The guest's luck is quite good this time. We just happened to receive two types of high-grade Mortal Beast blood yesterday. If you had come a day later, this beast blood would have been sent to the County Town.
The chubby manager of Song's Medicine Shop, Song Chuan, had a smile on his face as he looked at Lin Sheng, who was wearing a bamboo hat opposite him. He had already handed over the two heavy leather bags.
"Very good, I'll take both portions of beast blood. Also, can the shopkeeper help me keep an eye out for high-grade Mortal Beast blood? I'm willing to pay an extra ten percent. As long as you have stock, I'll take it all."
Receiving the two portions of high-grade beast blood, Lin Sheng's face showed a trace of a smile.
In fact, there are quite a few high-grade Mortal Beasts hunted in Yangping Mountain every month. However, the blood of high-grade Mortal Beasts is mostly used for refining pills, and blood is relatively difficult to preserve, which is why the medicine shops in Yangping Town don't have much stock.
Last time, there was only one type of high-grade Mortal Beast blood.
However, after stating his needs, two portions of beast blood arrived within a few days, and the quantity was significantly more than last time. This efficiency is quite good.
So he is now increasing the stakes, and he expects the next harvest to be no less than this one.
"Since the guest has a need, then we will keep an eye out for you."
Hearing Lin Sheng's words, Song Chuan's eyes lit up, and he readily agreed with a smile.
Just like that, Lin Sheng carried the two leather bags of beast blood and additionally purchased some nourishing medicinal soups before slowly walking out of Song's Medicine Shop.
He only walked around the street for a bit before heading towards another medicine shop.
In this way, Lin Sheng visited all the medicine shops on the street and obtained as many as five types of high-grade Mortal Beast blood, totaling several dozen jin in weight.
This harvest was much more than the previous purchase. In fact, to avoid being too conspicuous, he even returned to his residence twice to put down the beast blood.
...
At noon.
"A Sheng, I've seen many injured people on the street these past few days. You must be careful when you go out on missions."
At the dinner table, Lin Hong looked at his son and instructed him with some worry.
"Yes, A Sheng, if the work in the Hunting Beast Hall is too dangerous, let's not do it."
Xie Guilan, who was beside him, also spoke.
"Your Father and I can still work and support ourselves. There's no need to work so hard."
These past few days, when Lin Hong and Xie Guilan had nothing to do, they would also walk around the street.
During their walks, they often saw seriously injured people being carried to the medical hall, and sometimes even many corpses being carried.
Only after asking around did they find out that these people were attacked by wild beasts from Yangping Mountain, which made the two of them extremely worried.
After all, they were very clear that the Hunting Beast Hall, where Lin Sheng belonged, operated in Yangping Mountain all day long.
They had only heard before that the work of the Hunting Beast Hall was extremely dangerous, and it was only when they truly arrived in this Yangping Town that they genuinely felt this dangerous situation.
"Father, Mother, you don't need to worry. I am already a Martial Artist, naturally incomparable to ordinary people, and the Hall has also reduced the number of missions during this period."
Regarding the worries of the two elders, Lin Sheng only explained with a smile, and then scooped out two bowls of slightly reddish meat soup from the earthenware pot next to him.
"Come and try this meat soup. I made it myself. Drink more and don't waste it."
This meat soup was none other than the one he made with Silver-patterned Black Crocodile meat. Considering that the two elders were just ordinary people, he ground the dried meat into powder and put it in the pot.
Moreover, he only put in a little bit at a time, so it wouldn't have any impact on them and they could fully digest it, nourishing their bodies.
At Lin Sheng's repeated insistence, Xie Guilan and Lin Hong finally drank the entire pot of soup dry.
Immediately, they felt a warm sensation in their bodies, which was very comfortable.
"A Sheng, what kind of meat did you use to make this? The effect..."
Feeling the warmth in their bodies, Lin Hong and his wife felt that the fatigue from this period had significantly lessened.
"There's medicinal powder that nourishes qi and blood in here. From now on, you should boil and drink it every day. One scoop at a time is enough."
Lin Sheng didn't say much but pointed to the small black jar on the table next to him.
This was the meat powder he had ground in advance, and it was enough for the two of them to drink for a while.
After eating and drinking to his fill, Lin Sheng returned to his residence. In his room, he put his hands into the bulging leather bags one by one.
The leather bags quickly deflated at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In just the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the leather bags in front of him were all empty.
"I even managed to gather the requirements for one type of high-grade Mortal Beast's integration."
A hint of surprise appeared on Lin Sheng's face.
"It can be considered a pleasant surprise."
【Beast Name: Green Flowered Snake (Mortal Grade)】
【Grass-colored long snake, slender body without scales, body produces cold poison...】
【Integration Requirement: None】
【Integration Effect: Agility Boost 2, Cold Poison Buff 1, Perception 1】
The boost effect of this Green Flowered Snake is mediocre, but this Cold Poison Buff is quite good.
