“Could it be that the key to increasing intelligence points does not lie in the grade of the natural treasures themselves, but rather in consuming those naturally born Precious Beasts and Precious Fish, plundering the source blood qi of their life force, in order to convert it into nourishment for the system?”
Shen Xiuhan pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head, pushing the hypothesis to the back of his mind for now.
Whether it was true or not remained to be seen; it would require further verification in the future.
But one thing was absolutely certain!
No matter how the mechanism for increasing intelligence worked, if he wanted to accumulate intelligence points, he would ultimately have to rely on Precious Fish and Precious Beasts.
‘The Diaohai Blessed Land will open in a few days. When that time comes, I must go there in person...’
‘And before I set out, I must amass enough intelligence points!’
‘At the very least...’
‘I need to save enough to use "Resurrection" once.’
‘Only then will I have the confidence to navigate the schemes and power struggles of the various factions.’
‘Right!’
With this thought, Shen Xiuhan's eyes brightened slightly as another idea occurred to him.
‘I am a member of the Star-Plucking Sect. Master Wen accepted me as a core disciple and has treated me very well. Judging by how he handled He Tunan's matter, he acts uprightly and possesses a noble character...’
‘So, should I find an opportune moment to reveal the emergence of the Diaohai Blessed Land to him and seek his assistance?’
Once this thought sprouted, it took root and could not be suppressed.
Shen Xiuhan rapidly calculated the pros and cons in his mind.
‘The various forces and schemers secretly coveting the Blessed Land are far more numerous than I anticipated.’
‘The great clans of the imperial palace, the remnants of the demonic sects, and even the Buddhist forces far away in the Yan State have already placed their chess pieces and prepared various plans for when the Blessed Land opens.’
‘Rather than letting those hidden monsters and demons reap the benefits, it would be better to deliver this information into the hands of the Star-Plucking Sect!’
Shen Xiuhan lightly tapped his knuckles against the desk, his eyes flickering with uncertainty, but his thoughts grew increasingly clear.
‘After all, as a lone traveler, even if I obtain all the benefits within the Blessed Land, I would likely face the pursuit of major factions once I emerge...’
‘But if I inform the sect about the Blessed Land, as long as it is handled properly, I can leverage this contribution to receive sufficient recognition and backing!’
‘When the Blessed Land opens and the various factions make their moves, having the Star-Plucking Sect behind me will ensure my safety. I might even...’
‘...be able to fish in troubled waters and silently reap profits amidst the chaos!’
Shen Xiuhan sorted out his thoughts and exhaled slowly.
‘However... how to bring it up still requires careful consideration!’
‘Although Master Wen dislikes mundane affairs, how could an Outer Gang expert who has run the Tingquan Academy for decades be simple-minded?’
‘Acting rashly might backfire and ruin everything!’
‘Therefore, I cannot rush. I must find the perfect opportunity...’
...
Twelve days had passed since the Six Cangwu Demons were reduced to the Sole Cangwu Demon.
The day for distributing stipends was fast approaching.
Shen Xiuhan changed into clean green robes and took a boat toward the prefecture capital.
Upon entering the prefecture capital, he made his way to the Prefectural Governor's Mansion. After presenting his Star-Plucking Sect identity token, a bailiff led him into a side hall, served him hot tea, and asked him to wait.
He waited for nearly an hour.
His tea was refilled twice before a scribe finally hurried in, explaining that the Prefectural Governor was busy with official duties and could not meet him in person.
Instead, the official handling the handover of his bounty was the Prefectural Governor's Mansion's Vice Governor, Wang Fengnian.
This man, in his early forties with a lean face, carried himself with the typical reserve of a civil official. In a bureaucratic tone, he offered words of encouragement:
“Young Hero Shen, by slaying five of the demons with your sword, you have truly rid Nanxiang Prefecture of a great scourge!”
“On behalf of the Prefectural Governor and the elders and villagers of Nanxiang, this official expresses our gratitude.”
With that, he retrieved a black wooden box from his sleeve and pushed it toward Shen Xiuhan.
Shen Xiuhan thanked him and accepted it with both hands.
He opened the lid.
Inside, five neatly stacked silver banknotes, each worth one hundred taels, met his eyes.
Beside them lay a stone-jade about the size of a fingernail.
It was neither quite jade nor quite stone, with a faint, warm luster swirling deep within.
Shen Xiuhan's gaze paused, recognizing it at a glance.
