A Personal Visit to Green Province City, the Might of a Saint Venerable!

"This Infinite Storage Space really is a good thing."

Lin Changqing withdrew his awareness in satisfaction, then looked out the window in a fine mood.

It was already getting late.

The setting sun slanted westward, staining half the sky red.

It was time to leave.

Lin Changqing rose to his feet and said to Ma Yuanzhong, "Prefect Ma, we have eaten, and the matter has been handled. It is time for me to take my leave."

Hearing this, Ma Yuanzhong hurriedly stepped forward.

"Please wait, Saint Venerable!"

He pointed at the sky outside the window, his face full of sincerity.

"Please look at the sky. The sun has already set, and night will fall at any moment. Saint Venerable, you have traveled far and wide slaying demons these past days. You must be tired."

"Though this official's residence cannot compare to the grand estates in the Capital City, there are still guest rooms. If Saint Venerable does not mind, please stay here for the night and depart at dawn tomorrow."

He paused, his tone becoming even more earnest.

"Besides, Saint Venerable has just saved Chengye, allowing the child to cultivate normally from now on. This official has yet to repay such immense grace and virtue. How can I let you leave just like that? This official simply cannot bear it."

Lin Changqing glanced outside.

The sun truly was about to set, and the last traces of afterglow on the horizon were fading away.

Very well.

One night, then. It was not as though he was in any hurry.

The Great Yu Dynasty's people should already be on the road. Waiting at the Prefectural Governor's Mansion would make it more convenient to meet them.

"Fine. Then I shall trouble you for one night."

Ma Yuanzhong was overjoyed and hurriedly led the way himself.

"This way, Saint Venerable! This official will arrange the finest guest room in the residence for you!"

He led Lin Changqing through the covered corridors and arrived at an independent courtyard in the rear compound.

The courtyard was not large, but it was exquisitely arranged, with ornamental rocks, flowing water, and swaying bamboo shadows.

Sandalwood incense burned in the room, and the furnishings were antique and elegant.

What surprised Lin Changqing most was that four maidservants stood at the entrance.

They were all seventeen or eighteen years old, with pretty faces and graceful figures.

Upon seeing Lin Changqing, the four of them bowed in unison.

"Greetings, Saint Venerable."

Their voices were crisp and pleasant, their attitudes respectful yet softly alluring.

Ma Yuanzhong stood to one side with a beaming smile. "Saint Venerable, these girls are the cleverest in the residence. If you need anything, simply instruct them."

Lin Changqing swept his gaze over them and understood perfectly well.

This old fox is trying to use a beauty trap.

But he had no interest in it.

"All of you may leave. I do not require anyone to attend me."

The four maidservants froze for a moment and looked toward Ma Yuanzhong.

Ma Yuanzhong hurriedly waved his hand. "Did you not hear Saint Venerable's words? Leave! Leave at once!"

The maidservants bowed and withdrew.

Lin Changqing entered the room and sat cross-legged on the bed.

The body of a Ninth-Rank Martial Saint had no need for sleep. Since the night was idle anyway, he might as well cultivate the Heavenly Saint Profound Art.

Just as he closed his eyes, another knock sounded at the door.

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Saint Venerable... this official, Ma Yuanzhong, requests an audience."

He had not left yet?

Lin Changqing opened his eyes. "Come in."

The door opened.

Ma Yuanzhong entered, followed by a woman.

The woman appeared to be just over thirty. She wore a dark green gown, while her black hair, thick as clouds, was coiled high atop her head.

Her phoenix eyes tilted slightly upward, and the shifting waves in them carried the unique charm of a mature woman.

Her figure was voluptuous without being plump, curving where it should curve and lifting where it should lift. The long dress outlined startling contours.

She followed behind Ma Yuanzhong and gave Lin Changqing a graceful bow.

"This humble woman is Madam Liu. Greetings, Saint Venerable."

Her voice was soft and sweet without losing its dignity, carrying the gentle warmth unique to a mature married woman.

Ma Yuanzhong hurriedly introduced her. "Saint Venerable, this is this official's wife. Chengye is her son."

Lin Changqing nodded.

