144: Chapter 144 Hey, it's no big deal!

Elder Qingmu sighed. "This stage tests your Comprehension Ability, your Opportunity, and even more so, your Dao Heart.

During the selection, you said 'the Dao of Alchemy originates from plants and vegetation.' This shows your Dao Heart is pure and that you have your own insights into the Dao of Alchemy and the Way of Grass and Wood.

However, there are three thousand Great Daos. Which specific one to take and how to walk it ultimately depends on your own enlightenment.

To find that unique 'One' belonging to you amidst the vast sea of changes in plants and vegetation is harder than ascending to heaven. This is your second major difficulty."

Su Cheng remained silent. His Dao was indeed more difficult than that of ordinary Cultivators, but not in the way his Revered Master described.

“The third difficulty, and the most dangerous one, is the Great Heart Demon Tribulation.” Elder Qingmu's expression became somewhat solemn. “At the moment of Core Formation, a Cultivator's essence, Qi, and spirit merge into one, and the Divine Soul will be in a fragile state.

At that time, all your past obsessions, fears, and resentments will transform into Heart Demons coming to take your life.

If you endure it, the world opens up and your Lifespan skyrockets; if you fail, at best your Dao Foundation is damaged, and at worst, your body dies and your Dao vanishes.

Throughout history, how many Geniuses have fallen at this step.”

Three major difficulties, each more treacherous than the last.

After listening, Su Cheng had a clearer understanding of the difficulty for a Cultivator to Breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm.

A Golden Core True Person was indeed not so easily achieved.

“Disciple, although your Aptitude is only Medium Grade, I see that the strength of your Dao Heart far surpasses ordinary people.” Elder Qingmu patted his shoulder and comforted him. “Besides, being in the Danding Sect, our greatest advantage is Medicinal Pills.

With me here and the Sect behind us, as long as you can find your own Dao, this first difficulty of spiritual energy accumulation is actually the simplest! It's just the latter two difficulties that you'll need to fight and scramble for yourself.”

These words warmed Su Cheng's heart.

Just as he was about to say something, Chen Yuan's voice came from outside the Formation at the mountain peak.

“Revered Master, Junior Brother, I'm back again!”

Elder Qingmu frowned and instructed Su Cheng, “Remember, do not mention the matter of the dragon beard vine to anyone, including your Senior Brother.”

Su Cheng nodded understandingly.

Only then did Elder Qingmu wave his hand to open the Formation at the mountain peak.

Chen Yuan ran up excitedly, holding a massive rhinoceros horn that shimmered with a metallic luster.

He was just about to show off to Su Cheng the mission he had just completed, but he was met with a barrage of scolding from Elder Qingmu.

“You still know how to come back! All you do all day is fight and kill outside, what kind of behavior is that!” Elder Qingmu glared with his beard bristling. “Look at your Junior Brother! At such a young age, his understanding of the Way of Grass and Wood far surpasses yours!

You should also settle down and study the proper path of the Dao of Alchemy more, and spend less time on those improper activities!”

Chen Yuan was scolded into a daze, looking at his Revered Master with a bewildered face, then at the innocent-looking Su Cheng beside him, completely unaware of what had happened.

At this moment, he really wanted to ask his Revered Master: wasn't this Armored Rhinoceros horn precisely for use in medicine?

He had been studying a second-rank Pill Formula recently and was missing this main ingredient. He was just unwilling to spend contribution points to exchange for it at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, so he had worked hard to personally hunt one in the nearby mountains.

But he only dared to mutter these words in his heart; he wouldn't dare talk back to his Revered Master even if given ten times the courage.

“Fine, don't just stand there, you're an eyesore! Take your Junior Brother down the mountain and get him more familiar with the Sect!” Elder Qingmu waved his hand impatiently, shooing the two of them down the mountain.

Chen Yuan scratched his head, feeling completely baffled, but he didn't dare disobey his Revered Master's words.

Once they left the mountain peak, he leaned in toward Su Cheng and whispered, “What wrong medicine did Revered Master take today? Why is his temper so bad?”

Su Cheng smiled and said it was because a Spirit Medicine wasn't growing well, so Revered Master was in a bit of a bad mood, and Chen Yuan just happened to arrive at that time.

