Chapter 46 Poisonous Toad Leaf

The Soul Herbs Storage turned out to be much bigger than Number One originally thought but looking through the shelves, he could only sigh in disappointment. It only consisted of all common Soul Herbs and he could tell whose fault it was. The old Alchemist must have used up all the rare Soul Herbs in order to create his garbage pill and it was obvious that he failed numerous times.

"This is not good enough. That old geezer took all the Soul Herbs I needed so I will need to ask you to refresh the stock," Number One announced after returning to Headmaster Blake. "I will tell you all the Soul Herbs one by one so note them down."

Headmaster Blake quickly snapped his fingers at the Academy Official in charge of the storage and he began to note down everything Number One said.

"I will need fifty of everything. White Ginseng, Spring Chicory, Red Rose Root, Black Rose Root, Bloomed White Ginseng…"

The list was extremely long and Headmaster Blake began to sweat as he asked for the total price at the end. The Academy Official scratched his head as he looked through the list and pointed at a single Soul Herb. "Everything on the list is quite easy to get and we would buy it anyway to refill the storage but the Poisonous Toad Leaf might be a problem."

Number One couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. "And why is that?"

It was the exact Soul Herb that he needed for one of his Legendary Pills which he wanted to sneak into the list. It was the only one he could choose since it was one of the few that could be found in the Outer World and it was the least rare of them all.

"Well, I know about this Soul Herb since one of them was recently auctioned in the Auction House. It is quite rare to find since it needs assistance from the Poisonous Toad to gain its properties. The toad needs to rest on the leaf for at least a week before it is ready to harvest," the Academy Official explained. "Not to mention fifty, it would be hard to even get one."

The Academy Official gazed at Headmaster Blake and added, "That Soul Herb is also extremely expensive. As it is one of the rarest Earth rank Soul Herbs, its price can reach millions of Yellow Soul Crystals. Our Academy even bid close to five million but the price went up to a thousand Green Soul Crystals which is equivalent to ten million Yellow Soul Crystals."

Headmaster Blake paled at the high number and cursed, "Damn, those greedy bastards are always inflating the price. How could a single Soul Herb cost that much?"

"I heard it's actually a key ingredient for most Heaven rank pills… I wouldn't be surprised if the price went even higher," the Academy Official replied with a shrug. "The Poisonous Toads have been close to extinction for many years so the price will only go up and up. That was the reason I applied to secure this one for the Academy but we failed in the end."

Number One's heart sank inside of him. He knew all the Soul Herbs descriptions but he wasn't aware of how and where to get them exactly. He only knew the herb's origins but that was all. 'How am I supposed to get fifty of them when they are so expensive?'

They were all troubled with the news and Headmaster Blake questioned suspiciously, "Is this Soul Herb really necessary to make the healing Pill for Luna?"

Number One couldn't really pretend anymore and denied it firmly. "No, it's for me. I need to make a few pills for myself too since I am challenging the seniors after I am done here."

"Another challenge?" Headmaster Blake frowned as if he was getting another headache. "How confident are you? Who exactly are you fighting?"

"All four of them at the same time," Number One replied casually. "I would fight all five but I am leaving the girl for Luna."

Both the Academy Official and Headmaster Blake froze as they looked at Number One in surprise. He wasn't done though and added, "What? Do you think I have time to deal with them one by one? I would rather go train instead so I will finish them off in a single duel."

Number One's voice was so calm and collected that it was hard not to believe his words. Headmaster Blake thought for a moment before ordering, "Alright, go buy all the Soul Herbs that Number One needs and then ask the Auction House to contact the buyer of Poisonous Toad Leaf. Tell them that the Academy is willing to buy it from them at a higher price."

The Academy Official raised his eyebrows but he didn't argue and nodded before leaving hurriedly.

"I guess we can only wait for now," Headmaster Blake muttered. "How about you practice for now? There should be enough Soul Herbs to make a few Common Pills."

It was clear that Headmaster Blake wouldn't believe fully until he saw the results and Number One didn't blame him. He was planning to impress him anyway since that was just the start of their future collaboration. "Sure, why not. I usually make pills in silence though."

"That's not a problem, I will wait for you outside," Headmaster Blake decided on the spot. "Call me if you need anything else."

The respect in Headmaster Blake's voice didn't come from Number One's strength but rather his knowledge. A good Alchemist was just too hard to find, so it was more of an investment on his part.

'I guess I can sacrifice a bit for my first time,' Number One thought as he began pulling out various Soul Herb boxes from his Storage Ring.

The pill Number One was trying to make was at the top of the Earth rank and the old Alchemist happened to have all the right ingredients. Although he would have to use more than half of his new inventory, getting Headmaster Blake's support was more crucial for his long-term benefits.

'If only the old Alchemist carried more Soul Crystals on him I would be a rich boy,' Number One lamented. He only had a total of a hundred thousand Yellow Soul Crystals which was barely anything when it came to Soul Herb prices.

Number One opened each box and placed the Soul Herbs near his chest to suck them inside his heavenly space. He knew about this method for quite some time but he never had enough goods to use the heavenly space as storage. He was able to put in and withdraw anything from the outside world but the Legendary Soul Artifacts found inside were impossible to take out.

"Alright, I better hurry," Number One muttered as he split his consciousness as well and he found himself right in front of the golden cauldron. It was time for him to prepare his first-ever Pill.