Chapter 54: Not in the Mood to Go Out

Inside the cool courtyard.

Swish swish swish swish!

Qin Ming gripped the Black Wind Blade and practiced the Bloodburn Blade Art over and over again.

But he hadn’t expected the Bloodburn Blade Art to be so difficult to master.

Qin Ming trained continuously for half a month without pause, yet he hadn’t even grasped the basics of the first posture.

This blade art demanded not only precision, accuracy, and ferocity in power application, but also exact control over blood and qi energy.

Otherwise, the flame blade aura could not be triggered, drastically reducing its power.

Previously, Qin Ming had relied solely on brute force, which was inefficient.

Now, he needed to adjust this state.

Thud thud thud! As Qin Ming trained, a knock came at the courtyard gate.

He quickly sheathed the Black Wind Blade and peered out through the door slit.

“Again him?” Qin Ming frowned upon seeing the visitor.

The visitor was none other than Chen Ziang.

Half a month ago, Qin Ming had clashed with his master Jiang Kun, and the parting had been unpleasant.

Why had this fellow come back so soon?

After a brief hesitation, Qin Ming opened the door.

“Chen Daoist, what do you want?”

Chen Ziang’s face lit up the moment he saw Qin Ming.

He cautiously glanced around before speaking.

“Qin Daoist, may I come in for a word?”

Qin Ming’s brow twitched slightly—he couldn’t fathom what the man was up to.

Still, he stepped aside. “Please, come in.”

Chen Ziang entered the courtyard, looked around, and sighed, “Qin Daoist, your courtyard is truly unique!”

“Chen Daoist, you flatter me—how could it compare to the main hall of Lingyu Gate? Please, come in for some tea,” Qin Ming replied humbly.

Chen Ziang shook his head. “No tea, thank you.”

“Qin Daoist, I have a secret to tell you.”

“But first, let me explain.”

“A few days ago, Brother Jiang spoke to you rather harshly, but don’t take it to heart—he’s just like that, blunt and straightforward, even yells at me sometimes, hehe.”

Qin Ming: “.”

This sounded familiar—he’d heard Jiang Kun say the exact same thing before.

“Never mind that,” Chen Ziang continued.

“Qin Daoist, listen closely—this might be a tremendous opportunity for you!”

Hearing this, Qin Ming’s heart stirred with suspicion.

‘A tremendous opportunity? Is this guy really that generous?’

Chen Ziang cleared his throat and went on: “In half a month, our sect’s second-rank superior herbalist, Elder Zhuang Xiran, will give a public lecture on herbal cultivation at headquarters—and he’s very likely to select a final disciple.”

“The number of seats is limited, and very few know about it.”

“After much effort, I finally secured one of those seats.”

“I wish to gift it to you as a token of apology—it will greatly aid your advancement to second-rank herbalist, and if Elder Zhuang takes notice, you could truly soar!”

As he spoke, Chen Ziang pulled a jade talisman from his storage pouch. Carved with the seal character “Zhuang,” it emitted a distinct magical aura—undoubtedly genuine.

He then forced a smile and extended the talisman toward Qin Ming.

Qin Ming did not reach out to take it.

He understood the old saying: no good deed comes without ulterior motives.

“What a coincidence—this month, the spirit fields on the mountain have entered peak farming season. I simply can’t spare the time.”

“I appreciate your kindness, Chen Daoist, but perhaps you should offer it to someone else?”

Qin Ming bowed slightly in apology.

Chen Ziang had just poured out a flood of words, clearly certain of success.

Yet Qin Ming refused outright without hesitation, leaving him utterly stunned.

‘This is a lecture by a second-rank superior herbalist!’

‘Does this kid have a problem? Or did I not explain clearly enough?’

‘He just refused it outright?’

Chen Ziang forced a nervous laugh, then suddenly asked: “Could it be… you have no intention of advancing to second-rank herbalist?”

“I heard you’re already cultivating superior and Jipin spirit plants for Su Danshi this year.”

“If you succeed, wouldn’t your next step be entering the second-rank herbalist threshold?”

“What does that have to do with advancing to second-rank herbalist?” Qin Ming blinked in confusion.

Chen Ziang looked astonished. “Huh? You don’t know the requirements for advancing to second-rank herbalist?”

“Er… I didn’t know. I planned to ask the Duty Hall these days, but haven’t gotten around to it yet,” Qin Ming answered honestly, without shame.

Chen Ziang suddenly understood. “Ah! That explains it!”

“You don’t need to go to the Duty Hall—I’ll tell you.”

“Advancing to second-rank herbalist differs slightly from advancing to first-rank.”

“You must satisfy three conditions.”

“First, you must successfully cultivate at least one second-rank spirit plant.”

“Second, you need a recommendation from any second-rank herbalist, as this relates to the third condition.”

“Third, you must enter the Spirit Grove Illusion within Lingyu Gate and complete the trial.”

“The recommendation slots for the trial are controlled by each second-rank herbalist elder.”

“Each elder may recommend up to three herbalists to enter the Spirit Grove Illusion.”

“Qin Daoist, don’t miss this chance—elders rarely give public lectures to take disciples!”

Chen Ziang finished speaking.

This time, it was Qin Ming’s turn to be stunned.

He hadn’t expected advancing to second-rank herbalist to be so complicated—it required not just a recommendation, but also a trial in the Spirit Grove Illusion.

This was a headache.

Qin Ming snapped out of his thoughts and said to Chen Ziang: “Thank you for informing me, Chen Daoist, but I’m still shallow in knowledge and skill. I don’t even know if I’ll break through to superior herbalist this year—second-rank herbalist is too distant for me. I’ll set it aside for now.”

“.” Chen Ziang’s face darkened. He’d said everything he could, and the man shut him down with one sentence.

He was furious inside, but remembering his plan, he forced a hollow smile: “Then I won’t disturb you further, Qin Daoist.”

“I’ll keep the slot for now. If you ever change your mind, just come to Mingzhen Pavilion to collect it.”

“I’ll take my leave then.”

Qin Ming smiled. “Chen Daoist, no need to see you off.”

The conversation ended.

Chen Ziang left the Cool Courtyard.

On the marketplace road.

After walking a distance, Chen Ziang finally snapped and cursed: “Damn this kid! I’ve been lurking around him for days, and he’s just locked himself in his room every single day—what the hell is he doing? I’m fed up!”

“I came up with such a brilliant idea to lure him out of the marketplace, and he didn’t even react!”

“Ugh, this is driving me crazy!”

“Brother Jiang told me to handle this quietly…”

“Why doesn’t he try it himself?”

…

(End of Chapter)