C11 It Was about to Run out of Power

Cloud Forest City might be considered a small city within the vast Holy Dragon Empire, yet it boasted a bustling population of a million people, making it a hub of vibrant activity.

The eastern market district was particularly lively, teeming with a surging crowd that created a cacophony of sounds. Heads bobbed in every direction, contributing to the overwhelming hustle and bustle.

"I've got ten gold coins, six silver coins, and seventeen copper coins on me. That should be enough to purchase some Pill ingredients, right?" Ye Feilong mused, intent on acquiring only the components necessary to concoct the Blood Qi Pill. As for the potency of the Blood Qi Pill he could produce, he was currently uncertain.

Pill quality was categorized into nine grades, with the first grade being the lowest and the ninth the highest. The grade was intrinsically linked to both the caliber of the ingredients and the refiner's skill level.

"Wyrm Vine?"

"Shopkeeper, what's the price for this?"

"Three silver coins per kilogram? That's quite steep... Not even a penny off? Alright, I'll take three kilograms..."

"How much for this one... I'll take two kilograms."

"Shopkeeper, I'll need ten kilograms of this."

"..."

Ye Feilong was busy scouring the market, purchasing Pill refining materials.

"Li Qiang, isn't that the Ye family's failure?" A bald man in a corner of the market did a double-take upon noticing Ye Feilong, then nudged his companion, a man with a broad, scarred face and piercing, triangular eyes. If appearances were anything to go by, he was undoubtedly a man of ruthless disposition.

"Looks like it... He's still alive?"

Li Qiang was momentarily taken aback before excitement washed over his features. "Didn't the Second Young Master instruct us to keep an eye on the Ye family? We've stumbled upon Ye the Failure. Haha, this is our chance to shine. Let's hurry and report to the Second Young Master."

"Yes, exactly, haha! The Second Young Master will surely reward us handsomely!"

With that, the two men hurried off, buzzing with anticipation.

Meanwhile, Ye Feilong was blissfully unaware of the attention he had attracted and continued his leisurely perusal of the market stalls.

"These prices are exorbitant..."

After several rounds through the market, Ye Feilong was left with only a silver coin and a handful of copper coins. He had managed to procure all the necessary materials, except for the Devil Beast Blood Core, to make a batch of three Blood Qi Pills.

Three gold coins, six silver coins, and seventeen copper coins were required to purchase the materials for crafting seven Blood Qi Pills. Yet, even with this expenditure, the shopping list was incomplete; the Devil Beast Blood Core was still missing, making the endeavor far from affordable.

Ye Feilong had done the math, converting the currency of the Holy Dragon Empire to Earth's standards, where one copper coin was the equivalent of one yuan. A hundred copper coins equaled one silver coin, and ten silver coins were on par with one gold coin. The money Feilong carried translated to 1,617 yuan.

But even without acquiring the Devil Beast Blood Core and only securing the other ingredients, he could only muster enough for three pills. It was no surprise that pill merchants charged such steep prices, considering a success rate above 30% was the hallmark of top-tier pill masters.

In essence, only a highly skilled alchemist could possibly turn the materials for three pills into a single successful product. Adding the cost of the Devil Beast Blood Core would drive the price even higher.

Should the pill refining end in failure, the investment would go up in smoke. If one pill emerged successfully, it would define the pill's worth. Producing two pills would yield a significant profit, while three would be nothing short of miraculous. This was the calculation by alchemist standards.

Ye Feilong harbored great expectations for the Pill Room on his phone. With lofty ambitions and courage, he aimed for a 100% success rate, though he realistically expected a minimum of 30%, befitting his status as a king.

"Devil Beast Blood Core..."

Ye Feilong tightened his fist involuntarily. The Devil Beast Blood Cores came with a hefty price tag. To refine Blood Qi Pills, a Devil Beast Blood Core of at least Level 5 was necessary, and with only one available for purchase at five gold coins, his funds fell short of acquiring even one.