“Is this... a Yuan Stone!?”
Wang Fengnian raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised. “Indeed. You are quite knowledgeable, Young Hero Shen!”
“Yuan Stones are precious. Had the Six Cangwu Demons not been so utterly detestable, the Prefectural Governor would never have offered such an item as a reward.”
“Do not look down on its small size, Young Hero Shen. It has many wonderful uses. Not only can it be used by Gangjin Rank martial artists for cultivation, but it can also be used to set up formations, refine elixirs, and forge weapons. This single stone alone is worth five hundred taels of silver!”
Five hundred taels of silver!
Shen Xiuhan maintained a calm exterior, but his heart twinged with a sharp pang of regret!
He recalled how, at the bottom of the pool on Dongyi Island, he had unhesitatingly used a Yuan Stone alongside the Green Wind Sword Array to instantly kill Jia Pingxiu to avoid detection by Chenjian Dock.
Thinking about it now...
...that hadn't been fighting an enemy; it had been burning money!
Regret aside, Wang Fengnian's mention of "forging weapons" sparked an idea in his mind.
Although his Hanlin was sharp and powerful, at the end of the day, it was only a mid-grade precious artifact.
Had he not possessed sword-qi to slay enemies above his rank, the Hanlin would likely have started to fall short.
Furthermore, back at the bottom of the pool on Dongyi Island, Shen Xiuhan had retrieved the shattered fragments of the Laurel Sword from next to Xiao Yan's skeletal remains.
Although the sword was destroyed, several precious ores used to forge it—such as purple-veined dark gold, red wutong core, and Geng-gold marrow—still remained within the shards.
If he could melt down and extract these precious ores and use the Yuan Stone as an auxiliary material, he might be able to upgrade the Hanlin's grade by a significant margin!
‘Right... doesn't Senior Brother Liu Chong's family run a sword-forging and selling business? Liu's Sword Shop is their family property!’
‘Besides, his duties are currently assigned here in the prefecture capital. I should pay him a visit today and ask about the process of melting ores and forging swords.’
...
Nanxiang Ward.
Looking ahead, a two-zhang-tall archway rose from the ground, adorned with gold-painted carved dragons, looking exceptionally grand.
Eye-catching signs for shops like the Divine Weapon Shop, the Hundred Elixirs Pavilion, and the Spiritual Meat Hall lined the street.
Fierce-looking martial artists with blood-stained bundles on their backs entered and exited the establishments from time to time.
Shen Xiuhan took a brief look around, walked about a hundred paces along the main street, and stopped before a magnificent building.
The building stood five stories tall with upturned eaves like wings. Three elegant and powerful characters were carved into the plaque hanging over the door:
“Star-Plucking Tower”!
This was the commercial firm established by the Star-Plucking Sect in the prefecture capital.
Unlike the ordinary shops on the street that conducted business with open doors and shop assistants shouting at the entrance to attract customers...
...the Star-Plucking Tower, despite being situated in the prime area of the market, was exceptionally quiet, carrying the dignified aura of a prestigious sect.
Most of the items sold inside were their own refined elixirs, forged weapons, and various local specialties from the sect's industries scattered across the prefecture.
Naturally, there were also Precious Fish, beast meats, and spiritual herbs that disciples had hunted or gathered in the wild, brought here to be sold on consignment or exchanged for other goods.
As soon as Shen Xiuhan stepped over the threshold, a pretty young woman stepped forward to greet him:
“Greetings, customer. I am Xu Su of the Star-Plucking Sect. May I ask if you are here to purchase elixirs, or...”
She stopped mid-sentence.
This was because...
...Shen Xiuhan had produced an identity token!
The token was entirely silver-white, engraved with waterfall patterns, with the character "Shen" branded below the four central words: "Tingquan Core Disciple".
On the day after Wen Qingye accepted him as a personal disciple, the Logistics Hall had sent someone to recast his waist token and deliver his core disciple robes.
He was only wearing a simple green robe today, but there was no one in the Star-Plucking Sect who did not recognize this waist token.
Xu Su's eyes lit up, and she bowed deeply, her tone becoming incredibly warm. “So it is Senior Brother Shen! Please, come inside.”
“No need to trouble yourself. Is Senior Brother Liu Chong here?”
“Yes, he is! Senior Brother Liu is currently meeting a guest on the second floor. I will go inform him immediately.”
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