Learning other side professions like artifact forging, talisman crafting, and array formation might be a bit troublesome for him, but mastering alchemy would be relatively easy.
This was because the Su Family excelled in cultivating spiritual herbs. Over the years, they had made significant progress in both herbalism and alchemy.
They had even established an alchemy pavilion in the cultivator's market town under the Cloud Sword Sect, where they sold spiritual herbs and elixirs.
"However, the best way to learn alchemy is to start as an apprentice in the medicinal field, identifying spiritual herbs. Once I've mastered that, I can then apprentice under the family's senior alchemists," Su Yu hesitated slightly.
Leaving the family to work in the medicinal field, although guarded by family experts, still posed some safety risks.
Moreover, demonic beasts occasionally attacked the medicinal fields.
Behind the scenes, they also had to be wary of the Lin Family's schemes.
After a moment of hesitation, Su Yu gritted his teeth and decided to go to the medicinal field as an apprentice. Now was the best time to become an apprentice, as he had plenty of free time every day that he couldn't afford to waste.
Once he mastered the basics, he could then learn alchemy, which would greatly benefit his future cultivation.
In comparison, the minor risks of going to the medicinal field were negligible and bearable.
Besides, as an apprentice, he could also receive an additional monthly allowance of resources.
Having made up his mind, Su Yu approached the Great Elder to request a task assignment to the medicinal field as an apprentice. The Great Elder, Su Mengshan, smiled and said, "It's perfect timing. The medicinal field is short-handed. Take this token, and I'll have someone take you to the field to meet your Uncle Changyu. He's an experienced herbalist, and learning from him will definitely be the right choice."
After receiving the identity token to access the medicinal field's protective arrays, Su Yu followed a family elder, who was at the sixth level of Qi Refining, to the medicinal field.
The medicinal field wasn't too far from Jiang City, but it was still several hundred miles away, located in a remote mountainous area spanning over ten thousand acres.
However, due to the limited spiritual energy, the field could only cultivate some less valuable first-grade spiritual herbs. While this allowed the Su Family to earn some income and establish a foothold, it wasn't enough to make them wealthy.
This medicinal field was the Su Family's most important foundation, protected by multiple layers of arrays. With the identity token, Su Yu entered the field, and his vision suddenly opened up to reveal several mist-shrouded mountains and valleys.
Su Yu was slightly surprised to find that the spiritual energy here was even denser than at the Su Family's estate.
The medicinal field was vast, and there were quite a few Su Family members here, including over a hundred cultivators and several hundred ordinary family members and servants.
On a mountainside, a large manor had been built, consisting of hundreds of small houses.
Su Changyu, a cultivator who had been working in the medicinal field for nearly thirty years, had limited talent in cultivation due to his mediocre spiritual roots. After decades, his cultivation level was still only at the third level of Qi Refining.
Because of this, he chose to stay in the medicinal field, responsible for cultivating spiritual herbs and training herbalists and apprentices for the family.
When Su Yu met him, Su Changyu was busy in the field with three apprentices.
"Changyu, I've brought you a new apprentice. His name is Su Yu, and he'll be working here as an apprentice from now on," said the elder who had brought Su Yu. After handing Su Yu over to Su Changyu, the elder left the medicinal field without staying longer.
Su Changyu looked like a typical farmer, standing about seven feet tall, wearing a simple shirt and trousers. His skin was tanned, and he had a sturdy build with a kind, honest face.
Looking at Su Yu's clean brocade clothes, Su Changyu chuckled and said, "It's good that you're here. Young people should learn some skills; they can't rely on their family forever. Moreover, if you want to support a wife and raise children, you need to work even harder."
Beside him were three apprentices, all older than Su Yu. The youngest was already in his twenties and had been working in the medicinal fields for five or six years. The oldest was over thirty. At that age, staying longer would be enough to become a pharmacist in the medicinal fields.
Apprentices in the medicinal fields had only two paths: one was to stay and wait for the day they could become independent pharmacists; the other was to leave and find an opportunity to apprentice under an alchemist, perhaps one day becoming a formal alchemist. However, such opportunities were rare.
The three busy apprentices nearby glanced at Su Yu, smiled, and nodded slightly as a greeting before continuing their work.
