12: Chapter 12 Cultivation in Secret

His appearance was still that of the middle-aged man, but his entire temperament had undergone a world-shaking change.

His eyes were reserved and deep, his steps steady and powerful; in every movement, there was an inherent sense of profound weight, like an immovable mountain.

He walked to Su Cheng's door and said softly, "Chenger, Dad is ready."

Su Cheng opened the door and nodded with satisfaction at his father's brand-new look.

"Father, our goal for this trip to the county town is very clear." Su Cheng handed over a cloth bag containing the remaining Spirit Stones.

As well as a Storage Pouch left by his elder sister Su Yunling before she departed, which contained two hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

This was a meeting gift from Wenren Zimo. Knowing Su Cheng needed Spirit Stones, Su Yunling hadn't kept any for herself.

"First, use these Spirit Stones to buy inactive Materials needed for qi gathering pills. The more, the better; take as many as they have."

"Second..." Su Cheng looked at his father and said emphatically, "After this, we won't go to the county town anymore."

Frequent transactions would inevitably reveal flaws. While safe for now, it would surely lead to trouble in the long run.

This time was for a one-time restock and also the final risk.

Su Chengyuan solemnly took the cloth bag, understanding his son's meaning.

"Don't worry, Dad knows what to do." He turned and left, his back resolute and firm.

On the small path from Qingyang Town to the county town, a figure walked at a leisurely pace.

The person wore a dusty short tunic and had an unremarkable appearance, the kind that would disappear in a crowd.

But if a Cultivator observed closely, they would find a momentum of wind and thunder in his steps and a long, steady breath—clearly a skilled hand at the Qi Refining Middle Stage.

This was precisely the disguised Su Chengyuan.

Under Su Cheng's guidance, he hadn't just changed his appearance and clothes; more importantly, using his Qi Refining Fifth Layer cultivation, he deliberately suppressed all familiar traits to simulate the unique air of a Loose Cultivator who traveled year-round, full of vigilance and weathered by the elements.

He was no longer the submissive Su Chengyuan of Qingyang Town, but "Li Er," a Loose Cultivator roaming for cultivation resources.

Upon reaching the county town, he didn't hesitate and walked straight to Treasure Gathering Tower.

"Guest, what would you like to see?" The Treasure Gathering Tower clerk still had that enthusiastic yet shrewd look.

Su Chengyuan, or rather Li Er, just glanced at him indifferently without speaking, subtly releasing a breath of the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.

The smile on the clerk's face faltered slightly, his shrewdness receding as he took on a solemn expression.

Also at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, he could feel that the other's aura was solid, far exceeding ordinary Cultivators of the same stage, identifying him as a guest to be taken seriously.

He immediately straightened his posture, cupped his hands, and asked politely, "Please come in, Fellow Daoist. What are you looking for?"

"Bring out all the inactive qi gathering pill Materials you have for me to see." Li Er's voice was flat.

The clerk was stunned. Buying inactive Materials? And for qi gathering pills? This was quite an unconventional request.

But he didn't ask questions, only saying, "Wait a moment, Fellow Daoist, I'll go get them from the warehouse for you."

Soon, a large pile of shriveled, yellowed Materials devoid of Spiritual Qi was laid out on the counter.

"Forty-seven sets in total. Since a few are in truly poor condition, I'll include them as a bonus for Senior. It will be one hundred and seventy Low-Grade Spirit Stones. What do you think?"

"Fine." Li Er was straightforward, counting out one hundred and seventy Spirit Stones from the bag and pushing them over.

After paying, Li Er swept all the Materials into his Storage Pouch and turned to leave. From start to finish, he didn't waste a word, being so decisive that even the clerk was a bit dazed.

Not until Li Er's figure completely disappeared around the street corner did the clerk rush to the back hall.

Such a large transaction of "waste Materials" had to be reported to the manager.

"Is it another errand runner for an Alchemist?" In the back hall, the manager stroked his beard, eyes flashing. "That's the third time this month. Though the appearance and aura differ, the method... seems to come from the same place. Investigate it. If you find nothing, it's fine. Just spread the word that a mysterious Alchemist has been buying up large quantities of discarded Materials recently."

