173: Chapter 173 Taking a Month's Leave

This time, it was a Disciple from Chiyang Peak.

The next one was from Qianjin Peak.

After that, even someone from the Artifact Hall came, saying they had a batch of spiritual wood Materials that needed their Wood-attribute spirituality stimulated, and asked if Su Cheng was interested in taking the job.

Su Cheng received five groups of people in a single morning.

By the time the fifth group arrived, he had polished his refusal speech to the level of an assembly line: "Senior Brother, please forgive me. This matter must first go through my Revered Master, Elder Qingmu; this Junior Brother cannot make the decision."

It was concise, polite, offended no one, and shifted the blame to his Revered Master.

In the afternoon, Chen Yuan wandered over.

"You're famous today." Chen Yuan leaned against the doorframe, munching on a spiritual peach he had picked up from somewhere. "I just ran into three groups of people on the mountainside asking where your Immortal Cave was."

Su Cheng rubbed his temples. "It's only been three days."

"Nonsense. The news that all three huayuan pills in Elder Elder Lu Yuan's furnace were High Grade spread everywhere by the second day. Anyone even remotely connected to Alchemy knows exactly what you did in there."

Chen Yuan tossed the peach pit out the door. "More than half the quality of a third-rank pill depends on the alchemist's own skill, but the assistant's influence can account for ten to twenty percent. You've raised the upper limit of that twenty percent by a significant margin; who wouldn't be envious?"

Su Cheng wasn't actually annoyed by people seeking him out; contribution points, networking, and long-term relationships were all tangible benefits.

What annoyed him was having his rhythm disrupted.

Cultivation took time, Spells needed refinement, the subsequent upgrades of the wanbao mirror required attention, and with the uncertainty surrounding Elder Elder Lu Yuan, he still needed to prepare for the Alchemy Hall Competition.

He only had so much energy in a day. If three or four hours were consumed by visitors, the remaining time wouldn't even be enough for a session of secluded Alchemy.

"What's the situation on Revered Master's side?" Su Cheng asked.

Chen Yuan grinned, his expression quite vivid.

"You've finally asked the right question. Currently, six Golden Core Elders have already spoken with Revered Master about borrowing you for auxiliary Alchemy. No, five."

"Five?"

"Five." Chen Yuan counted on his fingers. "Elder Li of the Alchemy Hall, Elder Zhou of Chiyang Peak, Elder Sun of Qianjin Peak, Elder Zhao of Qianren Wind, and Elder Fang of Xuanguang Peak. Additionally, the Artifact Hall's request isn't a Golden Core Elder borrowing a person; they just want you to help process spiritual wood Materials, which goes through the mission channels."

Five Golden Core Elders plus the Artifact Hall—this lineup truly exceeded Su Cheng's expectations.

The key wasn't the number of people, but the order of priority among these five. Agreeing to one meant neglecting the others; if not handled properly, it would be a business of offending people.

"What did Revered Master say?"

"Revered Master is still mulling it over." Chen Yuan spread his hands. "With five Golden Core Elders reaching out at the same time, he can't withstand it alone. He has to discuss it with Elder Elder Lu Yuan, and it'll likely be dragged out for a few more days."

Su Cheng nodded, not in a hurry about this matter for the time being.

Being anxious wouldn't help anyway. Revered Master was far more experienced in handling social intricacies than he was, so letting the old man navigate the situation was better than stepping forward himself.

That night, Su Cheng cultivated for two hours as usual.

Then he took out the wanbao mirror and practiced Green Vine Binding Kill in its whip form for half an hour, coupled with Creation Spiritual Power, before spending another half hour practicing Thick Earth Barrier.

His progress with the Spells was going smoothly. Green Vine Binding Kill could now manifest five spiritual wood spikes, each three zhang long, with a power more than double what it was when he first started.

The defensive area of the Thick Earth Barrier had also expanded from three feet to nearly one zhang. With its power amplified by the wanbao mirror, it should be able to withstand a full-strength strike from a Foundation Establishment Mid-stage Cultivator.

The Wood Evasion Technique was the fastest-improving of the three Spells, as the passive bonus from his spiritual plant affinity was incredibly high here.

As long as he was in a place with dense trees and vegetation, Su Cheng could perform five consecutive short-distance displacements, each covering twenty zhang, all within three breaths.

In other words, if he couldn't win a fight in a forest, he could escape.

Two more days passed.

During a break while Su Cheng was refining foundation establishment pills in his Immortal Cave, an encrypted Jade Slip arrived outside.

It was forwarded by Fang Zhenhai, with the source marked as: Zhou Changgeng.

