11: Chapter 11 Rewards, Inquiries, and the Daily Life of a Hardcore Player

Returning to his familiar small courtyard, the first thing Lin Cangchen did was throw himself onto that hard wooden bed.

"East or west, home is best..." He let out a satisfied sigh. Although the Spiritual Qi concentration in this "doghouse" was only average, it won out in terms of safety and peace of mind.

The bustle of the market, the shock of the auction, the fight at Black Wind Ridge, the wolf attack on the way back... In just a few short days, the amount of information he'd processed was comparable to binge-reading a long serialized novel in his previous life. The mental fatigue was far more apparent than the physical exhaustion.

He didn't start his cultivation immediately; instead, he cleared his mind and had a wonderful sleep.

It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky the next day that sufficient sleep washed away all his fatigue. Lin Cangchen woke up feeling refreshed and, as a matter of routine, circulated the Qi Guiding Art for several cycles to adjust his state to its peak.

Then, he began to take stock of his current "assets."

Sinking his mind into his consciousness space, ninety-four Low-Grade Spirit Stones were piled in a corner, shimmering with an enticing luster. Beside them were miscellaneous items like Medicinal Pills, Talismans, and spirit rice. Most importantly, there were the four newly acquired cards—two [Strength Cards (Weak)] and two [Agility Cards (Weak)].

"Not bad. Even though they're all 'Weak,' they offer a stable output." Lin Cangchen rubbed his chin, pondering, "The Wind Shadow Wolves seem like good 'experience mobs.' They're fast enough, and the cards they provide are relevant. Maybe I can encourage the Family to do more missions over there in the future?"

Just as he was planning his future "mob-grinding" route, the voice of his Clan Uncle, Lin Lingfeng, came from outside the courtyard gate: "Cangchen, are you awake? The Clan Leader and the two Elders are in the Great Hall and want to see you."

It's here! The main event is here!

Lin Cangchen's spirit jolted. He immediately put away his thoughts, tidied his robes, and quickly walked out of the courtyard.

"Uncle Lingfeng." He bowed respectfully.

Lin Lingfeng looked at him with a faint, indiscernible smile: "Let's go. The three Elders place great importance on the great service you rendered this time. Relax, it's a good thing."

The Family Great Hall remained as simple and solemn as ever.

Clan Leader Lin Yaozong sat in the primary seat, his face refined and his eyes warm as he watched Lin Cangchen walk in. On the left was Great Elder Lin Yaoshan, his hair and beard completely white, with a relatively calm expression. On the right was Second Elder Lin Yaohai, still possessing that same impatient temperament. As soon as Lin Cangchen entered, his scrutinizing gaze swept over, carrying a hint of "you brat, you finally showed up."

"Your Grandson Lin Cangchen pays respects to Grandpa Clan Leader, the Great Elder, and the Second Elder." Lin Cangchen performed his salutations properly.

"Mm, rise. There is no need for such formality." Lin Yaozong spoke with a smile, his voice carrying a reassuring power. "You did very well on this trip to the market. You were fearless before the enemy and brave in your duties. More impressively, you brought back such a precious movement technique as the Divine Movement Technique for the Family."

"Grandpa Clan Leader overpraises me; your Grandson was merely lucky." Lin Cangchen kept a low profile.

"Luck is also a part of strength." Great Elder Lin Yaoshan spoke slowly, his voice peaceful. "Furthermore, Ling Feng reported that you have already cultivated this technique to the Minor Achievement stage within just a few short days?"

Here it is, one of the core questions!

As soon as Lin Yaoshan asked this, even Second Elder Lin Yaohai widened his eyes, staring intently at him, waiting for his answer.

Lin Cangchen had already prepared his response. His face showed a perfectly measured amount of "confusion" and "joy": "Replying to the Great Elder, your Grandson also doesn't know why, but upon seeing the contents of the technique in that Jade Slip, I felt... a special affinity. Understanding it was effortless, and the cultivation happened naturally. Perhaps I am truly particularly compatible with this technique?"