Su Yu bowed respectfully and said, "Master."
Su Changyu smiled and nodded, handing him a booklet. "This contains records of the spiritual herbs grown in the medicinal fields, including their properties, growth habits, and several spells needed for cultivating them. By the way, what cultivation technique are you practicing?"
Su Yu replied, "The Wutong Green Wood Technique, currently at the second level."
Su Changyu's eyes lit up. "That's a good technique. Have you learned the Nurturing Spirit Technique?"
Su Yu nodded. "Yes."
Su Changyu said happily, "Then I'll give you half a month to memorize this booklet thoroughly. After that, I'll take you to cultivate the spiritual herbs." The booklet was a valuable resource. After thanking Su Changyu, Su Yu, under his arrangement, moved into an empty house in the medicinal field estate, settling there temporarily.
Every day, besides practicing his cultivation technique and body refining, Su Yu diligently memorized the knowledge in the booklet about various spiritual herbs. This was the foundation of becoming a pharmacist and, similarly, an alchemist.
In addition to the knowledge of spiritual herbs, the booklet also recorded several spells, including the Water Attribute Rain Spell, the Earth Attribute Earth Spirit Spell, the Wood Attribute Nurturing Spirit Spell, and another Wood Attribute spell called the Essence Nurturing Spell.
The Essence Nurturing Spell was used to nurture wood spirits with spiritual consciousness, enhancing the sensitivity and range of spiritual perception. At higher levels, one could instantly sense the growth conditions of nearby spiritual herbs. The wood spirits nurtured by this spell could not only be used for cultivating spiritual herbs but also for alertness or searching for herbs in the wild, making it quite significant.
Moreover, this spell was also very helpful for practicing alchemy and becoming an alchemist, offering many benefits. However, it was difficult to master. Of course, this was a matter of accumulating proficiency over time, which was not a problem for Su Yu.
Upon seeing this spell, Su Yu decided to practice the Essence Nurturing Spell next. To his delight, the spiritual energy in the medicinal fields was denser than in the mansion, slightly increasing his cultivation speed.
On the third night after Su Yu arrived at the medicinal fields, sudden exclamations were heard outside: "Monster beasts! Quick, stop them! They're stealing the spiritual herbs again!"
After a lot of commotion, the noise subsided. It seemed that two monster beasts had been killed, but some had escaped. Initially, Su Yu thought it was just some wild beasts attracted to the medicinal fields, accidentally wandering in. However, a few days later, traces of monster beasts appeared again in the medicinal fields.
This time, he overheard the discussions of several senior brothers outside.
"Here we go again. Why have there been so many demonic beasts appearing lately?"
"I heard this demonic beast is called the Earth Rock Beast, a subterranean, social creature, and..."
"It's said that Earth Rock Beast colonies often settle on spiritual veins."
"No way? Could the rumors from before actually be true?"
"Most likely. Didn't our master say we shouldn't discuss this matter?"
"That's great. It's right not to discuss it. If it's true, our Su Family might soar to new heights and surpass the Lin Family in one fell swoop."
Inside the room, Su Yu's heart skipped a beat.
Earth Rock Beasts? He was familiar with these small demonic creatures. They resembled rats but were the size of cats or dogs.
They were adept at digging, capable of burrowing through both soil and rock.
In his previous life's cultivation game, they were a common social creature he often cleared out in the early stages. Their habitat was spiritual veins, and they fed on spirit stones or nearby rocks.
Thus, to protect the spiritual veins, it was necessary to regularly clear out the Earth Rock Beasts.
Judging from the current state of the medicinal fields, the Earth Rock Beasts must have just appeared here, which indicated...
There was likely a first-grade spiritual vein hidden beneath or near the medicinal fields.
Even the lowest-grade spiritual vein was still a spiritual vein.
Neither the Su Family nor the Lin Family currently had a spiritual vein as the foundation for their heritage and standing.
If this news got out, would the Lin Family just stand by and watch the Su Family monopolize the spiritual vein?
Nearby cultivation sects or families might also take action upon hearing the news.
If that happened, the medicinal fields would be in danger.
At this thought, Su Yu became restless and uneasy.