Rise from a Poor Family: My Martial Arts Counterattack

From Chapter 453 onwards, you will be called Oscar.
Qianji Restaurant.

As soon as Lin Chen emerged from Wudao Mountain and his figure was revealed, he heard anxious voices.

"Ouch!"

"Ouch!"

In the courtyard, the little beast sat on the threshold, its head raised and calling out anxiously.

The voice and expression were as tragic as if someone had lost a loved one.

"Why are you crying?"

Lin Chen rubbed his temples, wondering if he really had such a deep bond with this little beast.

Upon hearing Lin Chen's voice, the little beast was startled and suddenly tilted its head to look at the yard. When it saw Lin Chen's figure, its short forelimbs immediately began to wave, and it excitedly jumped up several times to get to him.

"Ouch!"

The little beast leaped up and came straight at him, but Lin Chen reached out and precisely grabbed it by the scruff of its neck to prevent it from landing on him.

"Little guy, what do you mean by this? Are you going to follow me?"

"Ouch, ouch!"

The little beast nudged its nose toward Lin Chen's arm, pointed its forepaws at Lin Chen, and then pointed at its own nose.

After thinking for a moment, Lin Chen understood what the little beast meant.

When it absorbs the energy of the Dragon Blood Bodhi Fruit, the blood and qi that overflow from its body are a delicious treat that this little guy likes.

The feeling wasn't that I developed feelings for myself, but rather that I started to see myself as a cook.

But this makes sense. It's not like before, where the protagonist exudes an aura of dominance, and both humans and beasts willingly submit and are loyal.

"Alright, then you'll stay with me for a while."

He consumed ninety-two Dragon Blood Bodhi Fruits this time, leaving twenty-six remaining.

It is no longer necessary to take it every day, otherwise it would waste the energy of the Dragon Blood Bodhi Fruit. You only need to take one every ten days.

Qi and blood have reached their limit. To further improve them, it is necessary to increase the innate power within the body. Innate power not only represents strength but also transforms the body.

When twenty-four acupoints in his body condense innate crystals, he has entered the second stage of the innate realm. He already has forty-eight innate crystals in his body. The next thing to do is to condense more innate crystals until he reaches three hundred and sixty-five, and then break through to the third stage of the innate realm.

With each additional innate crystal, the innate power within the body becomes several times stronger. If one can obtain more than three hundred crystals, the innate power alone will be dozens of times more concentrated.

Condensing a Primordial Crystal requires a massive amount of Primordial Power, and if Primordial Power were to rely solely on one's own growth, it might not be enough even in a hundred years. This is why a great deal of martial arts resources are needed to make up for it.

The real gap and dividing line between the Innate Realm lies here.

No matter how high one's martial arts talent is, without sufficient resources, it is difficult to condense more than three hundred innate crystals.

This also marks the beginning of the gap between martial artists from super sects and other martial artists in the Yan Dynasty's martial arts world. Most martial artists from non-super sects who are able to break through to the Innate Realm are also stuck at this level because they find it difficult to obtain enough martial arts resources in a short period of time.

However, even among martial artists from super sects, these martial arts resources still require competition. The difference is that they can obtain these resources by participating in sect missions, which is easier than outside the sect.

Lin Chen was well aware of this; otherwise, his second and third senior brothers, as direct disciples, would not have gone out to travel.

After sorting out his thoughts in the courtyard, Lin Chen prepared to leave. However, before leaving, he noticed that the little beast seemed a bit troubled. He worried that it would be difficult to conceal himself while carrying the little guy.

You can change your appearance, but small animals can't.

"Little guy, can you change your appearance?"

Thinking back to when the little beast transformed into a mountain peak, Lin Chen asked a question.

"Ow~"

Upon hearing Lin Chen's words, the little beast patted its chest with its forelegs. The next moment, its body began to emit a faint yellow light, and its fluffy fur shrank continuously. After a few breaths, it transformed into a yellow, fist-sized stone.

Watching the entire process of the little beast's transformation, Lin Chen's eyes were also filled with contemplation. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, even if the stone were placed at his feet, he wouldn't have suspected that it was a demon beast in disguise.

This time, the little guy didn't show a trace of blood or energy.

"Why is there no record of such a wondrous beast in the sect?"

The more wondrous the object, the less likely ordinary sects are to record it due to their relatively short history. However, sects like the Canglan Sect, which have existed for tens of thousands of years, possess complete jade slips containing information about some special items from the Yan Dynasty.

Rare and precious materials, strange and magical beasts, martial arts techniques, and the energy of heaven and earth...

As a direct disciple, the jade slip given to me by my master was not a censored version. As long as the ancestor of this little beast appeared in the Yan Dynasty and was seen by a martial artist, even if it was not a martial artist from the Canglan Sect who encountered it, the sect would have a record of it.

Because on that jade slip, he discovered several kinds of rare and precious materials, described in vague terms.

The reason is that these rare and precious materials only appeared once or twice and disappeared quickly. Very few people saw them, and the records made by the Canglan Sect elders were based on the descriptions in the rumors.

Unless this little beast has never appeared in the history of the Yan Dynasty, but is that even possible?

The little beast is a result of a racial mutation; its ancestors did not possess this ability to change their physical form.
"Little one, were your ancestors like this too?"

"Awoo!" The little beast transformed back into its animal form and nodded its round, fluffy little head, leaving Lin Chen momentarily embarrassed.

