Chapter 506: Chapter 444: Consulting Elder Wu

「In the blink of an eye, it was late December.」

"Shopkeeper Zhao, today’s revenue has once again exceeded fifty thousand Spirit Coins!"

That evening, after tallying the day’s earnings, Gu Dezhao said with a broad smile, "At this rate, we’re going to make a fortune this year—even more than we projected at the start."

"Hehe, our bonuses are looking good."

"Yeah, the future looks bright."

"It’s all thanks to Shopkeeper Zhao’s ability to secure a supply of Spirit Pearls from Red Tail Island."

Hearing this, Gu An, Li Sancai, and the others walked over, chiming in with their own comments.

Zhao Lin just smiled nonchalantly. "Gu Dezhao, when you have a moment, keep an eye out for any shops up for sale in the bustling parts of the market. If you find a suitable one, buy it!"

Everyone was a bit stunned. Gu Dezhao was the first to react, clapping his hands. "Right! Business is booming, so we should move to a better location. Shopkeeper Zhao, you’re truly far-sighted!"

Zhao Lin shook his head slightly. "We’re not moving. We’re opening a second shop."

"Opening another one?"

Gu Dezhao was taken aback. "Shopkeeper Zhao, you mean we’ll be running two shops?"

"Exactly."

Zhao Lin explained, "The location is only part of the reason for opening a new shop. The most important thing is to separate our products."

"The goods we import from Han Chi County are varied—Spirit Rice, Spirit Tea, magical artifacts, elixirs, talismans—we carry a bit of everything. Most of it is inexpensive; besides magic robes, we rarely have items priced over a thousand Spirit Coins."

"On the other hand, the Spirit Pearls from Red Tail Island are a high-end, in-demand cultivation resource. The ores and Spirit Grass aren’t cheap either."

"These two categories of goods are very different and attract different customers, which makes our shop’s branding unclear."

"It’s like a fine silk emporium that also sells rice, flour, and cooking oil. Doesn’t that seem a bit inappropriate?"

Everyone laughed at Zhao Lin’s analogy. ’He’s right,’ they thought.

"Shopkeeper Zhao, you see things so clearly. Since it’s almost the end of the year, there are bound to be failing shops looking to sell. I’ll keep a close eye out."

Gu Dezhao verbally agreed, but his mind was already racing. ’If we open a new shop, Zhao Lin will definitely be its shopkeeper. That means the Chief Shopkeeper position for this one... will fall to me...’

「A few days later, Zhao Lin left Gu Dezhao in charge of the shop and took a Spiritual Vessel back to Han Chi County.」

His purpose for returning was to visit family, but he also had another urgent matter to attend to.

Zhao Lin had mastered five Tier Two Skills, but none of them had been officially "registered."

Tier One Skills were the foundation of cultivation. There wasn’t much variation between the sects, and aside from a few specific skills, disciples could learn them freely.

But Tier Two Skills were different. They had to be redeemed with merit points, and one had to swear a Daoist oath to never teach them to others.

Although Zhao Lin had mastered Tier Two Skills, he had never officially learned them, so there was no record of them in his Body Stone.

If he were to cast them in public and someone with ulterior motives took notice, the consequences would be severe.

This loophole had to be closed.

Zhao Lin returned to Han Chi County and spent half a day with his family.

The next day, he hurried to the Merit Hall and used his merit points to redeem five skills: Mountain-Shattering Rend, Water Demon Fist, Spinning Ice Hammer, Mind Stabilizing Skill, and Cloud-Skimming Flight.

He hadn’t mastered Cloud-Skimming Flight yet, but he was set on learning it, so he redeemed it along with the others.

As for the Thunder Shadow Clone, it was an exclusive skill of the Earth Dark Sect, so he could only use it in secret.

Each skill cost five hundred merit points, totaling two thousand five hundred.

Afterwards, he went to the Records Office to receive the spell formulas for the five skills and swore the requisite Daoist oath.

