Making a Living Was Hard—Meng Chen Had to Perform... No, Sell Battle Skills!

The restaurant Xiao Yan recommended was indeed excellent. Though it only served simple homestyle dishes, every dish was pleasing in color, aroma, and taste, and the portions were generous.

After lunch, Meng Chen asked Old Zhao to prepare another portion, a smaller one that would be enough for one person.

"Brother Meng, this is?" Seeing Meng Chen packing food, Xiao Yan thought of the mysterious woman who had been with him that day.

Meng Chen did not hide it. "There's an elder staying at the inn. I'm bringing a portion back for her to try."

"I see." Xiao Yan feigned sudden realization.

Once the food was packed, Meng Chen had intended to pay, only to find that Xiao Yan was even quicker.

"Brother Xiao, you..."

Xiao Yan smiled. "Brother Meng, we hit it off at first sight. It's only one meal. Next time, you can treat me next time. How about it?"

"Fine, then it's settled." Meng Chen did not dwell on it. After telling Xiao Yan where he was staying, he bid him farewell.

Before leaving, Meng Chen gave the restaurant's name another look and made a mental note of its location.

Xiao Yan watched Meng Chen's receding figure, deep in thought.

"Brother Xiao Yan, you seem quite concerned about that person." Seeing Xiao Yan still staring in the direction Meng Chen had left, Xiao Xun'er suddenly remarked.

At that, Xiao Yan began teasing Xiao Xun'er.

"Xun'er, didn't you find that person familiar? A few days ago, you even pinched me because of him. The mark is still there."

"Hm? Brother Xiao Yan, he was that man?" Xiao Xun'er was slightly stunned, then quickly recalled what had happened a few days ago. No wonder Meng Chen had seemed somewhat familiar.

"Exactly. I told you then that I was looking at a man, but you didn't believe me and even got angry with me."

Xiao Yan spoke aggrievedly. A trace of embarrassment appeared on Xiao Xun'er's pretty face, and she stuck out her tongue playfully.

"Sorry, Brother Xiao Yan. I didn't mean to. Does it still hurt? Let Xun'er rub it for you."

As she spoke, Xiao Xun'er reached toward Xiao Yan's waist, pretending she was about to massage it for him. Xiao Yan hurriedly stopped her.

"You little girl, so many people are watching."

A sly glint flashed through Xiao Xun'er's eyes. Smiling, she wrapped her arms around Xiao Yan's arm and continued strolling with him.

Meanwhile, Meng Chen returned to the small courtyard. After placing the five packed dishes on the stone table in the yard, he called toward the house.

"Aunt Qing, time to eat!"

Before long, Qing Yanjing emerged from the house. Her skirt fluttered lightly with her steps, revealing her slender, ivory-white legs, smooth as jade.

Seeing the five dishes on the stone table, Qing Yanjing bent down and sat lightly. Her ample, plump buttocks pressed against the stone stool, covering it so completely that the stool was no longer visible.

After taking only a few bites, Qing Yanjing set down her chopsticks.

It was not that the food was bad. She simply did not pursue the pleasures of the palate.

Seeing Qing Yanjing take a few more bites only from the two lighter dishes, Meng Chen silently remembered it and asked, "Aunt Qing, how much of your spiritual energy has recovered?"

"Barely enough to reach the Spirit Movement Realm. The worldly energy of this lower plane cannot compare to the spiritual energy of the Great Thousand World. The efficiency of converting it into spiritual energy is far too low."

Qing Yanjing sighed softly, a faint sorrow appearing on her peerlessly beautiful face.

In the end, she had overestimated herself. Even with the foundation of a peak Spiritual Grade Heavenly Sovereign, relying solely on the worldly energy of the Dou Qi Continent, it would take at least ten years even to recover to the Supreme Realm.

Meng Chen fell into thought upon hearing this.

He remembered Potato once saying that a Battle Emperor of the Dou Qi Continent was equivalent to a Sovereign of the Great Thousand World.

In the original work, Xiao Yan's foundation had been even deeper. He had continued cultivating in the Dou Qi Continent for some time and only ascended to the Great Thousand World after he could advance no further.

