The Gap Between Cultivation Methods

"Ah! Those guys were really dirt poor. I was careless!"

Su Heng swiftly dealt with the Bloodfang Wolf corpses, sighing as he worked. This haul had truly been rather disappointing.

On the other side of the stone crevice at First-Line Heaven, countless magical beasts had already swarmed over, but the narrow gap had doomed all their efforts.

Several hundred Bloodfang Wolves could only watch helplessly as Su Heng pulled out the fangs of their kin, then tossed them aside in disgust.

Of the five Bloodfang Wolves, only two possessed Magic Cores, and they were relatively poor-quality Third Rank cores.

As for their fangs, only one pair was barely intact and of decent quality. The rest had either shattered or broken long ago.

They were among the lowest-tier Third-tier Magical Beasts. No wonder they had been so easy to handle.

Su Heng packed away the usable materials, gently carried Qing Lin onto his back, swallowed the last Windstride Pill, and vanished stylishly from the sight of countless magical beasts.

Two days later, Su Heng arrived at a small town near the Magic Beast Mountains. Considering that the Xuanjia Snake Emperor did not dare attack large cities but might launch raids on small towns—

Su Heng did not dare delay. After only eating a meal, he took a carriage back to Black Rock City.

During the journey home, Su Heng finally had the time to properly take stock of his gains.

On this trip to the Magic Beast Mountains, Su Heng had obtained the Xuanjia Snake Emperor's Origin Beast Flame and its Storage Ring.

The Profound-tier Xuanjia Snake Emperor truly deserved to be called a Dou Emperor-level magical beast. Its Black Jade Storage Ring had nearly a hundred cubic meters of space, ten times the capacity of the Storage Ring his father owned.

Inside the Black Jade Storage Ring, the Xuanjia Snake Emperor had stored more than a thousand jin of medicinal herbs, piled into mountains in a spectacular sight.

It was no exaggeration to say that herbs of every variety found throughout the Magic Beast Mountains could be found inside this Storage Ring.

What truly surprised Su Heng, however, was that the Xuanjia Snake Emperor had actually handed over its Storage Ring.

Time had been tight at the time, and Su Heng had not been able to inspect the Storage Ring carefully. If the Xuanjia Snake Emperor had given him a fake ring, he could only have swallowed the loss.

But the Xuanjia Snake Emperor had not done that!

It seemed Qing Lin's Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils had an utterly terrifying suppressive effect on snake-type magical beasts. They did not even dare entertain crooked thoughts or resort to tricks.

If there was anything lacking in the Black Jade Storage Ring, it was that Su Heng had not found any cultivation methods or Dou Techniques in the Xuanjia Snake Emperor's Storage Ring.

Su Heng searched through the Black Jade Storage Ring for a full eight days. Even by the time he reached Black Rock City, he had failed to find anything that even resembled a cultivation method or Dou Technique.

At last, Su Heng accepted it. It seemed some magical beasts truly had no need for cultivation methods or Dou Techniques. So long as they evolved their bloodlines, they could gain astonishingly powerful strength.

Of course, methods of bloodline advancement varied. The Xuanjia Snake Emperor's method was likely to devour fire-attributed magical beasts and vast quantities of medicinal herbs, forcing its way upward through sheer resources.

Seeing the familiar streets of Black Rock City, surging joy flooded Su Heng's heart. He jumped into the middle of the street, raised his arms, and cheered, drawing countless curious looks.

"I'm back! It feels great to be alive!!! Hahaha!"

Everyone around him looked at him as though they could not understand him, but Su Heng did not care.

During his days in the Magic Beast Mountains, every step Su Heng took had seemed confident and calculated, yet only he could understand the danger and pressure behind them.

Now that the pressure had been completely released, he did not mind acting like a foolish child for once.

After crossing the streets and returning to the Alchemist Guild, Su Heng first sent Qing Lin home. She had endured a long journey and desperately needed proper rest.

Only after staying with her until she fell asleep did Su Heng quietly leave the room and go to reassure Master Otto and Senior Sister Lin Fei.

