The Top Efficiency Cultivator

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Sister Lin’s Nineteenth Lesson

◎ No Empty Trips, No Detours ◎

“Hahaha, Junior Sister Lin, everything you said is correct—”

Inside the inn, the laughter of the Crown Prince and the sound of people coming upstairs could be faintly heard.

Bai Yu closed his eyes and took a step back.

Their plan had failed…

The previous Demon King, the mother of the current Lord, the Great Nine-Tailed Immortal, had gone mad a hundred years ago and was killed by powerful cultivators and the leaders of the Thirteen Tribes.

However, in less than three days, when the Lord returned from studying in the Endless Sea, the remains of the Demon King and the elders of the thirteen clans had all disappeared without a trace from the Demon Burial Valley.

Now, a group of evil cultivators with human bones had appeared. Everything seemed to imply a connection between the two.

The cultivators and the powerful beings of the demon clans who had besieged the Demon King might have already betrayed him and secretly conspired with the evil cultivators. The fall of the Demon King might have concealed a hidden secret.

However, they had spent many years infiltrating various human sects and tracking down the vanguards of these evil cultivators, but they had all disappeared without a trace.

This time, the Lord intended to lure out the evil cultivators in Hua Ming City.

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If it was related to the remains, they would pretend to be seriously injured, release the bait, and then identify the person and demon behind it.

Having Lin Shuang involved was just an accident. They had been trailing Liu Ba, the wielder of the Golden Hammer, before. However, the bag containing the bones had disappeared from her possession. They had to verify her identity.

If she didn’t show any abnormalities in this mission and didn’t show greed for the bones, even if the Lord disliked human cultivators, he wouldn’t trouble her.

But now—

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it. Who would have thought that the cicada would overturn the entire chessboard, making the guest the master?

Bai Yu sighed helplessly.

Crown Prince Cheng’s hearty laughter was already heard outside the door.

He was a quarter of an incense stick’s time earlier than what he had said!

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“Instead of delaying it to another day, it’s better to proceed today. Thanks to Manager Huangfu, who brought Lin Daoist friend, she helped me organize my schedule, I finished the two-day inspection arrangements earlier than in previous years. Time management, how marvelous.”

The faint crease at the corner of Huangfu Yuan’s slender eyes couldn’t help but twitch.

The four little dogs under his feet scattered as if frightened.

Bai Yu felt suffocated and looked at the trio of Lin Shuang behind the Crown Prince.

Lin Shuang had a relaxed expression, but it was filled with the satisfaction and relief of “saved time.”

Bai Yu was stiff.

The Crown Prince laughed heartily and couldn’t wait to remove the dark gray warrior’s robe disguising his identity. Underneath, he wore a suit made of Bai Na silk. He respectfully extended a mustard seed-sized finger ring from his sleeve towards Huangfu Yuan.

“Steward Huangfu, I’ve brought the spirit stones.”

Although the Crown Prince had a charming appearance, he was wholeheartedly devoted to cultivation. He wasn’t foolish and knew that second and third-tier spiritual treasures often attracted covetous eyes.

If it weren’t for worldly affairs delaying him, he would have completed the transaction ahead of time to avoid trouble later.

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Lin Shuang’s arrival was like a timely rain for him!

Huangfu Yuan’s fingertip pressed against the new jade-carved hand furnace, causing a vein to pop on his fingertip.
A pale smile appeared at the corner of his lips, giving off a gentle, almost playful, smile.

“Crown Prince, I understand your urgency, but you’ve been busy during the day, and taking the elixir tonight is a bit rushed. Perhaps a short rest and meditation would be more appropriate.

“Tomorrow noon would be more suitable.”

Bai Yu sighed in relief. Tomorrow at noon, at least three or four evil cultivators and the assassins from the Annihilation Pavilion would have arrived.

However, when he shifted his gaze, he saw Lin Shuang giving a knowing look to the Crown Prince, Bai Yu’s heart skipped a beat.

Sure enough, Lin Shuang smiled, and the Crown Prince laughed heartily.

“Manager Huangfu, indeed, you’re considerate of me. As you said, Junior Sister Lin had already thought of it and calculated it for me.”

Huangfu Yuan’s lips twitched.

“On the way, I followed Junior Sister Lin’s advice and made preparations for tonight’s meditation, taking a short nap in the carriage.”

“Upon waking up, I burnt incense and worshipped the ancestral shrine in the carriage, then headed straight to the inn.”

Crown Prince Cheng seemed quite satisfied. “I am fully prepared at the moment.”

Burning incense and paying respects to the ancestral shrine in the carriage!?

Bai Yu: “…”

He should have thought of it when he saw the Crown Prince!

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This woman, this lightning-fast woman, couldn’t possibly have any… flaws affecting her speed!

Help!

Huangfu Yuan pursed his lips, and the corners of his eyes lightly twitched. He chuckled softly and looked at Lin Shuang.

“Sister, you’re impressive.”

Lin Shuang also nodded in satisfaction. “Mutual admiration.” Both of them were efficiency-focused cultivators.

Huangfu Yuan was panting, almost unable to catch his breath.

“Manager Huangfu?” The Crown Prince was becoming impatient.

