Chapter 11: Critical Hits, Critical Hits, and More Critical Hits!

When Lin Miaoxuan heard what Cao Xuan said, her ears turned red and her gaze became evasive. Catching sight of the stunned look on Chen Qianru’s face, she exclaimed, “Senior brother, you’re so annoying!” She gave Cao Xuan a gentle punch, clutched the three jade slips to her chest, and turned to run away.

‘It’s over, Qianru saw everything. How embarrassing!’

‘How could senior brother say such mushy things in front of someone else?’

‘And he picked these out just for me—ah, one movement technique, one offensive art, and one defensive art. Senior brother’s thoughtfulness knows no bounds!’

[Ding~ Gifted Lin Miaoxuan “Lightfoot Technique”, “Azure Origin Sword”, “Spiritual Energy Barrier.” Cashback in progress.]

[Ding~ Lin Miaoxuan’s multiplier is tenfold. Due to intense emotional fluctuation, a critical bonus has been triggered!]

[Cashback: “Heavenly Firmament Wandering Step,” “Celestial Azure Dao Sword,” “Golden Body Barrier!”]

[Ding~ Critical bonus triggered. Granting mastery insights into all three arts!]

As Lin Miaoxuan left, the panel before Cao Xuan’s eyes began to flicker. The three techniques imprinted themselves directly into his mind; unlike before, when he only had the texts but no understanding, now he had instantly achieved basic mastery in all three.

Before Cao Xuan could dwell on this, Chen Qianru turned to chase after Lin Miaoxuan.

“Fairy, please wait!”

“Uh, I mean, Junior Sister Chen, please wait!”

Cao Xuan blurted out instinctively. Chen Qianru turned around, looking at him with puzzled eyes.

At this moment, her emotions churned violently. So there really were such “boot-lickers” in the cultivation world!

“Um… Senior Brother Cao, you…”

Before she could finish, Cao Xuan placed two jade slips in her palm.

Feeling the smooth coolness of the jade slips, her eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at him.

“Ahem, I see that Junior Sister Chen is about to break through to the fourth layer of Qi Refining,” he said. “Earlier, I noticed you were reading some texts about elixirs on the first floor. It just so happens that I have two books, ‘Analysis of Spiritual Herbs’ and ‘Introductory Alchemy…’”

The moment she heard the names of these two techniques, Chen Qianru’s heart skipped a beat.

Indeed, unlike Lin Miaoxuan, Chen Qianru had already mapped out her future—she aspired to become a revered master alchemist.

But just as cultivation required rare talent, so did alchemy. No one could guarantee they possessed the gift for it.

The same was true for Chen Qianru. Though she read miscellaneous notes on alchemy, it was more a cherished hope than a certainty. Once she reached the fourth layer of Qi Refining, she planned to try her luck at the Alchemy Peak of Azure Cloud Sect. Most of her odd jobs involved the Spiritual Herb Valley or Spiritual Plant Fields, so she could familiarize herself with various herbs in advance.

For a fleeting moment, she instinctively gripped the two jade slips tightly, but soon, a woman’s instinctive wariness made her loosen her hold and reply coldly, “Senior Brother Cao, what do you mean by this?”

Just moments earlier, she had entertained the idea of vying for Cao Xuan’s affection. But if he was the unprincipled sort who toyed with female cultivators, she would never let him succeed.

In her view, if she managed to win him over, it was a testament to her own ability. But if it was Cao Xuan who was fickle and sought to play them both—no way!

Seeing the sudden chill in her gaze, Cao Xuan was prepared. He put on a sheepish look and feigned shyness. “Junior Sister Chen, you misunderstand!”

“That’s not what I meant. You see, although Junior Sister Lin and I are both disciples of Azure Cloud Sect, we’re not actually close. We only met once by chance at the Green Mountain Market.”

He was not lying; this was indeed the truth, and so his tone brimmed with sincerity.

He continued, “You’re about to break through and join the outer sect. These two techniques are always available at the Scripture Pavilion. They’re nothing precious. I merely borrowed them on your behalf ahead of time. I just hope that in the future, when you’re with Junior Sister Lin, you can put in a good word for me.”

At his words, Chen Qianru’s expression softened at once. Glancing at the jade slips in her hands, she, being well-informed, knew that copying jade slips cost spirit stones. It was hardly as casual as Cao Xuan claimed—just being able to read them after passing the fourth layer didn’t mean you could take them with you. Carrying jade slips was a world apart from browsing them in the pavilion.

But since Cao Xuan had offered her an easy way out, Chen Qianru took it gracefully.

She tucked the jade slips away naturally. “Since Senior Brother Cao puts it that way, I’ll be sure to speak well of you to Miaoxuan in the future.”

As she spoke, she produced a communication talisman from her robes. “This is my contact talisman. If you ever need anything, reach out to me in advance. As long as it doesn’t break the rules, I’ll do my best to help.”

With an excited heart, Chen Qianru turned and left.

At that moment, her mind replayed only those words from Cao Xuan: “I’m not close with Junior Sister Lin, it was just a chance encounter.”

If that’s so, doesn’t that mean I have a chance?

In this short period, she had already recognized Cao Xuan’s “magnanimity”—he gifted five jade slips without a second thought!

In that instant, Chen Qianru found herself thinking just as Lin Miaoxuan once had—she could not let such a scion slip through her fingers.

“As the saying goes, fate must be seized, or it will be lost forever!”

That was her inner conviction.

After Chen Qianru left, Cao Xuan, who had been feigning calm, couldn’t suppress a grin wider than any AK.

[Ding~ Gifted Chen Qianru “Analysis of Spiritual Herbs” and “Introductory Alchemy.” Cashback in progress.]

[Ding~ Chen Qianru’s multiplier is tenfold. Due to intense emotional fluctuation, a critical bonus has been triggered!]

[Cashback: “Compendium of Thousand-Spirit Flora,” “True Explanation of the Alchemy Dao!”]

[Ding~ Critical bonus triggered. Granting mastery insights into both techniques!]

Just like before, the two techniques instantly appeared in Cao Xuan’s mind, as if he had studied them a hundred times and mastered them thoroughly.

Back in his quarters, Cao Xuan finally let loose.

“Hahaha! The ‘Compendium of Thousand-Spirit Flora’ records nearly every spirit plant and herb in the cultivation world—even some legendary treasures of heaven and earth!”

He could barely contain his excitement. Unlike the other four techniques, “Compendium of Thousand-Spirit Flora” was akin to an herbal encyclopedia. With it etched into his mind, he instantly had a vast understanding of spiritual herbs.

“As long as I see a herb, I’ll immediately know its properties. This is a divine tool for creating original pill formulas in the future.”

With a mere thought, the information for “Yellow Ganoderma,” an ingredient in the Qi Gathering Pill, surfaced in his mind.

[Yellow Ganoderma: Also known as Polygonatum. Sweet, neutral, non-toxic. Nourishes the liver and brightens the eyes. Widely used as a supplementary ingredient in beginner-level spiritual pills.]

“Hmm? Wait, I understand the value of mastery insights for the other four techniques, but what use is it for the ‘Compendium of Thousand-Spirit Flora’?”

[Ding~ Would you like to use the mastery insight for ‘Compendium of Thousand-Spirit Flora’?]

[Yes/No]

Cao Xuan did not hesitate and selected [Yes]!

Boom—

A torrent of information surged into his mind!