159: Chapter 159 Did you tell your master?

Fifteen days to reach the initial mastery of the Thick Earth Barrier.

He could condense a three-foot-square khaki-colored shield in front of him; its defensive power was hard to estimate for now and would require a practical test when the opportunity arose.

Finally, there was the [Wood Evasion Technique].

The cultivation method for evasion techniques differed from offensive and defensive Spells; it relied more heavily on the cultivator's subtle control over their own aura.

The Wood Evasion Technique required the cultivator to merge their aura with plants and trees. While this requirement would be a daunting threshold for others, it was child's play for Su Cheng.

His passive ability, "Spirit Plant Affinity," was designed for exactly this.

Su Cheng practiced in the pine forest outside his Immortal Cave for three nights.

On the first night, he could hide his aura within a hundred-year-old spiritual pine for ten breaths.

By the third night, he could already perform three consecutive short-distance displacements through the root systems within a twenty-zhang radius of the pine forest, with each displacement covering about five zhang.

One month.

All three Spells had reached initial mastery.

The speed was so fast that even Su Cheng was somewhat surprised.

Of course, this initial mastery only meant they were usable, far from being proficient, but at least they could be utilized in actual combat now.

Su Cheng sat in his Immortal Cave, staring blankly for a while at the Jade Slip of to-do items stuck on the wall.

The matter of the Spells had come to a temporary close.

Over in the Prefecture City, Fang Zhenhai and Lin Feng had gone their separate ways to scout for news on heteromorphic flames and a precious artifact pill furnace, but there had been no word yet.

The letter Zhou Changgeng sent to contact his Revered Master on his behalf had also vanished without a trace; he estimated that the third-rank Artifact Refining Great Master was still out fishing.

It couldn't be rushed.

However, a reply had arrived from his father, Su Chengyuan.

The letter said everything was fine with the Family, his mother was in good health, and the recuperative effects of the spiritual liquid were good.

The Su Family's business in Qinghe County was getting on track, and Su Yunhao was managing things quite capably.

Su Yunling's cultivation in the Tiangang Sect was proceeding smoothly. With the resources from the Zhenpin Pavilion backing her, she lacked for nothing; her cultivation was steadily improving, but she had not yet achieved a Breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Mid-stage.

The Foundation Establishment Stage was unlike the Qi Refining Stage; one couldn't go fast even if they wanted to.

Su Yunling possessed a High-Grade Spiritual Root and her Aptitude wasn't bad, but every step of Foundation Establishment required solid accumulation; it wasn't something that could be directly bypassed in just a few years.

There was no need to worry about Family matters. Su Cheng put the letter away and pulled his thoughts back to the present.

Early morning.

The mist on the mountain peak hadn't fully dissipated, but Su Cheng had already been squatting by the dragon beard vine working for nearly an hour.

A wisp of Qi of Creation seeped from his palm into the vine's roots, slowly spreading upward along the root system.

The branches of the dragon beard vine trembled slightly, as if responding to his infusion.

The speed of recovery was accelerating.

The bottom three leaves had turned completely green, and the originally cracked bark on the main trunk was beginning to regain its elasticity.

At this rate, it would be fully restored within four months.

Su Cheng withdrew his palm, wiped the dirt off on his pants, and stood up to head down the mountain.

Just as he reached the stone steps leading down, a broad-shouldered figure turned out from a side path, nearly colliding with him head-on.

Chen Yuan.

But today, Chen Yuan seemed off.

The Senior Brother's usual grinning, informal demeanor was gone. His entire face was tense, his lips were pressed into a thin line, his fists were clenched at his sides, and his footsteps were heavier than usual.

Su Cheng stopped him: "Senior Brother, what's wrong?"

Chen Yuan halted his steps. Seeing it was Su Cheng, he opened his mouth, and a belly full of anger found an outlet.

"Don't even mention it!"

Su Cheng pulled him to a rock by the mountain path to sit down and waited for him to speak.

Chen Yuan brooded for a long time before finally pouring everything out.

"A mission came up at Contribution Peak that I've been eyeing for a long time."

"What mission?"

