Something’s Wrong with This Game — I Became a God by Mining!

For the rest of the journey, Xu Qing seemed to have opened the floodgates of conversation.

Seeing this, Yang Ling and the other two, being quite shrewd, seized the opportunity to ask all sorts of questions.

It turned out that among the forces on the Divine Realm Level Ranking, aside from the Ironclad Department, not a single one was a first-rate sect.

Among them, the Bitter Awareness Temple and the Great Yan Sword Sect were considered second-rate.

The Star Observation Academy was not considered a martial world sect.

Places like the Valley of the Dead and the Heaven's Blade Sect, along with the Mountain and River Sect, were all third-rate.

This came as quite a surprise to Yang Ling.

He had chosen the constable path as a fallback option.

He never expected that by a twist of fate, he had essentially entered a first-rate organization.

If one truly became an Eighth-Rank Ironclad Constable, the degree of freedom would be far less than that enjoyed by sect disciples.

"So the Bitter Awareness Temple really is just a second-rate sect. The Vajra Bright King Technique isn't their foundational art at all.

The Bitter Awareness Heart Sutra that Hui Neng cultivates is the true cornerstone of the Bitter Awareness Temple."

Yang Ling thought to himself.

"There are actually quite a few second-rate and third-rate sects in our Zhao State, I haven't counted them all specifically."

"However, there are only four first-rate sects."

A solemn expression appeared on Xu Qing's face:

"Namely, the Divine Sect in the east, the Arhat Temple in the south, the Nine Immortals Dao Palace in the west, and the Extreme Flame Sword Manor in the north."

Chen Xu and Chen Guoqing didn't dare be negligent and immediately committed this information firmly to memory.

"Senior Brother Xu, how strong are these first-rate forces?"

Yang Ling asked curiously.

"How strong?"

Xu Qing pondered, "If you are in the Central Plains, then the Imperial Court has the final say.

If you are in the east, it's the Divine Sect that has the final say; in the south, it's the Arhat Temple; in the west, the Nine Immortals Dao Palace; and in the north, the Extreme Flame Sword Manor."

"..."

"The strength of a sect can rival that of the Imperial Court!? Is that even possible..."

Chen Guoqing murmured to himself.

As a police officer, he found it hard to imagine local forces being powerful enough to reach such a level!

"Why wouldn't it be possible?"

Xu Qing said with a half-smile, "Take the Mining Guild, for example. Under its banner, there are a full twenty-seven third-rate sects like the Mountain and River Sect.

If our Mining Guild united as one, it would be comparable to a second-rate force.

But even the Mining Guild has to listen to the Arhat Temple."

"You all know that monk Hui Neng who came a while ago, right? He's a monk from the Bitter Awareness Temple, which is a second-rate force, and even they have to listen to the Arhat Temple."

"The heritage and foundation of these four great first-rate sects are beyond your imagination. Being able to join one as an inner sect disciple would be an absolute dream come true."

Xu Qing clicked his tongue in admiration, "Things like various pills that boost cultivation, Spirit Nurturing Pills that benefit martial skills, and so on—they consume them by the bottle!"

Spirit Nurturing Pills!

"Of course, this world ultimately remains the domain of Zhao State."

Xu Qing changed the subject, "Unless absolutely necessary, the four great first-rate forces will not offend the Imperial Court.

The relationships here are intricate and complex. You don't need to think too much about it; even if you try, you won't be able to figure it out."

"Senior Brother Xu is right, such matters are too distant for us.

My dream is simply to join the Mountain and River Sect."

Yang Ling said.

Chen Xu and Chen Guoqing quickly nodded in agreement:

"Same for us."

"Joining the Mountain and River Sect... If you can make contributions regarding this Vermilion Gold Ore and help solidify my position, it might not be impossible to arrange."

Xu Qing said thoughtfully.

The three men's eyes lit up slightly.

Just as Yang Ling was about to ask for details, Xu Qing changed the topic.

As they chatted, Yang Ling suddenly asked curiously:

"Senior Brother Xu, what exactly is this Spirit Nurturing Pill you mentioned earlier? Does taking it really help with practicing martial skills?"

