Stepping into Cultivation, the Captain Seeks a Painting

A new column appeared on the light screen, likely displayed after An Le mastered the "Qi Induction Breathing Technique."

But what intrigued An Le more was the "0 strands" prompt behind the Qi Induction Breathing Technique.

The "Cultivation Genius" fruit also had a "(0/10 strands)" prompt behind it, yet it differed from the breathing technique's.

A growth limit?

Using strands as a unit—was it to boost spiritual energy? Or to wait and boost Time Qi?

An Le's mind turned, and then, with a thought, he infused one strand of Time Qi into the Qi Induction Breathing Technique column.

Sure enough, the thought appeared.

The light screen changed.

Mastered Technique: Qi Induction Breathing Technique (1 strand)

The Time Qi column now only had 1 strand left.

What had changed?

An Le frowned slightly, closed his eyes, and began circulating the breathing technique again.

The moment he closed his eyes, a strand of grey Time Qi burned and dissipated before him, revealing an image of Fairy Yun Rou, still a little girl, sitting cross-legged and circulating the breathing technique.

Soon, little Yun Rou finished her circulation, drawing in Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, and with her cheer, the image gradually faded.

An Le immediately opened his eyes. What had once been obscure about the breathing technique was now utterly familiar to him, and he even successfully drew in a strand of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, swallowing it into his body and letting it flow through his meridians.

"I succeeded!"

An Le was overjoyed!

He continued circulating the technique, and in just a breath or two, another strand of azure spiritual energy was extracted!

An Le grew more certain of his speculation and understanding of Time Qi.

The first time she absorbed Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy—though not a particularly brilliant moment for little Yun Rou—was still a small highlight worth recording.

Thus, such a moment worth recording had condensed into Time Qi.

Through this Time Qi, An Le could experience and even replicate little Yun Rou's state at that moment, thereby mastering the breathing technique with ease.

An Le was entirely energized, his eyes blazing like fire.

Having truly analyzed the function of Time Qi, An Le's heart burned with fervor, and he nearly rushed straight to West Lake to hug Fairy Yun Rou and suck her dry!

After all, he'd only found Time Qi on Fairy Yun Rou so far, so he might as well milk her for all she was worth.

Time Qi... the more, the better!

Calming his excitement, An Le chose not to infuse the other strand of Time Qi into the "Cultivation Genius" fruit. Instead, he stood up and began practicing punches in his room.

The punches he practiced were the Zhao Ancestor Long Fist, reduced to just three moves.

But martial arts were martial arts after all. Even with only three punches, An Le's form was terrible at first. He knew how to throw them in his mind, but when he executed them, they came out all wrong.

However, under the boost of the "Cultivation Genius" fruit, after practicing about three times, he could barely manage a decent form.

At the same time, a new column appeared on the light screen.

Mastered Skill: Zhao Ancestor Long Fist (Incomplete) (0 strands)

After a moment's thought, he infused the last remaining strand of Time Qi into the Zhao Ancestor Long Fist.

The grey Time Qi burned, and an image appeared as promised.

Snow fell heavily.

Dressed in a padded coat, a delicate little Yun Rou faced a little boy, both in stance. They were clearly in a duel, like a showdown at the top of the Forbidden City.

With a fierce shout, little Yun Rou charged out with a "wa ya ya," throwing a practiced Zhao Ancestor Long Fist. Three punches in a row sent the little boy's nose bleeding, and he fell on his rear, wailing loudly. Little Yun Rou, like a victorious general, stood with her hands on her hips, tilting her head in pride.

The image faded there.

An Le didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Fairy Yun Rou beating a little boy to tears with the Zhao Ancestor Long Fist—that counted as a small highlight?

But from little Yun Rou's expression back then, she probably was pretty proud of it.

With the Zhao Ancestor Long Fist infused with one strand of Time Qi, An Le felt as if he had followed little Yun Rou through the River of Time, grasping the essence and understanding of the fist technique.

He stood up and practiced the punches in the room, each swing fierce and forceful, going from complete ignorance to full mastery.

Unfortunately, there were only three moves. He was left wanting more.

An Le was full of regret and silently resolved to gather more complete cultivation methods later.

But truly complete cultivation methods couldn't be bought casually at a bookshop. They were concentrated among the major cultivation sects or the cultivation forces established by the imperial court.

Of course, some black markets traded in cultivation texts, but the prices were exorbitant. At least, An Le, who was already struggling with rent, couldn't even dream of it.