He had already tested the Poison Corrosion Buff of the Black Tiger Ape, and it could indeed achieve unexpected results in combat. Although this cold poison is not as potent as the corrosion poison, it is more troublesome.
Those poisoned feel as if they have fallen into an ice cave, with sluggish circulation of qi and blood in their bodies, and even their attack speed is affected.
Even for high-level Martial Artists, the effect of cold poison will be significantly reduced, but in duels between experts, victory is decided by a hair's breadth, and even a slight mistake can determine the outcome.
Thinking to himself, he had already shifted his gaze to his chest.
After devouring nearly a hundred jin of high-grade Mortal Beast blood, the second imprint had changed again.
The progress in the panel had reached sixty-five percent.
"It's not far from completely activating the second imprint."
He temporarily doesn't plan to enter Yangping Mountain during this period. Even if he does, he will wait until the situation has completely calmed down.
He is not in a hurry to activate the second imprint and can rely on purchases from the medicine shops.
According to the progress, the second imprint is expected to be activated in at most a month. This time can be used to cultivate the Ape Embryo Skill and strive to advance it to the third or even fourth level, which is the Forging Tendons Late Stage Realm.
"However, I'm a bit short on silver."
This purchase alone cost him over two hundred taels of silver.
His total worth was at most eighteen hundred taels, and this included the thousand taels of silver left by his Brother, Lin Miao.
To activate the second imprint, he estimates he will need to purchase the current amount of beast blood five or six more times.
The eighteen hundred taels of silver is just enough.
At most, he will have one or two hundred taels left, and this doesn't even include the daily expenses for himself, Xie Guilan, and Lin Hong.
"It's time to sell the Silver-patterned Black Crocodile Materials."
After tidying everything up, Lin Sheng sat cross-legged on the bed, regulating his breathing and calming his mind, and began cultivating the 靜功 of the third level of the Ape Embryo Skill.
The third level of the Ape Embryo Skill corresponds to the Forging Tendons Initial Stage Realm. Stepping over this hurdle will provide a significant improvement for him.
In fact, the second level of the Ape Embryo Skill has already made him feel that his speed has increased by more than ten percent, and other aspects like strength are also roughly the same.
The focus of the Ape Embryo Skill cultivation method is also on speed and agility.
According to the records in the book, cultivating to the third level will result in a more significant improvement.
Lin Sheng is noncommittal about this point. After all, it's normal for there to be a noticeable improvement when crossing a major Realm. What he is truly concerned about is breaking through the third level. Besides being able to learn the killer moves of the Ape Embryo Skill, the main thing is being able to attempt to comprehend and cultivate a burst secret technique called Ape Embryo Transformation.
This is a burst secret technique that comes with the Ape Embryo Skill cultivation method.
From this point alone, one can see the extraordinary nature of this second-rate martial art.
He asked Wang Sanyang, and the second-rate martial arts in Zhenshan Tower do not come with burst secret techniques. Only the top-tier second-rate martial arts might have 配套 burst secret techniques.
He had personally witnessed Yan Feng use a burst secret technique, and it could definitely play a huge role at a critical moment, even turning the tide of battle.
Quickly, he suppressed his thoughts and fully immersed himself in cultivation.
This cultivation continued directly until nightfall.
Exhaling a breath of turbid air, Lin Sheng finally got up to prepare a fire and cook.
At this moment, a yellow figure was constantly running back and forth in the courtyard.
Who else could it be but Big Yellow?
Seeing Lin Sheng come out, it immediately darted over, its bald tail wagging like an electric fan, almost creating afterimages.
Its eyes were wide open, looking at Lin Sheng with longing.
"Go stand aside."
Lin Sheng cursed irritably. Ever since he gave this beast a mouthful of Silver-patterned Black Crocodile meat, this dog has been acting like it's gone wild, messing around in the courtyard all day.
It still looks full of energy now.
Seeing that Big Yellow still wanted to rub against him, he lifted his foot and gently kicked it away.
Only then did he come to the stove, light the fire, and put the pot on.
After a short while, Lin Sheng frowned slightly, as if he felt something. He turned his head to look outside the courtyard and let out a low shout.
"Who is it?!"
Whoosh...
Responding to him was a gust of wind, but it didn't come towards him. Instead, it landed in the courtyard and rolled several times on the ground.
Lin Sheng looked up and only saw a stone wrapped in something that had landed in the courtyard.
Before he could step forward, Big Yellow barked twice, then darted over, picked up the stone in its mouth, and ran to Lin Sheng, wagging its tail.
Lin Sheng looked at Big Yellow with some surprise and took the stone from its mouth.
