Cultivation Begins with Daily Intelligence Reports

37: Three ThunderboltsLin Jingyu could not help but feel a bit anxious, his gaze sweeping toward the end of the street from time to time.

That Mysterious Youth was an important opportunity for him to resolve his current predicament and increase his strength.

The warm jade plaque in his bosom and the hundred-year mountain sweet potato in his basket were like two heavy chips, waiting to be cashed in.

The sun tilted westward, and light and shadow shifted.

Just as Lin Jingyu’s heart sank slightly, thinking the youth would not appear today...

...a familiar figure strolled leisurely from the end of the street.

His white clothes were whiter than snow, and the warm afternoon light softly outlined the contours of his handsome, nearly perfect side profile.

The youth walked with a calm pace, and the surrounding clamor seemed to be separated from him by an invisible barrier, standing aloof from the world, like a walking ancient painting.

His appearance instantly attracted many gazes on the circular street, and even Wang Jinshan temporarily stopped soliciting customers, looking over curiously.

”Fellow Daoist, you really came today.” A clear voice, like jade stones striking each other, rang out in front of the stall; before he knew it, the youth was already standing by the table.

His gaze swept over the neat Jade Box, and a trace of imperceptible approval flashed in his eyes: ”The heat control for the sweet potato pill is excellent, and the spiritual charm is restrained; it can be considered a High Grade among ordinary spiritual food.”

Lin Jingyu breathed a sigh of relief inwardly and cupped his hands, saying candidly: ”Thank you for your undeserved praise, Fellow Daoist. To be ashamed, I should not have falsely claimed ‘ancestral techniques’ yesterday to cover it up.”

”This sweet potato pill is indeed not much different from an ordinary sweet potato pill. The reason is that its core is a hundred-year mountain sweet potato.”

”Knowing that the world is impermanent, one should treat others with sincerity. Fortunately, you came today, Fellow Daoist; otherwise, I would not know how to put my regrets to rest.”

His words were sincere, and his posture was extremely humble.

The youth finally raised his eyes to look directly at Lin Jingyu, his clear, dust-free eyes carrying a hint of discerning scrutiny, as if they could pierce through appearances and reach straight into one’s heart.

Lin Jingyu met his gaze calmly, neither humble nor arrogant.

Lin Jingyu took out a pre-prepared Jade Box from his basket and respectfully presented it with both hands.

The lid of the box opened, and three hundred-year mountain sweet potato fruits, with warm colors, plump shapes, and the scent of fresh soil, lay quietly on the soft Spiritual Plant cushion.

The youth’s eyes brightened slightly, and he reached out directly, actually pinching one of the mountain sweet potatoes stained with damp soil.

The youth did not mind at all; he opened his mouth and bit into the mud-stained mountain sweet potato.

”Crunch.” With a crisp sound, he chewed very seriously, abundant juice overflowing from the corners of his mouth, and even some soil stained his lips, while a smudge appeared on his fair chin.

This action was completely beyond Lin Jingyu’s expectations.

His immortal-like temperament formed a huge contrast with this ”crude” action, shocking Lin Jingyu’s pupils to shrink slightly, his mouth subconsciously opening a little.

Lin Jingyu’s eye twitched as he watched, and he screamed in his heart: ”This... Fellow Daoist, your image has collapsed way too thoroughly, hasn’t it?!”

The carefully cultivated sense of inscrutability shattered instantly.

He even suspected that the youth might make a face the next moment and shout, ”No Spirit Stone, I ate it, come and hit me, come and hit me!”

The mountain sweet potato was quickly swallowed whole by the youth. Only then did he raise his hand, a faint spiritual light flashing at his fingertips, but instead of wiping away the stain elegantly as Lin Jingyu had imagined, he simply used his sleeve to wipe his mouth and chin without much care.

”Hmm, the aura is pure, the spiritual power is warm and thick; it is High Grade.” The youth nodded with satisfaction, as if the ”unrestrained” scene just now had never happened.

