“I caught these few Treasure Fish the other day when I had some free time.”

Chen Cheng found a rope, strung up the four Green-Eyed Red-Scale Carp and the one White-bellied Golden Eel he had caught on his way back, and handed them to Qing Chan.

These five Treasure Fish all had properties that nourished and strengthened the body.

Right now, Chen Cheng had plenty of Golden-backed Exotic Bear Dried Meat, and the nourishing effects of a dozen or so pieces were comparable to these five Treasure Fish.

The key was that Chen Cheng had unlocked the Moon Breath Characteristic, and catching Treasure Fish would become much easier from now on.

For this reason, Chen Cheng didn’t feel the slightest pang of regret giving away the five Treasure Fish.

“I don’t really have anything else presentable at the moment. It’s a humble gift, but I hope your master won’t mind.”

Chen Cheng’s expression was serious and his tone sincere, but Li Wenrou, who was standing to the side, was completely stunned.

Five Treasure Fish!

Five!

‘You call this a humble gift? Then what would you call a generous one? You tell me!’

Li Wenrou’s eyes went wide.

She was stunned for a few moments before she came to her senses.

To her, five Treasure Fish was a huge amount.

But to a noble who could casually give away thirty thousand taels of silver, it could indeed only be considered a humble gift.

“You worry too much, sir. My master would never look down on this gift. In fact, this is precisely what she wants most right now!”

Qing Chan said with a beaming smile:

“Zhao Ye has a huge appetite, but it can’t eat dried fish every day. The problem is, after exchanging for fresh fish, we have to wait over a month to receive them. My master was just worrying about this. You’ve been a huge help, sir!”

Qing Chan paused, then couldn’t help but sigh softly:

“It’s just a shame… these five fresh fish will only last a few days before Zhao Ye finishes them all.”

“…Xiao Qing Chan, don’t be anxious. Just come find me again in a few days.”

Chen Cheng said calmly:

“I’ll be going into the water frequently in the near future. I should be able to catch some more Treasure Fish. I’ll save them all for you.”

“Really, sir?”

Qing Chan’s eyes lit up, her previously furrowed brows instantly smoothing out as she broke into a radiant smile:

“I’ll go back right away and tell my master what you said. She’ll definitely be thrilled to hear it!”

After speaking, Qing Chan gave Chen Cheng a slight bow, then left without looking back. Her steps were light, subtly employing a Body Technique, and in the blink of an eye, she vanished deep down the winding path.

“Chen Cheng! You’ve got some skills, kid!”

Li Wenrou couldn’t hold it in any longer and exclaimed in amazement:

“And here I was, thinking about introducing you to a sponsor! You, on the other hand, have been secretly befriending such a noble person, and you even pretended to be poor in front of everyone, insisting on joining the Fishing Pavilion… No, wait!”

“Now I know why you wanted to join the Fishing Pavilion! You must have a Treasure Hunting Secret Technique! Joining the Fishing Pavilion is the perfect environment for you—it’s like you were made for it!”

“…I really am poor.”

Chen Cheng said:

“That noble person and I are just ordinary friends. There’s no sponsorship. From now on, I have to walk every step myself and earn every resource on my own.”

“As for a Treasure Hunting Secret Technique, I do know a thing or two. But please, Steward Li, don’t tell anyone. Please keep this secret for me.”

“…Why hide a skill like that?”

Li Wenrou said:

“You have both an Innate Iron Lung and a Treasure Hunting Secret Technique! The Sea Courtyard would treat you like their most precious treasure. Becoming a Pavilion Master’s True Inheritance would let you skip decades of struggle…”

“No, it’s not just skipping the struggle, it’s letting you leap over the dragon gate and soar into the heavens in one go!”

“…I have my own plans.”

Chen Cheng looked at her silently but didn’t explain further.

Li Wenrou was taken aback for a moment, then nodded firmly.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take this secret to my grave. I won’t breathe a single word of it!”

Chen Cheng nodded and changed the subject:

“Steward Li, is there something special about this Secret Six Harmonies Spear? I’ve looked at all the Martial Arts in the Outer Sect’s resource catalog, and the price for this one is in a league of its own.”

“…It’s expensive for a reason.”

Li Wenrou said:

“To explain the value of this Martial Art, we have to start with the Divine Storage Realm.”

“There’s a saying: ‘I stand without, the Divine Treasure is hidden within.’ The ‘I’ in this case refers to the ‘Acquired Self.'”

“When a Martial Artist tempers their body and condenses their Blood Qi, they are strengthening their Acquired Self. Once the Nine Pillars of Blood Qi are established, the Acquired Self is also considered established.”

Li Wenrou paused, her tone growing significantly heavier:

“Here comes the important part. Although Blood Qi is developed through Acquired means, its root lies in one’s Innate talent. To put it bluntly, you have to be made of the right stuff to condense the Nine Pillars of Blood Qi.”

“That’s why all Blood Qi secretly contains ‘Innate Qi’. By condensing the Nine Blood, one generates the first strand of Innate Qi. The essence of the blood is an offering to the ‘Divine,’ which is how the term ‘Innate Divine Qi’ came to be.”

“The stronger the Innate Divine Qi, the stronger the ‘Qi Force’! Before Qi Force, the three forces of Ming, Dark, and Transformation are nothing but ants!”

Li Wenrou paused to look at Chen Cheng, and only continued after confirming he fully understood:

“And the strength of one’s Innate Divine Qi, aside from being determined by one’s innate talent, has a more important deciding factor: Secret Martial Arts!”

“A Martial Artist can practice many kinds of Secret Martial Arts, but the one used to condense the Nine Blood and give birth to Divine Qi must be a single, specific art. And once chosen, it can never be changed!”

“Simply put, the stronger the Martial Art used for Blood Coagulation and Qi Generation, the stronger the first strand of Innate Divine Qi will be. This, in turn, makes your Qi Force stronger, and naturally, your overall strength will be greater than others at the Same Tier.”

“…I understand.”

Chen Cheng said:

“So this Secret Six Harmonies Spear is so expensive precisely because it is the most powerful Secret Martial Art in the entire Outer Sect, bar none.”

“Correct, but not entirely correct.”

Li Wenrou said:

“This Secret Martial Art was created several hundred years ago by an old ancestor of the Sword Pavilion. Only a person of supreme Comprehension can reach the Entry Level. In hundreds of years, only a dozen or so people have ever managed it!”

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