A Rise in Worth

Zhou Ning threw out the bamboo leaf Law Artifact, stepped on it, and flew towards Luyou Island.

Small boats floated on the lake, and the retainers, spears in hand, searched for traces of the Fuluo Eel with gleaming eyes.

In the past two years, whether it was due to some trickery or someone secretly releasing them, the number of Fuluo Eel, which were almost wiped out by hunting, has increased again.

Although not as good as it was ten years ago, it's enough for the fishing retainers to make a living.

In addition, Su Changhe reformed a series of reward and punishment mechanisms, which won him considerable popularity.

"The Teng Puppet Seed are truly terrifying..."

Looking at the retainers who kept rubbing their eyes, Zhou Ning seemed to see himself fishing day after day.

If it weren't for the jade, he probably would have remained like this his entire life in this rigidly hierarchical world...

Without resources, Middle-Grade Spirit Root can break through the bottleneck of the Late Qi Refining, but Foundation Establishment is out of the question.

The retainers below noticed the commotion above.

Yuan Dahu, along with several of his men who were fishing, saw the alchemist and immediately bowed, saying, "Greetings, Master Alchemist!"

Zhou Ning chuckled upon hearing this.

I remember when we walked on water, this person said "paying respects to the martial arts master" in a sarcastic tone.

Now, however, he is filled with respect.

Following Yuan Dahu's example, the others all bowed in greeting.

While they were filled with jealousy and envy, there was also a genuine sentiment involved, since they bought Clear Eyes Powder from Zhou Ning every year at cost price.

Even if they themselves are reluctant to use them, they buy them and then resell them to make a profit.

Zhou Ning was fully aware of this.

However, all living beings suffer.

He didn't mind giving a small subsidy; besides, this small favor would not only help him establish his image as someone of humble origins who never forgot his original aspirations, but also significantly expand his sources of information.

Luyou Island wasn't far; even though Zhou Ning wasn't flying fast, he arrived in half an hour.

As soon as he landed in front of Su Junsong's residence, he saw an old man in a gray robe take off on a gray shuttle.

Zhou Ning's heart tightened, and he prepared to reach into his Storage Bag at any moment.

He remembered that when he went to Forget-Return Market to purchase supplies, this person chased after him on a gray shuttle.

Fortunately, his flying boat was faster; otherwise, the outcome would have been dire.

"What is he doing at the Su Household?" Zhou Ning wondered.

However, he did have some guesses about the overall battle situation. Based on the heavy casualties among the Alchemist outside, Zhou Ning was able to make a judgment.

The person who chased him back then was probably not after money, but rather came from some powerful family that wanted to frame the Lei Household.

He watched helplessly as the person flew away from Luyou Island.

Zhou Ning's eyes flickered. The old man had reached the peak of Qi Refinement Perfection, his aura was powerful, and his flying Law Artifact was not bad. In the end, he did not follow.

In the courtyard.

Su Wen scoffed, "A lackey of the Han Household, wielding a token, thinks he can demand Foundation Establishment Pill materials? What a piece of trash!"

"And that run-down Han Household, doesn't they have a False Core Formation cultivator?"

Su Junsong stood in front of the shelves, taking stock of the gifts sent by the Lineage under his jurisdiction, smiling without saying a word.

The token from the Han Household was genuine, but how precious was the special second-tier demon core capable of refining Foundation Establishment Pill?

If it is a direct descendant of the Han Household has reached the Foundation Establishment stage, then so be it.

A third-rate Qi Refining cultivator... heh.

"I guess the Han Household has the same idea... Heh, it's not surprising that Han Ziyue would do something like this..."

Su Junsong patted the Clear Yang Melon that the Yang Household had sent, producing a sound like a hard wooden block, muffled yet crisp, with a deep echo.

He said cheerfully, "This melon is good."

The best pieces were selected and given to the ancestor, then distributed to the Foundation Establishment elders in the family...

"Hmm, my little sister should be back soon..."

As I pondered this, a communication talisman drifted in from outside.

"Alchemist Zhou has arrived." Su Junsong's smile faded considerably.

"Wenwen, watch my signals and do as I say," he instructed.

He originally thought that Zhou Ning's relationship with the Qingxuan disciples was just so-so, so even though they had reservations four years ago, the spiritual contract they signed still exploited Zhou Ning severely.

Unexpectedly, Gu Xiangning of the Azure Mystic Sect made such rapid progress in her cultivation.

With only a Middle-Grade Spirit Root, at the age of twenty-five or twenty-six, he has actually cultivated to the Late Qi Refining, and will most likely advance to Foundation Establishment in the future.

Foundation Establishment cultivators from sects are generally a cut above Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Aristocratic Clan in terms of combat strength, unless it's someone like Yuanye...

However, Gu Xiangning has the backing of True Person Yaoxian, so she is someone they should be wary of.

Su Wen angrily said, "The Ye, Han, and Zhao families actually dared to poach Zhou Ning! My Su Household will wipe them out sooner or later!"

Upon hearing this, Su Junsong was startled, realizing that those three families were at least False Core Lineage.