"The Spirit Nurturing Pill is truly a good thing. After consuming it, the martial skill you are practicing will improve significantly."

Xu Qing explained, "Martial skills are generally divided into five levels of proficiency: Beginner's Insight, Comprehensive Mastery, Flawless Proficiency, Skilled, and Transcendent.

Beginner's Insight is the simplest. Take the Black Tiger Fist as an example; an average martial artist practicing for two or three months would generally reach Beginner's Insight."

An average martial artist needs two or three months?

Yang Ling felt a secret sense of satisfaction.

He had only taken four or five days the first time.

So Spirit really could be considered as comprehension talent.

"Then comes Comprehensive Mastery, which might take one or two years. As for Flawless Proficiency, that probably requires tempering for over a decade.

It can be said that the difficulty increases tenfold with each level."

Xu Qing sighed with emotion, "The average martial artist I mentioned earlier would only be able to cultivate one martial skill to Flawless Proficiency in their entire lifetime. Reaching the Skilled level would be difficult."

"If one has higher talent, perhaps they could reach the Skilled level after a dozen or so years, but Transcendent is out of the question."

"Even disciples of those first-rate sects, whose talents are among the best in the world, might only manage to cultivate one martial skill to the Transcendent level by their old age."

"But as a martial artist, relying on only one martial skill is far too dangerous. If you want to practice several martial skills, there isn't enough time. What should you do?"

"The Spirit Nurturing Pill can solve these problems."

"As far as I know, within the four great first-rate sects, and even many second-rate sects, there are young martial artists who, relying on Spirit Nurturing Pills, possess multiple martial skills at the Skilled level even at a young age."

"Remember, the martial skills they cultivate are far superior to what we practice, and their difficulty is also much higher."

Xu Qing said wistfully, "Compared to them, I'm afraid I could never catch up in this lifetime."

Chen Xu and Chen Guoqing fell into silence, working hard to digest this information.

However, Yang Ling drew some conclusions from these words.

"The higher the grade of a martial skill, the higher the required proficiency points? Boulder Crushing Fist only needs 100 proficiency points to reach Beginner's Insight. For some profound martial skills, could the starting point be 1000 points?"

"If that's really the case, without Spirit Nurturing Pills, even with my extremely high Spirit, cultivating a single martial skill to the Transcendent level would take me decades, maybe even that wouldn't be enough."

"The Spirit Nurturing Pill is the key.

Xu Qing is right; martial skills are methods for facing enemies. The more, the better. Having too few puts you at a disadvantage."

"Right now, I have a fist technique and a blade technique, but I'm still missing a movement technique."

Thinking of this, Yang Ling asked in a low voice:

"Senior Brother Xu, where can one buy these Spirit Nurturing Pills?"

"Only the Imperial Court and the four great first-rate forces can obtain Spirit Nurturing Pills."

"Even we purchase them from them."

"You want to buy one? The price is quite stable—five hundred taels of fine silver per pill."

Xu Qing said with a faint smile.

Hiss—

Five hundred taels!

A Spirit Nurturing Pill can increase proficiency by 500 points. Converted, that's one tael of silver per proficiency point?

"So you see, in this world, you still have to make money. Making money is the true kingly way."

Xu Qing said with a faint smile, "As long as you have money, even with the worst talent, you can rely on various pills to build up a high level of cultivation."

"Things like Spirit Nurturing Pills—whether you're a blockhead or a heaven-sent genius—the effect of taking them is the same."

"Pills truly uphold the principle of fairness, treating everyone equally."

Chen Xu and Chen Guoqing felt they were unworthy of hearing such talk.

Five hundred taels... that was simply an unimaginable fortune to them.

"If you ever really want to buy one, I suggest you could go ask at the Ironclad Department."

Xu Qing said with a smile, "They also have a quota for Spirit Nurturing Pills. Aside from using them for rewards on usual days, if you have the right connections, you can also buy some."

Yang Ling nodded thoughtfully.

He had to admit, he now counted as a 'disciple' of a first-rate organization.

"I need to find a way to become an Eighth-Rank Ironclad Constable as soon as possible."

"Although it's not the identity of a wandering martial hero, this official position... why does it make me feel so secure..."

Yang Ling muttered quietly in his heart.

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