Huangfu Yuan waved his hand and quickly calmed down, signaling Bai Yu to bring the jade box containing the Third Rank Fusion Immortal Pill.

“A Third Rank Fusion Immortal Pill,” Huangfu Yuan declared, “can help Your Highness break through to the Fifth Layer of Condensing Yuan within ten years.”

The Crown Prince was ecstatic.

Huangfu Yuan pondered for a moment. “You can absorb up to twenty percent of the pill’s power the first time. Your Highness is an honored guest of the Rongbao Pavilion. According to the rules of the Rongbao Pavilion, once the guardian has absorbed twenty percent of the pill’s power, the transaction is considered complete, and the final payment is collected.”

Meanwhile, Zhao Keran, who had stayed behind at the inn, while they conducted the transaction, curiously asked in a low voice, “Sister, how did you do it? The Crown Prince’s two-day schedule, how did you finish it in one day?”

Zhou Xuanwu silently perked up his ears.

Huangfu Yuan and Bai Yu remained silent simultaneously.

Lin Shuang, not hiding anything, replied generously, “Naturally, I referred to modern express delivery services and management guidelines for prioritizing tasks in the four quadrants.”

Complete silence fell upon the group.

Only Zhao Keran, unashamed to ask, said, “What’s express delivery?”

Since there were no threats at the moment, guarding the task was equivalent to idleness. Lin Shuang didn’t mind taking this opportunity to teach her junior.

“Minimizing inefficiency: avoid detours, empty trips, and unnecessary inspections.”

“Increasing efficiency: add dual routes, or even multiple routes in parallel, and schedule short breaks in between.”

“???”

Everyone had question marks on their faces.

Only Zhao Keran, who struggled to keep up, asked, “What is an empty trip?”

Lin Shuang patted her junior sister’s shoulder. “You still have a long way to go in mastering the fastest learning.”

Everyone: “…”

Zhao Keran hung her head in shame.

“Hehe,” the Crown Prince laughed as he consumed the Third Rank pill. “Each time I moved to the next location, Sister Lin had the person in charge of the next inspection location to report to me in the carriage.”

This was avoiding empty trips.

Zhao Keran suddenly understood.

“Later, when she saw that I still had energy left, she suggested that all the shops requiring inspection should conduct what’s called… oh yes, video meetings. This way, I could conduct inspections of a dozen or so shops simultaneously while on the road.”

These were parallel routes.

Zhao Keran felt like her brain was about to explode.

Lin Shuang smiled and nodded in approval at the Crown Prince.

An apt pupil.

“Your Highness, the best time for cultivation is at midnight when the energies of Yin and Yang intersect. Tonight, I’ve arranged a top-tier room for you.”

The Crown Prince was overjoyed. “Thank you, Daoist Lin.”

He felt like he was experiencing extraordinary transaction service.

Every step of the way, they were ahead of what he had in mind!

So considerate, so thoughtful.

“Next time, I’ll hire you for protection as well.”

He was incredibly satisfied.

Lin Shuang smiled and nodded.

“Well, our task is complete. Senior Huangfu, Senior Bai, Your Highness, and everyone, farewell.”

Bai Yu: “???”

Huangfu Yuan: “…”

A metallic taste rose in his throat.

“Oh, Manager Huangfu, regarding my elder brother’s stolen remains, does the Rongbao Pavilion have any information?”

Lin Shuang’s footsteps paused.

***

Rongbao Pavilion.

Remains.

Lin Shuang stepped out of the top-tier room, lost in thought.

She had initially thought that Rongbao Pavilion primarily dealt with talismans and elixirs.

Could these remains be related to the finger bones in the bag of the Golden Hammer, which used to belong to Liu Ba?

“I’ve heard about this from my cousin,” Zhao Keran said, also quite interested. “Four years ago, Emperor Ming died in battle, but a year later, when the servants went to pay their respects, they noticed something strange about the tombstone. When they moved the coffin, they found that over half of the remains were missing.”

Lin Shuang frowned. “What was Emperor Ming’s cultivation level?”

“Well, it seems he was at the Condensation Stage, but I don’t know the specifics,” Zhao Keran shook her head.

Walking behind them, Zhou Xuanwu spoke up just as they were about to close the door. “Emperor Ming had seen countless battles and never parted with the Red Tassel Wooden Warehouse. It’s said that before he died in battle, he practiced the Wooden Warehouse every day without fail and even created a technique for it, allowing him to contend with those in the Foundation Building stage.”

As he spoke, a tinge of regret appeared on his face, diluting the awkwardness of speaking too much.

“My Master Li told me this because he thought my physique was more suitable for practicing the Long Wooden Warehouse.”

Creating a technique for the Wooden Warehouse was nothing short of genius.

Lin Shuang’s left index finger under her sleeve moved for a moment, and it felt like the scar on her finger had been scalded.

Could it be that her original body was inherently talented for cultivation?

And after merging with her time management efficiency, it became even more accelerated.

The original body had been injured ten years ago, and the finger bones in the bag of the Golden Hammer… Could they be related to Emperor Ming? Were the three connected in some way?

“I’ll see you tomorrow, my two junior sisters,” Zhou Xuanwu said and then left in a hurry as if he were embarrassed by talking too much today.