He once again used the all-purpose excuse of "technique compatibility." After all, the cultivation world was full of wonders; some Cultivators possessed an extraordinary Comprehension Ability for specific types of techniques. While rare, it was not without precedent.

The three Elders looked at each other, a flash of amazement crossing their eyes.

Lin Yaozong stroked his beard and nodded: "It seems you indeed have a unique talent in the path of movement techniques, Cangchen. This is a blessing for our Lin Family."

Second Elder Lin Yaohai couldn't help but interject, his tone still carrying his characteristic impatience, though it lacked his previous "disappointment in one's potential" and held more of an investigative edge: "Brat, tell us, how exactly does the Divine Movement Technique at Minor Achievement compare to Wind Chasing Steps? Explain it in detail!"

This was an impromptu "technique inquiry."

Lin Cangchen thought for a moment and then spoke eloquently: "Replying to the Second Elder, Wind Chasing Steps focuses more on instantaneous bursts and the subtlety of footwork, like a galloping stallion—powerful but with somewhat forced transitions. The Divine Movement Technique at Minor Achievement, however, emphasizes the continuous flow of spiritual power and subtle control over the surrounding airflow. It's like a stream flowing around rocks, smooth and natural. The control over speed is more refined, making both long-distance travel and short-range dodging more energy-efficient and effective..."

He combined his own combat experiences, using common language as much as possible to describe it, occasionally gesturing with his hands.

The three Elders were all experts at the Qi Refining Late Stage with rich combat experience; they understood the key points as soon as they heard them. Lin Yaohai's eyes lit up as he listened, occasionally asking for details, all of which Lin Cangchen answered one by one.

"Good! Excellent!" After listening, Lin Yaohai slapped his thigh hard. "Such a description is clear and thorough! It's no less impressive than the annotations left by the Old Ancestor on those few techniques! Brat, it seems you haven't just practiced it well, but your understanding is deep enough too! Why didn't we discover your talent for technique comprehension before?"

Lin Cangchen could only continue to smile foolishly: "Perhaps... the techniques I practiced before weren't very compatible?"

Lin Yaozong and Lin Yaoshan also showed satisfied smiles. For a "prodigy of comprehension" to appear among the younger generation was a wonderful thing for the Family.

"Alright, Yaohai, Cangchen has already explained it very clearly." Lin Yaozong suppressed the Second Elder's urge to continue the discussion and brought the topic back on track. "Cangchen, for handing over the Divine Movement Technique and performing such a great service, the Family will certainly not mistreat you. Have you received the fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones advanced to you?"

"I have received them, thank you Grandpa Clan Leader!" Lin Cangchen said quickly.

"Mm. After discussing with the two Elders, in addition to the Spirit Stones, we are awarding you five hundred family contribution points!" Lin Yaozong announced solemnly.

Five hundred points!

Lin Cangchen's heart skipped a beat again. According to Family rules, completing a dangerous Family patrol mission only rewarded ten to twenty contribution points. These five hundred points were absolutely a huge sum! He could exchange them for many good things in the Family treasury!

"Furthermore," Great Elder Lin Yaoshan added, "since you have already cultivated the Divine Movement Technique to Minor Achievement, when the Family organizes Clan Members to study this method in the future, you will need to assist and share your experience. This will also count as a Family mission, with contributions calculated separately."

"Your Grandson will not shirk his duty!" Lin Cangchen immediately stated his position. Being a teaching assistant? No problem! It would consolidate his own understanding and earn him contribution points—killing two birds with one stone.

"Mm, your cultivation is still shallow, so you should focus on cultivating." Lin Yaozong gave a final reminder. "Contribution points can be exchanged for cultivation resources in the treasury. If you have questions, you can ask Ling Feng or come directly to me. Remember, guard against arrogance and impulsiveness; keep your feet on the ground."

"Your Grandson will keep Grandpa Clan Leader's teachings in mind!"

