After calming his excited emotions, Chen Lin opened the Slaughter Jade Book and began checking his own data.
[Host: Chen Lin] [Realm: Early Martial Master] [Soul: 75] [True Qi: 0] [Physical Strength: 106] [Slaughter Points: 312] [Techniques: Soul Strengthening Technique Level 6 (1/60), Mysterious Origin Body Tempering Technique Level 1 (4/100), Basic Body Tempering Method Level 6 (1/60)] [Martial Skills: Basic Swordplay Level 4 (8/40), Basic Movement Technique Level 4 (8/40)]
Other than his soul, which had undergone enormous changes from allocating points, his other attributes had also changed to varying degrees after the constant slaughter and tempering in the Two Realms Mountain Range.
Considering how useful divine sense was, Chen Lin began continuously adding his remaining Slaughter Points to the Soul Strengthening Technique.
When the Soul Strengthening Technique reached Level 9 and his soul value rose to 105, no matter what he did, he could not add even a single more point. This left him deeply puzzled.
He stared at the Slaughter Jade Book and studied it for a long while. Then, when Chen Lin's gaze landed on the value after Physical Strength, inspiration suddenly struck him. He began adding points to the Basic Body Tempering Method, and when it leveled up once more, raising his Physical Strength to 116—
Chen Lin tried once again to add points to the Soul Strengthening Technique.
An astonishing scene unfolded. As his Physical Strength increased, the Soul Strengthening Technique could continue receiving points as well.
Unfortunately, Chen Lin's remaining Slaughter Points were not enough to support raising the Soul Strengthening Technique to Level 10, leaving him filled with regret.
"So the soul value cannot exceed Physical Strength. Is it because the body is the vessel that carries the soul?" Chen Lin muttered to himself.
After thinking for a long time without understanding the logic behind it, Chen Lin simply stopped pondering its mysteries.
In the end, his soul rose from 25 to 105, his Physical Strength rose from 106 to 116, and Chen Lin spent all 32 remaining Slaughter Points on the Soul Strengthening Technique.
As his soul continuously improved, Chen Lin vaguely felt that the range within which he could absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth seemed to have expanded considerably as well.
To verify his guess, Chen Lin hurried back to his bed and sat cross-legged.
Closing his eyes, and drawing on his previous experiences, Chen Lin easily sensed the spiritual energy drifting between heaven and earth.
As he operated the Mysterious Origin Body Tempering Technique, Chen Lin discovered that his range for drawing in spiritual energy had expanded from just over two meters to more than a hundred meters in one stroke.
A vast amount of spiritual energy flowed continuously through the soles of his feet, the centers of his palms, and the Baihui acupoint atop his head into his body, endlessly tempering his flesh.
"Ahh..."
Chen Lin could not help letting out a blissful sound. He had not expected that merely awakening the power of his soul would expand his spiritual energy gathering range by over a hundred meters. Compared with before, the amount of spiritual energy he gathered was as different as heaven and earth.
"No wonder martial artists who awaken the power of divine sense cultivate so quickly that others envy them. So awakening divine sense brings benefits like this!"
Chen Lin cultivated all the way until sunset before finally ending his practice.
Though these few short hours of cultivation could not bring him the enormous gains of his first cultivation session, nor were they as convenient as killing fierce beasts and demon beasts to earn Slaughter Points for allocation, drops of water could wear through stone. There were benefits nonetheless.
The moment he stepped out of his room, Chen Lan called for Chen Lin to hurry over for dinner.
After dinner, the family went out for their usual walk together.
On their way home after making a round, Chen Lin's family was blocked by Warden Lin from the prison and a Black Armored Army soldier surnamed Yao, who had arrived together.
"Young Master Chen, might you spare a moment for a private word?" Warden Lin bent at the waist and asked with an ingratiating smile.
"Sure."
Chen Lin glanced at the two nervous men. After nodding to his family, he followed them toward the mouth of the alley.
"Young Master Chen, shall we go to a teahouse or a restaurant? Pick whichever place you prefer," Warden Lin asked with a smile.
"Whatever you want to say, say it here. There's no need to go to some teahouse or restaurant." Chen Lin actually knew very well why they had come looking for him.
They had merely learned his true identity and wanted to apologize. For small-time people who spent their lives dealing with others, such things were practically survival skills.
"Here? Wouldn't that be a little inappropriate?" the Black Armored Army soldier surnamed Yao asked hesitantly.
"What's inappropriate about it? Could it be that you want to tell Chen something shameful, something that others cannot hear?" Chen Lin frowned, his tone extremely impatient.
