When Heaven Served Up a Meal

The materials for Foundation Establishment Pills were basically monopolized by major sects and great cultivation families. Very, very few materials ever made their way outside, especially in Cloud Mountain Market under the Cloud Sword Sect.

There were six core ingredients for refining Foundation Establishment Pills. The ordinary materials were manageable.

But gathering those six core ingredients was extraordinarily difficult.

The last Cloud Mountain Trading Company auction had caused the Cloud Sword Sect to lose considerable face. Releasing a small batch of Foundation Establishment Pill materials this time might have been meant as compensation, or perhaps to draw a crowd.

And this auction passed without another incident.

The Blood Saber Daoist did not dare come to Cloud Mountain Market again to provoke the Cloud Sword Sect.

In fact, after his bout of arrogance at Eight Demon Ridge, the Blood Saber Daoist vanished and did not dare show his face again.

He could still swagger a little before the Cloud Sword Sect when catching them off guard or striking from afar. But if he were truly asked to face the Cloud Sword Sect head-on, the Blood Saber Daoist would have to be sick in the head to do it.

After all, the Cloud Sword Sect was a major cultivation power with a Golden Core True Person overseeing it.

The Blood Saber Daoist was merely at the late Foundation Establishment stage. He truly was not worth looking at before the Cloud Sword Sect.

A few days after the auction ended, news came from within the Cloud Sword Sect through Su Zhi: Luo Qianyu, the direct disciple of the Cloud Sword Sect Grand Elder, had successfully broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Su Yu found it somewhat baffling as he looked at Su Zhi's letter.

He had only met Luo Qianyu once. Why had Su Zhi specifically written to tell him that Luo Qianyu had broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage?

Shaking his head, he set the letter aside and continued cultivating peacefully at the Alchemy Pavilion.

Thinking it over carefully, two years had already passed since his last breakthrough to Qi Refining Stage Five. After two years of uninterrupted cultivation, supplemented by perfect-quality high-grade Rank 1 Qi Refining Pills—

The proficiency of the Azure Wood Age Wheel Art had increased by 39.21%.

Meanwhile, the Crocodile Demon's 108 Forms Body Refining Technique had broken through to the seventh layer just a year ago. Its proficiency had risen from 44.7% to 57.49%.

For the Azure Wood Age Wheel Art to reach one wheel and six revolutions would likely take another three or four years.

The Crocodile Demon's 108 Forms Body Refining Technique likewise required more than three years.

Su Yu was not the least bit impatient about his cultivation.

As he cultivated the Azure Wood Age Wheel Art, his lifespan would continue increasing with his advancing cultivation. For the time being, he merely needed to cultivate in peace, without worrying at all about his lifespan.

With his lifespan secured, and no bottlenecks in his techniques so long as his proficiency reached the required level—

What did he have to worry about?

Would it not be enough to cultivate steadily and securely, with both feet firmly on the ground?

Outside, because Demon Path cultivators and Bandit Cultivators had flooded into the Cloud Sword Sect's territory, the cities and cultivation families near Cloud Mountain Market had fallen into minor unrest. Some cultivation families were beginning to stir, seemingly hoping to use this opportunity to change things.

Conflicts like the previous struggle between the Su Family and the Lin Family, or the current conflict between the Chen Family and the Bai Family, had become far more frequent.

In particular, cultivation families colluding with outside Demon Path cultivators and Bandit Cultivators, leading to the complete destruction of entire cultivation families, had once been rare. Now, such incidents were happening one after another.

More than a year later.

While delivering spirit herbs to the Su Family Alchemy Pavilion in Cloud Mountain Market, Su Jingbang also brought bad news.

"Not long ago, the Maple City Bai Family launched a surprise attack on the Chen Family's Purple Gold Sand Spirit Mine. Apart from the Bai Family's two Foundation Establishment ancestors, there was also an ancestor from the Guanlan Mountain Huang Family. Three Foundation Establishment cultivators acted in total."

"The Chen Family's Second Order spirit mine protective formation was nearly breached. The Chen Family Old Ancestor was seriously injured, and Qing Yi lost an arm in that battle. The Chen Family lost more than a dozen cultivators, while several cultivators from our Su Family guarding the mine were also killed. The losses were severe."

"Although the Bai Family has been driven back for now, they only barely managed to hold the spirit mine this time. If there is a next time... the Chen Family will very likely be unable to hold on."