With the rewards distributed and the inquiry successfully passed, Lin Cangchen left the Family Great Hall with an excited heart.

Five hundred contribution points in hand! He felt like he was walking on air.

Back in his courtyard, he immediately took out the "Resource Exchange List" Jade Slip provided by the Family and immersed his Divine Sense into it.

"qi gathering pills, ten contribution points per bottle? Not bad... first-rank middle-grade Magical Artifacts... hiss, too expensive, easily two or three hundred contribution points. It's highway robbery!"

"Eh? Annotations on cultivation insights for the Geng Metal Finger at the Proficient stage? Fifty contribution points? This could be considered..."

"Fifty catties of first-rank middle-grade spirit rice for twenty contribution points? Slightly cheaper than buying outside..."

He "browsed" the Family treasury with great interest, comparing the prices of contribution points and external Spirit Stones. He found that the purchasing power of contribution points was indeed good, especially for some internal Family cultivation insights or Medicinal Pills and Talismans personally refined by the Elders, which were very cost-effective.

Ultimately, he suppressed the urge to spend immediately and decided to wait and see. The priority was to raise his cultivation!

In the following days, Lin Cangchen entered a regular "Grinding Emperor" mode.

Every day, he unswervingly cultivated the Qi Guiding Art for two hours, absorbing that thin Spiritual Qi. Then he would take one qi gathering pill and spend two hours refining the medicinal power. The absorption efficiency of Five Spirit Roots was still touching, but he had plenty of pills! Ten pills a bottle, twenty pills in two—enough for him to splurge for a while.

Outside of cultivation, he continued to polish the Green Vine Art and Geng Metal Finger. Especially with the Geng Metal Finger, after consuming one [Strength Card (Weak)], he felt the golden light condensing at his fingertip become more concentrated, and its piercing power seemed to have increased. He finally naturally broke through to the Minor Achievement stage! It was faster to execute, and its power had increased by a notch.

The Spirit Concealment Art and Wind Chasing Steps also steadily progressed toward the "Proficient" stage with continuous practice and the assistance of [Agility Cards].

As for the Divine Movement Technique, he temporarily didn't put too much effort into pushing for the "Proficient" stage; after all, the Minor Achievement stage was perfectly sufficient for now, and he didn't want to bite off more than he could chew.

He also took some time to go to the Family's Lecture Hall to listen to Second Elder Lin Yaohai explain the basics of Talisman making. Although he was scolded for having a "restless mind and lack of focus," it didn't hurt to learn more. During this time, he also "happened upon" several unfortunately deceased "Spirit Feather Chickens" (First Grade, Low Rank, mainly providing meat and a small amount of Spiritual Qi feathers) raised by the Family. On the principle of not wasting anything, he secretly extracted them, obtaining several [Physical Defense Cards (Weak)] and [Spiritual Qi Cards (Trace)].

Even mosquito legs are meat! Lin Cangchen refused nothing, happily accepting it all.

His peaceful and fulfilling cultivation life passed quickly.

One day, just as he finished a round of cultivation and was about to study how to brew that jar of Heart-Clearing Tea, there was a knock at his courtyard gate.

Standing outside was Lin Lingfeng, a trace of excitement on his face.

"Cangchen, get ready. The Family has decided that in three days, the 'Yao' and 'Ling' generations will be organized at the martial arts arena for the first unified teaching of the Divine Movement Technique." Lin Lingfeng looked at him and said, "The Clan Leader has specifically named you to perform the initial demonstration and explain the key points."

Lin Cangchen was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood.

This was about pulling him out as a "model student" to serve as an example, while also being the time to test his mettle as a "teaching assistant."

He took a deep breath, an eager smile appearing on his face.

"No problem, Uncle Lingfeng, I'm ready."

It seemed that his "cultivation daily life" was about to add another small ripple. Demonstrating the Minor Achievement Divine Movement Technique in front of all the Family Elders and elites? Thinking about it was actually a bit exciting!