A pale green jade token came into view.

The guards, having traveled far and wide with the caravan, were naturally knowledgeable.

One of them stared wide-eyed and exclaimed in astonishment:

"Shopkeeper Bai, you really did it?!"

Someone who was slower on the uptake asked, "Did what?"

"Became a Pill Master!"

"What!?"

The inn’s main hall immediately erupted in a commotion.

They had often discussed such things, but for everyone present, this was the first time they had witnessed a Cultivator transition from a medicine apprentice to a Pill Master with their own eyes.

Besides, Bai Mo hadn’t put on any airs during their journey.

The guards immediately surged forward, surrounding Bai Mo.

"Let me see..."

"What a beautiful jade token! You couldn’t trade it for a thousand pieces of gold!"

"Of course! Only a Pill Master has one of these. Outsiders can’t forge it!"

"..."

The scene was chaotic, and many unfamiliar patrons also turned to look.

Unable to stand the crowd, Bai Mo hastily broke free from the encirclement and headed for his room.

The guards came to their senses and quickly escorted Bai Mo back.

For a Pill Master to emerge in the inn was an extraordinary event.

Celestial Mountain City held two evaluations a year, and even then, not many Pill Masters were certified.

When the old man from the caravan and Lanshan returned to the inn, they heard the news immediately.

Both of them were extremely excited.

An attendant personally delivered dinner to Bai Mo’s room.

Down in the hall, he would have inevitably been gawked at by others.

Not wanting to eat uncomfortably, Bai Mo naturally opted to dine in his room.

Lanshan and the old man from the caravan also came to Bai Mo’s room.

"Shopkeeper Bai!" Lanshan’s eyes were shining.

"The Pill Master’s credential—may we have a look?"

There was no reason to refuse.

Bai Mo took off the jade token and placed it on the table.

Lanshan wiped his hands, picked it up, and examined it carefully.

"What a beautiful piece of jade! I may be a rough man who doesn’t understand jade, but even I can tell the quality of this is excellent!"

The old man from the caravan didn’t touch it, merely observing from the side.

"It’s said that these are made from a rare type of jade, naturally formed by heaven and earth, and then processed with a special method."

"No one but Pill Masters possesses them."

Lanshan was a little curious.

"Has no Pill Master ever passed one of these down to their descendants?"

Bai Mo swallowed a mouthful of rice and replied:

"If this token is separated from a Pill Master for too long, it will gradually lose its mystical properties and become no different from an ordinary stone."

Lanshan had a moment of realization, and the old man from the caravan also nodded.

"So that’s how it is. No wonder these don’t circulate on the market..."

Lanshan gazed at the jade token, mostly out of novelty. Hearing the old man, he casually remarked:

"You’ve inquired about these things before?"

The old man from the caravan didn’t deny it.

"Of course. A Pill Master’s identity is so useful that people have naturally tried to get their hands on one. Some on the market offer a very high price."

"Wealth moves the hearts of men, yet no one has ever succeeded in such a transaction. So there was a trick to it."

Bai Mo looked at him and asked, "How much did those people offer?"

The old man from the caravan held up one hand, spreading his five fingers.

"Five hundred Spirit Stones!"

Upon hearing this, both Bai Mo and Lanshan froze.

’Five hundred?!’

Many Cultivators had never even seen what five hundred Spirit Stones looked like.

The old man from the caravan, however, was unfazed.

"Members of the Pill Pavilion, the Formation Guild... they all have identity tokens."

"And both types are equally useful. They’re perfect tools for swindling and cheating. If someone really got one, they could make their money back very quickly."

He paused, then continued, "Of course, a real Pill Master or Formation Master wouldn’t need to do such things."

"They themselves are worth that price!"

Lanshan handed the jade token back to Bai Mo.

He was somewhat excited. The man before him was now a true Pill Master.

’When we do business in Immortal Arrival City, we won’t have to be so secretive anymore.’

’I have a bit of a connection with him. That alone is enough for an entire Demon Hunting Team to get a taste of the good life.’

"The Pill Masters I saw coming and going from there today were all old men, surrounded by attendants."