Ma Yuanzhong was truly blessed. At over sixty, he had married such a beautiful wife.

Still, it was nothing strange.

Martial artists had long lifespans. It was perfectly normal for a Seventh-Rank Grandmaster to live four or five hundred years.

At sixty-seven, Ma Yuanzhong was in the prime of life for someone at his cultivation level.

Though his wife looked to be in her early thirties, her true age was likely not young either. She had merely maintained herself well through cultivation.

Not only did she show no signs of age, the sediment of years had instead given her several more measures of mature charm than those young girls possessed.

Ma Yuanzhong took a silver Storage Ring from his sleeve and respectfully offered it to Lin Changqing with both hands.

"Saint Venerable... this is merely a small token of this official's regard. I hope you will not refuse it."

Lin Changqing accepted the ring and swept his divine sense inside.

Then his brows rose slightly.

Inside the ring was a neatly stacked pile of crystal-clear stones.

Each was the size of a thumb and radiated pure Spiritual Power.

Spirit Crystals—one hundred thousand of them.

And judging by their purity, they were all top-grade goods.

Memories concerning Spirit Crystals surfaced in Lin Changqing's mind.

On the Heavenly Martial Continent, the lowest-grade cultivation resources were gold and silver, useful only to ordinary people. What rank martial artists needed for cultivation were Spirit Crystals containing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Spirit Crystals were divided into four grades: low, medium, high, and supreme.

Low-grade Spirit Crystals contained many impurities and turbid spiritual energy. They were generally used by low-rank martial artists.

Medium-grade Spirit Crystals were much purer, and fifth- and sixth-rank martial artists used them for cultivation.

As for high-grade Spirit Crystals, their spiritual energy was extremely pure, with impurities that could almost be ignored.

Usually, only core disciples of top sects or high-ranking court officials were qualified to use them.

One high-grade Spirit Crystal could be exchanged for ten medium-grade Spirit Crystals or one hundred low-grade Spirit Crystals.

One hundred thousand high-grade Spirit Crystals... that was no small offering.

What was the annual salary of a Green Province Inspector, anyway?

Even counting all sorts of gray income, saving up one hundred thousand high-grade Spirit Crystals was no small sum.

Ma Yuanzhong carefully watched Lin Changqing's expression. Only when he saw no displeasure on his face did he finally let out a breath of relief.

"Saint Venerable, this official knows you are a Ninth-Rank Martial Saint. Those heavenly treasures would be beneath your notice, and presenting them would only make this official seem insincere. After much thought, this official felt that Spirit Crystals were the most practical."

"Though they may be but a drop in the bucket for your cultivation, they should at least be of some help."

"This is a small token from this official and my wife in thanks for saving Chengye. I hope Saint Venerable will not find it beneath you."

Lin Changqing turned the ring over in his hand and did not decline it.

"Since it is Prefect Ma's goodwill, I shall accept it."

When Ma Yuanzhong saw that Lin Changqing had accepted it, his face immediately blossomed into a smile.

The greatest fear in giving a gift was not giving too little, but having the other party refuse it!

If the other party accepted it, that meant they had accepted the favor as well.

"Then this official will not disturb Saint Venerable's rest. Should you need anything, simply summon us at any time."

Ma Yuanzhong and his wife bowed and took their leave, closing the door softly behind them.

Once outside the courtyard,

Ma Yuanzhong quietly instructed the four maidservants still waiting outside the gate, "Stay alert. Saint Venerable may summon you at any time."

"Whoever dares to be neglectful, watch your heads."

The four maidservants hurriedly acknowledged the order.

Madam Ma hooked her arm through Ma Yuanzhong's, and the two walked toward the rear compound along the covered corridor.

"Master, this Saint Venerable looks so young and has such a good temper. He is far easier to speak with than that court enshrined expert we met in the Capital City last time."

Ma Yuanzhong sighed with feeling.

"Indeed. Chengye has turned disaster into fortune this time."

Madam Ma paused before asking, "Master, do you think a peerless expert like Saint Venerable will remain in our Great Yu?"

Ma Yuanzhong pondered for a moment. "Hard to say."