The manager was calculating, knowing the other party needed a lot of discarded Materials, even if he couldn't guess why.

But since they wanted them, he might as well fan the flames and have the other shops in the county prepare.

All of this no longer concerned Su Chengyuan, who had quietly left the county town.

Carrying the fully loaded Storage Pouch, he took several detours to ensure no one was following before returning safely to Qingyang Town.

When Su Chengyuan handed the stuffed Storage Pouch to Su Cheng, both father and son breathed a sigh of relief.

With this batch of raw Materials, Su Cheng wouldn't have to worry about supplies for a long time.

He could stay home peacefully and be an Alchemist behind the scenes.

The Su Family's small courtyard returned to tranquility once more.

Su Cheng's life entered a new cycle: Alchemy, recovery, cultivation, and then Alchemy again.

He first refined three top-grade qi gathering pills for himself.

When the first pill entered his mouth and that familiar, majestic medicinal power exploded, Su Cheng truly understood how his father had felt.

His Qiankun Creation Art already had a solid Foundation, and his capacity for Spiritual Qi far exceeded that of ordinary people.

This pure medicinal power was like rain after a long drought for him.

The Creation Vortex in his Dantian spun frantically, absorbing this ownerless energy and growing rapidly.

With one pill, he surged from the Qi Refining Second Layer Early Stage directly to the Qi Refining Second Layer Middle Stage!

He had also condensed ten wisps of Qi of Creation, with twenty more needed to charge into the Qi Refining Third Layer.

After refining all three pills, Su Cheng's cultivation stayed firmly at the Qi Refining Third Layer Early Stage.

And now, less than two months had passed since his Breakthrough to the Qi Refining Second Layer.

Such cultivation speed, if leaked, would be enough to shake the entire cultivation world.

"Still too slow," Su Cheng frowned slightly.

Although he had successfully condensed thirty wisps of Qi of Creation, his Mental Energy strength hadn't changed much, only the recovery speed had increased significantly.

According to the books, increasing Mental Energy would likely require reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage, where Divine Sense is evolved from Mental Energy.

At that time, he would be able to sustain Alchemy for a long duration.

However, he also knew this was just a benefit of the lower Realms.

The further one went, the astronomical the amount of Spiritual Qi and Qi of Creation required for each minor Realm.

He had to seize every moment to improve himself.

Thus, he began his frantic Alchemy endeavor.

By day, he was an eight-year-old child who seemed somewhat precocious and liked reading.

By night, he transformed into a tireless Alchemy machine.

One top-grade qi gathering pill after another was born in his hands.

He didn't stockpile all of these pills.

Looking at the supreme-grade pills with flowing light in the Pill Furnace, Su Cheng fell into thought.

Stockpiling wasn't the goal; converting them into strength was the priority.

His sister was far away at the Tiangang Sect, unable to help with immediate needs, while his father was his most solid and reliable shield.

So, every once in a while, he would give a portion of the pills to his father.

Su Chengyuan became the deepest "sleeper" of the Su Family.

By day, he was still the middle-aged man whose cultivation was stalled at the Qi Refining Third Layer and who stood a bit straighter because his son was somewhat successful. He remained indifferent to clan affairs and was occasionally lectured by his elder brother Su Chengzhi in the tone of an elder.

By night, he transformed into a greedy beast, frantically devouring Spiritual Qi under the support of supreme-grade pills, suppressing his skyrocketing cultivation deep within his body, tempering it repeatedly until it was perfectly integrated.

With the infusion of large quantities of supreme-grade pills, the shackles of his Aptitude had long since been shattered.

His cultivation had quietly broken through the Qi Refining Sixth Layer without anyone knowing, advancing triumphantly to firmly step into the threshold of the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, becoming a true Late Qi Refining Stage Cultivator.

Once, Su Chengzhi saw him dazing in the courtyard again and couldn't help but walk over to pat his shoulder, saying half-jokingly: