The next day, at dawn.
The rising sun cast its morning light across the land, shining over the Demon Suppression Division's grounds in Cangwu County.
At this moment, within courtyard 799 of residential area 19 of the Demon Suppression Division, Lin Baichuan, seated cross-legged on his bed, suddenly opened his eyes. Two brilliant gleams flashed from his gaze like streaks of silk, his eyes sharp as lightning and his spirit vigorous.
Suddenly, his mind stirred. A stream of light flashed through his sea of consciousness and transformed into an Attribute Panel.
Name: Lin Baichuan Identity: Junior Demon Slayer of the Demon Suppression Division Cultivation: Ninth Rank Cultivation Method: Golden Bell Shield (Seventh Layer, 1%) Martial Skills: Seven Kill Saber Art (Perfection), Wind Shadow Steps (Not Yet Initiated), Brute Ox Fist (Not Yet Initiated) Intent: Saber Intent (23%) Merit: 0 ...
Seeing the two new martial skills listed in the martial skills section, a gleam flashed in Lin Baichuan's eyes. He had exchanged for Wind Shadow Steps and Brute Ox Fist at the Scripture Pavilion after leaving Myriad Treasures Hall yesterday.
It was not that Lin Baichuan did not want to exchange for more martial skills. The truth was that the Demon Suppression Division's martial skills were simply too precious.
His few Contribution Points were laughably insufficient. Selling the Demon Core and Demon Core had earned him a total of 750 Contribution Points, but buying medicinal ingredients had cost him 530 points. The remaining 220 Contribution Points had only been enough for two martial skills.
Wind Shadow Steps cost 110 Contribution Points, while Brute Ox Fist cost 90.
He had only 20 Contribution Points left now, not even enough to buy the worst martial skill. As for cultivation methods, that was even more impossible. However, Lin Baichuan had never intended to exchange for a cultivation method from the beginning.
He already had the Golden Bell Shield. Though it had initially merely been an ordinary low-grade Mortal Tier cultivation method, with only three layers in total and a limit of Ninth Rank Skin Refining at its peak—
—it had now been forcefully deduced and upgraded to the seventh layer through Merit. Its grade had likely already surpassed the High-grade Mortal Tier, and he could continue using Merit to deduce and improve it in the future.
Therefore, Lin Baichuan had never considered changing cultivation methods. At least for the time being, he had no such plans.
"But why can this cultivation method keep being deduced and improved as long as I have enough Merit, while martial skills cannot?"
Lin Baichuan suddenly furrowed his brow and muttered, "That doesn't make sense! Could it be that the system treats cultivation methods and martial skills differently? Or has the Seven Kill Saber Art already reached the realm of Perfection, and further deduction requires too much Merit? Perhaps the Merit I had accumulated before was insufficient, which is why I couldn't improve it further?"
Lin Baichuan had actually considered this question long ago, but he had yet to find an answer.
He had no Merit at all right now, so there was no way to test it. He could only wait until he had accumulated enough Merit in the future to verify it.
"Forget it. I'll deal with that question later. The urgent matter is to get the Mysterious Sun Fruit first." Lin Baichuan shook his head and stopped dwelling on it. Muttering to himself, he sprang from the bed, pulled open the door, and walked out.
The Return Origin Body Tempering Soup still lacked its final supplementary ingredient, the Mysterious Sun Fruit. He planned to try his luck at the market in Cangwu County City. Though the Mysterious Sun Fruit was only a supplementary ingredient, its grade was far from low. It had already surpassed the scope of mortal medicine.
Like weapons, medicinal ingredients were also divided into many grades.
Mortal medicines were divided into low, middle, and high grades. Above high-grade mortal medicines were spiritual medicines. Unlike mortal medicines, spiritual medicines were divided into the four ranks of Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow, for a total of twelve grades. Though the Mysterious Sun Fruit was merely the lowest-grade Low-Grade Yellow Spiritual Medicine, it was still worth a fortune and exceedingly rare.
Even the Demon Suppression Division had none in stock. As for the markets in the city, Lin Baichuan did not hold much hope. He understood the value of spiritual medicines. Even if someone obtained one, they would generally regard it as a foundation to be preserved and would not readily put it up for sale.
Yet Lin Baichuan had no other choice. If the Demon Suppression Division did not have it, he could only try his luck at the market.
At times like this, the disadvantage of his humble origins and shallow foundations became clear.
With no connections and no channels, even having money did not necessarily mean he could obtain the resources he wanted. Everything depended on luck.
It was unlike the descendants of Aristocratic Clans. Backed by their families, obtaining resources was naturally much easier for them than it was for mud-legged commoners like Lin Baichuan.
One step at a time. I have the system with me, so it doesn't matter if my foundations are weaker. At worst, I'll spend some extra time in the early stages. I'll gradually close this gap in the future.
Lin Baichuan thought to himself. He was not discouraged by his origins, nor did he harbor any resentment. His birth was not something he could decide. What he could do was seize the present and strive to make his future better.
As countless thoughts flashed through his mind, Lin Baichuan had already left the Demon Suppression Division's grounds and headed straight for the market in Cangwu County City.
However, Lin Baichuan failed to notice that just as he left the Demon Suppression Division's grounds, a pair of cold, sinister eyes watched his departing back from behind an ancient tree, filled with venomous hatred and ruthlessness.
The next moment, a man with a dark expression stepped out from behind that ancient tree.
It was Li Da.
Li Da's face was gloomy, and even the corners of his mouth carried a trace of savage malice. Staring at Lin Baichuan's back as it gradually disappeared at the end of his sight, he gritted his teeth and sneered, "Lin Baichuan, you ruined me. You injured the foundation of my origin and cut off my martial path forever. Don't think you'll have it easy either.
"I may not be able to kill you, but the Lu Family can..."
Li Da gnashed his teeth, his heart brimming with resentment. Song Gang had merely told him to keep an eye on Lin Baichuan, but he could not swallow this insult. Seeing Lin Baichuan alive and kicking before his eyes made fury surge within him.
With a clenched jaw, Li Da also left the Demon Suppression Division's grounds and headed straight for the Lu Family estate.
Since Song Gang was unwilling to act, he could only borrow the Lu Family's power.
Naturally, he was not qualified to meet the Lu Family's patriarch, but he was qualified to meet Lu Changkong. Moreover, Li Da knew perfectly well that Lu Changkong's hatred for Lin Baichuan was likely even deeper than his own.
Most importantly, Lu Changkong was a complete fool. With just a slight trick and a little sowing of discord, Li Da was not afraid that Lu Changkong would refuse to be used by him.
Lin Baichuan still did not know that, because of Qin Qing, he had deliberately spared Li Da, only to leave behind a future calamity for himself. After leaving the Demon Suppression Division's grounds, Lin Baichuan made his way straight to the market in Cangwu County City.
The two places were not actually far apart. Lin Baichuan merely walked at a normal pace, and after the time it took for an incense stick to burn, he had arrived outside the market.
The market in Cangwu County City was enormous and divided into different sections.
Clothing, food, lodging, travel, medicinal ingredients, weapons—whatever one might need, the market dealt in it.
Though it was Lin Baichuan's first time here, the market had signboards everywhere, so he did not have to spend much effort before reaching the medicinal ingredients district. Here, one could buy anything related to medicine.
All kinds of medicinal ingredients, medicines, and even medicinal powders and medicinal baths for martial artists' cultivation were available for sale.
Of course, that was assuming one could afford the price.
Lin Baichuan had obtained gold and silver worth over a million from Liang Youtian's underground palace, so he was naturally full of confidence. The moment he entered this area, he headed straight for its largest shop.
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