Survival in an apartment, starting with a stroke of luck on a plane

At the same time, he also gained a more intuitive understanding of the polluting characteristics of this "innate divine power"—it was not simply a toxin, but more like a kind of active energy with strong assimilative and distorting properties, trying to pull everything that came into contact with it into its chaotic and crazy system.

After dozens of careful attempts, Lin Yu finally managed to complete the most basic spiritual energy circulation cycle of the "Creating Animals Method".

Although he would never delve into the cultivation method itself, this process of "contact-understanding-purification" gave him a preliminary "adaptability" to the local cultivation system.

[Hint: You have initially grasped the basic operating principles of the extraordinary cultivation technique "Creating Animals" (incomplete) of this world.]

[Note: Main quest "Seeking the Dao" completion status updated: Technique learning (1/1), Cultivation to Bronze level (0/1).]

Lin Yu breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the system notification.

The first step has been taken. Next comes the painstaking process of repeatedly absorbing and purifying the energy, simulating cultivation, until the body and soul develop sufficient resistance or adaptability to this power and accumulate to the "bronze-level" energy level recognized by the system.

This will undoubtedly take a lot of time.

He assigned this tedious but necessary task to his shadow clone.

The shadow clone possesses all of his knowledge and skills, enabling him to perfectly execute this "dangerous experiment".

Lin Yu himself decided to go out and continue exploring Tieshu County and the surrounding area to find more clues about the ancient cultivators or to collect other resources.

When he stepped out of the apartment again and arrived in Tieshu County, he could clearly feel that the atmosphere was different.

The destruction of Black Buddha and the emergence of the new powerhouse "Lin Yu" were like a boulder thrown into stagnant water, creating ripples.

The attitudes of Ebony Taoist and Tiger Venerable, who were originally on par with Black Buddha, have completely changed.

Not long after Lin Yu entered the city, he was "invited" to the county government office by the yamen runners sent by Master Wumu.

This time, Master Wumu no longer adopted a haughty, scrutinizing posture, but personally greeted him at the entrance of the government office. Although the forced smile on his face was still unpleasant, his obsequiousness was evident.

"Senior Lin, your presence is truly an honor! Please come in, please come in!" Master Wumu warmly led Lin Yu into the back room and served him fragrant tea—although Lin Yu doubted whether the tea was drinkable.

"Master Wumu, you are too kind. May I ask what brings you here?" Lin Yu asked directly.

"Hehe, senior, you flatter me. How dare I call myself a Daoist in front of you?" Wu Mu rubbed his hands, the tumor on his face twitching slightly. "Firstly, I want to thank you for your righteous act the other day, eliminating those evil demons from the Black Buddha Bureau and ridding my Iron Tree County of a great scourge."

Secondly... I wanted to discuss with my senior the distribution of the... properties that Black Buddha originally managed.

Lin Yu understood instantly.

With the downfall of Black Buddha, a power and interest vacuum was left behind, which both Ebony and Tiger Venerable were extremely envious of.

They approached him for two reasons: first, they were wary of his power and dared not divide the spoils without his permission; second, they probably wanted to test his attitude or even win him over.

"I am a man of the world, and have no interest in such worldly affairs." Lin Yu waved his hand, making his position clear: "Since the Black Buddha Division has been destroyed, you two can deal with its remains yourselves. There is no need for me to concern myself with them."

He didn't want to get bogged down in these trivial matters, nor did he want to get involved in the power struggles among local factions.

Maintaining a detached position makes it easier for him to act.

Moreover, he had already taken everything in the Black Buddha Temple that was useful and valuable to him, so there was little point in keeping the rest.

Upon hearing this, Master Wumu's eyes flashed with a hint of disappointment, but he felt more relaxed.

As long as this malevolent star doesn't interfere, things will be easier for him and Tiger Venerable to negotiate.