Well, all my previous guesses were wrong.

"Forget it, I won't guess anymore. From now on, I'll call you Oscar."

An Oscar-winning actor, which fits the little beast's disguise and transformation abilities quite well.

"Awooo... hiss... woof~"

Upon hearing Lin Chen name it, the little beast was clearly delighted, its bright black eyes narrowing into slits with a smile.

"Change back. After you change back, I won't tell you not to change back unless I tell you to."

Lin Chen patted Oscar on the head, and Oscar responded with a "woof," turning into stone once again. Lin Chen picked him up, and even with the stone in his palm, he still discovered the flaw.

This stone has warmth!
Lin Chen put Oscar into the bundle, picked it up, and walked out of the courtyard gate.

He has a treasure box, so he doesn't actually need to carry anything. However, one should not flaunt wealth when going out. If a martial artist is traveling without any baggage, especially when leaving the courtyard, people will suspect that he has a treasure box.

Although the chances of being robbed while in the second stage of the Innate Realm are very small, it's still best to keep a low profile when traveling.

……

"My lord, the total is 1,100 Flame Coins. Since the day is not yet full, 1,000 Flame Coins will suffice."

When the manager of Qianji Restaurant heard that Lin Chen wanted to check out, he smiled. Normally, according to the rules of Qianji Restaurant, once it was past midnight, it would be considered the next day and the room fee would need to be charged.

The innkeeper waived the room fee for the day because Giant Stone City is not a particularly large city in the Xuanhuang Domain, and Thousand Machines Inn only has three independent courtyards here, which have been vacant for a long time. He could decide to reduce the room fee by one hundred Flame Coins for this gentleman.

"it is good."

Lin Chen didn't stand on ceremony. Although his master had given him 30,000 Flame Coins, he would need to spend Flame Coins on many things on his path of martial arts cultivation, so he would save every 100 he could.

After paying the Flame Coins, Lin Chen was about to leave when the shopkeeper spoke up, "Sir, where are you headed?"

Upon hearing the shopkeeper's question, Lin Chen turned around and stared at him. In just a moment, cold sweat broke out on the shopkeeper's face.

"My lord, please don't misunderstand. I didn't mean to inquire about your whereabouts. It's just that our Qianji Restaurant has a caravan. If it's on your way, you can travel with the caravan, and the restaurant will reward you."

After speaking, the shopkeeper breathed a sigh of relief as he felt the terrifying pressure disappear. The aura that this lord had just released was far more powerful than he had imagined.

"Does anyone dare to target your Thousand Machines Sect's caravan?"

Lin Chen was somewhat curious as to why someone would dare to rob a merchant caravan from the Thousand Machines Sect, which was behind the Thousand Machines Restaurant.

"My lord, the Thousand Machines Restaurant is backed by the Thousand Machines Sect, but the caravans are not only from the Thousand Machines Sect, but also from other sects in the Thousand Machines Domain, which are just affiliated with the Thousand Machines Sect. With such a vast territory and so many caravans in the Yan Dynasty, there will always be some people who have designs on it."

After listening to the shopkeeper's explanation, Lin Chen understood.

There are too many Thousand Machines caravans, and the disciples of the Thousand Machines Sect alone are not enough. Other martial artists from the Thousand Machines Sect will also participate in the caravan's protection. However, sometimes when they encounter some more valuable items, if there are not enough innate martial artists, the caravan will hire innate martial artists from outside.

"no need."

Lin Chen ultimately refused. He didn't want to waste time. The caravan's speed was naturally slower than his own. Besides, if the caravan wanted to hire a Xiantian martial artist as a guard, they should know him well. Otherwise, how could they guarantee that the hired Xiantian martial artist wouldn't try to kill the caravan?
"My lord... there happens to be a merchant caravan heading to the East Sea. I wonder if you could reveal your cultivation level?"

The shopkeeper did not give up because of Lin Chen's refusal, but instead inquired about Lin Chen's cultivation level.

"Innate Second Realm"

Upon hearing that Lin Chen was at the second level of the Innate Realm, the shopkeeper showed no surprise. If he wasn't at the second level of the Innate Realm, how could he possess such terrifying pressure?

"Sir, the caravan is willing to offer one hundred innate stones, and the timeframe is only three months."

One hundred innate stones?
Lin Chen narrowed his eyes slightly. The Innate Stone is a kind of rare stone that can store innate energy, containing the innate energy of the five elements. When the innate energy of the five elements is full, the stone will turn from gray to gold.

A single innate stone is worth three hundred Flame Coins.

Three thousand Flame Coins, three months—that's several days longer than if I traveled to the East Sea alone.

"Do I need to reveal my identity to become a caravan guard?"

Upon hearing Lin Chen's words, the shopkeeper understood that the gentleman was interested, but he was still hesitant because he did not want to reveal his true origins.

"Rest assured, sir, the caravan does not need to reveal its true identity."

Lin Chen gave the shopkeeper a deep look, without asking why the caravan didn't need it, but he sensed something from the shopkeeper's tone.

The caravan was not afraid of inviting trouble, which must have been because they had something to rely on.

"In that case, I'll take this escort job."

"Thank you, sir. Please go back to your room and rest. I will inform you when the caravan departs tomorrow."

The shopkeeper was overjoyed because he had found enough guards for the caravan, and he could also earn some reward from it.

This money doesn't need to be handed over; it goes directly into his pocket.

(End of this chapter)