Chapter 10: Business Flourishing

Having adjusted his breath for a moment, Wang Chen got up, ready to leave.

Just as he turned around,

an unexpected change occurred!

Two masses of dark light suddenly burst from the ground, swooping towards Wang Chen from the left and the right.

Their speed was comparable to that of arrows!

This trick again?

Despite the abruptness of the attack, Wang Chen, who had killed a Monsterized Earth Rhino the day before, was well-prepared.

He suddenly clenched his fists, with mana instantly gathering in his arms.

Mighty Strength Technique!

In the blink of an eye, Wang Chen's arms swelled rapidly, his muscles bulging and veins popping, his skin flushed with a purplish-red hue!

"Kill!"

He swung his fist, and his mana-infused iron fist hit the two masses of dark light squarely.

Bang! Bang!

Two massive Monsterized Earth Rhinos were sent flying simultaneously.

On Wang Chen's fists, a bloody cut appeared on each.

Bright red blood gushed out.

Bearing the intense pain, Wang Chen's tightly clenched right fist shot out two fingers.

His sword finger targeted the disoriented Monsterized Earth Rhino to his right!

"Swift!"

The sharp Geng Metal Qi struck the Monsterized Earth Rhino, piercing its body mercilessly.

That Monsterized Earth Rhino immediately lost its balance and plummeted to the ground.

This strike, which Wang Chen executed with all his mana, exhibited the full power of the Mastery Level Geng Metal Finger.

"Squeak!"

Seeing the situation turn dire, the other Monsterized Earth Rhino made a booming sound and dove towards the Spirit Fields,

clearly attempting to escape.

Without a second thought, Wang Chen executed another sword finger with practiced ease.

Another streak of Qi flashed by.

The second Monsterized Earth Rhino had been cleaved in two upon landing.

Decapitated!

Wang Chen exhaled a murky breath, his face turning extremely pale.

He staggered, almost falling on the ridges of the field.

If the first finger strike was deliberate, the second was entirely a subconscious action,

which had thoroughly drained all of Wang Chen's mana.

At this moment, his Dantian was utterly depleted, leaving him without the ability to cast any spells.

He immediately started to regulate his breath in order to accumulate a trace of mana again.

Then he opened his Storage Bag.

First, he took out some antiseptic medicine and applied it to the wounds on his fists.

The horns of the Earth Rhino were sharp, and those of the Monsterized Earth Rhino were exceptionally so.

Even though Wang Chen had activated the Mighty Strength Technique to reinforce his fists, he had still been wounded.

Fortunately, the bone in his fingers was intact.

And the Monsterized Earth Rhino carried no poison.

After treating his wounds, he took out a leftover ball of Spirit Rice from lunch.

He wolfed it down.

At last, he felt a bit of his strength returning.

With some of his mana restored, Wang Chen wiped the sweat from his forehead.

He was still shaken.

He had anticipated the possibility of an ambush by a Monsterized Earth Rhino, but he didn't expect two to emerge this time.

He had nearly capsized in the gutter.

He needed to strengthen his physique!

Grasping his still-aching fist, Wang Chen thought about whether he should practice a Body Tempering Technique.

His physique was only at 4 points.

Although stronger than his Root Bone and Comprehension, he was still far from shaking off the label of a physical weakling.

At present, Wang Chen was still unclear on how to obtain the "life-changing" Heavenly Merit, but he thought that practicing a Body Tempering Technique should probably increase his Physique attribute.

As he thought about it, he started picking up the carcasses of the Monsterized Earth Rhinos and put them into his Storage Bag.

These were all Spirit Stones!

Of course, Wang Chen hadn't forgotten to check his cultivation panel.

He had been so intensely focused earlier that he didn't notice the messages in his field of vision.

The skill points for Geng Metal Finger had increased by 2 points,

and so had his Human Virtue by 2 points!

Wang Chen immediately broke into a smile.

At this rate,

he could soon advance his Geng Metal Finger to the Minor Achievement Realm.

By then, not to mention a Monsterized Earth Rhino, even facing a Monster Beast, he would have the power to fight.

Awesome!

Boom~

Just at that moment, a deep and distant bell sound entered Wang Chen's ears.

It's 17 p.m.

This bell sound came from Cloud Mountain City, originating from the Fixed Sun Bell within the Star Observation Pavilion.