"I'm short on money, still short on money. Even with a cheat, no money means no way." An Le's head ached.

A single coin could stump a hero.

But soon, he thought of something. Now that he had absorbed Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy and stepped onto the path of cultivation, if he registered with the government, could he collect some silver?

At least thirty silver taels a month—far from enough to buy genuine scriptures, but at least it would keep him from worrying about rent.

He glanced at the sky; the east was tinged with fish-belly white. Lost in cultivation, One Night's Time had slipped by unnoticed.

An Le decided not to sleep. After washing up, he planned to head to the government office and see if he could collect the silver.

But before he could leave, a knock came at his door.

"Young Master An, are you in?"

The voice belonged to the inn's waiter.

"What is it?" An Le asked, puzzled.

"There are officers downstairs looking for you, young master. Please come down."

The waiter spoke hurriedly.

An Le froze. Officers looking for him?

He hadn't done anything against Great Zhao's laws... Since arriving in the capital, he'd mostly spent his time by West Lake, watching the pleasure boats and trying to freeload. Could it be that freeloading was illegal?

A clear conscience fears no midnight knocking. An Le calmly opened the door and followed the waiter downstairs.

In these times, common folk were still somewhat afraid of officers.

The waiter, assuming An Le had done something wrong, instinctively kept his distance.

Downstairs, the ground floor served as a dining area with a few tables and benches.

A burly figure in a constable's uniform, a blade at his waist, sat sprawled on a bench, drinking a bowl of wine.

As An Le came down, the constable's gaze swept over him—burning like a flame, so intense that An Le could feel a scorching sensation.

This was a sign of vigorous blood and qi.

But what truly caught An Le's attention was that he could see two wisps of Time Qi lingering around this constable!

Unlike Fairy Yun Rou, who had over a dozen wisps, this constable only had two.

Why such a difference?

An Le pondered briefly and guessed it might be a gap in cultivation level.

Though this constable was a cultivator, his realm was likely low, while Fairy Yun Rou had already condensed her inner core by age eighteen.

So, the higher the cultivation, the more Time Qi it attracted?

The constable stared at An Le, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. An Le had just finished cultivating, and the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy he'd absorbed still faintly radiated ripples.

Though the ripples were weak, the constable sensed them.

"A cultivator?" the constable asked in surprise.

"I had a sudden insight and just absorbed some Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy to complete my awakening." An Le clasped his hands and smiled. "May I ask why the officer has summoned me?"

"I am Huang Xian, Captain of the Black Office in Lin'an Prefecture." The captain said, "A pity—you're a bit older, young master. Starting your awakening now, the path of cultivation will be hard."

"Just being able to step onto the path is good enough for me. I'm content," An Le said.

"Good attitude. Still, treading the path of cultivation means you can at least live comfortably—that's already better than most ordinary folk." Captain Huang Xian nodded with a smile. Then, he pulled a folded piece of paper from his lapel and slowly opened it.

On the paper was a Sketch Portrait, drawn in black and white, depicting a veiled Fairy Yun Rou. Through light and shadow, though monochrome, it was lifelike—especially those eyes, breathtakingly stunning.

"Did you draw this?" Captain Huang Xian said.

Seeing the sketch, An Le frowned. This was the first sketch he'd sold after arriving in the capital. Back then, thanks to the novel style and Fairy Yun Rou's fame, it had fetched five silver taels.

He did not expect that now, this very drawing had brought the officers to his door.

"I passed the prefectural exam in Chong Prefecture and came to Lin'an for next month's Spring Imperial Examination. On the road, I was robbed by bandits who took all my silver. So I had no choice but to sell some drawings to scrape by. May I ask what crime I've committed?" An Le explained.

Captain Huang was taken aback.

After all, An Le was young and had already passed the Chong Prefecture exam, aiming for the Spring Imperial Examination—not just anyone could do that. It meant An Le held an official scholarly title.

And now, An Le had completed his cultivation awakening, making him a cultivator. With both a title and cultivation, his status was far from ordinary.

Thus, Captain Huang's attitude shifted. He quickly clasped his hands and bowed. "Young Master An, you misunderstand. I came looking for you not because you've done anything wrong."

"Rather, I was entrusted by someone to request a drawing from you."

"A drawing?" An Le was startled. As his surprise showed, he subtly drew a wisp of Time Qi from Captain Huang.

Captain Huang noticed nothing.

He glanced at the startled An Le and smiled mysteriously. "The person who asked me to commission this drawing is of an exalted status."

"You'll know when you come with me."