Rise of the Alchemy God

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Ethan had immediately dismissed the idea of selling such a pill on the market because he was certain it would create a huge uproar.

An ordinary person might not notice the peculiarity of this pill and would simply consume it, thinking it had slightly better effects than usual.

But it would be different for more experienced alchemists.

If by chance, the pill ended up in the hands of an expert alchemist or even a master alchemist, Ethan was sure they would immediately notice something strange about the pill.

As soon as they examined it with their essence, they would realize that the pill had no impurities at all.

For now, Ethan was confident that, aside from Da Shu, no one had any idea that behind all these high-grade level 1 pills was a 21-year-old like him.

But if a perfect-grade pill were to be put on the market, his cover would undoubtedly be blown.

Ethan had spent the last year with Da Shu and had naturally developed a certain mutual trust.

He was sure his friend wouldn't betray him, but the problem was that it might not be up to him.

A master alchemist pressuring a family of Da Shu's level would be enough, let alone two or even three.

The appearance of a perfect-grade pill would attract the attention of many, and Ethan knew he couldn't afford to sell it so lightly.

After considering all this, he decided to keep the perfect-grade pills to himself for now and not reveal them to the world.

His strength was currently insufficient, and he had no real need to sell such a pill.

He was already starting to earn a lot from the current sale of his pills.

There was no need to overdo it. He would only be shooting himself in the foot by doing so.

He took a deep breath and placed the pill in his dimensional pocket.

There was no need to store it in any special container.

The dimensional pocket itself was the best container to preserve the state of things.

Ethan thought for a moment about what he needed to do at the moment.

With his strength continuously rising, he temporarily had one less weight on his shoulders.

With the constant flow of soul energy coming in, another burden was also lifted for now.

His only current concern was nourishing his special physique.

He still had no idea what it needed to become stronger, but he knew that the answer might come once he reached the peak of his current cultivation level.

So, he decided to rest today, as it was already night, and would focus on gathering the remaining amount of QI tomorrow.

***

The next day, while Ethan was still sleeping, ready to wake up with a fresh mind and fully restored body, in a villa south of Sun City, someone else didn't have the privilege of doing the same.

At the Zhang family manor, Zhang Mei Ling was having a severe headache as she reviewed the earnings from her family's various businesses.

She was the second-born of the current head of the Zhang family, and as such, she held a certain status within the family.

From a young age, she had demonstrated great talent, succeeding in everything she set her mind to. From studying ancient texts to cultivation itself, everything had come easy to her.

If not for her older brother, she would have undoubtedly been the family's crown jewel. But even though she wasn't, she was still held in high regard by everyone.

Now over thirty, she was still unmarried and had no intention of getting married anytime soon.

Her family had tried several times to find her a suitable partner from another prestigious family, but she had always refused.

Although her family thought it was a pity, no one dared to pressure her too much because she had proven herself more than capable over the years.

In fact, she currently managed some of the family's most important businesses, and as expected, they were thriving under her care.

Every year, the revenue the family received from these activities was better than in previous years.

This, for her, was like a shield that would protect her freedom for years to come.

She hated the idea of marrying anyone her family presented her with, seeing it merely as a method adopted by the elders to forge connections with other forces.

Zhang Mei Ling was an ambitious woman who wouldn't let anyone decide for her.

Therefore, she did everything in her power to maintain her current level of freedom.

This was the case until she received the performance report from the last few months of some of her smaller shops.

Turning her gaze towards the figure of a girl who was standing a short distance away from her to the side, she said:

"Why has the performance of these shops dropped so much in the past few months?

Are they facing some kind of problem?" she asked, her voice betraying no emotion.

The girl, who was Zhang Mei Ling's secretary, promptly responded, as if she had already expected to be asked this question:

"My lady, the shops are functioning as usual.

The problem is that in recent times, the flow of people passing by these shops has started to decrease slightly," she said.

Zhang Mei Ling nodded silently, waiting for the girl to continue her report.

"We've investigated the matter a bit, and it turns out that more and more people have started visiting the Peng family's shops."

"Hm? The Pengs?"

Zhang Mei Ling thought for a moment, and then remembered one of the many small families in Sun City.

She knew the Peng family due to their rapid growth, but also knew that in recent years, their growth had slowed down considerably.

They were still far from being able to rival families like the Zhangs.

Recalling who they were, she furrowed her brow and asked:

"What could the Peng family have possibly done to attract so many customers?"

The girl, hearing the question, handed a sheet of paper to her employer and said:

"The Peng family itself hasn't made any significant moves, but recently, some of their shops, managed by one of their younger members, have started selling level 1 pills of all three grades.

Normally, this wouldn't be an issue since they've been doing this for some time, but unlike before, this time, it seems the quality of the pills they sell is consistently quite good.

Almost everyone who has bought from them hasn't had any complaints and has been fairly satisfied.

This has gradually led more people to buy from them, causing us to lose some of our customers.

Their level 1 pill prices are slightly lower than ours, and with the quality guaranteed, people think they're a better option."

Hearing this, Zhang Mei Ling nodded and reflected on the matter for a moment.

After a while, she asked her secretary:

"Do you think we should be concerned about this?"

She had already made a decision on the matter but wanted to see what her secretary thought, to get a second opinion on it.

"Although this was a bit unexpected, I don't think we should be worried.

From what I've gathered, their sudden growth is based solely on a few level 1 pills and nothing else.

As you know, a single product isn't enough to significantly change the situation in the pill market.

I think we can ignore them for now, as it's a minor issue.

Their production, although good, is still far from meeting the market demand for level 1 pills.

And with other families always ready to attack the Zhang family's interests at the first opportunity, I don't think it's necessary for us to focus our forces on them at the moment."

She said, maintaining a calm tone.

Zhang Mei Ling nodded at her secretary's response.

Her thoughts were similar to hers.

She also believed that there was no need for them to act.

As her secretary had said, the Peng family's pill production was far from threatening their family's interests.

So, she decided to put the matter aside, focusing her attention on more important issues.

Unfortunately for her, she would soon regret taking this issue too lightly.

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FRANK_LEE_JUNIOR:

Here's today's chapter. I hope you enjoyed it.

As usual, if you have any comments, suggestions, or errors to report, you know where to do it.

See you tomorrow.