The burly man perked up instantly upon hearing Chen Tianwen's words.

Crossing the endless desert is a huge undertaking! My commission will definitely be substantial.

Chen Tianwen had already concealed his strength, appearing to outsiders to be only at the peak of the Golden Immortal realm. Therefore, in the eyes of this burly man, Chen Tianwen had become like a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered.

The burly man then began to introduce himself:

"Young master, you've come to the right place if you wish to traverse the Endless Sands. Let me introduce myself: my name is Wang Chong, and I am a consul of the Sands Guild!"

Chen Tianwen nodded. He could tell that although Wang Chong only had the cultivation of a Golden Immortal at the peak of his cultivation, the aura emanating from him indicated that he had definitely experienced mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Wang Chong continued his introduction:

"The Sand Sea Guild's most famous business is helping people cross the endless sand sea. That's how the guild got its name!"

"However, this mission to cross the Endless Sands is different from other bounty missions. Because the Endless Sands are full of difficulties and dangers, it is impossible to cross them with just one or two guides!"

Chen Tianwen looked at Wang Chong with some doubt and said:

"So, Consul Wang, do you mean I need to hire a few more skilled fighters?"

Wang Chong shook his head and said:

"No, the Sand Sea Guild usually gathers together the cultivators who have issued missions at the same time, and then sends out guides to lead everyone across the endless sand sea."

Chen Tianwen nodded, understanding Wang Chong's meaning, and then said to Wang Chong:

"In that case, please help me form a team. How many immortal crystals will it cost?"

Wang Chong sized up Chen Tianwen for a moment, then spoke:

"Young Master should know that if we go as a team, everyone has to contribute to the team. However, everyone's strength is different. In other words, those who are stronger generally contribute more, while those who are weaker naturally contribute less!"

"If I'm not mistaken, young master, you should be at the peak of the Golden Immortal realm. Although you are considered a promising young talent, compared to those Great Luo Golden Immortals who have traversed the endless desert, your strength is relatively low!"

Chen Tianwen nodded. He had been hiding his cultivation level to avoid unnecessary trouble, but judging from Wang Chong's words, it was clear that he wanted him to pay more immortal crystals.

Sure enough, Wang Chong continued:

"Young master, therefore, the price for you to cross the endless desert may be higher than for others."

Chen Tianwen asked:

"Tell me exactly how many immortal crystals you need."

Wang Chong held up two fingers and said to Chen Tianwen:

"Two hundred thousand mid-grade immortal crystals! Young master, don't think it's too expensive. Even a Grand Luo Golden Immortal would have to pay one hundred thousand mid-grade immortal crystals."

When Chen Tianwen heard that the other party had actually doubled the price for him, he couldn't help but laugh at himself inwardly:

"It seems that there's a price to pay for pretending to be weak while actually being strong."

However, at this moment, Chen Tianwen naturally could not reveal his strength again, so he had a sudden idea and said to Wang Chong:

"Consul Wang, although my strength is only at the peak of the Golden Immortal realm, I am still a master alchemist."

Wang Chong also became interested. If Chen Tianwen was really a master alchemist, Wang Chong would naturally be willing to befriend him. However, Wang Chong did not believe that Chen Tianwen was so young, yet not only could he reach the peak of the Golden Immortal realm, but his alchemy skills could also be so high.

Chen Tianwen also noticed Wang Chong's suspicion, then took out a fourth-grade immortal pill from his pocket and handed it to Wang Chong:

"These are the elixirs I refined. Please take a look, Consul Wang!"

Wang Chong took the fourth-grade immortal pill and examined it. At the same time, his gaze toward Chen Tianwen became more cautious. He still had some doubts, but he didn't say anything.

The elixir that Chen Tianwen took out was obtained from the secret realm. It was not actually refined by himself. Otherwise, Chen Tianwen would have easily refined top-grade elixir. Why would he have taken out an ordinary elixir?

Chen Tianwen didn't want to cause a stir, so he had been keeping a low profile, but seeing the doubt in Wang Chong's eyes, Chen Tianwen spoke again:

"If Consul Wang doesn't believe me, I can open the furnace now and refine it again!"

Wang Chong nodded and said to Chen Tianwen:

"Young master, you misunderstand. Although I believe in your abilities, it would save you a lot of trouble if you could prove yourself!"

Without wasting any words, Chen Tianwen took out the alchemy cauldron and began refining elixirs on the spot.

The rich aroma of the herbal remedy instantly filled the entire hall, attracting the attention of many people.

Seeing that Chen Tianwen was actually refining pills here, they all gathered around.

Alchemists hold a transcendent status in the immortal realm. After all, having a suitable elixir is equivalent to having an extra life, so no one would offend an alchemist without a reason.

On the contrary, many cultivators will take the initiative to befriend alchemy masters, since not all alchemy masters are as easy to talk to as Chen Tianwen.

Now that Chen Tianwen has started refining pills, more and more people have gathered to watch the spectacle. They all started whispering among themselves, but no one dared to make a loud noise for fear of disturbing Chen Tianwen.

In an instant, the once bustling hall fell silent.

This time, Chen Tianwen chose to refine a low-grade fourth-rank immortal pill, which is considered the easiest to refine among fourth-rank immortal pills.

To avoid appearing too shocking, Chen Tianwen deliberately extended the alchemy time considerably. What was originally only half an hour of refining took Chen Tianwen a full three hours before opening the furnace.

Without a doubt, after Chen Tianwen opened the furnace, a top-grade elixir appeared in his hand.

Chen Tianwen handed the elixir to Wang Chong, who tremblingly accepted it. Seeing the Daoist aura flowing over the elixir, Wang Chong exclaimed in surprise:

"A top-grade immortal pill! It's actually a fourth-grade top-grade immortal pill!"

Wang Chong's exclamation caused an uproar in the hall. No one expected that Chen Tianwen would not only actually refine an immortal pill, but also a top-grade immortal pill. Could it be that Chen Tianwen has reached the level of a fifth-grade alchemy immortal master? That is the existence known as the Pill King!

"Young master, I was blind and offended you just now!"

Wang Chong's attitude towards Chen Tianwen also became respectful, and he quickly bowed to Chen Tianwen and said...

Moreover, Wang Chong was convinced that Chen Tianwen's ability to refine a top-grade fourth-rank immortal pill within three hours meant that he had definitely reached a terrifying level of skill in alchemy.

However, what Wang Chong didn't know was that even so, Chen Tianwen had deliberately slowed down the alchemy process.

Chen Tianwen smiled and returned Wang Chong's greeting, saying:

"Consul Wang, you flatter me. This time it was just luck that I managed to refine a top-grade elixir."

Wang Chong, with a broad smile, said to Chen Tianwen:

"Young master is too modest!"

Chen Tianwen waved his hand and said:

"Consul Wang, I wonder what the price is for me to cross the endless desert now?"