Resource Channels

Lin Qing, dressed in plain black cloth, slowly walked to the gates of the grand Wang Lineage estate. Addressing the two guards, he spoke evenly. "Please inform Miss Wang Qingwan that Xie Chen of the Martial Suppression Office has come to visit."

The gatekeeper recognized him as Xie Chen, the man who had helped the Wang Lineage investigate a case two days ago and earned the eldest young lady's deep respect. Not daring to neglect him, he hurriedly bowed and replied:

"Young Master Xie, unfortunately, the eldest young lady has just gone out. We heard today that Lord Ye Lingchuan has returned from Azure Sun County. Lord Ye previously rescued the eldest young lady when she was in danger on the official road. Now that he has returned, she specially prepared generous gifts and went to his residence to repay that debt of gratitude."

Lin Qing paused slightly at those words, then nodded in understanding.

Back when Wang Qingwan had gone to Azure Sun County to purchase supplies, she encountered savage bandits on her way back to Cloudmist Prefecture. At the critical moment, it had been Ye Lingchuan, who happened to be passing by, who stepped in to save her.

It seemed he would not be seeing Wang Qingwan today. He did not linger, bidding farewell to the gatekeeper before turning to leave.

Cultivation brooked no delay. Lin Qing found a Ferocious Beast Meat shop and bought several pounds of Second Tier Ferocious Beast Meat to deal with his urgent need.

A day passed in the blink of an eye, and before long, evening arrived.

The setting sun sank behind the western mountains, golden-red clouds spreading across the sky. The dazzling blazing sun had already lost its edge, leaving behind only gentle, warm sunlight that fell over the courtyards of blue bricks and dark tiles, gilding them with a soft golden border.

Lin Qing leaped upward and landed lightly atop the roof of the small courtyard.

He sat down casually and quietly watched the sunset in the distance. The evening clouds flowed and the light shifted. Layer upon layer, the afterglow changed from blazing gold to orange-red, then slowly turned into a dark crimson.

Half an hour later, the final trace of sunset glow vanished completely beneath the western mountains. The brightness of heaven and earth gradually faded as dusk swept in from all directions, and hazy night began to shroud the entire prefectural city.

Lin Qing gathered his thoughts and opened the panel. The Solar Visualization Art had indeed been successfully recorded. Its proficiency requirement was the same as that of the Lunar Visualization Art: 10,000 points.

Lin Qing silently calculated that tonight happened to be free, making it the perfect chance to test the proficiency growth rate of the Lunar Visualization Art.

Just as he was considering it, a crisp knock sounded at the door, breaking the silence of the small courtyard.

Lin Qing set aside his thoughts and leaped down from the roof, landing without a sound. He walked to the courtyard gate and raised a hand to pull open the wooden door.

Outside, the evening breeze stirred and the moon had just risen. Wang Qingwan stood gracefully before the gate in an elegant white dress, her bearing gentle and her features delicate. At her side was her personal maid, Yuan'er—the very one who had cursed at Lin Qing on the official road.

Upon seeing Lin Qing answer the door, Wang Qingwan's eyes curved slightly as she spoke with gentle courtesy. "Young Master Xie. I heard from the servants that you came to my residence looking for me today. Might I ask whether you had some important matter to discuss?"

"I did not expect Miss Wang to visit personally. It truly surprises me." Lin Qing smiled faintly, stepping aside in invitation. "The night wind is growing cold outside. Miss Wang, Miss Yuan'er, please come in and sit for a while."

Wang Qingwan nodded lightly and entered the courtyard with Yuan'er.

The bluestone floor of the courtyard was clean and tidy. A stone table and several stone stools stood nearby, perfectly suited for a leisurely conversation. Once the two women were seated, Lin Qing sat on the stone stool opposite them. Without exchanging needless pleasantries, he spoke directly.

"Miss Wang, to be honest, I did have a matter to request when I visited this afternoon."

Lin Qing's expression was open and his tone sincere. "My daily cultivation is rather unusual, and I require a great quantity of Ferocious Beast Meat. If I frequently purchase large amounts from shops throughout the city, it would easily draw attention and cause unnecessary trouble. The Wang Lineage is a prominent family in the prefecture with stable supply sources. Would it be possible for you to provide me with Ferocious Beast Meat privately?"

He deliberately left himself room, saying only that his needs were immense without revealing the exact amount he consumed. He intended to first gauge Wang Qingwan's attitude before deciding whether to lay everything on the table.

Wang Qingwan did not hesitate in the slightest upon hearing this. Lin Qing had previously endured immense pressure to obtain justice for Wang Xiaolong, who had died a miserable death, and had rooted out the hidden calamity within the Lineage. She had always remembered that kindness in her heart.

She spoke softly, her voice gentle yet utterly resolute. "Young Master Xie sought justice for my younger brother. For such a small matter, I will naturally do everything in my power to help."

After a brief pause, she looked at Lin Qing with sincere eyes and solemnly added, "Rest assured, Young Master. Since you do not wish for outsiders to know, I will keep my lips sealed and never reveal even the slightest detail to a third person. How much Ferocious Beast Meat do you require each day? I can provide it free of charge, as repayment for your great kindness."

Seeing Wang Qingwan's frank and steadfast expression, Lin Qing decided to trust her.