At the first sight of Su Heng, Otto thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. He rubbed them hard, unable to believe it.

"Teacher, I'm back. I came back alive. You're not dreaming!"

Seeing Otto nearly moved to tears, Su Heng opened his arms and gave him a light embrace.

The solid touch convinced Otto that this was not a dream. He cried with joy and happily bounced around the room's bluestone floor, as though he himself had escaped the gates of death.

"It's good that you're back. Good that you're back! Rest properly for a while and recover completely."

"Have you gone to see Lin Fei yet? She's been worrying about you constantly these past few days!"

Seeing Su Heng's somewhat haggard appearance, Otto's suspended heart finally settled. He did not care whether Su Heng had successfully obtained Beast Flame; he only wanted him to return safely.

"I'll go see Senior Sister Lin Fei later. I've made all of you worry during this time."

Being cared for felt wonderful!

"Teacher, take a look at this!"

After Otto's emotions calmed somewhat, Su Heng proudly took out a crystal bottle from his Storage Ring.

Within the bottle, a mass of blackish flame burned fiercely. Even through the thick crystal, one could still feel the extreme heat of its vast fire-attributed energy.

"This is... Beast Flame from a Sixth-Order Magical Beast! You really got it?"

Otto had been celebrating Su Heng's return one moment, then his jaw practically hit the floor the next.

He had never expected Su Heng to truly obtain Beast Flame—and Beast Flame from a Sixth-Order Magical Beast at that. Its surging energy even made Otto's heart tremble.

"This is the Origin Beast Flame of the Sixth-Order Magical Beast, the Xuanjia Snake Emperor. I've already refined it into my Origin Fire Seed."

Su Heng snapped his fingers lightly, and a flicker of blackish flame bloomed at his fingertips.

As he slowly spread open his palm, surging blackish flames rose from it. Su Heng casually played with the flame as though it were a plush toy.

"Good! Wonderful! With this Beast Flame, forget becoming a First-grade Alchemist—even passing the assessment for Second-grade Alchemist would be easy for you."

Otto was incredibly excited. He had taken another huge step toward becoming the teacher of the president of the Jia Ma Empire Alchemist Guild.

Yet amid his joy, Otto also felt a little embarrassed. After all, he had coveted Sixth-tier Beast Flame for more than ten years.

Otto desperately wanted the Beast Flame in Su Heng's hands. If he could possess Sixth-tier Beast Flame, breaking through to Fifth Grade or even challenging the rank of Sixth-grade Alchemist would be well within reach.

But Su Heng had risked his life to obtain this Beast Flame. As his teacher, Otto truly could not bring himself to ask for it.

When Su Heng saw Otto suddenly lower his head in silence, his hands awkwardly hidden behind his back as he nervously tugged at his robe, he immediately understood what Otto was thinking.

"Teacher, I'll give you this bottle of Beast Flame."

Su Heng smiled faintly and took out another crystal bottle containing Beast Flame from his Storage Ring.

"I'll donate this bottle of Beast Flame to our Black Rock City Alchemist Guild. It can be passed down to those destined for it in the future."

He had divided the Snake Emperor's Mysterious Flame into three portions beforehand. One portion was for Teacher Otto, one was for the Alchemist Guild, and the last he would keep for trading at the auction house.

It would have been easy for Su Heng to keep all of it for himself, but giving Otto and the entire Alchemist Guild such a tremendous favor—

Would certainly bring more unexpected rewards in the future. Though it looked like a loss now, there would surely be gains in the long run.

"I thought it over carefully on the way back. This Origin Beast Flame may not be inexhaustible, but it is enough for dozens of people to draw from and refine."

"Not only you, but Senior Sister Lin Fei and the other junior brothers and sisters will have a chance to refine Sixth-tier Beast Flame as well."

"Moreover, with this Sixth-tier Beast Flame, our Black Rock City Alchemist Guild can use it as a foundation to recruit even more exceptionally talented apprentices."

"Besides, I promised you before that if I obtained Sixth-tier Beast Flame, I would give you a share. I haven't forgotten!"

