188: Chapter 188 Your disciple has a request.

The petals suddenly trembled, and the seven translucent light-purple petals flared outward. At the third aperture, the faintest speck of light actually flickered a few times.

Simultaneously, a wisp of nourishing power, noticeably richer than before, surged into Su Cheng's Sea of Consciousness.

Previously, relying purely on passive absorption of the soul-nurturing flower's dissipated spirituality, the Divine Soul growth rate over one hour was a baseline value—let's call it 1.

Now, after injecting a wisp of Qi of Creation, it had actually reached 1.1. One had to keep in mind that this was only a single wisp; if the flow were increased...

In other words, if the Qi of Creation were continuously injected, the soul-nurturing efficiency for one hour a day could be tripled at the very least.

Su Cheng's mind raced through the calculations. What did tripling the efficiency mean?

It meant that if it would have originally taken three years to grind the Divine Soul from Foundation Establishment Mid-stage to Late Foundation Establishment Stage, it could now be compressed into one year.

The card of Qi of Creation had never failed when used on spirit plants.

Of course, the scale had to be handled carefully.

Today was the first day; the amount of Qi of Creation injected had to be controlled within a range that 'produced no detectable change in the soul-nurturing flower's spiritual cycle.'

If there was even a wisp too much, and Elder Qingmu happened to scan it with his Divine Sense later and saw the flower's spirituality was a tiny bit higher than yesterday, he would inevitably ask questions.

Fortunately, Su Cheng had already developed a feel for this kind of precise manipulation.

Then, he withdrew the Qi of Creation.

The petals slowly returned to their normal drooping angle, and the third aperture dimmed back to its original brightness. Everything was as it had been.

Su Cheng Cultivated properly for another hour before standing up, brushing the dirt off his robes, and leaving.

On the way back to his Immortal Cave, Su Cheng readjusted his schedule for the coming days.

Morning: Mountain peak. First, infuse the dragon beard vine with Qi of Creation, then Cultivate next to the soul-nurturing flower for an hour. The first half would be spent honestly and passively accepting the nourishment as Revered Master said, and during the second half, while Revered Master was away, he would quietly inject a wisp of Qi of Creation to accelerate the process.

Although this speed was still slow and would take several years to Breakthrough—far inferior to using spirit nurturing pills—he currently couldn't get his hands on the Pill Formula, so he would use what he had.

Afternoon: Alchemy in the Immortal Cave. Maintain the supply volume for the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce and Zhenpin Pavilion.

Evening: Practice Spells and Cultivation Techniques. Although he was already proficient in the three newly purchased Spells, he had to keep practicing. He couldn't practice Divine Soul Spells yet and could only continue to wait.

As for the matter with Elder Lü Yuan and Elder Zhao, since he had already told Revered Master he wouldn't fight for it, he would just wait for the result.

He would stay busy with what he needed to and not worry about what he shouldn't.

Seven days later, the results came out.

The news was brought by Chen Yuan.

“Junior Brother, I heard Elder Lü Yuan backed down, and Elder Zhao's Disciple took the assistant position.” Chen Yuan leaned against the doorframe of Su Cheng's Immortal Cave as usual, arms crossed. “I heard Elder Zhao pulled a lot of strings privately and asked two Alchemy Hall managers to intercede. It's hard for Elder Lü Yuan to stand firm against four Golden Core Elders alone.”

Su Cheng was tidying up the residual medicinal dregs in the Pill Furnace. He nodded upon hearing this, showing no extra reaction.

“You're certainly not in a hurry.” Chen Yuan tilted his head, studying him. “I thought you'd at least curse a few times.”

“What's there to curse about? The work has to be done by someone.”

“That's true, but...” Chen Yuan muttered a few words, pulled a spirit fruit from his sleeve, and took a bite. “Anyway, I feel it's not worth it for you.”

“It's right that you feel it's not worth it, Senior Brother.” Su Cheng dumped the medicinal dregs into the waste bin and clapped his hands. “There will be a next time with Elder Lü Yuan.”

Chen Yuan thought about it while chewing the spirit fruit; it seemed that was indeed the case.

That afternoon, Su Cheng received a transmission from Immortal Master Elder Lu Yuan.

The communication talisman turned into a streak of light and landed on the reception array outside the Immortal Cave. Su Cheng took it out and saw it was very short.

“Regarding this Alchemy matter, I owe you one. If you have any needs, you may come to Wanhua Peak to speak with me.”