Seeing a flicker of impatience cross Chen Lin's face, Warden Lin hastily pulled out a stack of banknotes. "A few days ago, we did not know Young Master Chen's identity and offended you. This is a small token that the two of us scraped together. We ask that Young Master Chen be magnanimous and not lower yourself to the level of trash like us."
Chen Lin inspected the two expressionlessly. Seeing that he still gave no response, Warden Lin gritted his teeth and pulled another stack of banknotes from his robes. "This portion was borrowed through usury. If Young Master Chen is still dissatisfied, then the two of us truly have no other choice. We can only let Young Master Chen beat or scold us as you please."
Chen Lin watched sweat bead profusely on their foreheads. Only when despair began to grow in their hearts did he slowly reach out and accept the banknotes Warden Lin offered.
"I'll accept the money for your apology. Consider it compensation for the time I spent in prison. Take back the money from the usury loan. I, Chen Lin, repay grudges with grudges and resentment with resentment. Although the two of you treated me badly before, it has not reached the point where I would drive you into a dead end. Let me offer you some advice: conduct yourselves more properly, lest one day you offend a martial artist with a bad temper and get retaliated against when the opportunity arises."
Chen Lin pulled out part of the money and handed it back to Warden Lin.
"Thank you, Young Master Chen, for being so magnanimous and forgiving our mistakes. We will certainly remember your words and never make such mistakes again!"
"Yes, yes!" The Black Armored Army soldier surnamed Yao nodded as well, forcing an ingratiating smile.
Warden Lin and the Black Armored Army soldier surnamed Yao exchanged glances, then prepared to kowtow to Chen Lin in gratitude.
But Chen Lin, quick-eyed and quick-handed, grabbed them and hauled them back up.
Seeing this, the two could only thank Chen Lin a few more times before bidding him farewell in great delight.
With this great burden off their minds, the two of them would at least be able to sleep soundly tonight.
As Chen Lin walked home, he counted the banknotes the two had given him.
By the time he reached his front door, he had finished counting them.
There were exactly twelve hundred taels, neither more nor less. Measured against an ordinary family's expenses, that money was enough to support an ordinary household for sixty years.
"These people really are rich." Chen Lin tucked the banknotes into his robes and could not help sighing.
As soon as he entered the house, Chen Lin heard his parents discussing how to use the hundred taels of silver.
"Old Chen, your back has been bad all these years. You can only sleep on your stomach at night. For the past few years, you kept putting it off so as not to delay A Lin's cultivation. Now that A Lin has achieved something in his training and the family finally has some savings, why don't we find time to get your back examined?" Song Qiaoyun said with a worried expression, earnestly persuading Chen Hongbo.
"My back is nothing serious. A couple days of rest will fix it. Save the money for A Lin. Martial arts training costs a great deal of money, and it will be useful someday!" Chen Hongbo repeatedly waved his hands in refusal.
Chen Lin's heart warmed at those words. He quickly walked into the room. "Father, Mother is right. You should see a doctor. There is no need to save this little money. With my current strength, I can already fully support myself. Look, what are these?"
"This?" Chen Hongbo's eyes widened at the stack of banknotes Chen Lin handed him.
"Old Chen! Our child is already a martial artist of the War God Temple. Becoming a Demon Purifier is only a matter of time. He can already earn money on his own now. This little money of ours is practically dispensable to him. Stop being so stubborn. Listen to me—tomorrow, you're going to the clinic to have your back examined!" Song Qiaoyun declared solemnly.
"Th-this... all right!" Chen Hongbo was also stunned by the stack of banknotes Chen Lin had produced. His lips moved uncertainly a few times before he finally agreed to his wife's decision.
"Father, from today onward, you can quit your job at the slaughterhouse. Our family will never lack money again. The work at the slaughterhouse is simply too exhausting!" Chen Lin urged with a smile.
"That won't be necessary. A few days ago, the clan chief transferred me to a much easier errand-running job. With a donkey cart, it's easy work!" Chen Hongbo waved his hands repeatedly, then handed the banknotes back to Chen Lin.
"Keep this money, Father. Spend what the family should spend, use what the family should use. I'm not short on money!" Chen Lin refused with a wave of his hand.
"Take it! You have more places to spend money on for martial arts than we do. The family currently cannot offer you much support, and I already feel deeply ashamed of that. How could I possibly take so much of your money? Besides, the hundred taels you gave the family before are already enough for us to use for several years. Don't give the family money from now on. Your father is still young, and I still have some strength left to support this family!"
Chen Hongbo forcibly stuffed the money back into Chen Lin's arms, speaking with a grave expression.
Seeing Chen Hongbo so serious, Chen Lin knew that continuing to insist would certainly hurt his father's pride, so he did not persist any further.
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