"However, I have already reported the news. His Majesty's side should act soon. A Ninth-Rank Martial Saint is not someone the several ancestors in court will simply sit by and ignore."

As they spoke, the two gradually walked away.

Inside the room,

Lin Changqing sat cross-legged on the bed without sleeping.

As a Ninth-Rank Martial Saint, his body no longer needed sleep to restore its energy.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth automatically flowed into his body, maintaining him in peak condition at every moment.

He took out the Storage Ring Ma Yuanzhong had given him and played with it briefly. With a thought, he directly stored it inside the Infinite Storage Space.

One hundred thousand high-grade Spirit Crystals truly were not a great sum to him.

But no matter how small a mosquito's leg was, it was still meat. Besides, they might prove useful someday.

After putting away the ring,

Lin Changqing changed into a fresh robe prepared in the room, then raised his head to look at the night sky beyond the window.

His gaze seemed to pierce through the roof, looking toward the Capital City of the Great Yu Dynasty.

The news should have reached the Capital City already.

If the Great Yu Dynasty was not foolish, the people they had sent to win him over should already be on the road.

It was not that he was eager to join any faction.

The main thing was that the Heavenly Gang Saint Armor mission was still hanging over him.

To make his name resound throughout the entire Great Yu Dynasty, merely killing a few Demon Kings in this little patch of Green Province would not be enough.

He needed to borrow the power of the Great Yu court.

Hopefully, the person they sent carried enough weight and would not make him wait too long.

Lin Changqing withdrew his thoughts.

He closed his eyes and began circulating the Heavenly Saint Profound Art.

The spiritual energy between heaven and earth stirred as though churned by an invisible hand, slowly gathering toward him.

Purple Gold light flowed across the surface of his body.

Under the tempering of spiritual energy, his fleshly body became stronger and tougher, thread by thread.

At his level of cultivation, every step forward was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

But with the system, check-ins granted cultivation and missions gave rewards. His advancement speed far surpassed normal cultivation.

The night deepened.

Green Province City gradually quieted, and the lights of countless homes went out one by one.

At the same time,

ten thousand miles above Green Province, a Spatial Rift silently tore open.

A white-haired old man stepped out from the rift, his bearing as ethereal as an immortal's.

The Sixth Ancestor stood upon the void, his gaze sweeping across the land below.

"Green Province City... it is not far ahead."

According to the information sent by Zhou Zheng and the Green Province Inspector, that Evergreen Saint Venerable was currently at the Green Province Prefectural Governor's Mansion.

The Sixth Ancestor did not delay.

He tore through space once more and hurried toward Green Province City.

His speed was incredibly fast. Each tear through space allowed him to cross hundreds of miles.

He had now entered Green Province. In a short while, he would reach Green Province City.

Inside a guest room at the Green Province Prefectural Governor's Mansion,

Lin Changqing, who had been circulating the Heavenly Saint Profound Art, suddenly opened his eyes.

He sensed an aura rapidly approaching.

That aura was powerful—Mid-stage Ninth-Rank Martial Saint.

Moreover, it was not concealed in the slightest. Instead, some of it had been deliberately released, as though announcing the visitor's identity.

A faint smile curled across Lin Changqing's lips as he murmured to himself.

"Finally, he is here."

He stopped cultivating and rose to his feet.

With a flash, he vanished from the room. When he reappeared, he was already high above Green Province City.

The night wind howled, whipping his robes about.

"BOOM!!!"

The pressure of a Ninth-Rank Martial Saint Peak erupted without the slightest restraint, Purple Gold radiance blazing brilliantly through the night like a second full moon!

Lin Changqing stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the distant night sky.

His voice was not loud, yet it pierced clearly through the night.

"Since you have come from afar, why not show yourself?"

As Sixth Ancestor hurried through the void, he suddenly felt that overwhelming saintly might crash head-on into him.

"What?!"

His pupils suddenly contracted.

This aura... was not Early Martial Saint Stage! Nor was it Mid Martial Saint Stage! It was not even Late Martial Saint Stage!

This was a genuine Ninth-Rank Martial Saint Peak!

The same realm as the Great Yu Dynasty's most powerful Supreme Ancestor!