A new entry had appeared on the light screen. It should have appeared after An Le mastered the Qi Induction Breathing Technique.
Yet what intrigued An Le more was the "0 strands" prompt after the Qi Induction Breathing Technique.
There was also a "(0/10 strands)" prompt after the "Cultivation Genius" Dao Fruit, but it differed from the one for the breathing technique.
Was it a growth limit?
Measured in strands—did it grant a boost of spiritual energy? Or was it waiting for Time Qi to be infused?
An Le's mind turned, and with a thought, he infused one strand of Time Qi into the Qi Induction Breathing Technique entry.
Sure enough, the thought appeared.
The light screen changed.
Mastered cultivation technique: Qi Induction Breathing Technique (1 strand)
The Time Qi entry had only one strand remaining.
What had changed?
An Le furrowed his brow slightly, closed his eyes, and began circulating the breathing technique again.
The instant he closed his eyes, a strand of grey Time Qi before him burned away. An image emerged of Fairy Yun Rou, still a little girl, sitting cross-legged and circulating the Qi Induction Breathing Technique.
Very quickly, little Yun Rou completed the circulation and drew in Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy. Accompanied by her delighted cheers, the image gradually faded.
An Le immediately opened his eyes. What had once been somewhat obscure to him about the breathing technique had suddenly become incomparably familiar. He even successfully drew in a strand of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, swallowing it into his body and guiding it through his meridians.
"It worked!"
An Le was beside himself with joy!
He continued circulating the technique, and after only one or two breaths, another strand of deep-blue spiritual energy was extracted!
An Le became increasingly certain of his speculation and understanding of Time Qi.
The first time little Yun Rou had absorbed Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy might not have been an especially glorious moment for her, but it was still a small, memorable flash of brilliance.
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 brimming with vigor, his eyes bright as torches.
Having truly dissected the use of Time Qi, An Le's heart burned. He wished he could immediately rush to West Lake, hug Fairy Yun Rou, and greedily draw from her!
After all, Fairy Yun Rou was the only one he had discovered with Time Qi on her. He might as well shear her like a sheep without mercy.
Time Qi... naturally, the more the better!
After calming his excitement, An Le did not choose to infuse his remaining strand of Time Qi into the Cultivation Genius Dao Fruit. Instead, he rose to his feet and began practicing fist techniques in his room.
What he practiced was the Zhao Ancestor Long Fist, stripped down until only its three signature moves remained.
But martial arts were still martial arts. Even with only three punches, An Le's first attempts were a complete mess. Though his mind knew how they should be performed, they came out entirely different when he put them into practice.
Yet under the boost of the Cultivation Genius Dao Fruit, after practicing about three times, he could barely perform them properly.
At the same time, a new entry appeared on the light screen.
Mastered skill: Zhao Ancestor Long Fist (Incomplete) (0 strands)
After considering it, he infused his final remaining strand of Time Qi into the Zhao Ancestor Long Fist.
The grey Time Qi burned, and an image arrived before his eyes as promised.
Heavy snow fluttered through the air.
Little Yun Rou, bundled in cotton clothes and cute as a carved jade doll, faced a little boy in a fighting stance. The two were clearly about to duel, as though fighting atop the Forbidden City.
With an angry shout, little Yun Rou charged forward with a cry of "Wah-yah-yah!" She unleashed the Zhao Ancestor Long Fist with practiced ease, smashing out three consecutive punches and beating the boy until blood sprayed from his nose. He dropped onto the ground on his backside and wailed, while little Yun Rou stood like a victorious general, hands on her hips and chin raised in proud arrogance.
The image faded there.
An Le did not know whether to laugh or cry. Fairy Yun Rou beating a little boy to tears with the Zhao Ancestor Long Fist could count as a small flash of glory too?
But judging from little Fairy Yun Rou's expression, she had probably been truly proud of herself then.
With a strand of Time Qi infused into the Zhao Ancestor Long Fist, An Le felt as if he had followed little Yun Rou through the River of Time, grasping the essence and understanding of the technique.
He rose and practiced in the room, his fists cutting through the air with tiger-like force. He went from knowing nothing at all to mastering it skillfully.
Unfortunately, there were only three punches. He had barely gotten started before it ended.
An Le was filled with regret. He secretly thought that he had to collect more complete cultivation methods in the future.
But truly complete cultivation methods were not something one could casually buy at a bookshop. They were all concentrated among the major cultivation sects, or within cultivation forces established by the imperial court.
Of course, cultivation manuals could also be bought and sold on certain black markets, but their prices were exorbitant. At the very least, An Le, whose rent had become a problem, need not even think about it.
"I'm short of money. Still short of money. Even with a golden finger, I can't do anything without money." An Le had a pounding headache.
A single coin could stump a hero.
