My Talent is Low, But My Comprehension is Good

A moment later, Lin Chen opened his eyes.

Seeing everyone staring at him in astonishment, he scratched his head awkwardly and asked, "Did I cultivate wrong?"

Zhao Qingshan raised a hand, and Lin Chen was already pulled close. After a thorough examination, Zhao Qingshan's expression calmed. "Solid foundation, long and steady qi channels, not the least bit flimsy—good, good!"

Hearing the Sect Leader's praise, Lin Chen trotted out the excuse he had prepared long ago. "Sect Leader, although I have a Five Elements Root, my comprehension is good. Some things I understand at a glance..."

This was already the second time Zhao Qingshan had heard Lin Chen say this. To be honest, the first time he heard it, he paid it no mind and even left the assessment grounds directly. The reason he had Lin Chen come to his Sect Leader Peak was for the storybook. Besides, the peak really did lack a clever odd-job worker. As things stood now, his decision had proven very correct. He had also heard that before Lin Chen formally joined the sect, both the Alchemy Hall and the Scripture Depository had come to fight over him. It seemed Lin Chen's high comprehension was indeed true.

So Zhao Qingshan casually asked, "What else have you learned in these three days?" Lin Chen thought for a moment, then immediately ticked off on his fingers: "Flame Primer first layer, Sword Control Art mastery, Concealment Art mastery, Body Forging Art beginner."

Hearing this, Ming Bufan and the others were shocked once more. Was this still a person? In just two short days since joining the sect, he had learned so many techniques and Dao arts. Not just learning the basics, but reaching the mastery level. Was this something a new disciple could do? Even an Extreme Grade Root couldn't manage it, right? Moreover, Ming Bufan and the others knew that Sword Control Art, Concealment Art, and Eternal Spring Art had all been given to Lin Chen only yesterday at noon. Counting it up, it hadn't even been a full day yet. To cultivate to this level in that time—this, this, this... it didn't make sense!

Even Zhao Qingshan's expression turned serious. As the Sect Leader, he was extremely interested in Lin Chen's special ability. If used properly, their third-rate sect might be able to rise to a second-rate sect. What a monumental achievement that would be! If he could really pull it off, his name, Zhao Qingshan, would be remembered for generations. The main difference between a third-rate and a second-rate sect was foundation, followed by resources. The most important part of foundation was heritage. That was also what Green Mountain Sect lacked the most.

"No wonder those old relics from the Scripture Depository all came to fight over him. So that's how it is." Zhao Qingshan had already made up his mind. He looked up at Lin Chen. "Since you have such talent, you can't be treated as an ordinary Five Elements Root. From now on, your treatment will follow the inner disciple... no! Follow the standard of the Sect Leader's personal disciple."

Zhao Qingshan stood up, his face stern. "Lin Chen, I will personally provide your cultivation resources. If you can advance to the Return to Origin Realm within one year, I will accept you as my formal disciple." Lin Chen raised his head, meeting Zhao Qingshan's gaze. His face full of excitement, he stretched out both hands. "Sect Leader, could you give me all the resources for the year at once?" His thinking was simple: with enough resources, he could reach the Return to Origin Realm in a single day, let alone a year.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Qingshan let out a cold snort. "The path of cultivation emphasizes persistence and gradual progress. There's no such thing as trying to get fat in one bite like you. Bufan, give him the first month's resources at noon." With that, Zhao Qingshan's figure vanished from the spot.

Lin Chen didn't feel embarrassed. This was his plan. Only this way could he cover up the matter of the system. Otherwise, he really couldn't explain the reason for his rapid cultivation progress. But right now, what he cared about most was the treatment of the Sect Leader's personal disciple. Yesterday, Jin Yuanbao had mentioned the inner disciple's benefits.

One month: one hundred low-grade Spirit Stones, three bottles of Qi Condensation Pills, and one chance to train in a Yellow Rank Secret Realm per year.

