114: Chapter 114 The Spirit Cult's Operation

"This is the fourteenth bottle of nurturing fluid, seventy thousand yuan. This portion should be enough for Earth Dog to break through to level twenty-one, right?"

Looking at the fast-asleep Da Hei, Qin Ding muttered to himself, feeling a bit of a pinch in his wallet.

Going from seventeen to eighteen took two bottles of nurturing fluid; eighteen to nineteen took three; nineteen to twenty took four; and now, going from twenty to twenty-one is taking the fifth bottle.

"He drank it last night and still hasn't woken up yet. He must be about to break through."

He must be about to break through.

After comforting himself in his mind once more, he left the house and took a cab toward Beast Taming Street.

Beast Taming Street, Yangyang Weapon Shop.

"Young man, you're here?"

Zhao Kuo, who was sitting in a chair waiting for Qin Ding, immediately stood up the moment he saw Qin Ding push open the door and walk in, leading him over to the wall.

He pointed to the spear leaning against the wall.

"Here, the final payment is thirty thousand. Pay the balance first."

With just a single glance, Qin Ding was captivated by the spearhead of this long spear.

The shaft of the spear was deep black, blending upward into a cold, metallic gray texture. The three-foot spearhead was a bone-chilling cold silver, with a narrow, straight, and angular blade and deep blood grooves, making it seem as though even light falling upon it would be silently severed.

"Alright."

After sizing up the spear for a brief moment, Qin Ding decisively paid the remaining balance, then immediately reached out to grip the shaft.

A bone-deep chill traveled from his palm up his spine. The rough forged patterns on the shaft fit perfectly against his palm without slipping in the slightest, and his five fingers tightened around it.

With a light flick of his wrist—

Clang!

The spear turned into a streak of silver-black light, tearing through the air with a sharp screech.

Seeing Qin Ding repeatedly caressing the spear with eyes that grew brighter and brighter, Zhao Kuo's lips curled upward uncontrollably.

"Kid, you're pretty lucky. A while ago, I got a piece of Mother Iron. That's good stuff. I used it for the spearhead and even plated a layer on the shaft. Doesn't it look great and feel perfect in your hand?"

"And for this spearhead, I used Hundred-Tempered Profound Spirit Iron. This is an Elite Tier Gold Element spiritual material that's priced by the gram. I added quite a lot for you—two hundred grams! It can absolutely do what I promised before."

"Piercing through the surface defense of a non-defensive Spirit Beast that has just broken through to the Commander Rank is absolutely not a problem!"

Hearing this assurance again, Qin Ding smiled with great satisfaction. After putting the spear into his storage ring, he cupped his hands to the owner.

"You've really put in a lot of effort, Boss."

"Oh?"

Seemingly a bit surprised by Qin Ding's traditional bow, Zhao Kuo let out an "oh," and once he realized what it was, he smiled and nodded. "It was all done according to your requirements, young man."

"However, this new spear has a net weight of almost thirty catties. Although you could wield it as easily as an extension of your arm when you were testing it just now, it's best not to use it when sparring with others. Even a slight bump or scrape could seriously injure someone."

Hearing this, Qin Ding nodded outwardly. He naturally knew that the boss was currently in a state of self-satisfaction; at times like this, one had to stroke their fur the right way.

If he made him feel good this time, maybe he would get a discount next time, or perhaps even get some extra high-quality Materials.

After all, a spear was meant to be drawn when killing enemies.

"I still have to go to school for classes. Boss, I'll take my leave first."

"Alright, young man. If this spear serves you well, come back next time!"

After seeing Qin Ding off, Zhao Kuo cheerfully hummed a tune, rubbed his hands together, and sat back down in his boss chair.

"Ah, young people nowadays who know traditional etiquettes like cupping hands and bowing are rare. It's hard to come by, truly hard to come by."

Changcheng No. 11 High School.

When Qin Ding returned to school and was about to head to his classroom, he happened to run into Yellow Sky Hemp, who was standing in front of the classroom window, peering inside.

Seeing this scene, Qin Ding couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.

"Heh."

The cold laugh from behind made Yellow Sky Hemp's entire body stiffen. He abruptly pulled back his neck and slipped away toward Class 2 without looking back.

