I walked out of my room and went straight to the backyard where my plants are located; the chilly atmosphere immediately assaulted me. I looked at the icy white leaves of the Tianyin grass responsible for the cold.

"Everything looks all right," after a quick glance, I didn't discover any immediate issue. This is why I love plants, apart from providing the necessary environment for their growth. I don't need to do anything else.

Now to confirm, I stretched my senses and observed my surroundings for any snooping unwanted presence. After opening my meridians and cultivating to the first layer, my senses are sharper than before. I then uprooted a pink plant with green-veined leaves, I touched the locket, and the scenery changed to the expansive small world. I dug a hole and planted the virility enhancing herb. So far, everything is alright, now to wait. 

My goal is to test whether the small world can support life other than my own. I exited the space and appeared back to the small farm; if it's successful, I'll have to transfer everything. I then walked back to the main room feeling satisfied.

On the way back, I encountered Hong Lin. His mood appears to have improved after his short meditation session. 

"Jiang Ming, I was looking for you," I was also going to look for him so that we could brainstorm on how to proceed with the spirit stones issue.

"Why don't we have a seat?" I motioned for the study table, and we walked to it. I took a seat, and he did the same on the opposite chair. "What did you want to say?" There is a high possibility that he's experiencing the same trouble as me, but for that tiny possibility of it being something else, I have to ask.

"I just ran out of stones!"

"Me too," I answered.

"Then let's go and hunt," he buttered out. The sect has a controlled area where we can go and hunt beasts without worrying about being attacked by over powerful beasts. At least that's what Jiang Yan said to me.

"Have you broken through?" I asked him; I don't know how to tell if someone breaks through, but I doubt he has. He dejectedly shakes his head and confirms my thoughts, "are you sure you want to face beasts right now? We don't even have a martial technique yet," beasts, unlike humans, are very unpredictable. They have no limitations to their strength like humans and aren't affected by emotions too.

"I have one," what? When did he get a technique? The incident back at the mission hall barred us from proceeding to the martial hall. "Do you remember the jade talisman the sect master handed to me? Well, it turns out it's a martial technique suited for me," I had forgotten Jiang Yan's visit; I fished out the device she handed me and observed it. She said I would know what it is once I start cultivation, but frankly, I still don't know.

I furrowed my brows and scratched my head since the only thing I have gained so far is qi; let me try, I poured qi into the compass-like thing, and it registered movement. The black arrow spans rapidly before settling in my direction. That's it? I had expected an amazing hidden thing to break out from the device and soar to the heavens, shocking everything and everyone, but it turns out it is a broken thing.

"What's that?" Hong Lin asked.

"That's what I would like to know too," it doesn't make sense for Jiang Yan to give me a broken thing, so its function still needs to be explored. "Can you try pouring your qi into it?" I extended my arm to Hong Lin, and he poured his yellow qi inside. Just like before. The black arrow rapidly circulated, but this time it pointed towards him. Could it be... "Can you try moving?" I asked him, and he obediently moved to another position, and the pointer followed him, he tried again, and the result was the same.

"So it tracks based on qi?" Hong Lin asked to which I nodded, so everyone has a unique qi signature? For the thing that I will now name as a tracking compass to work, everyone has to have a different qi signature. I examined a trace of my qi, but no matter how hard I squinted my eyes, I couldn't detect anything that could be distinguishable. It's just a yellow ball of liquid. I resigned from discovering anything right now. Maybe just like everything else, I need to get stronger to decipher it. My vision got stronger once I entered the first layer, so perhaps I will pick up something later.

"Let's get back to important things," I put away the tracking compass. "What martial technique did she give you? Can I see it?" If it is possible, then I can also try to learn it.

"It's gone. Once I started to study it, it disappeared into my mind," Hong Lin apologetically said. "As for its name, it's called from ashes, the phoenix rises," I held back a cringe seeing how excited he was. I've heard of some weird names like the sect's, but his technique is by far the most bizarre. "Right now, I can channel my qi and unleash fire-based attacks like this," his aura changed, and the very atmosphere turned fiery and hot. A red fiery whip-like thing emerged from his hand and slithered in the air like it had a mind of its own.

"H-Hong Lin, don't play with fire," seeing the flame-whip slither to my being, I warned him in case he gets a little happy and daring. I sighed in relief as the coily flame disappeared, returning calm and tranquility to the room.