After hearing Su Heng's words, Otto's awkward and embarrassed expression did not fade. Instead, it became even more pronounced.

He was like a child who had eaten someone else's milk candy—wanting to keep eating it, yet feeling deeply ashamed to accept it without earning it.

If Beast Flame from a Sixth-Order Magical Beast were sold at an auction house, at minimum it could be exchanged for a High-Profound Tier cultivation method, along with pill formulas for Fifth Grade or even Sixth-grade Pills.

Yet apart from a Mid-Profound Tier Cultivation Method and a few fourth-grade pill formulas, Otto truly had nothing worthy to offer.

Su Heng was willing to give Origin Beast Flame to the Alchemist Guild because Su Heng was noble and generous.

Otto was not thick-skinned enough to accept such a treasure with peace of mind without offering anything in return.

"Little Su... you know your teacher really doesn't have anything good to give you..."

Otto lowered his head in shame, took out a fire-attributed cultivation method from his Storage Ring, then brought out more than a dozen pill formulas. His face flushed red as his trembling hands offered them to Su Heng.

"This cultivation method is the Mid-Profound Tier Cultivation Method your teacher cultivates. It's... it's a little lacking. If I obtain something better in the future, I'll definitely make it up to you."

"As for these, they are third-grade and fourth-grade pill formulas I have collected over the decades. They are copies, but I personally inscribed every one of them with soul force. I hope you won't disdain them."

"Also, I will count the Beast Flame you donated to the guild as a contribution you have made to it. Whenever someone receives a portion of Beast Flame in the future, the guild will pay you appropriate compensation!"

Holding the two bottles of Beast Flame, Otto now looked like a deflated ball. Such a heavy gift made him feel as though he owed Su Heng an enormous favor.

The more prideful a person was, the less they wished to owe favors—especially when they could not repay them.

Seeing Otto's face full of shame, Su Heng felt rather gratified.

A fortune was easy to give, but genuine feeling was hard to find.

A person who knew gratitude and repaid kindness was far more valuable than a cultivation method or a few pill formulas.

"By the way, Teacher, do you know where I can buy a Profound Tier fire-control Dou Technique?"

Seeing that if they did not change the subject, Master Otto might become so depressed he would lie down in his chair, Su Heng hurriedly asked about another important matter.

Otto pondered for a moment before slowly speaking in a somewhat uncertain tone.

"The Miter Auction House in the Imperial Capital should have one..."

"For Alchemists, fire-control Dou Techniques can improve control over flames during alchemy and can also be used against enemies in battle. They have always been highly sought-after treasures."

"I suggest that you become an Alchemist first, then try your luck in the Imperial Capital."

"In four months, it will be time for the Alchemist rank assessment in Black Rock City. With your talent and this Sixth-tier Beast Flame—"

"Barring any surprises, Black Rock City's youngest Second-grade Alchemist in nearly a hundred years will be you."

Thinking of Su Heng becoming Black Rock City's youngest Second-grade Alchemist in nearly a century, Otto could not help revealing a gratified smile.

With Su Heng's alchemy talent and fortune, Otto believed there was not another like him in the entire Jia Ma Empire.

After hearing Otto's words, Su Heng nodded seriously as well.

Black Rock City was one of the Jia Ma Empire's leading major cities, while the Mite'er Family was the empire's foremost commercial giant.

Yet during this period, even the Miter Auction House in Black Rock City had not had a Profound Tier fire-control Dou Technique for sale. That alone showed how scarce such Dou Techniques were.

At present, he was still merely an Alchemist Apprentice. Though he could enjoy some of an Alchemist's benefits, they were limited.

If he could become a Second-grade Alchemist, his chances of saving enough money to purchase a fire-control Dou Technique would greatly increase.

Besides, he now had mountains of medicinal herbs in storage. If he refined them all into pills, they could sell for at least ten million gold coins.

With the status of an Alchemist plus ten million gold coins, there truly was no Dou Technique in the Jia Ma Empire that he could not buy.

