Utilizing the Perfection stage Light Body Technique and Wind Riding Art throughout the journey, Lin Zhou returned to his simple thatched hut in just one hour, a trip that originally took half a day.
Lin Zhou closed the door securely. He did not immediately count today's gains, nor did he check that scroll of the Spirit Refining Canon.
Lying on the bed, he thought quietly.
Old Man Wu's hunched and lonely back, Tiger Wang's hoarse accusations and madness before death... these images repeatedly surfaced in Lin Zhou's mind.
"Talent, Opportunity, Heart-Nature, resources, luck... none can be missing."
"Sometimes, walking fast is not as good as walking steadily; having ruthless methods is not as good as having accurate vision."
Old Man Wu's aged voice echoed in his ears.
This was the blood and tears realization of an old man who had struggled at the bottom of the cultivation world for sixty years.
Simple, yet pointing directly to the essence.
Lin Zhou closed his eyes, using a modern person's mindset to re-examine this world and his own situation.
This world was essentially a'super-pyramid society' that extremely magnified differences in individual strength, highly concentrated resources, and lacked a complete upward channel.
At the top were the very few who possessed peerless talent, solid backgrounds, and Heaven-Defying opportunities.
And at the bottom were the countless masses like Old Man Wu, Tiger Wang, and even himself not long ago, who had to give their all for just a little bit of Cultivation resources.
Rules?
There were rules, set by the strong to bind the weak.
Morality?
In the face of the immense temptation of survival and advancement, it was often incredibly fragile.
"Tiger Wang went to extremes, but his twisted mentality didn't arise out of thin air,"
Lin Zhou analyzed calmly.
"It was the cumulative effect of continuous resource scarcity, hopeless prospects, and witnessing injustice that crushed his final bottom line. He turned from a victim into a perpetrator."
So, where was his own path?
Continue as a Loose Cultivator?
The greatest advantage of a Loose Cultivator was freedom. Without the constraints of Sect precepts, one had autonomy of action and could hide their secrets to the greatest extent.
Like a dragon submerged in the depths, developing quietly.
The disadvantages were also clearly difficult.
All resources had to be fought for by oneself, lacking stable acquisition channels, and risks were borne alone.
Information was isolated, making it hard to access high-level knowledge and Cultivation Techniques.
Without a backer, one easily became a fat sheep in the eyes of others that could be handled at will.
The vast majority of Loose Cultivators were like Old Man Wu, wasting their entire lives.
There were also those like Tiger Wang, who specialized in the Evil Path.
Join a certain Sect or power?
There would be relatively stable resources.
Spirit Stone supply, Legacy of Cultivation Techniques, Medicinal Pill quotas, and guidance from Seniors.
There would be basic personal safety guarantees and a certain degree of status protection.
Possessing a broader information and interpersonal network.
At the same time, one would be bound by rules.
One must obey Sect rules, undertake obligations, and get involved in possible factional struggles.
The risk of personal secrets being exposed would greatly increase.
Degree of freedom would be limited, and actions would be under jurisdiction.
Moreover, entry was not easy, with strict requirements for talent and background. Even if one entered, they might start as the lowest-level handyman or Outer Sect Disciple, similarly facing internal competition and oppression.
"Essentially, this is a choice between being a'sole proprietor' and 'joining a large corporation',"
Lin Zhou's thinking was clear.
"When one's own strength is weak and lacks initial capital and risk-resistance, 'joining a corporation' is undoubtedly a more stable choice. One can use the platform to quickly complete original accumulation, learn the rules, and establish connections."
"But my situation is special."
He opened his eyes.
"I have the hundredfold proficiency Golden Finger. This is the biggest variable and a trump card that must never be exposed."
"It gives me an advantage in 'learning' and'skill proficiency improvement' that is almost like a dimensional reduction strike."
"This means my reliance on 'Legacy of Cultivation Techniques' and 'guidance from Seniors' is far lower than ordinary people. On the contrary, my demand for Cultivation resources is more direct and urgent."
A Sect can provide stable resources, but it also means being under surveillance at all times.
A five-spiritual-root Disciple, if their cultivation progress is unreasonably fast, or if they show unreasonable talent in Spells, would inevitably draw investigation.
The risk is too high.
While as a Loose Cultivator, although acquiring resources is difficult and dangerous, it wins in being hidden and flexible.
"I can selectively reveal part of my abilities (like talisman making) to reasonably exchange for resources, while keeping my true trump cards deeply hidden."
As long as operated correctly and developing low-key, the accumulation speed might not necessarily be slow.
He thought of that Qingyang Sect Token obtained from the short, fat Cultivator.
"Perhaps... I can take a middle path."
Lin Zhou's finger unconsciously traced on the tabletop.
"Not formally joining a Sect, but finding a way to establish a certain connection with it, borrowing some of its resources or channels while maintaining a relatively independent identity.
For example, becoming a Guest Elder or collaborator for a Sect's peripheral industry, or using that token's potentially ambiguous identity to act."
"This requires Opportunity, and it also requires strength as a stepping stone and foundation."
His thoughts gradually became clear.
Short-term goal: Improve cultivation as soon as possible, master more self-protection means, and turn talisman making into a stable source of income.
At the same time, cautiously contact information channels within the market, looking out for suitable, risk-controlled opportunities to 'hook up' with Sect forces.
In the long run, if strength is sufficient, perhaps he could consider becoming a 'powerful freelancer'.
Maintaining cooperative rather than subordinate relationships with multiple forces to obtain resources while keeping independence and secrecy.
