10: Chapter 10 Collecting Cultivation Techniques

Two more days passed uneventfully like this.

Every morning, Lin Qing would punctually enter the martial arts hall to Cultivate the Panshi Stake Technique with the other martial arts hall Disciples. He practiced from sunrise until mid-morning, two hours every single day, without fail.

Every afternoon, he would stay behind closed doors, concentrating on cultivating the Pure Harmony Nourishing Essence Technique alone at home. Two hours in the afternoon and one hour at night, gaining 24 points of progress daily.

On the evening of the third day, Lin Qing circulated the Pure Harmony Nourishing Essence Technique as usual. As he slowly exhaled his last breath, the Pure Harmony Nourishing Essence Technique reached Perfection.

Before he could even feel the subtle changes in his body, Lin Qing opened the panel.

[Host: Lin Qing]

Realm: Mortal (Breakthrough time: 75 years)

Fused Cultivation Techniques: Clear Mind Health Cultivation Art, Pure Harmony Nourishing Essence Technique (Expand)

Recorded Cultivation Techniques: Meridian-Soothing Mind-Calming Technique (0/75), Spleen Strengthening Health Preservation Technique (0/75), Panshi Stake Technique (21/910)

The Pure Harmony Nourishing Essence Technique, just like the Clear Mind Health Cultivation Art, integrated into his bodily instincts and began to circulate automatically.

As expected, the proficiency requirements for the other recorded Cultivation Techniques had decreased, including the Panshi Stake Technique.

The change in the data for the Panshi Stake Technique confirmed Lin Qing's hypothesis. Once a Cultivation Technique reached Perfection and integrated into his bodily instincts to circulate automatically, his Aptitude increased! The future was now infinitely bright.

Furthermore, the time behind the Realm Breakthrough was no longer ∞. One had to realize that this time only accounted for the duration the two techniques circulated automatically.

This meant that from now on, even if he stopped actively cultivating any techniques, he would still become a formal Martial Artist in 75 years.

Clearly, the Fusion of the two health preservation techniques had broken through the theoretical upper limit of the original health preservation techniques.

Lin Qing felt refreshed. His days of bitter cultivation had finally yielded a Breakthrough, so he decided to treat himself.

After changing into clean casual clothes, he went straight to the "Baiwei Ju" where he had eaten before. There weren't as many people as there were that noon, and he found a seat by the window.

He ordered a plate of braised beef, a serving of cold-dressed pig's head meat, a portion of Mapo Tofu, and two taels of locally brewed sake, then began to drink alone.

As the liquor went down his throat, it felt mild rather than harsh, carrying the fresh scent of vegetation. Lin Qing narrowed his eyes slightly, and the muscles and bones throughout his body gradually relaxed.

Just as he was eating contentedly, the conversation of a few men at a neighboring table drifted into his ears.

"Have you heard? Lin Family Village at the foot of Qingyang Mountain suffered a disaster a few days ago!"

Lin Qing frowned slightly. Lin Family Village at the foot of Qingyang Mountain—wasn't that his hometown? He put down his chopsticks and listened intently.

"What happened? Could it be mountain bandits? With Lord Xiao around, what mountain bandits would dare stir up trouble around Qingyang County?"

"It wasn't mountain bandits, it was a Vicious Beast! A Vicious Beast came out from the depths of Qingyang Mountain. I heard over a dozen people were killed or injured."

"A Vicious Beast? Vicious Beasts from Qingyang Mountain haven't appeared for over a decade, right? Something must have happened in the mountains. Maybe some Opportunity has appeared."

Hearing this, the people at the same table couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement, which then quickly turned into dejection.

"Forget it, even if there's an Opportunity, it's not something we can get involved in. You might not even escape unscathed from a slightly fierce ordinary wild beast, let alone try to snatch an Opportunity from the mouth of a Vicious Beast."

"Who knows! I heard from a Martial Artist who came back from there that the Vicious Beast is ten feet tall, looks like a black bear, and is incredibly fast."

Everyone became nervous upon hearing this:

"Then what should we do? Qingyang Mountain is our county's most important source of supplies. Is there any clinic or pharmacy that doesn't get its medicinal herbs from Qingyang Mountain? The blood-and-qi-rich meat those Martial Artists need also has to be sourced from the mountains."

"You don't need to be too anxious about that. I heard Lord Xiao has already personally led people to investigate, though no news has been sent back yet."

"I wonder how long it will take Lord Xiao to hunt down that beast. Regardless, the price of medicinal herbs in the county is probably going to rise in the next few days."

The few of them chatted back and forth, their stories becoming more and more exaggerated.

Lin Qing held his wine cup and looked out the window. The setting sun was slowly sinking into the silhouette of the distant Qingyang Mountains. A thin mist seemed to rise faintly among the mountain forests, carrying a hint of inexplicable oppression.

However, none of this had anything to do with him for the time being. If the sky fell, the tall people would hold it up. Right now, he was just a small fry.

After eating and drinking his fill, Lin Qing went straight back to his small courtyard. He didn't arrange any cultivation for the evening, giving himself a break and going to bed early to rest.

For the next few afternoons, Lin Qing no longer stayed at home. He began to visit every bookstore and bookstall in the county. Whether it was a small street-side stall or a large-scale bookstore in the county town, he left his mark everywhere.

He was single-mindedly searching for all kinds of Cultivation Technique manuals. Unfortunately, ordinary bookstores only sold health preservation techniques. He flipped through them one by one, memorized them carefully, and recorded them all on his panel.

However, his behavior of only browsing without buying eventually attracted the attention of many shopkeepers. Occasionally, a clerk would come forward to drive him away, but Lin Qing wasn't bothered by this.

Whenever he encountered such a situation, he would buy a cheaper manual like the Basic Fist Technique or Basic Footwork—the simplest of Basic Martial Arts.

On one hand, it served to silence the gossip of others; on the other hand, although these Basic Martial Arts were introductory, they were the foundation for a Martial Artist to exert their power. Learning and memorizing more of them would ultimately be beneficial and harmless.

After a few days, he had visited all the bookstores in the county and recorded all the health preservation techniques he could find. He also had a few more Basic Martial Arts booklets in his hands, including not only fist and footwork techniques but also saber, spear, and Palm Techniques.

[Host: Lin Qing]

Realm: Mortal (Breakthrough time: 75 years)

Fused Cultivation Techniques: Clear Mind Health Cultivation Art, Pure Harmony Nourishing Essence Technique (Expand)

Recorded Cultivation Techniques: Meridian-Soothing Mind-Calming Technique (32/75), Spleen Strengthening Health Preservation Technique (0/75), Panshi Stake Technique (61/910), An Yuan Gu Ben Technique (0/75)...