But he soon thought of something. He had now absorbed Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy and stepped onto the path of cultivation. If he registered with the authorities, could he receive silver?
Thirty taels a month, at the very least. It was far from enough to purchase genuine manuals, but it could at least ensure that rent would no longer be a problem.
He turned to look at the sky. The east was already pale with the white of a fish's belly. Absorbed in cultivation, he had unknowingly passed the entire night.
An Le did not sleep. After washing up, he prepared to visit the authorities and see whether he could claim the silver.
However, before he could leave, someone pounded on his door.
"Young Master An, are you there?"
The voice belonged to the inn waiter.
"What is it?" An Le asked in confusion.
"There are constables downstairs looking for you, sir. You should come down."
The inn waiter hurriedly replied.
An Le froze. Constables were looking for him?
He had not done anything that violated Great Zhao's laws, had he...? Since arriving in the capital, he had mostly gone to the banks of West Lake, watched the flower boats, and tried to get things for free. Could getting things for free be illegal?
An upright man feared no crooked shadow. An Le was neither flustered nor hurried as he opened the door and left with the inn waiter.
In these times, common folk still feared constables somewhat.
Upon learning that the constables sought An Le, the inn waiter assumed that An Le had committed some crime and unconsciously put more distance between them.
Downstairs was the inn's dining area, furnished with several tables and long benches.
A burly figure in a constable's uniform sat boldly on a bench, a saber hanging at his waist, drinking from a bowl of wine.
When An Le descended, the constable's gaze immediately swept toward him. His blazing eyes were like a ball of fire, and An Le could even feel a faint scorching sensation.
This was a sign of vigorous blood and qi.
Yet the true reason An Le stared at the constable was that he actually saw two strands of Time Qi lingering around him!
Unlike Fairy Yun Rou, who had over ten strands, this constable possessed only two.
Why was there such a difference?
After thinking briefly, An Le guessed that it might be due to the gap in cultivation.
Though this constable was a cultivator, his realm should not have been high. Fairy Yun Rou, meanwhile, had already condensed an inner core at eighteen.
So the higher one's cultivation, the more likely one was to draw the records of Time Qi?
The constable stared at An Le, a glint of surprise flashing through his eyes. An Le had just finished cultivating, and the spiritual energy absorbed into his body faintly radiated fluctuations.
Although the fluctuations were weak, the constable still sensed them.
"A cultivator?" the constable asked in surprise.
"I happened to gain some insight. I just absorbed Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy and completed my initiation." An Le clasped his hands with a smile. "May I ask why you sought me out?"
"I am Huang Xian, Captain of the Black Office of Lin'an Prefecture," the captain said. "What a pity. You are a little too old, Young Master. Completing initiation at this age makes the path of cultivation difficult."
"Being able to step onto the path of cultivation is already good enough. I am content," An Le said.
"You have a good mindset. Still, once one steps onto the path of cultivation, one can at least live comfortably. You already surpass most ordinary people." Captain Huang Xian smiled and nodded. Then he pulled a folded sheet of drawing paper from his robes and slowly unfolded it.
On the paper was a black-and-white Sketch Portrait of Fairy Yun Rou wearing a veil. Through light and shadow, it was rendered in black and white yet looked utterly lifelike. Those eyes in particular were breathtaking beyond compare.
"Did you draw this?" Captain Huang Xian asked.
When An Le saw the Sketch Portrait, his brows could not help but knit together. This was precisely the first sketch he had sold after entering the capital. At the time, its novel style, combined with Fairy Yun Rou's renowned beauty, had sold for five taels of silver.
He had not expected a painting to bring constables to his door.
"I passed the Chong Prefecture provincial examination and came to Lin'an to take next month's Spring Imperial Examination. I was robbed by bandits on the road and lost all my silver, so I had no choice but to sell paintings to earn a little money and barely make ends meet. May I ask what offense I have committed?" An Le explained.
Captain Huang could not help but marvel at this.
After all, An Le was still young, yet he had passed the Chong Prefecture provincial examination and sought to take the Spring Imperial Examination. Not just anyone could attend the Spring Imperial Examination; this showed that An Le possessed scholarly credentials.
And now An Le had completed his cultivation initiation and become a cultivator. Combined with his scholarly credentials, his status was far from ordinary.
Thus, Captain Huang's attitude changed. He hurriedly clasped his hands and bowed. "Young Master An, you misunderstand. I did not come looking for you because you committed an offense."
"Rather, I was entrusted by someone to request a painting from you."
"Request a painting?" An Le was stunned. At the same time, he quietly drew a strand of Time Qi from Captain Huang.
Captain Huang was completely unaware of it.
He glanced at the somewhat astonished An Le and smiled mysteriously. "The person who entrusted me to request this painting has a status beyond measure."
"Young Master An will know once you come with me."
Before you continue