“This Elder Lü is truly a man of principle. Very good, very good!” Su Cheng thought to himself.

He hadn't expected to gain another favor from the other party this way. It seemed Elder Lü Yuan truly valued him highly.

Su Cheng didn't go immediately, but waited until the next day.

Halfway up Wanhua Peak, outside Immortal Master Elder Lu Yuan's Alchemy room.

Following the rules, Su Cheng handed his jade plaque to the attendant boy on duty and waited outside for the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.

After the boy went inside to report and received permission, Su Cheng stepped into the outer room.

Elder Lu Yuan was sitting behind a stone desk, focused on studying a yellowed, ancient Pill Formula Jade Slip.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up at Su Cheng.

“Sit.”

Su Cheng gave a respectful bow and took a seat.

“I was negligent regarding this matter.” Elder Lu Yuan set the Jade Slip down and pressed his fingers against his brow, which was throbbing from prolonged use of Divine Sense. “That old fellow Zhao Zhengyang has an intricate web of connections. If I had stubbornly resisted to the end, it would inevitably cause friction with those few people in the future.”

“This Disciple understands.”

“Understand?” Elder Lu Yuan looked at Su Cheng doubtfully. “When your Revered Master told me you didn't want to fight for this, I thought you would be disappointed.”

Su Cheng didn't pick up that thread; he didn't intend to make pointless declarations in front of a Golden Core True Person.

Whether he was disappointed or not, saying it might leave a bad impression.

Immortal Master Elder Lu Yuan had gone this far because of Su Cheng's special 'ability.' He likely didn't want to alienate Su Cheng, as he couldn't force Su Cheng to assist him in the future.

Su Cheng cut straight to the point.

“Elder Lü, this Disciple has a presumptuous request.”

Elder Lu Yuan leaned forward slightly, signaling Su Cheng to continue.

“This Disciple boldly asks for the Elder to take action and help me refine a batch of spirit nurturing pills. Furthermore, if it is convenient, I pray for permission to observe from the side.”

Once these words were spoken, the Alchemy room fell silent.

Elder Lu Yuan's fingers tapped lightly on the stone desk, his gaze scanning back and forth over Su Cheng.

The spirit nurturing pill held great weight within the Danding Sect.

Although it was only a second-rank pill, its production and distribution had always been strictly monopolized by the Alchemy Hall.

He could refine them, but he hadn't lowered himself to start a furnace for second-rank pills in many years.

Setting aside the pill itself, the word 'observe' also carried significant weight.

Even if an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator watched from start to finish, they would only be watching for the spectacle in the face of a Third-Rank Alchemist's pill fire transformations; they couldn't possibly digest the complex pharmacological changes.

However, Su Cheng was far beyond ordinary. The keen insight he displayed while processing Spirit Medicines last time was startling.

Elder Lu Yuan silently weighed the pros and cons.

But upon careful thought, while Su Cheng could watch, the temperature transition points in the Pill Formula, the timing for adding auxiliary herbs, and the techniques and Divine Sense control inside the furnace all relied on practical experience accumulated through thousands of trials and high-level pill fire control.

With just a pair of eyes, he could at most see which Spirit Medicines were needed. He certainly couldn't steal the core secrets, so there was no need to fear Su Cheng learning it or the Alchemy Hall causing trouble later.

Su Cheng had performed well with the huayuan pill last time, and there would be many times he would need the boy in the future. This deal wasn't a loss.

“Fine,” Elder Lu Yuan finally agreed. “I haven't touched these second-rank furnace fires in years; I'll treat it as stretching my muscles. Once I have all the medicinal herbs ready, I will send someone to Qingmu Peak to call for you.”

Su Cheng naturally expressed immense gratitude. Both sides were satisfied, each getting what they needed.

When he walked out of Wanhua Peak, the daylight was just right.

Su Cheng walked along the mountain path toward Qingmu Peak, his steps a little lighter.

A product refined by Elder Lü Yuan would be High Grade at the very least. Whether it was for his own use or for Fang Zhenhai, the effect would be excellent.

Moreover, he had secured an opportunity to observe the refining of spirit nurturing pills.

However, observation was just observation. He didn't hold high expectations that Elder Lü Yuan would reveal the key steps without concealment during the refining process.

The Pill Formula for the spirit nurturing pill was a core secret within the Sect. No matter how much Immortal Master Elder Lu Yuan appreciated him, he wouldn't just hand over the Pill Formula on a silver platter.

He would likely still hide some things.

But what if?