"Senior, you are truly virtuous! In that case, I will discuss it with that tiger demon... uh, with the Tiger Venerable." Wu Mu quickly said, "However, if you have any needs in Iron Tree County, whether it be medicinal herbs, minerals, or manpower, please feel free to ask, and the Tiger Venerable and I will do our best to meet them!"

This can be considered a disguised form of offering and befriending.

Lin Yu nodded, without refusing.

It's always good to have multiple local strongmen helping to gather resources.

"I do need some things," Lin Yu said, making his request. "I need clues about ancient cultivators, ancient methods, or any unusual places or ancient ruins, whether they are from books, legends, or rumors, the more the better."

In addition, if you have any ancient medicinal herbs or minerals that possess spiritual energy, you may also send them. I can exchange them for gold, silver, or other items that you might find useful.

As he spoke, he took out several low-level magical artifacts with ordinary attributes but peculiar designs that he had plundered from Black Buddha, as well as some miscellaneous potions and pills.

When Master Wumu saw these things, his eyes lit up immediately.

"Don't worry, senior! Leave this to me! I will mobilize all my resources to search for what you need!" Master Wumu patted his chest and assured him, his face flushed with excitement.

After leaving the county government office, Venerable Tiger quickly arrived upon hearing the news and expressed a similar sentiment.

Lin Yu also offered his terms of the deal, and Tiger Venerable readily agreed to mobilize the mountain spirits to help find ancient clues and spiritual objects.

In this way, Lin Yu has initially established a foothold in Tieshu County and has gained "supply channels" from two local forces.

Over the next few days, Lin Yu's life settled into a relatively regular rhythm.

During the day, the main body goes out, sometimes wandering around Iron Tree County, listening to the gossip in the city, and sometimes riding an electric bike, exploring further out to the suburbs from the apartment, using the [Sky Eye] to survey the earth's veins and look for possible ancient ruins or anomalies.

In the evening, he would return to his apartment to summarize intelligence, practice thunder magic and heavenly eye techniques, and further enhance his fundamental strength.

Meanwhile, the shadow clone stayed in the Taoist study in the apartment for a long time, responsible for two tasks: first, to continue to carry out adaptive cultivation of "True Law", by constantly absorbing trace amounts of polluted spiritual energy and then immediately purifying it, to improve the "compatibility" with the local power; second, to take care of the [Skyhawk] egg and observe its changes.

Under the nourishment of the True Lord statue, the hatching progress of the eagle eggs is visible to the naked eye.

The golden patterns on the eggshell became clearer and clearer, and the life fluctuations inside grew stronger and more powerful.

Lin Yu estimated that at this rate, the mythical beast would hatch in a day or two at most.

After exploring Tieshu County and its surrounding areas for about a week, Lin Yu had gone through almost all the books and rumors related to cultivation that he could collect.

Unfortunately, the gains were minimal.

Most of the content consists of either folk tales or ancient records that are incomplete and vague, offering no real help in finding safe ancient traditions or gaining a deeper understanding of the true nature of the "true teachings."

The items sent by Master Wumu and Venerable Hu were mostly common medicinal herbs and minerals that were not old enough, and their value was limited.

This made him even more convinced that he had almost completely drained the resources of Tieshu County, a region that was considered a "beginner's village".

To achieve greater breakthroughs, we must set our sights on a wider world.

Just as he was pondering his next move, his friend list flashed – it was Phantom.

Phantom: "Witcher, you've been holed up in Irontree County for so long, have you made any big discoveries? We have a lot of good news here."

Lin Yu casually replied, "Not much to show for it. Did you find anything?"

Phantom: "I knew you'd say that. Our vice president, 'Craftsman,' got detailed maps of most of the Qian Kingdom through some special channels. Although they're not top-of-the-line military-grade, they're much more detailed than those circulating on the market. I'll send them to you."

Immediately afterwards, the phantom transmitted several images. The images were maps drawn on some kind of animal hide or special paper, with clear lines and markings of mountains, rivers, counties, and cities.

Lin Yu carefully examined the surroundings and quickly located his position.