Hearing this, Chen Yuan cursed his bad luck, but he didn't take his Revered Master's words too seriously. He pulled Su Cheng along to stroll through the Sect again, giving him on-site introductions to various locations.

In the days that followed, Su Cheng would set aside half an hour every day to go to the mountain peak alone to channel Qi of Creation into that dragon beard vine.

Elder Qingmu was extremely attentive to this, personally watching by the side every time, for fear of a single mistake.

The rest of the time, Su Cheng would either Cultivate in his Immortal Cave or study Alchemy with Chen Yuan.

Because of this, his need for Sect contribution points grew increasingly urgent.

Those rare Pill Formulas in the Alchemy Hall and the spiritual materials in the Myriad Treasures Pavilion that could upgrade the wanbao mirror all required a large number of contribution points.

But the Sect missions were too varied; he didn't want to take on time-consuming and labor-intensive external missions, nor did he want to rely on refining large quantities of low-rank Medicinal Pills to exchange for those meager rewards.

After thinking it over, he set his sights on his own Revered Master.

This day, he found Elder Qingmu tending to Spirit Medicine in the spiritual fields on the mountain peak and gave a respectful bow.

“Revered Master, I want to refine some Medicinal Pills to exchange for contribution points. It's just that I'm currently short on funds, and regarding the Spirit Medicine...”

Elder Qingmu laughed upon hearing this and said to Su Cheng, “Hey, it's no big deal! On my Qingmu Peak, if there's one thing we have plenty of, it's flowers and plants!

Except for these precious darlings on the mountain peak that you shouldn't touch, you can go pick whatever first and second-tier spiritual herbs you see in the spiritual fields on the mountainside and at the foot of the mountain yourself. No need to report to me!”

He was very fond of this Disciple, Su Cheng, especially since Su Cheng could take good care of his precious dragon beard vine.

In fact, this Qingmu Peak belonged to the three of them, Revered Master and Disciples. He basically didn't have much use for these first and second-tier spiritual herbs; if his two Disciples didn't use them, wouldn't they just end up being given to the Sect for cheap anyway?

“Thank you, Revered Master!” Su Cheng was overjoyed. He had looked closely these past few days, and the spiritual fields of Qingmu Peak were indeed quite numerous.

With Elder Qingmu's words, Su Cheng no longer had any reservations.

For the next half month, he spent his days sustaining the dragon beard vine's life, and the rest of his time was spent diving into the spiritual fields of Qingmu Peak and his own Immortal Cave.

Relying on his Alchemy level and the massive amount of Spirit Medicine on Qingmu Peak, Su Cheng refined nearly a hundred High Grade second-rank pills.

Su Cheng hadn't used the qiankun creation furnace much lately; it wasn't necessary. After all, once supreme grade pills were refined, most were meant for his Family and the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce.

He wouldn't be so foolish as to expose them in the Sect and invite trouble for himself.

Mainly, he wasn't in a great hurry about his current cultivation; his Aptitude was clearly displayed, and in a great Nascent Soul Sect, he basically didn't have to worry about safety.

He would first find a way to get Fang Zhenhai, who was at Foundation Establishment Peak, into the Golden Core Realm, then his father and sister, and finally the Family.

By then, Su Cheng himself could Cultivate in peace.

Su Cheng took most of the refined pills to Contribution Peak and exchanged them for over two thousand contribution points before preparing to return, fully satisfied.

On the way back, he happened to pass by the Dharma Transmission Pavilion.

On a jade wall outside the pavilion, the day's lecture content was being displayed. One entry read: "Golden Core True Person Elder Muliang, main lecture: 'Essentials of Dao Foundation Stabilization and Divine Sense Condensation during the Foundation Establishment Stage'."

Su Cheng paused, his interest piqued.

Although he had the Qiankun Creation Art and his Foundation far surpassed ordinary people, there was no harm in listening to a Golden Core True Person's understanding of the Foundation Establishment Stage to gain insights by analogy.

At the deacon Disciple's desk at the pavilion entrance, Su Cheng deducted ten contribution points as the lecture fee and then walked into the pavilion.