With this major task completed, Zhao Lin felt a sense of relief and began to wander aimlessly through the Spirit Dao Institute.

He eventually found himself before a building. Looking up, he saw it was the Transmission Hall, and he could faintly hear sounds coming from within.

’I wonder who’s inside?’

Zhao Lin walked to the main entrance and called out in a deep voice, "Elder, are you in? Disciple Zhao Lin has come to pay his respects."

"Zhao Lin? Come in!"

A wizened voice, tinged with pleasant surprise, called out from within.

Zhao Lin recognized the voice as Elder Wu’s. He immediately pushed the door open, bowed, and said, "Disciple Zhao Lin greets Elder Wu."

"I can’t believe you’ve already broken through to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer!"

Elder Wu sized up Zhao Lin, a gratified look in his eyes. He was genuinely happy for his disciple.

"I heard your shop is doing well. I was worried it might interfere with your cultivation, but it seems my fears were unfounded."

"It’s all thanks to your guidance, Elder," Zhao Lin answered respectfully.

"You’re too modest. I’ve taught many disciples, but few have achieved what you have."

Elder Wu smiled and gestured for Zhao Lin to sit.

"By the way, when did you get back?"

"I just got back yesterday."

"You rarely get to come back. Why aren’t you spending time with your family? What brings you to the Spirit Dao Institute?"

At this question, an idea sparked in Zhao Lin’s mind. He wanted to learn a Fire Element whip skill, and this was the perfect opportunity to ask Elder Wu for advice.

He immediately answered, "This disciple has entered late-stage Qi Refining and wishes to learn a new Tier Two Skill. I don’t have any particular one in mind yet, so I was thinking of searching for one in the Library Pavilion."

"Oh?"

Seeing his star disciple so motivated, Elder Wu raised his eyebrows and chuckled. "And what are your thoughts? Tell me, and I’ll help you weigh your options."

Zhao Lin pondered for a moment before saying, "For a first Tier Two Skill, shouldn’t it be one that focuses on controlling a magical artifact?"

Elder Wu nodded. "Indeed."

Zhao Lin continued, "My primary Tier One Skill was the Ice Blade Skill. For my Tier Two Skill, I’d like to learn a whip-based skill. That way, in combat, I’ll have both a direct and an unpredictable attack to complement each other."

"That’s sound reasoning."

Elder Wu stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Whip skills are all about striking in a line vertically and a fan horizontally. They are flexible on retrieval but ferocious on the attack."

"You possess six Spiritual Roots: Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Ice, and Thunder. If you practice whip skills, you should prioritize Wind and Fire Element Skills."

"As they say, wind has no fixed form, and fire has no predictable pattern. They are the most suitable for this type of skill."

Zhao Lin replied, "I have some aptitude for Fire Element Skills, so I’ll choose the Fire Element."

Elder Wu nodded. "For Fire Element whip skills, in Tier One there is the Fire Whip Skill, and in Tier Two there is the Fire Cloud Spirit Whip. Since you want to learn a Tier Two Skill, you can choose the latter."

Zhao Lin stood and bowed. "Thank you for your guidance, Elder. I will learn the Fire Cloud Spirit Whip."

He hesitated for a moment before asking, "Are there any masters of this art in our county? I would like to seek their tutelage in person."

"The Fire Cloud Spirit Whip is difficult to cultivate, so very few have mastered it. No one in our county is an expert."

Elder Wu stroked his beard in thought. "I have an old friend, Shi Zhenyue, who has cultivated this skill to the level of Great Mastery."

"He is in Yanmen County. If you’re willing, I can write a letter of introduction and ask him to teach you."

"However, you will need to pay a certain amount in merit points. What do you say?"

Cultivators could learn skills for free at the Spirit Dao Institute, but after graduating, seeking instruction from others required payment.

Zhao Lin’s heart leaped with joy. Liang Song was also in Yanmen County; this would be a perfect chance to see his old friend on the way. "I am willing!" he said.

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