Tieshu County is located on the southeastern edge of Yueshan County. Not far to the east lies the winding Canglan River. On the opposite bank of the river is the even more expansive Jiangshui County.

Based on the map scale, the straight-line distance from Tieshu County to Jiangyuan City, the seat of Jiangshui County, is approximately 120 to 130 kilometers. Considering the winding roads of ancient times, the actual distance may be around 150 kilometers.

Phantom continued, "Do you see Jiangshui County? It's not far from the Iron Tree County you mentioned. Besides, two of our guild members were born there and have already successfully reunited."

Their preliminary investigation revealed that Jiangyuan City was more than ten times larger than Tieshu County, and its resources and information flow were far superior to those of such a small place.

If you feel that there's not much to gain in Tieshu County, you can consider going there to join them and look out for each other.

Those two brothers are both quite strong, one is level 8 and the other is level 9, their equipment and skills are also good, and together they have silver-level combat power. Most importantly, they are both long-time members of our organization, so they are quite reliable.

Lin Yu's heart stirred.

Jiangshui County, a larger city, more players... it is indeed a more attractive goal.

While solo exploration offers freedom, proper information and resource exchange is crucial in such massive mission worlds.

As things stand, the Gathering of Heroes is still a potential partner for limited cooperation.

He thought for a moment and decided to reveal some information in exchange for more trust and potential help: "Thank you for the map and information, I've also made some discoveries on my end."

The cultivation of "True Dharma" in this world does indeed have great hidden dangers... (Slightly revealing some information about the Black Buddha Temple)

However, I have found a potentially safe way to access and utilize the "true method," but it requires specific techniques, and I am currently still in the experimental stage.

He omitted specific details about the pure spring and the statue of the True Lord, only stating that he had made some discoveries.

"In addition, after the Black Buddha Division incident, an inspector named Li Qianfeng from the Great Qian Zhenxie Division appeared. His strength is estimated to be in the upper-middle range of the Gold level. He recruited me and asked me to report to the Zhenxie Division in Huangzhou Prefecture."

After the message was sent, Phantom paused for a moment, seemingly processing the information or communicating with others.

It seems that the information Lin Yu provided is indeed very important.

Phantom quickly replied, his tone noticeably more serious: "Safe access to the 'True Law'? This is huge news! If it really happens, it will be incredibly significant for us players! Demon Hunter, you're truly remarkable. As for the Evil Suppression Division..."

She paused, then continued, "This is an opportunity! The Great Qian Evil Suppression Division is the main force of the government in dealing with evil events. They have very high authority, and the confidential intelligence, resources, and techniques they can access are far beyond what we scattered soldiers can compare to."

Although their cultivation techniques are likely flawed, if you have the means to purify yourself, joining them would undoubtedly be the best shortcut to infiltrate their ranks and obtain core information.

Our guild leader also mentioned that if someone could enter the official system, it would be extremely beneficial to the guild as a whole.

If you successfully join, the organization will immediately elevate your privileges, grant you access to more resource libraries and intelligence sharing, and provide you with all the support it can.

The Phantom's words were clearly encouraging and expectant.

Clearly, the top brass of the Heroes' Club had long recognized the importance of official channels.

However, it seems they haven't found an opportunity to join yet.

That's strange. Based on Lin Yu's previous understanding of the Heroes' Gathering, the guild leader and vice-leader should be quite strong, at least at the gold level. Logically, they should be valued by the Evil Suppression Division.

After all, he was like that too.

Lin Yu pondered for a moment.

Joining the Evil Suppression Division has both very obvious advantages and disadvantages.

As Phantom said, the advantage is that with the backing of the official authorities, intelligence, resources, and authority are not a problem. They can understand this world more quickly and deeply, and may even come across clues about "ancient methods" or "purification methods".

The downsides are that one loses some freedom, needs to obey orders, and being within the system inevitably involves various rules and potential infighting. Moreover, being surrounded by cultivators who practice "true methods" increases the risk of exposing one's own secrets.