"Regardless of which path is chosen, strength is always the capital for negotiation and the cornerstone of safety."
Lin Zhou summarized.
The reflection and planning ended. His mind settled, and he no longer hesitated.
First was to count the harvest from this time.
From Tiger Wang and the other two, he obtained a total of two hundred and eighty-seven Low-Grade Spirit Stones, several bottles of ordinary quality healing and qi recovery pills, some low-level Materials, and several Low Grade Rank One Magical Artifacts of unknown origin that needed to be disposed of.
Adding to his previous remaining, the Spirit Stones he currently possessed were close to three hundred.
For a Qi Refining Cultivator, this could be considered a small fortune.
Next, he took out the Jade Slip of the Spirit Refining Canon, and his Divine Sense sank into it.
The opening stated the principles: "The spirit is the essence of the soul, the pivot of the will, and the master of the soul. The way of refining the spirit is like refining steel a hundred times, removing impurities and retaining purity, condensing the void into reality..."
After a rough browse, Lin Zhou felt his mind tremble slightly.
This method was indeed extraordinary; it didn't just increase the 'quantity' and 'range' of Divine Sense, but focused more on the tempering of 'quality' and the control of 'form'.
Among it was recorded a Divine Sense attack secret technique, the Spirit Condensing Thorn.
It could condense Divine Sense into a fine needle. Within one's Divine Sense range, it ignored the obstruction of the Physical Body, Magical Artifacts, and dharma shields, piercing directly into the target's Sea of Consciousness to cause Divine Sense damage.
The victim would instantly feel a piercing pain in their Sea of Consciousness and blurred consciousness. For a few breaths at shortest to half an incense stick at longest, they would be unable to circulate their power, making it very suitable for interrupting spellcasting or escaping.
This secret technique required no complex hand seals; it could be launched with a thought, consumed a small amount of Divine Sense, and could be used frequently.
However, if the opponent's Divine Sense was stronger, the needle would bounce back and injure one's own Sea of Consciousness. The risk increased with the opponent's strength.
After becoming proficient, one could condense multiple needles to fire at once, attacking several targets simultaneously, but the consumption would double and the backlash would be heavier.
"It really is good stuff." Lin Zhou put it away with great care.
With this secret technique, his combat power could also go up a level.
After Lin Zhou carefully finished reading the Jade Slip's content, translucent characters appeared in his mind.
Spirit Refining Canon: Entry (0/100)
Spirit Condensing Thorn: Entry (0/100)
Just having entered the threshold, Lin Zhou's Divine Sense expanded from the original three zhang to six zhang!
Trying to Cultivate the Spirit Condensing Thorn, a transparent fine needle condensed in his Sea of Consciousness.
Spirit Condensing Thorn Proficiency +10
...
In the following days, Lin Zhou lived in seclusion.
During this period, he took some time to go to Fu Yuan Hall.
He sold those low-level Magical Artifacts of unknown origin from Tiger Wang to Shopkeeper Chen at a discount and purchased a batch of Medicinal Pills.
After returning, aside from Cultivating every night, he made talismans.
He was already able to draw top-grade fireball talismans and golden body talismans. He did not take them out for sale, keeping them to save his life.
With the hundredfold proficiency buff, his cultivation progressed at an astonishing speed.
He had also indirectly asked Shopkeeper Chen if there were any Sects nearby recruiting peripheral personnel or issuing long-term tasks that could be exchanged for Sect contribution points.
Shopkeeper Chen was an old fox and only told him that the Qingyang Sect would occasionally recruit temporary guards or laborers for the mineral veins and herb gardens it controlled.
But the competition was fierce, and backgrounds needed to be checked.
Other small Sects or Families had similar needs, but the situations were complex and required extra caution.
Lin Zhou kept this in mind, not in a hurry to act.
Time passed day by day. One month later.
Lin Zhou finished consuming the Medicinal Pills on him, and the cultivation results were very significant.
Sixth Level of Qi Refining (32/100)
Blazing Fire Art (Perfection: 3600/100000)
Spirit Refining Canon (Perfection: 10/100000)
Spirit Condensing Thorn (Perfection: 30/100000)
The Dantian Qi Sea expanded, and the total amount and purity of spiritual energy leaped to a new level.
His Divine Sense had even exaggeratedly skyrocketed to eight times its original size.
An average Cultivator at the Sixth Level of Qi Refining has nine zhang; Lin Zhou had now reached seventy-two zhang.
Every Cultivator produces Divine Sense after breaking through to the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining, with a range of three zhang. In the Qi Refining Realm, every Breakthrough of a minor Realm increases it by three zhang.
Only after breaking through a major Realm would a qualitative change occur.
Lin Zhou's current Divine Sense range already far exceeded that of Qi Refining Cultivators.
This was the result of rapidly Cultivating the secret technique and using the Golden Finger to reach the Perfection stage.
He opened his eyes, his gaze clear, with a faint sharp light.
Feeling the spiritual energy within his body that had doubled and was running more smoothly, Lin Zhou gently exhaled a breath of turbid air.
Reaching the Sixth Level of Qi Refining not only improved his strength.
More crucially, many Spells that could only be better performed or were more powerful in the Middle Stage of Qi Refining could now be cultivated.
His survivability would go up another level.
He walked to the window and pushed open a crack.
The sunlight outside was just right.
"The path of a Loose Cultivator is like walking on thin ice, but by being careful at every step, it may not be impossible to succeed."
Lin Zhou whispered to himself, his eyes firm.
Next, he could try Alchemy. With Medicinal Pills to assist, his cultivation would grow rapidly.