Su Jingbang shook his head. He was not optimistic about the Chen Family's chances of keeping the Purple Gold Sand Spirit Mine.

Su Yu, however, was not surprised.

Every resource site in the cultivation world was a huge source of trouble. Resources were limited to begin with. If you wanted to occupy a resource site, you had to be mentally prepared to deal with great trouble.

The Chen Family's Purple Gold Sand Spirit Mine was exactly such a case.

But what was going on with the Guanlan Mountain Huang Family? Why had they suddenly appeared? Su Yu had heard of this family; they specialized in formations.

If the cultivation families under the Cloud Sword Sect were ranked, the Black Rock Mountain Yu Family would be guaranteed second place and contend for first. Another relatively low-profile cultivation family, the Jiang Family, specialized in the Puppet Master path, and its influence and strength were no weaker than the Yu Family's.

The Guanlan Mountain Huang Family could perhaps rank third, or at least among the top five.

Given the Huang Family's influence and strength, a mere Purple Gold Sand Spirit Mine should not have been enough to catch their eye. There should have been no need for them to do something so hated by Heaven and resented by man, right?

Su Yu voiced his doubts. Just as Su Jingbang was about to speak, Su Yun said, "All kinds of resources have been in short supply recently. Purple Gold Sand is an important material for refining Formation Flags. It is not strange for the Huang Family to intervene."

Su Jingbang said, "The Family Head currently intends to withdraw from the struggle over the Purple Gold Sand Spirit Mine. It is only that... it will likely take some time."

The moment Su Yu heard this, he heaved a sigh of relief. He had thought from the start that they should not have involved themselves with that spirit mine.

It was good that they were withdrawing now!

But plans could not keep up with changes. Four months later, there was a sudden reversal in the matter of the Chen Family's Purple Gold Sand Spirit Mine. One Foundation Establishment ancestor of the Bai Family and the Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Huang Family happened to run into the Blood Saber Daoist, and the Blood Saber Daoist slaughtered them all with a single slash.

The Bai Family suffered a crushing blow! They were forced to retreat to Maple City, trembling in fear, terrified that the Blood Saber Daoist might set his sights on them!

As a result, the Chen Family's Purple Gold Sand Spirit Mine temporarily no longer faced any threat. Su Peng, the Su Family Patriarch, also suspended his plan to withdraw from the Purple Gold Sand Spirit Mine.

Su Yu was stunned for a long while upon hearing the news. Who could have expected the Bai Family and Huang Family to be so unlucky? Su Yu murmured, "It seems the Chen Family's fortune has not run out, and their lives were not meant to end. If Heaven is serving up a meal, the Su Family truly cannot refuse to eat."

One month later.

A group of guests arrived unexpectedly.

Yu Ke'er, the old woman, and Chen Sisi, accompanied by two Chen Family elders, arrived at the Su Family Alchemy Pavilion in Cloud Mountain Market. There were five of them in all.

"Brother Yu, this is the Third Elder of my Chen Family, and this is the Fourth Elder of my Chen Family." Chen Sisi took the initiative to introduce them to Su Yu. "This is my husband's clansman, Su Yu, a high-grade Rank 1 alchemist."

Upon hearing Chen Sisi's introduction, the two Chen Family elders looked at Su Yu with somewhat complicated expressions.

They were both astonished and envious.

Why did their Chen Family not have such a young prodigy?

Seeing Yu Ke'er together with Chen Sisi again, Su Yu was surprised. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, "You have come to see me because...?"

Chen Sisi wanted to speak, but the Chen Family Third Elder stopped her.

This concerned the Chen Family and Yu Ke'er, the young lady of the Yu Family Third Branch. Chen Sisi had already married into the Su Family and was now a member of the Su Family, so it was inappropriate for her to speak at this time.

The Chen Family Third Elder said, "Young Friend Su, it is like this. We discovered a herd of Earth Rock Rat demon beasts beneath the Purple Gold Sand Spirit Mine, among which is a Second Order Early Stage Rat King. We have long heard of the Su Family's Beast Luring Powder, which has a unique effect on Earth Rock Rat demon beasts. I would like to ask whether you have Beast Luring Powder effective against a Second Order Earth Rock Rat King?"

Su Yu asked in surprise, "You want to hunt Second Order Early Stage Earth Rock Rat demon beasts?"

Yu Ke'er interjected at this point, "Not hunt them—capture them and tame them."