After careful consideration, Lin Yu replied, "Joining the Evil Suppression Division is indeed an option, but I need to think about it further and also need to improve my own strength to deal with possible situations."

I'll go to Jiangshui County first to meet up with those two brothers and see how things go.

As for the invitation from the Exorcism Bureau, I will put it on hold for now, but I will keep that option open.

He chose the safe approach.

Go to Jiangshui County first to meet more players and learn more information. The threshold for Zhenxie Division is there; going later might allow you to negotiate better conditions.

Phantom seemed a little disappointed, but also expressed her understanding: "Alright, it's good to be cautious. So when do you plan to set off for Jiangshui County? I'll notify the brothers there to meet you."

Their IDs are [Stone Shield] and [Wind Whisperer]. You can contact them through your friend list once you arrive in Jiangyuan City.

"Within the next day or two," Lin Yu decided.

After ending his communication with Phantom, Lin Yu began preparing for the relocation.

He first checked the results of the shadow clone's "cultivation" over the past week.

The results are remarkable. Through countless cycles of "absorption-purification," the shadow clone has successfully simulated and cultivated the basic operating method of the "Creating Animals" technique to a level close to the black iron level. Its "adaptability" to strange spiritual energy has been greatly enhanced, and it has been confirmed that with the support of the spiritual spring water, this kind of "pseudo-cultivation" can indeed be carried out safely.

[Note: Main quest "Seeking the Dao" completion status updated: Technique learning (1/1), cultivation reached Bronze level (18%/100%).]

At this rate, even if it's just using shadow clones to slowly grind it down, it will take at most another month or so to grind the "Livestock Creation Method" to the Bronze level and complete the mission.

This put his mind at ease and gave him a way out.

Then, he looked toward the Taoist study.

The cracks on the surface of the [Soaring Eagle] egg were as dense as a spider web, and the life force inside was extremely active, as if it might hatch at any moment.

A rich divine aura even began to form a faint golden halo around the eggshell.

"It seems I won't be able to wait until you fully hatch." Lin Yu touched the eggshell with some regret. "But, it's fine to take you with me."

The eagle was not far from hatching, and Lin Yu couldn't possibly leave it in the apartment. He would definitely carry it with him at all times to ensure that he was the first person the eagle would see after hatching.

After getting ready, Lin Yu mounted his multi-functional electric scooter, set the direction, and sped along the banks of the Canglan River towards Jiangshui County.

The speed of the multi-functional electric vehicle far exceeds that of any other means of transportation in this era, and no matter how rugged the road is, it is not a problem with its powerful capabilities.

If there's a road, run; if there's no road, fly.

In just half a day, the outline of a majestic city became faintly visible on the horizon ahead.

It was a huge city built against the mountains and by the water, with towering city walls stretching endlessly, dozens of times more magnificent than Tieshu County.

The Canglan River makes a sharp bend here, its surface widening as boats come and go, and masts stand like a forest at the dock.

That place is Jiangyuan City, the seat of Jiangshui County.

Several miles from the city, Lin Yu put away his electric bike and started walking.

He didn't want to attract unnecessary attention.

Approaching the city gate, one can better appreciate the prosperity and vastness of Jiangyuan City.

The line of people and vehicles stretching for a long distance to enter the city was filled with well-equipped and fierce soldiers, some of whom were even low-level cultivators with faint energy fluctuations.

Lin Yu revealed the black jade talisman that Li Qianfeng had given him.

Upon seeing the token representing the relationship with the Zhenxie Division, the soldiers guarding the city immediately became extremely respectful. Without asking any further questions, they bowed and invited him into the city, even waiving the entrance tax.

"This brand is quite effective," Lin Yu thought to himself, gaining a more direct understanding of the power of the Zhenxie Division.

Upon entering Jiangyuan City, a wave of bustling heat hits you. Shops line both sides of the wide bluestone streets, banners fluttering, and the cries of vendors fill the air.

Pedestrians thronged the streets, their clothing and attire noticeably more elaborate and diverse than in Tieshu County, and one could even spot some merchants from other ethnic groups.