Plus, it was stipulated that only after reaching the fourth layer of Qi Condensation and completing sect missions would these rewards be issued in full.

The Sect Leader's personal disciple treatment shouldn't be worse than this, right?

Lin Chen turned to Ming Bufan, grinning as he asked, "Senior Brother, what exactly is my treatment package?"

Ming Bufan said nothing, simply handing him a list.

Lin Chen opened it and looked.

Good heavens.

Five hundred low-grade Spirit Stones a month.

Ten bottles of Qi Condensation Pills.

Three chances to train in a Mystic Rank Secret Realm per year, plus a set of Top Grade Magic Tools.

A long list.

Most importantly, these benefits would keep increasing as his cultivation advanced.

This newbie welfare was maxed out from the start.

"Lin Chen, remember what Master said—don't rush the path of cultivation. I'll bring your resources at noon."

Ming Bufan patted Lin Chen on the shoulder, then turned and left.

Qi Ruming winked at him too. "Don't forget the roast goose!"

"Don't worry, Third Senior Brother." Lin Chen nodded.

Soon after, everyone left one by one.

Lin Chen sat back down.

He hadn't expected such a big haul today.

"There's no free lunch in this world—the more you gain, the greater the price you pay."

Lin Chen understood this clearly.

Zhao Qingshan had rushed off in a hurry, no doubt to find him some work.

Just then, a Paper Crane flew up close.

"Chen Ge, come down the mountain quick—the Storybook prints are ready."

Hearing the voice inside, Lin Chen tossed out his flying sword, stepped onto it, and shot straight down the mountain.

From afar, he saw Jin Yuanbao pacing in circles.

He quickly arrived and landed from the sky.

Jin Yuanbao jumped in surprise. "Chen... Chen Ge, you learned the Sword Control Art?"

"Just learned it." Lin Chen put away his flying sword. "Where's the Storybook?"

Thinking of how he'd bruised himself all over from falling, Jin Yuanbao looked both envious and impressed.

He stuck out his thumb. "Chen Ge, you're the man."

Then, with a flick of his Storage Ring, a wooden box half a meter square dropped to the ground.

"This is the set you wanted—one hundred copies per set, two hundred total, all here."

Lin Chen opened the box, picked up one copy, and flipped through it casually. His eyes lit up.

This Jin Yuanbao was an absolute business genius.

The Storybook was vivid and lively, several grades above the one he'd bought before.

It was bound to sell like crazy!

"Not bad."

Lin Chen flipped through several more copies—the quality was consistent. "How many sets did you print in total?"

"Two hundred sets, twenty thousand copies." Jin Yuanbao puffed up with pride.

He'd spent a fortune to rush these out overnight.

Lin Chen could tell. "We'll start selling tomorrow—only a hundred copies of the first volume per day. If people want more, they have to pre-order, put down a deposit, and then we print more. This is called Hunger Marketing."

"Chen Ge, what if they use the hundred copies we sell to reprint and sell themselves?" Jin Yuanbao looked worried.

There was no concept of copyright in this world.

But Lin Chen had already thought of that. "That's why we print in linked volumes with a unique mark. Only those who buy the first volume can buy the second from us..."

Jin Yuanbao suddenly slapped his thigh in realization.

He looked at Lin Chen with excitement. "Chen Ge, you're a genius! This move is brilliant!"

"Also, we need to offer a discount for bulk pre-orders—like a price break for reserving the next ten volumes in advance, or throw in a small gift..."

As Lin Chen explained, Jin Yuanbao's excitement grew. He even pulled out a little notebook and started jotting things down.

The two stood there exchanging words for a full half-hour before parting ways.

Lin Chen put away the wooden box—this was spiritual sustenance for the Sect Leader.

He turned to head back up the mountain, but suddenly heard someone calling from behind.

"Lin Chen, wait a moment."

Lin Chen looked back and saw a youth dressed in the robes of an outer disciple flying over from a distance.

He furrowed his brow slightly; in his memory, he did not recognize this person.