Sincerity Was the Ultimate Move

Switching cultivation methods was no easy task. In mild cases, one's cultivation would fluctuate; in severe cases, one could even drop several major realms in succession.

Of course, anyone who chose to switch had almost certainly obtained a higher-grade method better suited to them. Switching to such a method was virtually painless.

And in the long run, it brought a hundred benefits without a single drawback.

The sun rose and the moon set. As the morning sun rose, Chen Cang slowly opened his eyes inside his room.

He stood and practiced the Sea-Splitting Palm. The Dou Qi swirling around his palms had already changed from a reddish hue to a dazzling golden color, lending it an air of nobility.

"My cultivation fluctuated a little, but my combat strength actually increased. Before, I could have attempted to reach six-star Da Dou Shi within two months at most. Now that I've changed methods, my cultivation will definitely progress faster. I should still be able to break through within two months."

All things considered, that sole drawback was negligible.

Everything else was pure benefit!

From now on, he would hardly need to worry about consuming his Dou Qi in battle.

His stamina was now extraordinary!

"Brother Chen Cang, are you in there?"

Like a child who had received a novel toy, Chen Cang kept circulating his Dou Qi, feeling its changes. Suddenly, Xiao Xun'er's voice came from outside.

Why had she come knocking so early?

Chen Cang was not the only one puzzled. The three Xiao brothers on the other side also poked their heads out at the sound.

After tidying up his appearance a little, Chen Cang went outside.

"Oh, Xun'er. What's wrong? Do you need something?"

He had just secretly learned someone else's cultivation method, only for its rightful owner to appear before him immediately afterward. It left him feeling as though he had been caught red-handed.

Xiao Xun'er did not answer right away. Instead, she tilted her head up and studied the young man with a look of wonder.

"Nothing. I came to congratulate you, Brother Chen Cang. I heard some commotion last night and suspected you'd broken through. Now that I've seen you myself, you really seem like a different person. Even your bearing has changed a little. You're more... anyway, you're even more impressive now."

Practicing Earth Tier Cultivation Methods and Combat Skills could already stir the energy of heaven and earth, so a little commotion was inevitable.

And that was only Low Earth Tier. At Heaven Tier, the disturbance would be truly terrifying, enough to trigger tides of energy.

"That's thoughtful of you, Xun'er. I didn't actually break through, though. I just made a few gains."

Hearing this, the three brothers openly eavesdropping from the neighboring courtyard breathed a small sigh of relief.

Especially Xiao Yan. He no longer had his sights set on his peers in the Xiao Clan; all he wanted was to follow in Chen Cang's footsteps.

"I see. By the way, Brother Chen Cang, I have a few more cultivation questions I'd like to ask you. Is now a good time?"

"Of course. Come inside, and we can talk."

This was Xiao Xun'er's first time entering Chen Cang's courtyard. Although she had not managed to enter his bedroom, she still considered it a huge step toward growing closer to him.

Xiao Xun'er's questions that day were very simple, merely some basic knowledge about cultivating at the Dou Qi stage.

It was hardly surprising for an ordinary person not to know these things, but Chen Cang certainly did not believe Xiao Xun'er was ignorant of them.

Thus, he answered rather casually.

Only after staying for about an hour did Xiao Xun'er leave.

Once she returned to her own courtyard and closed the gate, Ling Ying appeared in his black robes.

"Young miss, Chen Cang wasn't lying. He likely switched to a higher-grade cultivation method last night. Judging by the disturbance, it was very likely an Earth Tier Cultivation Method. This also confirms our suspicions: his background is far from ordinary. We'll need to uncover more information gradually. Did you notice anything unusual in his courtyard just now?"

"No. We only chatted in the sitting room for a while. All the furnishings were quite ordinary."

Ling Ying nodded slightly. This was no different from what he had found during his earlier covert inspection.

Still, he was in no hurry. There was plenty of time, after all. He remained convinced that, within a month at most, he could follow the faintest threads of evidence and uncover everything about Chen Cang.

Once there was a first visit, there would be a second. After Xiao Xun'er entered Chen Cang's courtyard once, her visits became noticeably more frequent-even more frequent than those of the three Xiao brothers.

Naturally, the two rapidly grew closer and could now be called friends. During their everyday interactions, they occasionally chatted about things they had seen and heard that had nothing to do with cultivation.

