I, Who Hate Marine So Much, Have Become A Future Nika?

Chapter 26: Yan Lingdie, the Practitioner of Precious Arts

The exhaustion brought about by extreme cultivation left Zhong Cang feeling listless and lost in his thoughts.

Fortunately, he didn't have to ponder for long. Shui Bo quickly called Zhong Cang over and explained why Yan Lingdie hadn't come.

"Stimulated by you, Miss Yan went to a secret realm to cultivate a precious art. She won't be coming over for some time."

"...Thank you for letting me know."

Zhong Cang spoke with a hint of frustration. Without Yan Lingdie's presence, his source of spirit stones would be gone.

"It seems that I'll have to save up on cultivation during this time... Or perhaps I should take the initiative and find some clients?"

While Zhong Cang furrowed his brows and planned his next steps, Shui Bo, who had finished explaining the situation, didn't leave. Instead, he handed Zhong Cang some spirit stones.

"???"

"These are what Miss Yan asked me to give you."

"Uh... I can't accept these."

Although Yan Lingdie had given him quite a few spirit stones before, Zhong Cang had worked for them. His role as her sparring partner had also contributed to Yan Lingdie's growth. So, back then, he had accepted the spirit stones without any guilt.

But now, receiving them for free, it felt like he was mooching off others, which didn't align with Zhong Cang's mindset. It would also make him feel inferior to Yan Lingdie. Therefore, he didn't want to accept them.

Shui Bo was quite satisfied with Zhong Cang's instinctive refusal to take the spirit stones. This reaction revealed Zhong Cang's character.

Because of this, he wanted to recruit Zhong Cang as Yan Lingdie's subordinate. Having watched Yan Lingdie grow up since she was young and having taken care of her for a long time, he had developed a fondness for the adorable Yan Lingdie and wanted her to live a good life.

In a large family like theirs, resources were abundant, and competition was fierce. In order to compete for resources, the descendants of the big family needed not only personal strength but also their own forces and subordinates.

Zhong Cang had good talent and a decent character, which was why Shui Bo wanted him to assist Yan Lingdie.

"Take them. These spirit stones are nothing to the Yan family."

"And don't burden yourself with any guilt. Miss Yan didn't give you these spirit stones for free. She wants you to cultivate diligently during this time and face her return in the most perfect state."

"If you want to repay Miss Yan, then strive to improve yourself. The stronger you become, the more pressure you can bring to Miss Yan, and the faster she will grow."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Cang fell silent and understood something more clearly.

Yan Lingdie was indeed the proud type of girl he had imagined. She wanted to surpass her strongest self to prove her worth.

After understanding everything, Zhong Cang no longer acted coy and reached out to accept the spirit stones.

After completing the tasks Yan Lingdie had assigned him, Shui Bo nodded in satisfaction. However, he didn't leave immediately. Instead, he calmly spoke, "Do you remember my proposal from yesterday?"

Before Zhong Cang could respond, Shui Bo waved his hand and said, "I'm not asking for your answer now. I just want to tell you something."

As he spoke, his expression carried a hint of reminiscence and a touch of sighing. "I know your aspirations. You believe that your talent in swordsmanship is good enough to become an inner disciple. In fact, when I was young, I had the same aspirations. But do you know..."

His gaze fixed on Zhong Cang, Shui Bo's expression turned somewhat sorrowful as he continued, "The reason why inner disciples can stand on equal footing with the descendants of cultivation families is because the majority of inner disciples are the children of cultivation families. If you want to become an inner disciple, you'll have to compete with geniuses like Miss Yan."

Shui Bo's peculiar expression made Zhong Cang realize that he also had his own past.

However, at this moment, Zhong Cang couldn't afford to think about that. He nervously asked, "The majority of inner disciples are the children of cultivation families... Does that mean disciples from humble backgrounds like us can't become inner disciples?"

This was the aspect that worried Zhong Cang the most.

He wasn't afraid of the high requirements to become an inner disciple. What he feared was the rigid class structure within the Cloud Firmament Sect.

If that's the case, it will be difficult for Zhong Cang to cross social classes; he will be at odds with all the beneficiaries.

Fortunately, the next words from Shui Bo relieved Zhong Cang.

"It's not like that. The inner sect of the Cloud Firmament Sect is divided into family factions and master-disciple factions. The family factions are led by the three clans and five surnames, while the master-disciple factions are led by the three peaks. Half of the inner sect disciples are from the family, and the other half are outstanding talents from humble backgrounds."

After saying this, Shui Bo noticed that Zhong Cang let out a long sigh of relief. Shui Bo snorted coldly and said, "Don't be too happy. You have no idea how powerful the family members are... In a few days, the young lady will return, and she will show you how terrifying it is to have both resources and talent as a family member."

"Only a few tens of thousands of people can truly stand on equal footing with them. Your talent in swordsmanship is nothing compared to the family members. In the eyes of true geniuses, it is also fragile!"

Having been defeated by both family members and true geniuses and witnessed their terror, Shui Bo didn't think that Zhong Cang, who only had outstanding talent in swordsmanship, could achieve his ideals.

Zhong Cang did not argue about this.

Time will witness everything.

After finishing the matter, Shui Bo left.

As Zhong Cang played with the spirit stone in his hand, he also understood the true reason why the Yan family gave him the spirit stone.

Or rather, one of the reasons.

They haven't given up on the idea of subduing him yet. Moreover, the Yan family is now paying attention to Yan Lingdie, who has returned from cultivation, and they believe that she has the ability to crush him and break his arrogance.

Thinking like this, they would give him the spirit stone, which is a demonstration of their generosity and makes Zhong Cang feel that it is advantageous to join them.

They also believe that Zhong Cang will eventually become their subordinate, and giving him the spirit stone now is like meat in the pot.

"So confident. It seems that Yan Lingdie's cultivation this time has great power. I also need to prepare... Wait, it seems like I have advanced to the fourth level of Qi Refining."

"And I forgot to tell the Yan family about my advancement to the fourth level of Qi Refining."

Advancement is Zhong Cang's own business, and theoretically, there is no need to tell others.

But as a sparring partner, it is necessary for Zhong Cang to inform his employer about his strengths and abilities.

In this way, the employer will have some impression of his abilities and decide whether to hire him.

Publicly disclosing his information may make some people uncomfortable, but making money from work is like this.

Hardly anyone finds pleasure in their work.

Compared to the Lingzhi farmers who work in the fields year after year, or the cultivators who risk their lives to venture into the Cloud Mist Wilderness, Zhong Cang's disclosure of his information is not a big deal.

After all, in his previous life, he made his information into a resume and sent it out countless times.

"Moreover, if I can ensure not to use it during sparring, cultivators can also conceal their own information."

This is indeed a method, but Zhong Cang does not have the need to conceal his own cultivation level advancement.

He has been at the late stage of the third level of Qi Refining for a long time, so it is not surprising to break through to the fourth level of Qi Refining.

However, after practicing all night without any crisis, Zhong Cang's spirit was extremely exhausted and dull.

He forgot to mention this matter.

Looking in the direction Shui Bo flew away, and thinking about the inner sect where the Yan family is located, Zhong Cang gave up the idea of immediately informing them.

"Forget it, let's wait a few days to see Yan Lingdie."

"And Shui Bo said... if I want to repay Yan Lingdie, I need to improve myself. The stronger I am, the more pressure I can bring to this young lady and help her grow faster... and those young ladies also want to defeat a stronger me. This way, she will have a sense of accomplishment."

"Therefore, advancing to the fourth level of Qi Refining is a good thing for her... I think?"

...

(End of this chapter)