First, over these past days, he had gained some understanding of Wang Qingwan's character. She was gentle and upright, knew how to repay kindness, and did not seem like someone who would break faith and abandon righteousness. Second, even if the matter were accidentally exposed, it would merely reveal that his cultivation talent was exceptional. At most, it would draw the scrutiny and wariness of others.

Compared to the danger of repeatedly entering the Black Market and inviting murderous intent, that hidden risk was entirely acceptable.

Still, he had no intention of taking advantage of her for nothing.

Wang Qingwan had already given him a generous reward before, enough to support his cultivation for a short while. Moreover, his future consumption of Ferocious Beast Meat would be enormous. Taking it for free over the long term would instead create distance in their relationship and leave him owing a debt of gratitude that would be difficult to repay.

With that thought, Lin Qing immediately cupped his hands in thanks. "Thank you for your kindness, Miss Wang, but free provisions are absolutely out of the question. I am willing to purchase it at market price. Does the Wang Lineage sell Third-Tier Ferocious Beast Meat?"

The moment those words left his mouth, a flash of surprise crossed Wang Qingwan's eyes.

She had originally assumed only that Lin Qing's cultivation consumption slightly surpassed that of ordinary martial artists. She never imagined that he would directly require Third-Tier Ferocious Beast Meat for cultivation!

The Qi and blood essence contained within Third-Tier Ferocious Beast Meat was immensely vigorous and pure. Such high-tier meat was generally used only by Third-Tier Martial Artists, while Lin Qing was merely First Tier. This showed that the foundation of his cultivation and the resources it consumed had already overturned ordinary understanding. The terror of his talent far exceeded her imagination.

After recovering from her shock, Wang Qingwan quickly composed herself and nodded without hesitation. "We do. The Wang Lineage Trading Company has dedicated supply channels and can steadily provide Third-Tier Ferocious Beast Meat. How much do you require each day, Young Master Xie?"

Lin Qing pondered briefly before naming the amount he had estimated. "One pound per day will do."

In truth, under his current circumstances, he did not yet need a full pound of Third-Tier Ferocious Beast Meat each day. But his next plan was to cultivate the other four Second-Tier Stance Arts with all his strength and strive to bring them to mastery in the shortest possible time.

Based on the rate at which proficiency increased, cultivating for six hours each day would grant 96 proficiency points. The remaining proficiency gap for the four Stance Arts was around one thousand points. Setting aside his daily duty shifts at the Martial Suppression Office, at most half a month would be enough for him to cultivate all the Second-Tier Stance Arts to the perfected realm.

Previously, when he had cultivated all his First-Tier Stance Arts to mastery, he consumed one pound of Second Tier Ferocious Beast Meat per day. If he brought the Second-Tier Stance Arts to mastery, his daily consumption should be one pound of Third-Tier Ferocious Beast Meat.

He simply placed the order according to his future maximum demand, settling it once and for all and saving himself the trouble of repeated negotiations later.

Once the amount was settled, Lin Qing asked, "How much does Third-Tier Ferocious Beast Meat cost?"

"Since it is for you, Young Master, I will charge it at cost." Wang Qingwan smiled gently and said frankly, "One hundred and fifty taels per pound."

Afraid that Lin Qing would find the price exorbitant, she patiently explained further.

"You may not know this, Young Master, but Cloudmist Prefecture has no stable production of Third-Tier Ferocious Beast Meat. All such meat is transported from other prefectures or the borderlands. The journey is long, so the cost remains high. The market price is generally two hundred taels per pound. Since the amount you require is steady, I will give it to you at the lowest cost price."

Lin Qing nodded in understanding. The price was fair and reasonable.

The two then discussed the transaction details carefully. In the end, they agreed that Wang Qingwan would select trustworthy servants to deliver sufficient Third-Tier Ferocious Beast Meat to the small courtyard every five days. Lin Qing would not need to visit in person, and the entire transaction would remain secret, eliminating every risk of exposure.

Once every matter had been settled, Wang Qingwan sat for a little longer before taking her maid and bidding farewell.

Watching the two women's departing figures, Lin Qing let out a long breath. The cultivation resource problem that had troubled him for so long had finally been completely resolved! With a stable supply of Third-Tier Ferocious Beast Meat, he could now cultivate with all his might without restraint and swiftly bring all his Second-Tier Cultivation Arts to mastery.

By then, night had deepened. A bright full moon hung high in the sky, its clear radiance spilling across the earth and illuminating the silent little courtyard.

This was the perfect time, with the night deep and all quiet, to test the proficiency growth rate of the Lunar Visualization Art.

Lin Qing once more sat upright on the stone stool in the courtyard and raised his eyes to gaze at the bright moon overhead.

The evening breeze was still and the moonlight gentle. Half an hour later, Lin Qing gathered his thoughts and opened the system panel again.

On the panel, the proficiency of the Lunar Visualization Art had increased by 6 points. Six proficiency points in half an hour meant that it gained roughly 1 point for every stick of incense's time.

Having figured out the pattern, Lin Qing did not continue visualizing.

He was still some distance away from Fifth Tier. His current task remained to bring all four Second-Tier Stance Arts to mastery as quickly as possible and steadily improve his cultivation.

The night was deep and the moonlight flowed like water. Lin Qing turned and entered the bedroom, extinguished the lamp, and rested.