The concentration of spiritual energy in the air seemed to be higher than in Tieshu County, but the eerie sense of pollution still lingered, like background noise that wouldn't go away.

Following the information provided by the Phantom, he contacted [Stone Shield] and [Wind Whisperer] through their friend lists.

Soon, the other party sent a reply and an address—an inn called "Yuelai" located in the western part of the city.

Lin Yu went to the address.

In a room on the second floor, he met two members of the Heroes' Guild.

【Shi Dun】As his name suggests, he is a tall, burly man with dark skin, wearing heavy leather armor and carrying a huge metal shield, giving people a sense of calm and reliability.

He was level 9, and his aura was heavy, clearly indicating that he was a player who focused on defense.

[Wind Whisperer] is a slender young man with bright eyes. He wears light leather armor, with a short bow and quiver hanging at his waist. He exudes a natural aura and is level 8. He is likely a ranged or scouting player with agility or perception as his specialties.

According to Phantom, the two of them combined have Silver-level strength, which is not weak. Based on Lin Yu's understanding over this period of time, the strongest cultivator in the Great Qian Kingdom should be Platinum-level according to the game's classification.

A Gold-level Zhenxie Sizhou-level Inspector like Li Qianfeng is already considered a core force in the Great Qian Dynasty.

In regions like Jiangshui County and Yueshan County, a Silver-level strength is definitely sufficient.

"You're the Witcher? I've heard so much about you!" Stone Shield's voice boomed as he extended his hand with a hearty smile. "Sister Phantom has praised you quite a bit, saying you're a rare master."

The Wind Whisperer smiled and nodded in acknowledgment, his eyes filled with curiosity and scrutiny: "To be able to fight against a Gold-level BOSS, that's truly impressive."

Lin Yu shook hands with them, his attitude neither humble nor arrogant: "You flatter me, it was just luck. I'm new here, and I'll have to trouble you two."

"We're all on the same side, don't be so polite." Shi Dun waved his hand and said, "We only joined forces a few days ago. Jiangyuan City is a deep and complex place with many powerful forces intertwined."

We've been in contact with the local prefectural government these past couple of days and got a government job; it seems like it might be interesting.

"Oh? What kind of job?" Lin Yu asked.

The Wind Whisperer continued, "The Prefectural Governor's Office has issued a temporary commission called 'Sword-Hunter,' which is mainly for cultivators who have gone out of control in the wild and are endangering the local area, also known as 'demonic cultivators.'"

Upon completing the commission, you will receive some gold, silver, and low-level cultivation resources from the Prefect's Office as a reward. The system will also give you a small amount of game currency and experience.

While the rewards per instance aren't particularly generous, they are consistent, and they allow you to familiarize yourself with the surrounding environment and build official reputation.

The "Ghostwriter" quest? Lin Yu's heart stirred. This was indeed a good entry point; it would allow him to acquire resources, gain a deeper understanding of the "demonic cultivators," and accumulate experience in dealing with the authorities.

"We've just received one, and the target is Xiaoshi Village, thirty miles west of the city," Shi Dun said. "According to official intelligence, the village has been invaded by an out-of-control cultivator. The situation is unclear, but it shouldn't be too difficult."

How about it, interested in going to check it out together? It's our first time working together.

After a moment's thought, Lin Yu nodded in agreement. As a newcomer, this kind of cooperative mission was a good way to familiarize himself with his teammates' styles and abilities, and at the same time test his own methods for dealing with "contamination."

"Alright! It's settled then!" Shi Dun laughed heartily. "Let's get ready and set off first thing tomorrow morning!"

That night, Lin Yu also booked a room at the Yuelai Inn.

He has not moved his apartment yet and plans to make a decision after he is more familiar with the surrounding environment of Jiangyuan City.

……

(Happy National Day, brothers! I have some good news to share: I have to work during the National Day holiday! I'm so happy! Everyone else gets a holiday but I can work, it's so great... hahaha... hee hee hee... waaaah...)