The Programmer Cultivator

Chapter 424: Chapter 70: Qin Shizhong

Hearing this, Qin Shizhong dropped his playful expression and said seriously, "Martial Uncle, please ask whatever you wish. Whether I know the answer now or not, I will be sure to give you a satisfactory reply."

Zhang Deming looked at Qin Shizhong and said, "We’ve known each other for almost two years now, haven’t we?"

Qin Shizhong paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Yes. It’s been one year, nine months, and eleven days.

"The first half of my life was full of misery. My greatest fortune was meeting you, Martial Uncle. Looking back, I must have spent all that time accumulating blessings just for this opportunity."

Zhang Deming chuckled, momentarily speechless. "Alright, that’s enough. Any more flattery and I’ll float away. Don’t come crying to me when that happens."

Qin Shizhong gave an earnest smile. "No problem. I’ll just watch from down here. When you get tired of floating, Martial Uncle, I’ll be waiting below to catch you."

’What a smooth talker!’

Zhang Deming decided to ignore his banter and continued, "Do you remember what we discussed several months back?"

Hearing this, Qin Shizhong froze. He thought back in confusion for a long while but couldn’t recall any instructions from Zhang Deming from six months ago that he had yet to complete.

After a long while, he shook his head. "Forgive my foolishness, but I can’t seem to recall."

Zhang Deming looked at him and asked, "Have you managed to comprehend any Tier Two Techniques?"

Upon hearing this, a sharp glint flashed in Qin Shizhong’s eyes. His face lit up with an unconcealable, ecstatic joy. Excited yet anxious, he shook his head and said, "This disciple has been slow; I have not yet comprehended any Tier Two Technique."

Zhang Deming nodded. "I remember you’re a Cultivator on the Bloodline Transformation Path, correct?"

Qin Shizhong nodded. "Yes. In the decades since I entered the Sect, I have cultivated a total of three Skills: Snake Transformation, the Snake Movement Skill, and Snake Scale Enhancement."

Hearing this, Zhang Deming was slightly surprised. "You’re walking the Extreme Dao?"

Qin Shizhong shook his head with a bitter smile. "I wouldn’t dare claim to have such ambition. I just knew my aptitude was limited, so when I first made my choice, I intended to use the Extreme Dao as a stepping stone to get a head start.

"If not for that, with my limited aptitude, there’s no way I would have mastered three Skills and reached Apprentice Peak Cultivation at my age."

Hearing this, Zhang Deming raised an eyebrow. ’He really is a clever one.’ To have had such a plan right after entering the Sect, mapping out his path like this, he had clearly done his homework.

But this was also the reason why, despite his sufficient Technique and Cultivation levels, he lacked a side-profession to earn Spirit Stones. Combined with the fact that he didn’t risk his life in the back mountains, he ended up reduced to hawking goods at a street stall just to scrape by.

If it weren’t for Zhang Deming, without some major opportunity, his aptitude meant that once his fifty years in the Sect were up, he would have been sent away to start a family, tasked with laying the foundation for the Sect’s resource network at the lowest level.

Compared to others in a similar position, his outcome would only be marginally better. At least the family he’d establish might have a sliver of hope for the future.

Zhang Deming nodded. "That’s actually not bad. At least you haven’t been practicing a jumble of random skills. Your foundation is solid."

After a moment, Zhang Deming paused and continued, "Because of the information you provided, my recent mission was a complete success. As a result, you now have a choice."

Qin Shizhong looked at Zhang Deming with anticipation. This time, he didn’t offer any platitudes about it being his duty or not needing a reward. Instead, he said earnestly, "Please speak, Martial Uncle. I’m listening."

Zhang Deming looked at Qin Shizhong and said, "First, I can modify the mission reward. I’ll change it so the information you provided on the Infant Spirit Hollow Jade is worth four Contribution Points.

"To be fair, it should be worth at least ten Contribution Points.

"However, I only have five points myself, and I need one to cover another expense, so I can only give you four.

"But with the new region just opening up, Contribution Points are especially valuable right now. Getting even a small lead on everyone else is a huge advantage. So, it’s not as unequal as it sounds."

Qin Shizhong didn’t choose immediately. Instead, he looked at Zhang Deming and asked, "And the second option?"

Zhang Deming pointed to two vials on the table in front of him. "The second option... is these."

Qin Shizhong started. He had noticed the two items when he first entered, but in Zhang Deming’s presence, he always followed the principle of ’do more, listen more, see more; ask less, say less, and pry less.’ Thus, he hadn’t paid them much attention.

Now, at Zhang Deming’s gesture, he finally focused all of his attention on the two vials of blood. After a long moment, he asked hesitantly, "Is this... a Bloodline?"

Zhang Deming nodded. "Correct. It’s a Bloodline. This vial on the left contains the Bloodline of a Tai Chi Stage Qiu Ape, a Demon Beast. It’s an excellent primary material for a high-level advancement, and its ability is Gravity Control.

"For those pursuing ape-type transformations, it’s arguably the most compatible Bloodline ability and one of the best choices available at the Tai Chi Stage. While the Qiu Ape itself is a bit nasty, that doesn’t diminish the value of its Bloodline.

"As for the vial on the right..."

Here, Zhang Deming paused, glancing at Qin Shizhong. "You know, you’re quite the lucky fellow. This one on the right is the Bloodline of a Two-Tailed Spirit Fox from the outskirts of the Hengduan Mountain Range—a species that is now extinct. It was the absolute top-tier primary material for advancement in the previous iteration of the Sect’s Bloodline Transformation Path formulas."

Qin Shizhong’s eyes burned with feverish intensity as he stared at the two vials. He wanted to reach out, to touch them, to examine them more closely, but he didn’t dare. "Martial Uncle," he stammered, "you mean...?"

Zhang Deming explained, "This second choice is that you get zero Contribution Points for the mission. In fact, you’ll end up owing me a massive debt. In return, you get these two."

Qin Shizhong was instantly overcome with ecstasy. "I..."

But before he could finish his sentence, he froze. The elation slowly drained away, replaced by a calm that settled into an ashen look of despair. He slumped back into his seat, utterly dejected.