Throughout this process, Chen Cang did most of the talking, while Xiao Xun'er listened attentively.

Knowing what interested her, Chen Cang would reveal a little, seemingly casually, each time they chatted.

Without accumulating small steps, one could never travel a thousand miles; without gathering little streams, one could never form rivers and seas.

A month passed, and Xiao Xun'er and Ling Ying believed they had learned most of what there was to know about Chen Cang.

They already knew that both his parents had died and that a city lord had taken him in and raised him from childhood. That city lord was exceptionally kindhearted and had adopted at least several hundred displaced children, including Chen Cang.

After Chen Cang condensed his Dou Qi Vortex, the city lord placed great importance on him and settled him in the City Lord's Residence.

Chen Cang was deeply grateful to this city lord and wanted to do something for him. Finally, by chance, he learned that the city lord was hiring people to search the mountains for medicinal herbs. Chen Cang immediately volunteered and joined the group.

It was during this herb-gathering expedition that disaster struck. They encountered a high-tier magical beast, and nearly the entire group was killed or wounded.

Fortunately, Chen Cang happened upon a juvenile Void Pegasus Beast and managed to tame it through sheer luck, allowing him to escape danger.

However, they lost their way and headed in the wrong direction. When they emerged from the mountains, they found themselves in a savage empire overrun with poison masters.

With his meager strength, Chen Cang dared not linger. He and the Void Pegasus Beast crossed the empire as quickly as possible, then traveled through a seemingly boundless desert and another Magical Beast Mountain Range before finally reaching Wutan City.

"Young miss, I now have a rough idea of Chen Cang's background. The desert he mentioned was Tagor, and that empire teeming with poison masters was the Chu Yun Empire. We only need to follow that route and make inquiries to learn whether his story is true!"

"To ensure your absolute safety, young miss, I'd like to verify it. The process may take around two months..."

Ensuring Xiao Xun'er's safety was only one reason. There was no denying that Ling Ying's curiosity had been stirred.

He truly found it hard to believe that Chen Cang was actually a native of the Northwest Continent!

For that reason, he wanted to make the trip.

Hearing was uncertain; seeing was believing!

Yet he was also somewhat concerned about Xiao Xun'er's protection after he left, even if the chances of anything happening were extremely low.

"Elder Ling, go ahead. I also want to learn everything about Brother Chen Cang sooner. Otherwise, I feel guilty every time I spend time with him. He treats me so sincerely, even telling me his secret about the Void Pegasus Beast, yet I keep approaching him with ulterior motives."

Sure enough, sincerity was the ultimate move!

Chen Cang's month-long baptism of sincerity had produced clear results. He had not even concealed the story of meeting Xiao Yi Xian and her mother in that little village at the foot of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

Ling Ying nodded slightly in agreement. Without Xiao Xun'er's permission, he would never dare abandon his post. But truthfully, he did not believe she could encounter any danger within Wutan City.

Leaving for a month or two should not pose much of a problem.

Even if the Jia Lie Family and the Ao Ba Family joined forces to wage war against the Xiao Clan during that time, with Chen Cang around, they would pose no threat to Xiao Xun'er.

After observing him for so long, Ling Ying held a fairly favorable opinion of Chen Cang's character.

Having made his decision, Ling Ying wasted no words and immediately set off to verify the story.

The sooner he left, the sooner he could return.

At noon, Xiao Xun'er paid Chen Cang her customary visit.

Chen Cang likewise made his customary excavation of her treasure trove of memories.

Over the past month, he had finished reading Xiao Xun'er's memories. His gains had been substantial, but they fell far short of his expectations.

The reason was simple: Xiao Xun'er was still at the very beginning of the Qi Refining stage, so she had no real need to consult Cultivation Methods and Combat Skills.

The gains Chen Cang had made were entirely thanks to Xiao Xun'er's fondness for reading, which occasionally led her to browse Cultivation Methods and Combat Skills.

For Chen Cang, whatever Xiao Xun'er read was as good as something he had read himself.

Thus, Chen Cang maintained the habit of checking what she had recently browsed whenever he saw her, passively acquiring a wealth of knowledge.

And today, he discovered that Ling Ying had left!

Chen Cang's heart stirred slightly, and he realized at once: What a perfect opportunity!