After Dou Qi was converted into spiritual energy, he should have been equivalent to an eighth- or ninth-rank Sovereign.

Furthermore, Xiao Yan had descended into the territory of the Luo God Clan after ascending. Luo Tianshen, an Earth Supreme, had regarded Xiao Yan as a junior, further proving that Xiao Yan possessed only Sovereign-level cultivation and had not yet reached the Earth Supreme level.

Based on the conversion between the realms of the Great Thousand World and the Dou Qi Continent, Qing Yanjing's physical body was now comparable to the Divine Soul Realm, while her Divine Soul should be roughly equivalent to a Dou Ling.

However, exactly what realm of Dou Qi cultivator Qing Yanjing could rival would have to be determined through actual combat.

At the very least, in Wutan City, Qing Yanjing likely had no opponent if she relied on physical strength alone.

After analyzing the matter, Meng Chen told Qing Yanjing his thoughts.

Qing Yanjing said, "In that case, we can stay in Wutan City for a while."

"We can stay, but we're running low on gold coins. This small courtyard can only be rented for another half a month at most."

Meng Chen sighed helplessly. The gold coins they had gotten from robbing the robbers... no, from ridding the people of evil, were almost gone. They could not even afford half a month's rent.

Qing Yanjing's delicate brows furrowed slightly.

There were quite a few good items in her Small Pagoda, but things from the Great Thousand World might not be suitable for the Dou Qi Continent. Taking them out could easily backfire.

If they attracted the attention of the powerful figures of the Dou Qi Continent, it would become even more troublesome.

Remembering his earlier idea of selling knowledge, Meng Chen hurriedly asked, "By the way, Aunt Qing, since you've recovered some spiritual energy, can you help me make a battle skill scroll?"

"A battle skill scroll?" Qing Yanjing asked in confusion.

"Yes. I'll write out the cultivation method for a battle skill, and you can copy it onto a scroll. Then add a trace of spiritual will or some other means to make it more intimidating. Then we can sell it and earn gold coins."

Meng Chen explained his little money-making scheme. Qing Yanjing's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly. "Isn't that deceiving people?"

"Uh, Aunt Qing, it isn't deception. The battle skill I provide is real. You're only adding a layer of assurance to make people trust it more."

Meng Chen shook his head. Everything he sold was genuine. He was merely repackaging it.

"Otherwise, I can't exactly take a battle skill I just wrote down and try to sell it to someone. No one would believe me."

After hearing him out, Qing Yanjing felt that he had a point.

"If that is the case, then go prepare it."

Meng Chen nodded. He retrieved the scroll that had previously recorded the Purple Sun Incinerating World Heavenly Technique and had Qing Yanjing use spiritual energy to write a battle skill on it.

"Aunt Qing, I'll dictate, and you write."

Qing Yanjing raised her hand. Her slender jade-like fingers gathered what little spiritual energy she had and tapped onto the blank scroll.

"Profound Flame Palm: Profound Tier, High Grade battle skill, suitable for cultivators of fire-attributed Dou Qi. Guide the Dou Qi from the dantian to..."

This Profound Flame Palm was the only Profound Tier battle skill in the Purple Sun Emperor's inheritance. It had been the battle skill Purple Sun Emperor used most often in his youth, which was why it had been recorded in the inheritance.

A short while later, Qing Yanjing finished writing the cultivation method for the Profound Flame Palm on the scroll. She then summoned the Small Pagoda and left an imprint at the end of the scroll.

Once the Small Pagoda imprint was stamped onto it, the scroll immediately gained a trace of mystical aura. A faint golden glow spread across its surface, making it extremely convincing.

Meng Chen looked at the freshly completed battle skill scroll.

The ancient scroll, the battle skill content written in spiritual energy, and the brilliantly placed Small Pagoda imprint.

He inspected it carefully. After confirming there were no obvious flaws, he said happily to Qing Yanjing, "Success! Aunt Qing, recover your spiritual energy first. Later, we'll go sell it."

"Mm." Qing Yanjing was somewhat exhausted. Twisting her plump, millstone-like buttocks, she returned to the house.

After resting for more than an hour, Qing Yanjing and Meng Chen left the house and headed for the Mittel Auction House...