He then took off the folded paper tied to the stone and opened it.
Inside, there was only a short line of text, and below it was a drawing of a Dark Star-shaped pattern.
Seeing this star-shaped pattern, Lin Sheng narrowed his eyes.
"Have they arrived?"
He muttered to himself, and with a force of his hand, the folded paper instantly shattered.
The next moment, his figure had disappeared from the courtyard.
In the courtyard, Big Yellow, watching Lin Sheng disappear, wagged its tail, turned its head towards the stove, and began circling it continuously.
On the other side, Lin Sheng left his residence, his steps never stopping, rushing towards the outside of Yangping Town, until he reached a forest outside the town, where he finally stopped.
"Come out."
He scanned his surroundings, finally fixing his gaze on a certain spot and speaking softly.
"Token."
Soon, from the bushes where Lin Sheng's gaze was fixed, a figure leaped out. The figure wore a Ghost Face mask, only revealing a pair of eyes, constantly sizing up Lin Sheng. He spoke coldly.
Lin Sheng was also sizing up the other person. With a flip of his wrist, a black star-shaped emblem appeared in his hand and he threw it over directly.
The masked figure grabbed the emblem, examined it carefully, and after confirming it, returned it to Lin Sheng.
His previously cold attitude had now changed.
"You were recommended by Blazing Star Envoy. I am your guide. You can call me by my code name, Mu Niu. Also, you can give yourself a code name, which will be your name in the organization from now on."
The masked figure spoke slowly.
"Mu Niu, huh?"
Lin Sheng chewed on this interesting name, looking at the mask on the other person's face, and a smile appeared on his face.
"As for a code name... You can call me Ghost Face."
Lin Sheng casually said a code name. He didn't care about code names; he just wanted to understand what benefits he would get from joining the Dark Star Organization.
Hearing Lin Sheng's words, Mu Niu was silent for a moment. After noting Lin Sheng's code name, he continued.
"Ghost Face, because Blazing Star Envoy guaranteed you, you don't need to go through an assessment. You are now a Gray Star Envoy in the organization."
"Gray Star Envoy?" Lin Sheng raised an eyebrow.
"Exactly. Apart from the outer Star Apprentices, the Dark Star Organization is divided into four levels."
As if knowing what Lin Sheng wanted to ask, Mu Niu explained directly.
"From lowest to highest are Gray Star Envoy, Hidden Star Envoy, Blazing Star Envoy, and finally Dark Star Envoy."
"Each level enjoys higher authority within the organization. Of course, you can accumulate merit and be promoted by completing tasks issued by the organization and passing assessments."
"So what benefits do I get as a Gray Star Envoy?"
Lin Sheng tilted his head and asked.
"You can use the organization's channels to inquire about and find the information you want. Of course, it requires spending some merit. If you don't have enough merit, you can use money instead."
"In addition, as a Gray Star Envoy of the organization, you can choose one second-rate martial art from within the organization to cultivate."
Mu Niu said lightly.
"Second-rate martial art?!"
These calm words fell into Lin Sheng's ears, causing him to be stunned for a moment, but he quickly reacted and confirmed again.
"That's right, the authority of a Gray Star Envoy allows you to choose one second-rate martial art from within the organization. However, the cultivation method is prohibited from being spread outside. Once discovered, you will be kicked out of the organization, and an expert will cripple your martial art."
As if he had anticipated Lin Sheng's reaction, Mu Niu's words carried a hint of warning.
"What a generous offer?!"
After confirming that this was true, Lin Sheng stroked his chin and couldn't help but exclaim. Soon, he couldn't help but ask again.
"Then what about a Hidden Star Envoy? Can I choose a first-rate martial art?"
"Uh... yes, if you become a Hidden Star Envoy, you can indeed choose a first-rate martial art."
Mu Niu frowned and said.
"However, the difficulty of becoming a Hidden Star Envoy is much, much higher than you imagine. It's not something you can be promoted to in a short period."
He had come all the way from Fu City and was quite interested in the newcomer recruited by Blazing Star Envoy.
However, after arriving in this remote place, the young man in front of him seemed to be much worse than he had imagined.
He originally thought the other party would be a Genius from a certain Family in this small County Town. Now, it clearly seems not. He looks completely ordinary, which makes him can't help but doubt Blazing Star Envoy's judgment.
"Is that so? Is there a Realm requirement to become a Hidden Star Envoy?" Lin Sheng asked with interest.
"This... there isn't." Mu Niu was stunned for a moment and said.
"That's good." Hearing this, the smile on Lin Sheng's face grew wider.
"However, the required merit and the final promotion assessment are by no means easy."
Seeing Lin Sheng's expression, Mu Niu's frown deepened, and finally, he shook his head slightly.
He didn't bother to say anything more and instead raised his hand and threw out a small booklet.