112: Chapter 112 A skilled craftsman must first sharpen his tools before he can accomplish his task.

Leaving the office, he took the elevator down. The moment the elevator doors opened,

The City Lord Mo Qian's secretary was already waiting for him with a well-fed Earth Dog.

Unlike the travel-worn Qin Ding, the Earth Dog had clearly just enjoyed a feast; it was currently chewing on a piece of meat with great satisfaction, a contented purr rumbling in its throat.

Glancing at the Earth Dog's still-chewing mouth, Qin Ding's expression grew unnatural. Someone had treated it to a meal, and it had truly made itself at home; it was still eating when it was brought before him.

"Sorry for the trouble."

"It's nothing."

The secretary kept a smile on his face the entire time. After handing the Earth Dog over to Qin Ding, he turned and left immediately. It was at this moment that the Earth Dog swallowed the food in its mouth.

"Awoo."

[Boss, they really feed you well here. I feel like they have endless meat. Why don't we come back next time? It could save Aunt Zhao some money.]

Hearing this, Qin Ding completely lost his composure. He knocked the Earth Dog on the head, jolting the delusional creature back to reality.

"If there weren't things that needed dealing with, I wouldn't want to come here every day. I'm still being watched by Yellow Sky Hemp, and I don't know if this so-called He Ling Cult will pull any other tricks."

If they set their sights on Aunt Zhao and Mu Xue...

Qin Ding forcefully dismissed this thought as soon as it emerged.

"Go home, eat, Cultivate."

Taking the Earth Dog, Qin Ding hailed a taxi. Just as he got in, he received a transfer from the Chang City authorities.

150,000 federal currency—not a cent more, not a cent less.

The money stayed in Qin Ding's account for only a few seconds before he transferred it to Bai Muxue, keeping only 50,000 for himself.

With this money, the Earth Dog would have no trouble reaching Level 21, and he himself was close to a Breakthrough to the Third Tier. The school competition was also approaching.

As the saying goes, "To do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools." He planned to use the 50,000 to commission a new spear.

---

"City Lord, the money has been transferred to Student Qin's account in full."

"As long as it's transferred, that's fine. You may go... wait."

The secretary, who was about to retreat, was called back by City Lord Mo Qian. Although he looked puzzled, he respectfully returned and waited for further instructions.

City Lord Mo Qian thought of that phone call and furrowed his brows slightly.

"I remember that in Qin Ding's file, it mentioned he has a childhood sweetheart who studies breeding. I've seen her information; she is already a Junior Breeder. Who is this girl's teacher?"

"Hmm? This... City Lord, we haven't found anything. But even if she has a teacher, it wouldn't be anyone from Chang City. Furthermore, Student Bai has never studied breeding knowledge outside of school."

Hearing this, the creases between City Lord Mo Qian's brows deepened.

A breeding Genius who emerged solely through self-study? Such people exist, but if that were truly the case, then the force secretly watching Qin Ding—the one that could even mobilize help in times of crisis—could not be Bai Muxue.

If even this last candidate was ruled out... then who exactly was silently watching from behind Qin Ding, extending a helping hand at critical moments?

"Strange, this is too strange..."

After a moment of contemplation, City Lord Mo Qian waved his hand. "Forget it, let it be for now. Send some people to the residential complex where Qin Ding lives. Dispatch two 'Scavengers' to keep an eye on it."

Unable to figure it out for the moment, City Lord Mo Qian chose the most straightforward approach: send people to protect Qin Ding's only remaining family. This way, regardless of the outcome, even if they couldn't befriend this unknown power...

…at the very least, they wouldn't make an enemy of it.

The secretary was clearly stunned for a moment upon hearing this. It took him a few seconds to recover before he bowed and exited the office.

City Lord Mo Qian stood by the window, watching the taxi disappear around the street corner, then sat back in his large chair, lost in thought.

Half an hour later.

Qin Ding arrived at the entrance of his residential complex. As he stepped through the gate, his peripheral vision caught a stranger, a middle-aged man, sitting on a bench under a streetlamp. The man was smoking with his head down, and a sense of indescribable gloom permeated the swirling smoke.

