Chapter 61: Substantial Gains

Su Hao walked resolutely and tirelessly along the magical path of alchemy, taking every step with firmness and strength. It felt as though endless treasures awaited him just ahead.

At this moment, he stood quietly in front of the alchemy furnace, his posture straight and tall like an ancient pine rooted deep into the earth, completely motionless. His eyes were deep and focused, burning with an intensity as if they could ignite the very furnace before him. In his view, the furnace did not conceal ordinary pills, but rare and precious treasures capable of altering the trajectory of his destiny. He approached every single step with extreme caution, allowing not the slightest trace of slackness.

Su Hao raised his hand slightly with smooth and fluid motions, methodically taking out the required herbs and placing them on the operation table. His hands seemed imbued with a mysterious and miraculous magic, weaving flexibly and freely among various kinds of herbs. Every single grab and placement was executed with pinpoint precision, perfectly controlling each subtle step.

The surrounding air seemed to freeze, growing so quiet that the only audible sound was the greedy sizzling of the flames licking against the inner walls of the alchemy furnace, accompanied by the occasional, inadvertent soft breathing of Su Hao. These two sounds intertwined, lending a sense of serenity and mystery to the slightly tense atmosphere.

Finally, under Su Hao's expectant and blazing gaze, the fourth batch of medicinal pills was ready to be retrieved. With utmost care and slightly trembling hands, he slowly lifted the lid of the furnace. In an instant, a rich and mellow medicinal fragrance rushed out like a liberated sprite, eagerly filling the entire room. The aroma seemed endowed with life and dynamic spirit, leaping and weaving joyfully through the room as if cheering for this hard-won success, announcing to the world the birth of a miracle.

Su Hao instinctively widened his eyes, a brilliant spark of surprise flashing through them like a shooting star as his gaze locked firmly onto the interior of the furnace. Resting quietly inside were three pills. A dreamy, ethereal halo of light surrounded one of them, dazzling and breathtaking like the brightest river of stars in the night sky. As the light shifted, it emanated an otherworldly and extraordinary temperament—it was a supreme-quality medicinal pill! The other two pills were by no means inferior, radiating a soft and mellow glow akin to the warm spring sun falling upon a lake, gentle and lustrous. At a single glance, one could tell they were high-quality life-saving pills.

"Wow, it actually succeeded, and there's even a supreme-quality one!"

Su Hao was so excited he almost jumped. The excitement burst through all restraint like a breached dam, instantly blooming a brilliant smile across his face. That smile was as radiant and moving as the most splendid flower blossoming toward the morning sun in spring, every wrinkle overflowing with irrepressible joy and pride. It felt as though all previous hardships and efforts had received their most perfect reward at this very moment.

Encouraged by this success, Su Hao became like an engine running on high-energy fuel, surging with boundless momentum. His drive burned like a raging fire, growing ever more intense. Without a single moment of rest, he plunged headfirst back into the grand enterprise of refining life-saving pills, repeating time and again those operational steps that outsiders might find dry and tedious, but which were filled with challenges and opportunities for him.

Miraculously, as he continued to experiment and explore, Su Hao's success rate in alchemy rose steadily like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, becoming increasingly impressive. Every time he opened the furnace lid with high expectations and beheld those increasingly plump, round, and translucent pills, a surge of sweet nectar filled his heart. The sense of achievement hit him like crashing ocean waves, washing over his heart wave after wave, utterly beyond the power of words to describe, leaving him to quietly savor it deep within his soul.

After refining several batches of pills, Su Hao seemed to recall something and habitually raised his gaze to check his skill panel, which clearly displayed:
[Alchemy Skill: Early Level 10 + 50 points.]

Seeing the data change, Su Hao's eyes lit up instantly, as if two tiny flames were leaping and burning within them—the flame of confidence. He felt as though he could already glimpse the bright prospect of going further and climbing higher on this path of alchemy, as if a broad, golden-paved avenue awaited him to gallop across.

"Ha-ha, it seems my efforts were not in vain. Keep it up!"

