Zhao Fan walked through the streets of Golden Leaf city and contemplated the fact that he currently had more than a thousand spirit stones to his name. It seems Liu Zhong was a gift from heaven, not only did he directly give him a large sum of money, he also indirectly introduced him to the Gong family!

"What Gong Yu said about the Great Fate era sounds very interesting, try to ask your teacher or someone with more knowledge about it"

"Why do you think it's interesting?" Zhao Fan thought it was something which didn't really concern him. After all, he hadn't found any inheritance or opportunity.

"I just happened to awaken a short while after you received a pendant from some random passerby which just happened to weaken my power to equal yours. Don't you find it a bit too much?" Hei Long was usually a paranoid individual but after being betrayed he grew even more paranoid. It seemed to him that there were much larger things in play behind his reincarnation.

"...What are you implying?" Zhao Fan only felt it was a little weird.

"Let's not draw conclusions before we know the whole picture, first head over to the alchemist guild"

"The alchemist guild?"

"Yes, the huge building in the middle of the city" Hei Long had been observing Zhao Fan for a while before he actually fully awakened so he knew the general layout of the city and had essentially the same knowledge as him.

"Who doesn't know what the alchemist guild is? I'm asking why you would want to go there"

"Potion formulas" Hei Long replied straightforwardly.

"Potions, the ridiculously expensive things which recover qi? Is that your plan to make a fortune?"

"Stop asking so many questions like a child, we don't have much time before the meeting with Gong Yu, go and buy the basic qi recovery potion formula from the Alchemist guild"

Zhao Fan stopped arguing and found the Alchemist guild. It was an impressive building in the center of the city with lots of people entering and exiting it all the time. The Alchemist Guild was a cornerstone of any developed city as all powerful cultivators used potions and other things made by it.

As he entered, he discovered that there were various floors for different shoppers, the first was for Qi Gathering, second was for Foundation Establishment and so on, with a total of 3 floors. Naturally, a basic potion was in the category of Qi Gathering potions so he just got in the long line and waited. Finally, after a short while, it was his turn.

"Excuse me, can I get a basic qi recovering potion formula?"

"50 Spirit Stones" The clerk looked him up and down, thinking that he looked nothing like an apprentice alchemist.

The clerk wondered as to why the young man might need a formula. "Probably an ignorant youth trying to self-study alchemy"

Zhao Fan took a minute to count out spirit stones from his bag and handed it over to the clerk who handed him a scroll silently.

"Well that was easier than expected" Zhao Fan walked out of the building, formula in hand.

"Of course, such a low level formula is known by everyone and their dog, the Alchemist guild would naturally sell it for a quick profit and even if they didn't, we could just buy it from any alchemist."

"Makes sense, also the ingredients on this list all look so common that even I know them, how come the potion is so expensive?" Zhao Fan contemplated as his eyes scanned through the short scroll.

"Don't look at the ingredients, look at the procedures listed down. Even for a basic potion, an alchemist is a requirement. All of the steps are so precise that it is hard to make a passable quality potion."

"Since it's so difficult, isn't that bad for us?" Zhao Fan still had no clue what Hei Long was planning.

"Hahaha, the opposite, it is exactly what I was hoping for!"

"Crazy bastard, can't you explain something for once??"

__________

"So what are you proposing?" Gong Yu and Zhao Fan sat across from each other at a table in a popular restaurant. Once again, Hei Long was controlling the body and Zhao Fan silently listened from inside the soul dimension in his body. He wondered if Hei Long didn't tell him the plan so he would be forced to let him have control of the body.

"Let me tell you about my plan first."

"Okay sure, let's hear it"

"You surely know about the joint-competition, right? Sect disciples and cultivators will flock here very soon. With so many cultivators in town going on missions, it is a prime opportunity! What do you think all cultivators need in order to hunt?"

"Probably equipment"

"No, something which can consistently bring in profit"

"Consistent profit from hunters? Oh, potions! They can help hunters restore qi faster by providing a gentle type of qi."

"That's right! What else do you know about potions?" Zhao Fan probed for information. After all, he didn't really know how the potion worked even if he knew the process of making it.

"Well, potions are very expensive, starting from a hundred spirit stones for 1 qi potion, they are essential because energy from spirit stones is neutral and takes a while to convert into one's own. Potions provide a gentle, submissive energy which can easily be absorbed during battle. It can even be used as a cultivation resource instead of spirit stones!" Gong Yu instinctively spit out a bunch of basic information.

Seeing Zhao Fan remain quiet, he asked, "How does that relate to your plan of making money? The local alchemist guild has a monopoly over all potions because of their large number of alchemists which allow them to set low prices."

"You already chose to trust me so leave it to me, the reason I'm telling you this now is in relation to your side of the deal"

"My side of the deal?" Gong Yu already declared that he would collaborate with the other party so didn't care what the latter would do. If he trusted him and lost money then his gut would be proven wrong and that was that, but if he profited then it would be completely worth it.

"Yes, what I need you to do is help me find a source of ingredients for basic tier 1 qi potions, everything else I already got covered!" Zhao Fan who was listening to Hei Long was shocked, all they did was get the potion formula, what else did they cover?

"There's tons of variables you need to consider! How are you going to drive down the price? How are you going to attract alchemists? How will you face attacks from competitors if your plan succeeds?" Gong Yu also felt a little doubtful at Hei Long's confidence.

"Don't worry about all that, just tell me, does your family have any connections with suppliers for these ingredients?" Zhao Fan placed a paper on top of the table.

Gong Yu brought the paper closer to read the contents.

"Yes, our family isn't small, we have connections to suppliers of every single resource on this list, it's not like they are uncommon. The only problem is that they all deal with the alchemist guild and wouldn't want to break the contract unless they are certain you can give them a guaranteed profit."

"All you have to do is convince all of them to meet me in about a week"

"Brother Fan, what are you planning?"

"I am going to convince all of them in one fell swoop!"

__________

"Is this the place Liu Zhong was talking about?"

Zhao Fan arrived in front of a dilapidated warehouse on the outskirts of the city.

"Well the rent is dirt cheap, only 400 spirit stones per month for such a big space."

"My father only pays about 10 spirit stones per year on our house" Zhao Fan argued. Although it was a very small and old house in the slum part of the city, the price should not be different to that extent.

"The slums where you live take up a huge area and are a designated spot for people to live in. Businesses can't operate in the area where people live so that's why space in this part of the city is so valuable. Also, the warehouse is bigger than your house by at least 10 times. I would estimate a space this big would cost at the very least, 800 spirit stones per month, so I think you can see just how much Liu Zhong helped us"

"Huh, okay, but clearing out all these weeds and cleaning the warehouse is going to be a nightmare!" Zhao Fan groaned.

"That's where your father comes in!"

"What!!" Zhao Fan yelled in surprise.