A few days later.
'You have completed one perfect circulation of the Longevity Technique, proficiency +10.'
Shen Ling, who was in the midst of cultivating, slowly opened his eyes and shook his head back and forth as he looked at his current proficiency rate.
This was Shen Ling's current information:
'Perseverance and Hard Work 3.0'
'Name: Shen Ling.'
'Age: 17.'
'Cultivation technique: Longevity Technique [rank-nine low-grade cultivation technique, level two, proficiency 5500/10000].'
'Status: Poisoned.'
The poison was still in his body.
However, Shen Ling was less worried about it.
Once he had cultivated the Longevity Technique to level two, Shen Ling discovered that the poison's effect on him was already less.
He had a feeling that as long as he cultivated the technique to level three, the poison from the Seven Days Soul Severing powder would be gone from his system.
After lunch.
Xiao Huan saw Shen Ling and said, "Eldest Young Master, Master is heading off to Chennan Trading Company. He asked if you'd like to come with him."
Chennan Trading Company?
Shen Ling thought it over for a minute and nodded his head. "I just so happen to be bored, so I'll go outside for a stroll."
"Mmm, okay." With a smile on her face, Xiao Huan nodded her head agreeably.
Soon after, Shen Ling got into the carriage with Master Shen and together they headed towards Chennan Trading Company.
The carriage drove for a distance before slowing to a stop. Shen Ling right away got out of the carriage to peer up at the signboard.
Chennan Trading Company.
According to Shen Ling's memories he had been here countless times, but in his eyes, what he saw was a large department store.
However, Shen Ling had heard somewhere before that the Chennan Trading Company had immense power. Their caravans were so heavily guarded, bandits and thieves stayed clear out of their path.
As Shen Ling lowered his gaze to the ground, the manager of the Chennan Trading Company walked out at this time and headed in their direction. "Oh, it's Young Master Shen. Isn't this great? You haven't been here in a while, and I just happened to have a new batch of books in stock. Do you want to take some time to browse through the titles?"
"Ahem."
Old Master Shen, who had just got down from the carriage, was already coughing.
Hearing this, the manager of the Chennan Trading Company lifted his head. "Oh, Old Master Shen is here today too. You can blame my poor eyesight for not seeing Old Master Shen back there. The two of you, welcome back. If there's anything you need, just say the word and I'll have it for you."
Master Shen nodded his head and walked inside.
Shen Ling was right behind him.
Chennan Trading Company's branch in Qi Hua City just so happened to be a three-story building in an extremely large and prosperous area.
The interior space was decorated grandly and tastefully. It gave people a very comfortable feeling without seeming cheap at all.
The manager himself personally received Master Shen.
As for Shen Ling, a very good-looking beauty was assigned to him.
This woman didn't look bad, and her figure was a nice round and plump shape. However, her older years gave her a certain mature charm.
"What is Young Master Shen looking for?"
When she saw Shen Ling, the woman spoke without hurry. Her voice was gentle and soft and it was very pleasing to the ear.
Now matter which way you looked at it, this woman's attitude did not seem like she was selling goods to you at all.
Shen Ling was slightly mystified, but he did not bother to say anything about it.
"Do you have any books on cultivation techniques?"
Shen Ling slowly asked this. After he arrived at the Chennan Trading Company, it suddenly occurred to him that this was the place where he could easily get more information on cultivation techniques.
Although this might cost him a pretty penny, going about it this way was much simpler compared to other methods.
"Yes."
The woman nodded her head and smilingly said, "Whatever information on cultivation technique you need, we have it here for you."
Though her tone was very arrogant, Shen Ling did not for one moment doubt her words.
He didn't know much about the background of the Chennan Trading Company, but in the eyes of this prestigious department store, he was nothing more than a wealthy young master from Qi Hua City.
"You can follow me."
The woman motioned with her hand, and Shen Ling followed her to the third level of the Chennan Trading Company.
Inside the secret room on the third floor, Shen Ling saw more books on cultivation techniques.
"'Great Qian Art'?'
Staring at these three words, Shen Ling was left dumbfounded for a good moment.
He distantly recalled that the kingdom he was in was called the Great Qian Dynasty. Could this 'Great Qian Art' be…
"You can believe it. This cultivation technique is the royal family's."
