The Apprenticeship Banquet

As a pill used to aid cultivation, the Lesser Origin Pill contained more concentrated spiritual energy than the outside world. Taking it could accelerate cultivation, making it a pill every martial artist coveted.

For the hundreds of thousands of ordinary martial artists in Clear River City, obtaining even one Lesser Origin Pill was exceedingly difficult.

Members of martial lineages, however, could receive a Lesser Origin Pill from their lineage every few months. Outstanding members could even receive one or two each month.

At the level of the three great lineages, members of collateral branches were essentially guaranteed one Lesser Origin Pill a month, while direct descendants and outstanding members received five to ten each month.

As for someone like Su Chen, who could eat Lesser Origin Pills like candy, he was the only one in all of Clear River City.

Su Chen swallowed a Lesser Origin Pill. It traveled down his throat into his stomach, where its medicinal potency dissolved into a warm current that spread throughout his body, nourishing his flesh and meridians. The comfort was beyond words.

While the medicinal potency remained, Su Chen began circulating the Chaos Immortal Record to absorb it.

The Chaos Immortal Record was not only extraordinarily miraculous at absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth; it was equally miraculous at absorbing medicinal potency. Its wonder lay in its ability to absorb one hundred percent of all energy, without wasting a single trace.

As everyone knew, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was a form of energy. The wonder of the Chaos Immortal Record lay in how, when circulated to draw in that spiritual energy, it could absorb one hundred percent of everything taken into the body and convert it into true qi within the dantian.

The same held true for medicinal potency. By circulating the Chaos Immortal Record, he could absorb one hundred percent of a pill's medicinal potency without wasting a trace.

Generally speaking, depending on their constitution, martial artists in the qi-attraction realm could absorb only around twenty to fifty percent of the medicinal potency after taking a Lesser Origin Pill. The rest was wasted.

Su Chen, however, could absorb one hundred percent. That alone gave him an incomparable advantage.

At once, Su Chen settled his mind and entered a state of cultivation free from all distractions.

Time flew.

Ten days passed in a flash.

Su Chen consumed ten Lesser Origin Pills, and his cultivation reached the peak of the eighth layer of the qi-attraction realm. Only a final sliver stood between him and a breakthrough to the ninth layer of the qi-attraction realm.

"It's time to get out for some fresh air."

Su Chen knew that improving his strength was not simply a matter of cultivating endlessly in seclusion. Actual combat and mental cultivation were both indispensable. That was why no martial artist would shut themselves in a room day and night, circulating their cultivation technique to absorb spiritual energy. Doing so would only defeat the purpose.

In his current situation, continuing to cultivate shut away in his room was unsuitable. It could instead leave him unable to break through for a long time, creating a bottleneck.

At times like these, one often needed to leave the room where one had secluded oneself and seek an opportunity to break through.

"Come to think of it, I should refine that century sunlight herb into a pill for Auntie as soon as possible. It looks like it's time to find a good pill furnace."

Su Chen walked out of his courtyard, only to find the Jiang Family estate decked out with lanterns and festive decorations. Servants hurried to and fro everywhere, and the entire estate bustled with activity.

Unlike before, however, busy as the servants were, whenever they saw Su Chen, they would at least stop and greet him. "Young Master Su Chen."

They no longer ignored him or pointed and whispered as they had before.

Su Chen stopped a servant at random and asked, "Is there some happy occasion at the estate?"

The servant glanced at Su Chen. Although Su Chen had not appeared in public lately, everyone in the Jiang Family had been discussing what had happened at the lineage gathering that day. With his cultivation at the eighth layer of the qi-attraction realm, Su Chen had defeated both Jiang Minghao and Jiang Mingxuan, two young masters of the direct line, in succession. In one stroke, he had overturned the vast majority of the Jiang Family's opinions of him.

After all, in the martial world, geniuses commanded the greatest respect and admiration. Su Chen's ability to defeat Jiang Mingxuan despite the gap in their cultivation was enough to prove his exceptional martial talent.

The servant lowered his head and answered respectfully, "Young Master Su Chen, the Third Master is hosting a banquet at the estate today for several alchemists from the Alchemy Guild. All members of the lineage will attend."

"A banquet for people from the Alchemy Guild?"

The servant nodded emphatically, unable to hide his delight. "Apparently, Young Master Minghao's talent for alchemy caught Master Qian's eye at the Alchemy Guild, and he wants to take him on as a nominal disciple. Tonight is the apprenticeship banquet."

His words carried a measure of pride, as though he shared in the honor.

Jiang Minghao?

The one I defeated?

Su Chen gave a faint chuckle. No wonder the whole Jiang Family was brimming with joy. Not just anyone could become an alchemist. Among ordinary martial artists, those with a talent for alchemy were few and far between; otherwise, alchemists would never have enjoyed such lofty status.

More importantly, anyone who caught the eye of a Certified Alchemist from the Alchemy Guild and was accepted as a disciple was certain to soar to success. Jiang Minghao really had stumbled into a pile of dog-shit luck.

Su Chen had no interest in this, however. He asked, "Where's my aunt?"

Just then, Xu Yin and her daughter, Jiang Tingyi, emerged from the room opposite, dressed in their finest clothes.

When Xu Yin saw Su Chen, she said, "Xiao Chen, you've come out at just the right time. Will you come with us to tonight's banquet?"

Su Chen shook his head. "No, I have something else to do."

Xu Yin was about to say more when another servant suddenly hurried over and addressed Su Chen. "Young Master Su Chen, the Third Master ordered me to invite you to tonight's banquet."

"Jiang He?" Xu Yin asked suspiciously. "Why would he specifically invite Xiao Chen to the banquet?"

"I don't know. Those were the Third Master's instructions, and I've delivered his message." With that, the servant turned and left.

Xu Yin looked at Su Chen. "Xiao Chen, you'd better not go. Jiang He is definitely up to no good."

Su Chen smiled faintly. "No, I'm going."

"You're going?" Xu Yin was confused as well. Su Chen had clearly just said he would not go. Why had he suddenly changed his mind?

Su Chen said, "Last time, Jiang Minghao suffered a crushing defeat at my hands in front of everyone. Jiang He must still be nursing a grudge. Now that an alchemist from the Alchemy Guild has taken a liking to Jiang Minghao and wants to accept him as a nominal disciple, Jiang He certainly won't let this opportunity slip away. He wants to prove to everyone in the Jiang Family that his son is still a hundred times better than me."

"If that's the case, then you have even more reason not to go. Jiang He clearly intends to use you as a foil for Jiang Minghao," Xu Yin said.

Su Chen smiled lightly. "If he wants to use me as a foil, we'll have to see whether he has what it takes."

"But I've heard Jiang Minghao really does have some talent for alchemy..." Xu Yin was a little worried. Xiao Chen certainly possessed exceptional martial talent, but she had never heard that he could refine pills.

"Don't worry, Auntie. Let's go!" Su Chen's tone remained as calm as drifting clouds in a gentle breeze. As a pill used to aid cultivation, the Lesser Origin Pill contained more concentrated spiritual energy than the outside world. Taking it could accelerate cultivation, making it a pill every martial artist coveted.

"Don't worry, Auntie. Let's go!" Su Chen's tone remained as calm as drifting clouds in a gentle breeze.