He even suspected that Su Wen, with her big mouth, knew about the family's secrets.

Otherwise, how could she have such courage?

Su Wen then added, "After I Foundation Establishment, I'll marry Core Formation Cultivator, and I'll make sure to annihilate them as my dowry!"

Su Junsong's lips twitched, but he remained silent.

When Su Wen saw Zhou Ning walk in, she scanned him with her Divine Sense and found that Zhou Ning had already Qi Refining Sixth Layer of Qi Refining. For Alchemist, this was not slow, but it was by no means fast either.

In reality, Zhou Ning used the Concealing Shadow Technique to conceal some of it; otherwise, the power Law Power the sixth level of the [Xinsi Golden Scripture] would have already surpassed that of the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining in this world.

Su Wen opened her mouth to question him.

As a result, Zhou Ning threw several envelopes on the table and said angrily:

"The Ye Household is so malicious that they actually tried to bribe me with ten Spirit Stone a year, a second-tier Spirit Vein, three Qi Refining concubines, and the inheritance of Alchemist!"

"I, Zhou, have received immense kindness from the Su Household, for which I have no way to repay. Even though my alchemy efforts have resulted in huge losses and I am unable to make ends meet, I, Zhou, would rather borrow from them than accept a single Spirit Stone!"

Zhou Ning was upright and unyielding.

Su Wen's words caught in her throat; how could she have said everything she wanted to say?

She was speechless.

Upon hearing this, Su Junsong clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Excellent! As expected of Su Household! Alchemist Zhou is so righteous; even if it's just a loan, we absolutely won't accept it!"

Zhou Ning then asked, "Young Master Junsong, could you lend me fifty?"

Su Junsong was taken aback for a moment, then immediately said, "Someone, bring fifty catties of spirit rice to Alchemist Zhou!"

Zhou Ning was impressed; the young master was truly a master of feigning ignorance.

He coughed lightly and pointed, "It's fifty Spirit Stone."

Su Junsong's expression froze for a moment. Fifty Spirit Stone?

Such a quantity would require the annual offerings of at least three Foundation Establishment Aristocratic Clan to accumulate.

The scene became somewhat suffocating for a moment.

Zhou Ning took out a Three Flowers Pill and sighed, "Young Master Junsong, studying alchemy is extremely taxing. I wasted the raw materials for three batches of Three Flowers Pill and spent more than a dozen Spirit Stone to make this one!"

"Moreover, Deacon Su also knows that I often use her and Jia Xingwang next door to purchase medicinal herbs and research various elixir formulas in order to improve my alchemy skills!"

"The losses are severe! Even the spoils we luckily seized from the Guo Household last time have all been pawned!"

Su Junsong had already ordered people to keep an eye on him, and most of the man's words were indeed true.

Alchemist is indeed an extremely expensive profession.

The Su Household only needed to assign him alchemy tasks on time every month, while Zhou Ning had to consider many more things.

They really can't exploit him too much, otherwise Zhou Ning might really run away...

Su Junsong considered for a moment and said, "Fifty Spirit Stone are too many. How about twenty? On behalf of the Su Household, I'll offer you three years of interest-free financing."

Zhou Ning: "Forty, I guess."

"Forty is unlucky, thirty is better..."

After some haggling, Zhou Ning finally managed to borrow thirty-six Spirit Stone from the Su Household.

Eighteen coins will be given at once, and the remaining eighteen coins will be distributed over six months.

After discussing the Spirit Stone, Zhou Ning was in a good mood. With these Spirit Stone, his cultivation speed would increase, and he wouldn't arouse suspicion.

He patted the green-skinned, white-veined melon again and asked Su Junsong if it was ripe.

It's cooked.

After asking for three Clear Yang Melon, Zhou Ning looked at the Honey Zha with its glossy fur, which was kept in a cage.

He couldn't help but recall the days when he chatted and laughed with Scholar Xu and Old Jia. So, posing as the Alchemist, he asked for two Honey Zha and asked them to deliver them to Bamboo Creek Island on a chosen day.

Afterwards, Zhou Ning declined Young Master Junsong's invitation to dinner and left the mansion on her bamboo-leaf Law Artifact.

Watching his departing figure, Su Wen snorted, "Hypocrite!"

How could she not see through such exaggerated acting?

Su Junsong poked at the Honey Zha, and what would he do if he figured it out?

Although the Guo Household was destroyed, the Lei Household remained active, Alchemist became highly sought after, and the price of pills continued to rise.

Last year, in just one year, Alchemist Zhou earned more than twenty Spirit Stone for the Su Household!

"It's Wenwen who hasn't adjusted her attitude yet..."

"Judging by the time, Yunjin should be home by now. Last time, she asked her family for fifteen Spirit Stone, saying she wanted to forge Law Artifact..."

"Yunjin has now cultivated to the ninth level of perfection. He has returned this time, presumably to prepare for Foundation Establishment."

"Look at Su Wen, I'm afraid even Alchemist Zhou will be snatched away by Yunjin!"

Su Junsong found it amusing; little did she know, the sky was about to fall.