"Whose relative? Or did someone new move in?"

Having grown up in this complex, Qin Ding considered himself familiar with everyone, yet he had no memory of this smoker.

He took a few extra looks, but in those two or three seconds of lingering, the man seemed to sense it. He suddenly looked up, his gaze locking onto him with electric precision!

Something's wrong! This person is strong!

Alarm bells rang in Qin Ding's heart. He immediately withdrew his gaze and quietly quickened his pace.

Puff, puff.

Behind him came the sound of the man taking a deep drag of his cigarette and exhaling slowly.

"Hiss... hoo~"

"Qin Ding, No. 11 High School's top student." The man flicked his cigarette ash, his face full of confusion. "Making me leave the top students at No. 1 High and No. 2 High unmonitored to come guard someone from No. 11 High? What kind of business is this?"

The man's eyes were filled with puzzled gloom. He completely failed to understand the purpose of his City Lord's actions. If he was truly worried about a Genius running into trouble, weren't those from No. 1 High and No. 2 High much better than the ones from No. 11 High?

"Old Wan, you don't get it, do you? This is why you've been a Scavenger thug your whole life and can't become a leader."

Just as the man was wondering, a young man who looked much younger than him walked over, his face full of teasing.

Hearing this teasing tone, the man rolled his eyes speechlessly. "Han Zhong, do you have nothing better to say?"

"Hey, Wan Bing, I won't hold it against you if you call me that outside of a mission, but right now, you have to call me Captain Han."

Wan Bing: #@¥#¥%¥#

After eating, Qin Ding returned home. At the same time, he received a number from Bai Muxue.

That was: for his Level 17 Earth Dog to Breakthrough to Level 21, it would need at least ten portions of Gold Element breeding solution! If it needed a bit more, it might even take fifteen!

Knowing it required this amount, Qin Ding felt as if the sky had gone dark on him.

So, as soon as he got home and saw the Earth Dog lying in its kennel, he felt an inexplicable sense of frustration and helplessness.

Huh? What's going on? Why do I feel like someone wants to kill me?

The Earth Dog, lying in its kennel, sensed something was wrong and sprang up. When it met Qin Ding's expression, which was indistinguishable from that of a resentful maiden, it shrank back two steps in fear.

"Woo."

[Boss, I just finished eating not long ago, and my stomach has already started digesting. If you want to kill me for meat, it's going to be a lot of trouble.]

Qin Ding: #@¥@#¥

Rolling his eyes, Qin Ding ignored the Earth Dog and left. Listening to the sounds of washing up in the bathroom, the Earth Dog's fearful wolf eyes became puzzled.

Strange. He was fine when he came back. How did he end up like this after eating a meal at Aunt Zhao's place?

It couldn't have been triggered at Aunt Zhao's place. Where exactly is the problem?

The Earth Dog lay in its kennel, its thoughts completely drifting away, while Qin Ding had already returned to his room to start Cultivating.

"Ten portions it is, or fifteen—the money is enough anyway."

Clearing away distracting thoughts, he entered a state of meditation within seconds.

The night passed without incident. The next morning.

Yangyang Weapon Shop.

Zhao Kuo was sitting in his boss chair looking at his phone, and only stood up quickly when the sound of the door opening rang out.

"Welcome... eh? Young man, it's you?"

Seeing that it was Qin Ding who entered the shop, Zhao Kuo was somewhat surprised. After all, Qin Ding had already customized both a weapon and inner armor here; logically, he shouldn't have any need for more.

Ignoring the shop owner Zhao Kuo's confusion, Qin Ding spoke directly.

"I need to customize a spear."

"Two point eight meters long, capable of easily breaking through the surface defense of an Elite Tier Spirit Beast, and with better flexibility than the last one."

"How much?"

Zhao Kuo froze, blinking his eyes. His brain stalled for several seconds before he found his voice; there was even a hint of self-doubt in his tone.

"The, the last spear... broke? How long has it even been?!"

"That's impossible. My craftsmanship shouldn't result in such a situation..."