Zhang Jing had raised his daughter very well. She was gentle, polite, diligent, and sensible, and she studied with great focus. She picked up most things as soon as they were explained.
The only reason she was stuck in the Entry Realm, unable to break through to the Minor Achievement Realm, was that she had misunderstood one part.
She must have studied under someone else before, but that person's understanding was nowhere near Qin Dongcheng's and had failed to notice Zhang Ying's mistake.
Now, after Qin Dongcheng pointed it out, she quickly understood. It shouldn't take her long to reach the Minor Achievement Realm.
Zhang Ying fully acknowledged Qin Dongcheng's breadth of knowledge, too. She had originally thought her father was only using this as an excuse to have her spend time with Qin Dongcheng and see if anything might develop between them.
She hadn't had high hopes for his instruction in cultivation.
After all, the person who had taught her before was an Official Disciple who had long since cultivated the Mount Tai Body Strengthening Fist to the Minor Achievement Realm. They said he wasn't far from the Major Achievement Realm.
No matter how high Qin Dongcheng's comprehension was, surely he couldn't compare to that seasoned Official Disciple.
But the facts proved that Qin Dongcheng really was more capable than that seasoned Official Disciple. His understanding of the Mount Tai Body Strengthening Fist surpassed the other man's as well.
This made Zhang Ying like Qin Dongcheng even more. She became increasingly attentive as she studied, making her far easier to teach than the other laborers.
After spending the day together, Qin Dongcheng also felt that Zhang Ying was a fine young woman. If he didn't have the Heaven Rewards Diligence System, with a future beyond anyone's imagination, he might really have considered getting to know her better.
Though she was a little younger than him, she was gentle and courteous, virtuous and generous, and quite clever. She was unquestionably a good match.
They said she was quite skilled at weaving and would probably become a Weaving Apprentice in the future. She could also be called an Artifact Refining Apprentice, since woven and leather goods were branches of artifact refinement.
One of them was an Alchemy Apprentice, the other an Artifact Refining Apprentice. They would surely be able to build a very comfortable life together. No wonder Zhang Jing had taken a liking to him.
What Qin Dongcheng hadn't expected, though, was that after he taught Zhang Ying for the second time, a gloomy-looking youth about his age blocked his way on the road back. "So you're the one trying to steal Yingying from me. That's why Uncle Zhang keeps turning me down, and now even Yingying won't talk to me."
"Uh..." Qin Dongcheng was at a loss. "You mean Zhang Ying? What's your relationship with her?"
"I'm Yingying's good friend. I'm the one closest to her. I had a chance to marry her, but then you showed up." The gloomy youth spoke angrily.
Qin Dongcheng was even more at a loss. He had only met Zhang Ying twice. He had agreed to guide her to repay Zhang Jing for his help, and he had no other feelings for her. He hadn't expected this kind of trouble.
Unwilling to waste time, he waved his hand and walked away. "Whatever's going on between you and Zhang Ying, work it out between yourselves. Why are you stopping me? Even if Zhang Jing turned you down and Zhang Ying doesn't want to see you, that has nothing to do with me."
He was a little annoyed. This trouble had come out of nowhere. It was truly exasperating.
But the gloomy youth wouldn't let it go. He leapt forward, trying to grab Qin Dongcheng. "This is all because of you! And now you say it has nothing to do with you? Don't think I'm scared just because you're an Official Disciple. It won't be long before I reach Body Phase Perfection, and then I can pass the examination and become an Official Disciple too!"
Smack...
He had barely finished speaking when Qin Dongcheng slapped him flying. A mere Mid-stage Body Phase Martial Artist was no match for him.
"Get lost!"
Qin Dongcheng couldn't be bothered with the fellow. After sending him flying, he left at once.
Once he got back, he continued cultivating. He could leave that gloomy youth's matter for Zhang Ying and Zhang Jing to settle the next day. Qin Dongcheng didn't want to get involved in this kind of headache.
Besides, this might actually be a good thing. He could use the opportunity to make his position clear. A direct rejection would have been rather awkward, especially since Zhang Jing had helped him quite a bit lately.
The next day, he found Zhang Jing and asked about the gloomy youth. That was when he learned that the other man was an artifact-refining laborer named Zhen Le, who had arrived just over half a year ago.
Since he and Zhang Ying had some overlap in their work, they had gradually become acquainted. Zhang Ying had also helped him with a few small things along the way.
Unexpectedly, Zhen Le had taken that to mean Zhang Ying liked him and began pursuing her relentlessly. Zhang Ying had no choice but to make it clear that there was nothing between them and deliberately keep her distance from him.
Zhang Jing had already stepped in to warn Zhen Le about it, but Zhen Le was quite obsessive and still refused to give up.
Zhang Jing had originally planned to wait until Zhang Ying became a Garment Making Apprentice before considering her marriage. But Zhen Le's continued harassment had made him decide to move things along sooner.
That was why he had asked Qin Dongcheng to guide Zhang Ying. In truth, there was nothing at all between Zhang Ying and Zhen Le. At most, they were coworkers.
Only then did Qin Dongcheng understand what had happened. He had no reason to doubt Zhang Jing; anyone could look into the matter, so there was no need to lie.
Zhang Jing also felt rather apologetic. He immediately took some people to find Zhen Le, intending to have a serious talk with him and tell him never to bother Zhang Ying again. He also wanted to reassure Qin Dongcheng that he wouldn't cause him any more trouble.
Qin Dongcheng had taken the opportunity to make his own position clear, too. Zhang Jing thought Zhen Le had put him off. Not only did he hold it against him, he felt quite guilty.
The next time Qin Dongcheng went to guide Zhang Ying's cultivation, she wasn't there. She probably felt too embarrassed to come again.
Later, he also heard the other laborers talking about how Zhang Jing had brought people along to give Zhen Le a thorough beating. He had made it clear that Zhang Ying had no feelings for him. She had helped him before only because their work overlapped, and she didn't want him interfering with her own duties.
She wouldn't agree to let her daughter marry him even if he became an Official Disciple, let alone while he wasn't one.
An obsessive person like that really wasn't a good match. Qin Dongcheng understood Zhang Jing's point of view.
He didn't take the matter to heart. Instead, he was a little relieved to have used the opportunity to get out of a troublesome situation.
He continued cultivating in peace, steadily improving in every area, until he broke through once more.
You performed the Diamond Skin Refining Fist. Congratulations, you triggered a tenfold critical bonus and received ten times the gains!
After triggering another tenfold critical bonus, Qin Dongcheng's mastery of the Diamond Skin Refining Fist successfully broke through its bottleneck and reached the Major Achievement Realm.
His cultivation, however, was still some way from Skin Phase Perfection, so he didn't break through just yet.
But now that the Diamond Skin Refining Fist had reached the Major Achievement Realm, he would be able to temper and strengthen his skin much faster. He could also take more Blood-Replenishing Pills. It shouldn't take long for him to advance to Skin Phase Perfection.
If he triggered another huge bonus later, he might even break through to Skin Phase Perfection in a few days.
Before you continue