Hidden Cultivation

"Right, right, this is the spot. Raise it a bit higher."

"You few, clean that area over there again. Can't you see all that dirt?"

"A few people over here for me…"

Zhang Mu's voice hadn't stopped all morning.

Under his command, the entire estate was made to look completely new.

A striking plaque was hung at the entrance, bearing two grand, calligraphic characters – Ling Estate.

Several days later.

In the inner courtyard of the Ling Estate.

Ling Yun was bare-chested, revealing his corded muscles. Under the sunlight, they seemed to emit a metallic sheen.

He wielded a long saber, swinging it with great force. Countless fallen leaves, before they could even get close, were pulverized by the myriad flashes of his blade.

The Tiger Blade Technique emphasized ferocity, and within its broad, powerful movements, there was a touch of agility.

Gradually, Ling Yun's saber grew faster. The sonic booms created by the blade cutting through the air merged into a continuous sound, faintly resembling the roar of a fierce tiger!

A phantom black tiger began to solidify behind him, mirroring his movements, either lunging or evading.

When Ling Yun delivered his final strike, the black tiger merged entirely into the blade, elevating the power of that attack to another level!

Boom!

A thunderclap seemed to echo in the air. A man-made mountain several meters high in front of him was split precisely in two, from the very top to the bottom.

The crack was as smooth as a mirror, a testament to the astonishing power of that strike.

"Hoo!"

Ling Yun exhaled a breath of hot air, calming the surging blood and qi within him.

He then looked at the long saber in his hand, which had snapped into more than a dozen pieces, his expression tinged with helplessness.

With his current strength, these ordinary forged weapons simply couldn't withstand it.

In one corner, discarded sabers like this had already piled up into a small mountain!

"Heh heh, Master Ling, your cultivation is truly advancing by leaps and bounds!"

At this moment, a fawning voice sounded from behind him.

Ling Yun didn't even need to turn around to guess who it was. After all, very few people could enter this area now.

Familiar with the routine, he tossed the completely ruined saber into the corner, grabbed a bucket of water, and drank it dry before turning to face Zhang Mu. He sized him up from head to toe, then frowned and said:

"You fellow, why is it that after a few days, your cultivation seems to have made no progress at all?"

Zhang Mu scratched his head upon hearing this, not daring to retort.

Ling Yun didn't say anything further. He casually picked up a pastry and popped it into his mouth, asking indifferently:

"Did you have any luck finding an internal cultivation manual?"

Zhang Mu shook his head first. Seeing a hint of displeasure on Ling Yun's face, he quickly added, "Master Ling, while I didn't find an internal cultivation manual, there's a piece of news you should find very interesting."

"Oh? Tell me about it." Ling Yun raised an eyebrow, not entirely convinced.

But seeing the confident look on the other man's face, he couldn't help but feel a flicker of anticipation.

Zhang Mu put on a show of looking around furtively before leaning in mysteriously and saying, "Master Ling, I have news about Spirit Artifacts."

However, Ling Yun was completely unmoved upon hearing this; he even seemed a bit disappointed.

"Spirit Artifacts? It's probably just another gimmick from those guys, or they found a broken Spirit Weapon somewhere and are passing it off as a treasure."

He had fallen for such tricks more than once in the past few days.

But Zhang Mu chuckled, "Master Ling, this news is absolutely genuine. It's been spreading among the various factions in the city these past few days!"

"If that weren't the case, I wouldn't dare to disturb you, Master Ling!"

"Now that's a bit interesting."

A hint of surprise flashed in Ling Yun's eyes, and he sat up a little straighter.

This posture indicated that he was somewhat interested in the matter.

Zhang Mu immediately grinned smugly. He had intended to play coy for a bit longer, but seeing Ling Yun's cold gaze, he promptly spilled all the information he had.

"An auction?" Ling Yun's eyes flickered, his trust in the authenticity of this news increasing.

Unless they wanted to ruin their own reputation, those people wouldn't dare to advertise falsely.

"Right, how much silver do we have left on hand?"

Ling Yun suddenly remembered something and turned to ask Zhang Mu.

Since Zhang Mu was handling most of the affairs now, the silver was basically kept by him.

"Uh… about over two thousand taels."

Zhang Mu counted on his fingers, giving an approximate figure.

Ling Yun felt a headache coming on.

His expenses had indeed been quite high recently. Martial arts manuals, housing, the cost of daily practice… all these accumulated expenses had depleted most of his savings.

While over two thousand taels sounded like a lot, it paled in comparison to the value of Spirit Artifacts.

"How many days until the auction begins?"

"About three days," Zhang Mu replied quickly.

Three days…

It seemed he needed to find a way to get some money. Ling Yun tapped his fingers on the table, a rough idea forming in his mind. However, the specific execution still required careful consideration.

"Alright, I'll figure out the money situation. You keep a close eye on the auction's progress and notify me immediately if anything comes up."

Zhang Mu nodded and turned to leave the courtyard.

After Zhang Mu left, Ling Yun sat in place and pondered for a moment before opening his status panel.

Name: Ling Yun

Martial Arts: Tiger Blade Technique - Level 5, Vajra Body - Level 5, Phantom Step - Level 5

Modification Points: 3

Compared to a few days ago, the panel had once again undergone significant changes.

After all, he hadn't been idle these past few days. He practiced martial arts in the courtyard during the day and hunted Evil Spirits at night. He had finally managed to push the remaining two techniques to their limits.

With three techniques at their peak, Ling Yun had a faint feeling that the day he broke through to Spirit Conduit and reached the next realm was not far off.

All that was missing now was a catalyst.

As for how he managed to find so many Evil Spirits, the method wasn't difficult.

He simply had to keep an eye on the Demon Suppression Division's gates, follow behind the Demon Suppression Envoys who had received missions, and then either openly or covertly seize the Evil Spirits once they were found. In just a few days, his gains were substantial.

However, the more he did this, the more cunning those Demon Suppression Envoys became.

They not only started acting in teams but even set up ambushes specifically waiting for him to appear.

There was one particular fellow, bare-chested with a fierce look, who called himself a "Captain" and invited him to join the Demon Suppression Division upon meeting him.

Ling Yun, however, declined after careful consideration.

Although joining the Demon Suppression Division had many benefits, it also meant that his actions would be restricted from then on, and he would have to obey others.

The other party was also quite straightforward; upon his refusal, they immediately turned hostile, and the two engaged in a fierce battle.

The opponent had the advantage in terms of cultivation level and could suppress him in terms of strength.

Ling Yun, on the other hand, was balanced in all aspects, capable of both offense and defense, and could even use Phantom Step to escape if necessary.

In the end, neither could gain the upper hand, and they grudgingly called it a draw.

Unexpectedly, this fellow then became fixated on him. As soon as he showed himself, within an hour, his presence would inevitably be felt.

Although Ling Yun was somewhat annoyed, he couldn't do much against him without using Tiger's Might.

Moreover, he had a vague feeling that the other party also had some trump card hidden that he hadn't used.

Ling Yun also had no intention of completely offending the Demon Suppression Division, so he avoided them whenever possible.

He had originally planned to lie low for a few days, but this time, if he wanted to gather the silver needed for the auction, he would have to take some risks.

Ling Yun stroked his chin, his mind already made up.