Looking at the departing back of the other party, Qin Ding narrowed his eyes slightly.

"It's been over twenty days since the last time. Tracking my movements and status again after more than twenty days—are they about to make a move on me?"

Earth Dog was on the verge of breaking through, and he himself had already stepped into Tier 3, which was enough to handle the feedback from the evolution.

Furthermore, the information from the city lord's secretary showed that the main force of the rats in Chang City was only at the Elite Tier, with only that Holy Envoy barely touching the threshold of the Commander Rank.

"What a pity..."

"You missed your first, and also your last, opportunity."

He turned and walked into the classroom, sat down cross-legged, and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

The school competition was still a month away, while the city competition makeup exam was still five months away.

Qin Ding didn't pay too much attention to the other party's departing back. He turned to enter the classroom, sat in his seat, and began to Cultivate.

There was still one month until the school competition, but there were still five months until the city competition makeup exam.

Five months... It didn't matter if he couldn't reach Tier 4 by then; he would strive to break through to Tier 4 during the summer vacation, which was before entering university.

With six months in total, it should be enough...

Soon, the class bell rang, and Wang Chunfa walked into the classroom right on time to start the lesson. However, not long after Wang Chunfa entered the classroom, Yellow Sky Hemp, who was attending class in Class 2, suddenly asked for leave and walked out of his classroom.

He even paused as he passed by Class 1 and glanced inside, his gaze locking directly onto Qin Ding.

"As expected, just as I thought, he's a reckless fool who only knows how to Cultivate. Does he have absolutely no idea of his own situation?"

"Catching me in the act just now was your only chance..."

Yellow Sky Hemp muttered softly, a vicious arc curving at the corner of his mouth, before he quickly left the teaching building.

In her seat, Bai Muxue, who was originally listening to the lecture, suddenly spaced out.

"Twice, with an interval of only a few minutes in between. Are they about to take action?"

"However, two strangers appeared in the neighborhood this month and have been staying there without moving. They should be Scavengers sent by the Federation. I just don't know if it was my teacher's idea or the active doing of the Chang City Lord."

"Right now, the only thing worth worrying about is Ah Ding..."

Thinking of this, Bai Muxue couldn't help but look back at Qin Ding, who was deeply engrossed in his cultivation.

Witnessing everything, Wang Chunfa, who was lecturing, chose to shut his mouth at this moment and continued to sip his tea.

For Bai Muxue to space out in class and even look back was truly a rare sight that might happen once a month, but this month, it had already happened several times.

Inevitably, his gaze also drifted toward Qin Ding, his heart filled with helplessness.

Both of them possessed Tier 2 Mental Power, and one of them was even a Junior Breeder. Compared to their peers across the entire Federation, such achievements were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

"Sigh, let them do whatever they want."

---

"Grandpa, it's about time, right? Can we make our move?"

[Old Man Huang: Yes. The Holy Envoy's injuries have healed, and the organization has also transferred four Tier 4s over. The intelligence on that Qin Ding you mentioned has been thoroughly gathered. If we can brainwash and recruit him, you will get the top credit.]

Hearing this, Yellow Sky Hemp's breathing suddenly quickened, and scenes of him rising rapidly in the ranks already flashed through his mind.

He admitted that Qin Ding was very strong in school, so strong that he had no rivals among his peers. But so what? Could he withstand the brainwashing of a Commander Rank mental-type Spirit Beast? Could he withstand a Commander Rank beast that could use elemental attacks?

In Yellow Sky Hemp's eyes, Qin Ding being absorbed into the Holy Cult was a done deal, and him being rewarded was also a done deal!

Suddenly, Yellow Sky Hemp seemed to think of something, and he added another sentence in a slightly hurried tone.

"Grandpa, there's a Bai Muxue in our school. I heard she's already a Junior Breeder! Our Holy Cult must be very short of breeding talents like her, right?"

[Old Man Huang: A Junior Breeder?! Then her Mental Energy must also be Tier 2. Although both have Tier 2 Mental Power, this Junior Breeder Bai Muxue is far more promising than Qin Ding! Good! Keep a close eye on her. This time, we will report both major achievements together! The two of us, grandfather and grandson, will have our rapid rise to success just around the corner!]

Yellow Sky Hemp hung up the communication, unable to suppress the wild joy on his face.