Alchemist Advancement

The leader was unexpectedly Chen Sisi. Ever since Su Zhi's Foundation Establishment success banquet, Su Yu had not seen her again.

After Su Qingyi betrayed the Su Family and joined the Demon Path, Chen Sisi had also sent word to the Su Family, severing her Dao companion relationship with Su Qingyi.

Two people had come with Chen Sisi. One was the white-haired Second Elder of the Chen Family.

The other had jet-black hair and appeared to be a middle-aged man at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining.

Chen Sisi herself had likewise reached the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining.

Upon seeing Su Yu, Chen Sisi exchanged a smile with him and gave a slight nod. "Brother Yu."

"You know the Second Elder." Chen Sisi pointed at the other man, a burly fellow nearly nine feet tall, and said, "This is the Fourth Elder of our Chen Family, Chen Kaiyong."

"Greetings, fellow Daoists." Su Yu returned the greeting. "May I ask why you have come to see me?"

Chen Sisi said, "Brother Yu, my Chen Family wishes to purchase two of the puppet beasts like the ones Senior Sister Su Zhi had before."

Su Yu's brows furrowed slightly. After glancing at Chen Sisi, he pondered for a moment before saying, "That is possible. Two thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones per unit."

That price was not cheap. It was within the price range of a High-grade Magical Artifact.

Yet the aged Second Elder of the Chen Family revealed a faint smile and said, "Good. Thank you, little friend Su, for this favor."

Top Grade Rank 1 Puppet Beasts were not something one could have merely by wanting them.

Especially not two of them.

At certain auctions in Moon Worship Immortal City, one might need at least three thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones to win a single one.

This was top-tier fighting power in the Qi Refining Realm, something that could be passed down through generations.

So long as Spirit Stones were expended, they could serve a family for generation after generation.

The Second Elder of the Chen Family understood this, which was why he thanked Su Yu for the favor.

The meaning behind his words was clear.

Their Chen Family would remember Su Yu's kindness. They were not people who forgot favors and betrayed gratitude.

The Chen Family immediately handed Su Yu all four thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones. Their lavish display made his heart stir slightly.

It seemed that after holding onto that Purple Gold Sand Spirit Mine for all these years, the Chen Family had made a tidy fortune.

As for the puppet beasts, the Chen Family arranged to collect them a year later.

Afterward, Chen Sisi and the others prepared to take their leave.

However, Su Yu kept Chen Sisi behind for a brief chat.

Su Yu said, "Congratulations on reaching the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining. Have you considered when you will attempt Foundation Establishment?"

Chen Sisi looked into Su Yu's clear, pure eyes, devoid of the slightest trace of improper desire, and let out a soft sigh. "If all goes smoothly, perhaps within the next year or two."

Su Yu smiled when he heard that. "Then if there is anything you need help with, feel free to ask."

"Of course, I mean things like pills and Talismans."

If he could invest some pills, Talismans, and other external resources into a Foundation Establishment cultivator, then so long as Chen Sisi successfully achieved Foundation Establishment, he would profit from it.

Just like now, whenever he needed some Rank 2 materials—whether materials for alchemy, Talismans, puppet beasts, or even Rank 2 demonic beast blood essence for cultivating the Body Refining Technique—he entrusted Su Zhi with collecting them for him.

Apart from the bond of family blood, this was also due to the favors Su Yu had earned by helping Su Zhi several times before.

Without Su Zhi's help, gathering those things truly would not have been easy for him.

Cloud Mountain Market was too small.

When he first arrived more than a decade ago, he had thought this place was quite large.

But after staying here for so long and gaining a thorough understanding of the nearby cultivation world, Su Yu realized that Cloud Mountain Market was truly small in scale.

The larger market closest to the Cloud Sword Sect was Moon Worship Immortal City.

Moon Worship Immortal City was several times, even ten times, larger than Cloud Mountain Market.

It was said that a Third-rank Spirit Vein lay beneath Moon Worship Immortal City.

