Train Life Skills to Godhood

The sky was streaked with the glow of sunset.

Qin An lit the oil lamp, sat cross-legged, and began cultivating the Cold Source Cultivation Method over and over according to its circulation path.

The moment he circulated the qi in his abdomen, Qin An stopped.

A line of smoke appeared before his eyes, gradually condensing into words.

You have cultivated the Qi Concealment Realm Cold Source Cultivation Method, triggering talent: Qi Concealment Realm Cultivation Method Comprehension Mastery

Cold Source Cultivation Method perfected

The qi in his abdomen rapidly expanded. In the blink of an eye, Qin An's mind was completely filled with qi.

Immediately afterward, that immense qi seemed to be bound by shackles, boiling violently.

At the same time, Qin An felt weak all over, his blood and qi instantly drained dry.

If this continued, he feared he would lose his life on the spot in moments.

"Qi Concealment Realm—refine blood to generate qi. Blood Crystal!"

Dragging his heavy steps, Qin An rummaged through the false layer beneath the floorboards and found the blood-red Flesh Orb.

Chen Chun had once said that Blood Crystals were the essence condensed from the blood and qi of demons, capable of accelerating the cultivation of Qi Concealment Realm cultivators.

Qin An had broken through too quickly, leaving his blood and qi severely lacking. This Blood Crystal was precisely what he needed to make up the deficit.

The qi within him surged, swiftly connecting with the Blood Crystal.

The Blood Crystal visibly shriveled away, and an enormous amount of blood and qi rushed into Qin An's body, rapidly replenishing its losses.

The restless qi began to circulate swiftly, surging from his head into his limbs. Only after his limbs and torso had all been filled with qi did it slowly settle.

Qin An felt dizzy and lightheaded, while the blood and qi within him had once again depleted considerably.

Even with the Blood Crystal's aid, he had advanced too quickly. Perfecting the Cold Source Cultivation Method through the Golden Finger had cost him a vast amount of blood and qi.

Fortunately, he had this Blood Crystal. Qin An had pulled through.

Though he was now suffering from a double loss of blood and qi, he could slowly replenish them.

"I've now reached the peak of the Qi Concealment Realm."

Feeling the qi flowing through his body like a small river, Qin An's heart swelled with joy.

He had wagered correctly. The Golden Finger was his true support.

While ordinary cultivators needed the patient work of water wearing through stone to reach the peak of the Qi Concealment Realm, he had done so in a single day.

Qin An picked up his dagger and circulated the Cold Source Cultivation Method.

In an instant, a layer of frigid qi shrouded the dagger, and the surrounding temperature dropped by several degrees.

After concealing qi, mortals and cultivators were worlds apart.

Qin An put away the dagger and tried hard to suppress his delight.

Though he had entered the Qi Concealment Realm, he could not grow arrogant.

There were countless experts in the world. He needed to know his own limits.

"Next, I'll unlock a new profession. While I'm at it, once Chen Chun returns, I'll ask him about what comes after the Qi Concealment Realm."

"And then there are Blood Crystals. Those are good things. If I get the chance, I can get hold of a few."

Qin An made his decision at once.

Unlocking a new profession was essential. It was the foundation of his survival.

He also needed to ask Chen Chun about the knowledge beyond the Qi Concealment Realm.

As for Blood Crystals, Qin An had already experienced their benefits today. Naturally, he would not let them slip away.

"What new profession should I choose?" Qin An wondered inwardly.

He could not choose a new profession carelessly. Choosing wrong would mean wasting time.

Just as Qin An pondered this, footsteps sounded outside the door.

Chen Chun's voice rang out.

"Qin An, open the door. I have something to tell you."

The late night was silent, the moonlight clear as water.

There was a faint breathlessness in Chen Chun's voice.

Qin An frowned slightly. Walking to the door, he gripped his dagger. "What happened to you?"

He could hear that something was wrong in Chen Chun's voice.