"I was starting to think it was really that difficult to become a Pill Master. I was quite worried..."

Hearing this, Bai Mo shook his head.

"The ones responsible for the Pill Master examinations are all experienced, veteran Pill Masters. That’s the only way to command respect."

This kind of thing had happened before.

It wasn’t just Cultivators seeking certification; even other accomplished Pill Masters had bluntly told the examiner they weren’t qualified to test them before storming off.

Such awkward scenes were a great blow to the Pill Pavilion’s prestige.

Later, the Cultivators responsible for certification became the gray-haired old men you see today.

They aren’t just old; they are all well-known seniors in the profession.

This was all information that Pill Master Lu Kang had told Bai Mo.

In the entire Celestial Mountain City branch, there were a total of two hundred fifty-one registered Pill Masters, with all sorts of people among them.

The old man from the caravan interjected at this point:

"Becoming a Pill Master is no small matter even in Celestial Mountain City, let alone for someone like Shopkeeper Bai, who is from Immortal Arrival City."

"I think when you return, you should hold a grand banquet and invite many guests."

Bai Mo looked at him in surprise.

The old man from the caravan said very seriously:

"My Tong family has done such things before. When Alchemist Feng from Immortal Arrival City was destitute, he successfully got his certification, and it was my Tong family that hosted the banquet for him."

"There’s a lot of tradition and etiquette involved in this."

Bai Mo hesitated for a moment, but finally said:

"Let’s talk about that later. I have a Pill Shop in Immortal Arrival City."

"If we really do it, we can handle the shop’s official registration at the same time."

The old man from the caravan asked curiously, "Shopkeeper Bai, your shop isn’t registered?"

Nowadays in Immortal Arrival City, all shops must be registered. That’s a rule of the Miaofa Sect.

But Bai Mo’s shop, through his connection with his landlord Elder Tao, was operating smoothly without being registered.

However, now that he was a Pill Master, it shouldn’t be difficult to officially add a Pill Shop in the city.

"After I get back, I still have things to sort out with my shop."

"You are both well-known figures in Immortal Arrival City. If I need help then, I will naturally come find you."

Hearing this, Lanshan and the old man from the caravan both waved their hands repeatedly, saying they wouldn’t dare presume.

However, the smiles on their faces still revealed their delight.

In Immortal Arrival City, where the Alchemy Dao was in decline, deepening a friendship with a Pill Master was undoubtedly a joyous affair.

Over the next three days, more and more people came to deliver Pill Tokens.

The inn was crowded and full of gossip; within a day, the news about Bai Mo had leaked out.

Many discerning Cultivators came and respectfully presented their Pill Tokens.

Some smaller family merchant associations even sent their leaders to visit in person.

Bai Mo didn’t act arrogant. He exchanged a few symbolic pleasantries and accepted the Pill Tokens.

"We should get going. There’s not much point in staying in Celestial Mountain City."

Bai Mo said privately to Lanshan and the old man from the caravan.

Both of them nodded. The inn was now constantly filled with guests coming to pay a visit.

Being bogged down in social obligations was indeed quite tedious. Plus, since the caravan’s and Lanshan’s business was all concluded, it was better to head back early.

The inn’s Shopkeeper, however, was grinning from ear to ear all day.

Business at the inn had indeed been much better these past few days.

After checking the almanac, they found that two days later would be an auspicious day.

So everyone packed their things, settled their bill at the inn, and prepared to depart.

The sky was still dark when they left, but unexpectedly, they still ran into someone.

"Hahaha, Fellow Daoist Bai, you really did it!!"

The newcomer was Ren Lu, with Yi Yi beside him.

Bai Mo smiled. These were people he knew.

"This is Yan Shi of the Yan family, Fellow Daoist Yan."

"We ran into him on the way and came together."

Yan Shi, who went by the codename Yi Yi, cupped his fist towards Bai Mo.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Bai!"

Bai Mo returned the gesture and asked curiously, "Did you two both pass?"

Ren Lu sighed and shook his head.

"How could it be that easy? We both failed at the Third Layer!"