Chapter 508 - 446: Shi Zhenyue

Chapter 508: Chapter 446: Shi Zhenyue

Yanmen County has six Spirit Beast Halls: the Gold Hall, the Wood Hall, the Water Hall, the Fire Hall, the Earth Hall, and the Qi Xing Hall.

Each hall manages Spirit Beasts of its corresponding element. For example, the Gold Hall raises Gold Element Spirit Beasts. Because Spirit Beasts of the Wind, Ice, and Lightning elements are quite rare, they are all grouped together under the Qi Xing Hall.

"What brings you two fellow cultivators here?"

Liang Song and Zhao Lin arrived at the Fire Hall, where one of the two gatekeeping disciples in front asked the question.

"I am looking for Master Shi."

Zhao Lin cupped his hands and presented a letter from Elder Wu.

"Please wait a moment, fellow cultivator."

The gatekeeping disciple took the letter and turned to go inside and announce them.

A short while later, he came back out and said, "The Hall Master will see you!"

Zhao Lin asked Liang Song to wait outside. He followed the disciple through a courtyard and into the main hall. Upon entering, he saw a powerfully built, middle-aged cultivator with a thick beard and hair.

"Greetings, Elder Shi."

Even without the gatekeeping disciple’s prompting, Zhao Lin knew the man before him was Shi Zhenyue. He bowed deeply in salute.

Because of his connection through Elder Wu, addressing him as "Elder" instead of "Hall Master" seemed a bit more familiar.

Shi Zhenyue nodded slightly, his sharp gaze sweeping over Zhao Lin. He got straight to the point. "Since Senior Brother Wu has made the request, I will naturally do my best."

"However, the Fire Hall is a busy place, and I will have difficulty finding much time to teach you Magic. I imagine you won’t be staying in Yanmen County for too long, so you will only be able to learn the basics."

This was to get the unpleasantries out of the way, lest Zhao Lin fail to learn the Magic and Elder Wu come demanding answers.

’This is perfect,’ Zhao Lin thought. He quickly said, "I understand. I only need some guidance from you, Elder. I can go back and practice on my own."

As he spoke, he took out a bottle of "Pure Essence Pills" from his robes and offered it with both hands.

"This is just a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it, Elder."

Pure Essence Pills were one of the elixirs taken daily by Foundation Establishment cultivators. No matter what stage of cultivation Shi Zhenyue had reached, he could still use them.

A bottle of Pure Essence Pills was worth two hundred merit points—not too much, not too little, but just right for a gift.

Shi Zhenyue didn’t stand on ceremony. He accepted the pills and said, "It’s a bit late today. Come back tomorrow afternoon."

Zhao Lin said loudly, "Thank you, Elder Shi!"

That night, Zhao Lin rested at Liang Song’s residence.

The two hadn’t seen each other in years and talked late into the night.

From their conversation, Zhao Lin learned that Liang Song had been working for seven years since completing his apprenticeship, and his current monthly salary was only seventy merit points.

Of course, there were extra rewards for good performance.

"Brother Liang, you must earn around two thousand merit points a year, right?"

Zhao Lin asked tentatively.

"Not even close!"

Liang Song shook his head with a bitter smile. "Last year, there was a problem with the beast eggs that were incubating, and I was fined several hundred merit points. After a whole year of hard work, I only ended up with fifteen or sixteen hundred."

Seeing his old friend sighing in frustration, an idea struck Zhao Lin. He asked, "Brother Liang, would you be willing to come work in the market district?"

Li Sancai and Gu An could each earn over a thousand merit points a year, and it would definitely be more next year. What’s more, their work was much easier than raising Spirit Beasts.

’I happen to be thinking about opening a branch. I might as well have Liang Song come and help; it’s always best to give good opportunities to your own brothers. Then I can be a hands-off Shopkeeper and focus on my cultivation.’

Liang Song knew Zhao Lin worked in the market district, but he didn’t know he was a Shopkeeper. Thinking it was a joke, he laughed and said, "That would be great! The day you become a Shopkeeper, I’ll go work for you immediately. It would save me from smelling like beast dung all day."

The next day, Liang Song left early for the Earth Hall.

Zhao Lin, with nothing to do, decided to stroll through the marketplace.