He flicked his sleeve, putting away the Jade Box along with the remaining two mountain sweet potatoes.

He raised his eyes, his expression returning to indifference, and looked at Lin Jingyu:

”The goods are good. What do you want? Spirit Stone? Magical Artifact? Medicinal Pill? Talisman? Or perhaps a Cultivation Technique?” His tone was casual, yet carried an unquestionable confidence.

Lin Jingyu’s hanging heart finally settled back into place, and the worry that the other party would renege on the deal dissipated.

He took a deep breath, thoughts racing through his mind.

Although Spirit Stone is good, it cannot solve urgent needs; a Magical Artifact requires spiritual power to activate, which is difficult for him to exert with his current cultivation; Medicinal Pill and Cultivation Technique cannot be mastered overnight.

”Talisman.” Lin Jingyu answered decisively.

Only this item could allow him, a Qi Refining Second Layer Cultivator, to have the possibility of threatening or even killing higher-level enemies in the short term.

This was the ”immediate combat power” that Lin Jingyu needed most urgently right now.

The youth nodded slightly without asking for the reason. His slender fingers gently tapped in the Void Realm in front of him.

In an instant, three Talismans, no larger than a palm, with deep purple light flowing throughout their bodies, appeared silently.

The Talisman hovered about a foot in front of Lin Jingyu, rotating quietly. The Talisman paper was made of unknown spiritual material, neither cloth nor silk, with a faint metallic luster.

On it, the silver lightning patterns were not drawn, but seemed to be naturally formed, outlining mysterious and unpredictable trajectories filled with a destructive aura.

Tiny yet piercing silver electric arcs, like swimming Dragons, darted uncertainly on the surface and inside the Talisman paper, emitting a low and heart-palpitating ”crackle” sound.

An invisible yet extremely domineering destructive pressure spread, and Lin Jingyu felt the hairs on his skin stand on end, with a faint stinging numbness.

”A small thunder fiend talisman.” The youth’s voice was flat, yet every word hit Lin Jingyu’s heart like a heavy hammer.

”Each Talisman seals a wisp of thunder fiend essence. After activation, the power of a single strike is comparable to the life-risking strike of a Qi Refining Fifth Layer Cultivator using all their strength.”

His gaze swept over Lin Jingyu, and he added: ”With your cultivation, you need to hold a Spirit Stone to replenish spiritual power when activating it; otherwise, you will be instantly drained, exhausted and limp, and left at the mercy of others.”

The intention to warn was clearly expressed.

Lin Jingyu felt a chill in his heart.

These three purple Talismans were lethal weapons for turning the tables in a desperate situation, but also dangerous objects that could backlash against him if he was not careful. He held his breath, reached out carefully, and touched the edge of the Talisman with slightly trembling fingertips.

A violent sense of numbness instantly spread from his fingertips, rushing straight to his brain. He endured the discomfort and, with the gentlest movements, as if holding a fragile, peerless treasure, solemnly put the three life-taking Talismans, wreathed in purple light and flickering with electric arcs, into the Jade Box.

The slight numbness and stinging sensation remaining on his fingertips were like a brand, constantly reminding him of the terrifying power contained within these three Talismans.

An unprecedented sense of confidence, mixed with awe of power, quietly sprouted in the bottom of Lin Jingyu’s heart.

He made a huge profit!

This Talisman is definitely not ordinary.

Lightning attribute, one of the so-called Three Extraordinary Spiritual Roots.

It inherently represents violence and lethality.

For the same strike of a Qi Refining Fifth Layer, the attack of a Lightning Spiritual Root Cultivator is far stronger than other Cultivators.

Moreover, this ”small thunder fiend talisman” contains pure and domineering thunder fiend power, far exceeding ordinary Lightning Talisman.

With them, he is no longer dough to be kneaded by others.

Although it may not be able to shake the deep family foundation and cunning means that the old fox Lin Chengyuan has accumulated over many years head-on.

But to deal with the seriously injured and fleeing Lin Jingxie, he does not need three thunder fiend talismans; one is enough to take care of him.