He had only intended to take a short nap, but when Bai Mo opened his eyes, he found the sun was already high in the sky.
A little dazed, Bai Mo washed up quickly and headed downstairs, still feeling a bit groggy.
"Waiter, one meat dish, one vegetable dish, and a bowl of rice."
After placing his order, Bai Mo sat down and stared blankly into space.
'I shouldn't be this drowsy. I'm not usually like this. Did I mentally exhaust myself last night?'
Bai Mo recalled the Pill Method he had been formulating the previous night and nodded to himself.
'It's a very complex method. If I had to figure it out on my own just from reading, who knows how long that would have taken.'
'I suppose I should make a point to discuss things with others more often...'
Bai Mo had already mostly grasped the method for preventing the loss of medicinal potency that a fellow cultivator had shared with him the day before.
It was the kind of method every Pill Shop's Shopkeeper would love.
Preserving eighty percent of the medicinal ingredients' potency would directly translate to an increased yield of Pills.
Normally during Alchemy, losing thirty to forty percent of the medicinal potency was a common occurrence.
For a Pill Shop, that meant an extra ten to twenty percent in gross profit—a very significant amount.
However, after studying it repeatedly, Bai Mo discovered that the method wasn't entirely complete.
That was to be expected. People always kept some proprietary techniques to themselves.
But for a Cultivator with some skill, the parts that were shared were more than enough. They could deduce the rest and fill in the blanks on their own.
Bai Mo went even further, breaking the method down and blending it with his own insights to arrive at a unique result.
'My approach is different. It's not about the quantity of Pills I produce, but their quality.'
Bai Mo mused, feeling a little pleased with himself.
'I can refine a large-batch Pill, mixing as many medicinal ingredients as possible and increasing its mass to contain even more medicinal potency.'
'That's my specialty. And when I combine it with the method for preserving medicinal potency...'
Bai Mo ran through the process in his mind once more and again arrived at a peculiar method for constructing Pills.
'It's a shame I don't have a proper Pill Furnace with me, or I'd refine a batch and give it a try.'
Just as he was lost in thought, the waiter came over with his meal.
"Anything interesting happen in the city today?"
Bai Mo asked casually as he took the bowl and chopsticks.
Inn waiters were always well-informed, and if you found one who liked to chat, you could learn a great deal.
The waiter took the towel from his shoulder and gave the edge of the table a routine wipe.
"Funny you should ask."
"I heard some pill apprentices were arguing on the street, and things got heated. Next thing you know, they were fighting. Rumor is, both of them are top prospects to become Pill Masters."
The waiter seemed a bit bewildered.
"I heard they're both just a few attempts away from becoming full-fledged Pill Masters. Why would people like that behave in such a way, you think?"
Seeing that no other customers needed his attention, he leaned in and continued.
"Oh, and that whole business with hoarding Wood Ganoderma that had the city in an uproar? There's been a new development in the last couple of days."
"A few merchant caravans from out of town brought in a huge supply of Wood Ganoderma—the artificially cultivated kind. The people who were hoarding it before are taking a massive loss!"
Bai Mo was familiar with Wood Ganoderma.
It was a medicinal ingredient with neutral properties, used in many Pills as a prime choice for buffering conflicting potencies.
"Oh, and something pretty major happened this morning, too."
The waiter said, as if just remembering,
"A deacon from the Xuandao Sect is at the Mingding Tower, scouting for promising new disciples for the sect."
"Tons of people went—the great clans of the city, Loose Cultivators, everyone. If you get picked, your future is set."
Bai Mo froze, then quickly asked,
"And what happened?"
The waiter shook his head.
"There's no news yet."
"We'll have to wait for a customer to come over from that direction to get the story. It's too soon for news to travel."
Bai Mo figured it was too early as well and asked,
"Does the Xuandao Sect select disciples often?"
The waiter nodded.
"It happens every now and then. They always take a few people with them each time."
"And what becomes of them?" Bai Mo asked.
At this question, the waiter perked up.
"I'll tell you, but don't go spreading this around."
"The ones who were chosen in the past... well, to us, they were all considered prodigies!"
"But what happened to them afterward... well, their fates varied greatly..."
Bai Mo ate and listened, and an occasional nod or a word of agreement was all it took to get the waiter even more excited.
The waiter was mostly repeating common gossip, which was largely credible, though some parts didn't quite hold up to scrutiny.
He spoke of the more well-known Cultivators from Celestial Mountain City who had joined the Xuandao Sect and what had become of them.
Some had become great Cultivators, famous far and wide, while others had simply vanished into obscurity.
The ones the waiter talked about most, however, were the few Cultivators who had been sent back to Celestial Mountain City to serve as Shopkeepers for merchant guilds or to manage transport routes.
Without a doubt, those were the ones who had been weeded out by the Xuandao Sect.
Although their current status was certainly higher than before they left, they were inevitably the subject of ridicule behind their backs.
By the time the waiter finished his stories, Bai Mo had also finished his bowl of rice.
The observant waiter walked away and returned a moment later with a fresh bowl.
Bai Mo accepted it and asked, "The Pill Master certification is coming up. Are there any places in the city where one can practice Alchemy?"
The waiter started in surprise.
"So you're a pill apprentice, sir!"
After recovering from his surprise, he said with some hesitation,
"There are indeed places in the city you can rent for Alchemy, but they don't use ordinary fire."
"So the price isn't something an ordinary person can afford. The ones who use them are mostly established Pill Masters with specific needs!"
"Even if someone comes from a wealthy family, if their kid went to a place like that just to practice, they'd be called a wastrel..."
Bai Mo was a little disappointed. It seemed that while the Alchemy Dao was indeed advanced in Celestial Mountain City, it wasn't so convenient that it covered every possible need.
"I would have thought that with so many pill apprentices around, such a demand would have given rise to a business opportunity."
Seeing that Bai Mo's question wasn't just a casual one, the waiter leaned in and lowered his voice.
"Actually, sir, if you're really interested, it's not entirely impossible."
"Oh?" Bai Mo looked at him, his gaze wavering.
"Is there some kind of workaround?"
The waiter nodded, his voice barely a whisper.
"When Pill Masters go to those rental facilities, they have to bring their own ingredients. This creates an opportunity to carry... other things."
"Some people have managed to smuggle out fire starters from those places and set up their own private alchemy rooms. The special fire doesn't last long, but since it's no ordinary flame, it makes Alchemy go much, much faster!"
"The rent for these 'black market' alchemy rooms is a lot cheaper."
Of course, from the waiter's demeanor, Bai Mo could tell that such places were not officially permitted.
Bai Mo looked at the waiter and suddenly smiled.
"You must get a hefty commission for steering customers toward these dens, don't you?"
The waiter jumped in fright and quickly waved his hands.
"You're joking, sir! We don't even know where they are, so how could we possibly solicit customers for them!?"
He turned to leave, but added a final word before he went.
"If you're really interested, sir, we could help you ask around. But that's all we can do."
Bai Mo pursed his lips, dismissing the waiter's suggestion almost immediately.
'I can't go to one of those black market dens. If the place gets raided and I'm interrupted at a crucial moment, I'd lose my inspiration. It's not worth the risk.'
'Finding an acquaintance and borrowing their Pill Furnace would be a much better idea...'
Bai Mo chewed on a piece of meat, his eyes narrowing in thought.
'I don't know anyone in Celestial Mountain City, but I could try my luck through the merchant caravans.'
'The certification is starting soon. It's always good to have another skill under your belt.'