Su Hao silently cheered himself on in his heart, the sound acting like a battle drum beating deep within his soul, encouraging him to forge ahead courageously. Taking a deep breath, he once again threw his entire being into the world of alchemy. This time, he turned his target to vitality pills, ready to showcase his skills further in this new domain.

At the very beginning of refining vitality pills, although it did not involve as many setbacks and frustrations as refining life-saving pills, the result of his first attempt yielded only three medium-quality pills.

Looking at the three pills before him, Su Hao furrowed his brows slightly. His two eyebrows twitched gently like lively little earthworms as he muttered to himself: "Well, although this succeeded, there is still massive room for improvement in quality. I can definitely do better; I refuse to believe I cannot reach a higher level."

Forcing himself to calm down once more, he slowly closed his eyes. Like a movie playing in his mind, he replayed every single frame and detail of the just-concluded refining process, reviewing it meticulously without letting slip a single potential flaw.

Once he had sorted through every step, he took another deep breath and, as if making a firm resolution, reignited the alchemy furnace. Feeling somewhat lacking in energy at the moment, he checked his status and saw his mana value was at 15 points.

*No wonder,* he thought. *This is a great chance to test the effect of the vitality pill.*

A single medium-quality vitality pill could restore 1,000 mana points. After consuming two of them, he quickly felt full of vitality, and his mana value rapidly surged back to 2,018 points.

This time, the flames within the alchemy furnace seemed to sense Su Hao's unyielding spirit, burning even more fiercely. The tongues of fire danced joyfully like a group of enthusiastic dancers, as if cheering him on.

The moment the pills emerged from the furnace, Su Hao eagerly leaned forward to inspect them, his eyes wide open and unblinking, afraid of missing a single detail.

Sure enough, hard work pays off. The quality of the vitality pills refined this time had indeed improved. All three were of high quality, and their luster and sheen had stepped up a tier compared to before. Unfortunately, the supreme-quality pill he longed for had not appeared this time.

However, Su Hao had not the slightest intention of losing heart. The innate, steel-like unyielding spirit deep within his bones flared up once more with a snap. He clenched his teeth tightly, his cheeks bulging slightly from the exertion like an inflated toad. With a look of stubbornness and determination in his eyes, he declared decisively:

"I refuse to believe I can't refine a supreme-quality vitality pill! Let's keep practicing! I can definitely do it!"

Possessed as if by magic, he threw all the remaining herbs together to refine vitality pills, driven by the determination not to stop until he produced supreme-quality ones. In front of the alchemy furnace, he tirelessly repeated the process over and over until all the herbs were exhausted.

In total, ten supreme-quality vitality pills were produced. Looking at the color and the grain of the medicinal halo on the pills, he finally stopped with a look of utter satisfaction—resembling a victorious general who, though exhausted, was brimming with pride and gratification.

Without a moment of respite to let himself catch his breath, he struck while the iron was hot and began refining rejuvenation pills. Similarly, standing before the alchemy furnace, he concentrated with such intensity that the entire world seemed to have nothing to do with him. His focused expression was like a meticulously sculpted stone statue; no matter how noisy and bustling the surroundings grew, nothing in the universe could disturb him in the slightest. Within his eyes and heart existed only the alchemy furnace before him and the rejuvenation pills soon to be born.

Finally, through such tireless and persevering effort, Su Hao successfully completed the refinement of all remaining dozen or so portions of herbs.

Gazing at the neatly arranged array of various pills before him like a collection of exquisite works of art, Su Hao's face involuntarily broke into a gratified and proud smile. That smile was saturated with recognition for his hard work over this period—the satisfaction and grounded peace that comes when effort finally bears fruit. It felt as though all the hardships and setbacks he had previously experienced had vanished into thin air, leaving behind only overflowing joy and a sense of accomplishment.

Right here, there were a full 60 rejuvenation pills, 60 vitality pills, and 54 life-saving pills, having only consumed three medium-quality vitality pills to restore mana along the way.