Deep within Moon Worship Immortal City, there were even Cave Dwellings for rent located in Spirit Vein Blessed Lands atop the Third-rank Spirit Vein.

Thus, Moon Worship Immortal City had quite a number of Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators, Second-rank Alchemists, Talisman masters, and the like.

There were even Pseudo Core stage cultivators and Third-rank Alchemists.

That was the difference between Cloud Mountain Market and Moon Worship Immortal City.

If Chen Sisi could successfully achieve Foundation Establishment as well, having one more Foundation Establishment cultivator who owed him a favor would bring Su Yu countless benefits.

After leaving behind a word of thanks, Chen Sisi departed with her clansmen.

Afterward, Su Yu began gathering materials to refine two ordinary Top Grade Rank 1 Puppet Beasts like the ones from before.

The material cost for each such puppet beast was around nine hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones.

He could refine one in two or three months.

Two puppet beasts would bring him a pure profit of more than two thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones.

At the same time,

Su Yu was also gathering materials for the low-grade Rank 2 Kaiyuan Pill. It was the Foundation Establishment equivalent of the Qi Refining Pill.

It was a very ordinary Rank 2 pill, and its materials were relatively easy to gather.

Yet after half a year, Su Yu had used up ten sets of Kaiyuan Pill materials before finally succeeding in refining a batch of low-grade Rank 2 Kaiyuan Pills. Refining Rank 2 pills with cultivation at the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining was truly not easy.

Another half year passed.

Su Yu had long since finished refining the two puppet beasts.

As for the low-grade Rank 2 pill, the Kaiyuan Pill, he had raised his success rate to thirty or forty percent, and his proficiency had reached 32%.

He had successfully advanced to become a Second-rank Alchemist.

To achieve this, he had poured half the profits from the two puppet beasts into it.

A year later.

Chen Sisi appeared at the Alchemy Pavilion in the market and collected the two puppet beasts.

When the next month arrived and Su Dajun, the family member responsible for transporting spirit herbs, came over, Su Yu finally learned from him about the situation between the Su Family and the Chen Family.

Su Dajun said, "The family already had one Top Grade Rank 1 Puppet Beast refined by an Elder, and the Chen Family bought another two. That makes a full three Top Grade Rank 1 Puppet Beasts. Unless one is in the Foundation Establishment stage, it would be difficult to harm them in the slightest."

"Borrowing the ferocious might of those three puppet beasts, our family joined forces with the Chen Family to attack one of the Maple City Bai Family's resource sites."

"The Bai Family's remaining ancestor at Foundation Establishment Stage Three was held back by the Chen Family and our own ancestor working together. The three puppet beasts joined forces with the Elders of both families and slaughtered the Bai Family cultivators until they scattered in utter defeat."

"In that single battle, the Bai Family paid the heavy price of two Elders at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining and nearly thirty cultivators falling."

"Now, we have taken that resource site. The Maple City Bai Family has retreated in defeat and suffered grievous losses."

As he spoke of these matters, Su Dajun's tone was exceptionally excited and impassioned.

The Maple City Bai Family and their Su Family had been enemies for many years.

Back when the Lin Family wanted to seize the Su Family's Spirit Vein Blessed Land, the Maple City Bai Family had lent the Lin Family a helping hand.

Later, because of the Chen Family incident, the Maple City Bai Family had caused the Su Family to lose quite a few clansmen.

Su Qingyi had even lost an arm because of the Maple City Bai Family, causing his temperament to twist and leading him to betray the family and join the Demon Path.

It was time for the Su Family and Chen Family to settle every debt of blood with the Maple City Bai Family!

Su Yu was equally delighted to hear this. Defeating the Maple City Bai Family and taking a resource site was indeed excellent news.

The wheel of fortune turned.

In the past, the Maple City Bai Family had run rampant and oppressed both the Su Family and the Chen Family.

Now it was time for them to repay their debts!

Yet after his joy faded, Su Yu thought of something and asked with some concern, "What about the Guanlan Mountain Huang Family?"