Now that he stood in the middle of a whirlpool, and had recently killed a man from the River Blade Sect, he needed to treat every irregularity with care.

Chen Chun said urgently, "I was injured during the investigation. I have something to tell you."

After thinking briefly, Qin An raised his dagger and used its tip to lift the door bar. "Just push it open."

As soon as the words fell, Qin An had already retreated more than twenty feet.

"Creak..."

The wooden door sounded like the cry of a crow.

Chen Chun entered, his face pale as paper. He shut the door behind him, and the hand holding his blade trembled slightly.

Under the oil lamp's glow, the bloodstains on the short blade gleamed a dark crimson.

Seeing Qin An standing far away from him, Chen Chun's little mustache twitched. He forced out an ugly smile. "You really are cautious."

He understood why Qin An was acting this way and did not take offense.

Qin An asked, "What happened?"

Chen Chun gave a bitter smile. "The Pig Demon went mad and slaughtered all of Golden Rooster Village. It demanded that the Yamen hand over the culprit who killed the Pig Demon."

"I went to investigate and found several Constables sent to negotiate dead. Then the Pig Demon caught my scent. I killed two before escaping, and I nearly lost my life."

As he spoke, Chen Chun wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead, still visibly shaken.

Qin An mused, "Negotiate? They've already killed people, and you still need to negotiate?"

The Pig Demon had been killed by the Yamen's own hands, yet now that the Pig Demons were retaliating, they had actually used the word negotiate.

Chen Chun shook the sweat from his brow and said weakly, "The Yamen probably never expected there to be an entire nest of Pig Demons. They expected even less that the leader of those Pig Demons possessed perfected Qi Concealment Realm strength. Heh, now they've kicked an iron plate."

"Never mind the outcome for now. I did gain something."

"Um... could I have a sip of water?"

He was injured and had rushed through the night. He was already parched and starving.

Qin An carried over the teapot, poured a cup of water, and set it on the table. "Take it yourself."

Chen Chun gripped the cup with trembling hands and drained it in one gulp. "Old Qin, aren't you being a little too cautious?"

Qin An shook his head. "You only get one life."

Chen Chun was speechless. "Don't you want to know what I found?"

Qin An looked calmly at Chen Chun. "You'll probably tell me."

He had come here in the middle of the night and said so much already. There had to be more to it.

Some things would not necessarily be revealed if asked; what someone wanted to say did not need asking.

There was no point in wasting breath asking again and again. If someone did not want to say it, they would not say a single word.

It was just a waste of saliva.

Chen Chun scratched his head. "The Pig Demon leader said that the Yamen had attached itself to Flying Cloud Gorge. The slaughter of the Pig Demons was done for Flying Cloud Gorge. The Pig Demons couldn't vent their anger on Flying Cloud Gorge, so they took it out on the Yamen."

"What is Flying Cloud Gorge?" Qin An asked.

Chen Chun gave a cold, mocking laugh. "There are three demon factions in Ding County: the Monkey Demons, who love eating human heads; the Snake Demons, who love violating people's chastity; and the Eagle Demons, who love eating human organs. Flying Cloud Gorge is the Eagle Demons' territory."

Qin An poured himself a cup of water and took a small sip.

Seeing Qin An's expression, Chen Chun's mouth twitched. "Why do I feel like you're listening to this as a story?"

Qin An raised a brow. "What else would I do?"

As far as he was concerned, it was a story.

He had never even heard of these factions, much less seen them. He could only listen as though hearing some distant noise.

After a moment's thought, Qin An said, "Did you collect the evidence?"

Chen Chun was an Undercover Agent of the Evil Extermination Division, and now he had acquired such important evidence.

Qin An thought Chen Chun must have gained a great deal.

Chen Chun nodded. "You could say I have evidence. I even divided it into two portions. This portion is for you."

Qin An stared at Chen Chun without saying a word.