Su Hao bent down, leaning close to the pills with a cherished gleam in his eyes, carefully examining them like an artist admiring his proudest creation. He discovered that the system's recommended selling price for medium-quality life-saving pills was 5,000 cosmic coins each; high-quality pills were recommended at 10,000 cosmic coins each; while the supreme-quality ones commanded a recommended selling price as high as 20,000 cosmic coins each—a truly substantial value.

After weighing the pros and cons in his mind, Su Hao decided to keep a portion of the pills for his own backup. After all, these pills were the fruits of countless efforts and immense hardships; they were like his children, and at critical moments, they might just play an unexpected, vital role. Keeping some as a precaution was always wise.

Having made his decision, Su Hao eagerly and carefully packed up the pills intended for sale and headed toward the trading market with high spirits.

Upon stepping into the trading market, a bustling scene washed over him. The place was packed with a surging crowd rubbing shoulders, as if the entire universe had gathered here. Various shouts and bargaining cries intertwined and rose one after another, resembling a unique and noisy symphony echoing wildly through the air.

Su Hao struggled his way through the crowd until he finally found a reasonably suitable spot.

[Cleaner, setting up a stall in the trading square requires paying a management fee to the Cosmic Environmental Protection Agency. A fee of 200 cosmic coins is charged per transaction, and a single stall setup time must not exceed four hours; exceeding this limit incurs an additional fee of 400 cosmic coins. If you choose to calculate by the day, the fee is 400 cosmic coins per day.]

Su Hao paused for a moment. After brief consideration, he chose to pay by the day.

Four hundred cosmic coins were automatically deducted, and a prompt sounded once more:

[Cleaner, the Cosmic Environmental Protection Agency has automatically deducted 400 cosmic coins from you. You have successfully acquired the one-day usage right for this stall. Please note that during the stall operation, you must not pass off inferior goods as superior ones, inflate prices, or engage in malicious competition. You must operate with integrity and strictly avoid any fraudulent behavior.]

Su Hao shook his head, recognizing this as the Cosmic Environmental Protection Agency's protective mechanism for contractors.

He hurriedly arranged the pills neatly, his movements gentle and cautious as if handling rare treasures. Everything prepared, he began selling the pills according to the system's recommended prices. Standing before the stall, a warm and enthusiastic smile graced his face—a smile like winter sunlight, warm and approachable, instantly winning people's favor.

Whenever customers came to inquire, he would immediately greet them warmly, patiently introducing the efficacy, quality, and miraculous effects of the pills after consumption. He looked every bit like a professional salesman brimming with absolute confidence in his goods, making it sound as though his pills were the most miraculous and precious treasures in the world, which, if missed, would never be encountered again.

Time flowed away silently like a murmuring stream amidst this busy and fulfilling atmosphere. Before he knew it, all the pills Su Hao had brought were sold out.

Finishing up, Su Hao let out a long breath and eagerly checked his earnings. To his pleasant surprise, after deducting the costs of purchasing herbs and other expenses, he had made a net profit of 180,000 cosmic coins!

"Wow, I really earned this much!"

Su Hao flushed with excitement, resembling a ripe apple. The thrill made his heart race violently with a *thump-thump*, feeling as though it might leap right out of his throat. Overwhelmed with excitement, he quickly checked his alchemy skill level.

To his utter astonishment, the panel now clearly displayed:
[Alchemy Skill has reached Mid-Level 30 + 80 points.]

Su Hao widened his eyes to the size of brass bells, his mouth agape in disbelief, unable to close it for a long time. It took him a good while to recover from the shock.

He excitedly spun around in a circle—a slightly comical movement that did not detract from his thrilling joy in the least—while murmuring continuously:

"It seems I truly am a genius with a gift for alchemy. At this rate, won't I make a massive fortune very soon? Hahaha!"

At this moment, his heart was filled with yearning for the future. His mind involuntarily conjured up glorious visions of carving out a vast domain for himself in the field of alchemy and becoming renowned far and wide. The imagery was so vivid and within reach that he became intoxicated by it, unable to pull himself away for a long time.

Su Hao purchased large quantities of food and fresh water at the market, making necessary preparations for his next mission.

[Candidate Cleaner, you will be teleported to the mission location in half an hour. Please get ready.]