Secret Technique Surge

Pills, herbs, silver... the courtyard was filled with gifts from Dong Hongyan and the Dong Family, all sent to express their gratitude for Qin Dongcheng saving her life.

If Qin Dongcheng hadn't rescued Dong Hongyan from the depths of the bamboo forest, she might have been targeted by other demons or monsters, and without any means of resistance, she would likely have met a grim fate.

Later, when clearing out that bamboo forest, it was confirmed that other demons had indeed been lurking inside.

Because of this, the Dong Family felt even more fortunate, so they sent a massive amount of gifts and refused to let Qin Dongcheng decline them.

Added to the gifts Dong Hongyan had already given him, in just a few short days, Qin Dongcheng had received rewards worth several thousand taels of silver from her and the Dong Family; the Dong Family truly lived up to their reputation for being wealthy and generous.

He carefully stored the most valuable items into the Diligence Space. With so many resources and treasures, he could now relax a bit and spend more time and energy on his cultivation and improvement.

In particular, the Blood-Solidifying Pill that Dong Hongyan had given him allowed Qin Dongcheng to consume Blood-Replenishing Pills without restraint, rapidly increasing his cultivation realm and saving him a significant amount of practice time.

This incident also became a hot topic among many in the Osmanthus Garden, with people envying Qin Dongcheng for his incredible luck in accidentally saving the Seventh Miss of the Dong Family and receiving such a handsome reward.

However, no one thought of it in terms of romance, nor did anyone tease him about the classic "hero saving the beauty" trope.

On one hand, although Qin Dongcheng was an Alchemy Apprentice and an Official Disciple, his status and standing were still far below Dong Hongyan's, so no one believed anything would come of it.

On the other hand, Dong Hongyan had a bold and generous personality, making it difficult for anyone to associate her with romantic entanglements.

After the excitement died down, this episode quickly settled, and Qin Dongcheng continued his cultivation step by step, living a quite fulfilling life.

Only occasionally would Dong Hongyan come to check on him, asking about his progress and seeing if he needed any help.

She even tried multiple times to take Qin Dongcheng on missions to hone his combat experience and techniques, hoping to increase his ability to survive.

Qin Dongcheng refused every time; after all, he had the Heaven Rewards Diligence System, and his combat experience and techniques had long since reached an astonishing level, so he had no need for Dong Hongyan's training.

Dong Hongyan could only leave helplessly, calling him a bookworm who always hid at home, warning that if he ever encountered real danger later on, he would be finished.

The previous incident had proven that even staying near the headquarters of the Five Elements Sect wasn't entirely safe, as demons and monsters could still sneak inside.

Even an alchemist should possess a certain level of combat power.

The spring sun was bright, and the flowers were in full bloom.

Before he knew it, summer was approaching; the flowers were at their peak, and many medicinal herbs were ready for harvest.

Early in the morning, Qin Dongcheng arrived at the herb field in Bamboo Forest Valley, and under the guidance of the new manager, Zhang Jing, he went to pick precious herbs from the various plots.

Zhang Jing was the new manager who had taken over Liu Yuan's position. After his only son died, Liu Yuan had fallen into a state of despair; after handling his son's funeral, he spent his days in taverns and lost all motivation to strive for anything.

He had resigned from his position as manager, and Zhang Jing had taken his place.

Compared to Liu Yuan, Zhang Jing was not as smooth in his dealings, but he was fair and diligent, making him much better than his predecessor.

At the very least, the herb field laborers in this area no longer had to worry about their herbs being pilfered.

The herb fields that Liu Yuan was responsible for covered nearly a hundred acres, but after Zhang Jing took over, the area grew further to about one hundred and fifty acres, with dozens of laborers responsible for this region.

There were dozens of similar managers in Bamboo Forest Valley, which showed just how many herbs were grown there.

Upon learning that Qin Dongcheng had a special hobby for picking herbs, Zhang Jing didn't wait for Qin Dongcheng to approach him; he sent someone to ask if he was interested in picking the precious herbs from this area in the future.

For such a good opportunity delivered to his doorstep, Qin Dongcheng naturally accepted.

Previously, he could only pick from a few dozen acres, but now that area had increased several times over; he didn't know how many more precious herbs he would be able to harvest.

Their relationship naturally grew closer, and occasionally Qin Dongcheng would give Zhang Jing some low-level pills as a token of his gratitude.

Zhang Jing did not refuse, but he would soon return the favor with some herbs of similar value.

This man was quite interesting; while he appeared strict and fair on the surface, he was actually quite tactful, which explained how he managed so many herb fields.

It was said that he had no family backing; the large Zhang Family was headed by Zhang Jing himself, and with dozens of people living near Bamboo Forest Valley, they were considered a small-to-medium-sized family.

Zhang Jing's strength was also close to the Skin Phase; if he hadn't been injured in his youth, he would likely have stepped into the Skin Phase long ago.

With over a hundred acres of herb fields, even if he only spent an hour or two picking precious herbs every day, he could trigger several critical hits, and the returns were quite good.

He didn't ask for more fields; these were enough for the time being.

In just half a month, Qin Dongcheng had harvested over a hundred precious herbs, worth several hundred taels of silver, which was higher than the income he made from alchemy.

"You have practiced the Heaven Concealment Art. Congratulations on triggering a thousand-fold critical hit! You have gained a thousand-fold benefit!"

Unexpectedly, that evening while practicing the Heaven Concealment Art, he triggered a thousand-fold critical hit.

The Heaven Concealment Art, which he had only recently begun to master, started to soar at an astonishing speed, and in just a few dozen breaths, it reached the minor success stage.

He could now perfectly conceal his essence, energy, and spirit, ensuring no one would notice anything unusual about him.

Even his skin, which had become tough and resilient after entering the Skin Phase, could be made to appear soft and supple again under the influence of the Heaven Concealment Art, as if he were still in the early Body Phase.

At the minor success stage, the power of the Heaven Concealment Art was several times greater than before.

Even martial arts experts several realms higher than Qin Dongcheng would be unable to detect his true strength.

It was a pity it wasn't the Diamond Skin Refining Fist that triggered the thousand-fold critical hit; if it had, he might have broken through his shackles and entered the late Skin Phase.

However, the Heaven Concealment Art was also excellent; it could be considered the most difficult technique he had ever practiced, and its sudden improvement provided a great guarantee for his safety.

After consolidating and adapting to the upgraded Heaven Concealment Art, Qin Dongcheng put more time and energy into the Phantom Movement Technique. The first layer was still a bit too weak, and its effectiveness for survival and escape was limited. He needed to raise it to at least the third or fourth layer so he could dominate among his peers, and even if he faced higher-level martial artists, it would be a mystery whether they could catch him.

By practicing the Phantom Movement Technique more often, he would increase the probability of a critical hit; as long as he triggered one that was several hundred times or more, he would be satisfied.