Chapter 3321 — The Second-Tier Automatic Cauldron

Naturally, the most astonished of all were the three ancestors of the Blood-Robed Yellow Springs Sect. They had been agonizing over whether they should keep helping Wei Zhao now that he was back. Lin Dongfang might stand behind them, but when all was said and done, they still had no way to answer to Wei Zhao.

Lin Dongfang had forbidden the ancestors of the Blood-Robed Yellow Springs Sect from telling Wei Zhao anything, so they truly had no excuse to keep aiding him. They were stewing in their worries when word reached them—a message so shocking it left them reeling. Wei Zhao had slain a peak late-stage Heaven-Tier expert in a single blow and wounded two others of the same caliber?

Could it be true? The three ancestors of the Blood-Robed Yellow Springs Sect shared the doubts of everyone else, yet because they were among the few who truly understood Wei Zhao's strength, they dialed his number at the first opportunity.

"Mr. Wei Zhao, this is the Sinister Ancestor of the Blood-Robed Yellow Springs Sect!" Once the call connected, the Sinister Ancestor came straight to the point. "These past few days, a rumor has been circulating through the upper echelons of the ancient world—they say you slew a peak late-stage Heaven-Tier expert in a single blow and wounded two others of the same caliber. Is this true or false?"

"It is true." Wei Zhao did not conceal it. After all, the Blood-Robed Yellow Springs Sect had shown him ample goodwill all along; there was no need to deceive them, and beyond that, Wei Zhao wanted the news to spread.

"Oh? Mr. Wei Zhao, you have grown this formidable already?" The Sinister Ancestor was startled, his voice thick with astonishment.

"It is like this—my level of strength has risen another step. I am now a mid-stage Heaven-Tier expert. And at this level, I can employ a secret art to slay a peak late-stage Heaven-Tier expert in a single blow," Wei Zhao said.

"So that is how it is!" Hearing Wei Zhao confirm it with his own lips, the Sinister Ancestor breathed a sigh of relief. He knew Wei Zhao would never speak idly. If Wei Zhao said so, then he had full confidence in it. At that thought, the Sinister Ancestor said, "By the way, while you were away, the Eastern Family, the Tomorrow Upon Tomorrow Sect, and the Black Horse Society came to see me together. They had traced those men's deaths to us, though they believed it was you who hired us."

"Oh? Did they give you any trouble?" Wei Zhao felt somewhat apologetic. The Blood-Robed Yellow Springs Sect had acted for the sake of the mission, but in the end they had helped him. Had he not spread word that those men had died at his hand, it would not have been easy for anyone to trace matters back to the Blood-Robed Yellow Springs Sect.

"It is already settled, though we shall have to keep a low profile for a while," the Sinister Ancestor said. "But I fear that when they find they cannot make trouble for us, they will turn to making trouble for you!"

"I understand. It does not matter. Thank you for the warning!" Wei Zhao said.

"Very well, then—let us leave it at that!" The Sinister Ancestor could not say too much and could only hint at it. After all, there were certain connections that Wei Zhao did not know of, and which they could not speak of.

Yet beyond Wei Zhao's expectations, whether it was the Eastern Family, the Tomorrow Upon Tomorrow Sect, or the Black Horse Society, all chose temporary silence. None of them came to trouble Wei Zhao, because they truly could no longer fathom his depths!

Wei Zhao had returned? And slain a peak late-stage Heaven-Tier expert in a single blow? Even if many remained skeptical, no one was a fool this time. They still felt lingering dread from the trouble they had courted with the Blood-Robed Yellow Springs Sect, and now Wei Zhao had returned just like that—they truly dared not stir up trouble lightly!

What if Wei Zhao really did possess the strength to slay peak late-stage Heaven-Tier experts in a single blow? Then might he not also slay great-perfection experts in a single blow? All of it was unknown, and so these people all kept their silence at once.

These past days, the second-tier automatic cauldrons Liu Jinghan's side had been producing were finished and were being sent to the cultivators' guild for auction! This time, however, Kang Jingming was not worried.

Because only the Mystic Pill Sect could manufacture second-tier cauldrons, no matter how well Wei Zhao's cauldrons sold, he could never bypass Kang Jingming for raw materials. Unless Kang Jingming gave his nod, they would have no materials at all. So Kang Jingming planned to turn a profit on the raw materials and claim a share of the spoils. There was no need to fear it would hurt his business, for the first-tier and second-tier automatic cauldrons served entirely different customers.

Compared with first-tier automatic cauldrons—where anyone with a fire-attribute constitution could, after a bit of training, take up the post of a first-tier alchemist and operate one—the operating requirements for second-tier automatic cauldrons were somewhat more stringent!

First, those half-baked alchemists lacked a wood-attribute constitution, and to advance to second-tier alchemists was exceedingly difficult. They were not Han Jingyi, nor did they have Wei Zhao's help, so the odds of a half-baked alchemist like them rising to the second tier were all but nil!

Therefore, the second-tier automatic cauldrons were aimed at true, genuine alchemists—whether one who had just stepped from the first tier into the second, or a seasoned second-tier alchemist. In any case, so long as one was a second-tier alchemist, one could use a second-tier automatic cauldron!

Only, the demand would be somewhat smaller. These thirty second-tier automatic cauldrons would essentially cover all such alchemists; even if the number fell short, it would not be by much. Kang Jingming's estimate was somewhat off!

After all, Kang Jingming had never seen a finished second-tier automatic cauldron. He had only heard secondhand tales of how formidable their functions were and what pills they could refine. So in his view, the second-tier automatic cauldron should be like the first-tier one—usable by any alchemist—and its sales ought to be considerable!

Thus, to skim a profit from it, Kang Jingming, just after the second-tier cauldrons from You Panhu's side had been delivered to Wei Zhao, cut off the market supply of second-tier cauldrons on his end. His aim was to hoard them and sell them to Wei Zhao at a steep price!

Moreover, fearing that demand would outstrip supply and he would miss his chance to profit, Kang Jingming had prepared in advance, planning to first produce a batch of second-tier cauldrons so as to sell them to Wei Zhao at a high price later!

"Zhaoming, that is a fine idea!" Ancestor Xuanchen nodded in approval. "We must do away with Wei Zhao, but before he dies, we must squeeze every last ounce of value out of him! With these second-tier cauldrons, we can indeed make a killing!"

Although the first-tier intelligent cauldrons the Mystic Pill Sect produced were also on the market and matched Wei Zhao's first-tier automatic cauldrons in function, the market was growing ever closer to saturation. What had once been a frenzy of buying had now settled into a steady decline, and this too showed Ancestor Xuanchen and Kang Jingming the danger they faced! (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian and cast