With the plan decided, Su Heng chatted over tea with Otto for a while longer before preparing to leave.

The moment he stepped outside, a graceful purple figure blocked him at the door. Lin Fei, cheeks puffed in anger, forced Su Heng into a corner. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she sternly scolded him.

"You brat, why didn't you tell me when you came back?! Do you know how worried I was about you?!"

"Senior Sister... what a coincidence. I was just about to come find you."

Seeing that softness so close before him, Su Heng was so frightened that he hurriedly raised both hands, not daring to make the slightest movement.

"Senior Sister, I only just got back. After settling Qing Lin down, I came to tell you and Teacher that I was safe."

Seeing that Lin Fei was still angry, puffed up like a pufferfish freshly pulled from the water, Su Heng could only try to explain. Unfortunately, Lin Fei did not seem to be listening.

"Hmph! Remember this from now on: report your safety to me first. Do you understand?"

Lin Fei raised her pretty face and huffed with pursed lips. She stared at Su Heng with a firm, unquestionable tone.

"Don't worry, Senior Sister. If anything happens in the future, I'll definitely tell you first."

Only after Su Heng gently comforted Lin Fei for a while did her emotions gradually calm down.

"Junior Brother, these are Qi-Nourishing Pills I refined. They'll help restore your vitality and blood. Take them."

Lin Fei stuffed a bottle of pills into Su Heng's hand and made it clear that he was not allowed to refuse and had to accept them.

"Congratulations, Senior Sister! You've already become a First-grade Alchemist!"

Anyone capable of refining completed pills was considered a First-grade Alchemist. Though the pills in the bottle were only low-grade first-grade pills, they were indeed completed pills.

"I'm only a Quasi-First-grade Alchemist. I'll be a true First-grade Alchemist after I pass the Alchemist rank assessment in a while."

A hint of pride appeared on Lin Fei's face. She had succeeded in refining pills before Xue Mei. After competing with each other for over three years, they had finally settled the matter of who was superior.

"Great! Then we must hold a proper banquet to celebrate when the time comes!"

"Of course. Go back and rest well first. We can talk about that in a few days."

Lin Fei did not keep Su Heng any longer. What a traveler returning home after a long journey needed most was rest.

After bidding farewell to Lin Fei, Su Heng finally had control over his own time. However, he did not want to rest right now. He had more important things to do.

The moment he entered his room, Su Heng shut himself inside the cultivation chamber and began studying the Mid-Profound Tier Cultivation Method.

What Su Heng needed most now was a high-tier Dou Qi cultivation method. Though a Mid-Profound Tier Cultivation Method could not be considered especially outstanding across the entire Dou Qi Continent—

To Su Heng, compared with the Low-Yellow Tier Cultivation Method he currently used, a Mid-Profound Tier Cultivation Method was a treasure beyond measure, surpassing it by a full rank and a half.

Time flowed by, and more than ten days passed in the blink of an eye. As Su Heng gradually mastered the cultivation method, he deeply experienced the terrifying difference between cultivation method tiers!

Take the same act of releasing fire Dou Qi to ignite a pile of firewood.

When Su Heng used a Yellow Tier cultivation method, he consumed more than ten times as much Dou Qi as he did with a Profound Tier cultivation method.

Things that cultivators of Profound Tier methods could accomplish with ease were beyond even imagining for users of Yellow Tier methods.

Whether it was the smoothness of circulating Dou Qi, the speed at which Dou Qi condensed, or even the rate at which one absorbed Dou Qi from heaven and earth during cultivation, the Mid-Profound Tier Cultivation Method was more than ten times faster than a Yellow Tier method.

Previously, when Su Heng cultivated the Low-Yellow Tier Cultivation Method, advancing from Two-Star Dou Zhe to Three-Star Dou Zhe had taken more than forty days.

Now, after mastering the Mid-Profound Tier Cultivation Method, Su Heng took only three days to advance from Three-Star Dou Zhe to Four-Star Dou Zhe.

Profound Tier cultivation methods were terrifying indeed!