, azure light glinting in his eyes. Crack! Crack! Crack! At this moment, the AllFullOS system began to circulate the Bone Tempering Art in his body, and the quiet suite room was instantly filled with the "crackling" sound of bones breaking and regenerating, which made Lordi Payne's teeth ache and muscles soften. After enduring the hell experience of fusing Dao Flame into the body, this level of pain is already commonplace for Lordi Payne. He focused on the cultivation process—and nearly choked in shock. This speed... holy abyss, the speed! With premium level Bone Tempering Pills, tempering his bones had been like wading through a gentle stream. But this? This was a torrent—a raging river of elixir power, smashing through him, shattering his Refined-tier bones into dust before flooding them with immense elixir energy, reforging them harder, faster, hurtling toward Jade-tier perfection bones at a pace that left him breathless. The AllFullOS system didn't temper the bone like usal. It crushed, smashed. It obliterated every weakness, every lingering impurity, in a brutal, unrelenting cycle of destruction and rebirth. And when it was done? His bones gleamed closer to jade than ever before. This cultivation session lasted twice as long as usual. After a long while, the system chimed finally. ~ Ding! *System Notification Chime* [AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0] > Cultivation session status: COMPLETE > Host control: RESTORED > Thank you for using the All-Smart Full-Host Cultivation SystemTM (AllFullOS v1.0.0) > Feedback request: - We value your opinion! (No, really, we do.) - If you are satisfied with our service, please give us a five-star rating. > Tap to Rate: [☆☆☆☆☆] Regaining the control his body, Lordi Payne first gave the system a three-star rating, and then stretched his body to ease the tensing muscles. [AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0] > [★★★☆☆] > Submitted. Thanks for your feedback. He found that the sting ache in his meridians and veins caused by the severe depletion of spirit energy had gone. Strength surged through him, his veins thrumming with fresh energy. The cuts and bruises from the Skeleton Roost Mire? Healed, erased like they'd never been. Clenching a fist, he watched knotted muscle flex under his skin, spirit energy pulsing thick and steady. Peak condition—better than ever. A quick glance showed barely any impurities seeping from his pores—oddly clean for a session this intense. Shocked, Lordi Payne's mind raced, piecing it together. His previous alchemy attempt only produced two Bone Tempering Pills. However, the effect of using one single pill was much beneficial than taking more than a dozen premium-level Bone Tempering Pills in the past. No wonder the system fed him just one—any more, and his body might've buckled under the strain. Then another fact hit him. After his latest break through of sixth-layer Qi Refinement Stage, just in this single cultivation session, his current cultivation level had soared, pushing further than he'd estimate. Although there was still a long way for him to go before he could break through to the seventh layer, Lordi Payne was still very thrilled. Next break through loomed distant still, but closer now—tangible. He tidied the room in a quick sweep—herbs, materials sorted, Dao furnace ignited—then dove back into alchemy, the thrill carrying him through. A full day and night blurred past, the nighty sky outside fading to a faint dawn white. Lordi Payne slumped to the floor, breath ragged, but his eyes gleamed with raw, beaming joy. Before him sat two porcelain vials—ten Bone Tempering Pills in each, their milky glow winking through the glaze. One vial for Kinson Wexford to sell for spirit stones, one vial for himself to cultivate. After finished using all these ten Bone Tempering Pills, he's sure his cultivation would definitely improve greatly. Considered in this way, he believed the next break through to seventh layer Qi Refinement Stage would be achieved not too long. The AllFullOS was a fucking marvel—this "One-Click Cultivation" thing? Absolute black magic. Or at least it would be, if it didn't occasionally try to murder me as a side feature. He exhaled, half-admiring, half-resigned. Flawless efficiency. Perfect execution. And, oh yeah, the random but continuous near-death experiences—just keep things going wrong. Abyss blessed him, he'd never seen anything so brilliant and so catastrophically stupid at the same time. Lordi Payne praised the AllFullOS system inwardly, and then quickly gave it a one-star negative rating. [AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0] > [★☆☆☆☆] > Submitted. Thanks for your feedback. Lordi Payne just tucked a vial into his storage pouch and was about to rest for a while when a metallic voice clicked through the door—the Dao puppet