Given the exorbitant cost, he saw no point in squandering money. He resolved to venture into the Cloud Pool Mountain Range himself to hunt Devil Beasts and secure the Blood Cores. A Devil Beast of around Level 5 matched a human martial artist at the Qi Martial Stage Level 5, well within his capabilities to defeat.

Though entering the Cloud Pool Mountain Range was fraught with danger, Ye Feilong understood that the martial path was far from easy. The journey back to Earth would undoubtedly be strewn with countless bodies and soaked in blood.

He made his way to the market entrance.

Though it was merely ingredients for three Pills, in reality, a large horse-drawn carriage would be needed to carry them all. Yet, Ye Feilong walked with his hands empty.

He didn't possess any kind of spatial storage artifact; instead, each time he purchased a material and paid for it, his phone would prompt him to decide if he wanted to use it for pill refining. When he selected "Yes," the material he was holding would vanish.

How the phone accomplished this was beyond Ye Feilong's understanding, but he didn't need to comprehend it. After all, it saved him the trouble of hiring a carriage to transport the materials, which was a welcome convenience.

"All is in place, except for the blood nucleus."

Ye Feilong strode out of the market.

No sooner had he stepped through the market's entrance than his phone chimed with a notification.

"What good news now? Can I refine pills without the Devil Beast blood nucleus?"

Ye Feilong paused, quickly checked his phone, and was immediately perplexed.

A red alert box popped up on the phone's screen.

Not every red notification is cause for celebration.

Often, red signifies a warning.

"Battery at 10% remaining. Please charge soon."

Ye Feilong was taken aback; he had never considered the battery life.

It wasn't an actual phone, so why would it need a battery?

Okay, it's a phone and needs power, no issue there, but where would he find electricity in this world? And he hadn't thought to bring a charger with him!

With no electricity and no charger available, how was he supposed to charge it?

"Boom!"

A sudden clap of thunder rolled in from the distance.

Ye Feilong was even more stunned. Was this a hint that he needed to harness lightning to charge it? If that were true, did he need to find a spot to stand and get struck by lightning?

That's ridiculous. Lightning might seem a mere sliver, but the voltage is often in the billions. To be struck by lightning and not be blown to bits would be a stroke of luck.

"How do I charge this?"

Ye Feilong looked up at the sky, pondering.

If it really required lightning to charge, he was in for a challenge.

"Stop, stop..."

The next moment, Ye Feilong burst into the training room, signaling the "Ye Feilong" practicing martial arts to halt.

He watched as the figures of "Ye Feilong," each with a "100%" progress bar above their heads, began to fade and quickly vanished.

His extensive experience with smartphones had taught him that fewer background processes meant less battery consumption.

Thus, Ye Feilong's initial reaction was to terminate these martial arts practicing "Ye Feilong." After all, they had already reached 100% proficiency; there was no need to continue the deliberate practice. He hoped that by stopping these "Ye Feilong," he could conserve battery life, giving him more time to find a charging solution.

But how could he charge the phone?

Ye Feilong pondered deeply.

The charging issue was a significant problem, indeed the most pressing one to address.

He settled down under a large tree, leaning against its trunk, eyes closed, contemplating a charging method.

Getting struck by lightning as a charging method was out of the question; there was no way he was going to resort to such a foolish tactic.

What could the solution be?

He pulled out his phone and, as if activating it for the first time, infused it with Genuine Qi.

No response.

Hmm, he remembered reading in some fantasy novels that such cheat devices could be charged with money.

He retrieved the few remaining silver and copper coins from his pocket, but to no avail.

Was it because there wasn't enough money?

He pondered once more.

He tried again.

Every possible method.

Ye Feilong held his phone aloft, facing the sun.

Still nothing.

Clearly, it wasn't solar-powered.

"Great Huawei, King Wang, Boss Ren, you all remind me to charge, but could you tell me how?"

Ye Feilong was at his wit's end and suddenly bellowed skyward.

Passersby jumped at the outburst, casting curious glances his way. Who was this lunatic?

"Young Master..."

A voice tinged with excitement suddenly echoed from behind Ye Feilong.