The woman seemed to notice Shen Ling's confused gaze and immediately gave the subject matter some more background.
Shen Ling rapidly blinked his eyes.
They even dared to sell the cultivation technique of the royal family. This Chennan Trading Company was even more powerful than he had originally thought them to be.
"How much are you charging for this?"
Shen Ling asked hesitantly.
"Ten million taels."
The woman spoke in a soft voice as the words 'ten million taels' left her mouth.
Ten million taels?
Shen Ling did some calculations in his head. If he calculated it according to one tael of silver equaling one thousand yuan, then ten million taels was how much?
After he did the math, Shen Ling shook his head back and forth.
Though his Shen family was considered a wealthy family in Qi Hua City, their actual assets were only a few thousand taels.
This was barely a fraction of what the 'Great Qian Art' was worth.
This cultivation technique book was indeed very expensive!
After coming to the realization that he might be able to afford a top-of-the-grade cultivation technique book, Shen Ling decided he would have to settle for second best and buy something within his price range.
"And how much is this book?"
After browsing through the titles for a while, Shen Ling finally held up a saber technique book and asked.
The woman checked out the cultivation technique book and said, "This is a rank-nine low-grade Mountain-splitting Saber Technique. It's worth a tael of silver."
It was so cheap!
Shen Ling's eyes instantly lit up, and he right away took out one tael of silver and placed it in the woman's hands. "I'll buy it!"
The woman took the tael of silver and asked Shen Ling, "This is your first book on saber technique, right? Our store is known all around for our top of the line sabers. Do you want to take a look at our merchandise?"
"Sure." Shen Ling nodded his head.
The woman then led him to the first floor where they stopped in the weapons district.
Shen Ling took a look around and he found himself surrounded by glinting knives.
From large sabers with folded pockets to all kinds of scimitars and ancient sabers, he had never seen so many sabers in one room. The Chennan Trading Company had everything here.
"How much is this?"
Picking up a very good-looking knife, Shen Ling turned to ask the woman.
"This knife is one hundred taels."
The woman said.
Shen Ling pulled out the knife to test it out with his finger. After he lightly flicked the blade and heard its echo, he nodded his head, clearly satisfied.
This was definitely a good knife.
The only thing was that it was too expensive.
"This is a longsword, correct?"
Pulling the sword out of its sheath, Shen Ling looked everywhere in the store but didn't see another knife like it.
A trace of shock shot through the woman's eyes, and then with a smile on her face, she said, "I never expected Young Master Shen to know so much about weapons. This is indeed a longsword but after our master forgers modified it, this knife will be even more useful in battle."
Shen Ling nodded his head.
There had been a lot of talk on the usefulness of the longsword How it proved to be an exceptional blade during combat. With its recent modifications, the longsword in his hands was even more excellent. The hilt of the blade was not short but fit in his hands perfectly and the blade was extremely long, perfect for slashing through any obstacles.
One hundred taels…
Shen Ling looked at the knife in his hands, and after comparing it with all the others, he decided to obediently take out his money.
This knife was worth one hundred thousand yuan!
This was so expensive!
Seeing Shen Ling making his way out of the Chennan Trading Company, the woman said, "Be sure you take care, Young Master Shen. And come again next time."
After Shen Ling left, the woman looked at the person next to her and asked, "Do you know anything about Young Master Shen's cultivation skills?"
The person next to her shook his head back and forth.
When Shen Ling got home, he took the expensive longsword out and flipped open the book on the Mountain-splitting Saber Technique.
Shen Ling felt that the Mountain-splitting Saber Technique Book was worth every penny.
It not only had a simple heart technique, it even had a posture diagram to help one's cultivation.
After memorizing everything, Shen Ling made his way into the courtyard.
He pulled out his longsword and swept in in a horizontal motion.
This was the first move of the Mountain-splitting Saber Technique.
Next, the vertical chop!
This was the second move of the technique.
After he made the vertical chop, the muscles in Shen Ling's arms swelled to the size of balloons. Then another vertical chop.
This was the third movement of the technique.
With three simple movements and the mental cultivation method, this rank-nine low-grade Mountain-splitting Saber Technique elevated his status.
'You have completed one full practice of Mountain-splitting Saber Technique, proficiency +5.'
Shen Ling continued to swing his sword in a swift motion, showing off his powerful blade.