"Right now, I'm limited by my qi quantity and control, but later I'll be able to do much better than a flame whip," his smug face brews jealousy within me. I have to hurry and get one too. "So, what do you think? Can't we handle a mere beast?" Truth be told if he strangles a beast with his whip. Then it should be an easy kill, only that the beasts must have a way to counter him. Fifteen years of constantly being hunted must have cleared out the weaker ones. Those that roam the controlled forest now must have faced multiple attacks; a flame based one shouldn't be a special case.

"Let's wait until we cultivate to the second layer," it might be that I'm just a tad over-cautious after encountering the Kong Lin guy, but one can never be too cautious, "if you want to go that badly, I won't stop you."

"Let's wait. I'm not that far from breaking through," Hong Lin sighed and took a seat. 

"So, do you have any other ideas?" I asked him.

"Well, we can always try to sell pictures of you naked," 

".."

I'm going to assume he's joking, but his face states otherwise.

"I'll draw. You have to strip and pose," he took out a red feather he usually has and drew some imaginary things in the blank air.

"Yeah, that's not happening. If you want to draw something, draw yourself," I countered and discarded his idea, but his idea isn't entirely useless. Like a seed planted on fertile soil, a tree-like idea sprouted on my mind.

"Hehe... I know what we can do. Wait here," I rushed to my room and rummaged into my drawer. After picking out what I was looking for, I returned to the study and slammed a bunch of brown paper on the hard table surface.

"What do you want to do?" Hong Lin raised a brow.

"It's going to be big," I exaggerated my actions and looked at the void space with a smile as if envisioning a future full of beauties on my bed. "It's a business on manipulating women," Hong Lin grew even more confused at my words, so I explained the full details.

It's something like this; I'm going to set myself as an experienced sexual health doctor. That is easy as all I have to do is write the obvious and bullshit other things. I will list some problems that most couples face, like unsatisfied sex, and give out a possible solution. Like that, my writing will subconsciously become a reference material once sex is brought up. After that phase is over, the critical part will follow. I will start selling products under my name, products like the virility enhancing plant. My plants are scarce, so the market should have a short or no supply for them. After that, I will then wait for the profits.

"Won't they see through your lie at an instant?" Hong Lin skeptically asked. He would be right if I hadn't already considered that. Cultivators are extremely focused on cultivating to the next realm that they neglect simple things like logic; I'll have to capitalize on that.

"It is worth a try if it fails, we can then go and hunt," Hong Lin nodded, and I got to work on my first ever book, although most of the things are going to be exaggerated. I'm still excited.

"What will I do?" 

"I don't know. You can try drawing," I answered him and continued to write. Thanks to my cultivation base, I'm able to write at a breakneck pace. I doubt if the mortal's machine can match me now.

****

*Yawn*

I don't know how much time has passed, but the chirping birds announce a new day. It seems I spent the whole night diligently writing. I was able to finish the hundred paged book and make another one hundred copies of it. Surprisingly, all I feel is a little dizziness.

"Are you done," I turn to Hong Lin and observe what he's drawing as expected of him? His drawing is vivid and evokes a train of arousing thoughts, I looked away to avoid an embarrassing boner. I then picked a finished book and read the cover.

"How to have a long and satisfying sex by J and H happy husband and wife," the book reads.

"Hey, what's this J and H stuff? I don't remember us deciding on it," knowing Hong Lin, the initials probably mean something that I dread to think further on, but I have to agree. The satisfying part should help to sell the idea.

"Don't bother about it. It's just a little thing I decided to add," he dismisses my question as he finishes the last book.

"Now to get them outside," I divided the books into fifty copies. Half for Hong Lin, and the other for me, "let's go," to get them to the market, I'll have to use a guard that also happens to be an ally.

"I have seen the young master," we arrived at the gate and were immediately greeted by a middle-aged man wearing scaly, light, brown armor. I shrug his polite expression as I know it isn't because of me but rather Jiang Yan; he's one of the few people that know my relation to her.

"I want you to take this book to old man Yun, tell him to advertise them to women especially. He should know how to handle the rest," the old man is an acquaintance I encountered during the rare visits to the city. He's a thriving shopkeeper, so handling the books should be easy for him.

The guard looked confused but still respectfully took them and stored them in his spatial ring.

"I will deliver them once my shift is over," I nodded and gestured for Hong Lin. We then headed back to the courtyard and went straight to our rooms to get the deserved sleep. The rest is now a waiting game.

Junior_elder

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