Su Cheng probed the Jade Slip with his Divine Sense. It contained only one sentence: "The old man will arrive at Tianlan Province in half a month."

Su Cheng was stunned for a breath. Then, he withdrew the batch of foundation establishment pills he was currently refining from the creation furnace. The pills had already formed—supreme grade—and he tucked them away.

He stood up and paced around the Immortal Cave twice before finally stopping in front of the shelf filled with jade bottles, pulling the wanbao mirror out of his Storage Pouch.

Five Elements spiritual light flowed across the mirror's surface, and various Array Inscriptionss writhed slightly under the nourishment of Spiritual Qi.

A Magical Artifact, supreme grade.

If Zhou Changgeng's Revered Master could truly upgrade it to the level of a Treasure Artifact...

What did a Treasure Artifact represent?

It was the standard equipment for a Golden Core True Person, yet many Early Stage or even Middle Stage Golden Core Cultivators might never own a single Treasure Artifact in their entire lives.

Among the Personal Disciples of the Danding Sect, those holding Treasure Artifacts could be counted on one hand.

Wei Tian's Purple Lotus Heart Fire was a result of extraordinary natural talent, and Wu Chen's Glazed Pure Fire was backed by the support of the Nascent Soul level Wu Family. Their starting points were beyond the reach of ordinary people.

But if the wanbao mirror could become a Treasure Artifact, then in terms of equipment, Su Cheng would instantly stand on the same starting line as them.

Perhaps even a bit further ahead.

Because the wanbao mirror wasn't a purely offensive or defensive Treasure Artifact; it was an all-rounder Magical Artifact that could change forms according to one's thoughts.

It integrated offense and defense, and could even amplify various Spells.

Once such an item reached the Treasure Artifact level, the increase in comprehensive combat power would be far greater than that of a single-attribute Treasure Artifact.

Su Cheng put the wanbao mirror back into his Storage Pouch and calmed his mind.

Joy was joy, but he couldn't lose his composure.

In half a month, Zhou Changgeng's Revered Master would arrive at Tianlan Province.

This meant Su Cheng had to handle his current affairs within half a month and rush to the Prefecture City.

He first organized what needed to be done: the dragon beard vine would take about another month to fully recover, so leaving half a month early wouldn't have a major impact. The vine's own recovery mechanism had already started, so pausing the infusions wouldn't cause his previous efforts to go to waste.

The arrangements for auxiliary Alchemy on Revered Master's side were still being debated. He could take this opportunity to stall, and it wouldn't be too late to decide once he returned from the Prefecture City.

Early the next morning, Su Cheng went up to the mountain peak.

The state of the dragon beard vine was improving day by day. The new buds on the main trunk had grown into thumb-thick tender branches, with emerald green leaves unfolding on them. The entire vine emitted a fresh Spiritual Qi that made one feel refreshed.

After Su Cheng finished infusing the Qi of Creation, Elder Qingmu, who was loosening the soil nearby, straightened his back.

"Revered Master, this Disciple needs to go to the Prefecture City and would like to request a month's leave."

Elder Qingmu patted the mud off his hands. "Another month? Is it urgent?"

"It is very important to this Disciple." Su Cheng chose his words carefully, as he couldn't reveal the matter of the wanbao mirror.

Elder Qingmu looked him up and down. Su Cheng had been in the sect for a year, and this was already his second request for a long leave; the last time was also to go to the Prefecture City.

However, it wasn't rare for young Disciples to have their own networks and properties outside. Most Core Disciples owned shops and manors externally, so Su Cheng's actions weren't considered out of line.

It was just that it would be better to focus more heart and soul on Alchemy and cultivation.

"Go then." Elder Qingmu didn't refuse and waved his hand. "I'll keep an eye on the dragon beard vine for now. It's almost recovered anyway."

Before Su Cheng could even say his thanks, a flurry of hurried footsteps came from the mountain path.

Chen Yuan happened to arrive at the mountain peak at that moment, still clutching a half-eaten spiritual peach. This man spent more time eating than cultivating.

"Junior Brother, you're going to the Prefecture City?"

Su Cheng and Elder Qingmu looked at him simultaneously.

Chen Yuan's information had come too quickly. Su Cheng had only just spoken, and Chen Yuan had rushed up from the mountainside. Either he just happened to be passing by, or some talkative Utility Disciple had told him Su Cheng went to the mountain peak this morning, and he had coincidentally overheard the conversation with Revered Master.

"I'm going too," Chen Yuan said indistinctly, stuffing the remaining half of the spiritual peach into his mouth.

Su Cheng frowned. "What is Senior Brother going to do?"