waiter. "Master Lordi Payne, Bloodline Lord Kinson Wexford has returned." "Senior Brother, your honor!" Lordi Payne rushed forward as soon as he heard the voice. "You've returned!" Kinson Wexford looked exhausted, collapsing into his master chair and gulping down the spiritual tea served by the Dao puppet before speaking, "Good news, Junior Brother Payne. Mission accomplished—Grand Elder Quill has agreed to purchase our pills." So that was where this Senior Brother had disappeared to yesterday—securing a buyer for the premium level Bone Tempering Pills. Lordi Payne quickly expressed his gratitude before pressing for details. Kinson Wexford smirked, clearly pleased with himself. "Grand Elder Quill sits on the Inner Sect's Punishment Crypt. And in terms of combat power, he's recognized the best among the so many grand elders in the entire Inner Sect. However, the family clan of this Grand Elder Quill is not prosperous, and he himself has only one offspring line. His son and grandson died of old age, their cultivation was mediocre at best." "The one who is now raised by his side is the only remaining great-grandson Quill Sane, a boy only six years old—right at the age where top-tier Bone Tempering Pills are crucial to forge his solid cultivate base." Kinson Wexford swirled his teacup with a merchant's grin. "We settled on 70 D$t per pill. He'll take every one we can produce." "70 D$t?" Lordi Payne was stunned, blurted. "The Tower of Hundred Treasures only paid me 55 D$t!" Heard this, Kinson Wexford chuckled and snorted, unsurprised. "Of course they did. That's the buy-in price from the Tower of Hundred Treasures. Naturally, they bought from seller at low pricing. When they resell the pills out, one single premium-level Bone Tempering Pill will definitely cost no less than 100 D$t! Frankly, now I sold it to Grand Elder Quill for only 70 D$t, which is already doing this old man a great favor." Yes, it's always wise to curry favor, have a good relationship with an Inner Sect Grand Elders. Thinking this, Lordi Payne gave Kinson Wexford a thumb-up in mind. "Listen, Junior Brother. After all, you have already leaked a few premium-level Bone Tempering Pills to the Tower of Hundred Treasures. Which means we're not the only supplier in the market at this moment. If we set the pricing of our pills too high now, maybe Grand Elder Quill would rather purchase them at the Tower of Hundred Treasures. And of course at the tower, there must be a certain discounts for all Inner Sect Grand Elders. But once their stock runs dry?" Kinson Wexford paused for effect. "The time when all these premium-level Bone Tempering Pills are sold out at the Tower of Hundred Treasures, we just raise our price. By then, the price will be 120 D$t per pill. Not a $tone less." Wow! 120 D$t? That's outright robbery! Wrong. With the efficiency of alchemy elixir pills by the AllFullOS system, robbing's income may not be as fast as I sell the pills! But—really?! What kind of both rich and stupid cultivator would buy the pill at such high price? "Raise the price? Will Grand Elder Quill even accept it?" Thinking of this, Lordi Payne asked nervously. Kinson Wexford sneered contemptuously at the question and replied, "He has to accept it even if he doesn't want to! He only has this one great-grandson. If he doesn't invest all his spirit $tones on this great-grandson Quill Sane, who else can he invest on to? Well yes, there are other great alchemists in the holy sect who can make the premium-level Bone Tempering Pills. The problem is that alchemy Bone Tempering Pill, a mere Qi Refinement Stage pill, will delay their time for crafting other higher Stage pills." "And of course yes, Grand Elder Quill does have a few connections, he could call in favors. But the price of getting pills will not be low, besides, he will have to owe the alchemists a big favor. Debts from other Grand Elders? Far costlier than 120 D$t." "Thus, that old man still made a profit of buying in from us at 120 D$t." Lordi Payne breathed a sigh of relief and smiled sincerely. High profit, low risk—sweet deal. In this cutthroat demonic sect, the comrade relationship between FellowDao disciples is just a smoke delusion. "Friendship" was a flimsy mask—kindness often hid a venomous dagger. Only cold, mutual greed gain forged real ties. Now that the business cooperation has just begun, Kinson Wexford's already planned fleecing a Grand Elder to line their pockets? That locked their fates tight. Lordi Payne's not only Kinson Wexford's dear junior brother now, but also he's bank vault. Anyone dared touching Lordi Payne again? That's a threat to slash Kinson Wexford's purse! How could this Bloodline Lord allowed such things happen in the future? Lordi Payne mulled it over, then piped up, voice steady and respectful. "Senior Brother Wexford, may I ask? How do we split the profit?"