The marketplace covered a vast area, even larger than the Dongfu District. However, it was mostly composed of street stalls and was much lower in quality than the market district. It was crowded with a mix of people, resembling an open-air bazaar.

"He went to the Fire Hall yesterday. Not sure if he was visiting a friend or had business to attend to."

"Yeah, from the looks of it, he’ll probably be sticking around here for a few days."

"Our people will arrive this afternoon. He won’t get away this time..."

Zhao Lin wandered for a bit and once again heard people whispering behind his back.

’Is there no end to this?’

Zhao Lin sneered inwardly and suddenly turned to walk back the way he came.

The two cultivators following him stopped immediately, standing in front of a stall and pretending to browse the wares.

Without sparing them a glance, Zhao Lin walked past the two. As he passed, he took a quick sniff, memorizing their scents.

...

That afternoon, Zhao Lin arrived at the Fire Hall as scheduled to meet with Shi Zhenyue.

"Show me your Body Stone."

Shi Zhenyue held out his hand. Before teaching the Magic, he had to confirm that Zhao Lin had already redeemed this particular skill.

"Yes."

Zhao Lin took out his Body Stone, concealing the other information on it.

Shi Zhenyue took it, glanced at it, and nodded. "It’s not convenient to practice Magic here. Let’s go to the training room."

With that, he led Zhao Lin into a spacious room.

The room was empty, with Protective Arrays set up on all four walls, clearly designed for practicing Magic.

Just then, Shi Zhenyue spoke. "How proficient are you with the Fire Cloud Spirit Whip? Are you at the beginner stage or skilled?"

Zhao Lin could only tell the truth. "I’ve just started practicing. I... can’t cast it yet."

"What?"

Shi Zhenyue’s face darkened upon hearing this. "My own attainment with this Magic is at the Mastery level. You haven’t even reached the beginner stage, yet you come to me for guidance. Do you think that’s appropriate?"

"Senior Brother Wu called you a genius in Magic. Is this your attitude toward cultivation?"

Zhao Lin braced himself and said, "I have some talent for Fire Element Skills. If you would just offer some guidance, Elder, I’m confident I can grasp some of it."

Shi Zhenyue’s face remained cold, and he said nothing, clearly not believing Zhao Lin’s claims.

Zhao Lin knew that words alone were not proof. He simply took a few steps back and formed a hand seal for a Spell.

"Flame Stream Arrow!"

As the words fell, a crimson fireball flew from his fingertip with a WHOOSH.

The fireball flew into mid-air, then suddenly exploded, transforming into hundreds of flaming arrows that rained down upon the wall, setting off waves of tremors.

"Mastery-level Flame Stream Arrow!"

Shi Zhenyue was a grandmaster of Fire Element Skills. He recognized the details of the Magic at a single glance, and a look of astonishment appeared on his face.

For someone as young as Zhao Lin to have mastered a skill to this level, calling him a genius was no exaggeration.

"Since you have this kind of ability, it seems I was worrying for nothing."

Shi Zhenyue’s expression softened. He called Zhao Lin to his side and began to explain the key principles of the Fire Cloud Spirit Whip in detail.

Zhao Lin’s expression was focused and earnest, but his mind had already drifted off to the heavens.

Shi Zhenyue spoke for a full hour before stopping to ask, "Well? How much did you understand?"

Zhao Lin replied, "I understood seventy or eighty percent of it, but... seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times. Would it be possible for you to demonstrate it personally, Elder? Let me feel how to command the Fire Spiritual Power."

Shi Zhenyue, not suspecting a thing, asked, "How would you like me to demonstrate?"

Zhao Lin was delighted. He cupped his fist in his palm and said, "I dare to make a bold request. Elder, please ’feed me a few moves.’"

A match between peers was called "crossing moves," while a senior teaching a junior by having them practice and imitate their Magic was called "feeding moves."

Shi Zhenyue laughed heartily. "Alright, then let’s exchange a few pointers. Step back..."

He formed a hand seal, condensing a long, crimson whip. Flames leaped and flickered along its body, rising without end.

The long whip danced up and down, at times like a flowing cloud, ethereal and unpredictable, and at others like a fire serpent, exceptionally agile.

Zhao Lin retreated several dozen paces away. With a wave of his arm, he unleashed a shimmering silver ice blade that seemed almost solid.