"A Golden Core Elder from the Wanfa Pavilion named True Man Lü Yuan. He wants to refine a batch of third-rank Medicinal Pills called 'huayuan pills' and needs five Foundation Establishment Cultivators to serve as auxiliary alchemists. The mission requirement is the ability to independently refine at least Medium Grade second-rank pills, and the reward is one thousand contribution points per person."

Su Cheng's brow twitched slightly.

One thousand contribution points—the reward itself was secondary.

What was truly valuable was the process of auxiliary Alchemy. Being able to personally observe the entire process of a third-rank Alchemist refining pills was more precious than any reward for a Second-Rank Alchemist.

The application of heat, the control of medicinal properties, and the allocation of Divine Sense—even learning just a tiny fraction would be beneficial for a long time.

Furthermore, this True Man Lü Yuan was highly ranked among the Sect's third-rank Alchemists and was a recognized standout. Assisting him once was worth several years of pondering on one's own.

"I went to Contribution Peak early this morning to accept the mission," Chen Yuan's voice was suppressed with anger. "But when I got there, I found that although the mission was still on the board, it had already been reserved."

"Reserved by whom?"

"Wei Tian."

Su Cheng gave an "Oh."

"It's not just him," Chen Yuan counted on his fingers. "There's also Lin Xuewei, another Disciple under Elder Chiyang named Zhou Ping, and True Man Lü Yuan's own Disciple from the Wanfa Pavilion, Han Jing. Four people, four slots, leaving only one final spot. I thought even if there was only one left, I'd take it. But then the deacon in charge told me..."

He paused and said through gritted teeth.

"The last spot was also reserved. It's for a Disciple of Elder Lu from the Alchemy Hall. They haven't even reported in yet, but their name is already on the list."

Su Cheng pieced together the cause and effect.

The mission was released by True Man Lü Yuan, and Wei Tian and the others had received word in advance.

Su Cheng guessed this might have been what those two were discussing when he ran into them on the stairs of the Dharma Transmission Pavilion a few days ago; they had locked in the slots before the mission was officially posted.

As for the last spot being given to someone from the Alchemy Hall, that was likely a favor exchange between True Man Lü Yuan and the Alchemy Hall Elder; it was never intended for outsiders.

To put it bluntly, of the five auxiliary slots, four were pre-determined for the Disciples of Core Elders, and the last was for a person with connections.

The public posting at Contribution Peak was merely a formality.

Chen Yuan was naturally angry. Having been in the Danding Sect for decades, he wasn't unaware of these inner workings, but being aware didn't stop him from feeling resentful when it happened to him.

"I asked right then, hadn't the mission not been officially released yet? How could it be reserved? That deacon was stammering and couldn't give a straight answer. Just as I was about to have him call the person in charge to explain, Wei Tian and the others arrived."

"And then?"

"Wei Tian held a handwritten note from True Man Lü Yuan, stating that the five auxiliary candidates were personally designated by True Man Lü Yuan and would not go through a public selection."

Chen Yuan slammed a fist onto the rock.

"Personally designated! Then why the hell did you post it on the Contribution Peak board? To toy with me?"

Su Cheng remained silent.

How should he put it? Technically, True Man Lü Yuan was a Golden Core Elder; he had the right to designate his own assistants. The posting at Contribution Peak was just a notification, not a recruitment call.

If Chen Yuan tried to argue based on the rules, he actually didn't have much of a leg to stand on.

But from a moral standpoint, posting a mission on the public board for others to see and try to accept, only to then say the spots were already filled internally, was indeed bullying.

Chen Yuan's anger wasn't directed at the rules themselves, but at the frustration of 'clearly having rules, yet the rules being useless.'

"Have you told Revered Master?"

"There's no way to tell him," Chen Yuan shook his head, his voice sinking. "Revered Master has no friendship with True Man Lü Yuan and isn't in the same circle as Elder Chiyang. If this were brought up, Revered Master could at most vent some frustration for me, but offending a string of Golden Core Elders isn't worth it."

Su Cheng leaned against the rock, his mind turning through several thoughts.

"Senior Brother, are you craving those one thousand contribution points, or are you craving the chance to observe third-rank Alchemy?"