It is said that the Fixed Sun Bell is a tier three Magical Treasure made by a Golden Core True Person, situated at the main hub of the City Protecting Great Array of Cloud Mountain, automatically ringing every two hours, its sound traveling within a hundred-mile radius.

Anyone who hears the Fixed Sun Bell will immediately know the current time.

Furthermore, the bell can also transmit simple messages to the cultivators of Cloud Sun Sect through its chime.

Alerts, summons, celebrations, mourning...

But the greatest function of this Magical Treasure is to deter and expel Evil Wraiths!

That's why one would hear the Fixed Sun Bell's sound twelve times a day.

It isn't disturbing in the least; instead, it brings a sense of security and stability.

Stepping into the remaining glow of the sunset, Wang Chen returned to his home.

Today's harvest was substantial; he had earned over a dozen Spirit Stones, and with his bulging wallet, he was in high spirits as he picked out a large bowl of insect meat and threw it into the frying pan.

Time to change up the flavor.

The fragrant smell of frying meat quickly attracted the White Fur Rat and Brocade Fur Rat couple.

Although they didn't bring any more Spirit Stones to mooch a meal, Wang Chen still happily wrapped up two insect meat rice balls for them.

Of course, it was just ordinary insect meat.

Only those with a Flower Spirit Stone were the masters; without Spirit Stones, they shouldn't expect VIP treatment.

The meat of the two Monsterized Earth Rhinos, this time, was for his own enjoyment!

As expected from elite monsters, the Monsterized Earth Rhino's meat was much more tender and chewy than that of an ordinary Earth Rhino.

And it contained much more abundant Spiritual Energy.

Wang Chen ate to his heart's content.

But it was only during his routine post-dinner cultivation time that he discovered damage in his body's meridians.

It ached faintly whenever he circulated his Qi.

This was the aftereffect of frequently activating the Geng Metal Finger!

Geng Metal Qi was the most damaging to the body.

So, cultivators like Old Sun, an elder Spiritual Plant Farmer, would rather pay Spirit Stones to hire Wang Chen to eliminate the Earth Rhinos than do it themselves.

Otherwise, if there were problems with their meridians, the cost of buying Pills for treatment would far exceed a dozen Lower Spirit Stones.

Wang Chen's Geng Metal Finger had already broken through to the Mastery Level.

However, his Cultivation was still stuck at Qi Cultivation third tier, and he had not practiced any Body Tempering Technique to strengthen his Physique.

His body's meridians, naturally, could not fully withstand the intense bursts of Geng Metal Qi Energy!

This damage was clearly caused by dealing with the two Monsterized Earth Rhinos.

Fortunately, Wang Chen was still young, and his body was in the growth phase.

The Five Elements Skill he cultivated was harmonious and balanced, able to soothe the agitation of Mana and had a slight healing effect.

Together with the Spiritual Energy nourishment from the Monsterized Earth Rhino's meat,

the damage to his meridians was quickly repaired.

But Wang Chen felt that finding a Cultivation Technique that cultivated both the body and the spirit was now urgent!

He would go to Cloud Mountain City tomorrow to look for one.

However, as well-planned as Wang Chen's schedule was,

the next morning, before it was fully light, Old Sun was already knocking on his door.

"Doggie! Doggie! Doggie~"

Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!

Wang Chen hastily got dressed and went to open the door.

He saw Old Sun with an excited expression: "Doggie, Lu's family also got infested by insects."

"They've already negotiated with me, asking you to hurry over and deal with it."

Wang Chen was astonished: "Go now?"

He hadn't brushed his teeth or washed his face and was thinking about heading to the city in the morning to buy a Cultivation Technique.

"I've already accepted their deposit!"

Old Sun stomped his foot: "Their forty-five mu of Spirit Fields are infested with Earth Rhinos, certainly more than at my place, a big deal indeed!"

Wang Chen: "Uh, let me have breakfast first."

"Spirit Rice balls and Qi Recovery Pills, I've prepared them all for you!"

For a 20% commission, Old Sun was clearly all in: "After clearing the infestation at Lu's place, I'll go to Little Wang's Family next door. Not picking up Spirit Stones lying on the ground is like inviting a lightning strike from the heavens!"

And so, Wang Chen, who hadn't even had time to brush his teeth, was directly dragged away by Old Sun.