The alley was silent.
Mr. Zheng finished speaking and swept his gaze over Qin An with a scrutinizing look.
Recently, there hasn't been much going on in Ding County, but he was extremely interested in Qin An.
Qin An was just an ordinary citizen, and his background in Ding County could be easily checked.
How could such an ordinary citizen evade the pig demon's revenge?
The answer was simple: the pig demon never sought revenge on Qin An.
But now that he was already here, Mr. Zheng felt it wouldn't be an issue to conduct a quick search alongside.
He wanted to see different emotions in Qin An's eyes, but unfortunately, Qin An showed no weakness.
Qin An nodded, stepped forward to open the door, and said, "Please, feel free to search, sir."
Now that the arrest officer showed up at his door and mentioned the search, it was only natural for Qin An to consent.\p>
Showing unwillingness at this point would only seem suspicious.
Mr. Zheng waved his hand, allowing the constables to enter the house, while he stayed behind.
Qin An did not enter the house, discreetly clenching the dagger at his waist.
Qin An had already hidden both the Blood Crystal and the sow demon's corpse.
Zhao Jinsheng's body was buried deep, and to be cautious, Qin An placed old soil over the new one.
He had been in Ding County for quite a while and knew the constables well.
Most of them were good-for-nothings, hardly capable of conducting a proper search.
As expected, after a stick of incense time had passed, the constables came out, shaking their heads to indicate they'd found nothing.
Mr. Zheng's grip on his knife relaxed a bit, his face reflecting regret.
He had decided to search on a whim, hoping to find something.
Now that nothing was found, he naturally felt a bit disappointed.
"Dismiss." Mr. Zheng waved his hand, preparing to leave with his constables.
Qin An was just about to enter the house.
A constable hurriedly rushed over from outside, almost tripping when he saw Mr. Zheng.
"Sir, it's not good. Someone from the River Saber Sect is here, claiming one of their disciples is missing and was carrying a sect Heart Method replica. They're currently in the main hall."
Mr. Zheng froze, then his expression changed, "Return to the yamen immediately."
Within moments, Mr. Zheng and the constables disappeared down the street.
Hearing what the constable said, Qin An focused slightly, thinking to himself, "Things are getting more complicated."
Whoever the River Saber Sect lost, no one knew better than Qin An.
That person was now lying in the courtyard, several meters beneath the ground.
"The current priority is to advance the scholar to level three to see if the talent is useful."
Having made up his mind, Qin An entered the house.
Before entering, Qin An glanced at Chen Chun's place.
The house was still dark, with no sign of where Chen Chun went.
...
In recent days, the situation was calm.
According to his usual routine, Qin An went to the bookstore after eating.
Until the fourth day arrived.
Inside the Qingfeng Bookstore.
Qin An put down the book in his hand, and a line of smoke floated before his eyes, coalescing into words.
[Scholar lv.2 (200/200): Your reading speed has slightly increased]
[Upgrade condition: Read a Qi Concealment Realm book]
[Condition met]
Behind this, the words "Condition met" appeared.
Qin An guessed it might be related to the Heart Method and saber technique he read earlier.
This certainly saved him a lot of trouble.
If he had to find a Qi Concealment Realm book now, he wouldn't know where to look.
This Heart Method was quite considerate.
The smoke twisted, forming new words.
[Scholar lv.3 (0/400): Your reading speed has slightly increased]
[Talent: Qi Concealment Realm Heart Method Comprehension Mastery]
"Qi Concealment Realm Heart Method Comprehension Mastery?"
Looking at the words in front of him, Qin An remained outwardly calm while a tinge of excitement brewed within him.
These past few days, aside from coming to read, he practiced the Cold Source Heart Method every night.
Yet each practice session yielded minimal results.
Qin An thought it was related to his lack of talent.
Now, with the appearance of Qi Concealment Realm Heart Method Comprehension Mastery, Qin An predicted that practicing the Cold Source Heart Method might yield extraordinary effects.
Thinking this, Qin An eagerly returned the book to the shelf and rushed back to his house.
...
The sky was painted with a hint of dusk.
Qin An lit the oil lamp, sat cross-legged, and began to practice the Cold Source Heart Method repeatedly.
Just after circulating the Qi in his abdomen, Qin An suddenly stopped.
A line of smoke drifted before his eyes, slowly coalescing into words.
[You practice the Qi Concealment Realm Cold Source Heart Method, triggering talent: Qi Concealment Realm Heart Method Comprehension Mastery]
[Cold Source Heart Method is Perfected]
The Qi in his abdomen quickly expanded, and in an instant, Qin An's mind was filled to the brim with Qi.
However, the immense Qi seemed to encounter some restraint, boiling violently.
Meanwhile, Qin An felt entirely powerless, his energy and blood urgently depleted.
If it continued, he feared he might perish instantly.
"Qi Concealment Realm, cultivate blood to generate Qi, the Blood Crystal!"
Qin An, with heavy steps, rummaged in the floor layers and dug out a blood-red flesh ball.
Chen Chun once said that Blood Crystals are the essence condensed from demon's energy and blood, which can speed up the cultivator's practice in the Qi Concealment Realm.
Qin An's breakthrough was too rapid, leading to a severe deficiency in energy and blood. This Blood Crystal was perfect to compensate for the shortage.
The Qi within stirred agitatedly, quickly connecting to the Blood Crystal.
The Blood Crystal shrank rapidly, vanishing from sight, while a torrent of blood energy surged into Qin An, rapidly filling his body's void.
The originally restless Qi flowed swiftly, rushing from his head to his limbs. Only after his limbs and body were filled did it slowly come to rest.
Qin An felt dizzy, and his energy and blood drained significantly once more.
Even with the aid of the Blood Crystal, his growth was too fast, achieving Cold Source Heart Method perfection under the Golden Finger's influence, spending a huge amount of energy and blood.
Luckily, with this Blood Crystal, Qin An made it through.
Though left in a state of deficient energy and blood, it could be gradually replenished.
"I've now reached the peak of the Qi Concealment Realm."
Qin An felt an undercurrent of Qi, like a small river flowing within him, and he couldn't help feeling joyous.
He had bet right; the Golden Finger was his true backing.
Where ordinary cultivators require painstaking effort to achieve the Qi Concealment Realm, he reached its peak in a single day.
Qin An picked up the dagger, channeling the Cold Source Heart Method.
In an instant, a layer of frost coated the dagger, causing the surrounding temperature to drop by several degrees.
After concealing his Qi, ordinary and enhanced are distinct.
Qin An put away the dagger, trying hard to suppress his joy.
Though he had stepped into the Qi Concealment Realm, he couldn't afford to be complacent.
There were countless experts in the world, and he needed to have some self-awareness.
"Next, I'll start a new career, and when Chen Chun returns, I'll ask about what comes after the Qi Concealment Realm."
"And then there's the Blood Crystal. That's a good thing, and I'll try to acquire more if possible."
Qin An made a swift decision.
Starting a new career was essential, providing a foundation for his livelihood.
The knowledge about what follows the Qi Concealment Realm needed to be sought from Chen Chun.
As for Blood Crystals, having experienced their benefits today, Qin An wouldn't miss out on them.
"What should I choose for the new career?" Qin An pondered internally.
Choosing a new career couldn't be done haphazardly; making the wrong choice would be a waste of time.
While Qin An was mulling over this, footsteps sounded from outside the door.
Chen Chun's voice called out.
"Qin An, open the door, I have something to tell you."